Cottage Garden

Volume 10, Issue 5 • March/April 2016
The “Relatively” Carefree
Cottage
Garden
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Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary
The Arts – An Essential Ingredient in Education
at Central AR Christian High School
The “Relatively” Carefree
Cottage
6 Garden
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Chinese Brush
Painting:
The Universal Spirit
of Life (ch’i)
9
11
From a Perpetual Gardener......................................................... 8
POETRY ........................................................................................ 15
Reaping the Rhythms........................................................... 15
WINE............................................................................................... 16
Wine Projects to Work on in 2016....................................... 16
Minute With Maddox.......................................................... 26
Single Visit
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Pancreatic Cancer:
Challenging to Diagnose, Treat
20
March/April 2016
Your Genes Your Health
4
Germs Pose
Biggest Risk
when Pets
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22
Clothing Trends Make My Eyes Water..................................... 27
PHOTOGRAPHY........................................................................ 28
Drones!.........................................................................................28
Maumelle Photography Club......................................................30
Choosing the BEST
Quality Vitamins:
Synthetic vs Food-Based
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Weird is Wonderful, and Normalcy is Not................................32
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THE ARTS
5
The “Relatively” Carefree
By Marion Scott
Cottage
Garden
March/April 2016
free-spirit in all of us, the cottage garden may
be a good choice. Cottage gardens are often
confused with English Gardens because they
both evolved in the British Isles, but English Gardens are much more of a “landscape” than their
smaller cousin, often relying on greenhouse
plantings and a much greater sense of structure.
Large estates often employed a cottage garden
as a useful kitchen tool. Using dense plantings
and a highly informal design, cottage gardens
6
mix color, shape, edible and ornamental plants,
relying on charm and a wild grace. These gardens were the children of the working-class
who craved beauty, but required the edible
functionality of small plots. Herbs for cooking
or for medicinal purposes were common. In
fact, the cottage garden ancestor had a greater
percentage of vegetables and herbs than their
more current offspring. Flowers were used as
space fillers and it was not uncommon to see a
beehive within them, the plot entered through
a flowered archway. Several centuries ago, gardening for pleasure was a luxury few working
class people could afford. Their gardens had to
be relatively care-free. Now, flowers dominate
the cottage garden but often include edible
ferns, parsley, basil, oregano, and other herbs as
their space-fillers. Early flowers were wild flowers or barely domesticated versions of them.
Variations of cottage gardens are as numerous as there are gardeners, which is one
of their appeals. Besides flowers and herbs,
some enjoy ferns or ornamental grasses. Many
incorporate plants native to their own area. In
the south, we have a huge variety to choose
from – whether the individual plants need
shade, sun, high moisture or low, a cottage
garden can incorporate all. Because the plantings are very dense (in the old days density
was necessary to take full advantage of a small
patch), larger or taller sun-loving plantings can
shade smaller shade-dwellers. A drip system
(recommended) can distribute moisture according to plants’ requirements.
Carefully planned cottage gardens are
relatively care-free. Some well-timed maintenance is required, such as winter cut-back and
a little thinning, but perennials are commonly
used, and self-sowing annuals re-appear each
spring. Choosing more modern, disease-resistant plants will lessen care requirements even
further. When planning the cottage garden, a
little research helps to achieve desired results.
Climbers, such as clematis or honeysuckle can
be placed along a wall or on ornamental trellises. They form a perfect backdrop. Taller plants
such as the beautiful purple bellflower and the
columbine provide height. Roses are a mainstay of the cottage garden and although some
prefer traditional roses, the Knock Out rose is
an excellent choice. They give the appearance
of an heirloom variety and do not require clipping of spent blooms as many of their more
formal cousins do. Other taller plants to consider might be foxglove, hollyhock, delphinium ((larkspur). Daisies come in a variety of
heights and with some color variation as does
the lavender family. For shady areas, hydrangea does well.
Other excellent choices, according to Better Homes and Gardens, are coral bells (heuch-
pieces – a chunk of picket fence, an antique bird
house, a lichen-covered statuette, a distressed
window frame. Stone or reclaimed brick paths
may meander through with a natural material
bench provided. While these types of gardens
are designed to look unstudied, the operative
word is “designed”. The casual nature of the
plantings and accessories add to their countrystyle charm.
Another fun feature of this type of garden
is the use of hedges to serve as “fences”. In the
olden days, thick hedges such as the elderberry
or holly were used to keep out cattle. Shrubs
and other plants bearing berries add a birdwatching opportunity during winter months.
Vita Sackville-West (the Honorable Lady
Nicolson) who was born in the late 1800’s and
who was a poet, novelist and garden designer
described a typical cottage garden as “a place
where the plants grow in a jumble, flowering
shrubs mingled with roses, herbaceous plants
with bulbous subjects, climbers scrambling
over hedges, seedlings coming up wherever
they have chosen to sow themselves” -- A fitting
description providing an ample palette for gardening enthusiasts’ imaginations. MM
Cottage gardens also frequently incorporate objet d’art made up of rustic or weathered
M
arion Scott has been a resident of Maumelle
since 2006. Retired, she enjoys gardening,
volunteering, and running, completing her eleventh marathon
this spring. She is also a Ward 3 Alderman.
You may contact her at marionella01@hotmail.com .
www.MauMag.com
F
ormal gardens are beautiful: The well-placed plantings; the distinct, graduating
heights and fixed spacing; the
color-coordination. But for the
era), dame’s rocket, dianthus, iris, lady’s mantle,
peony, the perennial geranium, phlox, sweet
William, and violets. Adding to that list are marigolds, peonies, tulips, and crocus. Incorporate
early and late bloomers to extend the garden’s
beauty. Cottage gardens I have seen use a variety of ferns as well – even when blooming
plants are not yet evident, and long after they
go, ferns provide an appealing texture garden.
One goal of a cottage garden is that every
square inch of space is used. A little caution is
recommended when choosing filler or ground
cover plants, however. Some spread so vigorously, they become invasive, choking out their
plot-sharers and making changes difficult. A
variety of vinca (which is considered invasive
in some areas of the U.S.) can take over. Their
vines entwine and sometimes suffocating surrounding plants and while they can be pulled
up, damage to their captives can occur. Another very pretty, but fast-spreading ground cover
is creeping Jenny (nickname: Galloping Jenny).
The roots are very shallow, but the tiniest remnant will rise again. Be careful of any plant with
a square stem (mint, for example). Fortunately,
although mint spreads vigorously, most varieties have shallow roots and can be culled fairly
easily. Plants chosen dictate the amount of care
the gardener cares to provide.
7
From a Perpetual Gardener
Chinese Brush Painting:
By Tammy Steele
busiest time of the year for preparing to plant. We have to err on the
side of caution this March and April
because the risk of late frosts. Usually frosts
are over by mid-April, but I have seen it later
and we do live in Arkansas… So if you haven’t
cleaned up what fall and winter left behind,
now is the time.
March/April 2016
If you are wanting to start landscaping or
gardening, planning your placement should
be your main focus now. Measure the space
you want to improve, take into consideration
the plantings you want. Is there enough light?
Is there a close access to a water outlet? Or do
you plan on a shade garden? Using graph paper
draw out precisely and configure your plants
into the space without overcrowding, taller
plants to the back and border plants to the edge.
It’s best to know the mature size and how much
room they need to become the picture on the
container, overcrowding is one of the problems
in planting. Overcrowded plants can be stunted in growth, become diseased, or even plant
death. In this case, less is more.
8
One thing every gardener should know is
landscaper’s cloth. Yes, under each of my beds
there is a weed barrier, because I hate weeds!
They are the scourge of all gardener’s. Weeds
can be anything that’s not supposed to be choking out my little plants. Even my beloved St. Augustine grass. It becomes a weed when it creeps
between my pavers and slips in like a snake. But
at times I’m kinder to St. Augustine than I am to
some of the others, I’ll take a landscaper’s pin
and scratch the ground a little in a bare spot in
the lawn, pin it and sprinkle so it can crawl away
from my flowers. With the landscaper’s cloth, the
most expensive is best. It’s more durable, and
has a longer life span. I have tried both. Trust me
on this, start with a good one. Place it 10 to 12
inches below your amended soil.
Have your garden tools at the ready for this
season coming up, because you can’t make it
without your tools. One of the tools I use each
day are my bypass hand pruners. They cut with
a smooth clean finish without damaging your
plant. Use them for deadheading, trimming, and
everyday preening. Buy a good quality pruner
and you’ll only need one pair. Garden gloves are
a must to avoid scrapes, nicks and blisters. Longhandled bypass loppers are great for trimming
small tree branches and tall shrubs removing
wilted, broken or diseased limbs. A good quality water hose is a definite yes. Watering is a lot
of work and you don’t want to continually fight
with a crimped hose. I am speaking from experience here… You need a hand trowel for planting
bedding plants and shoveling potting soil into
pots, a hand claw for loosening soil and weeding. A hand rake sweeps out dropped leaves and
dropped blooms from around your plants. For
any type of gardening a tiller saves time and a
load of manual labor. It is an option, but it’s not
necessary if you enjoy digging and pulling. A
tiller can be used to break up hard ground and
loosen soil breaking up dirt clods. It can mix up
soil with peat, bagged soil, compost or fertilizer.
For small jobs you need a shovel for moving
dirt, digging large holes for trees and shrubs. A
garden fork for breaking up clumps of sod and
soil and incorporating compost. A garden hoe
is needed for cultivating and chopping weeds.
Also a garden rake for smoothing and finishing.
Take good care of your garden tools and they
will give you a lifetime of service. Keep them
clean and out of the elements. It’s best to wash
them immediately and dry them off and put a
little oil on the metal. They can quickly rust in
our climate. My Dad would always keep his tools
sharpened and oiled hanging on the shop’s wall
for quick use. These long handled tools have
been used for centuries and are still a mainstay
in the garden. Useful and simple.
Gardening is a work in progress. Not a weekend of digging and rushing. Keep the direction
you have in mind. Research the plants you are
interested in. And have fun doing it. And those
little tags I mentioned earlier? I save each one
of those little spikes. There are details on how
to care for the plant, variety, spacing, planting
depth, fertilizing, water and light requirements
T
B
By MaryAnn Stafford
efore writing this article, I
have to admit that I knew
absolutely nothing about
Chinese Brush Painting.
Even after all my research for this
article, I still have a lot to learn! However, I’m
sharing what I’ve learned simply because Chinese Brush Painting is a fascinating, beautiful,
and graceful art form that should be appreciated by all who love the visual arts.
Last September, I was fortunate to see a
demonstration of Chinese Brush Painting at
Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs with members
of the Senior Center’s watercolor group. The
demonstrating artist was Linda Shearer of Hot
Springs Village, who is the only traditionallytrained Chinese brush painter in Arkansas. I
watched as she lay out her materials on the
table, dipped her brush into a plate of diluted
ink, and drew these amazing forms with varied
brushstrokes and without making a preliminary
sketch on her paper. Needless to say, I was intrigued by this ancient form of art.
and a picture of what your plant should look like
at maturity. They make a great reference point as
a quick glance. I just throw them into a flower
pot when I plant at my potting table. When
you’ve prepared, worked the soil, and plant, try
to remember to relax and enjoy the view. I hope
all your soil is fertile! Keep Digging! MM
ammy Steele is a lifelong resident of Saline County. She and her
husband have a daughter, a son, a son-in-law and two wonderful
grandsons. Tammy has always had a love of gardening and arranging flowers
she is a self described “Southern flower child.” Tammy is an avid reader and self
taught student of “all things garden.” She attributes her paternal grandmother
for her love and knowledge of all things beautiful.
Oriental art is unlike Western art. At first
glance at a Chinese painting, we see empty
space, Chinese inscriptions and red seals, unrealistic landscapes with little or no perspective,
no predictable light source, minimal color, and
stylized elements. It may be a disconcerting
experience. But as we look closer, we begin to
see skillful brushwork, rhythmic movement of
lines, expressive shadings from light to dark,
grace and elegance. The Chinese artist is not
interested in representation, but in capturing
the spirit of the subject. It is an art form that
requires years of mastery and knowledge of traditional styles.
The origins of Chinese brush painting began around 4000 B.C. as a decorative craft on
pottery, jade, and bronze works. Because written language in China started off as pictography, the characters used evolved into what is
known as “calligraphy” (beautiful handwriting).
Being able to write these characters with brushstrokes and ink was the mark of an educated
person. These brushstrokes were also able to
show the personality of the artist. The strokes
used in calligraphy are the same strokes used in
Chinese brush painting.
Landscapes are the chief subjects, but the
human figure, flowers, birds, animals, and fish
are also painted. Confucianism, Taoism, and
Buddhist philosophies influenced the traditions of Chinese painting. Artists were recognized by name and wrote manuals illustrating
the techniques used. One of these was Hsieh
Ho whose “six elements of painting” influences
Chinese artists until this day. These elements
state that a painting should:
1.Have a life of its own, be vibrant and
resonant
2.Have good brushwork that gives it a
sound structure
3.Bear some likeness to the nature of
the subject
4.Have hues that answer the need of
the situation
5.Have a well thought-out composition
6.Inherit the best of tradition through
learning from it. (Chinese Painting,
T.C. Lai, p.6)
Note that realistic interpretation of the subject is not one of the elements. Perspective is
not limited to one viewpoint, but to many at the
same time. There is not a single focal point, but
light comes from all directions.
In the 14th century, artists began inscribing
poems on the paintings, thereby incorporating
Sparrows – Elaine Cook
Linda Shearer
calligraphy, painting, and poetry as “the three
perfections.” That is why we sometimes see so
much writing on Chinese art. The most complete manual on the art of painting, Manual of
the Mustard Seed Garden, was published in five
volumes in 1679, and is still in use today. The
19th century brought a rebellion against the
traditional rules as artists strived to become
more expressive in their brushwork. Today,
many Chinese artists combine Western and
Eastern techniques.
Linda Shearer, whose demonstration I
watched last fall, is an educator who learned
about the Chinese tradition of painting backpacking across China in 1986. Upon returning
to her home In California, she studied under
teacher Lynn Woodword and later with Ning
Yeh, a master Chinese Brush artist. She and her
husband moved to Hot Springs Village in 2004,
and now teaches Chinese painting techniques
and exhibits her work at various places in Arkansas. There are several styles of painting, and
she concentrates on the Hsieh-I (Po’ Mo) style
Continued on next page >
www.MauMag.com
S
pringtime in Arkansas is a
beautiful season. It is also the
The Universal Spirit of Life (ch’i)
9
The artist works flat on a table, either standing or sitting. Paintings can be done on silk or
paper, and sometimes on scrolls. The paper
is thin rice paper which must be mounted to
avoid wrinkling. The black ink is made from
soot and glue; colors may also be used. An ink
stick is ground into a slightly wet ink stone until
a dark tone is made; this ink is then diluted with
water to make at least three different shades.
The brushes are made of soft goat, fox or wolf
hair. The characteristic expressiveness of Chinese brush painting is due to the controlled
brushstrokes. The brush can be held vertically,
horizontally, can be dragged, pushed, pulled,
swung, pressed and lifted, dotted, or twisted to
make the traditional calligraphic marks. Some
strokes have names such as “bone,” “nail”, or
“hook”. Brush control is said to come from the
heart, traveling down the arm and into the
brush. The brush symbolizes “yang” (male) and
the paper “yin” (female).
Symbolism is always apparent in Chinese
brush painting. Four major plant symbols are
called “The Four Gentlemen” or “The Four Paragons,” and include the Plum Blossom (symbol
of winter, venerable old age¸ strength, and fortitude); the Orchid (symbol of spring, beauty,
and elegance); Bamboo (symbol of summer,
endurance, and courage); and Chrysanthemum
(symbol of autumn¸ the scholar, persistence,
and patience). Other plants, animals, insects are
also symbols of life.
March/April 2016
There is so much more to Chinese brush
painting than I can tell you. I suggest checking
10 Wisterias – Linda Shearer
M
it out for yourself. Included here are examples
from Linda Shearer’s web site and demo, as well
as two examples from Maumelle artist Elaine
Cook, who first started painting in this art form
in the early 90’s after watching a demonstration
by Rita Bohm. Later, she took classes at Hobby
Lobby from Ming Chou and also from Mrs.
Shearer. Cook’s fascination stems from her love
of painting spontaneously without making a
drawing first. She has tried painting in the Western style, but something seemed to be lacking.
She states“I WILL go back to my Asian painting…
I have been energized to continue Asian again.”
Sources:
Shearer, Linda, www.lindashearer.com.
Cross, Maggie, The Art of Chinese Brush
Painting, (The Crowood Press, Ramsbury,
Marlborough England, 2011).
Lai, T.C, Chinese Painting (Oxford University
Press, New York, 1992).
Ting, Francisca, Chinese Painting (Dover
Publications, New York, 1990). MM
aryAnn Stafford taught visual arts, humanities, and English
at Pine Bluff High School for many years before becoming an
Assistant Principal. She retired from the Arkansas Department of Education
in 1993. A teacher and an artist, she exhibits regularly and teaches drawing
at the Maumelle Senior Wellness Center. Dr. Stafford holds signature
membership in Mid-Southern Watercolorists, the Pastel Society of the
Southwest, and the Arkansas League of Artists. Her art can be seen at Eurekan
Art in Eureka Springs and Gallery 221 in Little Rock. Web sites are www.
staffordart.com, www.fineartamerica.com, and www.arkansasartists.com.
Her artists’ blog can be found at www.pastelanne.wordpress.com.
The Arts – An Essential Ingredient in Education
at Central AR Christian High School
By Linda Kennedy
E
ducation in the arts is a vital
part of the development of our
young people and is essential to
the life and health of our community and society as a whole.
Throughout the ages many wise voices have
trumpeted the importance of the arts in the educational process. Plato expressed (in The Republic) that “musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the
soul” and “I would teach children music, physics,
and philosophy; but most importantly music, for
the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys
to learning.” Although this quote may sound as
if Plato was prioritizing music over all other art
forms, for the Greeks, certain types of music were
paired with stylized dance, for instance. Also,
the centerpiece of Greek festivals was a form of
drama which included a compendium of all the
arts – music, text, dance, and costumes. We need
to be watchful and engaged in communicating
to our school systems how much we value the
teaching of all the arts in our schools.
From time to time we have dropped in on
some of our fine public school music teachers,
and I thought it was time to check and see how
the arts are faring in the private school domain
in our area. So I headed down the boulevard to
what is affectionately known as Mustang Mountain to Central Arkansas Christian High School,
and I am happy to report that the arts are alive
and thriving throughout the CAC school system.
I was assured by Communications Director, Lexi
Stutzman, that support for the arts comes down
from the administration with the firm belief that
they are an essential part of helping students
achieve the overall goals embodied in CAC’s
commitment to nurture ”Heart, Soul, Mind, and
Strength”. Let’s meet the faculty members who
are driving the creative train at CAC.
Tori Beach is the choral music teacher for
this campus which houses both middle school
and high school. Tori grew up in Clarksville, AR
Continued on next page >
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and the Kung-Pi or fine line style. The first style
is spontaneous and expressive. The latter style
uses outlined subjects and delicate layering
with color. She also works in the Mo-Ku style
which uses wash techniques and no line work.
Linda Shearer
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA REEVES.
White Bamboo – Elaine Cook
11
All choirs perform annual Christmas and
Spring concerts. The middle school groups
bring programs to nursing homes, to the elementary campuses to promote the secondary
music programs, and performed a short concert
at UAMS and Baptist Health last year. In addition to the annual concerts, the high school
choir sang the national anthem this past fall at
a Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) game. Participation
James Wilhite, director of bands, grew up in
Mineola, TX. Music entered his life at a young
age through congregational praise singing,
band classes, and private tuba lessons. James
says he has always known he wanted to become
a great instrumental music teacher. He received
his Bachelor of Instrumental Music Education
Mentors also played an important role in
James’ musical development, and he is quick to
three in particular being Dr. Mike Chance, Dr.
Cindy Carrell, and Dr. Warren Casey.
An important mentor in her life is Stacy Gibson who was her first art professor at Harding.
Chelsea says, “She was and still is a huge inspiration to me. She pushed me in my art career in
ways I never could have imagined. She saw in
me passion, energy, and talent and helped me
become the best artist I could be.”
Chelsea Baber teaches visual arts. Chelsea
grew up in Nashville, TN in a family of talented
artists. Chelsea says, “My great uncle was a
self-taught artist, and he passed down this gift
to my mother. It was then passed down to me
and my sisters.” When she first went off to college at Harding University, she enrolled in prevet because she had
always loved animals.
However, she soon realized she did not want to
210 Chantilly Circle
make that her full-time
career and switched to
education. She says, “I
knew I loved both art
Continued on next page >
Golf Course Rental $1475.00
| Maumelle, AR
Chelsea Baber, Visual Arts
3 Bedrooms | 2 Baths | 1700 sq ft
James Wilhite, Director of Bands
Great Location!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEXI STUTZMAN.
12
and was very involved in the choir programs in
her schools and church. She says that when
she entered Harding University, majoring in vocal music just seemed the natural thing to do.
Armed with her teaching degree (and a minor
in marketing), she began her career as music
teacher for the CAC elementary campuses.
She moved up to the secondary campus this
year when the position became open. On the
middle school level all students at CAC are required to take either choir or band. By the time
they become ninth graders, Tori says they pretty
much know which one they want to choose as
a high school elective. On the middle school
level the choirs are all boys or all girls. The high
school choir is mixed.
give a shout out to Roger Winslow with whom
he took private tuba lessons in high school, the
music educators at a Four States Singing School
he attended, and his great teachers at Harding,
Under his leadership the band program is
growing. Band members will begin marching
at football games next year. James says, “We are
poised to grow by 25% next year which should
allow us to participate in Region Marching and
Concert Contests next year. In addition I’m planning to start an extra-curricular jazz band formed
from students not currently taking band classes
as well as existing band members.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA REEVES.
March/April 2016
Tori Beach, Choral Music
When asked who have been important
mentors in her life, Tori says most of all her
mother and grandparents who raised her.
“They raised me to believe I could do anything
I wanted to, and without them, I would not be
here.” She is also grateful to Mrs. Cathcart - her
junior high choir teacher, Mrs. Pitts - her high
school choir director, and Kelly Neill - director of
concert choir at Harding. They all affected me
at those three life stages through their interest
in me as a person as well as my choral growth.
Each spring the CAC Mustang Band goes
on tour. Last year they performed in several
venues in Dallas, TX. This year they will travel to
Nashville to perform at the Historic RCA Studio
B and for two local retirement communities. A
fun mix of music can be heard in the band room
through the day – from elements of jazz, pop (especially for the Pep Band), and symphonic band
repertoire (classical and contemporary.)
Chelsea is in a unique situation in that she
teaches both elementary and secondary art. On
the secondary level she teaches Drawing, Painting 1, and Advanced Art. This is her first year
teaching at CAC, and a goal she has set is to have
annual art shows at the elementary and secondary campuses. The first showing will be at the
NLR elementary campus during the Literacy
(Book Fair) night. Her students work in a variety
of mediums: graphite, acrylics, oil, pastels, watercolors, colored pencils, and clay. As she works
to expand the art program as a whole, she looks
forward to growing and collaborating along
with both the music and drama programs.
Beautiful, Country Club of Arkansas Golf Course one level patio style home on a
quiet cul de sac street. Great layout, large family room with wonderful natural light,
high ceilings and remote control gas-log fireplace. The kitchen has an abundance of
cabinet space, beautiful wood cabinetry, bay window, granite counter tops, new
refridgerator, microwave, glass top stove, dishwasher and disposal.
This home is immaculate!
All bedrooms are a very nice size. Patio with fabulous view of the golf course,
sprinkler system, beautiful landscaping, two car garage with remote opener,
security system and view of the water.
Contact: 501-607-3440
or 501-663-6237
www.MauMag.com
in All-Region and All-State auditions is optional
for 7th and 8th graders but highly encouraged
on the high school level. As to the music they
learn Tori tries to keep it diverse, “a little bit of everything.” She says she enjoys what they enjoy,
and she is always searching for music with an
uplifting message. With a smile she adds, “I am
so proud of these students because they work
so hard. We only have 45 minutes in class, and
many of them practice outside of class.”
and teaching, but, coming from such a family of
artists, I was afraid I wouldn’t be good enough
as an artist. It wasn’t until my junior year that I
switched to Art, and I am so thankful that I did!”
She received a Bachelor of Art in Fine Art.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA REEVES.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA REEVES.
at Harding University. He has quite a full band
program going with four sections of beginner
6th and 7th grade bands, an 8th grade band,
and a 9th – 12th advanced band. There is also
a Mustang Pep Band of 21 students that plays
for home football and some home basketball
games. The bands present annual December
and Spring concerts. James says his students
work hard to make the Region 1 All-Region and
All-State bands and participate in Solo and Ensemble Contest.
13
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA REEVES.
March/April 2016
Jenna Thomas, Drama
14
Jenna Thomas, Drama teacher, grew up in
Tempe, AZ. Drama has been a part of her life
since she was a young child. Jenna says, “When
I was little, my favorite activity was making up
plays to put on for my parents. My older brother and I would transform our entryway/living
room area into a stage. I even roped my brother
into running lights (flicking on and off the light
switches), sound effects (music on the stereo),
and other special effects! My parents enrolled
me in dance and theatre activities as my passion
was so evident from a young age. In 9th grade
I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a
drama teacher and never changed my mind.
Theatre has so many facets that it is possible
to be continually learning something new and
solving different problems no matter how long
you work in the field. Of course, as a 9th grader I
didn’t really see it that way; I just knew that it was
fun and that I loved it.” She went on to receive
her Bachelor of Arts in Oral Communication and
Theatre with Secondary Teacher Licensure from
Harding University.
Her class schedule reflects all those facets
of theatre that have always captivated her: 7th
Grade Drama, Lights Up (touring troupe), Rhet-
oric, Theatre Tech I and II, Intro to Drama, and
Theatre Performance. Opportunities for performance abound through the many events she
plans each year. An annual talent show in the
fall raises funds for the department. Each year
a full-production play is put on in the fall and a
major musical in the spring. How to Succeed in
Business Without Really Trying is in full rehearsal
mode right now with show times set for March
12 – 14. The drama department takes a Lights
Up Tour out of state and holds various performances around central Arkansas through the
year at schools, hospitals, and public institutions.
The Drama Club enjoys varied field trips, and the
department brings in professionals to teach
Acting Workshops in collaboration with other
schools. An exciting opportunity for younger
students to be touched by this area of the arts is
a Summer Elementary Theatre Camp.
Collaboration among the various arts has
been evident as I talked with these teachers,
and perhaps the height of collaboration occurs
with the spring musical production. Jenna says,
“Last spring we produced Beauty and the Beast
and had students from the band playing in the
orchestra, an art student designed and painted
the proscenium art, theatre tech and drama
club students built the set, kids from the physics class helped engineer Maurice’s invention
which needed to chop wood, and we had students from elementary up through high school
L
We can certainly see the “fun factor” in drama, and when asked what she finds to be the
value in her brand of the arts for her students,
Jenna responded by saying, “The greatest value
I find is helping students discover a talent or
gift they may not have otherwise known they
possessed - whether the talent lies in acting or
problem-solving abilities. Beyond that, a great
benefit is learning empathy and connecting
with different kinds of people. Actors learn to
appreciate what it is like to walk in someone
else’s shoes by studying the characters they
play. We learn to open our minds to what it
would be like to see life through another perspective. What better way to grow as a person
and connect with the human experience is
there than by building relationships and relying
on one another?”
It is a testament to her openness and enthusiastic desire to learn and immerse herself in
all things that relate to her field that when asked
if she had any folks in her past who had been
especially inspiring, her list is long! For her first
high school drama teacher who sparked the
idea that Jenna could “have her job someday”,
her choir director from whom she learned so
much about leadership, her dance teacher for
the discipline and artistry that were instilled in
her, professors, and friends, she is grateful to a
large community of people who have impacted
her life. I have no doubt she is having a similar
impact on many of her students at CAC.
I have been so inspired talking to these
enthusiastic teachers. I hope this dialogue will
spur us all to be even more supportive of the
arts programs in all of our schools. Our Maumelle young people attend so many different
schools throughout the county. Does your
child’s school make the arts a high priority? Let’s
keep the voice of Plato alive by speaking up for
the arts and becoming involved in encouraging
the many fine teachers who are daily making a
huge difference in the lives and potentialities of
our children through the arts. MM
inda Kennedy has taught music through the piano
and theory/composition in her independent piano
studio in Maumelle for the past 22 years. She is also organist/
accompanist at NLR First United Methodist Church. Linda may be
contacted by email at PianoLK@aol.com.
T
A
he poetry of Harding Stedler written during
the
half century
governed
fterpast
thirty-four
yearshasin been
teaching,
by two definitions
coined
by
him
during
different
Harding Stedler retired from
periods of State
his writing
career: in Portsmouth,
Shawnee
University
Ohio, in 1995. His collected works are housed
1. Poetry is the invisible heartbeat of a people kept
in theyoung
archives
of the Clark Memorial Library
by dreaming.
on
the campus of Shawnee
State.
~and~
2. The ultimate test of poetry is the degree to which it
approximates music.
Reaping the Rhythms
Harding Stedler
Poet, Poetry Editor
A SUSPICIOUS HOLE
GUARDIAN BOOKENDS
UNIVERSAL TRUTH
“A suspicious hole was found in the ground,”
a father said to his son.
“Short and wiry, we were the only soldiers
capable of chasing the Vietcong.
I know no one thinks we won—no one does in war.
(Someone, please; God, please heal this festering sore
so the door might open;
how do I let you know the door is open?)
Both of us, all of us were experiencing
the misery of the rat-tunnels.
Down there, and above ground,
kind of like we do now,
even at home, we kept to ourselves.
The medals in the frame on the shelves
were offered as a gift to honor us,
but, believe me, there were times
it was difficult for us to believe ‘In God We Trust.’
Can you imagine, son?
We human beings chasing other human beings
to oblivion. Now they want to honor the best.
I could not discard you
to become gray driftwood
gathered, bagged, and sold
for a mantel piece.
I sanded, carved,
palmed, and polished.
I fashioned you as twins,
brushed each with clear shellac,
brown insect lac
to unveil windows,
the eyes of sentinels,
guarding treasures.
Flanking the musty page,
layers of mysteries
bound in leather tome,
you are guardians of timeless riddles
of sacred words.
Why
does the
mother bird
build a strong nest
and nurture her young?
Perhaps it is because
she is one of the legion
of constant caregivers, always
alert, but running past empty to
care for the needs and wants of hurting things.
– Rita Goodgame
Little Rock, AR
I just want to get through this labyrinth
of caverns and caves. God, my soul, please save.
When I get to the other end, will this ever end?
Please let us not find another fight, another enemy.
Instead, God, when this nightmare…a suspicious hole
in the ground is…..
please let me find my family, my son.
– Jeff Dyer
Helena-West Helena, AR
S
everal years ago, poets in Helena-West Helena
began sharing their craft with one another at
a non-profit used bookstore/coffee shop sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. “Grounds” is
where Jeff Dyer really began being acknowledged as
a poet in his community.
As a younger person, Jeff remembers reading lyrics of songs his dad had written. Jeff’s family has always been open to and has encouraged his passion for
poetry and writing in general. And in his classroom,
Jeff encourages his students in a like manner.
Lexa, AR
THE PROCESS
No one remembers what day it rained, as if it were
The most insignificant spectacle God created.
How little we perceive of events around us:
Blessings each day and moments of surprise.
We see a final product, not the course of getting there.
Whether man or machine, it is a mystery of time.
We marvel at the creation without knowing the pain,
Suffering, and molding of its years into excellence.
When I am with you, don’t see me. See the process
And move around and study the attributes of time, work
And thought that transformed an animal into a man,
From a creature of Hell into a person of God.
JEFF DYER Poet Profile
– Betty Heidelberger
– Jerry Bell
Mayflower, AR
The poet, Saul Williams, and his performance in
the 1998 film “Slam,” inspired Jeff to entertain the possibility of reciting poetry before an audience and participating in spoken-word events. Like Saul Williams,
Jeff tends to write about social issues as well as spiritual
and emotional matters.
Jeff prays he will continue to have the opportunity
to express himself via poetry and to enjoy connections
made with other poets who offer to the universe their
expressions of love and compassion for humanity. MM
www.MauMag.com
working both on and off stage! We also had
members of the faculty and administration who
made cameo appearances in the show. It was
such a community event.”
15
By Ken Forrester
T
he end of one year and the
beginning of another is
a time when I remember
departed friends, good
times, many blessings. When
I think about wine I am pleased about the
good things we have enjoyed, the progress
we have made; then invariably, my thinking
shifts and I wonder why we haven’t done
more. This column is about doing more.
Do join me.
Most assuredly, we have made progress;
without doubt the alcohol in wine is not the
reason most of us drink it, but there’s also no
doubt that it is still a major distressing factor
for many people. Anyone who has conducted even a few serious wine tastings knows to
expect the attendance of at least one problem drinker who gulps rather than sips the
one-of-a-kind premium wine being offered.
Close monitoring and removal of bottles is
the best, not totally satisfactory, solution I
have come up with.
March/April 2016
I am still asked, though not as frequently,
why I willingly pay $30 or more for a bottle of
wine when either Bourbon or Scotch whiskey
costs much less. The person who asks may be
assumed to be someone who drinks for the
alcohol content, not for pleasure, and I usually give a responsive but very short answer.
16
Then, I wonder why many restaurants
serve the first glass of wine from a bottle,
keep the opened bottle on hand and serve
the second, measurably-deteriorated glass,
a week, or even a month or more later. I attribute this to ignorance on the part of the
seller who apparently still sells wine for its
alcohol content rather than the pleasure it
may bring.
I wonder at the ignorance of the people
who sell or serve wine who don’t know that
there is more than one degree of sweetness
in bottles of Sherry and think I am some sort
of wine snob when I refuse their offered bottle of dry Sherry, an appetizer, when I ask for
Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.
Most distressing but slowly changing is
the almost universal practice in wine stores
and restaurants of standing their bottles of
wine upright. The corks (except for those
with metal caps) dry out, air comes in and in
a very short time, their wines are second rate.
So they in ignorance continue to sell secondrate wine.
The list could go on indefinitely. However, I am convinced we have made and continue to make progress. Thus, I recall when
prohibition ended and wine was no longer illegal, accepted practice was to place shelves
behind a counter and stand the wine bottles
upright on the shelves. Customers weren’t al-
lowed to examine the few wines that were offered except from a distance. Only a few California wines were offered since it was a “wellknown fact” that there was little variation in
temperatures and other climate conditions in
various sections of the state so ... why bother?
A friend who owned a liquor store encouraged a wholesaler to bring in a variety
of wines from California and when they arrived did much to refute the myth that there
was little variation in California temperatures
or in other climatic aspects. He put an open
platform in the middle of his store and placed
bottles on it where they could be examined
more closely. Of course, this gave rise to
another problem: since the owner worked
alone and sometimes couldn’t keep an eye
on his vinous offerings, theft of the wine became a reality.
Wine in supermarkets and even small
grocery stores would seem to be a great step
forward in wine buying and enjoyment, but
Of course there are bright spots. You
don’t have to be very old to recall a time
when there was only one Oriental restaurant
in central Arkansas. Now, “Oriental” includes
restaurants from multiple areas of China,
together with distinctive offerings from Vietnam, Korea and similar places. For a long
time these restaurants offered big, hearty, totally inappropriate wines from Europe. Now
they have realized (or at least are beginning
to realize) that Oriental foods, from whatever
place of origin, need just two wines, a rose¢
wine for heavier foods and a dry, white wine
for the others. They are also beginning to realize that it adds appreciably to wine/food
offerings if each of the wines is a sparkling
wine, either from the Champagne region of
France or, when from other areas, made by
the Champagne method.
In my opinion, the best appetizer for any
dinner is a dry, white sparkling wine, which
is not only an excellent appetizer, its enjoyment may be continued through the coming
meal. For dinners at home, any guest should
be greeted warmly and offered a glass of dry
Champagne or other dry, sparkling wine at
the earliest possible time. Few things will set
a tone of civility faster or add more pleasure
to the coming meal or will elicit more compliments for the food and for the person who
provided it.
Of course, matching appropriate wine
with food can be a daunting aspect of wine
enjoyment. Carried out with knowledge and
finesse, few things add more enjoyment to
a meal. However, “knowledge” and “finesse”
too often are strangers to the process. My
FEW THINGS WILL SET A
TONE OF CIVILITY FASTER
OR ADD MORE PLEASURE TO
THE COMING MEAL OR WILL
ELICIT MORE COMPLIMENTS
FOR THE FOOD AND FOR THE
PERSON WHO PROVIDED IT.
solution which I will continue to advocate: if
the tastes of the guests are known to include
particular wines, offer those wines as appropriate. If that is not the case, forget matching
wine and food and serve a dry sparkling wine
before dinner and a sweet wine at the end of
dinner. With dinner, serve coffee, milk, tea or
K
water or let guests if they wish continue with
the pre-dinner sparkling wine.
Well, that’s how I see it. You are free to
adopt or reject whatever of my ideas you care
to. Wine is a developing thing in Arkansas
and I would be pleased to know your ideas. MM
en Forrester, a retired administrative law judge, is the published
author of numerous articles and columns on wine.
Ken is a member of the Authors League, the American Wine Society and the
Society of Wine Educators.
www.MauMag.com
Wine Projects to Work on in 2016
often isn’t. In the not-too-distance past I have
patronized recently-opened liquor stores
and have found their wines standing up, not
lying down. I learned that the supermarkets
furnish space for the wine and accept pay
for it, but the wine itself is brought in and
serviced by a wine wholesaler employee, not
by the store. When I asked wholesale wine
employees why the wines weren’t properly
stored, I was told by the first wholesale employee (nicely but effectively) that they were
the experts, and I should butt out. Later a
second employee stated that it was done on
orders of the wholesale officials and there
was simply nothing he could do about it. So
supermarkets continue to sell deteriorated
over-the-hill wine.
17
E
By Dr. Bryan Austin
M
arly detection of cancer plays
a vital role in effective treatment and long-term survival.
ost people have experienced a visit to
the dentist and have
had a crown placed
on a tooth. This is usu-
ally a two visit procedure. The tooth is
anesthetized (numbed), a crown prep is
performed, an impression is taken to be
sent to the laboratory that will make the
crown and a temporary crown is placed.
This temporary is on the tooth for two
weeks while the crown is being made
and mailed back to the dentist. The second appointment is where the temporary crown is removed and the permanent crown is cemented. This has been
the process for over a hundred years
and is still the way most dentists make
crowns.
March/April 2016
Technology in dentistry has increased to the point that we can make
single crowns in the office using computers and CAD design. The procedure
can now be finished in one appointment
without taking impressions and wearing
a temporary. This is much more convenient for the patient.
18
The crown prep is performed and images of the tooth are taken with a camera attached to a computer. A three dimensional representation of the teeth is
on the computer screen and with a few
clicks of the mouse a crown is designed.
A porcelain block is placed in a milling
unit and a crown is milled out of the
block using two diamond burrs spinning
at a high rate of speed. This is similar to
a 3D printer that you may have heard of.
This crown is then polished and adjusted
Pancreatic Cancer: Challenging to Diagnose, Treat
This is particularly apparent in the
case of colorectal and breast cancers, both of which have highly effective
screening tests that are both widely accepted and available.
According to the American Cancer Society, declines in new cases of colon cancer
nationwide are attributed in part to the increased use of colonoscopies, a test that can
prevent cancer by removing pre-cancerous
polyps before they become malignant. Likewise, mammography is effective at detecting breast cancers while they are still small
and confined the breast, leading to a variety
of effective treatment options and better
outcomes.
in the mouth. It is cemented while you
are still numb without taking impressions or wearing a temporary for two
weeks. A single crown can be made and
cemented in one appointment in a little
over an hour and you are only numb one
time. Multiple crowns can also be made
in one appointment as well. As a matter
of fact, in some cases you can walk into
the dental office and in the same day
walk out with a new Hollywood smile
with all your anterior teeth in porcelain.
D
With all technology there are exceptions. Bridges cannot be made at this time
and not all situations fit this technology.
A few situations require different materials other than porcelain. But, for most
crowns this is the perfect option. The two
most common units for this procedure are
the CEREC and E4D. You can call your dentist and ask if he or she has this technology
in his or her office. It sure makes the experience of getting a crown much better.
Quick, easy and one visit technology. MM
r. Bryan Austin graduated from Magnolia High School, University of
Central Arkansas, and obtained his Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree
at Baylor College of Dentistry. He attends church at New Life. He has a wonderful
son Gene. His hobbies are numerous and include hunting, fishing, travel and
golfing. He also plays lead guitar in a band, and he loves to fly airplanes. He
belongs to the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Central
District Dental Society, Pulaski Dental Learning Society, Dental Organization for
Conscious Sedation, and the International Academy of Facial Aesthetics.
Unfortunately, preventive testing is not
available for all types of cancer, resulting
in many people being diagnosed at a late
stage when treatment options are limited
or less effective. Pancreatic cancer is one
such form of the disease that remains difficult to diagnose and treat. The diagnostic
challenge stems not only from the lack of
an effective and widely available screening
method, but also from the fact that pancreatic cancer often does not produce earlyonset symptoms and the organ is located
deep in the abdomen, making it hard to feel
tumors during a physical exam.
The pancreas has two primary functions. The pancreas’ exocrine system produces enzymes that help break down food
in the small intestine, while the endocrine
function produces the hormone insulin
used to regulate the body’s sugar level.
While tumors can form anywhere in the
pancreas, the majority are found in the exocrine system. Most people do not exhibit
symptoms early in the disease, but as the
tumor grows it can result in the incomplete
By J. Camilo Barreto, M.D.
digestion of food or blockage of biliary flow,
ultimately causing nausea, vomiting, weight
loss, pain in the upper part of the belly or
back, dark urine, pale stools and jaundice.
The National Cancer Institute reports
pancreatic cancer as the 12th most common
cancer in the United States. About 48,960
new cases were diagnosed nationwide in
2015 and about 40,560 people died from
the disease. In Arkansas, an average of 386
people are diagnosed annually and about
410 people die from this type of cancer.
While the incidence of pancreatic cancer is relatively low — particularly when
compared to cancers of the lung, breast and
prostate — the mortality rate is high and it
is the fourth most common cause of death
from cancer in the United States, with those
diagnosed at a late stage having a five-year
survival rate of only 4 percent. Those diagnosed before the disease has spread to
other organs fare better, with a 24 percent
survival rate at five years, but there is still a
long way to go to improve those outcomes.
The only chance for cure is with surgical removal of the tumor. For those who
are diagnosed at an early stage, surgical removal of part or all of the pancreas is usually recommended, followed by additional
treatment with chemotherapy and in some
cases radiation therapy. However, because
the disease has often spread to other organs
before it is diagnosed, surgery is an option
only in one-fifth of patients. Chemotherapy
is the most common treatment for pancreatic cancer that is not suitable for surgery, and is usually
given intravenously. Radiation therapy also may be prescribed. Chemotherapy and
radiation therapy can extend
life and relieve symptoms in
patients who are not candidates for surgery, but cannot
cure them.
Many factors can affect a person’s cancer risk. For pancreatic cancer, one of the
most significant risk factors is smoking. According to the American Cancer Society, the
risk of getting pancreatic cancer is about
twice as high among smokers as nonsmokers. By quitting smoking, your chances of
developing pancreatic and many other cancers greatly declines. The UAMS Winthrop P.
Rockefeller Cancer Institute offers a free seven-week Freedom from Smoking support
group designed to give one-on-one assistance to anyone ready to kick their tobacco
habit. For information, call 501-944-5934.
Other risk factors for pancreatic cancer
are chronic pancreatitis, obesity, and exposure to certain chemicals and pesticides.
Men are more commonly diagnosed than
women, and most cases occur after age 45.
While the reasons are unclear, African-Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer than Caucasians. Genetics
also may play a role in some families being
predisposed to this type of cancer.
There is very active research nationwide
to develop new agents and therapies to improve survival and cure rates. As research
continues to make progress, we can expect
new drugs and therapies to become available in the future.
While pancreatic cancer may present
challenges both in its diagnosis and treatment, regular attention to your health
through checkups, good nutrition and exercise can reduce your chances of developing
this and other forms of cancer. MM
J
. Camilo Barreto, M.D.,
is assistant professor of
surgery in the Department of Surgical
Oncology at the University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences. He sees patients
in the Surgical Oncology Clinic at the
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer
Institute.
www.MauMag.com
Single Visit Crowns
19
Are you in PAIN?
Your Genes Your Health
Living with Arthritis, Fibromyalgia,
Headaches or Back Pain?
By Kathy Wheeler
heart disease, diabetes,
and cancer that run in our
family. As a result, I take
a proactive approach towards my health by
having yearly physicals, eating healthy and
exercising. And because I exercise and eat
healthy, I was arrogant and thought nothing
could touch me. I thought I was immune.
However, that is simply not true, you can not
fight genetics.
Children, parents and grandparents often share similar health issues. If a particular
disease runs in the family, you may have inherited factors that put you at risk of developing that disease. These inherited risk factors
are passed down from parent to child by way
of genes.
Inherited diseases that increase your risk are:
• One or more close relative that may have
the disease
• A disease that may occur at a much young-
er age in your family (10 to 20 years before
most people get the disease)
• A family member that has a disease that
is more rare in their gender, such as breast
cancer in a man.
• Having a combination of diseases that run
March/April 2016
your family (both heart disease and diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer)
20
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT
HEART DISEASE,
CANCER AND DIABETES
ACCOUNT FOR
7 OF EVERY 10 DEATHS
IN THE UNITED STATES.
Nevertheless, do your inherited genes
mean that your destiny is already mapped
out and you just have to work with the cards
you’ve been dealt?
Let’s talk about health screenings and
how this is the first line of action toward living a long healthy life.
I first wrote about health screenings in
this magazine back in 2011, Vol. 6 Issue 2.
Health screenings can detect problems before they develop into a more serious illness.
It is estimated that heart disease, cancer and
diabetes account for 7 of every 10 deaths in
the United States. The screenings that should
be performed yearly are: blood pressure, cholesterol levels (to include total cholesterol,
HDL, and LDL), fasting glucose, skin cancer,
breast/pap smears for women and testicular/
prostate for men. After having your screenings make sure you follow up with your
health care practitioner to discuss the results.
Now that you know your numbers, what
some changes can you make to keep them in
the normal range or lower them?
• Eat more fruits (1 to 2 servings a day) and
vegetables (3 to 5 servings a day) to your
diet and replace saturated fats such as
butter with unsaturated fats like those in
avocados. If you or someone in your family has high blood pressure, follow the
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet by the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute (www.nhlbi.nih.gov).
The DASH diet is an easy to follow diet that
focuses on fruits, vegetables, lean meats,
whole grains and nuts.
• Exercise, even a little bit more is good. The
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(www.cdc.gov) recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week and 2 or more days of musclestrengthening actives working all major
muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen,
chest, shoulders, and arms) for adults.
• Reduce stress in your life! Stress can have
SERVICES
a major impact on your health and well
being as well as your relationships. It can
cause tension and irritability, loss of appetite, anger, depression, sleep problems,
headaches/back pains/stomach problems, and an increase use of alcohol and
drugs. The best way to manage stress is
to take care of yourself by: avoiding drugs
and alcohol, find support, eat a healthy
well balanced diet, exercise regularly, get
plenty of sleep and maintain a normal
routine. You can also practice meditation
and/or yoga at home or at a gym.
Let’s say you follow a healthy diet and exercise yet you still have high blood pressure
or high cholesterol, your health care practitioner may still want to put you on medicine.
Taking a medication doesn’t give you a hall
pass to start eating what you want and become a couch potato. If anything it is more
important now to maintain a healthy body
weight, make smarter food choices, quit
smoking and move that body! MM
• Chiropractic
• Massage Therapy
• Spinal Decompression
Therapy
• Acupuncture
• Cold Laser Therapy
Kyle L. Skinner D.C. , C.C.S.P.
Dr. Jonathan Jameson
TWO LOCATIONS
103 Park Drive
Maumelle
501.851.6685
K
athy Wheeler is a nationally certified personal trainer
with over 10 years experience who works for 10 FitnessMaumelle. She is an ACE-certified Personal Fitness Trainer, Cooper
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personal training call 501-519-1746.
663 Highway 365
Mayflower
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www.skinnerchiropractic.com
www.MauMag.com
M
y family is no different
than yours. We have
21
March/April 2016
By Sam Smith, M.D.
22
S
ome of our happiest childhood memories tend to include family pets.
Whether a sweet dog that belonged to Mom and Dad before
the addition of children or a
hamster that joined the household years
later, pets often become treasured friends
for kids.
But that doesn’t always mean that
these relationships are entirely harmonious. Unfortunately, we see quite a few pet
bites at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and
they frequently involve an animal that is
well known to the family. We’re not talking
about aggressive breeds here; these are
dogs or cats that may have never displayed
threatening behavior before.
Why does this happen? Sometimes a
playful child unwittingly intimidates the
pet by getting too close to your pet’s feed-
ing bowl or there may be a change to the
home environment such as a new pet or
toddler that causes your older pet to act
out. Other times, the pet is trying to be
protective of the family and nips in their
defense. We know it’s most likely to happen to with dogs, as 4.7 million Americans
experience dog bits each year. Of those patients, 60 percent are children, according to
the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
While the trauma to the skin may look
scary, what we’re really worried about in
the majority of these cases is the risk of infection. This is especially an issue when a
child – or an adult for that matter – is bitten
on the hand. Experts believe that as many
as 40 percent of the bite wounds that occur
on hands lead to infections. This is because
of the complex anatomy of our hands and
how easy it is for a bite to make it through
the AAP says all wild animal bites should be
And while dogs may be more likely to
bite, we worry even more about infection
with cats. Their teeth are sharper and more
angled than their canine counterparts.
When they tear through skin, the wounds
are deeper and much more difficult to clean.
our best bet when it comes to rabies.
Of course, the risk of infection stems
from the organisms that are in the biting
animal’s mouth. If a child has been bitten
by an animal, it will be important to watch
for signs like increased redness, swelling,
tenderness and fever in the days after the
injury.
bleeding stops. The next step will be to gently
Anytime a child is bitten by an animal
and it breaks the skin, parents should contact the family’s pediatrician. If the animal
isn’t known to the family, parents should
seek medical attention immediately –
even if the bite seems superficial. This is
especially important with any kind of wild
mammal – bats, skunks, squirrel, raccoons, even foxes. With these animals, we
worry about the risk of rabies.
considered a risk for the virus. Prevention is
At ACH, we more commonly see bites
from friendly, vaccinated pets in the home. So
what should you do if your little one is bitten?
If the wound is bleeding, immediately apply
pressure for about five minutes or until the
but thoroughly wash the wound with soap
and warm water. Then pick up the phone and
call your child’s doctor.
A large wound may require stitches
and your pediatrician may also prescribe
antibiotics. The physician will also check to
see if immunization records are up to date
and whether your child will need an updated tetanus vaccine.
If you have pets in the home – or will be
sending your child to the house of a friend
or family member with animals – talk about
Luckily, rabies is fairly rare, with only
5 or 6 cases reported in the U.S. annually,
according to the AAP. Unfortunately there
has been a significant increase in wild
animals, particularly skunks, testing positive for the virus in Arkansas over the past
year. Because rabies is nearly always fatal,
Office: 501-664-4117
The best way to avoid pet bites is to
be vigilant and supervise any interactions
your child has with an animal. You may be
able to spot the signs a pet is becoming
agitated and remove your little one from
the scenario.
Pets are an important part of many of
our households, but they can be unpredictable. We can do our best to create positive
relationships and fun memories with our
animals, but always be aware of the risk of
an unexpected bite.
Sam Smith, MD, is surgeon in chief at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and a professor of Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences. If you have a topic you’d like him to
consider addressing, email achconnect@archildrens.org. MM
D
r. Sam Smith is surgeon in chief at Arkansas Children’s
Hospital and a professor of Surgery at the University of
Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). A 1980 graduate of the UAMS
College of Medicine, Dr. Smith served his residency at UAMS and later held
a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He
has worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital for more than 20 years and
now holds the Boyd Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery at ACH. Dr.
Smith lives in Little Rock with his wife, Nancy. They are the parents of two
adult sons, Conor and Carson.
STAY HEALTHY! SCHEDULE YOUR CHECK UP TODAY!
Doctors Building
500 S. University Ave., Suite 200
Little Rock, AR 72205
the right way to treat and approach them.
Remind your child that it’s important not to
roughhouse with animals and to be careful
about pulling and poking.
NEW LOCATION!
11749 Maumelle Blvd.
North Little Rock, AR 72113
Fax: 501-664-1137
Anthony D. Johnson, MD
Diane H. Freeman, MD
Lori E. Montgomery, MD
Eugene Lu, MD
Anton L. Duke, MD
Scott M Sanders, MD
Kristi M. Hawkins, MD
Stacy L. Sax, MD
Sarah C. Bone, MD
www.MauMag.com
Germs Pose Biggest Risk when Pets Bite Kids
those tendons, bones and joints, leaving
bacteria behind.
23
absorption period. You will have a rapid excretion of florescent yellow urine because
your body sees isolated nutrients as a “foreign substance.” So all you get is expensive
urine and a malnourished body.
Choosing the BEST Quality Vitamins: Synthetic vs Food-Based
By Christie Brooks, MS, RD, LD
Registered Dietitian, CrossFit Trainer, Essential Oils Educator
Why Weight Lifestyle Program - www.WhyWeightLifestsyle.com
March/April 2016
So confusing! Americans spend more than
$17 billion annually on supplements, and
it’s very important to understand that not
all supplements are created equal. Sometimes, there are vast differences between
products. Now in theory, you can get all of
the essential vitamins and minerals that you
need from various food sources if you eat a
wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, nuts and seeds, eggs, and other
foods. The truth is, most of us don’t do this
on a daily basis.
24
to break them down. Such
types of vitamins would
be like Centrum and the
One-A-Day vitamins that
you can purchase at any
chain store like Walmart
or Walgreens. They are
lab-created vitamins to
mimic real food vitamins.
Let’s look a little closer at
food labels now….
Amount per Serving % Daily Value
Amount
%RDI
2500 IU
50%
Vitamin C
60 mg
100%
Vitamin D
400 IU
100%
Vitamin E
30 IU
100%
Vitamin K
25 mcg
31%
Iron
0.36 mg
2%
Vitamin A
(20% as beta-carotene)
Etc...
Look at the items Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium
listed under “Ingredi- Oxide, Potassium Chloride, Cellulose, Ascorbic Acid,
ents.” Those are what we Ferrous Fumarate, Calcium Carbonate, Gelatin, dlcall “Isolated” vitamins and Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Croscarmellose Sodium,
other chemicals. There are Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Dextrin, Stearic Acid, Etc...
no foods or herbal ingredients listed, only partial vitamins and other makes a huge difference in your health. As
you can tell, the Food-Based Vitamin is real
The synthetic vitamins (a.k.a. isolated chemicals. When you get partial vitamin,
food that has been created through the
or fractionated supplements) have a coating you’re not getting the full benefit that was
process of fermentation, probiotics and enaround them that holds them together until intended by nature.
zymes. Here’s an example:
they hit the stomach. They require a certain
Nature intended for us to consume food
Natural Vitamin C – This vitamin is readPh level and amount of acid in the stomach in its WHOLE form because all the minerals,
ily
available
in citrus, red bell peppers, berries,
trace elements, vitamins, antioxiAmount per Serving
dants, coenzymes and enzymes and many more fruits and vegetables. In naAmount
%RDI
are bound together in one pack- ture it is combined with flavonoids and phytoage and work synergistically (all nutrients that help in its absorption and use.
Vitamin A
working together) to deliver the
Synthetic Vitamin C – Ascorbic acid is
(ß-carotene)
7000 IU
140%
nutrition
your
body
needs.
They
an
isolated
vitamin from genetically modiVitamin C
42 mg
70%
each need each other to give you fied corn sugar that is hydrogenated and proVitamin E
24 IU
80%
the best health. My favorites are cessed with acetone. It does not include the
Folate
0.28 mg
70%
from Garden of Life (local Natural flavonoids and phytonutrients that make it
Calcium
41 mg
4%
Health Food Store) or Dr. Shultze’s work.
Iron
0.36 mg
2%
(online). Now let’s take a look at a
If you’re taking synthetic vitamins and
Etc...
food-based vitamin.
minerals, your body has to do a whole lot
Ingredients: Vegetatable juice powder and
Note the difference between more work to sort through what it needs
pulp from carrots, parsley, beets, kale, broccoli,
the two ingredients list! This and what it doesn’t and get rid of all the
cabbage, spinach, and tomatoes; etc...
extra stuff it can’t use. It just makes more
sense to take food-derived vitamins because they are more effective in the body
than synthetic vitamins.
The Acid in the Stomach Issue:
Synthetic vitamins require sufficient
stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) at a very
low Ph to break them down and allow ab-
sorption. Most people don’t have that low
of a stomach Ph to begin with and when
you add certain nutrients, such as calcium,
which is very alkaline, it prevents the Ph
from dropping further. Therefore breakdown and absorption of synthetics are
slim. And it makes it even more difficult for
those who have had a gastric bypass. Those
people have no chance of synthetic vitamin
What to take from this?
The basics of proper diet, exercise, detoxification, mental/emotional and spiritual
health must all be in order for true healing
to occur. No supplement will work on its
own if these foundations are not in place.
First off, improve on these first and then add
food-based-vitamins and minerals to fill in
for deficiencies. MM
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C
hristie Brooks is a Registered Dietitian and a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.
She and her family live in Searcy. She has
taught at Harding University, worked at several hospitals, a dialysis clinic, and a gym. She
has also worked under a childhood obesity
grant, diabetes and HIV clinics, and has owned
a restaurant.
She started the Why Weight Lifestyle Program, which is comprised of an individualized
meal plan and weekly one-hour consults targeting hormone balancing, detoxing, clean
eating, exercise, and disease prevention.
More info can be found at www.WhyWeightLifestyle.com and www.facebook.com/
WhyWeightLifestyle. Email: christiebrooksrd@
gmail.com
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R
ows and rows of supplements… but which supplements do you take, and how
do you know which supplements are the best ones?
A food-based vitamin breaks down
just like real food. The breakdown starts
in the mouth with enzymes from the saliva breaking it down. It then moves on to
breakdown in the stomach without requiring extra low Ph levels like the synthetics
require because it breaks down and absorbs just like real food.
25
Clothing Trends Make My Eyes Water
By Cary Maddox
Thinking About Taking Up Golf? Focus on Five Things
I
“
am thinking about taking up
golf.” That is a statement I hear of-
ten. Whether you are a youngster
getting started or an adult looking
to take up the game, here are five
things to focus on when taking up this great
lifetime sport.
• Be Considerate: Don’t talk or make noise
while someone is hitting a shot
Golf is a game. You hit a little ball into a
hole using a club. You get to ride around in a
golf cart as you play. Then you go into the 19th
hole and have a few drinks (Diet Coke for me)
and tell some stories. Golf is a relaxing game
that you play outdoors and enjoy nature. (Then
why do so many players leave the course swearing to never return.) Remember golf is just a
game and is meant to be enjoyable. Although
not simple, golf is easier if you learn it correctly.
• Care for the Course: Always leave the
course in better shape than you found it.
Repair ball marks on the green, rake bunkers, and fill in divots with sand.
Golf is fun. Many of you have a real competitive nature so for it to be fun you must play
it well. Taking up the game at a late age can be
difficult. Learning a sport such as golf requires
a lot of time to practice. Make sure you can devote 2-3 hours a week as you are learning the
game. Keep golf fun, have patience and learn at
a pace you are comfortable with.
Golf is addictive. Once you hit that one
shot that feels so good and goes flying through
the air, YOU ARE HOOKED!
Golf is a game that needs to be learned the
proper way for it to be easy to understand and
fun! This article is designed to help those who
would like to get started in this wonderful game.
Below are five areas that you should focus on as
you learn the game.
March/April 2016
1. Etiquette: Golfers Should Display Proper Etiquette On The Course (and practice areas)
26
• Be Safe: Stand to the opposite side of the
player hitting the ball.
For the game of golf to be enjoyable you must
understand the importance of proper etiquette
on the golf course (and practice areas). If you
don’t understand and practice good etiquette I
can promise you that you will have an incident
that can be embarrassing and/or unsafe. Golfers conduct themselves in a disciplined manner,
demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at
all times. Golf is a respectful game where individuals do their part to take care of the course.
Here is what you need to know:
• Be Quick: No one likes a slow poke. Play
at a good pace and be ready when it is your
turn. Let faster players play through.
2. Rules: It’s Okay Rules vs USGA
As for the learning process I suggest you play by
the “It’s Okay Rules.” You can view the entire list
of “It’s Okay Rules” at www.pga.com and search
It’s Okay in the search bar. These rules are designed to help you as you are learning this difficult game. The game is challenging so make
it more fun and play by these rules until you are
ready to step it up and play by the USGA Rules
of Golf. The USGA is golf’s governing body in
the United States. You can view the entire USGA
Rule Book at www.usga.org. As you get more
proficient at the game, begin to understand
and play by these rules, especially if you plan to
play competitive golf.
3. Equipment: Golfers Should Learn With The
Proper Equipment
Golf equipment can be expensive. I suggest you
start with just a few clubs and add to them as
you go. Start with a driver, hybrid, 7, 9, PW, SW,
and Putter. If you are just beginning and taking
lessons, your teacher probably has clubs you
can borrow so that you can try some out before
you buy. Many manufacturers have a beginners set that comes with the clubs I listed. You
might even borrow some clubs from a friend as
you get started. Length is very important when
selecting clubs. Make sure to have someone fit
you for length. A club that
is too long or to short will
make it difficult to learn
the swing.
4. Instruction: Golfers
Should Start From The Hole
And Work Backwards
Beginners should look for
a PGA Professional in their area and sign up for
private or group lessons. A PGA Professional
will get you started properly and in the right
sequence. Yes it is fun to grab the driver and
start driving for distance, but that is not the best
way to learn the game. The best way is to get a
putter and a ball and begin to practice putting.
Remember the object of the game is to get the
ball in the hole. Start by working on your pace.
Once you get a feel of how hard you need to hit,
then you can begin working on aim. Once you
get the hang of putting move to the chipping
area and begin hitting some chip shots around
the green. After you are comfortable with the
short game of golf (around the green) then it is
time to go to the range and work on full swing.
Make sure you are focusing on the fundamentals of grip, posture, and aim. Then work on having good footwork and weight transfer as you
swing the club back and forth.
5. Course: Golfers Should Ease Onto The Course
There is nothing like being on the golf course
either early in the morning or late in the evening. It is so peaceful! However if you haven’t
worked on 1-4 don’t expect it to be so peaceful.
The game is difficult enough trying to hit the
ball, now you have added in obstacles and hazards. Take is easy as you progress to the course.
Begin with a set of tees that is appropriate to
your game. Nothing says you have to play from
a certain tee box. Start with the shortest set of
tees and work your way back. Get familiar with
the course you are playing. Check out the layout of the course so you understand the routing of the holes. Talk with the PGA Professional
at the course regarding policies on play, dress
code, and cart rules.
Golf is a great game. Learn the game the right
way and you will enjoy it for years to come.
Good luck!MM
C
ary Maddox is the PGA Head Golf
Professional at the Maumelle Country
Club. He has over 16 years of teaching experience
working with men, women, seniors, and juniors.
For more information on lessons contact him at
carymaddox@pga.com.
Visit Cary on the web at www.carymaddoxpga.com.
By Prunella Pinetree
I
dread the thought of shopping
for warm weather clothes. It’s hu-
miliating, degrading and forces me to get
a large mocha frappe’ afterward just to
get over the experience. Oh, the shame.
Sometimes it takes days to heal my emotional
wounds and regain the courage to face the
public once again. Now, I can admit to a little
enlargement of my circumference and maybe
some expansion in my girth-area, but I shouldn’t
have to be publicly punished for my quest of
the perfect coconut cake, should I? That’s not
fair and possibly a little discriminatory. Though I
was not a very good seamstress, I used to make
some of my clothes but got tired of that “homemade” appearance. However, compared to
what is for sale in stores the past few years, I’ll
take “home-made” anytime.
Quality does not seem to be the name-ofthe-game anymore with regards to clothing.
I’ve accidentally discovered that some of the
material used for clothing is apparently not
meant to be exposed to water, but the label neglects to emphasize that little pearl of wisdom.
It may look creased and pressed on the rack, but
once you get it home, it becomes something
similar to crumpled burlap. The washing and
drying cycles change the whole texture and
appearance of the cloth and the shrinkage is
mind-boggling. My vintage Barbie doll has inherited so many clothes from me over the years
that she’ll never get to wear them all. Luckily for her, there’s a Barbie doll Goodwill
nearby where she donates routinely.
It’s not just women’s clothing
that is ugly either. Waltz through
the young men’s section of a department store and check out the
racks of hideous hanging there.
“Being in style” is one thing, but
when the style is a pair of pants so
big that there is a size range listed
on the label rather than a specific size,
it’s not going to be pretty on any person. Why did men’s pants get so loose,
baggy, saggy, and unattractive? They
now are wearing enough material for
two pair of pants or at least a pair of
pants and a pair of shorts. I still stare
in amazement at the ridiculous spectacle of
guys walking all spraddle-legged just to hold up
their pants. That can’t be comfortable or even
easy on your back walking like a caveman. I saw
a father-son combo the other day that were
both sporting this look. It was like watching
Godzilla and baby Godzilla stomp past as they
headed for Tokyo. Though this trend has continued for far too long already, I purchased stock in
suspenders, because somewhere along the line
there’s going to be a gillion pair of big pants that
don’t fit anyone.
And when the pants are baggy, you know
they will be saggy. Dudes, I truly appreciate the
fact that you are still wearing underwear, but
you mustn’t feel compelled to show them to
me. Why would I even want to see your BVDs?
I’m not trotting mine out for viewing, so I’d appreciate you extending me the same courtesy.
If you think it’s fashionable to have one hand
with a tight grasp on your pants all the time
while you walk stiff-legged, there’s nothing I can
do but try not to laugh out loud.
Do the workers of clothing manufacturing
in China, Thailand, Viet Nam, and Turkey really
believe that we want to dress like this? Gee, I
certainly hope not. For years, we have known
that horizontal stripes, especially wide ones, are
unflattering to anyone except a rugby team or
a chain gang. So why are these fashion no-nos
still the main staple hanging for sale in the larger
sized sections? And have you noticed how
awful the patterns and colors are? Ick!
Check out the travel brochures for
these countries, and I bet you don’t
see the locals hanging around in
large horizontal stripes or brown
daisies splashed across a neon
green shirt. Give us a break,
manufacturers. We’re people,
not hideous billboards.
To the opposite end of the
spectrum, young women’s clothing is skimpier, tighter and less
breathable than ever before. I’ve
seen women in such tight clothing
that they probably needed a shoehorn to get into the outfit. I don’t
know how their body was able to
I’VE ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED THAT
SOME OF THE MATERIAL USED FOR
CLOTHING IS APPARENTLY NOT MEANT
TO BE EXPOSED TO WATER, BUT THE
LABEL NEGLECTS TO EMPHASIZE THAT
LITTLE PEARL OF WISDOM.
function, because there’s no way any blood was
circulating under those duds, or I would have
noticed the visible vascular bulge. Actually, it
looked like they were wearing paintable Saran
Wrap, and let’s face it, there are only about 119
people who can wear that look successfully.
Speaking as a mature female, I really am not interested in witnessing every nook and cranny of
one’s physique and can’t begin to imagine why
you want it exposed. I can’t help but wonder
what kind of jobs these women might have.
I haven’t braved the section of undergarments which include girdles or the new fullbody constrictors. I have no interest whatsoever in being potentially able to pack my ample
frame into a size 4 dress while sporting huge
bulges at the ankles, wrists and throat. Few attractive blouses or dresses come in NFL neck
sizes anyway. I did the girdle thing in the 60s
and 70s…..I am done.
prunellapinetree@gmail.com MM
www.MauMag.com
Minute With Maddox
27
Drones!
N
ot since the advent of
digital cameras has something impacted the photography world more than
what drones are doing
March/April 2016
right now. The biggest reason for this phe-
28
nomenon is simple, DRONES ARE SO COOL!
They give us a photographic perspective
that has been very hard, if not impossible, to
achieve in the past. Do you have some land
that you want to get an aerial still or video of?
Want to take pictures out over water? I even
participated in a fishing tournament recently
and they had a drone flying around taking
video of the boats taking off!
Drones are also becoming very affordable. The DJI Phantom 3 Standard model just
dropped in price from $799 to $499, which
includes an awesome high resolution video
and still camera. The DJI Phantom 3 Ad-
4K video on the camera. Keep in mind that
the battery that comes with the DJI models
only keep you in the air for 20-25 minutes, so
make sure and get a few extras.
Flying these DJI models is surprisingly
easy. All you have to do is download an app
to your phone or tablet, connect it to your
controller, and you are good to go. You can
What really surprised me more than anything about the DJI drones is the quality of
the camera. You can take still shots, video,
burst mode, and even time lapse shots. The
camera is amazing, but the built in gimbal
that stabilizes the camera is what really impressed me. The stabilization works so well
that you can’t even tell you are in the air, it
looks like your camera is sitting on a tripod
200 feet up! I cannot adequately describe the
quality and the “cool” factor of the stills and
video that you can get. You owe it to yourself
to check them out!
So now let’s talk about the elephant
in the room, the FAA regulations. Certain
drones, including all three of the DJI models
we have talked about, require you to register with the FAA before flying. Registering
is easy and costs $5 for three years. In addition to the registration, there are several
restricted areas that are “no fly” zones. You
can’t fly your drone in any US National Park,
and US Military base, within two miles of a
heliport, or within five miles of any medium
to large size airport. There may also be other
restricted air space in your area, so do your
research. There are also other rules such as
not flying over 400 feet high, keeping the
drone within your line of sight, and others. I
have included several links at the end of this
article for you to check out registration and
complete regulations. The main thing is to
do your research. Go to these websites and
read up before you start flying.
I am more excited about drones than
I have been about anything in the photographic arena for a long time. We are start-
ing to see some awesome stills and even
more incredible video, and I know we are
just scratching the surface. Plus, and I know
I keep coming back to this, they are fun to fly
and SO COOL! MM
LIST OF WEBSITES FOR
DRONE REGULATIONS:
Drone Registration:
http://federaldroneregistration.com/
requireddronestoberegistered/
No Fly Zone Map:
http://www.dji.com/fly-safe/categorymc?www=v1
Other Drone Regulations:
http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/
Place to buy DJI Drones:
Bedford Camera and Video®
A
ustin Pittman is the Vice President of Operations for
Bedford’s Camera and Video stores in the Little Rock area.
Austin has been a Certified Photographic Consultant since 2000.
He lives in Maumelle with his wife Shannon and son Andrew.
Austin may be reached by email at austin@bedfords.com.
www.MauMag.com
By Austin Pittman
vanced, which dropped in price from $999 to
$799, gives you a better sensor on the camera, a longer flight range (5,000M unobstructed from the subject vs 1,000M), and uses a
radio frequency instead of blue tooth to send
live footage to your phone. This allows you to
have a better more consistent video feed at
longer distances. When you go to the Professional model (now only $1259) you also get
see the footage that you are recording right
on your device. As with anything, it takes a
little while to get used to the controls, but
the beauty of the DJI products are that they
have some really cool “autopilot” features.
“Follow Me” is a feature that will lock in to
your phone at a controlled distance and follow it. So if you are moving it will follow you
around as faithfully as a well-trained dog.
“Point of Interest” locks on to a certain thing
and flies around it while capturing video or
stills. “Hover” keeps your drone in the same
place, adjusting for wind to keep your drone
in place. “Waypoints” fly along a pre designed
path set by you before take-off. There is also
a “Go Home” feature, which automatically
takes the drone back to its take off point and
lands it for you. And then of course once you
become more comfortable you can control
your drone totally manual as well.
29
ohn Schwankhaus
John Schwankhaus
Photographs courtesy of members of the Maumelle Photography Club. - 501.960.6077
Photographs courtesy of members of the Maumelle Photography Club. - 501.960.6077
By Larry Egger
By Joseph E. Goble
By John Schwankhaus
By Bill Johnson
30 By Harvey Durham
By John W. Ahlen
By Larry Egger
www.MauMag.com
March/April 2016
By Harvey Durham
By Max Baker
By Larry Egger
31
Financial
Weird is Wonderful, and Normalcy is Not
32
’m just gonna throw this out
there: I’m weird.
I wear men’s underwear. I eat a
disgusting amount of Honey Nut
Cheerios and anything with the
word “Lindt” or “Hershey” on it. I avoid left
turns like the despicable plague that they
are. I randomly burst into a British or this
sort of half Australian/half Cockney accent,
and I do it a lot and oh-so poorly. I prefer
animals over most people. I regularly fantasize about wood and power tools and all
the fun we’re going to have together. Routines bring me comfort. I have a multitude
of holes all over my bod from piercings
in my youth. I still have a stud in my nose
I can’t bear to let go of because it makes
my face feel fancy or something. I like how
“face” and “feel” and “fancy” all start with an
F. I have approximately eight hundred and
sixty-two sensory issues (hence the man
undies, I’m sure). I regularly look down
at my lower body in public to make sure
I’m wearing actual pants. I believe everyone should do yoga. Lots of yoga. Yoga,
yoga, yoga. But we should call it “yoda”
instead because it’s funnier that way and
drives my kids just a little bit insane. And
we should walk around using words like
“namaste” and buying the world a Coke.
Or a coffee. I’m not even kidding. I literally
bought a woman in Sam’s a cherry Coke
the other day, and you would’ve thought
I’d agreed to be godmother to her child
while simultaneously knitting it a sweater
and rescuing her cat from a tree. She was
THAT happy. The universe would be a way
more pleasant place if we were all heavily
caffeinated and thought less of ourselves
and more of others and wore boxer briefs
instead of butt floss and did some serious
downward-facing dog. I’m just saying.
Namaste.
So my daughter comes home from
school a couple weeks back and informs
me, “Cade says you’re a weirdo.” Cade’s a
boy in her class. He’s kind of a shithead.
And I’m all, “DID he, now? Do you know
what another word for ‘weirdo’ is? Awesome. So Cade pretty much said I’m Queen
of Awesome. Be sure and tell him I said
thanks times about a billion for that.”
And I honestly meant it. I went on to
assure her that everyone’s weird. Every.
Single. Person. All of us. Some of us simply
embrace its carefree wonderfulness while
the rest of us struggle to bury it in a deep,
deep faraway place, where it gnaws away
at our boring “normal” souls. Normalcy
sounds exhausting, if you ask me.
Growing up in southern Arkansas in
the eighties, the worst, most terrible, awful,
no-good thing you could be was (gasp!)
different or (double gasp!) weird. I’m assuming that’s still the case these days. So
sayeth Cade. Even back then, I marched to
the beat of a messed-up drummer who was
obviously completely tone deaf or on crack
or something. But I tried my darnedest to
fit in and pretend that pep rallies were cool
and that I wasn’t all that smart or anything.
I was even a cheerleader one year, and I literally hated every perky moment of it and
wanted to gag with every “Go, Team!” and
use my spirit fingers to choke the living hell
out of most of the other cheerleaders. I’m
not really what you’d call a team player.
Long story short: for years I felt like
nobody got me, and I tried like crazy to
be anything BUT me, blah, blah, loneliness
and sadness, blah. I’m not sure when it
happened, when I finally accepted me for
me and learned to celebrate all my quirks
and oddities and geekiness, when I decided I just didn’t care what (most) people
thought anymore. I’m assuming it was a
gradual process?? I just remember realizing that all my favorite people – friends or
colleagues, writers or people on TV – were
outwardly pretty damn weird, and that acceptance they had of themselves or confidence or whatever you want to call it?
That’s a huge part of what made them my
favorites. And now I’m just me. Weirdo me,
and I’m so completely okay with that, and
I even love myself for it. Not to be preachy
or anything, but if we’d all shove our egos
aside, embrace our inner weird kid, and
stop taking ourselves so seriously and putting so much energy into painting a façade
of normalcy, I believe we’d all be a little bit
happier and certainly more comfortable
in our own skin. I think we’d share a lot of,
“You too? I thought I was the only freak
of nature!” moments and soon find that
we formed deeper connections with one
another. We’d all be weird and wonderful together. Over a Coke or something. A
weirdo can dream.
FYI: I happen to know that Cade thinks
I’m totally fun. That little seven-year-old shit
giggles like crazy whenever I’m around, so
I’m pretty sure he secretly digs me and my
weirdo ways.
Try the boxer brief thing if you haven’t
already.
Namaste. MM
M
ichelle McCon is a stay-at-home mom, writer, and sometimes
graphic designer. She enjoys the great outdoors, a good
book, trashy television, word games, music and lots of it, yoga, woodworking,
bike riding, right turns, boxer briefs, and being heavily caffeinated.
Have a question or comment? Please feel free to email her at msmccon@
gmail.com.
By Frank Howell
A
re you as tired as I am of hearing and seeing commercials
touting “Wealth Management.” According to the diction-
ary wealth has several meanings:
1.
2.
3.
abundance of valuable material
possessions or resources
abundant supply
all property with a monetary value
If you like the third definition, all property
with a monetary value, maybe the sheer volume
of wealth management commercials is justified.
By that definition everyone has some wealth, and
you could make a case that the commercials are
aimed at the entire populace. However, that definition fails to take into account the words abundance and abundant which appear prominently
in the first two definitions. Abundant has been
defined as “existing or occurring in large amounts.”
How many of us actually have “large amounts?”
My personal understanding of wealth concludes that wealth is comprised of all material
possessions you will never need to pay for your
ongoing costs of living. In simpler terms wealth
does not include the money you will need to pay
this week’s, next year’s, or even next decade’s utility bills, medical costs, or transportation expenses.
Until you have assets not needed to provide
money for living expenses now or into the future,
you are compelled to focus on income planning
rather than “wealth”. Once you achieve abundance
and are no longer concerned about paying bills,
you can focus upon preserving, increasing, and distributing your wealth. Some might even call that
estate planning or legacy planning as it involves
money you do not plan to spend on yourself. You
will notice that I purposely avoided using the word
management along with the word wealth.
F
One definition of management is “the act or
process of deciding how to use something.” Therefore combining the definition of both words the
meaning of wealth management would be “the
act or process of deciding how to use your abundance.” How to invest or allocate that abundance
should not be considered until the job or purpose
of the abundance was decided upon. The decision
on how assets are to be purposed should never
be turned over to someone else. After determining what you wish to accomplish with your abundance, you can then move onto the best strategies
available to accomplish your objectives.
Planning and Strategizing
Before Asset Management
Management implies that you have some
control over what will happen and whether your
objectives will be reached. Many of the factors impacting preservation and growth of your assets are
entirely out of your control. Who would have predicted a year ago that you could fill your car with
gasoline for less than $30 or that the Mid Atlantic
would have more than three feet of snow this January? Good management does not always result in
a successful outcome and bad management does
not always result in failure.
The value of planning and strategizing before
managing assets may not be overstated. Good
management of a poor plan will rarely result in
success, while poor management of a superior
strategy often times will still result in a successful
outcome. The point is that management is always
of secondary importance to planning. Management may enhance or inhibit the effectiveness of
a plan, but it is no substitute for a plan with clearly
defined and measurable objectives. Location of
assets is often more important than investment returns when positioning assets which will provide
your legacy.
Tax Favored Assets For Wealth Transfer
Three asset types often used to store wealth
currently receive preferential income tax and es-
rank Howell Jr. is an Investment Advisor Representative of Independent
Financial Advisors, Inc. A Registered Investment Advisor. 8412 Counts Massie Road, N. Little Rock, AR 72113. Phone: 501-753-0313
AR Life License # 10498. Investing in securities involves risks, and there is always the potential of
losing money when you invest in securities. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before
making any financial decisions. Asset allocation, diversification and rebalancing do not ensure a
profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
Investment products, insurance and annuity products: Are Not FDIC Insured, Are Not Bank
Guaranteed, May Lose Value, Are Not Deposits, Are Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency,
Are Not a Condition to Any Banking Service or Activity.
tate tax treatment. These categories are personally
owned Equities, Real Estate, and Life Insurance.
Equities signify an ownership interest in a
company or in a group of companies in the case
of Exchange Trade Funds (ETF’s) or Mutual Funds.
They are treated as capital assets for both income
tax and estate tax purposes. Gains and losses on
a capital asset are not recognized until the asset
is sold and receive a stepped up tax basis at the
death of the owner. For Federal income tax purposes, gains are taxed at long term capital gains
rates if the assets are held for at least one year and
at ordinary tax rates if the assets are held for less
than one year. At the death of the owner the gains
on a capital asset are eliminated and the tax basis
is “stepped up” to the current value. This eliminates
the income tax liability on the appreciation of the
asset and the value will be transferred to heirs with
no income tax liability. Estate transfer taxes will still
be owed on amounts over the estate tax exemption threshold. Real estate investments have a variety of current income tax advantages and nuances during
the lifetime of the owner which should be detailed
by a tax professional. Gains and losses are generally not recognized until disposition of the ownership interest in a property and receive capital gains
treatment. At the death of the owner real estate
also receives a “stepped up” tax basis and income
taxes are eliminated to the heirs.
Life insurance cash values and death proceeds
currently receive preferential tax treatment. Taxes
are deferred on gains inside of a life insurance policy and principal may be withdrawn before interest without causing additional income tax liability.
Death benefits are paid with no income tax liability
and any gains inside the policy are considered as
part of the death proceeds.
Retirement Plan Assets And Wealth Transfer
Money in retirement plans including IRA’s is
not treated kindly when transferring wealth. Even
the assets mentioned above which receive preferential tax treatment lose that preference when
they are inside of a qualified retirement plan. All
money inside of qualified plans is subject to ordinary income taxation when withdrawn during
your lifetime and remains fully income taxable to
heirs after your death with no “stepped up” basis.
Wealth Management
If you have an abundance of assets you have
already succeeded with management. Wealth
Transfer Planning can make certain that your desires are fulfilled. MM
www.MauMag.com
March/April 2016
I
By Michelle McCon
What Is Wealth? Can It Really Be Managed?
33
I went to bed with a huge smile on my
face.
By Robyn D. Rektor
When my old boy Ben woke me up the
next morning wanting outside way too early,
I was startled to open the back door to a sea
of white. I had forgot during sleep that magic
had descended upon us the previous eve.
The day was just starting to break, the world
was gray and white, almost monochromatic,
like the original It’s a Wonderful Life.
The Sweet Gift
of a First Snow
Last MauMag issue I talked about driving
out of the rain and into sunshine. This issue it’s
all about diving headfirst into the precipitation,
albeit of a different variety.
around, rain had been falling since 2 p.m. and
you knew the white stuff was now inevitable.
Excitement ran high. The kids made snow
day plans, the adults stayed up extra late.
hristmas came and went without any signs of the dreamy
white stuff. After early fall sight-
Freezing rain around 9 p.m. was followed by sleet and then many answered
prayers when it changed to big flakes, gloriously huge. They were of epic portions as I
watched them frolic under the streetlight,
playing their own game of Frosty Catch Me
If You Can.
March/April 2016
C
34
ings of an abundance of wooly
worms and predications of a snow-heavy
winter a-coming, it all went bust. November and December weren’t dry but alas,
they weren’t frozen either. It wasn’t until late
January that this winter’s first snowfall came
a-calling.
On Thursday, January 21, the parking
lots of Maumelle’s grocery purveyors overflowed to the edges near the roads with the
faithful milk and bread seekers. At work that
morning we wondered aloud if the predicted snowfall would materialize, the majority
in the doubtful category.
But by the time early evening rolled
I was relieved to have gotten through
the freezing rain part of the snow event
without losing electricity, still scarred by the
Christmas Eve ice storm three years ago. As I
headed to bed at midnight, I looked out my
front window one last time to see what had
transpired since my last weather check and
was shocked to find that the grass had disappeared under a blanket of thick, deep blissful
white as far as the eye could see. The streetlight revealed that the snow was still coming
down. Against the dark sky, the world below
glowed like a huge candle. I loved the juxtaposition and was mesmerized.
Until a streak to the left caught my eye.
Then another streak. Then a shriek.
“What the heck?” I wondered aloud.
Surely my street was not being robbed in
the middle of a snowstorm?!
I saw a red streak, then a black one. I
squished my nose against the frosty glass
and squeezed my eyes against the streetlight to try to make out what was going on.
There in the street at midnight were
two figures having a snowball fight. They
zipped back and forth across the street,
darted in and out of yards, ran from tree to
tree. I couldn’t tell if they were kids or adults,
but I surely hoped they were adults. What
could be more fun --and inspiring-- than
two grown-ups saying to heck with it all,
taking a break from adulthood, and stopping to have a midnight snowball fight in
the first snow?
After a while I traded standing in the
backyard (all the chairs were covered in wet
snow) for a dry rocker on my front porch. I
rarely sit there, preferring the privacy of the
backyard to feeling exposed near the street,
but today it was perfect. I felt like the only
person in the world yet amid good company, surrounded by the houses keeping
sentry up and down my block.
As the day grew lighter, birds began flitting to and fro while squirrels hopped off
my neighbors’ roof, climbed tress, played in
the snow. I watched one jump from a porch
railing onto a tree branch so heavy with
snow that it shook and he lost his balance,
flipped off and fell to the ground. He looked
startled, shook it off, and ran off into the
sunrise. “Well done, Sir!” I called after him,
applauding his pluck.
I heard a rustling noise and saw my
next-door-neighbor and his little boy coming out for pictures in the first snow. I stayed
quiet, not wanting to startle them or interrupt this father-son bonding moment. It
was a beautiful scene, rather pulled at my
heart, as the child looked frozen in awe and
stood remarkably still while dad snapped
pictures. He made the child a snowball,
which boy quickly dropped. He made another and the same thing happened. Then
the boy squealed when he reached down
and touched the snow. Dad giggled at his
joy, and I felt myself smiling and laughing,
too. As they rounded the corner of their
house to play, baby started crying and they
went inside.
I followed suit, gathered my snuggly
heavy blanket and emptied cup of coffee
and went indoors myself.
I watched some extended local newscasts, the reporters going on their fifth
hour of coverage. Not necessary, but who
could blame them? This might be their only
chance to cover snow this winter. I enjoyed
seeing the pics come in from across the
R
viewing area of dogs bouncing through
the white tundra, snowmen sporting everything from sunglasses to jewelry, kids playing with reckless abandon in the creamy
fluff, and lots of gorgeous white-hued landscapes.
“There is so much happy all across the
land,” I thought. This bounty of joy, appreciation, and wonder all because rain turned
into snowflakes for the first time this winter.
A few degrees in temperature is all it took to
transform an ordinary Friday into a precious
gift that made for so much happy. MM
obyn D. Rektor both dabbles in words and teaches writing
for the University of Phoenix. Despite her appreciation
of snow, she does not excel at making snowballs or building snowmen.
Share your snow day moments of wonder at rdr0119@icloud.com.
www.MauMag.com
Precious Wonder:
It was awe-strikingly beautiful outside,
startlingly quiet even as noise echoed off
the snow much like the moonlight had
the night before. I couldn’t simply go back
to sleep and ignore this rare gem of a first
snow, a precious gift, so I turned on the coffeemaker, slipped into some boots and a
parka, and went outside to wait for the light
come, to watch the day unfurl from its darkness.
35
Date Night
By Troy Pousardien
Krita 3.0 Pre-Alpha
that they are finally moving to version 3.0, bringing with it several
major changes and interesting new features.
For years now, the program has been slowly
increasing in popularity due to its advanced
brush engine, comparable (if not superior) to
Photoshop’s own brushes. About a year and a
half ago, however, they began a crowdfunding project on Kickstarter [1] to reinvigorate
Krita’s development and push out new features
people want, and it seems they have kept their
promises. Their earlier release of Krita 2.9 [2]
included a fantastic number of improvements
M
eg Ryan and Billy Crystal are
just heading east to New York.
Elliot, my 90 pound golden
doodle, has lazily draped himself across my lap ensuring I stay warm
and toasty. We make a good team snuggled on the sofa,
throughout the entire project, and
served as an exciting step forward
in Krita’s development.
Krita’s 3.0 pre-alpha release [3]
is an even more of a significant
milestone, as it marks the switch
of their back-end from Qt4 to
Qt5. While this won’t immediately
mean much of a difference for the end-user,
it means that not only should future development be both faster and easier, but that
Krita overall should see a significant boost in
performance. If you’re looking for some immediate changes to play with, however, you’ll
be glad to know that 3.0 also comes with the
long-awaited animation support it has teased
for a while now, as well as several other smaller
features such as an improved move tool and
better layer handling, all of which you can read
about in more detail at the linked release page.
If you are interested in playing with Krita 3.0,
download instructions can be found near the
top of the release page [3]. If, instead, you want
to try out a more stable version, Krita Desktop
can be found here [4] (version 2.9.10.0 as of
this writing). MM
T
roy Pousardien owns and operates
Green Dragon Technology in
NLR. Working on computers since 1990 and
holding a B.S. in Information Technology, Troy
is ready to take on your computer challenges. Got a tech question, email Troy at techtips@
greendragonpc.com.
March/April 2016
Meow Met, Your Purrfect Browser Plugin
On our website, we went over how to feature new art in your browser’s
New Tab with the Google Art Project [5]. In a similar fashion, we found a
slightly different plugin for the art enthusiast and cat lover: the Meow
Met Google Browser Plugin. You will be able to override the standard new
tab page with a random cat from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s online
collection, which includes works not on view in the museum. You will also
be able to click on a work of art’s title to learn more. This plugin is pretty
paw-some! Get Meow Met here [6]!
See our newsletter archives here: https://greendragon.tech/newsletters/
Link references
36
[1] http://go.greendragonpc.com/1dd
[3] http://go.greendragonpc.com/1df
[5] http://go.greendragonpc.com/1dh
[2] http://go.greendragonpc.com/1de
[4] http://go.greendragonpc.com/1dg
[6] http://go.greendragonpc.com/1di
our own version of Han Solo and Chewbacca. Elliot is the only one I
would invite to my super exclusive date night. Marked on my work
calendar, I’ve been looking forward to this evening for weeks, no
years. When you’re young you dream about having kids. When you
have kids you dream of a time when taking a nap wasn’t a luxury.
Now the children have finally flown the coop and settled into college life, and my husband is off to save the world at some medical
conference. Here I sit, my freshly pedicured feet propped up on the
coffee table littered with gardenia scented candles, and my face
covered in mud from a far off land. With a big bowl of popcorn and
a glass of Chianti, I am absolutely giddy with excitement. There is
no one to answer to or take care of. I am foot loose and fancy free.
Sitting in the candlelit glow of the den with a self-satisfied
smile, I think to myself, I have done it. This is what they mean
by “having it all”. I’ve raised two independent children, have a
loving husband and they are all out of the house for one glorious night. While congratulating myself my husband’s ringtone
breaks the reverie.
“Hi Honey, feeling lonely?” his voice asks, “I know it’s always
harder for the one who stays behind, will you be okay?” After an instant debate on whether to pause the movie or not, I decide it’s too
much effort and just answer the question. Besides, Billy and Meg
have yet to become friends, so I figure I won’t miss much of the film.
“I’ll be fine. Elliot and I are enjoying chick flicks and wine.”
“Oh good, I’ll call you when I go to bed”, He replies absentmindedly. It is our ritual whenever one of us goes out of town to call
the home bound one to say good night.
“Talk to you later”, I say and smack him a kiss through the
phone. Since the phone is already open I decide a couple of
rounds of match the candy won’t hurt. In the middle of my third
life my son texts me a reminder that if I need company he’s only
an hour away. I text him back that “All is fine on the home front”,
with a smile face emoji.
The mud on my face is beginning to crack, and I’m reminded
to wash it off. Meg is breaking the news to her friends about her
recent break-up. Carrie Fisher always cracks me up in this movie. I
push the pause button and head for the bathroom to see the glorious results of my at-home spa treatment. I hope for the best, but
apart from looking freshly washed, it’s the same old face I started
with. Better luck next time my reflection says back at me with just
a hint of a smirk. As I cover my face with cream I think, that was
literally twenty bucks down the drain.
Now back to my old friends Billy and Meg. Elliot resents the
shove out of the center of the sofa I give him, but forgives me as soon
as he finds his spot across my lap again. The “play” button takes me
right back to why I love When Harry Met Sally. Even though they
don’t like each other at first, they are compulsively vulnerable to
each other. For me the love story begins in the bookstore when
Billy/Harry reveals his heartbreak from getting a divorce to Sally
after bumping into her. The whole thing just takes off from there.
Elliot rests across my legs lightly snoring, the room is in
full bloom with the scent of gardenias, and on the screen two
old friends are falling in love. The “Fat Bottomed Girls” ringtone
on my phone sounds out a call from my best friend, Camille from
long ago and far away.
“Is it a good time to talk?” she asks.
“Sure why not”, I answer back anticipating a fun session of
catch-up. “Everybody’s off somewhere. It’s just me and the dog.”
“You’ll never guess what happened yesterday at yoga”, she
begins absolutely bubbling over with excitement. “Do you remember Allan, the guy from Georgia who was in our networking group?
Well, he is fresh from a divorce, and moved back to Santa Barbara!
He just happened to show up at yoga, and afterwards we went for
a protein smoothie. To make a long story short, we ended up on
a moonlit walk on the beach after dinner. He said he had thought
about me when he was in Georgia and was glad we bumped into
each other. We’re going on an official date this weekend! Can you
stand it?”
“Holy cow Camille”, I exclaim back into the phone egging her
on. “Is he still as handsome as I remember?” Camille is absolutely
my best friend, and I love hearing about her exploits. She lives a
very glamorous rich divorcee lifestyle in California hobnobbing with
people most of us read about in magazines. We met years ago at
a realtor’s conference in New York and became instant friends over
martinis at the Oak Bar in the Plaza Hotel. It’s always a thrill to hear
what she’s up to. Before she can go any further with her story my
phone beeps a 911 text from my daughter.
“Oh Honey, that’s Maya calling. Let me find out what’s going
on and I’ll call you back. She’s texting me that it’s an emergency.”
“Sure thing Sweetie, I’ll talk to you later. Give Maya my love.”
Speed dial connects me to my daughter in a bucket of tears
because she and her high school
boyfriend just broke up. I am relieved that this is the emergency
and not something life threatening. To be honest, this moment
has been on the horizon since last
summer when they were both
getting ready to head off to different colleges. In my heart I know
it’s for the best. Neither one of them is mature enough to continue
such a serious romance, but it still hurts. Talking about romance, I
glance at the television and the deli scene has just started on the
screen. The one where Sally creates a disturbance at the lunch table,
and the lady next to them says, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
“Sweetheart, can you hold on just a second” I ask as I mute
the phone.
“Uh huh”, she sniffs back.
This scene makes me laugh every time I see it. Tonight is no
different. I take a few seconds to regain my composure before unmuting the phone.
“Hey Babe, I’m so sorry. Endings are so hard. Why don’t we
get together this weekend for a mother daughter day? We can get
mannies and peddies, my treat. How does that sound?” I say in my
most soothing voice.
“Can you come up here? I just want it to be us girls. I don’t
think I can handle Dad teasing me right now” she says back, sounding helpless.
“It’s a date. Just you and me drowning our sorrows in lattes
and ice cream.
“Thanks, Mom”, she coos into my ear.
“I love you, Poodle”, I answer back.
Elliot and I cuddle up for the remainder of the movie. We both
must have dozed off because the sound of my text alert wakes me
up. It’s Camille sending a picture of Allan, her new male distraction
with a caption that says, “See what I mean?” With a chuckle I text
her back, begging off an in-depth conversation. The wine and dog
cuddling have sent me right over the edge from relaxation to dead
sleep. I bid Harry and Sally adieu, and while collecting my pillow to
take back to the bedroom my husband’s ringtone sounds.
“Good night Darling”, he sings to me.
“Good night Darling” is my reply.
As I drift away into slumber I think it may not have been a
super exclusive date night after all. Everyone joined me at some
point, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I fall asleep with a smile
counting my blessings. MM
M
ichae Orfanos lives in Maumelle
with her family and three dogs.
She has settled here after living in New York and
Los Angeles, and working in the entertainment
industry. After growing up in Arkansas and then
living in the big city, Maumelle is a perfect place to
raise her family and write stories.
www.MauMag.com
K
rita is a free, lesser known
graphics editor specializing
in art. Recently it was announced
By Michae Orfanos
37
By Pam Rudkin
his compelling novel is about a
young soldier, Joseph, who makes a
naive judgment call while deployed
to Iraq resulting in discharge from
the military almost immediately. He is tried
and sentenced to prison. The story is told from the
viewpoints of the soldier’s teenaged sister and brother, neither able to make sense of the situation until
years later.
As media coverage of their brother’s crime becomes impossible to avoid, the siblings live through
a family explosion, and they struggle to understand
what’s happening. They begin researching their
brother’s crime on their own. The adults in their lives
are unable to cope themselves and are not supportive. The struggle of being ostracized, criticized, and
judged for things they can’t understand, and don’t
even know all the details about, results in brokenness
for them all.
The kids uncover secrets about their family,
most of which revolve around a man named Hamish,
a mentor to Joseph through the years both before
and after his incarceration. Hamish ends up playing a
huge role in the lives of all three children and healing
for the family.
The writing in this book—the language, the
phrasing—is thoughtful and beautiful. Yes, I’ve read
better books with more poignant stories. I was struck
again and again, however, by Hyde’s use of phrasing. For example, “…the static electricity that was this
freshly horrible moment in our family,” or, Joseph’s
final explanation of his 18-year-old reasoning for disobeying military orders: “I couldn’t go out gunning
for a bunch of young men who were more or less the
Iraqi equivalent of my own little brother.”
While reading this book, I have also been a regular listener of Serial (https://serialpodcast.org/), a biweekly podcast that tells a single story in installments.
The current Serial story being investigated is of Bowe
March/April 2016
A Paper Son
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A much stronger book, A Paper Son
by Jason Buchholz is
the story of a young
elementary
school
teacher in San Francisco named Peregrine
whose writing career has taken a back
burner to teaching. His
boss, the school principal, encourages him to
keep trying to get his
work published. When
Peregrine submits a short story to an obscure publication, it is printed, he gets $20, and he’s asked in a
scribbled note from the editors to submit more installments of his tale of a Chinese American family returning to China.
Peregrine finds these stories and characters developing in his mind during odd moments, like when
he’s enjoying a cup of tea between classes, or when he’s
swimming, almost seeming to hallucinate about the
next phase of the stories and the plot. It’s like the stories come to him mystically. He is not really concerned
about this, assuming the creative process must work
this way…until an old Chinese woman named Eva
shows up at his doorstep, acting as though she is an
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
There is well-communicated wisdom about
judging others and a compelling story about war and
family that ring close to the heartstrings in this book.
A good read. MM
by Jason Buchholz
expected houseguest. Assuming her to be someone
his flighty sister has sent his way, he lets her stay with
him. But her continued insistence on his stories being
“her story” becomes problematic. She claims he will be
able to tell her what happened to her long lost Uncle
Henry, who vanished many years ago, if he just keeps
writing more installments of the story. The characters
in Peregrine’s stories are her relatives, she claims.
The mystery in these stories unfolds even more
when he gets another copy of the Barbary Quarterly
(the publisher of his first story), and there is the next installment—but he had never submitted it! Even more
shocking, Eva is familiar with the pictures the publisher
has associated with Peregrine’s stories, although Peregrine has no idea where these pictures came from or
who the people in the photos could be.
More intrigue unfolds as Peregrine’s girlfriend and
sister turn out to have metaphysical connections to his
stories, to Eva’s life, and to the past. A tragic childhood
P
Bergdahl, the U.S.
Army soldier who
was held captive by
the Taliban-aligned
Haqqani network
in
Afghanistan
from 2009 until
2014. The story
of Bowe’s military
decisions and ultimate capture is in
many ways mirrored in Hyde’s story, if you are interested in seeing the comparisons for yourself. However, Ask Him Why is more about how the soldier’s
decision affected his family, rather than why he made
the decision in the first place.
event comes to light that may explain Peregrine’s mysterious connection with these long-dead family members of Eva’s…even more curious.
Peregrine’s adventure is set during a 28-day unprecedented rainstorm in San Francisco, which brings
its own drama; and his “serial” about what he believes
are fictional characters that connects to Eva’s past is yet
its own stirring drama. Both stories keep you enthralled
with what could happen next, and how the characters
are going to move forward. The writing is excellent,
moving, and exciting.
These two exceptional books are available to read
free with your library card. See all your format options
in our catalog at https://cals.bibliocommons.com. Also
available now is a free app for your Apple/iOS and Android device. Search for CALS Catalog in the Apple/
iOS App Store. Search for CALS Catalog or Central Arkansas Library System in Google Play.
Happy reading! MM
am Rudkin is the librarian for the Maumelle Library, a branch of the
Central Arkansas Library System. She is a graduate of Texas Woman’s
University, where she earned her Master of Library Science degree. Rudkin
grew up in Harrison, Arkansas and continued her education at the University of
Central Arkansas where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Pam is married and is the mother of three children. Her interests include
reading and music composition.
www.MauMag.com
T
Ask Him Why
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