Sasee March 2012

March 2012 Priceless www.sasee.com

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. – Dolly Parton

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The Market Common 3320 Reed Street Myrtle Beach • 843-839-2958 Mon. - Sat. 10 - 7 • Sun. 12 - 6

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featured articles

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March 2012 Volume 11, Issue 3

who’s who

Indoor Rain

Publisher Delores Blount Sales & Marketing Director Susan Bryant Editor Leslie Moore Account Executives Amanda Kennedy-Colie Erica Schneider Celia Wester Art Director Taylor Nelson Photography Director Patrick Sullivan Graphic Artist Scott Konradt Accounting Bart Buie CPA, P.A. Administrative Assistant Barbara J. Leonard Executive Publishers Jim Creel Bill Hennecy Tom Rogers

by Susan Traugh

Going Green

by Jeffry Cohen

Gifts from Gardeners Past

by Ellen Arnold

Taxi Cab Talisman

by Beth Wood

Southern Snaps

by Connie Barnard

Feeling Lucky

by Diane Stark

Hat’s Amore!

by Sarah Gintout

For Better or Worse

by Gina M. Warner

In the Eye of the Beholder

by Rose Ann Sinay

Seasons

by Susanne von Rennenkampff

PO Box 1389 Murrells Inlet, SC 29576 fax 843-626-6452 • phone 843-626-8911 www.sasee.com • info@sasee.com I n T h is I ssue Rising Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Read It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Recycled Outfits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Sasee Gets Candid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Faves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Women & Men Who Mean Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Scoop on the Strand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

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Sasee is published monthly and distributed free along the Grand Strand. For subscription info, see page 43. Letters to the editor are welcome, but could be edited for length.

Submissions of articles and art are welcome. Visit our website for details on submission. Sasee is a Strand Media Group, Inc. publication.

Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material, in part or in whole, prepared by Strand Media Group, Inc. and appearing within this publication is strictly prohibited. Title “Sasee” is registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

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contributing writers Ellen Arnold gardens and teaches English to college students in Conway, South Carolina.

letter from the editor Early one morning, not too long after sunrise, I was coming back from a jog on the beach. My route takes me up and down the South Causeway in Pawleys; the road that connects the island to the mainland, over Pawleys creek and surrounding salt marsh. In the twenty-odd years I’ve lived in the area, I’ve probably been up and down that same road thousands of times and always appreciate its beauty. But, this particular day, as I was heading home my mind was already on what I had to do that day when, for some reason, I looked up. A huge double rainbow was stretched across the entire sky, and it was so magnificent I stopped in my tracks. After a few minutes a car drove by me – and stopped to stare at the rainbow. By the time the colors started to fade there were half a dozen cars pulled off the road, each with a face lifted up to the sky in awe. It was an experience I’ll never forget, and it helps me remember to never take for granted the beauty that we are all so fortunate to behold every day.

This month, you’ll meet people who love our wealth of natural beauty and work to preserve it for generations to come. Plus, you’ll meet our first ever “Sasee Rising Star,” Mackenzie Jones. I hope you have as much fun reading this great issue as we did putting it together!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day,

cover artist

Connie Barnard traveled the world as a military wife and taught high school and college composition for over 30 years. She has been a regular contributor to Sasee since its first issue in 2002.

Jeffery Cohen, freelance writer, painter, and sculptor, wrote a weekly newspaper humor column for six years. He was a finalist in the Winter Women-On-Writing Flash Fiction Contest and won second place in Vocabula’s Well Written Writing Contest in 2011.

Sarah Gintout lives outside Richmond, Virginia, but considers Pawleys Island her second home. She is an airline pilot and has been published in the Richmond-Times Dispatch.

A native South Carolinian, Lisa Hamilton is the director of the First Presbyterian Church Preschool and Kindergarten. Of course she loves reading, but also finds time for cooking and walking her dog, Hurley.

Rose Ann Sinay lives in North Carolina with her husband and dog where she spends her time writing. Her children graciously continue to provide her with moments worth preserving.

Diane Stark is a former teacher turned stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. Her work has been published in 16 Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, A Cup of Comfort for Christian Women and dozens of magazines. She loves to write about the important things in life: her family and her faith. She can be reached at DianeStark19@yahoo.com.

Sassy, by Martha dePoo Key West native, Martha dePoo’s love of art began at an early age through the nurturing guidance of her artist mother. Since 1984 Martha has been a self-employed artist, and has participated in many juried shows winning multiple awards, including first place in the Florida Keys Watercolor Society’s Annual Juried Show in 2000 and 2005. Martha considers herself a lifelong student of art, and the focus of her work has been capturing the unique and fast disappearing flavor of old Key West and the neighboring keys. Recently Martha discovered another southern region of the country with a distinctive culture and charm; the Carolina Lowcountry. Her richly hued watercolors exude a warmth and vibrancy that reflects the joy and pace of life in the South.

Locally, Martha’s work can be seen at The Cheryl Newby Gallery in Pawleys Island where an exhibit of her work will be held April 6-May 12. For more information, visit www.cherylnewbygallery.com or call 843-979-0149.

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Susan Traugh is an award-winning author of educational materials, numerous articles and special needs curriculum. Follow her at www.susantraugh.com or http://susantraugh.blogspot.com.

Born in Germany, Susanne von Rennenkampff immigrated to Canada in 1981 where she operates a grain farm with her husband. Susanne’s poetry has appeared in Blue Skies magazine, Prime Number and The Maynard.

Gina Warner lives in Illinois with her husband and daughter. Writing is her passion, and she has been blessed with amazing family and friends who are a constant source of inspiration.

Beth M. Wood is a mother of three, marketing professional and freelance writer. Her work appears in publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You. She is a devout reader, semifanatic editor and not-so-great golfer. Follow along at www.bethmwood.blogspot.com.

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www.sasee.com 7

Rising Star A Sasee Rising Star is young, fabulous, confident and riding a starstudded rocket to success. These young women are the leaders of tomorrow, whose vision and innovation will light up the future of our community and our world.

Sasee Rising Star, Mackenzie Jones, daughter of Toni and Kelly Jones, is a sophomore at Myrtle Beach High School. Stellar student and athlete, Mackenzie is the varsity soccer team’s center midfielder and swings a mean backhand on the tennis team. When she’s not hitting the books or practicing with her teams, this goal-oriented young woman spends time with her family and practices her strong faith at First United Methodist Church.

Age: 15 Family: Mom, Dad, four brothers aged 27, 25, 21 and 11 Lives: Myrtle Beach Best/worst thing about school: I love to interact with others and learn.

The worst thing is dealing with people who don’t care about being in school.

Loves: Being with family and friends—we always have a good time!

Pets: Two dogs—a Boykin Spaniel and a Maltese Perfect Day: Laying out on the beach with friends or going hunting with my brothers Favorite Meal: Steak and mashed potatoes Beauty: Everyone is beautiful if you look inside, the outside really doesn’t matter.

Friendship: Someone who has your back, and even if you don’t talk for a long time you can go to them with anything.

College: Clemson or College of Charleston Future Career: Psychologist Passion: Moving in my faith and helping others grow in theirs Inspiration: Jesus

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MarketCommonMB.com located along Farrow Parkway between Highway 17 and Highway 17 By-Pass

www.sasee.com 9

Independent ndependent Seafood (843) 545-9000

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www.sasee.com 11

Here we grow . . .

WE’VE EXPANDED! and now we are offering a café and classes.

Visit our website for additional information and class schedules. www.artandsoulmyrtlebeach.com

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW! We’ve expanded our lunch menu to include new Lowcountry favorites & vegan options.

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Lisa Says…Read Death Comes to Pemberley,

by P.D. James

by Lisa Hamilton 12 www.sasee.com

Rainy Day Collection

By Lisa Schorr Rita Siegal Levine, owner 843.839.2727 www.artandsoulmyrtlebeach.com, artandsoulmb@gmail.com Rainbow Harbor, 5001 N. Kings Hwy. Myrtle Beach

I am not sure of how I truly feel about sequels written to books by another author. However, I do think P.D. James did a satisfying job to Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice, with the novel Death Comes to Pemberley.

One of the most beloved novels of all time, Pride and Prejudice leaves us wondering how the marriages of Lizzie and Darcy and Jane and Bingley worked out, and what life at Pemberley held in store.

It has been six years since the marriage of Darcy and Miss Bennet, and life is happy, with two young sons, a well run household, and family and friends close by. The novel begins with the preparation of

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Inlet Square Mall Hwy. 17 Bypass Murrells Inlet, SC 843-651-9372

the annual ball that celebrates Darcy’s late mother, Lady Anne. On the eve of the event, Elizabeth’s wayward sister Lydia arrives at the estate, uninvited and crashing the party in more ways than one. Murder on the grounds of Pemberley may be more than the entire family can withstand. Darcy appears to be the more central figure as events unfold, and Elizabeth’s sharp wit and mind are missed as the crime is resolved.

James does Austen justice, and there are times in the novel you are convinced you are reading Pride and Prejudice all over again. As a huge fan of “Masterpiece Theatre’s” Downton Abbey, I occasionally got some of my characters confused. It is indeed a finely written story of crime and suspense everyone would enjoy, especially those who are ravenous readers of Jane Austen.

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www.sasee.com 13

Indoor Rain

by Susan Traugh

14 www.sasee.com

“Mommy! Mommy! Come quick! It’s a miracle – it’s raining in the house!” My daughter could barely contain herself as she hopped up and down with the exciting news.

I ran to the family room to discover she was, in fact, correct. Like little natives, my three children were dancing, chanting and whooping with joy as they paid homage to the miracle of indoor rain. Horrified, I surveyed the buckled ceiling and copious amounts of water spilling from under our upstairs bathroom. Indoor rain.

The last thing we needed was a costly plumbing bill as we already teetered on the edge of disaster.

We couldn’t fix the leak. Instead, we opened up the ceiling to let it dry out. Then we all doubled up in our remaining bathroom.

But, that’s when the real miracle happened.

Suddenly, we were all together. As I rearranged toiletries and wedged us all into my one private space, I was angry. What next? We were honest, hard-working people. Yet, we couldn’t seem to catch a break. The bathroom was my one moment of privacy, and now, that too, was gone. Life seemed to be handing me lemons one after the other, and I wasn’t happy.

Mornings required an air-traffic controller. While I did my hair, the girls took their bath, or my son showered. Crammed together, there was no time for individual bathroom use.

Yet suddenly, there were stories. Stories of hopes and dreams. Stories of friendships gone awry or bad decisions narrowly averted. Without eye contact and with the pleasant warmth of the water, my kids seemed under the spell of some truth serum. And I was the beneficiary.

Day after day, I began to relish that time as the rich tapestry of my children’s lives began to unfold for me. That curtain served as a buffer so I could question and advise in a way that would have been impossible face to face.

As the stories unraveled, those threads intertwined with my stories and my guidance to form a new tapestry and a new kind of bonding. The truth is: we changed as a family during that time. And the change was good.

I’m not recommending that you go wreck your bathroom. What I am saying is that, in the midst of a real financial loss, a great gift was born.

Setbacks, big and small, can have silver linings. Some gifts come oddly wrapped. We couldn’t have been poorer that year – and yet, my relationship with my children couldn’t have been richer. Together, we stitched together a bond that has lasted into their teenaged years and beyond. It was a treasure I’d have never received had we been “richer.”

Financially, we barely made it through that year, and yet, even then we’ve never had a bad year. Oh, to be sure, there have been losses, setbacks and disasters. There have been light raindrops and torrential floods. But, that’s different. For we’ve learned that those losses and disasters contain the stuff of miracles – like the miracle of indoor rain.

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“Trashy But Flashy” Hope House of Myrtle Beach is a newly formed nonprofit organization committed to providing a healthy environment for registered Myrtle Beach High School students who are designated homeless or otherwise burdened by circumstances beyond their control.

Every child requires and deserves a safe and nurturing environment while pursuing a full education. Hope House strives to insure these courageous high school students the shelter and security they need to obtain a diploma and develop their career goals.

Five years straight. And counting.

Five years straight. And counting.

Palmetto Ace Home Center 8317 S. Ocean Highway, Pawleys Island, SC 29585 (843) 235-3555 www.palmettoace.com Thanks to you, Ace Hardware was ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores” by J.D. Power and Associates every year since 2007. All this for simply doing what we love: helping you get your weekend back.

Ace Hardware received the highest numerical score among retail stores in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Improvement Retail Store StudySM. Study based on responses from 6,985 consumers measuring 7 stores and opinions of consumers who purchased a home improvement product or service within the previous 12 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed March-April 2011. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com

Sasee’s Staff had so much fun making these adorable recycled fashions for Erica and AJ. Both modeled these outfits at the “Trashy But Flashy” fashion show held February 24th during the Horry County Home Builders Association annual show at the MB Convention Center. All proceeds help support Hope House of Myrtle Beach.

PALM

Ace Hardware received the highest numerical score among retail stores in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Improvement Retail Store StudySM. Study based on responses from 6,985 consumers measuring 7 stores and opinions of consumers who purchased a home improvement product or service within the previous 12 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed March-April 2011. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com

Hope House needs your donations.

Please visit Hope Ho utheir se website to see how you can m yardifference t l e b e a cin h a make young student’s life.

SHOES & COLLECTIONS

Hope House myrtle

beach

708 Main Street, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577-3809 www.hopehouseofmyrtlebeach.org Phone: 843-808-2739 Fax: 843-626-1513

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Hope House

11388 Ocean Hwy. Pawleys Island, SC 29585 843.979.9997 palmshoes.com

www.sasee.com 15

Back in the sixties, a grassroots movement had begun to sprout.

Flower children from San Francisco to New York City planted the seeds of peace throughout the nation, harvesting a bushel basket of causes in the process. One of those causes was the environment.

“The Environ-mentals,” a group of concerned and ecologically aware students at my college, decided to join in the celebration of Earth Day. They were determined to make a statement about saving the planet. I suggested planting a few apple trees. There would be flowers in the spring, shade in the summer and fruit in the fall. The group thought that my blossoming idea was a little bit corny. I suggested planting some marigolds and daisies around the campus. They dismissed that as a waste of time and money because they’d just be trampled over by the crowds participating in Earth Day. No, they needed to come up with something wonderfully clever – something that would capture the spirit of the times; something bold and innovative that would demand people’s attention. At last, they had an idea.

They would bury a toilet!

So, on Earth Day, a solemn procession of six pall bearers dressed in mourning clothes carried a toilet on their shoulders to its final resting place up on a grassy hill that overlooked a plumbing supply company. I guess the toilet would have liked that, bless its little commode. Lines of mourners stood around weeping for the poor unfortunate stone pony.

Now, maybe it’s me, but I was never quite clear on the significance of the toilet funeral. I’m certain that I must have missed something by not having been there when the final lid came down. Maybe if I had listened to just a portion of the eulogy it might have helped me to understand.

“Dear friends, we are gathered here to bid a final farewell, because life is just…a short shake of the handle.”

It seemed to me that kids in the sixties were just being introduced to Mother Nature for the first time. I had known her my whole life, thanks to my mom and dad. They both loved the great outdoors. As soon as spring’s green patches began to pop through spots of melted snow, Dad would start searching for young dandelions, carefully gathering up the tender leaves for salad. In summer, you could find him picking wild blackberries or standing ankle deep in a marsh, cutting cattails. In the fall, he would wander through the damp forest checking tree stumps and banks of fallen leaves for golden mushrooms.

That’s when he would take a deep breath and say, “Do you smell that? It’s God’s country out here.”

My mother liked the outdoors too. You could tell by the “Great Outdoors” room freshener she sprayed throughout the house or the lemon scented furniture polish she used.

I tried to do my part for the environment. I didn’t litter. I recycled aluminum cans and returned glass soda bottles to the store. And, I argued with my mother over toilet paper.

“Jeez mom, you’re using blue toilet paper in the bathroom,” I complained.

“Isn’t it pretty?” she smiled.

“It’s bad for the environment. The dye gets into the water and pollutes it!”

“But it’s so pretty,” she repeated.

“That won’t matter when we have no more clean water to drink on the planet. I want you to promise me that you’ll get rid of that blue toilet paper.”

After considerable hemming and hawing, she agreed. The next weekend, I came home from college and found that my mother had kept her word.

She did get rid of the blue toilet paper.

She’d replaced it with green.

16 www.sasee.com

Going

Green

march

by Jeffry Cohen

March into Spring . . . In Style

Mephisto, Naot, Dansko, Sanita, Jack Rogers, Sam Edelman, Jeffery Campbell, just to name a few…

We carry sizes 5 to 11 and narrows when available

S hop While You L unch!

The Number One Art Gallery on the Grand Strand is NOW SERVING LUNCH! While you have one of the Best Lunches, with farm fresh ingredients . . . browse our 5,000 Sq. Ft. Gallery for the artwork of your choice.

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Seasonal fish prepared with fruits & vegetables

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www.sasee.com 17

Gifts

from Gardeners Past

by Ellen Arnold

I’ve been receiving showers of gifts for the last few weeks, but I won’t say thank you.

It’s our first spring in our new house, built in the 1970s and formerly home to several gardeners before me. The gifts come from those gardeners past. First it was clumps of daffodils and paperwhite narcissus. Then came the snowdrops (properly called summer snowflake), forsythia and lots of apricotcolored flowering quince. Most surprising were the spireas – bare, twiggy branches one day and covered with dainty, snowy flowers the next. Now the camellias are loaded with old-fashioned single red, huge double white and showy candy-striped blossoms. The crabapple is at its peak. Soon the azaleas will take over and steal the show. Later there are bearded irises and daylilies to look forward to.

But I can’t say thank you. There’s a long-standing Southern tradition that warns “Don’t say thank you when someone gives you a plant.” If you do, the plant will die.

My mother says the plant will hear you and get its feelings hurt because it’s being passed along. Maybe the plant wants us to realize it’s more than just a thing that can be traded between people. From what I know about plants, this seems highly likely. They like to stay put, many of them. They find a place they like, and they get attached. I imagine they might feel the same way about the people that take care of them. Dogs, cats and pet birds bond with their people; why not plants?

Then again, it’s possible the tradition says more about gardeners themselves. The gardeners I know are a modest bunch. Give them a compliment on their bountiful roses or tasty tomatoes and they shrug it off.

“We’ve had perfect weather,” they’ll say, or maybe “We got lucky this year.” So it makes sense they don’t want thanks for the gift of a plant.

18 www.sasee.com

Accepting thanks would mean taking some amount of credit, and gardeners don’t like to do that.

I think gardeners understand that they are caretakers and tenders, not owners. So, to gardeners, a plant isn’t a gift in the same way that jewelry is, or a box of chocolate candy or even a jar of homemade preserves.

It’s a living connection between like-minded souls, a hand-off from one plant-lover to another. Most flower gardeners I’ve known can reel off the provenance of every specimen in every bed: this from a great-aunt, that from the old home-place. The plants that they care for are ties that stretch across time and space, spanning generations and state lines. A gift of a plant is a gift to the future from the past, a gesture of both trust and hope. How could a person ever express thanks for that?

Then, what should you say when someone gives you a plant? Bob Polomski, the plant expert at Clemson University, suggests “You’re so thoughtful” or “What a thoughtful gift.” I don’t know. That sounds a lot like “Thank you“ to me. I wouldn’t want my touch-me-nots to overhear that!

I recently gave a rooted morning glory cutting to a friend at work.

“Th–,” she started to say, but I shushed her and pointed meaningfully at the plant, as if to say it could hear her. The next day, Elizabeth brought me a cutting with shiny dark green leaves, small pinkish blossoms, and an intense lemony fragrance. “Oh, how lovely,” I said, breathing it in.

“It’s Daphne odora,” she said. ”It might root.”

“I’ll try to take good care of it,” I promised.

So to those gardeners past who have shared with me their riches and responsibilities, I make the same promise. I can’t thank you, but I’ll do my best to care for the gifts you’ve passed along to me.

And when I get the chance, I’ll pass them along to someone else.

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www.sasee.com 19

Taxi Cab Talisman

by Beth Wood

When my sons were young, they were very into hot wheels. They had them all; fire engines, hot rods, construction trucks, rescue vehicles, school buses, even a red, double-decker right off the streets of London. They loved them all, especially the hot rods.

My favorite of all of these was the little, yellow taxi with the New York plates.

While my boys would play, I’d lose myself in thought, romanticizing a trip to New York…I’d wake up in the morning, enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, pack my suitcase and drive to the airport, where I’d take the first flight to LaGuardia. Once in the city, I’d hop on the subway and head uptown, where I’d spend the first few hours of my day in one of the many writers’ cafés, clicking away on my laptop, trying not to stare at the best-selling authors around me. In the afternoon, I’d walk the streets with long, purposeful strides, the city wind whipping the scarf tossed casually around my neck. I’d duck inside open shops and buy fantastic outfits at designer boutiques. I’d spend my evening on Broadway, sipping Apple Martinis at a swanky bar, lit by the energy of Times Square.

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda…How I wish I’d traveled more, been less afraid and more selfish in my early twenties. No time for that now, I thought.

When our boys decided they were too old for the hot wheels, we packed them up to give them away to a local charity with all the toddler clothes they’d outgrown. But as I was setting that box on the front porch and closing the flaps, I noticed a little yellow piece of metal sticking out from beneath a pair of batman footie pajamas – the New York taxi. Something made me pluck it out of the box and drop it in my coat pocket instead.

It resided in my nightstand drawer, and every once in awhile I’d take it out, turn it over it in my palm, then return it to its parking space. With each

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spring-cleaning, I’d dump out that drawer’s contents, reorganize, restock and then re-park the hot wheel. Each time thinking, I could really use a break.

That miniature taxi became my talisman. Through my separation and eventual divorce. Through the rough years of pouring my heart and soul into my kids and trying desperately to balance a full-time job with the more important role of being a single mom to three kids. I’d work my way through a crying jag only to find that little cab clutched in my hand, the tiny license plate leaving a dent in my palm. I’d stare at it, wishing for a reprieve, just a few days to relax and renew.

I did eventually get that trip to New York, although in reality, it was for business; I was in and out of the city in less than 48 hours. And the cab wasn’t nearly as cute as the one in my nightstand. That trip wasn’t exactly as I’d imagined it would be, but it was a perfect reprieve from an often hectic, sometimes very stressful life. I visited the New York public library, saw a Broadway show, and most importantly, relaxed and renewed my spirit. By the end of the trip, I missed my kids terribly and was ready to get home.

I’ve been to New York several times since I first clutched that little cab in my hand. Each time I walk down 5th Avenue, up 42nd street and across Times Square, I realize that while maybe I wasn’t as brave as I’d liked to have been before my kids came along, the choices I did make led me to my perfect life – surrounded by the people I love most in the world. Needing some time to myself now and then doesn’t change that.

Taking time to reclaim my spirit and renew my sense of self makes me a better mom. And day dreaming about a little time away is not only harmless; it’s good for the soul. It gets us through tough times, and keeps us looking towards the future, towards the possibilities, the what-ifs. Now that I’ve been in a real New York taxi, maybe it’s time for a new dream, a new adventure.

I always did like that red, double-decker hot wheel…

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www.sasee.com 21

Southern Snaps Green Acres

The Thompson Family Farm: Where Traditions Continue to Grow

by Connie Barnard

As she sits on the porch of her family’s historic Bucksville farmhouse, Kristi Thompson Wall can almost catch the scent of 1700 strawberry plants ripening to luscious perfection in a field across the way. In a few weeks, if the weather cooperates, we’ll no longer have to buy those pale perfect grocery versions that look and taste like papier mache. We can pick our own from a plot where they were planted and nurtured with loving care by a family that has owned and tilled this land since 1845.

Kristi’s great-great grandparents Julious and Amanda Thompson raised 15 children on the 200 acre plot at a time when there were few roads in this section of Horry County. Many residents used rivers and creeks as their main source of transportation. The Thompsons, like most families, produced the food they needed for survival and bartered for what they could not grow. It was a hard life, one controlled by the whims of Mother Nature. Kristi’s father, proud Clemson graduate Sid Thompson, says of a fallow field nearby: “That

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tobacco field right there made me want to get a college education.” Yet an enduring love has kept this family connected to it through the years. Sid adds with a smile, “Here I am, on land that has been in my family for five generations.”

Today, thanks to the hard work, creativity and shared commitment, the Thompson Farm is a thriving operation.

Selected as the 2011 South Carolina Small Farm of the Year, it has undergone an amazing transformation in recent years, a true labor of love for Kristi, her brothers Rick and Scott, Scott’s wife Amy and their young daughters, Sydney, Olivia and Natalie, and their father Sid. Looking for ways to revitalize the historic homestead in a troubled economy, Kristi says Scott built a greenhouse to grow flowers for his landscaping business. Soon there were three greenhouses and innovative plans to share the land and its historic past with the greater community.

In 2009, Thompson Farm and Nursery opened to the public, offering tours and special events. It also hosts educational tours for area school groups, personalizing each to fit the requirements of South Carolina state standards. It is clearly an idea whose time has come. Despite Horry County’s rural roots, significant numbers of its young people think food arrives in plastic packages and describe fun as an electronic game. Through hands-on seasonal activities, students visiting the farm learn the importance of soil, nutrients, water, insects, and life cycles of plants and farm animals. In the process, they get to go on hay rides, feed animals, pick crops and visit Daisy’s Planting Shed. Specialized activities may also include an Animal Tracks Detective Tour, a Dirt Is Fun Tour, or a Spring Pizza Tour in which participants visit Kristi’s Lasagna Garden to find their pizza toppings and learn how to grow their own vegetables. How much

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fun is that! They also visit the oldest barn in Horry County (built on the land in 1910) and a memorabilia-filled old general store moved to the farm from Bucksport Landing. Rhonda Ethersen, who coordinates curriculum standards into the field trips, estimates that over 4,000 elementary school students visited the farm’s Pumpkin Patch last fall alone.

Another popular event is the Corn Maze. Each year the Thompsons build an amazing, unique eight acre design which hundreds come to explore. Autumn visitors also enjoy Saturday afternoon festivals that include picking pumpkins, riding in the hay wagon, roasting marshmallows, and watching movies in an open field under a harvest moon.

Each fall the farm also hosts Bass Pro Shop-sponsored dove hunts which teach youngsters gun safety and responsible hunting. During the holiday season, visitors experience Christmas on the Farm which includes a Winter Wonderland with real snow, a living nativity, traditional Christmas characters, and Southern crafts. The farm is also available throughout the year for birthday parties, corporate functions, garden club meetings and special seasonal events such as Easter egg hunts.

A menagerie of animals on the farm provides entertainment and companionship for the Thompsons and everyone who visits the farm. They also require a lot of work and a lot of love. In addition to traditional farm animals, there are some exotic surprises such as a pair of llamas who think they are lap dogs and several animals who retired to the farm after careers spent entertaining guests at the Dixie Stampede.

In an exciting new direction, the Thompsons participated in the 2010 and 2011 Coastal Uncorked Festivals, hosting a spectacular Farm to Table meal. Due to popular demand, participation has been limited to two hundred guests who enjoy dinner under the stars and food fresh from the field. Plans are now underway for a third Farm to Table dinner in conjunction with the upcoming 2012 Coastal Uncorked Festival in April. The family also provides Farm to Table produce for local restaurants, small food markets and limited home delivery.

Horry County Clemson Extension Agent Blake Lanford has great respect for the Thompsons’ bold and creative endeavors to sustain their family farm and share farm life with the

greater community. Referring to this trend as agri-tourism, Lanford says, “They have effectively reinvented a former tobacco farm and homestead by tapping into the tourism sector and a demonstrated interest in the area’s rural heritage…They are also interested in local food production and distribution that taps into the demand regionally for fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Kristi’s generation did not grow up on the farm. A former Miss Myrtle Beach Sun Fun, she and her brothers were raised in the heart of Myrtle Beach. Even today they live in their own homes along the greater Grand Strand and have full-time careers in other fields. Kristi works as a nurse at Georgetown Hospital and lives with her husband, Wayne, on a horse farm in Williamsburg County.

Scott owns a landscaping firm in Myrtle Beach, and Amy is a home healthcare nurse. Rick is a sergeant with the Horry County Police Department.

However, with their dad, they all spend many hours each week working at the farm and planning its future. “Scott is the idea man,” says Kristi. “The rest of us follow his lead.” Regularly, the family comes together for Sunday dinner at the farm where they discuss new plans and adjust ongoing projects. A new direction they are currently pursuing is hydroponics, which involves growing greenhouse crops fed and watered by remote control in a soil-free environment.

They believe it is important to seek innovative ways to achieve sustainability and help prevent a worldwide shortage of both food and water.

These Sunday afternoon gatherings are also a way for the Thompsons to honor the memory of their mother, Norma, who died of cancer in 2011. Sid still finds it difficult to talk about his beloved wife and Conway High School sweetheart whom he calls the absolute mold for the character of the family. Norma’s lively spirit is still very much a presence at the Thompson Farm and another reason for their dedication to it. Clearly, Kristi and her entire family are motivated by a deep love for the land, the life it provides and the heritage it sustains.

To learn more about the Thompson Farm and check the dates for the opening of the strawberry fields, visit their website at www. thompsonfarmandnursery.com or follow them on Facebook at Thompson Farm.

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www.sasee.com 23

Feeling

Lucky

by Diane Stark

“Oh, Honey, come here,” a friend of mine said, pulling me into a hug. “Last night, when I went to pick up my daughter from softball practice, I drove right by your husband’s office. His truck was still there, and it was almost 8:30. You poor thing,” she added, patting my shoulder.

I nodded. “He finally rolled in a few minutes after nine.”

“I feel so bad for you,” she said. “Being home by yourself with all of those kids. It must be so hard on you.”

I nodded again. Poor me.

It was the same story the next time I ran into this woman. And the time after that too. Every time I saw her, she was quick to offer her sympathy for my terrible circumstances.

My friend’s heart was in the right place. Her own husband traveled frequently for his job, so she knew what it was like to miss her man, as well as carry most of the child care and household responsibilities by herself.

We were in the same boat, so why shouldn’t we play the woe-is-me game together?

One reason: I hated the way it made me feel.

I’d head into my local Wal-Mart with a shopping list and a spring in my step, but after bumping into my misery-loves-company friend, I’d leave the store with a heavy heart and resentment simmering toward my husband. (As well as an ample supply of chocolate and Cheez-it crackers – comfort food at its best.)

These little pity parties were not good for my marriage. Or the size of my backside.

So I decided to change the way I thought about my situation.

The next time I bumped into my friend, and she launched into poorbaby mode, I tried to look on the bright side. I shrugged, and said, “Yes, Eric got home late last night, but he was working on a new project. If this deal comes through, his company may be able to hire someone else, and then Eric’s job will be easier.” I shrugged again, and added, “So a year from now, he might be able to be home a lot more.”

She nodded. “That’s nice, but what about right now?”

“Right now, I’ll admit that things are tough, but they’re not nearly as bad as they could be,” I said. “Our husbands both have jobs, and in this economy, that’s a blessing.”

24 www.sasee.com

“But they’re both gone all the time,” she said, scowling.

She was right, but I wasn’t ready to start the pity party. “Yes, but our husband’s jobs allow us to stay at home with our children and still manage to pay our bills,” I reasoned.

She nodded. “I never thought about it that way. I do like being at home with my kids.”

“Our husbands love us enough to work hard so that we don’t have to work,” I laughed and added, “well, at least not outside of our homes.”

She nodded again, more thoughtfully this time. “I used to work at a bank. The job was all right, but I missed my kids, and I hated being away from them.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “I was a teacher, and I loved my summers home with them. Now I get to enjoy being with them year-round.”

“Yeah,” she said, “but now, instead of missing my kids, I miss my husband.”

I nodded. “Didn’t you miss him when you worked at the bank too?”

She chuckled. “Good point.”

Score one for me, but I wasn’t done yet. “And think about this. At least our husbands are at work. A lot of men are gone at least as long as our guys are, but they aren’t working. They’re in bars and bowling alleys.”

“And the really bad ones are in other women’s houses,” she added with raised eyebrows.

I smiled. “So I guess that makes us some of the lucky ones.”

“Hmm, I’m one of the lucky ones,” she murmured, and then she grinned at me. “I’m really glad I bumped into you this morning. I feel better than I have in months.”

I felt pretty good too. And why shouldn’t I feel good? I have a husband who works too much.

But he does it because he loves me. He does it so I can be a stay-athome mom, which for me, is a dream come true. He does it so I can live in a comfortable home and drive a reliable car. He does it to provide for our family and even take me on the occasional vacation.

I won’t be attending any more pity parties because as it turns out, my hard-working husband has given me plenty of reasons to feel really, really lucky.

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www.sasee.com 25

Hat’s Amore!

by Sarah Gintout

“Look Mom, there’s one of mine…the blue one made from Alpaca yarn,” I whisper. “That was one of my favorites.” The sight of the woman wearing it brings a tear to my eye.

I never thought it would evolve like this and it’s still hard to talk about. Recently my Aunt Sue taught me to crochet; we practiced every time we were together. Close for years, this was another shared hobby that brought us even closer. She would help me work through new patterns and explain techniques – after mastering the basics we decided a hat pattern would be fun to try.

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I loved making hats!

And so began my mission: Make hats; lots of hats – in every shape, size, and color.

I travel frequently for work, leaving time at night to crochet at the hotel. It wasn’t long before my suitcase was stuffed with skeins of yarn. The hats had buttons, stripes, brims and everything in between. I had begun to accumulate more hats than I knew what to do with. My friends had selected a hat to don their heads for the winter, yet my guest room closet was still packed with close to 75 homeless hats.

I decided to try craft shows; the shows came and went, but it wasn’t the feel-good experience I was looking for.

After hanging on to my prized hats for a few months and realizing they weren’t doing anyone any good sitting in a closet, I decided to donate them. Just as a particularly cold winter was approaching, I made some calls and found a contact at a local hospital. A week later, I took my bag of hats to Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University to donate for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

I dropped the hats off and went home, not realizing how this would forever impact my life and the lives of my family. A week later, I received a lovely thank you note from a woman who ran the hospital salon. She said my hats were very popular and much appreciated.

That was the only catalyst I needed; the next day I was off to the local craft store to purchase more yarn. I spent a lot of time thinking of colors, yarn textures and designs that would flatter and be comfortable for the patients.

Wool yarns could be scratchy, some yarn was too bulky, I quickly found brands that met my needs and, hopefully, the needs of the people for whom I was crocheting. Winter went on, and I donated over 125 hats. I loved doing it and felt I was doing something to help the patients too.

And in a moment my world changed.

Three days after Christmas, my mom was diagnosed with leukemia.

While her prognosis was good, it was a shock to our family – to any family. I stopped crocheting; associating crocheting with cancer – my mom’s cancer. It was painful, and we had enough pain in our lives.

Eventually, the time came in my mom’s treatment when she needed hats.

We pulled my big bag out of the

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closet and gave her a hat fashion show of sorts. Seeing my mom wear my hats made my heart hurt even more – she had worn my hats before, but that was while hiking a nature trail near our home, not because her head was cold from losing all her hair in the middle of January.

The crochet needles stayed tucked away in the drawer.

One Friday in March, after being released from the hospital from her third round of chemotherapy, my Aunt Sue and I took Mom in for a routine doctor’s appointment. It was a tough day; Mom had no energy. The whole family was exhausted from endless days at the hospital, and we all just wanted our normal life back.

While in a large treatment room with Mom, I couldn’t help but look around…recliners lining every wall, surrounded with IV poles and patients receiving chemotherapy or some type of treatment. Typically, due to space limitations, the treatment room is for patients only, but being early in the day, the nurses let my aunt and I stay with her.

As we sat with Mom and watched the bag of saline solution slowly empty, my eyes wandered…

Then I saw her… tucked in a corner with her daughter beside her, a woman lay in a recliner; trying to sleep, probably from exhaustion, but also to pass the time.

She was curled up in a little ball, mountains of blankets covering her, and on her head was a hat I had made. I quietly pointed this out to my mom and aunt, then quickly changed the subject.

Thinking about it that night, I realized seeing my hats saddened me because I had never seen the faces of the people who wore them. I simply dropped them off at the hospital. Seeing my hats on patients gave a face to them, a reason for crocheting. My hats had purpose; they brought comfort and warmth.

That night I started to crochet again. With every hat I had a vision, an image of the person for whom I was making the hat. I pictured a young woman, trendy and edgy, in a black and purple striped hat. The ice cream hat as we called it, a zigzag hat with hues of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, was for an older woman and had a large brim.

The weeks of treatment continued, and it wasn’t long before we began to see more and more of my hats around the hospital. It always tugged at my heart a bit, but what once was sadness gave way to hope. Hope that my hats bring a little love and confidence to the person who wears them.

A year later, my mom is cancer free. While we are thankful for this chapter of our lives, I cannot forget the families that are just starting their fight.

For them, I will continue to crochet…

They need a

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www.sasee.com 27

Oh, God, she’s breaking up with me. That’s what went through my head when Jenn told me that she and Mike, my husband’s cousin, were divorcing. But we’re best friends, I wanted to point out. We go to dinner, movies, bars, concerts and have barbecues with our kids.

While our husbands drink beer, burp and talk sports, Jenn and I share a bottle of wine and talk sex, work, kids and life.

We’d grown close only in the past year or two, but I’m lucky to have this amazing friend who I can also call family. She said that nothing will ever change that, but how can that be? Mike and Jenn will never again be Mike and Jenn, and I was having trouble coming to terms with that.

A mere month after that fateful conversation was moving day. Jenn was moving out, moving in and moving on. Her new place was nice, but it didn’t matter. I was sure that the next day she and Mike would wake up in different beds, different houses and realize this was all a mistake. But for today, they skirted around the gloom and each other. They made small talk; Jenn gave instructions, and Mike put together the furniture he’d just taken apart. There wasn’t anger or fighting and it occurred to me that their break-up wasn’t much different from their marriage.

Emotionless. Other than normal, healthy disagreements, I’d never seen them fight.

I‘d also never seen them kiss or even hold hands. Luckily, I managed not to cry until I’d gotten to my car to leave.

The days following the big move were torturous – for me. Jenn would send texts asking if I was doing okay and, truth be told, I needed the attention. I needed to know that we were friends in spite of being family, not because we were family. As to be expected, my husband, Josh, and I stood on opposite ends of this divorce spectrum.

Though we’d vowed not to take sides, it was only natural that it happened.

Not to mention, being a man, he has the unfortunate inability to be openminded, and he scoffed at my dreams of Mike and Jenn reconciling. My relationship with him was becoming strained, and I stomped away from many conversations wondering if Jenn didn’t have the right idea. It finally came about that, for the sake of our own happiness and stability, we would no longer discuss the divorce with each other.

The physical distance made everything worse. Mike and Jenn live an hour away. An hour drive is easy when you’re piling the family in the car for a get-together. It’s not easy when you’re trying to meet for a drink or a quick lunch. A time or two we’d split up into girls and guys to catch a movie or a concert, but for the most part we did everything together. Now Josh and Mike would grab a drink one night, and I’d try for a breakfast date with Jenn. We’re all juggling time and babysitters and sanity. We probably did that before, too, it just seemed easier juggling things together.

Josh and I hosted a party a few weeks ago. We agonized over the guest

list. Of course we’d invite them both. Right? We determined that we’d ask Mike how he feels first. Mike is, after all, family, and his feelings need to be accommodated first.

I’m indecisive. Jenn is my family, too. A piece of paper signed at a courthouse and new living arrangements won’t change that. Mike claims to be fine with Jenn being here, even curious to see how things play out, so I extend the invitation.

I could understand her uneasy hesitation, and I spent the rest of the week waiting it out. Jenn ended up declining, feeling it was too soon to be in a social setting with her future ex-husband. For the most part, I respected her decision; the awkwardness was still so fresh. On the other hand, I wanted to pout and bawl. I wanted to call her and yell that she’d promised nothing would change! Not that I’d fooled myself into believing that it wouldn’t; I was just sad, and I missed my friend.

And perhaps I had mentally created the scenario where they would run into each other in the driveway, Mike would tell Jenn she looked nice, Jenn would tell Mike she missed him, and they would kiss and find a way to live happily ever after. I don’t care what my husband would say to that. I believe in love and miracles.

The irony of it all? I talk with Mike now and have concluded that he’s a stranger. I know and love him as Josh’s cousin and friend, but I know nothing about him. I’ve spent days and hours and years with these two people, and I only know one of them. The times we were together, we were never together. The girls would always migrate to the kitchen to chat and the boys to the garage. I’ve been so distracted over the possibility of losing Jenn that I’ve overlooked another friend waiting to be made. I can’t believe I’ve never met this smart, funny man who has a belly laugh and can eat ten hot dogs through the course of an evening. Who knew that he, too, liked to pick the rye chips out of a container of Pub Mix? Hello, my new friend. It’s so nice to finally meet you.

Mutual friends of ours, also insistent on keeping up relations, are having a family dinner this weekend. Because that’s what we are, we’re family.

Hopefully Mike and Jenn will both show because I’m looking forward to seeing my old friend – and my new one. And who knows? There is always a chance that they’ll run into each other in the driveway, and Mike will tell Jenn she looks nice and…well, you know the rest.

For

Better or Worse

by Gina M. Warner

28 www.sasee.com

march

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Tuesday & Thursday 10 - 7 Wednesday & Friday 10 - 5:30 Saturday 10 - 4

Spring Chic…

Always…

Victoria’s Ragpatch, Inc.

Victoria’s Ragpatch “shop local” 117 Causeway Dr., Ocean Isle Beach, NC 910-579-3158 • Daily 10 am-5 pm 10164 Beach Dr. SW, Calabash, NC 910-579-2015 • Mon.-Sat. 10 am-5 pm

6101 N. Kings Hwy. Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 843.449.1696 www.missmasterchildren.com

New Shipments, Colors and Designs!

Spring 2012

APRIL’S CROWN ISN’T ABOUT THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR.

IT’S A WAY TO HELP SAVE HER KIDS’ SIGHT.

Mrs. America April Lufriu returned to pageantry at age 41 after she and her two children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a genetic retinal disease that leads to blindness. There is currently no cure, but her mission for the crown is clear: to advance the fight for sight toward a brighter future for millions.

The Foundation Fighting Blindness is funding critical research to find treatments and cures that could save and potentially restore vision lost to retinal diseases like RP and age-related macular degeneration.

A CURE IS IN SIGHT.

You can help. To learn more and for free retinal disease information, call 800-683-5555 or visit FightBlindness.org April Lufriu is a proud spokesperson for the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

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www.sasee.com 29 APRIL’S CROWN ISN’T ABOUT THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR.

IT’S A WAY TO HELP SAVE HER KIDS’ SIGHT.

Mrs. America April Lufriu returned to pageantry at age 41 after she and her two children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a genetic retinal disease that leads to blindness. There is currently no cure, but her mission for the crown is

Everything that goes into the garbage is buried, while recycled materials are used again and again. Glass, for example, only takes about 30 days to be back in use, and can be endlessly recycled. Paper can be recycled over and over before more virgin paper has to be added. Making products from recycled steel, glass, plastic or paper saves 40-70% in energy, and what many people don’t realize is that recycling creates jobs. There are over 300 recycling businesses in South Carolina, and the industry has produced 37,000 direct and indirect jobs.

What can we do at home?

Just start small, every little bit helps. Everyone makes a difference. There are drop-offs for recycling in Horry and Georgetown Counties, or, if you don’t have time, we offer residential pick-up. Get a reusable coffee cup or water bottle, buy reusable bags for shopping, unplug your phone chargers when not in use and turn off lights – it really adds up. Our environment is ultimately resilient, can “bounce back” given the chance, and recycling is an incredible opportunity to help it do so.

gets candid Meet Kira Roff – Living Life in Shades of Green Pawleys Island resident, Kira Roff, is passionate about trash – or, rather, recycling and what happens to the trash after it gets thrown out. The Wisconsin native, and former Vice-President of Operations and Events at Brookgreen Gardens, started Brookgreen Garden’s recycling program. Once accomplished, her dedication to improving and maintaining our environment eventually led Kira and her husband Steve to open Fisher Recycling Grand Strand in 2010, providing commercial and residential recycling services in Horry and Georgetown Counties.

Why did you choose a recycling business?

When I worked for Brookgreen Gardens, visitors would ask where to recycle their plastic bottles and, at that time, there was no recycling program. I knew I wanted to help start a program in Brookgreen, but it seemed overwhelming. I contacted the S.C. Department of Commerce and DHEC, and found a lot of great information that helped us implement the program.

My husband has his own fishing charter business, and I was interested in helping our community and area businesses recycle, more for altruistic reasons in the beginning. I found out there was no commercial recycling available for businesses to commingle their glass, plastic, tin and paper, or to do educational training for staff. I finally decided to go for it – it was a leap of faith that has worked out well. We have the passion to match the hard work that goes along with owning and operating a recycling business. And, I have never worked harder in my life.

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Why did you move here from Wisconsin?

My family came here for vacation for years, starting when I was about seven years old, and we would camp at Huntington Beach State Park. In 1998, a friend of mine and I were here camping and had signed up for a park program the next day, but a middle of the night rainstorm and wet tent caused us to be late. After the program was over, I had a few questions for the guide, and he teased me about being late. I went to another program the next day, and if you haven’t guessed, the guide was my future husband! At that time, he worked as an Interpretive Park Ranger at Huntington. Eight months later we were married, and I moved to South Carolina. That was 13 years ago. Today, we have two children; our son, Wyatt, is 10 and daughter, Bryn, is 11. Both were born in Georgetown County.

Steve and I are both passionate about the environment and have always tried to reduce our own carbon footprint. When we were first married, Steve worked – and we lived – in Huntington, so when I went to work for Brookgreen, I would ride my bike there and back every day. After we had children I did have to get a car, but for a long time, we were a “one-car household.” Now I drive a clean-running diesel that gets 50 mpg and try to carpool and plan my trips to save energy.

What do you do for fun?

Sleep! [laughing] We also do a lot of volunteer work at our church, Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church, and with the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Recycling Industry, as well as Murrells Inlet 2020 and Surfrider Foundation. Everything we do is family-oriented. We have a lab/boxer mix dog that I try to run every day. In the summer, we love boating. I would love to travel the world more if I could…maybe someday I will travel again.

Being able to be around for my children is one of the many benefits of having my own business. I love my work and believe it is important, not just for my children but our community and environment as a whole. One of my favorite quotes is “Be the change you want to see in the world.” That’s what I’m trying to do.

For more information about recycling and how to get started, visit www.fisherrecycling.com/grand_strand or call Kira at (843) 543-9811.

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In the Eye of the

Beholder

by Rose Ann Sinay

According to the domestic divas, spring cleaning is a big deal. There are many articles with tips, tutorials and printable checklists for all (and I mean all) aspects of this periodic cleansing as the winter cold dwindles, and warm, spring breezes blow fresh, sweet smelling air through our homes. I start to feel seasonally renewed until I read an essay in a magazine, by a homemaking guru, saying that the enjoyment comes only after the work is done.

Spring cleaning is not an event that I look forward to. Organized purging does not come easily to me. My idea of a tidy house is a far cry from the Martha Stewart image of clean and green. I don’t remember to wipe the shower stall down after each use, and the detergents I scrub the tiles with are neither natural nor homemade. Stacks of things to be put away (later) tend to accumulate in the closet and laundry room and, if I must confess, on top of the loveseat in the bedroom. Unfortunately, it only takes a good book sitting on my table or a story clunking around in my head (that needs to be put on paper) to make me forget those ever-growing piles and the water beads depositing their mineral content on my shower walls.

Spring cleaning enthusiasts think of this cyclical, deep cleaning ritual as a cathartic exercise. They insist scrubbing forgotten corners of accumulated dirt and grime with a toothbrush, releases endorphins akin to eating chocolate.

I can emphatically say that I have NEVER had that particular experience.

This season, I am determined to be successful. I will be methodical in my approach to conquering clutter and grime. I actually read those articles by experts in the field and print out their formidable checklist. Armed with strategic guidelines and a cup of coffee, I sit down to plan my attack.

1. Enlist your family members. Hahahaha. This is all I have to say about that.

2. Declutter. This second step could take a few days; however, I am in luck. The consensus of several professionals is that this job should take about a week, give or take a few (weeks that is).

3. Assemble the right cleansers for the job. The articles suggest that I may want to make my own cleansers and polishes – I think you may have already guessed my views on this point.

There is controversy in the cleanser debate. Does vinegar and water clean your windows better than the non-green, canned sprays? Should you use old newspapers, paper towels or recycled rags? Will lemon effectively cut the built up grease on my stove top? What product really removes that soapy film from the shower door? After all these years, I still don’t have the definitive answers to these questions.

4. Dust – start from the top and work downward. Dust bunny, a lovely name for the byproduct of dusting negligence, is a conglomeration of debris, hair, spider webs, dead skin cells and live arachnids. (I didn’t know that – it looks so…well…fluffy and benign!)

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Last week I evicted all those fluffy dust bunnies that live under my bed and couch, but I know it won’t be long until their children come to visit.

5. Vacuum. This step should be done often. Did you know that sand wears down the fiber of your carpets faster than most other substances?

I have a continual supply of the gritty, white stuff, brought in on the bottoms and creases of golf shoes. The perpetrator of the mini indoor sand bunkers wears the innocent, Who – Me? look on his face. As with a multitude of other things, it gets blamed on the dog. Ever faithful to his master, the dog takes it in stride, buries his head under his paws and looks suitably remorseful.

In the end, his selflessness is rewarded with a treat that leaves a trail of crumbs, all the way to his doggy bed.

To me, spring cleaning is as exhilarating as climbing a mountain, going on a diet or plucking my eye brows. I have experienced the cleaning fever – the desire to vaporize the clutter, to make my windows sparkle like diamonds and obliterate the furry dust that outlines the blades of my ceiling fans.

It is the commitment to the execution of these labor intensive steps that is the deal breaker.

As I sit here typing, a much needed break from re-sorting and vacuuming, I notice that dust has texturized the surface of my smooth, white blinds into interesting patterns. In the corner of my living room, gossamer strands of a spider’s web shimmer in the afternoon sunlight. I am struck by the beauty of it and decide that, perhaps, I should delay my dusting to another day. One could consider this natural phenomenon as art, for no two are alike…or, wait, is that a snowflake?

I may not steam clean my wood floors, and I’m sure to miss some grimy corners, but I don’t mind if you walk into my house with wet shoes. It’s easily wiped up. And, I invite you to throw your sweater over the banister; it can keep my husband’s golf jacket company. Did you track in a little bit of mud? Don’t worry about it. Come in…relax…enjoy my masterpieces.

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The 4th Annual Grand Strand

Forget-Me-Not Ball Benefiting the

April 14, 2012

Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes 6:00 p.m. - Cocktails and silent auction 8:00 p.m. - Dinner, music & dancing Tickets available at www.fmnball.org/grandstrand.

Questions? Call 800-860-1444.

le Ame Pettiskirts • Sarah Louise • Glorimont • BOB Strollers • Petunia Pickle Bottom • Ju-Ju-Be • Ruffle Butts •

Where childhood is cherished!

4640 Hwy 17, Murrells Inlet, SC • 843-651-7424 1/2 mile south of Waccamaw Hospital • Find us on Save 15% off a single spring apparel item with this ad

es • Lemon Loves Lime • La Jenns • Vive La Fete • Puddle Jumpers • Livie and Luca • L’amour • See Kai Run • Sque

Lé Za Me • The Bailey Boys • Kate Mack & Biscotti • Le Top • Rabbit Moon • Kissy Kissy • Vineyard Vin

ak Me Shoes • Pink Chicken • Anavini • E-Land • Mulberry Street • Appaman • Deux Par Deux • Bel

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Raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens . . .

Simple and sweet is what we thought when we saw these at Sassyfras. They come in blue, pink and white.

Sassyfras Myrtle Beach 843-449-1420

Hop on into The Kangaroo Pouch for amazing and unique gifts. This patterned neck pillow and matching frog are a few of our favorite things.

Kangaroo Pouch Myrtle Beach 843-839-0990 Market Common 843-839-2958

It doesn’t get much cuter than a dolled up little girl or a dapper little boy. These bowties and headbands come in many different colors. We love these for the spring and your child will look adorable wearing these on Easter Sunday.

Your little girl will look darling in this pink and white ruffled swimsuit with matching hat. She will be the cutest on the beach this spring and summer.

Me and Mommy North Myrtle Beach 843-361-9191

Hannah B’s Murrells Inlet 843-651-7424

These are a few of our favorite things.

Peek-a-boo, I love you! This is such an adorable gift for any small child. This Gund bear plays peek-a-boo with a touch of a button. Makes for a great Easter Basket filler.

Miss Master Myrtle Beach 843-449-1696

Seasons

by Susanne von Rennenkampff

It is past the middle of May, and even in our northerly area spring should be at its most beautiful. It is slow in coming, however, and it is not easy to have patience for it after six months of winter. A slight hint of green has descended on the poplar bluffs lending depth to the freshly tilled grain fields, but the leaves are hesitating to unfold; no wonder, with temperatures still dipping below freezing almost every night.

We have been farming in north central Alberta since we got married in 1981, both my husband and I having emigrated from Germany.

We met in university where we both were studying agriculture, Johann having grown up on a farm, I, a teacher’s daughter from a small village, believing a love of animals and the rural lifestyle were pointing me in this direction. Little did I know then, in my early twenties, what this implied, and I didn’t give any thought to the question if I might be suited for the life of a pioneer woman. This term, commonly applied to women of earlier generations of immigrants, possibly seems a bit presumptuous for someone starting a new life in a civilized country in the last part of the twentieth century, but I believe it still is true in many ways. My background – a sheltered childhood in a caring family, a small, close-knit community, an orderly life with predictable day-to-day occurrences – would seem like an unlikely jump-off point into a life of adventure, and indeed I sometimes wonder what strange fate brought me here. I wonder – but I don’t question it, because it is, as I can see now, a place and a way of life in which I have thrived, that has shaped me and helped to make me who I am.

Never cut out to be a city dweller, I probably would have been happy in any rural setting, even in my home country, but I doubt that I would have found there the two most important ingredients that have played a role in my life: the closeness to nature and solitude.

Even on a much too cold May morning like today I can’t help but stand still and be filled with wonder at my surroundings: the back-andforth of woodpeckers drumming in the bush behind the house, the funny gait of the robins scooting across the lawn, stopping abruptly to pull up a worm, tail flicking. I long for the tender green, just starting to spread on the black and white poplars, to unfold – only to wish that it might linger in just that stage, the moment of expectation, for a bit longer: so soon it

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will become familiar, part of the summer landscape, taken for granted.

Always that is the challenge: to keep the extraordinariness of every day from turning into something that is taken for granted. So easily summer, the season of lushness and plenty, will let us forget the slow sprouting of a cold spring. We now tell stories about the humble beginnings of our farming and have to take care to remember what it actually felt like. It is much easier to laugh about the frustration of not being able to light a fire in a wood burning stove, of lamenting the fact that the tractor was bigger than the house beside which it stood, once heat comes at the turn of a switch and the house has enough room for a family of five, plus a load of summer guests.

The summer feeling of accomplishment, however, comes at a cost: life is so busy, there are so many things that need to be done, children to be raised, expectations to be fulfilled, conventions to be upheld, and at times, then, I found myself restless and deeply unhappy for no recognizable reason. It is only now, in the late summer of my life, that I have started to realize what has kept me well over all these years, what will always do so.

My life rises and falls with the seasons: always there is a day at the very end of April when thousands of cranes move overhead, just like the swallows always return within a day or two in May. Saskatoon and chokecherry bushes usually bloom around the long weekend in May; beans and cucumbers have a strange way of being ready to harvest around the same day at the beginning of August, and the hummingbirds, faithful visitors of the feeder through the summer, suddenly disappear at the end of that month.

Every year anew the haunting beauty of golden and orange poplar leaves against the deep blue sky fills me with a deep happiness when I drive the grain truck at harvest time, and there is hardly a night when I don’t step out to have one last look at the starry sky, sometimes even rewarded with the strange wonder of the colorful sheets of the Northern Lights.

This country, this way of life, demand a toughness I don’t always possess, a resilience that is sometimes hard to come by, but I am slowly finding out that I am learning all I need to know as a human being when I try to match my rhythm with the rhythm of the nature that surrounds me. It is a learning process that is likely going to take me the rest of my life, but what better way to spend it?

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Wi n e D i n n e r

March 11th, 2012 Time: 6:30 pm Cost: $40 per person Location: 980 82nd Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 Enjoy a special four course dinner; each course will feature a unique wine or sake from around the world.

Call for reservations 843-692-7000

Hosted by Stephanie Arnold from Southern Wine and Spirits

Appetizer: Golden Thai Purses Chicken and Shrimp (Garlic, coriander, spring onions, white pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce w/sweet chili sauce) Sushi: Rainbow Salad (Tomatoes, seaweed, carrots, avocado, crab, cucumber, with a light vinegar dressing) Entrée: Indo Stuffed Grouper w/Thai Green Curry (Grouper, green curry sauce, lemongrass, bamboo shoots, yellow rice, and asparagus) Dessert: Organic Blueberry Pie

980 82nd Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 843-692-7000 www.indothaidining.com

Celebrating our 19th Year in Business

Our Inventory is Always Changing…

Stop in Frequently!

Unique Decorating Items • New & Used Better Quality Furniture • Ladies’ & Children’s Clothing 11115 Ocean Hwy., Pawleys Island (Next to Habaneros) • 843-237-8447 Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm • take2resale@yahoo.com

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Sara Owid Sara Owid, owner of Consigning Women on Broadway in Myrtle Beach, loves to hear the birds sing and see the blossoms and flower buds appear in spring. “Even the leaves on the trees are beautiful. They remind me of God and His glory. He shows us such a beautiful picture.”

Gardening is important to Sara, who grew up in a rural area. “Now, I do raised bed gardening. I have an asparagus bed and plant squash, tomatoes…all kinds of things. Last year I even raised okra! This type of gardening is great for small spaces—there’s no soil, just a mixture of organic products.” Even if Sara moves back to a rural area, which she hopes to do one day, she believes this is the best way to garden. Sara is an adamant supporter of “reduce, reuse and recycle,” and says, “At home we recycle everything. My elderly aunt and beautiful motherin-law taught me the importance of recycling, and I’ve never forgotten their lessons.” Owning a consignment shop is a type of recycling, and Sara is passionate about her business. “I hope everyone will take the time to recycle and consign the things they no longer want.”

A redhead with freckles, Sara feels a kinship with the Irish and loves St. Patrick’s Day. “I don’t know that we have any Irish ancestry, but we always celebrate with the traditional meal of corned beef, new potatoes and cabbage.” Spring is the perfect time to renew the look of your home, and Consigning Women on Broadway has lots of wonderful items to give customers a head start. “Every day is like a treasure. People bring in things they’re tired of and while they’re here they find exciting new-to-them items. What better way to refurbish your home than to use recycled things? We give life to your unwanted items.”

Consigning Women on Broadway, 407 Broadway Street, Myrtle Beach 843-839-3960

Geri Anderson Geri Anderson, owner of Miss Master in Myrtle Beach, always takes time to smell the flowers, especially in the spring. “I enjoy seeing what flowers are going to pop out to enjoy!

Azaleas are my favorite; they let me know summer is on the way.” At home, pots of pansies in the cooler months give way to hyacinths, ferns and impatiens in the spring. “I love planting mixed pots of whatever I can find that will be pretty together. In the spring, I enjoy getting outside, not just to garden, but to walk on the beach—my favorite thing to do.” Geri believes recycling is important, both at home and work. “We’re very conscious at Miss Master to recycle everything we can. Much of our merchandise comes in large cardboard boxes, and my manager, Lynn Long, breaks them down and takes them to the recycling center herself. Our earth is so beautiful, and we all need to do what we can do protect it.”

On the 17th of this month, you’ll find Geri wearing green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. She and her family will also enjoy the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. Miss Master is getting a spring makeover this year, with a facelift for the outside of the building. “The building will still be pink, with green shutters,” said Geri. “Inside, our customers will find beautiful spring colors as well.” Miss Master is starting its 37th year of business, and Geri is so grateful for the continued loyalty of her customers—as well as her dedicated manager, Lynn Long. “We started in Myrtle Square Mall and moved to this location 27 years ago. “Our community has been good to me.”

Miss Master The Children Shoppe, 6101 N. Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach, 843-449-1696 www.missmasterchildren.com

Flavia Grainger Flavia Grainger, owner of FLOORZ in Pawleys Island, says spring is her favorite season.

“It’s a season for renewal. After the winter and cold and gray days, nature presents us with fresh colors and warm weather. It’s a time to renovate, re-create, and restore our lives, our homes and our wardrobes. A popular spring pastime, gardening, is a favorite of Flavia’s, and she says it is her barometer to birth new ideas. “It’s in the spring, with new growth sprouting all around that I come alive. I love to dig in the dirt and move plants around, especially my bird iris bulbs.” When asked if she recycles, this businesswoman was quick to answer. “Our planet is a gift to us, and we must cherish it. We are all responsible for preserving the earth. In FLOORZ, our lines of hardwood flooring come from 100% well-managed forests, and recycling is paramount in our business.”

Flavia supports “Plastic Free Pawleys,” a movement to eliminate plastic waste from this small community. “Plastics are a major source of damage to our environment, especially ocean life.

This is why we choose not to provide plastic bags at our store.”

St. Patrick’s Day is a very special day for Flavia. “On March 17, 2004, our first grandson was born. Since then, St. Patrick’s Day is not only a time for our family to celebrate with friends, but also to celebrate life!” Spring is a wonderful time to redecorate, and Flavia is ready to help. “As the signs of spring appear, people begin to plan for remodeling or redecorating their homes. As spring is also my favorite time of year, I am filled with new ideas, and invest my time in choosing new materials and products for flooring, bathrooms, showers, etc. Better catch me in the spring!”

FLOORZ, 13313 Ocean Hwy., Litchfield, 843-979-1800

BUSINESS Thomas Davis

Thomas Davis, artist/owner of Collectors Café in Myrtle Beach, loves all the colors that spring brings, saying, “I look forward to the pink and white blossoms of my cherry tree, all the flowers that bring their colors bright, and, of course, the wild vines that explode with South Carolina purple wisteria. They all inspire me to paint with nature’s brilliant colors.” Thomas and his family live in Briarcliffe, and his wife loves to cook, so growing herbs has become a favorite hobby. “We grow my favorite, cilantro, as well as basil and rosemary, and our compost pile in the backyard gives us natural mulch for the garden.” The Davis family also regularly uses Briarcliffe’s recycling program. “At Collectors, we try to do as much as we can, but are always ready to learn new and better ways to improve our community,” said Thomas. “The beach is a beautiful place, and I want to keep it this way for my children to enjoy.”

This is an exciting time for our entire community, and Collectors Café is no exception.

“I have been very busy creating a new oil painting every two weeks this winter and selecting other artists to participate in our Spring Art show,” said Thomas. “The walls of Collectors are a great place to present a new, fresh, original painting to the public. We also take advantage of the abundance of fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit grown locally and used each day at Collectors. Much of our fresh produce comes from Indigo Farms, but my business partner, Mike Smith, grows over sixty different herbs for the restaurant and brings in fresh oregano, mint and basil. Our lunch menu is wonderful. Stop by and sample these flavors and shop for a special work of art.”

Collectors Café, 7740 North Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach, 843-449-9370 www.collectorscafeandgallery.com

This National Historic Landmark is home to the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo on the coast in the Carolinas, and one of the most significant sculpture collections in the world!

From overland excursions on the Trekker to garden tours and new exhibits, there is always something new and exciting at Brookgreen.

For more information call or visit our website

(800) 849-1931

• Residential & • Mosquito Commercial Services • Rodent & Insect • Termite • Bed Bugs

www.brookgreen.org

Admission: $14 Adults, $12 Seniors, $7 Children 4-12 & Children under 3 are FREE!

ONE FREE

RESIDENTIAL PEST SERVICE

Butterfly Exhibit Opens Spring 2012

With a signed Termite Agreement.

Cannot be combined with any other offer.

CALL TODAY!

Admission is Good for 7 Days!

(843) 238.9995 • GetLanes.com

On Highway 17 south of Myrtle Beach between Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island.

Advertiser Index Alzheimer’s Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Cabana Gauze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

David E. Grabeman, D.D.S., P.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Frame Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Art & Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

CHD Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Distinctive Eyewear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Grady’s Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Barbara’s Fine Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

City of Georgetown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Dr. Jerry M. Guanciale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Guardian ad Litem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Bouvier Tax & Financial Services, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 21

Collectors Cafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Eleanor Pitts Fine Gifts & Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Hannah B’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Bright Blue Sea Bookshelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Consigning Women on Broadway . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

En Facé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Homespun Crafters Mall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Brookgreen Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

The Cricket Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Foundation Fighting Blindness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Hope Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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SEE AND BE SEEN. • Designer Eyewear • Sunglasses • Corrective Lenses • Eye Exams

We proudly accept the following insurance plans: • VSP • Superior Vision • Always Care • EyeMed • Medicaid • Guardian Anytime • Planned Administrators Inc. • March Vision • First Choice/Select Health • and More

843.213.1201

LOCATED NEXT TO PIGGLY WIGGLY AT

www.distinctiveeyewearmb.com Hucks & Washington Furniture Company . . . . . . 19

The Market Common . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Pawleys Island Swimwear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Take 2 Resale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Indo Thai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

McLeod Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Plantation Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Taylor’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Island Shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Mercy’s Wing Fling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Rice Paddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Taz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Joggling Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Miss Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Rose Arbor Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Ultratan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The Kangaroo Pouch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Once Upon a Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Sassyfras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Victoria’s Ragpatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Lane’s Professional Pest Elimination, Inc. . . . . . . 40

Palace Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Sculpted Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

WEZV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Long Bay Symphony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Palm Shoes & Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Shades & Draperies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Marina Inn at Grande Dunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Palmetto Ace Home Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Social Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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Southern Comforts, Murrells Inlet Community Theatre. For times and ticket info, call 843-651-4152 or visit www.mictheatre.com.

Promenade Concert at First Presbyterian Church, Myrtle Beach, “Hats Off to Opera and Broadway,” 1 pm. For more info, call 843-448-4496 or visit www.myrtlebeachpresbyterianchurch.org.

Gathering of the Green, 5 pm, Conway Farmers Market, Advance tickets $15 and $20 at the door.

Featuring live music, entertainment, costume contest and more. For more info, call 843-248-6260 or visit www.conwaymainstreet.com.

5th Annual Taste of the Coast, 11 am-4 pm, Barefoot Landing. $1 entry, food and ride tickets $1 each. For more info, call 843-455-6768 or visit www.bflanding.com.

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Barefoot in the Park, Swamp Fox Players, Strand Theater, Georgetown. For times and ticket info, call 843-527-2924 or visit www.swampfoxplayers.com.

Myrtle Beach Doll & Bear Show, 9:30 am-3:30 pm, Lakewood Campground Conference Center, Adults $6, 12 & under free. For more info, call 803-783-8043 or visit www.knightshows.com.

24th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, 9 am-4 pm, Main St. North Myrtle Beach. Parade starts at 9 am, 843-280-5570 or visit www.stpatnmb.com.

10th Annual Brunswick Island’s Home & Garden Show, Sat. & Sun.10 am-3 pm, 101 Stone Chimney Place, Supply, N.C., $5 admission. For more info, call 910-754-6644 or visit www.brunswickcountychamber.org.

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The Scoop

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Visit www.sasee.com for a full calendar and more Sasee events!

Art Museum of Myrtle Beach’s 12th Annual Tour of Homes, 10 am-4 pm. Tour spectacular homes in Myrtle Beach, luncheon at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club from 11:30 am-3 pm. Advance tickets $40, $45 day of tour, luncheon $17. For reservations or more info, call 843-238-2510 or visit www.myrtlebeachartmuseum.org.

Moveable Feast, Stephanie McAfee discusses Diary of a Mad Fat Girl, 11 am, Pawleys Plantation, $25.

For more info, call 843-235-9600 or visit www.classatpawleys.com.

65th Annual Prince George Plantation Tours, Georgetown County, 9:30 am-5 pm. $40 each day or $70 both days. Advance tickets by mail only, 843-545-8291 or www.pgwinyah.com.

Coffee With the Authors, Terri Godwin discusses Natasha’s Joy, 10-11 am, Sunset River Marketplace, 10283 Beach Drive, Calabash, N.C. For reservations or more info, call 910-575-5999 or visit www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com.

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A Season of Epic Proportion

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2011-2012 SEASON S U N D AY, M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 1 2

Epic Musical Portraits (featuring the Carolina Master Chorale) A concert offering up some of the most effective and popular musical portraits in the symphonic literature, including Prokofiev’s epic portrayal of the great Medieval Russian hero, Alexander Nevsky.

Rossini Richard Strauss Britten Prokofiev

The Barber of Seville Overture Don Juan Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes Alexander Nevsky, Choral Cantata FOR TICKETS CALL:

Give Your Mom, Sister, Best Friend or Yourself the Gift that Lasts a Year!

TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:

843.448.8379

www.LONGBAYSYMPHONY.com

April 2012

Special Introductory Offer 12 Issues for $24 Name Address City State Zip Send check or money order to Sasee Distribution PO Box 1389 Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

Yes!

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f.PT_Sasee_july2010-out.pdf 1 5/28/2010 11:42:12 AM

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