All About Women June 2012

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writersGenevieve AustinSherry BooneDanielle BussoneHeather BrandonSharon CarltonBonnie ChurchHeather W. JordanKelly PenickSue SpiritJeanne SupinReta J. Winebarger

editorSherrie [email protected], ext. 251

Radd Nesbit828.264.6397, ext. 271

productionJennifer CanosaMeleah Petty

executive editor

publisherGene Fowler

Tom Mayer

coverphotoby Lindsey Hamby

designJennifer CanosaMeleah PettyKelsey Steller

Any reproduction of news articles, photographs or

advertising artwork is strictly prohibited without

permission from management. ©Copyright 2012

A Mountain Times Publication

JUNE 2012 | AAWMAG.COM 5

contents

nurturepets 40

bloom where you’re planted 42health Q&A 44

inspirejennifer woodruff 32

darcy grimes 34talara parrish 36

you go, girl! 38

createby the book 46

transformhealthy lady 48

not so grounded 50young at heart 52medicine walk 54

beauty 56

16julie

landry

12racheldeal

14leniavelltrivette

18suzette

patterson

20margaret moore

26catherine & caroline

22regina hartley

28the lost jewels

24betsy bolick

30dee dee rominger

6 JUNE 2012 | AAWMAG.COM

editor’s note

Sat., June 23 — a date that we have anticipated for months — is quickly approaching and is one that we have set aside to celebrate all the wonder-ful women of the High Country.

The second annual All About Women Expo is scheduled from noon until 6 p.m. on that day at the (new) Watauga County High School in Boone and promises to be a festive, fun-fi lled event that every female in and around these mountains will not want to miss.

We have been working diligently for several months to provide a one-stop op-portunity for women and teenage girls to have an afternoon to call your own. Of course, other members of the family are more than welcome to attend, too. From the time the doors open, we want you to feel special as you listen, observe and par-ticipate in all that we have planned.

We want the inspiring words from our guest speakers to touch your hearts and transform your lives and, we want you to fi nd comfort in the music you hear and to be able to “let go” for a little while from the hustle-bustle of the outside world.

We want you to fi nd that one tidbit of information from a participating business or organization that you need to help you or your family with a situation that you may be facing now or will in the future.

We want you to fi nd products and ser-vices among our vendors that will make your life easier and hope that you fi nd that pair of earrings or the book that you just can’t live without.

We welcome you to attend one or more of our breakout sessions that have all been designed with women in mind.

We invite you to share in a special 4 p.m. awards ceremony during which we will recognize four amazing High Coun-try Women of the Year for their contribu-tions to making our world a better place in which to live.

Most of all, we just want you to join us for the day and remember, it’s all about you.

Eager to celebrate,

newsbits&clipsDid You Know?

Men and women are marrying later and have fewer children than in the past. A greater proportion of both women and men have never married, and women are giv-ing birth to their fi rst child at older ages.

Although more adult women live in married-couple families than in any other living arrangement, an ever-growing number of women are raising children without a spouse.

More women are remaining childless, although eight out of 10 adult women have children.

As the baby boom generation ages, a growing share of women — and men — are older. Because women live longer, women continue to outnumber men at older ages.

Women are more likely to live in poverty than are adult men. Single-mother families face particularly high poverty rates, often because of the lower wages earned by women in these families.

Source: Women in American Report, census.gov

Appalachian Women’s FundAwards $68,000 to 12 Agencies


newsbits&clips

POP Shoppe Successful

The High Country Women's Fund hosted its annual Mother's Day POP Shoppe event on Sat., May 12, which al-lowed 47 mothers to shop and 62 children to play on the day before Mother’s Day. HCW would like to thank all women who donated clothing items, accessories and/or money to support the annual event.

The organization’s annual Power of the Purse fundraising luncheon is sched-uled for 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Fri. July 13, at the Blowing Rock Country Club. For more information, call (828) 264-4007 or email [email protected].

The Appalachian Women’s Fund recently hosted its annual grantee awards luncheon, during which its members heard from representatives of the 12 agencies that received portions of the $68,000 it allotted in 2011. The organizations on the receiving end include those that provide assistance to women and children in the High Country area — food pantries, women’s shelters, and others that provide educational, health and housing op-portunities.

The AWF’s 5th annual Women of Vision Luncheon and Silent Auction, which raises funds to make these gifts possible each year, will be held at 11 a.m. June 21 at Linville Ridge Country Club. For more information, visit www.appalachianwomensfund.org or call (828) 264-4002.

newsbits&clips

The volunteer rate of women in the United States increased from 29.3 percent to 29.9 percent in 2011, while the volunteer rate for men, at 23.5 per-cent, changed little. Women continued to volunteer at a higher rate than did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics. Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor

Women Volunteerson the Rise


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nts 11:30 a.m. Doors to vendor booths open

Auditorium

Noon Welcome and introductions

12:15 p.m. Shane Guichard Musical melody of inspiration and motivation

12:30 p.m. Margaret Moore On The Game of Life

1:30 p.m. Breakout session I

Center court

2:00 p.m. Lost Jewels of the Ghawazee Belly Dancers

2:30 p.m. Mary Greene Traditional mountain music/dulcimer

2:30 p.m. Breakout Session II

Auditorium

3:30 p.m. Regina Delisse Hartley Finding Humor When Nothing Seems Funny

4:00 p.m. High Country Women of the Year Awards

4:20 p.m. Jessica Presnell Live from Disney

5:00 p.m. Betsy Bolick Turning Challenges Into Blessings

5:45 p.m. Door Prizes and closing remarks

All About WomenExpo Schedule

Concessions will be available. Breakout sessions topics and locations TBA. Schedule subject to change.


women’ s expobreakout sessions

Breakout Sessions

*Times, presenters and locations to be announced at Expo

featuring

Art

Healthy Cooking

Finance

InterviewTips

Fitness

Self Defense

Health

Zumba

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Rachel Deal2012 High Country Woman of the Year Service to the High Country

Rachel Deal of Crossnore will be presented the 2012 High Coun-try Woman of the Year award winner in the category of Service to the High Country on Sat. June 23 at the All About Women Expo.

On the following day, she will be among the fi rst of Avery County’s “Citizens of the Century” to be in-ducted into the Martha Guy Hall of Legends at the Williams YMCA in Linville.

In May, she received the coveted Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award from the offi ce of North Carolina Gov-ernor, Beverly Perdue, joining such notables as Michael Jordan, Maya Angelou and Billy Graham.

The following week, she received the Handmade in America’s Small Towns Award, “for her diligent and dedicated volunteer service to the Town of Crossnore,” said Judi Jetson, HIA’s director of economic develop-ment. “Rachel is known for her sense of humor, persistence and ability to make visitors fall in love with her town. She is also a fi erce advocate for the small town way of life, and a tire-less advocate in Raleigh. These quali-ties make her highly valued, not only in her own town, but throughout all of Western North Carolina.”

Rachel was recently described by Avery Journal-Times reporter Mat-thew Hundley, as, “One of Avery County's most vocal advocates for decades who earned a reputation for dogged determination in the face of obstacles that would have stopped most people in their tracks.”

Those who know her best under-stand that once she sets her mind to doing something, there’s no stopping her.

Her fortitude is driven by her com-passion for people — especially the young and young at heart — and for

Photo by Lindsey Ham

by

sherrie norris

Editor, All About Women

pets and many other special causes. The youngest of fi ve children born into

the Theron Dellinger family, which was in-strumental to much of Crossnore’s early success, Rachel graduated from Cross-nore High School in 1953 and moved soon afterward to work in Charlotte.

A gifted vocalist, she joined the Char-lotte Opera Company. While there and met Ken Deal, who she later married.

The couple eventually returned to Av-ery County and worked for many years with Carolina Caribbean Corp. on Beech Mountain.

Much of Rachel’s volunteer work has been centered upon Crossnore, the home of her ancestors who helped established its historic signifi cance.

Among her many accomplishments, perhaps the most notable was rescuing the 1930’s footbridge across Hwy. 221 when it was scheduled for demolition in 1995. She threatened to chain herself to it, if it wasn’t preserved. It was — and now sits across the creek near the Baptist church.

Rachel helped build the Dellinger Me-morial Park that honors her parents, and has given many hours of service to the community’s enhancement and beautifi -cation projects, including greenways and walking trails.

She has been a long-time volunteer at Crossnore School, Inc., a member of the Crossnore D.A.R. and also participates in the annual outdoor drama, Miracle in the Hills, which depicts the town’s history.

She is a faithful member of Cross-nore Presbyterian Church, where she has served as an elder, choir member and on various committees locally and within the Western N.C. Presbytery.

She has also devoted much time and energy to the local hospitals and health-care facilities and organizations including WAMY Community Action, Blue Ridge Heritage Foundation, and for the county of Avery — the Humane Society, the Muse-um, Planning Board, Economic Develop-ment, Geriatric Council, Council on Aging Transportation Board, Long Term Care Community Advisory Council, Home and Community Care Block, Transportation Board and the Alzheimer’s Support Group.

She has delivered meals to shut-ins for many years and has volunteered at long-term care facilities, where every Sunday afternoon, she goes room-to-room singing to the residents and delivers cookies or

holiday favors prepared by her sister. Rachel spends several hours, at least

three days a week, at the Avery County Senior Center, visiting with and working with the elderly; on Friday's, she devotes her attention to the center’s subsidiary, Caregiver’s Haven, a respite service for families of Alzheimer’s patients.

For nearly 20 years, Rachel has served the seven-county Region D Area Agency on Aging as Senior Tarheel Legislator, which has required regional travel as well as numerous trips to Raleigh; 18 years ago, she helped start the Council on Aging’s Gifts from the Heart program in Avery.

She is also a 1999-2000 Duke Senior Leadership Program participant.

Previous honors include the 1987 Av-ery County Volunteer of the Year, 1987 NC Governor’s Award for Volunteer Ex-cellence, 1995 Ernest B. Messer Award, 1995 Region D Senior Citizen of the Year; 1995 Avery County Woman of the Year, 1997 NC Assoc. of Senior Citizens Senior of the Year, (Western Dist.), 1999 WNC Duke Leadership Award, 2000 Margaret B. Hardy Award for Advocacy for the State of NC, 2007 Farm Bureau Association’s Woman of the Year, 2007 High Country Council of Government’s Horizon Award, and 2008 Avery Chamber of the Com-merce Woman of the Year.

Rachel was diagnosed many years ago with a degenerative heart disease. She has one kidney and sight in only one eye, but says that staying busy helps her stay alive.

At 82, she counts among her “greatest joys in life” as being able to help make the High Country a better place in which to live.

Rachel is “very humbled and honored” by all the attention that she’s receiving, she says. “It means so much to me to be getting my roses while I'm alive.”


Leniavell Trivette of Zi-onville is an accomplished artisan whose mountain crafts have received national attention — from Boone to Washington, D.C. and beyond.

Known throughout North Caroli-na as a unique crafter, Leniavell keeps alive a fl ame that has burned brightly in her family for several generations – and one that she hopes to pass on to the next.

Born and raised on a modest fam-ily farm during “hard times,” she says, on “the Old Beech,” she is proud of her heritage and the fact that her talents and skills were acquired through the work of her late mother, Elsie Harmon Trivette, a 1994 NC Folk Heritage Award recipient.

Leniavell has “many happy memo-ries,” she says, of growing up as the second oldest of six children. She and her two sisters helped with all the chores, but especially enjoyed many hours helping their mother make rugs.

“We used burlap for the back of the rugs and sometimes we used the rough burlap fi bers for the yarn,” she says. “We unraveled discarded feed sacks to get the yarn. Mom gave us kids fi ve cents to unravel the long strands of burlap. We sold the fi nished rugs for 50 cents each over in Blowing Rock.”

Learning by example at her moth-er’s side was among life’s greatest les-sons, she says, and it paved a way for her to help keep a vanishing moun-tain tradition alive.

Following the death of her father and after her siblings took fl ight from the family home, Leniavell stayed close by her mother. The two of them moved from their mountain home to the Zionville community, where they began to concentrate on their hand-work.

Friends and family encouraged

LENIAVELL TRIVETTE2012 High Country Woman of the Year Preserving Mountain Heritage

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them to take their work to craft shows, which they did, and established a name for themselves among fellow crafters. Since the deaths of both her mother and sister June, Leniavell strives to do all she can to preserve a lost and dying art.

As she became an expert crafter, Leni-avell became sought after as a demonstra-tor with her weaving, quilting, hand-tied lace and a colonial knotting technique used to decorate bedspreads and pillows. Her “storybook” dolls, sock monkeys and sunbonnets attracted a growing fan base, as did her carding sheep’s wool, spinning and hooking rugs, “on an old fashioned spinning wheel.”

She continues to share her skills at var-ious venues including workshops, retreats, schools, fairs, festivals and trade shows. From county fairs to the world's fair, from local museums to the Smithsonian, Le-niavell’s work continues to be admired by many.

Since 1982, Leniavell has exhibited at the NC State Fair’s Village of Yesteryear, where she was voted Craftswoman of the Year in 2000.

She became an affi liate member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild in 2004, the honorary inclusion refl ecting the high-est level of achievement and perpetuation of folk art in the region. She also loves working at the Traditional Crafts tent at Merlefest, which she has done for many years.

In 2008, one of her quilts was chosen to hang in the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. She used Carolina blue and white fabric and decorated it with threaded knots and fringe in a pattern. Dr. Sally Council with the NC Arts Council said, “The overall result is essentially the purity of presentation that is at the root of her (Leniavell’s) Appalachian aesthetic, a historic aesthetic that comes from within.”

Two of Leniavell’s quilts have claimed a place of distinction in the Cratis D. Wil-liams Graduate School and Belk Library at Appalachian State University.

She also has an annual presence at the Diversity Celebration on the campus of Appalachian State University.

Leniavell has been recognized at the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife and its off shoot, the North Carolina Folk Festival. She, her mother, and late sister, June, were featured at the Smithsonian event in 1994 as the only North Carolina

crafters invited to participate. That par-ticular event drew in approximately 1.5 million people, which was “a big crowd” for the Watauga County natives, Leniavell says.

To date, she has a collection of more than 35 ribbons earned from various com-petitions.

For many years, Leniavell worked very closely with her mother and mastered the various handicrafts that had been passed down through at least three generations.

Dyeing fi bers with natural materials like walnuts, barks and berries, to tomato vines and rusty nails, are just a few of the “old-timey” inherited techniques.

Leniavell worked for a local craft co-op for 18 years, during which time she helped promote and sell the crafts of other local and regional artists.

In the late 1980’s, Leniavell and her mother “rubbed elbows” with a couple of celebrities who were in the area fi lming, “The Winter People.”

When Kurt Russell inquired among the local people of someone who could teach Goldie Hawn to use a spinning wheel he had purchased for her; he was directed to Leniavell’s mother.

Today, she treasures the framed photo-graph she has of her mother and the ac-tress together.

Leniavell is an unassuming individual who takes great pride in her work, but nev-er boasts about the intricately designed pieces she completes with the greatest of detail. She gives full credit to her “up-bringing,” and especially, to her mother.

“Mom never realized the value of what she did,” she says. “She gave a lot of her work away to anyone who came by and said they liked it.”

Something tells us the threads of Le-niavell’s time-honored treasures won’t be unraveling anytime soon.

See her at work during the upcoming Expo on Sat., June 23, and join her as she is recognized for preserving her mountain heritage during the awards presentation at 4 p.m.


Julie Landry of West Jef-ferson will be presented the 2012 High Country Woman of the Year award in the category of Professional Leadership on Sat. June 23 at the All About Women Expo.

Julie began work in Ashe County in 1975 on a special grant from the NC Arts Council. As Cultural Arts Coordinator, she was part of the NC Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program staff and later became an agent of the organization.

During that time, she helped es-tablish the Ashe County Arts Council, which has become one of the most successful in the state.

Bringing the NC Symphony to Ashe County in 1979 for the fi rst of many performances was a “natural step,” she says, of which she was proud to be involved.

During the 1980s, Julie co-au-thored the NC Cooperative Extension 4-H publications “Dramatic Arts I, II, III.”

She also assisted in the creation of a children’s theatre, which eventually laid the groundwork for the NC 4-H Performing Arts Troupe, which played throughout the state for more than 10 years.

In 1993, a program to help children prepare for school, aptly named Smart Start, was established in NC; the fol-lowing year, Julie wrote the grants to start Ashe County Partnership for Children, the organization to imple-ment Smart Start programs in the county. This program still operates today and has infl uenced hundreds of children’s lives as they prepare to at-tend school.

In 1997, Julie was among a group of people at a Jeff erson restaurant with a vision for a local performing arts center. Julie took notes and drew the plan on a napkin. “After much blood, sweat, tears, and work on a ma-jor capital campaign to raise the funds,

the Ashe Civic Center became a real-ity in 1999,” she says. Today, operated by the local Arts Council and Little Theatre, it is a center for the perform-ing arts in Ashe County.

The longer that Julie worked in children’s programs, she says, it be-came evident to her that she needed to start something that would always be there for the children of the county.

JULIE LANDRY2012 High Country Woman of the Year Professional Leadership

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The Ashe County Children’s Trust En-dowment was established in 1999. Since that time, funds have been raised to award grants for children’s programs from — $200 in the beginning to $7,500 in 2012.

Without Julie’s interventions, the full time afterschool program for all children in grades K-8, conducted in partnership with Ashe County Schools, and a full-time summer day camp for children in grades K-6, would most likely not exist today.

She also helped to establish a full-time school-based health center for Ashe Coun-ty’s only middle school, in 2000, which has guaranteed available quality health care for all children when they reach the sev-enth grade in Ashe.

In addition to working with youth pro-grams and the arts, Julie had the opportu-nity to work with the farming community while with Cooperative Extension.

She worked closely with West Jef-ferson and Region D Council of Govern-ments to apply for and receive funds in the amount of $100,000 from the Tobacco Trust Fund that enlarged and enclosed a portion of the Farmers Market in down-town West Jeff erson. As a result, in 2007 the market grew from 20 to 36 slots for “Home Grown and Hand Made in Ashe County.”

During her career and since, Julie has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through grants for both extension and community projects. She has conducted numerous leadership, resource develop-ment/fundraising and organizational de-velopment workshops and seminars at the local, district and state levels.

Julie feels strongly that it is the sup-port and help of the people who have sur-rounded and supported her through the years that have made the diff erence and have helped her to succeed in the chal-lenges she has tackled.

In 2006, Julie retired from the Ashe County offi ce of NC Cooperative Exten-sion, after 30 years of service. During her career, Julie worked as the 4-H agent be-fore becoming the county extension direc-tor.

She is a graduate of both Appalachian State University and NC State, earning her bachelor of science in elementary educa-tion from Appalachian State University and her masters degree in adult education from NC State.

Julie enjoys traveling and spending

time with Lanny, her husband of 43 years, along with her daughter, her son, and her four grandchildren. She currently volun-teers in the community as a board mem-ber for the Ashe County Partnership for Children, Ashe County Children’s Trust Endowment, Ashe Really Cares and the Ashe County School-Based Health Center.

The following are just a few of the numerous awards and commendations she has received for her valuable contri-butions in her leadership roles:

• Commendation from Ashe County Commissioners for dedicated service to the youth of Ashe County – through her 4-H Leadership.

• Commendation from Ashe County Partnership for Children for her dedicat-ed service and inspirational leadership, which gave life to mission

• Certifi cation of Appreciation Award from Gov. James B. Hunt in Grateful Dedication and Devotion to Volunteer Services in NC as Facilitator for the Governor’s Summit on American Prom-ise and Volunteerism – 1998

• Nominated for the 1997 Presidents’ Service Award by Bill Clinton

• Awarded the Extension Agent Award of Excellence by R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. and NC Agricultural Ex-tension Service

• Recognition by the NC Association of 4-H Agents for Major Contributions to the North Carolina 4-H Agents Asso-ciation Enrichment Fund – 1993

• Service Award from National Asso-ciation of Extension 4-H Agents as 1993 Conference Coordinator

• 4-H Distinguished Service Award by the National Association of Exten-sion 4-H Agents in Recognition of Out-standing Contributions to 4-H – 1985

• Recognition by NC Cooperative Extension Service for Superior Leader-ship – 1983

Join us during the 2012 High Country Women of the Year Awards presentation at 4 p.m. on Sat., June 23, to congratulate Julie Landry on her latest accomplish-ment.


Suzette Patterson of Boone will receive the 2012 High Country Woman of the Year award for Advo-cacy on Women’s Issues on Sat., June 23 at the All About Women Expo.

Suzette has long been a guiding light among women in the area —having, for many years, worked in agencies, volunteered and served on numerous committees and in organi-zations designed to inform and em-power women.

Since 2003, Suzette has served as the assistant director for Gender Edu-cation at ASU, which includes over-seeing the operation of the Women’s Center.

As such, she has advocated for policy changes to create inclusive environments for underrepresented populations and provides academic support counseling for multicultural students on academic probation; she teaches classes on social justice and leadership, designs and implements campus-wide programming about sexual assault and violence on cam-pus.

She also coordinates the Women’s Leadership/Diversity Conference, Walk for Awareness, and the Vagina Monologues Planning Committee, provides advocacy and support for survivors of sexual assault, dating vio-lence and stalking on campus.

Prior to joining the ASU faculty, Suzette spent four years as assistant director of OASIS, Inc., which has served victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault in the area since 1978.

Suzette’s involvement in the agency aff orded her the opportunity to work closely with women and men of all ages, along with their family members, while helping them navi-gate through some of the most critical times of their lives.

She was there for clients as they

escaped their volatile situations in search of safe havens; she helped them explore options for a violence-free life and led them to resources for education, skill development and in-dependence.

Suzette also worked as program director for the Volunteer Outreach Center, matching volunteers with ap-propriate agencies and coordinated

National Youth Service Day event for 400 Watauga County school students and more.

She was also the grant administra-tor for the ASU Women’s Center and earlier, through her internship and graduate assistant work, she gained a lot of experience through the Wom-en’s Center, as well as New River Be-havioral Healthcare.

suzette patterson2012 High Country Woman of the Year Advocacy on Women’s Issues

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She has also had extensive expo-sure through parenting and childcare programs and has served on numer-ous planning teams and task forces on diversity and women’s leadership.

Suzette served on the Watauga County Council on the Status of Women for several years as member and chair, and has been an advisor and presenter at various conferences including the NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Southeast Women’s Studies Association Annual Confer-ence and Women’s Leadership Con-ference.

She has served as the chair of the Watauga County Sexual Assault Re-sponse Team and the Women’s Center Training Committee at ASU.

Suzette has had the opportunity to teach college-level classes on top-ics including Women and Leadership, Life and Career Planning, Prepar-ing Diversity Educators; she has also taught preschool and spent a year teaching middle-school social ethics and economics in Kenya.

Suzette received her bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary stud-ies in 1997, followed by her masters degree in community counseling, in 1999, both from Appalachian State University.

When asked what inspired her to pursue her chosen fi eld, she said, “I am not sure how I got here, exactly. I followed my heart and the opportuni-ties that I have been given. I have a great passion for women, women's is-sues, and communities of women and I have been lucky enough to fi nd ways to continue those passions through my work.”

She takes it all on a “day-to-day ba-sis,” she says, with a sincere hope that her eff orts make a positive impact in the lives of those she serves. “I work to change policies to make our commu-nity more inclusive, welcoming, and safe for everyone.

Sometimes, she says, that means listening, other times it is helping peo-ple see the choices they have. “Some-times, it is just holding their hands

when they need it.”Suzette says she love to watch

young women change and grow throughout their college careers.

The words of one of her graduate school mentors, she says, is something she tries to pass on to others, — “A good leader is always pulling the next one up behind her.”

Suzette is married to Andrew Mill-er, who works at Challenge Towers, in Todd. The couple has two daughters, Lucy and Violet.

When asked about the women who inspired her, she says, “One of the greatest women in my life is my late grandmother, Ruth Davis Greene, who was born in Todd,” she says. “I am very proud of my mountain heritage.”

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We all know her as “Coach Moore’s wife,” and it's a role in which she serves with dignity and pride. But, Margaret Moore has captured her own winning titles in the game of life and is known for her victories as an extraor-dinary wife, mother of three, grandmother of six, school-teacher and volunteer — just to name a few.

Margaret was born and raised in Mineola, Texas. She met Jerry Moore while they were students at Baylor Univer-sity and married him during their senior year.

“I’ve been a coach’s wife for 49 of our 52 years of mar-riage,” she says — from his fi rst high school assignment in Corsicana, Texas, to Southern Methodist University in Dal-las, then the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, North Texas State in Denton, Texas Tech in Lubbock, and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville before heading east in 1989 to Appalachian State University.

As they enter their 23rd year in Boone, the coach is still winning; Margaret is enjoying retirement from a 28-year teaching career, the last 15 of which were spent at Blowing Rock Elementary School.

But, that doesn’t mean she’s sitting on the sidelines watching the world pass her by.

She stays busy with her volunteer work, mainly through Hope Pregnancy Resource Center and Watauga Medical Center, as well as distributing food to the less fortunate and helping with various other community projects when called upon to do so.

As an active member of Mount Vernon Baptist Church with her husband, Margaret has served on various commit-tees, has taught Sunday school, she routinely hosts a ladies’ Bible study in her home and participates in numerous other church activities and programs.

And, of course, Margaret opens her heart and home to the ASU Mountaineers — not only to the football players, but also to their families, to the the coaching staff and their families, and others involved in the program.

Beyond the football fi eld, Margaret has long been known for her outreach as a mentor to countless ASU students — a mother to others, in many situations, who fi nd themselves a long way from home and in need of a maternal source of comfort.

She is also a member and past president of the Ameri-can Football Coaches Wives Association

Margaret will speak to our Expo audience on the

Margaret Moore On the Game of Life

Beyond the Sidelines

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Margaret will speak about the

challenges and joys

of being a coach's wife.

She will offer advice on how

to turn the negative into positive when

adversity arises and she

will offer a few helpful

tips on making the most of

our roles as wives and

mothers.challenges and joys of being a coach's wife. She will off er advice on how to turn the negative into positive when adversity arises and she will off er a few helpful tips on making the most of our roles as wives and moms.

If time permits, she will welcome a few questions at the end.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see and hear from the “First Lady of ASU Football” during the All About Women Expo.

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Since 2006, Regina DeLisse Hartley has served as the depart-ment chair of business and technology at Caldwell Community College in Hudson, but her title of “Dr. Hartley” did not come quickly, nor did it come without years of hard work, pain and sacrifi ce.

During the upcoming All About Wom-en Expo, Regina will be sharing some of the “lighter moments” of her life story and how she managed to turn disappoint-ments and shattered dreams into happi-ness and success.

Today, much of her journey seems like a distant memory. But, she will never forget graduating at the top of her senior class, though dropping out of college at the age of 20 to get married. Five years lat-

WithRegina Delisse Hartley, PH.D

Finding HumorWhen Nothing SeemsFunny

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er, she stood at the kitchen sink of her trailer, looking at her couch potato husband and thinking, desperately, “Is this all there is to life?”

“We were dirt-poor and I was working extra to support us,” she says. “We had two beautiful sons during our fi ve-year marriage, but I knew they deserved more, too.”

From the moment she decided to make life count for more than broken promises and shallow dreams, Regina persevered through the school of hard knocks while she raised her two young sons as a single mother.

She learned quickly that job opportunities were limited without a college education, so she returned to school. She received no fi nancial support for her children and worked four part-time jobs to help make ends meet.

Asking for public assistance to feed her boys was a hu-miliating experience; she was denied because her car was “worth too much,” she was told.

She accepted occasional dates if they included a meal. Her toddler son ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches three times a day; her infant survived on formula and occa-sional baby food. Regina’s health suff ered; she lost weight, slept little and lacked energy.

She wouldn’t give up. Earning her associate's degree spurred her on. “College boosted my self-esteem and gave me hope,” she says.

She eventually obtained fi ve degrees with honors — through depression, failed marriages and divorces — before she found success.

“So often, women, in particular, are pulled in so many directions, and we often feel limited in what we can do,” she says. “Sometimes, there are no champions out there to support and motivate us, or to help us believe in ourselves. Sometimes we have to be our own champions and overlook those who discourage us or try to hold us back.”

“The key,” she says, “is to never give up — always press forward. If I can do it, anyone can.” She was determined to have a better life for her sons and for herself.

She also remarried. “I let God pick this one and he did a much better job than I had done,” she says.

Regina realizes the importance of nurturing mind, body and soul, and encourages women to maintain a healthy life-style.

She “works out” daily, competes in marathons, lends herself to community service and lives out her faith in God.

She is an inspiration to all who know her and has re-ceived numerous accolades for her professional and per-sonal contributions to society.

Plan to meet this incredible woman at the All About Women Expo and hear how she has used humor to help her thrive and survive during life’s most diffi cult moments.

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TurningChallengesInto BlessingsWith Betsy Bolick Photo by Lindsey H

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Betsy Bolick of Boone was born with sacral agenesis, a rare disorder of the spine that aff ects one out of 100,000 people.

Her parents were given little hope for her survival.

Even if she did live, they were told, she would never be able to walk.

Today, Betsy walks — and travels across the country and beyond its borders, telling her story through her “Small Enough Ministry.”

She is excited, she says, to be mak-ing a hometown appearance at the All About Women Expo.

“This ministry allows me to travel and speak to those who are disabled — both in heart and body,” says one who has turned her physical challenges into a life-changing blessing for others.

“Last year I was able to go to Af-rica and share my story with children who had been born with spina bifi da,” she says. “It was such a humbling expe-rience for me. It helped me realize that I’m blessed in many ways and especial-ly, with a wonderful gift of having been

born in a nation with great doctors and hospitals.”

The trip also taught her that she must “keep fi ghting,” she says, and “to give a voice to those who are diff erent and hope to those that are hopeless.”

Betsy’s hope for her ministry is “to share the purpose of life, from concep-tion until death,” she says, “through whatever circumstances we are born with, found in, or endure. There is al-ways joy through the pain and purpose in the suff ering.”

Being able to see clearly through the pain to realize the blessings did not come easily for this young woman, who also works as offi ce manager at the lo-cal Hope Pregnancy Resource Center in Boone.

“I am so thankful for my disability because the Lord has used it in mighty ways,” she says. “There are still days that I struggle with my disability and struggle with what life would be like if I was ‘normal.’ Yet, I am reminded, when I travel, by the people I meet, that there can be no real defi nition of ‘normal.’ I

am defi ned by something greater than myself and I chose to live for someone greater than myself. Therefore, this is temporary.”

Betsy says, “I had no clue, as a child, crying because I was diff erent, that the Lord would have me crying tears of joy later — for the same reason.”

Plan to hear Betsy’s story and how she allowed her faith to help her win victory over the disappointments of her early life and shape her into the woman she is today.

She will be on the Expo’s main stage at 5 p.m. to share how she was able to fi nd release from the pain of hu-miliation associated with her disability — turning from the stares and hurtful comments from her childhood and teenage years, to fi nd peace.

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Caroline Stahlschmidt and Catherine Scantlin are quickly becoming the High Country’s “dy-namic duo of healthy living.”

Together, they are helping to empower others to take control of their health and make lasting healthy lifestyle changes.

The two met through the Neighborhood Yoga teacher/training program and developed a deep friendship built on many shared interests including yoga, cycling, running and healthy cooking.

In January 2011, they began brainstorming about ways to share their passion for healthy cooking.

In March, they off ered a plant-based cooking class at Chetola Resort & Spa, which was a “sell-out” with great re-sponse.

Catherine had just started working at Chetola as the health and wellness director and off ering healthy cooking classes for guests and locals. It was a perfect fi t for Chetola’s mission of expanding their wellness off erings.

The twosome built on their success and off ered fi ve more classes in 2011 with topics including “Glorious Greens,” “Tasty Tofu & Tempeh,” and “Whole Foods Holi-day.”

In 2012, they began to off er monthly classes that have attracted satisfi ed participants from Charlotte, Hickory, and New York.

Additionally, Catherine helped Chetola develop an im-pressive selection of wellness programs ranging from two sold-out dinners with more than 85 attendees, an expanded

fi tness and yoga schedule, a kid’s after-school and summer fi tness/healthy eating initiative, an employee wellness plan and the new “Hike for Health” summer project.

Catherine also facilitates Boone’s Biggest Winner, a 12- week health and weight loss challenge sponsored by Ap-palachian Regional Healthcare System.

She exposes participants to numerous aspects of suc-cessful weight loss, such as plant-based nutrition, cooking classes, varied types of exercise, yoga, stress management, awareness of emotional eating, and understanding more about food sources.

Success has been consistent with participants reporting losses from 12 pounds to more than 20.

In July 2011, Caroline started her own company — El-evate Your Wellness — off ering private and group-health coaching.

Having previously worked in the corporate world for more than 15 years, her focus shifted with her husband’s diagnosis of stage II colon cancer in the summer of 2009, at age 38.

Hearing the words, “Your husband has cancer” was the wake-up call of a lifetime, she says. “It started me on a jour-ney to fi nd the best options to help him recover and to keep cancer away for good.”

She became committed to healthier lifestyle choices, which including a plant-based diet, stress reduction and exercise.

Additionally, she became dedicated to helping others make lifestyle changes to increase energy, improve quality

Plan to meet Caroline Stahlschmidt, left, and Catherine Scantlin at the All About Women Expo

and take away a few tips on transitioning to a healthier and happier lifestyle. Photo submitted.

Dynamic Duo of Healthy LivingTo Offer Cooking Demos at the Expo

of life, and avoid the trifecta of common western diseases: cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Caroline off ers health-coaching programs to help cli-ents make gradual healthy lifestyle changes. Although weight loss is often a result, it is not the main focus for her clients, she says, emphasizing that whole body wellness in-cludes eating whole foods, cooking more at home, mindful eating, stress reduction, meditation and exercise.

Caroline also teaches two weekly yoga classes at Neigh-borhood Yoga in Boone and to Appalachian State Univer-sity students during summer and fall semesters. She also has a contract with ARHS to off er monthly cooking classes to hospital employees at both the Boone and Linville cam-puses.

Caroline has recently teamed up with David Salter and Christina Howe to open and help manage the Boone Heal-ing Arts Center.

“The new center will bring together a variety of holistic healers under one roof,” she says, “which will include health coaching, acupuncture, massage, and much more. It will also have a large workshop room that will host guest lec-tures, weekly classes and group programs.”

Caroline always envisioned such a center that could bring together a variety of complementary healing modali-ties and act as a community hub for wellness in the High Country.

“I thought this dream was many years out,” she says, “until I met David and Christina who share the same vision and the desire to make it happen now.”

Boone Healing Arts Center is located at 838 State Farm Road in a newly remodeled building with modern décor and a welcoming feel. The center is set to open in July.

Caroline and Catherine often joke that people in town think they are the same person. They both respond to either name. They have the same initials, same hair color, same dedication to hard work, and even the same personality type, according to the Myers-Briggs assessment. They con-tinue to inspire each other — and nearly everyone they meet — to live a healthier and happier life.

We are excited to welcome them to the All About Wom-en Expo on June 23, where they will be off ering short cook-ing demos.

Their next cooking class, “Farm to Table,” will be held from 4-6 p.m. at Chetola, on July 22.

For details about the classes and related wellness pro-grams at Chetola, visit www.chetola.com.

To read more about Caroline’s health coaching, weekly classes and upcoming workshops go to: www.elevateyour-wellness.com.

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The Lost Jewels of the GhawazeeBelly Dance Troupecombines history with movement


The Lost Jewels of the Gha-wazee (ga-was-ee), an ethnic fusion belly dance troupe based in Granite Falls, will be sharing the rich multicultural his-tory of “the oldest dance in the world” with attendees of the All About Women Expo in Boone on Sat., June 23.

Comprised of multitalented women who live and work in the foothills and High Country areas, the troupe blends folkloric and modern dance into its own unique style. Flavored with movements found in dances from India, Spain, Moroc-co, Egypt, Latin America the Middle East, the troupe constantly explores new and diff erent dance styles to incorporate into their repertoire.

The Jewels share those cultures — and their pure love of dance — by perform-ing regularly at area festivals, arts events, nonprofi t fundraising events and public school functions.

Founded by lead dancer and men-tor Becky “Neela” Shook, the troupe was formed in 2003. Neela’s love for dance the past 15 years led to her create her Art in Motion dance studio in Granite Falls, where she also teaches yoga.

Just as belly dance is an evolving ex-pression of the people who dance it, their new “Re-Belly-ous” style describes the troupe’s latest direction. It’s a venue for them to play, express, create and entertain.

Pin-ups and iconic Hollywood glam-our form the costuming basis of the “Re-Belly-ous” look. Who can deny the allure of Hedy Lamarr, Mae West, Carole Lom-bard or Bette Davis? These strong women shaped the troupe’s idea of beauty, femi-ninity and the strength of the femme fa-tale. And don’t be surprised if your toes tap to the beat of their rockabilly music.

Belly dance captivates the hearts of the “sisters,” embracing all they love: mu-sic, dance, art and creativity. Yet, so much awaits their exploration. Only time, study and practice grant them the privilege of carrying on the belly dance tradition.

For more information, visit www.lostjewelsbellydance.com or www.rebelly-ous.com and plan to see them doing what they do best at the expo.

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Dee Dee Rominger, investigations captain with the Watauga County Sheriff 's Offi ce, will teach a self-de-fense class at the All About Women Expo.

Rominger is a certifi ed RAD (Rape, Aggression, De-fense) Instructor, which is a self-defense course designed especially for women.

Rominger has been with the sheriff 's offi ce since De-cember 2002. She has held the position of captain since Dec. 2006.

She graduated from the FBI National Academy in April 2010, and has received many hours of training in the fi eld of criminal investigation. She is certifi ed in numerous areas of investigations, including criminal, advance death, ad-vanced network, forensic and cold case homicide.

A native of Avery County, Rominger said that her career choice “was defi nitely infl uenced” by her family and their

involvement in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

“From the time I was a little girl I always wanted to be a police offi cer,” she said. “My goal has always been to help people — and being in law enforcement has really given me that chance. I love what I do. I am excited about being a part of this upcoming event for women.”

Rominger graduated from Avery High School in 1980 and from Lees McRae College in 1982 and Caldwell Com-munity College in 1984.

“I have been married to the same wonderful man for 28 years,” she said. “His name is Gary and he works for Watau-ga County Tax Appraisers Offi ce. We have a son, Garth who is 26.”

We welcome Capt. Rominger to the Expo and invite you to meet her there.

Expo WelcomesCapt. Dee Dee Rominger

1/3 tall ad???

ThankYou

For supporting us at our 2012


For Jennifer Woodruff , serving as the director of Avery Youth Opportuni-ties, is as much a personal honor as it is professional.

“It seems that my life has come full circle,” she says. “My family has benefi ted from some of WAMY's programs through the years and now, I am able to help give back by helping provide some of that same kind of assistance to others.”

The afterschool program she leads, more commonly known as Avery YO!, is one of the many programs sponsored by WAMY Community Action, Inc., — de-signed to positively impact the lives of el-ementary and middle school students and to encourage their potential for success through a variety of activities and experi-ences.

With concerns that Avery YO! is facing a 40-percent cut in funding next year, “due to reductions in federal and foundations grants,” she says, Jennifer is making it her

Avery Youth Opportunities and its director, Jennifer Woodruff , are all about helping young people succeed in life. Photo submitted

Support for Avery YO!

personal mission to protect the future of the program. She is hoping for communi-ty support in a unique eff ort that will help sustain it for the foreseeable future.

Jennifer is asking our readers to join her in supporting a current opportunity the program has been given to win a $50,000 community grant through Culti-vate Wines.

“We are currently competing with 29 other nonprofi t organizations for $50,000 through “The Give,” she says, “which, if we win, will provide scholarships for 30 stu-dents to attend Avery YO! At a cost of $11 a day for fi ve days a week, that’s 30 weeks of participation and $500 to be used for supplies.”

Through “The Give,” Cultivate Wines donates the fi rst ten cents of every dollar made through its products to non-profi ts supporting education and basic human needs.

“The revolutionary twist,” the company

describes, “is that we do not direct the funds — instead, nonprofi ts submit their cause and we allow customers to vote on our website, with a goal to allow custom-ers to express their values through their purchases, which means they need a voice in determining where the money goes.”

Cultivate gives away $100,000 per quarter to nonprofi ts, via the democrat-ic voting system. The winner receives $50,000 and the fi ve runners-up will each receive $10,000.

Just One Click Away

To help Jennifer and the students in her program, through the end of June, visit Cultivate's website:

www.cultivatewines.com/give

Scroll to "Avery YO!: Youth Development in Rural NC" and follow the prompts.

To participate, you must be enrolled in Facebook.


sherrie norris


You will know your vote has gone through when the "vote for this" button you clicked has turned gray. To see the vote count go up after you vote, refresh the page.

Avery YO! off ers additional educa-tional opportunities to at-risk youth after regular school hours, during the 3 -6 p.m. timespan, Jennifer says, “when it is more likely for adolescents to engage in risk-taking behaviors if left in an unsafe or un-supervised environment.”

Not only are the students in a safe place with caring leaders, they are in a pro-gram, she says, that focuses on cultivating healthy lifestyles through arts and culture exposure, physical fi tness planning, en-ergy conservation awareness and commu-nity involvement.

“Students not only receive homework assistance, tutoring, and academic reme-diation,” she says, “they are also benefi ting from the additional mentoring services provided by our partnership with the Appalachian State University education department, along with plenty of hands-on activities through the 4-H curriculum, guest speakers, and more.”

Jennifer can barely contain her own excitement as she describes how the stu-dents are getting energized and active, and learning to master ultimate challeng-es, “especially through the new and excit-ing ‘Survivor: The Ultimate After School Adventure’ and learning and exploring by designing, creating and experienc-ing the world of technology through the use of computers and cameras,” she says. “We are working together and continually growing smarter, healthier and making a positive diff erence in our community.”

Jennifer takes seriously her responsi-bility to direct the program, its staff and to coordinate collaborative eff orts with sev-eral partnering agencies.

“We are all committed to teaching, nurturing and encouraging the whole stu-dent to grow in a safe, caring setting — and all within the strict guidelines of the NC Child Development Division,” she says.

Receiving her diploma from Avery High in 2005, Jennifer went on to gradu-ate Magna Cum Laude with a double major in sociology and psychology from Lees-McRae College.

With an interest in nonprofi t man-agement, she was “fortunate,” she says, to complete two internships with WAMY during her senior year of college.

To be a part of “creating opportuni-ties for individuals in our communities,” she says, is one thing. “But, to help them become more self-suffi cient, which in turn, strengthens the communities, in general, makes it all worthwhile.”

It’s much the same with the success of Avery YO!, which was created with the student in mind and the tools to help them realize their success as productive individ-uals in their communities.

Avery YO! is available to all Avery County K-8th grade students at all of the county’s elementary schools and at the middle school.

Fees are based on a sliding scale, de-pending on family size, income and aca-demic eligibility with limited academic scholarships available each school year.

The program operates from the time of dismissal until 6 p.m. and follows the

annual school calendar; extended care on early dismissal days is also provided.

For more information about the Av-eryYO! Afterschool Program, call Jennifer at (828) 737-0057 or visit: www. wamycom-munityaction.org.

In addition to the continuous support of WAMY Community Action, Inc., Avery YO! is also made possible by Avery Coun-ty 4-H, NC Cooperative Extension, The County of Avery, Avery County School System and High Country United Way.

JenniferWoodruff


DarcyGrimes

Darcy Grimes, a third grade teacher at Bethel Elementary School, was named North Caro-lina Teacher of the Year in May, from among the 97,000 teachers in North Carolina public schools.

"We are so proud of Darcy, the work she does every day, and the caring energy she brings to every class,” said Superin-tendent Dr. Richard Jones, following the presentation. “Whether great teachers are born with special abilities, I do not know; however, Darcy clearly has the ‘gift’ for working with kids with great eff ectiveness. For Darcy to be number one out of nearly 100,000 teachers in North Carolina is a great tribute to her individually, to Bethel School, and to all our teachers. This is a great moment for the Watauga County Schools, as Darcy represents the excellent teaching occurring in every school.”

Jones also commented on the signifi -cance of the fact that Grimes teaches at Bethel. “The fact that the Teacher of the Year is from Bethel, probably one of the

smallest schools in the state by enrollment, makes the award even more meaningful. I am so pleased to share this moment dur-ing my time as interim superintendent.”

Bethel is currently the smallest school in the WCS system, with an enrollment of 187 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is rated a NC School of Distinction based on the state’s system for evaluating students’ academic growth and profi ciency.

Grimes is believed to be the fi rst teach-er from the Watauga County Schools to win the statewide honor since the state began participating in the Teacher of the Year Program in 1970.

She was named the Watauga County Schools Teacher of the Year last May and was chosen as the Northwest Region Teacher of the Year in December. Each step in the selection process – local, re-gional, and state — involves careful review of the qualifi cations, classroom perfor-mance and communications skills of each candidate.

The selection process for the Watauga

County Schools Teacher of the Year con-sists of fi ve unannounced classroom ob-servations, a review of a written statement of teaching philosophy from each candi-date, and an interview. The local selection committee includes representation from teachers, principals, the Board of Educa-tion, and the Watauga County Schools central offi ce. At the regional level of com-petition, candidates submit teaching port-folios for assessment, go through another interview, and receive on-site school visits and more classroom observations.

The fi nal selection of the NC Teach-er of the Year is made after additional screening by a committee that includes professional educators and business and community leaders.

The guidelines for choosing the North Carolina chooses a Teacher of the Year require a person who is "dedicated and highly skilled, proven capable of inspiring students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn." Because the Teacher of the Year will travel around the state to speak on behalf of education, this person must also

NC Teacher of the YearBethel’s Darcy Grimes

Darcy Grimes, left, with Tyronna Hooker, 2011-12

NC Teacher of the year. Photo submitted


“be poised, articulate, and energetic.” Well before her selection as Teacher

of the Year, Grimes was recognized as an exceptional educator. One of her col-leagues at Bethel said that “even on a bad day, Darcy is still the best teacher around.” Bethel Principal Randy Bentley described Grimes as “a person born to teach. She has a passion for teaching that transforms into student excitement about learning. If you are feeling down and watch her at work in the classroom, it makes the whole world better.” Bentley also praised Grimes for her skilled use of technology to enhance classroom instruction and for how her students enjoy learning with her. “Other people talk about 21st century instruction. She already does it,” said Bentley.

Grimes is an Appalachian State Uni-versity graduate who fi rst joined the Watauga County Schools as after school site director at Blowing Rock School while still a student at ASU. She taught at Mora-vian Falls Elementary in Wilkes County for three years before coming to Bethel in August of 2009. Grimes is certifi ed as an Intel Master Teacher and is currently pur-suing a master’s degree in instructional technology at ASU.

As North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Grimes will receive $7,500 from the NC Department of Public Instruction, use of a state vehicle for one year, a technol-ogy package from SMART Technologies, and a two- year appointment to the State Board of Education.

She was previously awarded $2,500 from the Watauga Board of Education and $5,000 from the Department of Public In-struction for her selection as a Regional Teacher of the Year.

She is now a candidate for National Teacher of the year, an honor won by three of the state’s Teachers of the Year over the last 41 years.

“The only downside of her selection is that Darcy will be out of her classroom next year traveling the state, but she will continue to serve students in that role,” Jones said. “At a time when so many prominent offi cials seem to be critical of public education, Darcy will be an excel-lent model of the quality individuals in our classrooms. She is a great representative of the wonderful things that happen in public schools and of how we owe it to our students and our teachers to give them all the support they need to be successful.”


Not so long ago, Talara With-erspoon Parrish was faced with a decision — to stay in Jacksonville, Fla., or to return to Ashe County, the place she called home.

Newly divorced and unemployed, after serving as a business manager for a con-struction company for more than 20 years, the move seemed ideal, she thought.

However, with only $600 in her posses-sion and children and grandchildren liv-ing in Jacksonville, the decision was not easy.

“I knew that if I returned to Ashe Coun-ty, with the downturn in the construction business, I would have to basically create my own job,” she says.

Talara often thought about the times she had brought friends to visit the moun-tains. They invariably asked where they

Everything Has acould fi nd authentic items made from lo-cal artists — those things exclusive to the area.

“What few things available could just have easily been found in Blowing Rock or Maggie Valley or even at the beaches,” she says.

“I spent time on the phone talking to my dad, who had retired back in Ashe, about opening up a unique shop. He had also been thinking along the same line, but I really couldn’t make up my mind what I should do.”

After a particularly diffi cult day of trying to decide whether or not to leave Florida, Talara had dinner with a friend at a Chinese restaurant. Her fortune cookie read — “Real courage is moving forward while not knowing the outcome.”

Right then, Talara, says, she knew her answer and prepared to return to Ashe

County.On Labor Day weekend,

2011, Talara and her parents, Phil and Brenda Witherspoon, opened their store called, “Everything Has a Story.”

Located beside Shatley Springs Res-taurant in Crumpler, the unique shop is dedicated to preserving heirlooms, tradi-tions and the heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The family now partners with more than 40 local vendors and artisans who create items that have a close associa-tion to Ashe County and the surrounding mountains.

All of the crafts sold in the store are made from native materials found in the area.

Reclaimed wood furniture, handmade

Story

Talara Parrish and her mother, Brenda Witherspoon, beside a bed made

of reclaimed barn wood displaying a fl ower garden quilt they made in

honor of Talara's grandmother."

TalaraParrish

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Wife, mother, avid reader and a CNA at Ashe Memorial Hospital. Her passion is writing stories about her Appalachian heritage.

knives, quilted bedspreads and quilts, carved wooden birds and handmade dolls from a pattern of the 1920s are just a few of the available and distinctive items.

Included with each item is a short bi-ography of the artist responsible for the treasure, how it relates to the area, the art-ist’s passion for his or her craft and other interesting information about its legacy.

The store has created a relaxed social atmosphere with a conversation area of-fering comfortable seating for a quick chat or extended discussion.

“We wanted to create a place that takes our customers back to the days of the old country store,” Talara says. “We wanted a place to celebrate family.”

On occasion, the vendors can be found creating their latest piece onsite, includ-ing Talara and Brenda who often put their quilting frame to good use. Talara’s father, Phil, too, might be found whittling the day away.

“I learned how to whittle at Huff man’s store when I was a small boy,” he says. “We love to have kids come in and ask ques-tions about what we’re doing. We like to

see them take an interest in making some-thing with their hands and see some of the things that their great-grandparents might have done.”

Talara and her parents encourage visi-tors to observe, ask questions, and to try making something for themselves.

Among Talara’s many talents are sew-ing dolls and crafting furniture out of re-claimed barn wood with her boyfriend. She also quilts, but is quick to say that her mother is the master crafter.

Brenda started quilting as a young girl and after a lengthy lapse in activity, recently took up the task again. “Like all of our quilts in the store, our work is hand quilted or tacked,” she says.

Among their many projects, the moth-er-daughter duo partnered with the Mu-seum of Ashe County History to make a unique quilt.

“‘Winding through Ashe County’ is what we call a crazy quilt made up of many diff erent pieces of cloth represent-ing memories of life in Ashe County,” Ta-lara says. “Each piece was submitted by an Ashe resident and came with a brief de-

scription of what that cloth meant to them, personally.”

The “stories” are in a scrapbook to be raffl ed off along with the quilt on October 28.

Tickets for the quilt are selling for one dollar each or six for fi ve dollars.

Money collected will go toward sup-porting the preservation and restoration of the upstairs courtroom of the court-house where the museum is currently lo-cated.

Copies of the scrapbook will be pub-lished for sale later in the year. The quilt is on display in Talara’s store.

Just like the many stories of the quilt, Talara’s story is one of challenge, courage and conviction — full of memories from the past and dreams that became reality.


Whether winning a state dancing title, modeling the latest fashions on a runway, teaching social skills, coaching novice snowboarders, or studying with friends at Appalachian State University, Carmela White shines with an inner beauty and grace that easily attracts those in her presence.

The Banner Elk native is a persistent, hard-working young woman determined to follow her dreams of modeling and act-ing and has been able to pursue her goals since childhood, thanks to a supportive family.

Refl ecting on her family values, she says, “I have always been taught that ‘charm is deceptive, and beauty is fl eeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised,’ (Proverbs 31:30).”

“My mom always told me that if I am going to pursue a career in this indus-try, that I can’t take rejection personally. Knowing that the industry is incredibly competitive, she taught me to never give up and shake it off when an audition doesn’t go as planned,” she says.

She has learned to keep her chin up — even when things do not go as desired.

“I have also learned that I can do noth-ing on my own and I must always follow God’s will for me,” she says.

Performing onstage is second nature to Carmela, who has been dancing since she was 3 years old.

By the time she started clogging at age 5 she had already experienced ballet, tap and jazz dance. She later studied pointe, swing, cha cha, waltz, bolero and other ballroom dances and earned several state titles in clogging and swing dance.

Carmella’s love of dance attracted her to High Country Cotillion as a high school freshman. After six years, she evolved from student to head cotillion leader.

yougo,girl!

Sharon Carlton

Sharon Carlton, High Country Courtesies ©2012Director of High Country Courtesies, writes and speaks on modern etiquette and life skill topics. Conducts customer service workshops, hosts dining etiquette classes, and is Director of High Country Cotillion, a social education program for youth. Contact her at [email protected].

Through teaching students dance, as well as relevant social skills through skits, games and stories, Carmela shows stu-dents that it’s easy to be a cool college kid, have fun and use good manners — all at the same time.

She enjoys the “benefi ts” she’s reaping following her third year as a leader.

“I love talking to the students and hear-ing from their parents about how cotillion is impacting their everyday lives.”

Confi dence gained from her person-al cotillion and dance experiences has helped Carmela in pursuing her modeling career.

“Since I was a little girl, I always want-ed to be in front of the camera,” she says. “After research and preparation, I inter-viewed with several modeling and acting agencies and signed my fi rst contract with Victor’s International, based out of New Orleans, when I was 15,” she says.

Seeking more regional work, Carmela signed with the Davis and Lowe Talent agency where she was introduced to the fi lm and acting side of the industry.

During high school, she modeled in Atlanta and North Carolina markets, while honing her acting skills as a Watauga High School Playmaker.

In college, she continued building her resume through various opportunities in front of the camera and on the runway.

Following an intense auditioning pro-cess in 2011, Carmela landed a three-year contract with Evolution Modeling and Tal-ent Agent and a three-year international management contract.

She has since received off ers from modeling and entertainment agencies in Los Angeles and New York.

While deciding among her options, Carmela is studying for a degree in adver-tising with a minor in marketing at ASU.

In addition to working with cotillion, Carmela also teaches snowboarding at Sugar Mountain.

She also initiated a program between the Kings College in New York City and ASU.

Located in the Empire State Build-ing, Kings College is known for placing students in internships with high profi le companies.

“This new program will open doors for other App students to study and intern in NYC without being forced to transfer schools,” she says. “I hope students use this opportunity to pursue their dream career.”

Carmela’s career goals include fi n-ishing her degree, then not only acting and modeling in larger markets, but also, eventually, working as an agent or in the production of runway shows and photo shoots.

“If I pursue a career in this industry,” she says, “I know that I cannot worry about what I will do next, or where I will be mov-ing, or if I’ve impressed a casting director, but instead, I must give it all to God and let him lead me. Worrying does not help. This not only applies to working in this industry, but also to jobs, school and rela-tionships.”

To others interested in pursuing ca-reers in modeling and acting, Carmela off ers this, or “Have your own style. Don't be afraid to let your personality show. We must be willing to take chances, because we only live once — what do we have to lose?”

You Go, Girl!Carmela White

A stage career is

inevitable for Carmella

White, a talented, hard-

working young woman

with big dreams.

Photo by Jonathon Burton Photography


Local Mom and her ‘kids’ take ‘green’ to a new level

Pets


Genevieve Austin

Genevieve Austin is a mother of one, who received her teaching certifi cate from ASU; she is a writer who is working on her fi rst book, ‘The Toy Box,’ and is also a radio personality, artist, singer and animal advocate.

Nothing compares to the time a mom and her kids can spend romping or working together in a lush, green fi eld.

No one knows this better than Maria Norris, a young mother of two, who takes advantage of every opportunity she has to spend with her daughters on their family farm.

Two years ago, Maria and her husband, Ryan, discovered an entirely new meaning to family farm time and found an innova-tive way to put the “kids” to work.

No worries — they will never be ac-cused of breaking child labor laws. Their daughters are in on the plan and love it.

The Norris family own and operate GOat GREEN Farm, a green business that utilizes a time honored, land-clearing method of utilizing goats to get the job done right.

Forget the expensive, time-consuming, mechanical and usually loud methods of clearing land that are known to pollute the air, ground and water.

By all appearances, the entertaining goat “staff ” at GOat GREEN Farm seems to love their job of clearing land. It just seems to come naturally.

“Leasing goats,” Maria says, “is green, cost-eff ective, effi cient and the laborers are extremely fun to watch.”

Depending upon how much land you need to clear, the fun-factor for the consumer increases with the number of “workers” actually need.

The workforce doesn’t punch a clock, they don’t complain and they’ll get the job done in minimal time.

Winnie, Midnight, Veronica, Mary, Bucky, Sunny, Valentine, Rose, Pinky, Kiss-es and Leaper are just a phone call away — or at least, their “bosses” are available and ready to schedule a visit to your property, assess the viability of their services and give you a free estimate.

Once you’ve agreed upon the terms, the Norris team will establish a start-date and erect a 48-inch-high electric netted fence to keep the crew from wandering

from the jobsite.When the fencing is in place and se-

cure, the goats are set free to do what comes natural. They will eat and they will continue to eat — and will amply fertilize the ground in the midst of clearing.

They may also be accompanied by their guard dog, to keep them in line.

Not all property is suitable for goat-clearing, Maria says, with that determina-tion made early on, to save the potential customer time and money.

The goats and their owners are well known in the area and come with a long list of references — including the Nature Conservancy, for which they cleared nine acres last summer.

The farm is a second-year grant re-cipient of the Tobacco Trust Fund Grant money, an honor, Maria says, that is “is a greatly appreciated source of funding,” especially in light of the dramatic legisla-tive cuts that have recently impacted ag-riculture and farmers throughout North Carolina.

The AgOptions Grant money awarded to GOat GREEN Farm enables mainte-nance of pasture rotation and (please, don’t tell the goats) to sell the goat meat, which will be available in July.

The farm maintains about 40 goats at any given time, so shortage of staff is usu-ally not a problem, Maria says.

The Norris family is currently celebrat-ing their second year at GOat GREEN Farm. Maria and Ryan grew up in the High Country and their daughters are dedicat-ed to not only tending the goats, but also giving them their names.

GOat GREEN Farm will provide a free estimate by professionals, who before they send out the actual laborers, will come to you and handle logistical details — from start to fi nish.

For more information, contact GOat GREEN Farm today at (828) 773-1577, (828) 773-1578 or visit www.goatgreenfarm.com, [email protected].

bloomwhereyou’replanted

Have No Fear, My FriendNo matter how long you’ve

known someone, there comes a time when she can surprise you with her bravery.

Several years after the deaths of our husbands, my friend, Joann and I were on an East Caribbean cruise.

We had already sailed the seas with my son and daughter-in-law and fi nally felt brave enough to venture out on our own.

Soon after launching on our indepen-dent voyage, I became seasick and was unable to complete the chore of unpack-ing. I had gotten down to my last bag be-fore I had to give it up.

Two nights into our venture, while Joan lay sleeping, I fi nally opened the bag and to my dismay, I discovered a large black spider — or at least three of its legs beginning to slither out from under my nightgown.

As I screamed, Joann came alive. Still half-asleep, she looked toward my bag as I pointed and asked, “Is it tropical?”

“I don’t know, “I replied, “but, it’s scary.”“I’ll tell you one thing,” she said, “ I

won’t be able to sleep another wink until that spider is out of here.”

She jumped out of her bed like a wild woman and ran over to take a closer look.

The “intruder” had not crawled all the way out from under my gown, but its three visible legs did seem to move slightly.

You have to imagine this scene — she’s leaning down over the bag and I’m bend-ing over behind her when she said, “Wait, let me get my magnifying glass so I can see it better.”

“Do you carry a magnifying glass ev-erywhere you go?” I asked.

She explained that her mother had given it to her years ago and she always carried it with her.

She quickly retrieved the glass so we could get a better look.

And then, she decided to go looking


sherry boone

Local writer who shares her personal stories with others in hopes that they, too, will be comforted by some of life’s sweet memories.

for a “brave male” to help us get rid of the spider.

I was amazed that she literally stuck her head out of the cabin door — despite night cream smeared all over her face and rollers in her hair, while dressed in a less-than-glamorous nightgown — in search of help.

She didn’t see anyone, so she shut the door and headed back to me — and the spider with, apparently, another plan in mind.

“Get me a piece of paper and I can pull him out,” she said.

I grabbed a tissue. “Stand back out of the way,” she ordered.

I was happy to stand back. I didn’t want that spider running up my leg.

“What are you going to do with it when you grab it”? I asked.

She evidently thought I’d step on it, but that wasn’t my plan.

I opened the bathroom door, lifted the commode lid and waited to do my part to fl ush him down the drain.

I hurried back over to Joann’s side and watched in amazement as she reached down, tissue in hand, and grabbed that spider by the legs.

When she began pulling, that “spider” came out all right, one long, black fringe at a time.

I had completely forgotten about the black shawl that I had packed in the bot-tom of the bag.

We began to laugh so hard and imme-diately realized how lucky we were that no gallant knight had been outside our door.

We could just imagine the humiliation we might have suff ered at breakfast the next morning, had the scene unfolded dif-ferently and some handsome gent at the next table shared how he had been sum-moned to save us from a spider.

By the way, Joann is the same friend who holds tightly to two “noodles” — one around her neck and the other around her waist — when she’s standing in waist-deep water in my son’s pool.

She’s afraid of drowning in the shallow end of a pool, but she has no fear of a black spider.


Q: What should I do before pregnancy to help me (and my baby) be as healthy as possible?

A: Take at least 400 mcg. of folic acid daily to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifi da. If you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, stop. Try to establish a healthy exercise plan, even if it is just walk-ing 30 minutes a day, three-fi ve times a week. Consider getting vaccinations if you have lapsed or never had them, includ-ing Tdap, MMR booster (not within one-two months of conception), and varicella booster (or have your health care provider check your titer if you do not recall ever having the chicken pox).

Q: How do I know how far along I am?

A: Pregnancy due dates can be cal-culated using Naegele’s Rule, by adding one year, subtracting three months, and adding seven days to the fi rst day of a woman's last menstrual period (LMP). The result is approximately 40-week duration. Ultrasound can be used to confi rm your due date and is most accurate in the fi rst trimester.

Q: When can you hear a heartbeat?

A: Trans-vaginal ultrasound can detect a heart beat right about fi ve weeks

after conception or 6 ½ - 7 weeks gestation (as dated from the LMP). An offi ce hand-held Doppler (a device that uses ultra-sound waves also) can detect a heart beat by around 12 weeks, sometimes earlier.

Q: When can I fi nd out if I’m having a girl or a boy?

A: Most of the time, ultrasound can show the gender of the fetus by around 18-20 weeks.

Q: What typical testing is done during pregnancy and when do you do it?

A: In the fi rst trimester, women are screened for their blood type and Rh factor (i.e. if negative or positive blood type), STD screening, anemia, and pap test if they are due. Women may also be screened for thyroid dysfunction or other problems based on their history.

In second trimester, women can be off ered screening for Down’s Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and neural tube defects such as spina bifi da. They can also be screened for Cystic Fibrosis, an inherited lung dis-ease.

In third trimester, and sometimes ear-lier, women are screened for gestational diabetes as well as for Group B strep.

Group B strep is a type of bacteria that some women carry in their vagina, which could cause infection in a newborn baby.

Q: What are my pain man-agement options for labor and birth?

A: Women have a wide variety of options to cope with pain. Some women will choose to have a completely unmedi-cated birth and utilize position changes, heat, massage, laboring in water and/or the services of a doula (a person trained and experienced in childbirth who pro-vides physical, emotional and informa-tional support to the mother) instead. Women can also choose to have IV pain medication, which is typically a narcotic such as Stadol, Nubain or Fentanyl.

Women may choose to get an epidural, for which a small needle is put into the lower back and a thin catheter (tubing) is placed to deliver continuous anesthetic — with or without — analgesic to numb or decrease sensation of contractions.

The most important thing is that women openly communicate their desires and needs with their care provider, discuss their options, as well as the risks and ben-efi ts of each of them.

Every woman, labor, and birth is dif-ferent and deserves individual attention, care and support for the uniqueness of the woman, family and their desired experi-ence.

A monthly column by

participating health-care

professionals.

healthq&A

Common PregnancyQuestions & Answers from the office of Charles Baker, MD

Heather W. Jordan, CNM, MSN

Charles Baker, MD

436 Hospital Drive, Suite 230Linville, North Carolina 28646www.averyclinic.com828.737.7711

Pharmacy

Massage Therapy

Family Medicine


Boone’s acclaimed author, Judith Geary, has done it again.

In her fi rst novel, “Getorix: The Eagle and the Bull,” we are introduced to Geto-rix, a young Celtic warrior of 14, who, with his father, is captured when the Romans conquer his people. His father is uncer-emoniously executed in a dark dungeon and his body dumped into the sewers of Rome.

Getorix is spared — only to be ten-dered as a slave to the 13-year-old son of one of his Roman conquerors.

He is robbed of the right to die a noble death alongside his father, thus entering “Otherworld” as a man.

The story takes the reader on a jour-ney through the rich history of the Roman Republic in the years leading up to Julius Caesar’s rule.

Getorix, who will be no one’s slave, must weigh the demands of honor against his nascent friendship with the Roman boy, Lucius, who would be his master.

“GETORIX: Games of the Under-world,” is the second book of the series in which Getorix is now an escaped slave who plans to travel to Gaul to return his fa-ther’s emblem, symbolically returning his father to his homeland in honor.

Getorix and the Roman boy, Lucius, who by this time have become trusted friends, meet to say farewell before Geto-rix begins his journey.

As Getorix presents Lucius with a part-ing gift, a replica of his father’s brooch, Lu-cius announces he would like to join Geto-rix in his exodus from Rome.

Suddenly, they are publicly attacked by raiders dressed in Celtic garb, and Lu-cius is taken prisoner.

Getorix is implicated in the attack. He suspects Romans are behind the assault, even though the raiders themselves are Celtic.

The question is why? And why was Lu-cius singled out to be kidnapped?

(While it may seem I’ve given away the

Geary’s Getorix Series

plot of the novel — this is only the intro-duction to the story, taking place within the fi rst three pages.)

Thus begins a suspenseful tale of in-trigue into the inner workings of Rome, from the rat-infested sewers of the under-world to the luxurious trappings of the rul-ing class.

Getorix enlists the help of Keltus, (a Celtic slave and bodyguard to Lucius), Senius, (a Druid who has some ability to divine the future), and Brosch, (a young Celtic slave who is in love with Lucius).

Together, they attempt to fathom the changing loyalties of both friends and foes in a desperate scheme to rescue their friend from those who wish to use him as a pawn in their own ambitious grapplings for power at the pinnacle of the Roman Re-public.

With deceptive ease, Judith leads the reader through a maze of Roman politics and religious thought. We learn the dif-ferences between Roman and Celtic gods

Continues


and the disparity in perceptions of honor between the two cultures and between the classes.

The story is chock-full of details of Ro-man life during this historical period, in-terwoven so skillfully in the fabric of the pages the reader, caught up in the unfold-ing drama, is unaware of the impeccable research that went into the creation of this superbly ambitious novel.

The story is cast with characters from history — as well as with fi ctional charac-ters sprouting from Geary’s fertile imagi-nation.

Suspense is established in the fi rst pages, sweeping the reader along with the mounting travails of the young protago-nists until the very end.

There is no rest for the weary in this captivating tale of friendship, loyalty, love, political intrigue and honor.

Will Getorix survive to return to his homeland? Read “Getorix: Games of the Underworld to discover the answer.”

Danielle Bussone

Danielle Bussone is a writer and artist.To learn more about her, visitwww.daniellefi neart.com

About the author:

Judith Geary co-founded High Country Publishers with Bob and Barbara Ingalls in 2001 and contin-ues to serve as its editor, now Ingalls Publishing Group. She also teaches at Appalachian State University.

Her fi rst novel, “Getorix: The Ea-gle and the Bull,” is recommended for classroom use by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, along with the accompanying curric-ulum, Getorix’s World, co-written by Sandra Horton. It supports the focus of the new NC curriculum for sixth-grade Social Studies on The Ancient World to 1450 and is already in use in several schools in the area, mostly in the gifted programs.

Judith Geary will be signing books at Black Bear Books at the Boone Mall from 1-4 p.m. on Sat., June 23.


Years ago, I worked with a young woman who everyone loved to be around. She was a bea-con of light. People gravitated toward her.

During those same years, I worked with another woman who, whenever she walked into the room, people stiff ened and moved away. Both were good looking and talented. It begged the question — why are some people attractive and some repellant?

Due to the extremes of these two wom-en, I had a great opportunity to observe and draw conclusions about what attracts and what repels.

My observations“Ms. Repellant” — through body lan-

guage and choice of words — was dismis-sive and cold to those not of her ‘perceived status;’ she rarely asked questions and mainly made statements. She was more in-terested in scoring the winning point than understanding others and was always talk-ing about her accomplishments, her pos-sessions and her point of view.

“Ms. Magnetic” — through body lan-guage and choice of words — showed warmth, kindness and respect to all, shared her perspective, but did not try to force it on others. She sought the input of others, was approachable, affi rming and other-centered.

Another question begged: Can we ac-tually increase our personal magnetism?

The answer: We come into this world with a predisposition called temperament. We cannot change it, but we can cultivate its strengths and minimize its weaknesses.

There are many theories of tempera-ment types and most derive from the ob-servations of Galen, a Greek physician who lived more than 2,000 years ago. Ga-len is credited with coining the terms “choleric,” “sanguine,” “phlegmatic” and “melancholy.”

PhlegmaticAlso known as “the laid-back.” One of

the strengths of a phlegmatic is her easy-going amiability; one weakness is a lack of ambition in reaching goals.

The Art of Magnetism

SanguineAka the cheerleader; one strength of

which is the ability to motivate others; one weakness is a tendency toward insincerity — saying what others want to hear.

CholericThe bulldog; one strength is the ability

to focus and get things done One weak-ness is a tendency to dominate and intimi-date.

MelancholicAka the sensitive; one strength is cre-

ative insightfulness; one weakness is a tendency toward gloom and doom.

Most of us are a “stew” of diff erent tem-perament types, but generally we fall into one or two types.

Regardless of our temperament blend, if we cultivate our strengths we will be-come more attractive to others.

For example, a sanguine/choleric hy-brid can choose between being honest and straightforward (attractive) or tactless (repellant).


bonnie church

Certifi ed Life and Wellness CoachAuthor/ columist, motivational speakerCertifi ed Trainer for TLS Weight Loss Solution

healthylady

A melancholic/phlegmatic hybrid can choose between being observant and re-alistic (attractive) or a doomsayer (repel-lant).

Our attractive and repellant qualities develop overtime. We become habituated to responding a certain way.

Following are fi ve steps that can help you increase your personal magnetism:

Admit you have a problem. You can’t engage in your recovery until you admit that you have something from which you need to recover.

Make a commitment to change. Without commitment, self-im-provement will not occur.

Tune in and correct. For example, if you fi nd yourself nailing some-one to the wall by relentlessly talk-ing about yourself – stop. Back off , breathe and ask them a question about themselves.

Progress daily. If your tendency is to be a negative doomsayer, set a goal to off er positive refl ections— sincere perspectives, not insin-cere optimism — for one full day.

Get help. Sometimes, our repel-lant traits are so deeply rooted that we are unable to overcome them without help. If this is the case, seek the advice of a profes-sional who is trained to help you handle your particular situation.

The good news is, as you seek to un-derstand yourself — and cultivate the best of “who you are” — it will aff ect everyone around you. Your relationships will be-come healthier and life will be far more fun.

1

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notsogrounded

My daughter, Maddy, has de-cided not to study in China this summer. She’s coming home instead and secretly, I’m doing a big ol’ goofy happy dance.

Of course, when China was fi rst men-tioned, I said, “How cool!” wrote the check, and shared the brochure with her grand-parents. I’m all for supporting my 20-year old’s independence and I love her insatia-ble wanderlust.

But, secretly, I prefer letting go in smaller doses.

As it turns out, the parental journey is astoundingly short between carefully fold-ing newborn onesies, going out to a nice dinner while the kids stay home eating pizza, and sleeping in my daughter’s guest room in her own house half a continent away. The whole parental gig is about let-ting go.

Even way back in the delivery room when Maddy’s tiny body still felt like part of my own, I sensed a profound paradox: I need to let go of the one person in the whole universe I’m also wired most to pro-tect, nurture, love and know. Every single

part of my being — from my hormones to my sense of responsibility to each beat of my heart — conspires to envelop my child fully, embrace her every nuance and never let her out of my sight.

Yet, I also know to hand over her own keys as soon as she’s ready.

In the big scheme, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My parents let me loose at just the right time, fueled to this day by their love and their belief in my glorious autonomy.

And while I have visited families and cultures with those tight weaves we ro-manticize — multi-generations all living up in each others’ lives — I also hear sto-ries of family pressure to suppress desires, conform to constrictions and make un-wanted decisions that protect someone’s feelings or shore up the status quo.

It seems altogether innocent to throw my loving arms around my squirming op-positional toddler and say, “Oh, c’mon just one kiss.” But later, when the stakes rise, my parental encroachments can squelch her artistic creation, shut down an uncon-

The Dance

of Decision

Jeanne Supin

Do Less. Be More. Conscious Change by Design. www.supin.com

ventional dream, or silence an important voice.

Deep familial love should be cher-ished, nurtured and protected, but I am also indebted to that enlightenment ethos to stake our individual claims.

For the good of my daughter, I have to let her go fi nd that claim for herself, even if she spends the summer in far-fl ung places instead of under my roof.

I suspect her ability to make that deci-sion is good for the world, too, for choice remains the best antidote to appalling conditions for women across the globe.

Consider these startling statistics:Working women still earn less than

men and women account for more than two-thirds of those living in abject poverty.

Six-hundred million women are illiter-ate, almost twice the number of illiterate men.

Women are the overwhelming victims of domestic violence, human traffi cking, rape and gender discrimination.

Although women, in developing ru-ral areas, grow 60-80 percent of the food, many are not legally allowed to own land.

Legislators are mostly men, too, and while certainly many champion women’s rights, I suspect those laws would change a lot faster if we occupied more than the current 15 percent of national parliament seats across the world.

Over and over again, our choices are squashed.

While it may be a long rope, these dis-turbing facts seem tied to my ability to let my daughter go, successfully.

If I guilt her into coming home this summer (even if it’s subtle and just be-cause I want to see her), how ultimately is that diff erent from other impositions that sound protective, but blare abhorrent?

Parents withdraw their daughters from school to protect them from frightening infl uences, governments prohibit wom-en’s work and travel for their own safety, community leaders condone female geni-tal mutilation to preserve virtue, legisla-tors restrict reproductive rights in the name of morality.

I know that’s a stretch and I really don’t equate genital mutilation with wanting my kid home this July. But, I do see the

slope. Sometimes I want to wrap Maddy in

“my” version of her life, especially if I feel her pain or miss her dreadfully. And, that means trouble every time — even with the best of intentions. When we respect and empower our growing children they do, in fact, pay it forward.

My job is to silence my voice enough so she can hear her own and then live with loud gusto. That’s how this works. If I want her forever to be free to choose her own passions, partners, progeny, places and point of view, then this summer she needs to choose whether it’s Beijing or Boone.

And no big ol’ goofy happy dance until she decides.

Sources: Commission on the Status of Women; Women’s Environment & Development Organiza-tion; Data on the Status of Women Worldwide


I would not describe myself as a “Parrothead” due to the fact that I have yet to attend a Jimmy Buff ett concert; however, I am partial to his music.

Through adolescence and college to love and marriage and growing older, Jim-my has perched on my shoulder, tempting me with sail boats and sandy beaches, cheeseburgers and margaritas.

As the tide of summer rolls in, with it comes to urge to dust off the Jimmy Buf-fett records and imagine myself under a thatched hut somewhere in the Caribbe-an, fruity drink in hand, watching the sun shimmer on the ocean like diamonds.

“Yes, I am a pirate two hundred years too late.” – Jimmy Buff ett, A Pirate Looks at Forty

My introduction to Jimmy Buf-fett came courtesy of my Uncle Darrell. Through my child’s eyes, Darrell, with his sail boat, long pony tail and gold earrings, did resemble a pirate – a friendly, swash-buckling, Jack Sparrow-type pirate à la Pirates of the Caribbean not a murdering, pillaging, Black Beard-type pirate à la ac-tual history – and his home was fi lled with

Jimmy Buff et’s infectious melodies when-ever I visited.

“Twenty degrees and the hockey game’s on.” – Jimmy Buff ett, Boat Drinks

Later, as a teenager, never able to shake the lingering memory of those beachy tunes, I picked up a copy of Songs You Know by Heart. That collection of Buff ett’s greatest hits accompanied me to college in Boston, where it conjured up images of sun and surf whenever snow covered the ground. To my surprise, I also discovered that a fondness for Jimmy Buff ett was not exclusive to the South. My friend, Angela, who hailed from New Jersey, had grown up listening to her father’s Buff ett records. We spent many a summer day singing along to Fins, Volcano, Boat Drinks and other favorites.

“With a little love and luck, we’ll take the sky.” – Jimmy Buff ett, Love and Luck

Somewhere along the way, more Jim-my Buff ett CDs found their way into my collection and I found Roger.

We soon discovered that we each owned a copy of Buff ett’s box set, Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads, and we shared

The

Bu

ffet

t Ru

le

Yes I am a Pirate

heather brandon

Considers life to be one big anthropological fi eld experience. She observes and reports. She enjoys travel, food and wine and adventures with her husband, Roger.

our favorite songs. Roger, having lived in Hawaii for four

years, had the sea in his veins. Once every year or so, he longed to

bask in the sun on a beautiful beach and soak in the crystal clear ocean waters.

Although I had not often visited the shore during my formative years, and when I did it was the coast of North Caro-lina, I had always been partial to beaches and longed to see the tropical islands that Jimmy’s ditties had imprinted on my imagination.

“Don’t try to describe the ocean if you’ve never seen it. Don’t ever forget that you just may wind up being wrong.” – Jimmy Buff ett, Mañana

Several years into our relationship, Roger and I traveled to Mexico, where I had my fi rst glimpse of the Caribbean. It was love at fi rst sight.

I understood what Jimmy meant when he sang, “Mother, mother, ocean. I have heard you call.” It wasn’t just the sounds — waves crashing against the shore, the breeze rustling palm branches and the calls of seagulls circling overhead — but

it was also the feeling of fl oating in clear, blue water and the smells of coconut, grilled fi sh and brine.

“The weather is here. I wish you were beautiful.” – Jimmy Buff ett, The Weath-er is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful

We may only be able to live the Jimmy Buff et lifestyle every now and then, but since that fi rst trip to Mexico, Roger and I have visited the Dominican Republic, Aru-

ba, St. Kitts and most recently, Curaçao. Each island has been a unique, memo-

rable experience. I eagerly anticipate our continued exploration of the Caribbean — the beaches, the culture and the fl avors. Whether we are watching the sun slip be-neath the horizon or weathering a tropical rainstorm, there is bound to be a Jimmy Buff et song to capture the memory. I’ll keep adding to the ones I already have stored away until my soundtrack is com-plete.

“Some people never fi nd it, some only pretend. But me, I just want to live happily ever after, every now and then.” - Jimmy Buff ett, Happily Ever After (Now and Then)

youngatheart

Eight women walk in si-

lence downhill, over stepping-

stones across a creek, following a

winding trail toward Emerald Pool,

our “holy place” for the day.

We marvel at early signs of spring

— tiny fi ddlehead ferns, white, purple

and yellow violets, a little brown sala-

mander below and hawks fl ying over-

our spiritual guides. Each participant

arrives with an intention for the day,

something she is seeking — whether

the desire to fi nd a way forward in a

time of transition, enlightenment

about a particular issue, or a hope to

discover a meaningful life path. Dur-

ing the day each will be able to deep-

en her life’s purpose as she engages

Photo by Sue Spirit

enriches life’s pathway

medicinewalk

Medicine Walk

head. Sheltering pines and hemlocks

tower over us. Shafts of pale sunlight

pour into clearings.

We are on a Medicine Walk, a cer-

emonial day-long sacred experience

of stepping into nature. It’s a mini-Vi-

sion Quest, a venture based on Native

American principles.

Teri Wiggans and Pam Noble are

sue spirit

Writes poetry and essays about nature, spirituality, writing, and travel. She has a little cabin in the mountains. degreesoff [email protected]

with the natural world. We reach our sacred spot and do some

sharing in a “council circle.” Then, we have a little more than an hour to walk alone, seeing what things in nature speak to us.

We step over a carved wooden hiking stick, our threshold into sacred space, the thin place where the ordinary, everyday world becomes the spirit world.

Pam and Teri have given us simple, lu-minous guidelines:

1) Imagination is the doorway to the soul.

2) Listen with the ears of your heart.

3) Let the child within speak to you.

4) Be intentional.

5) Consciously step into sacred space.

6) Everything you do is sacred.

7) Allow nature to guide you.

8) Fast from food, technology and human-made shelter.

9) Thank Mother Nature for all she has given you.

I wander along, breathing in woodsy scents, listening to a mourning dove, barely avoiding getting tangled in some prickly dog-hobble.

I arrive at Emerald Pool and gratefully accept a seat on a comfortable rock just below a tumbling waterfall, next to two huge, moss-covered boulders. Their job is to slow the exuberant waterfall to a quiet stream, which then drops gently into the deep green pool.

What a metaphor for my headlong life — Sue, the waterfall, rushing precipitously down, down, into more and more exciting, meaningful experiences. Too many oppor-tunities, too little time.

The boulders are clearly refl ective this amazing day of Pam and Teri, giving me precious space to rest, refl ect, slow down, and soak in the silence and solitude.

And Emerald Pool? What if I enter deep into its secrets and fi nd a new way into my spirituality? Could it result in my dearest desire, to write revelatory essays and poems?

Pondering the experiences we’ve had, we each step back over the threshold and

return to the council circle. We pass a talk-ing stick around, honoring each woman’s telling of the story of her time alone.

We all listen carefully, then mirror back to each woman what we’ve heard of her story, assuring her we have been wit-ness to her experience.

Teri and Pam draw on their own depth of wisdom as they help each of us discern the direction of her life.

We hike back up the steep, rocky trail, women with a lot of refl ecting to do, each cradling a luminous new vision — a gift from our deepest selves, two wise women, and the depths of nature.

For more information on Medicine Walks and other Womanquest programs, e mail [email protected] or visit www.womanquest.net.


Breathe a little life

oxygenfacials


Oxygen facials are gaining popularity in the spa industry today. They are reported to off er numer-ous benefi ts to the skin and are thought to especially fi ght the signs of aging. They are especially gaining favor among ce-lebrities who are always looking for that “quick fi x.”

Most oxygen facials are performed with a special machine that sends out a pressurized mist, delivering concentrated oxygen to the surface of the skin. The mist released is rich in extracts, vitamins and minerals, which once in contact with the skin, are absorbed by the skin.

After receiving such a treatment, the skin will generally showcase a special glow and appear more plump and smoother.

Also, the facials are thought to pro-mote new growth in the collagen in the skin and improve overall elasticity and de-crease the appearance of enlarged pores and wrinkles.

Most treatments are said to have an impact on the skin for around two days. Such a treatment is ideal if you are prepar-ing for a special event.

A series of the treatments are recom-mended for longer-lasting results.

Some dermatological and scientifi c studies show that there is no evidence that these are as eff ective as some claim. Ex-perts say that skin cannot absorb oxygen, so there is no way it can penetrate and make your skin healthier and younger. Any possible benefi ts that show up on the skin afterwards can be attributed to the ba-sic facial itself and the possible plumping eff ect from the oxygen, but these will most likely be very temporary results.

These facials will not hurt you, so if you have the funds and inclination to have an oxygen facial – go ahead and enjoy.

In the long run, using a good quality skincare line, eating a healthy diet, and maybe getting the occasional basic facial may give you the best results for your skin.

kelly penick

Licensed aesthetician828.773.3587

‘The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.’ - Walt Disney Company, Mulan

All About Women June 2012

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Transcript of All About Women June 2012