Volume 10, Issue 6 • May/June 2016
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3
Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary
THE ARTS
Cover Photography
by Roger A. Frangieh
Welcome to Our World!
Neil Rutman – on His Life,
Artistry, Amateur Boxing,
and Community Service
7
Germany Rhineland
Palatinate Wine Harvest
10
12
FCCLA - A Life
Changing Group
WINE......................................................14
20
POETRY ...............................................16
Reaping the Rhythms...................................16
Worrywart Me, Rainbows, and Butterflies...17
INTERIOR DESIGN .........................18
House Hunting? Perspectives from
an Interior Stylist and a Realtor....................18
Ditch the Scale and Celebrate
Non-Scale Victories
Advertising Sales
Shannon Keener
Sugar Ants Are Not Sweet............................27
501.772.2147
PHOTOGRAPHY...............................28
MAUMELLE BUSINESS............... 32
UAMS Neighborhood Clinic
Increases Staff, Expands Hours....................32
FINANCIAL.................................... 33
May/June 2016
Should You Hate A Financial Product.........33
Parents Aren’t the Only Ones
who Need to Think About
Childproofing
Self-Sabotaging
Our Fitness Plan
25
4
24
Signs and Symptoms
of a Sinus Infection
Art Director
Jeremy Henderson
Minute With Maddox.................................26
Camera Connectivity...................................28
Maumelle Photography Club......................30
22
Publisher/Editor
Roger A. Frangieh
Publisher/President
RAFIMI Publishing LLC
RAFIMI Advertising & Strategic Marketing
raf@MauMag.com
Spring Fling – Ode to warm weather,
seasonal changes, and other wonders...............34
TECH TALK..................................... 36
Broadband Competition Worse Than Ever...36
Can I Get Sticky Notes................................36
FICTION......................................... 37
Say Goodbye Grace......................................37
BOOK REVIEW..................................38
The Secret to Hummingbird Cake...............38
shannon@MauMag.com
Or Call: 501.960.6077
By email: MauMag@MauMag.com
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Why Don’t We Just Switch to Champagne?.. 14
5
Neil Rutman
From the very beginning, I was sure that maintaining
high standards will result in acceptance. I also realized that
with writers and contributors who are all authorities in their respective fields, I will
succeed in providing an exceptional magazine.
We covered many subject matters and brought to our readers topics that were as
entertaining as they were informative. I like the fact that some articles were full of wit
and provoked one’s imagination and others were essays that touched one’s feelings.
We promoted the arts in all its forms
including talented children, musicians,
painters, the theatre, photography and
conducted interviews with Musical Directors
and movie stars. We will continue to do so in
future issues.
Premier Issue - Summer 2006
Maumelle Magazine also covers topics
such as:
Fitness and Health, Technology, Book
Reviews, Sports, Business.
Major General William C. Page, Jr.
United States Army (Retired)
Premier Issue
July/August/September 2006
Travel, Recipes, Humor, Interior Design,
Poetry, Fiction, Gardening.
A very special thank you goes to our
faithful advertisers whose trust in Maumelle
Magazine is greatly appreciated.
May/June 2016
I wish to thank our Readers for their input,
encouragement and continuous support during
the past ten years. I am looking forward to an
exciting future of Maumelle Magazine.
Publisher/Editor
501.960.6077
raf@maumag.com
6
Volume 10, Issue 6 • May/June 2016
A True Story that
went like this:
I think it was three years
ago, I was standing in line at
Starbucks in Maumelle to get
a cup of a tall dark roast coffee
when I heard a voice say, “aren’t
you with MauMag?” I turned
around and replied, “Yes, I am the
publisher.” Her friend said, “What
is a MauMag?”
“It is Short for Maumelle
Magazine.” She replied.
“Is it anything like ‘S****e’?
“Not really,” replied her
friend. “With S****e you look at
pictures that depict social events.
MauMag is a magazine you
actually read.”
I was delighted to have
witnessed this conversation. It
made my day!
W
e are so fortunate here
in Arkansas to have an
abundance of outstanding teachers and performers in our university
music departments. One real gem is Dr. Neil
Rutman, Klipsch Artist in Residence at University of Central Arkansas in Conway. He wears
many hats as an Artist in Residence, teacher,
concert pianist, author, boxing coach, and voluntary Probation Officer for juvenile offenders
in Faulkner County. I recently had the chance to
quiz him about the interesting life he is leading.
I hope you find inspiration in his accomplishments and outlook on life as I have.
Linda Kennedy: I understand you grew
up in California. Tell us about your early years
and influences.
Neil Rutman: I am a fourth generation San
Franciscan. My great-grandparents came from
New Zealand through the Golden Gate before there was even a bridge there. They went
through the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906
and actually lived in Golden Gate Park while the
city was being rebuilt. As I was growing up, San
Francisco was a place of great excitement. I got
to go to symphonies, operas, Giants ballgames,
and was surrounded by events current to the
late 60’s. Demonstrations against the Vietnam
War were rampant, and I remember my babysitter once clandestinely taking me and my
brother to the famous Haight- Ashbury district
where the hippie generation started and lived.
on His Life, Artistry,
Amateur Boxing, and
Community Service
By Linda Kennedy
LK: At what point did your musical studies
begin?
remember using my three hour window completely each day at the piano.
NR: I was almost eleven when my grandmother died, and we inherited her piano. I
asked my parents for lessons without any
prompting. My first teacher was what we
would call the piano-teaching lady on the
block. She was so inspirational and opened up
to me a world that was amazing. My family and
I maintained a relationship with her until her
death, and I recently had lunch with one of her
sons in San Francisco. When I think back to my
first piano lesson, I had no idea of all the beautiful experiences that one event would spawn. It
makes me think of the parallel time continuum
we all live on and how our experiences can
“roll-ball” into magnificent relationships or experiences even ten to twenty years down the
road. You enjoy these things in hindsight more
than foresight, and how life changing they can
be! It causes you to always have a fascination
with life because those time continuums keep
coming.
LK: Were you involved in any music programs like band, choir, or orchestra during your
pre-college years?
NR: No, but I was an avid composer during my teenage years. I studied composition
LK: In your early years how much did you
practice each day?
NR: As a young teen my very loving and
supportive parents gave me a window of three
hours a day during which I was allowed to practice. They never pushed, and I was under no
obligation to do piano during that whole time
period. They gave me and my brothers a long
leash to be self-motivated, but I had limits because my brothers wanted to watch television,
and I’m sure my parents wanted some peace! I
Neil Rutman as a 4-year-old pretending
to play the piano.
www.MauMag.com
I attribute the tremendous success of Maumelle
Magazine to all the writers, contributors and the
determination to continuously bringing to the readers a
quality publication.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA REEVES.
10 years! They passed so quickly as if it was yesterday!
The first issue of Maumelle Magazine (MauMag) was
introduced to the Maumelle community on July 1, 2006.
7
LK: I wonder if there are any parallels between boxing and musical performance.
NR: One comparison I’m reminded of
is that you cannot be either a good boxer or
performer if you are nervous or stiff when performing your task.
LK: Do you ever get nervous before or
during a performance?
with Jonathan Kramer at U.C. Berkley and had
some lessons with the famous composer, Gian
Carlo Menotti as well. I gave that up to focus
on piano performance when I was 19. During
my teenage years I also began to study piano
privately with my most influential teacher, Aiko
Onishi, a world renowned pedagogue at San
Jose State University where I would ultimately
earn my B.M. in piano performance. I took two
years off to serve as a missionary in Scotland for
the Church of the Latter Day Saints. I did not
play piano at all during that time. I then returned to school and got my M.M. in piano performance from Eastman School of Music and
my D.M.A. in piano performance from Peabody
Conservatory.
LK: What was your first job after completing your studies?
May/June 2016
NR: I spent an exciting ten year period in
Baltimore freelancing and had so many wonderful adventures. During that time I won First
Prize in a few International Competitions, lesser
prizes in others and played in some very important venues around the world. During this
time I also had a part- time job teaching piano
at Goucher College, a quite famous all-girls
school. This little job helped me pay the bills.
8
LK: How did your move to Conway come
about, and just what does being an Artist in
Residence entail?
NR: UCA recruited me in 1991. As to Artist in Residence it’s a title which acknowledges
major professional accomplishments before
hiring time and implies a great deal of performance experience. But, and this is a big but,
you are still one of the faculty, and you have to
pull your weight equally in terms of teaching,
attending meetings, and performing.
LK: I understand that many quite ad-
vanced international students come to UCA to
study with you. Are there any particular challenges in your teaching?
NR: Right now we have students from Canada, Taiwan, China, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Malaysia,
(and Arkansas). They come as a result of either
University recruiting or my and the school’s
reputation. A few select students are highly advanced and have a marvelous technique, but
their minds, and more importantly, their imagination have not been called into play. The work
to be done is detailed and time-consuming. It
is challenging to open up their imagination and
understanding of sound and sensitive musical
performance. This is one of the reasons I wrote
Stories, Images, and Magic from the Piano Literature. It is a book filled with art, poetry, and
authentic historical imaging designed to stimulate the imagination of a pianist who is studying the great works of the piano repertoire. I
work to get these important elements across to
students through our pedagogy classes as well.
There are four principle things every teacher
should know about his/her students: 1) Is the
student’s ear engaged? 2) Is he/she relaxed and
flexible? 3) What is the level of enthusiasm and
commitment for their music? Do they like it? 4)
Is the imagination being engaged? I have to
apply these, of course, in my own practicing as
well. It’s not easy!
LK: You have an interesting hobby outside the world of music – amateur boxing. One
would think this might be dangerous for your
hands! When did boxing enter your life and
why?
NR: I began boxing in college because I enjoyed the sport. Sports like volleyball or basketball are a bit more dangerous for a pianist because the hands/fingers are so exposed. When
boxing, your hands are the most protected part
NR: No. I have a method, and it’s similar
to a method I used back when I did public boxing matches. It takes about two hours to get
myself from my normal existence to a world of
perfect musical concentration where the music, with its emotional and imaginative needs
takes over like a drug. If you love the music,
it can emotionally take over. As one of my
teachers said, “From the first note, you’re on
the boat, and your ear just follows the music.”
Nervousness is really caused by selfishness – worries about “me, me, me,” like what
will someone in the audience think of “me”?
Will my teacher be happy with “my” performance? Does this dress look ok on “me”?
What if “I” hit a wrong note? … Musicians have
to learn how to put all the worries aside and let
the music take over.
LK: How important do you feel the study
of music is for our young people?
NR: Crucial! In my general music classes I
meet so many young people who after being
introduced to great music (classics, jazz, folk
…) regret not having had music instruction.
Time and time again after concerts people
come up to shake my hand and say, “I took
lessons when I was young and didn’t want
to practice. My parents let me give it up and
I wish they had made me.” Or, “I have a child
who wants to stop lessons. Should I let him?”
My answer is always, no! Would you let them
stay home if they were tired of school?
LK: How did your coaching of the UCA
Boxing Team come about?
NR: I don’t like the idea of being “inbred”.
Many musicians surround themselves only
with musicians. Maybe it reinforces the importance of what they’re doing. I’m a Mormon
but don’t want to socialize only with Mormons
simply because it reinforces a belief system. I
think it’s important to get out and meet peo-
ple with different ideas and test/evaluate your
own ideas and your relationship to them. That’s
one of the reasons I enjoy coaching the boxing
team. Some of my most prized relationships at
UCA have been through the boxing club.
LK: Your love of boxing has also moved
into the area of community service as you work
with troubled teens. How did this come about?
NR: I wanted to get out in the community
and do something meaningful. I love performing and teaching, but it is a big world out there.
So, I asked a friend in the court system if there
was anything I could do. Under former Judge
Woods I was asked to start a boxing club for
young men aged twelve to eighteen who were
on probation for drugs, truancy, theft, violence,
or just being crazy teenage boys. We work on
basic boxing skills, and the UCA boxers come
and serve as role models and mentors. We
also have a program called the Achiever’s Club
whereby if they raise their grade by ten points
in any one class at school, we will buy them a
T-shirt and take them to a sporting event at Verizon Arena. If they raise their grade in any two
classes, the Log Cabin Democrat will write an
article about their achievements with no mention, of course, of their being on probation. We
all recognize, I’m sure, that if they don’t get their
grades up, they’re not going to be able to go
anywhere in life. So, again, I have found this a
way to do something meaningful on that time
continuum. You never know what is going to
happen ten years down the road from sending
out positive energy right now.
LK: Is there anyone other than your piano
teacher, Aiko Onishi, who has impacted your
life in a very special way?
NR: The list is so long! I am very susceptible to influence. I’ve been fortunate and
blessed to be surrounded by people who are
greater than I. During that ten year freelancing
period of my life I had the thrill of doing shows
with so many interesting people like Shirley
MacLaine and Cliff Robertson. Another special
memory is that of recording Poulenc’s The Story of Babar with Tony Randall. Tony and I also
performed it twice in New York City in Merkin
Hall and Lincoln Center.
LK: What is your favorite piece to play?
NR: If I were on a desert island with a piano, it would be the Goldberg Variations of Bach
or the Schumann Fantasy.
LK: Who is your favorite composer?
NR: The one I’m working on at the moment.
LK: What has been your favorite performing venue in your career?
NR: Carnegie Hall. When I walked out on
the stage for my first rehearsal to try out the
piano alone (I was going to play with an orchestra), I sat down and thought about who had
sat on this stage – Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky,
Horowitz … - and I thought, the inspiration
doesn’t get better than this.
LK: Do you model your music making after
any of the great pianists of the past?
NR: No. But I did have an interesting experience with Artur Rubenstein. He used to play
in San Francisco every year when I was a teen.
I had written a piece for him, a very complicated piece, but in retrospect probably a quite
embarrassing one. After the concert I went
backstage, pushed my way through the crowd,
and handed him the music just as he was being whisked away. He turned to me, shook
my hand, and said, “I will treasure it all my life.”
Now, for all I know, he may have thrown it away!
But, for a teenager, this was very exciting.
LK: Thank you for sharing your knowledge
and so many special memories with us. As we
draw this visit to a close, I can’t help but wonder
if there has been one most memorable performance of your career?
L
NR: Yes. It was a very late evening concert
in Milan, Italy, and I was performing “Gaspard
de la Nuit” by Ravel. During the middle piece
that has the tolling of bells at night, it turned 10
p.m. and the cathedral tower bells rang in the
distance. We could hear them in the hall while
I was playing. It was just one of many treasured
memories.
LK: For a more complete biography and list of
accomplishments of Dr. Rutman visit : http://uca.edu/music/facultystaff/neil-rutman/
To hear the artistry of Dr. Rutman go to YouTube:
Jubilee Stomp 1 by Duke Ellington - https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlXtsyOr2b8
Nocturne in E Major, Op. 62, no. 2 by Chopin –
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=zasGVil8cLw
Prelude in D Major by Rachmaninoff - https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh52kfvVuaY
Les Cyclopes’ by Rameau - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE3J4pViFqQ
Or any of the various linked You Tube videos. 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.
www.MauMag.com
of your body. The fingers are closed into a fist.
The hand is then wrapped and inserted into a
one pound leather glove. So while you could
have injuries to your hands, I never have because I’ve only boxed at the amateur level. I
really enjoy boxing; it’s like a chess game that
goes 5,000 miles per hour. You have to think
quickly, react, do offense and defense, and
that’s exciting.
9
Travel
tivity. The days were slow paced with lunch
and dinners in small restaurants.
By Larry & Carol Crabill
G
ermany was the third
country we visited on our
month-long wine harvest
odyssey last October. Ger-
many produces many different
grapes and wines. Riesling is the wine usually
associated with Germany; it is a high percentage of their production. However, they produce
some very good Pinot Noirs, Pinot Blancs, Pinot
Gris and Müller-Thurgaus.
German wines are categorized by the degree of ripeness, measured in natural grape
sugar at harvest. This applies to both whites
and reds. Usually, the lower the alcohol, the
higher the residual sugar. The taste/style or
level of dryness of a wine is determined in the
cellar by the winemaker; it is totally indepen-
dent of the grape. Two-thirds of German grape
production is dry and the preferred vinification
style consumed by Germans. That is contrary to
the belief that all German wines are sweet. Usually, wine dryness or sweetness is indicated on
the label.
We chose to concentrate our grape harvests and wine tastings to the Rhineland Palatinate, specifically along the Mosel and Rhine Rivers south of Koblenz. These are also very popular routes for river cruises with scenic, traditional
villages and vibrant fall colors along the route.
The compact area made for easy driving
with minimal traffic We enjoyed driving the
narrow winding roads along the rivers and
through the forests with an abundance of
UNESCO World Heritage sites. On those foggy
mornings, the vineyard hillsides and old castles
and churches looked magical and mystical.
May/June 2016
We drove our rental car from Frankfurt
airport to Zell, Germany which would be our
home base for the next four days. Our apartment was on the banks of the the Mosel River.
The Ferienhaus An der Mosel was our home at
$70 USD per night. It provided a perfect ending to our days with wine and cheese on the
balcony overlooking the river. There were two
cozy restaurants next door, which was convenient as it rained one evening. With postcard
10
Our home for the next three days was the
Gasthaus Weingut Stahl in Oberwesel-Dellhofen. This small hotel with their own winery
was about $100 USD per night including breakfast. They produced several varietals, some reds
and a rose’ that was very good. They offered
individual wine tastings in their 125 year old
wine cellar whenever you wanted. Their breakfast was generous with a very diverse selection.
Their on-site restaurant was very popular with
locals, offering excellent regional meals made
with fresh local produce. We had delicious
venison and wild boar; their potato salad and
desserts were to die for. The portion sizes were
ridiculously large. We learned to share entrees
and desserts.
scenery, Zell is an affordable, quiet village that
is centrally located on the Mosel River between Koblenz and Trier. We used a footbridge
to cross over to the town for meals and shopping. Black Katz Riesling wine is produced
here; the unique Zeller Schwarze Katz bottle
(cat shaped!) can only come from this vicinity
in Germany. It is available locally in other colors for collectors.
Our flexible schedule allowed us to do
day trips to little towns like Cochem, Bernkastle-Kues and Beilstein, the home to the
850 year old Burg Eltz, the famous fairy tale
castle so admired by Victor Hugo. We visited wine shops and wineries, comparing
tastes and styles of the local wines. Most of
the wineries were small, family owned; they
were proud and excited to have us taste their
wines. We looked into small, quaint shops in
the villages; Carol was disappointed as many
shops were closed from 1-4:00 weekday and
Saturday afternoons and on Sundays. The
surrounding countryside has steep hills with
vineyards filling every hillside. The villages
each have their markets on different days and
was always a fun and interesting morning ac-
The wineries in this area seemed to be
larger with a wider variety of grapes grown. We
did day trips to small river towns like Boppard
and St. Goar. On a rainy day we drove to Speyer
and Worms to see their cathedrals from the
11th and 12th century; the Speyer Cathedral is
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They were both
spectacular, even in the rain. After our relaxing
stay on the Rhine, we drove on to Mainz to return the car and overnight before our international flight home.
Just before Mainz, our GPS battery died.
Fortunately, we had printed directions as
a backup; and without much difficulty we
found Hertz, returned the car and took a taxi
to the downtown IBIS Hotel. It was about
$100 UDS a night; a bit blah, but fine for overnight. We picked the hotel for its five minute
walk to the train stop with a 20 minute direct
connection to the Frankfurt International
Airport. That evening we walked to the pedestrian city center, saw the Romanesque St.
Martin’s Cathedral built about 975 AD and
did a bit of shopping. We had dinner in a 200
year old traditional pub, close to our hotel. It
seated about 20 in a very confined space. A
young German businessman from Berlin sat
with us at dinner, a seating style common in
Germany. He spoke English and we had a very
nice conversation. The regional food was generous as was usually the case in Germany. The
next morning we needed a bit of help with the
train ticket machine at the station, but as was
usually the case, a local came to our aid.
The trip met all our objectives. The grape
harvest was the center of all activities for these
small villages. Watching the harvest mostly
by hand on steep hills, then being transported by miniature tractors was interesting to
watch. The fall foliage of the vineyards was
gorgeous - our timing could not have been
better. We purposely designed our itinerary
to be leisurely, slow paced with lots of days
without planned activities. The unscheduled,
impromptu days provided time for exploration and adventures.
The U.S. dollar is currently very strong to
the Euro. ATMs are everywhere and the best
value for obtaining cash Euros. Ordering
meals was not an issue. Many places have
menus in English or we looked for a young
waiter for language help. The I-Translator
app also worked well. I am an advocate of
DIY (do it yourself ) travel. Surprises do happen, and you, not the tour company, have to
deal with them; and, that is part of the adventure. However, you get to customize the itinerary to your tastes. You can linger at some
places and bypass others. We would have it
no other way! MM
www.MauMag.com
Germany Rhineland Palatinate Wine Harvest
After a relaxing four days, we drove a short
distance to Oberwesel on the Rhine River. We
thought the Mosel area was a bit more picturesque than the Rhine though. Oberwesel is
about midpoint between Koblenz and Bingen;
it is still a very beautiful place - but slightly more
commercialized and touristy.
11
By Ashley Turner
Juniors Abigail Herring and Hannah Williamson started a National Program in Action
Event this year. In this event, students start a
project based off of one of FCCLA’s National
Programs. These amazing girls chose Financial
Fitness, a program that teaches students how
to responsibly save and spend their money.
The girls taught classes to High School, Middle
School, and Elementary School students, ageappropriate lessons about money. They did an
awesome job!
M
y life was changed forever
by an acronym. Yes, that
sounds a little funny. Allow me
to explain, FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders
of America) is an organization that has forever
changed my life along with millions of other
students since 1945. It started as FHA (Future
Homemakers of America) but was revitalized in
1999 to FCCLA and geared towards the modern
teenager. The same way that FHA changed into
something greater, I changed into something
greater thanks to FCCLA.
FCCLA prepares students to face the future,
“with warm courage and high hope” by teaching them character development, creative and
critical thinking, practical knowledge, interpersonal communication, and career preparation.
FCCLA changes shy students into emerging
and dynamic leaders. Don’t believe me? Allow
me to tell you my story.
In sixth grade, my best friend joined one of
the only clubs on campus, entered a competition, and qualified for national competition in
Orlando, Florida! It sounded amazing! So the
Riley Krain, Landon DeKay, and
Mackenzie Whitehead earned
silver in the FCCLA Life Event
Planning event.
next year I joined an organization I knew hardly
anything about and I dived right in. I started by
entering in a STAR (Students Taking Action with
Recognition) Event with my two new friends,
Grace Krebs and Caroline Elliott. STAR events
is comprised of many different events that allow students to design a project that serves the
community, prepares them for a career, or gives
them the opportunity to build leadership skills,
and each event has different qualifications. Our
team competed and made it to Nationals. The
next year I started a new project alone and
qualified for nationals again in San Antonio. It
was another wonderful year. I not only competed, but I truly began to fall in love with all
the organization had to offer. We attended district, state, and national meetings. We attended
workshops, heard guest speakers, and met so
many incredible leaders from across the nation.
FCCLA lit a match in me and over the years it
truly burned into my passion.
I started high school last year, eager to get
involved in the next level of FCCLA. I took the
step to run for district office. In my speech, I
said an FCCLA officer was like an egg. The shell
holds the egg together, just like the family is
necessary to support a candidate. FCCLA is
the only career technical education organization with the family as their cen-
tral focus! FCCLA not only wants students to invest in their future, but to invest in their current
lives and their family relationships. The yolk
is the main part of the egg. You can’t have an
egg without it! The yolk of the “officer egg” is a
strong love for FCCLA. A love for FCCLA should
be the main reason to be candidate! Egg whites
provide nutrients to eggs to help them grow.
In the same way, a willingness to serve should
grow an officer’s love for FCCLA! I received the
office of Parliamentarian and gladly served.
This taught me very important lessons of how
to work with people whose leadership style
differs from yours and it taught me just how
wonderful planning and creating meetings for
members can be!
This school year began with STAR events
projects! For the first time since seventh grade
I did not compete because I decided to run for
FCCLA state office. While I studied and prepared for my interview, more projects than ever
before were starting on campus! Sophomores
Grace Krebs, Caroline Elliott, and Maggie Culp
started a project in the Chapter Service Project
event. In chapter service project, members design projects that their whole chapter can be a
part of! These girls began a clothing drive for
students at Maumelle Middle School. People
often don’t realize that some students in the
May/June 2016
Autumn Herring received gold
in FCCLA’s Career Investigations event and qualified to
compete at the national level
in California this summer.
12
Sophomores Landon DeKay, Riley Krain,
and Mackenzie Whitehead started a project
in the Life Event Planning event. In Life Event
Planning, students plan an important event by
using comparison shopping and detailed planning. These students organized a field day for
students with special needs. They planned to
feed all the students; they organized for volunteers, and planned all the games and activities.
Freshman Autumn Herring entered the Career Investigation event. In this event students
job shadow professionals in the career field
they are interested in. Autumn job shadowed a
Wedding Coordinator and actually worked at a
few weddings! She did an excellent job.
Caroline Eliott,
Maggie Culp, & Grace
Krebs won silver in
FCCLA’s Chapter
Service Project event
fied for nationals this summer in San Diego,
California! The rest of the competitors received
silver. I’m so proud of my amazing friends for
not only being bold enough to start their own
project but also being brave enough to present what they had done to a panel of judges at
competition! I was screaming for happiness at
state when I heard the news; it was so exciting.
Sophomores Bushra Sardar and Madeline
Williams started a project in the Food Innovations event, where students are challenged to
create their own healthy food recipe. The students created a fibrous, Pakistani-inspired dish
using the main ingredient Da.
In January I had my interview with state office. One FCCLA member from each of the six
districts in Arkansas was selected to go before
the interviewing committee. They came up
with their own questions, interviewed the candidates, and selected who would lead the state
this upcoming year. Each candidate was asked
about FCCLA’s history and was asked how they
would respond in different situations. Each candidate also gave a speech.
Bushra and Maddie, Autumn, and Abby
and Hannah all scored gold at state and quali-
FCCLA’s official colors - red and white - each
have special meanings. Red stands for courage,
Madelynn Williams and Bushra Sardar received
gold in FCCLA’s Food Innovation event and
qualified for national competition this summer in California.
determination, and strength. White stands for
sincerity of purpose and integrity of action. In
my speech I explained how the state of Arkansas exhibits each of these qualities and how I
did too. For example, I spoke of the courage of
the Little Rock Nine and the courage I’ve gained
to speak in front of others. The leader of the Arkansas Association of FCCLA needs to share the
qualities FCCLA values and the state values.
The week after the interview I found out I
was chosen as state president! I don’t know if
I’ve ever been so happy before. In early March
I was officially installed as the new President.
Four years ago I was just learning what the organization was about and today I am one of the
ones leading. It’s amazing to think about.
It’s impossible to explain every detail of
how incredible the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America is. Hopefully you’ve
learned a little bit about what the organization
is and how it’s changing young people in our
community for the better.
Written by Ashley Turner, student at Maumelle High School and the 2016-2017 AR State FCCLA President. MM
A
shley Turner is a sophomore
at Maumelle High School. She
loves acting, singing, playing in the band,
and writing. Ashley works hard in multiple
leadership positions at her school, serving
as an officer for the DECA Chapter, Christian
Student Union, Maumelle Ambassadors, and
the FCCLA chapter. She is a member at Oak Park
Baptist Church. She loves life and strives to
follow God’s will in all she does.
www.MauMag.com
FCCLA - A Life Changing Group
Maumelle area don’t have their basic necessities, like clothes. The girls worked hard and received over 300 clothing items this year! Needless to say, I was very proud.
13
If we take a close look, perhaps we can
eliminate some of the minuses.
Let’s start by noting that the list of
wines offered by this oriental restaurant lists
multiple Pinot, Grigio wines which one wine
book describes as wines which are “sometimes” of considerable distinction, but “often” are somewhat lat and lacking in acid. So,
why are wines which may be flat and lacking
in acid listed on an Arkansas wine list? My
guess is that the wine list was prepared by
someone who is but remotely connected to
wine and its enjoyment.
Then, let’s note that there are many
types of wine. The two we are interested
in are vitis labrusca and vitis vinifera. Labrusca indicates a wine native to America (e.g.,
Concord, Deleware, many others). Vinifera
designates wines from Europe (Chardonnay,
Cabernet Sauvignon, many others). While
each type is enjoyable, to most Americans at
least those not wine-experienced, viniferas
have an unpleasant taste, often described as
a sour taste.
May/June 2016
By Ken Forrester
14
T
oday my wife and I had lunch
at an oriental restaurant we
had not visited before. The
ambience was near perfect,
service was attentive and
pleasant, the food outstanding.
Then there was the wine list.
“Pathetic” is the best way I can find to
describe the wine list. Moscatos, Rieslings,
Pinot Grigios, Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays were there for whites, as was a pink
(rose) wine designated as white. Reds included Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignons.
Three sparkling wines were listed, one
made by the bulk (Charmat) process and
one I had never heard of. Two were sold by
the glass and one (judging from the price)
by the bottle. No Arkansas wines were listed.
To over-simplify, American wines (labrusca) go well with American food and European wines (vinifera) go best with European
food; however Oriental food is neither. It occupies a niche all its own and the matching
it with vinifera wines is simply an exercise
in futility doomed to failure before it even
gets started. Then perhaps we could match
it with American wines. However, except for
a few laburscas (Concord, for instance) there
While we looked at the wine list, rock
and roll music of unknown source played in
the background.
So, what do we do? The answer is
simple: forget matching wine and food.
Serve wine before and after the meal but
not during.
Let me elaborate: Forget matching wine
and food. Drink (or serve to guests) a dry
wine before diner, then have coffee, tea, milk
with dinner and a dessert wine after.
Which dry wine before dinner? Let me
recommend a dry Champagne or other
sparkling wine made from vinifera grapes by
the Champagne method (methode champagne) for before dinner enjoyment and a
sweet wine for after dinner enjoyment. (No, I
don’t have anything to say against Charmat
wines. I drink, and enjoy, them frequently).
Hint based on personal experience: let the
guests enjoy the dry sparkling wine before
dinner and then take the refilled glass to the
table for further enjoyment. You may have
noticed this uses vinifera grapes; however
the wine’s second fermentation changes
the final product into a more palatable (to
Americans) form.
The sweet wine after dinner can be a
Cream Sherry made in the U.S. or Spain, or
a sweet Port, Malmsey, Sauternes or other
sweet wine. Specialty sweet wines, though
often expensive, do especially well here.
Anything that indictes it is a late harvest,
ice wine (sometimes eiswein) or other such
sweet wine is fine.
Caveats: Once a bottle of sparking wine
is opened it should be drunk on that day.
Carried over, it loses its bubbles. This is perhaps the most violated of wine truths. Second caveat: it isn’t strictly necessary but the
use of appropriate glasses does, indeed, increase wine enjoyent. Tulip or flute glasses (I
think I will let you look them up) and smaller
glasses for dessert wines. Third caveat: join
a wine-tasting club to increase wine knowledge and enjoyment and lessen expense.
Fourth caveat: for heaven’s sake turn off
that scratchy rock and roll music and and
play Hawaiian (or South sea) music over the
sound system.
The above writing covers oriental food
and wine but it applies just as pleasantly to
other foods and wines. Do try it. MM
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Would you venture the opinion that
none of the customers were drinking wine?
Now, I firmly believe that when a person invests good money into any business
(wine or otherwise) he/she is entitled to run
it any way he/she sees fit, without input or
advice from me. Whoever invests his/her
money has the final say as to how that money is used and the same person is entitled
to receive all the profits and suffer all losses.
However, here, I would guess, the losses far
simply ius not enough American wines to
make this plan feasible.
7101 Vestal Court
Off Maumelle Blvd.
(1/4 mile west of I-430)
K
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.
PROPANE
REFILLS
www.MauMag.com
Why Don’t We Just Switch to Champagne?
outweigh the profits, customers miss the joy
of knowledgeable wine drinking and the
restaurant is missing big money in the wine
profits it fails to receive.
15
Reaping the Rhythms
Harding Stedler
Poet, Poetry Editor
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.
VIOLATING ONES WHO LEFT
A daring eye peering from
slits of glossy silk or enticing wool,
drawing you closer into its face.
Anonymous attachment placed
in the front line,
watching all the attention it gets.
Mysterious as a button.
Scraggly-looking hobo
roamed blacktopped roads
at daybreak,
targeting vacant houses
once owners left for work.
Round edges smooth as an apple’s skin,
waiting to be peeled.
Square ones with pointed corners
tilting towards the fabric.
Gold and silver metals shining like fat Buddhas
without arms or legs.
Keeping all locked together.
Tight as a button.
Sitting like a puckered kiss in a bound hole
looking for the right finger’s touch.
Warm directions to explore the regions
as carefully as a mapmaker charting his course.
Invitations lined up in a row
whispering the way to covered treasures
through a tiny aperture behind the sign.
Sexy as a button.
– Catherine Moran
Little Rock, AR
May/June 2016
DOVES CAME TODAY
16
Today,
the doves came to join
redbirds, sparrows, and chickadees
at mealtime.
They gathered around the feeder
and shared sunflower seeds and
mullet.
The doves
had not been here since
they built their nest in the plum tree
last April.
Such peaceful birds, the Mourning Doves
moved in and around the flock
with ease.
-- Freeda Baker Nichols
Clinton, AR
When Bobby returned home
that afternoon, he found
his house in disarray—
ransacked, with closet items
strewn across the floor
and furniture upended.
He feared moving
from room to room
for fear the vandal
might be lurking
somewhere in the shadows.
- Harding Stedler
Maumelle, AR
LOADING DOCK
I read a story about a loading dock in the forties,
the men earning just enough to
come back every day. Cigarettes and sack lunches
kept them going. Their sweat smelled
of crude oil and dead fish.
A friend told me she hated prepositions
hanging out there
at the end of
a line.
I can think of a lot worse things to hate.
We fixed steak and baked potatoes that night,
sprinkled bacon and chives
on top of the sour cream.
We laughed and talked and filled our bellies.
Who knew
this would be our last time together?
Everything since has smelled of
crude oil and dead fish.
Dangling prepositions?
I can think of a whole lot worse.
– Jackye Swyers
Yellville, AR
By Michelle McCon
Poet
Profile
CATHERINE MORAN
C
atherine Moran was a high school English teacher for manyyears and began
developing her love of poetry while
teaching theattributes of the greats to
her students. Nothing like dissecting popularverses
to make her think, “I could write something like that!” So,
herinterest in poetry started and continues with reading
and digestingpoems past and present.
Three sons came along, and they were wrestled into
adultsalong the way. None of them are interested in becoming poets or inwriting for a hobby, and, as far as the
family tree goes, no one hasripened into poetic fruit for
many generations. So much for that fertileplanting that
has only produced one nut as of this moment.
She would have to confess that Emily Dickinson has
had agreat influence on her writing. She used to spend
time teaching Dickinson’s style and form to all her classes.
Dickinson ran the wholegamut of poetic subjects and
brushed aside those flimsy adjectivesand adverbs as not
very substantial. She concentrated on powerful verbs
and nouns to convey her deepest feelings. As a result,
her poemsare skeletons right down to the bone—no extra words there. She’sclearly a terrific model that reaches
over all the boundaries of age and time.
Catherine Moran enters contests all across the country andsometimes even wins prizes. The competition
makes for writing morepoetry and investigating more diverse subject areas. Anything is gamefor a poetry theme.
She is always interested in reading a poem with aquirky
title, and so figures that others might be interested in
readingher lines about far-fetched topics, such as wasps
and cooking oil.
Many interesting people have come her way
throughmembership in the Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas and being involvedwith its activities. She served as
president of PRA for two terms andsucceeded in being
on the front end of decisions affecting the futureof the
organization and its outreach to poetry.
Mostly the fact that writing poetry is a fun thing to
do haskept her interested in this hobby. Being inspired to
take the ordinaryhappenings in life and to lift them up to
a poetic plain is the challengethat confronts most poets.
When a reader can say WOW after readinga poem, it is a
success. MM
I
worry about stuff. Big stuff,
little stuff, in between stuff. It’s
what I do. My specialty? Anything
and everything that I have absolutely
no control over whatsoever. Worrying
is as natural to me as breathing or wearing
yoga pants as often as societally possible or
binge eating Hershey Bars while watching
reruns of America’s Next Top Model. And I literally came out of the womb this way, yoga
pants and all. I’m sure of it.
My husband? He worries about nothing.
To him, the world and all its lumps and
troubles appear conveniently in black
and white. You make a decision and go
with it, and so be it if you take your child
out of school an hour early that one little
day, completely destroying her chances
for perfect attendance FOR THE ENTIRE
YEAR. We’re talking one hour. Sixty measly
minutes. Perfect attendance gone. Poof!
Because of 3,600 seconds. That’s all.
As for me, I see the world in a rainbow
of indecision and what ifs and perfect
attendance and mind-numbing rule
following. I hate this about myself, if you
must know, but I’m genetically hardwired
to do it. I calm myself with routines, yoga,
and music along with a steady sprinkling of
spirituality and the aforementioned Hershey,
not to mention an insane (literally?!) number
of hobbies. And, okay, vodka and cranberry
juice – good for the urinary tract AND the
soul.
I used to worry a lot more, mind you.
I suppose I’ve mellowed in my middle
agedness. That, and I procreated. Sure,
having kids brought about a whole slew
of new fears and questions and concerns,
one of which is my current obsession with
mortality and the lightning-fast passage
of time. And oral hygiene. And the quality
and quantity of fecal matter that didn’t even
come out of me. And why we never see Max
and Ruby’s parents and how Caillou and his
whiny cue ball head ever made it onto PBS
Kids. But I digress. New parental worries
aside, there’s nothing like being responsible
for tiny human life to really put things into
perspective. So whereas my worry was
more all-consuming in my youth – not
unlike that accursed rain cloud that perches
cruelly above Eeyore’s head and follows him
wherever he goes – now (most days, at least)
I can look up and see actual rainbows and
butterflies and whatnot. Grownup Parental
Me has achieved more of a hierarchy of
worry, I suppose. She’s better able to reason
with her irrational self and recognize what’s
important and worry-worthy and what isn’t.
As it turns out, most of the stuff in life? Sooo
not worth all the effort or attention or the
power we give it.
Sometimes I fantasize (I’m a very odd
person) about sending Grownup Parental
Me back in time to mentor and befriend
Youthful Worrywart Me and buy her lots of
Hershey Bars and such. I would teach her
to take deep, deep breaths – so deep that
it feels as though her lungs might go POP
– and then let it all out oh-so slowly and
consciously. I would tell her to slow down
in general. This isn’t a race. I would ask her
to surround herself with kind and accepting
people, not like that one friend or the other
or the other who judged her and made her
feel miniscule and as though God made only
one perfect mold, and if you didn’t fit into it,
you were a supreme freak of nature. I would
show her the beauty of Śavāsana (shahVAH-sah-nah). It’s a yoga thing. I would
teach her to sew and garden and build and
bake, but only low fat goods because the girl
grew some behemoth thighs her freshman
year of college, and she wouldn’t lose them
for eight more years. I would make her some
seriously cool mix tapes. And I would beg
her to stop trying to run away from all the
worry. There’s no hiding from it. Instead, she
must accept it as a part of who she is and
simply deal with it.
And when she turns twenty-one? Vodka
and cranberry juice. I’m just saying.
I’m not kidding you or myself; it’s not all
rainbows and butterflies these days. And it’s
not like I’ve embraced my worry or anything
either. I’ve just accepted it as one of my
many (many) quirks, and because if that, I’m
more at peace with myself. And that helps
me worry less. The irony!
FYI: I missed my deadline on this very
article. I’m a full forty-eight hours late with
it. And I’m only moderately worried about
it, and there’s this tiny part of me that feels
almost proud and rebel like.
I’m still completely peeved and pained
by those 3,600 seconds, though. MM
M
ichelle McCon is a stay-at-home mom, writer, sometimes
graphic designer, and avid worrier. She enjoys the great
outdoors, a good book, trashy television, word games, music and lots of it, yoga,
woodworking, sewing, bike riding, and achieving perfect attendance.
Have a question or comment? Please feel free to email her at msmccon@
gmail.com.
www.MauMag.com
INVESTIGATING THE BUTTON
Worrywart Me, Rainbows, and Butterflies
17
Third, be sure and look past the surface
when previewing potential homes. It is extremely rare to find a home that suits all of
your aesthetic tastes. If a house has the loca-
tion, space and layout that you need, don’t
discount it just because you aren’t fond of
the finishes. Aesthetic elements such as
paint color, light fixtures, countertops, appliances and cabinet hardware can be easily
changed. Flooring, cabinets, bath and kitchen fixtures may be a bigger job but potentially well worth it if the home has the location
and layout that suits you. If you have a hard
time visualizing the aesthetic possibilities,
take someone with you that can offer a design vision.
WHEN SEARCHING FOR A NEW HOME, GO INTO
THE PROCESS WITH A GOOD UNDERSTANDING
OF WHAT YOUR FAMILY NEEDS AND LIFESTYLE ARE.
Perspective from a Realtor:
House Hunting?
Perspectives from an Interior Stylist and a Realtor
S
May/June 2016
pring is here and many central
Arkansas families will be looking to move for various reasons.
This is a busy season for buying and
selling homes, an often-daunting
process that demands balancing practical and
emotional needs as well as the need for compromise. What are the most important things
to consider when house hunting?
Perspective from an Interior Stylist:
18
The expression “location, location, location”
has become cliché for good reason. The rationale behind this recommendation stems from
By Kricia Palmer, Interior Stylist
Casey Jones, Real Estate Agent
the fact that a house can always be changed,
but a location cannot. A stunning home loaded
with amenities loses its appeal if it’s located
on the corner of a busy intersection, on a busy
street or in a neighborhood that hasn’t been
maintained. Pay attention to busy streets, traffic patterns, and the maintenance of the street
and neighborhood. Maybe you prefer to be
surrounded by neighbors and other children
that are potential playmates for your own children. Or perhaps you prefer to live in a more secluded, private setting. Do you prefer the homes
on your street to look similar or different? These
are all important questions to consider at the
very beginning of your home search.
Second, most people have a checklist
of rooms they need, including the preferred
number of bedrooms, bathrooms and any
additional spaces they need for comfortable
living. However, the mere presence of these
rooms isn’t the only thing to consider. Many
home shoppers overlook the layout and flow
of these rooms. A house may have all the
rooms you need, but if they are not arranged
well, the home will not function well for you.
A well-designed floor plan will have private
spaces, such as bedrooms and bathrooms,
spatially separated from public spaces such
as living areas and the kitchen. For example,
master bedrooms and bathrooms shouldn’t
The most important aspect of house
hunting is to understand your lifestyle and to
develop a good understanding of what your
market has to offer. Being able to accurately
describe your lifestyle and family needs will
enable your realtor to help you find your
dream home. Determining your price point
is often the first step and will help you obtain
a good understanding of the current real estate market. Once you determine your price
point then location becomes the most critical element and can have the most effect on
the price point. For example being close to
school, work, country clubs, or having room
to roam- all play an important role and should
be carefully considered when deciding on
what home is best suited for your family. The right floor plan can also be a critical
element. All square footage is not created
equal and the right floor plan can enhance
family interaction and provide the perfect
setting for entertaining. A few items to consider would be the number of bedrooms and
baths that will accommodate your family, if a
formal dining is required, size of family living,
kitchen layout, a home office, or a playroom,
these are all features that center off your collective family needs. Equally important to
some buyers is the outdoor entertainment
areas which may consist of a pool, outdoor
kitchen and lush landscaped grounds which
allow the homeowner to extend their family
living space. Understanding how you and
your family will live and the spaces that are
required to enhance your family living atmosphere are always important features to
discuss.
Another component is personal style,
which incorporates the most subjective elements but is also what transforms a house
into a home. Some buyers prefer bold exotic colors and the latest in décor others
are more traditional and prefer to be surrounded by holistic neutral tones. Finding
the right home to showcase your personal
style is a fun component of the home shopping experience.
The Bottom Line:
Although these two perspectives were
written independently, they are extremely
similar. When searching for a new home, go
into the process with a good understanding of what your family needs and lifestyle
are. Discuss your price point with your realtor and he/she can discuss what the current
real estate market is like and what you can
expect for your price point. Prioritize location and floor plan in your search. When
considering the aesthetics of a home, keep
an open mind about what can be altered
to your liking. Taking all of these steps will
help make your house search less stressful
and more enjoyable. Most of all, it will help
you find the home that is right for you. MM
A
creative dreamer at heart, Kricia
Palmer retired from her career
as a physician seven years ago and tackled
her passion of becoming an interior designer. She founded Palmer Home Designs,
an idea warehouse offering fully customizable residential and commercial design services. Kricia is committed to providing innovative designs for every client. Although
she has a distinct personal design style,
she enjoys designing each client’s space
to reflect his or her own unique tastes and
personality. She authors her design blog
“Palmer Home” and is in her fourth year as
the interior design contributor to Maumelle
Magazine. She resides in Little Rock with her
husband, two rambunctious boys and their
labradoodle, Harper.
501.551.1221
palmerhomedesigns@gmail.com
www.palmerhomedesigns.com
C
asey Jones is one of the top real
estate agents in Central Little
Rock. For multiple years he has been named
as the TOP AGENT for the State of Arkansas.
Casey has been in the real estate business
for over 25 years, and has dedicated himself
to providing both buyers and sellers with
the ultimate in customer service.
501-224-3201
501-944-8000
casey@janetjones.com
www.MauMag.com
be located directly off of a living space unless
buffered by a small hallway. Garage or other
outdoor entry should be near the kitchen for
easy grocery unloading, and easy access to
the backyard or other outdoor space should
be located near the main living area and/or
kitchen.
19
Are you in PAIN?
Ditch the Scale and
Celebrate Non-Scale
Victories
Living with Arthritis, Fibromyalgia,
Headaches or Back Pain?
By Kathy Wheeler
As a trainer, I’ve never really
liked having to weigh my clients. A person’s
weight can fluctuate every day depending on
what you ate the day before, what time of the
day you are weighing, and hormones. Honestly,
can you tell by weighing yourself if you are losing water weight or decreasing body fat? Ever
wonder where all the quick weight loss comes
from in the first week on a strict diet? Mostly
water, not weight. Your body is made up of 70%
water after all.
May/June 2016
Yet many people judge their weight loss
success by the number on the scale. Sometimes
their emotional state is dependent on the number that shows up on the scale. Has this happened to you? You wake up in a great mood,
step on the scale and BAM your mood goes out
the window? How miserable that must be letting a number define if the day is going to be a
good or bad.
20
I have had clients whose body fat went
down, they lost inches but the scale didn’t move
and they still weren’t happy. Or, you have been
lifting heavier and your weight goes up. GASP….
but your clothes are still fitting the same. Guess
what, you have put on muscle AND decreased
body fat! Please understand muscle does
NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle
weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is
denser than fat tissue therefore it takes up less
space.
Why have we become so fixated on a number? Isn’t it JUST a number after all? What if, you
focus and celebrate non-scale victories (NSV)
and finally free yourself from the bondage of
that thing called a scale.
NSV’s are those small, everyday indicators
that are marking your new healthier life. NSV’s
prove that all your hard work is paying off and
it’s important to recognize these to help keep
you positive.
Examples of NSV’s would be:
1. Clothes are fitting better. Jeans you
haven’t been able to wear for two years finally slip on with ease.
2. You can walk up a flight of stairs with
ease. Finally those group ex classes and
running is paying off.
3. You have more energy. You actually get
off the couch and play with your kids or do
something active on the weekends.
4. You feel more positive and better about
yourself. You have more confidence now
and that my friend is attractive.
5. You notice your face is thinner compared
to pictures from the past. Pictures don’t lie.
SERVICES
6. People ask you “Have you been losing
weight?” What a compliment!
• Chiropractic
7. Your resting heart rate is lower. Your RHR
goes from 68 to 52, the old ticker is having
to work less.
• Massage Therapy
8. You are lifting heavier. Haven’t you heard?
Strong is the new skinny.
• Spinal Decompression
Therapy
9. You resist junk food when out with
friends. You have created a new lifestyle.
• Acupuncture
10.Your waist circumference is less than 35
inches (women) and 40 inches (men). According to the National Institute of Health
(NIH), high waist circumference is associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes,
dyslipidemia, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Not all progress can be seen on the scale.
Record your NSV’s you notice to help you stay
motivated in your journey to getting and staying
healthy. Acknowledge how far you have come
and be proud. Celebrate small victories! MM
• Cold Laser Therapy
Kyle L. Skinner D.C. , C.C.S.P.
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
Institute Master Fitness Specialist, IDEA Professional Member, SCW Yoga
and mat Pilates certified and CPR/AED certified. To learn more about
personal training call 501-519-1746.
663 Highway 365
Mayflower
501.470.9855
www.skinnerchiropractic.com
www.MauMag.com
Y
es, you read that right, I
just gave you permission to
THROW THAT SCALE AWAY. Not
tomorrow but TODAY!
21
Parents Aren’t
the Only Ones
who Need to
Think About
Childproofing
Sedation Dentistry
edation Dentistry may well
be the greatest advance ever
made towards truly pain-free
Here’s how Oral Sedation Dentistry works:
and anxiety free dentistry.
After an initial consultation you’ll be given
Accidental Poisonings
Rise During Summers
& Holidays As Kids
Visit Relatives
I
That’s the main reason Arkansas Children’s Hospital sees so many accidental
poisoning cases during the summer and over
holidays. Grandparents, aunts or uncles and family friends may not be as careful as Mom and Dad
when it comes to locking up the substances that
appeal to the curiosity of young children.
Children under 6 years old account for approximately 70 percent of the poisoning exposures reported to the Arkansas Poison Center.
Kids are going to get into things —that’s just
a fact of life. It’s up to us as caretakers to do our
best to prevent it from happening.
May/June 2016
If you have young visitors for a few days, take
the time to get down on their level and identify
the hazards that may be in their line of vision. Get
down on all fours! This is the best way to figure out
what they’ll be likely to head towards.
22
For many people, the unpleasantness of a dental appointment isn’t so much
fear as it is stress from that “anticipation and
claustrophobic” aspect of the procedure. Many
Americans avoid dental care at all costs, even
when they are in pain or discomfort. But it no
longer has to be that way. It is now safe, effective, and comfortable to treat patients with Sedation Dentistry.
By Sam Smith, M.D.
t’s easy to think about childproofing when
you have little ones under foot all the time.
It’s easy to forget about it when you don’t.
Move any substance that might cause your
little ones danger up high and if possible, behind
a locked cabinet door.
One of the most common scenarios we see
with accidental poisonings is a child getting into
a grandparent’s medications. Lots of pills look
like candy and some liquid serums have nice
fruity flavors that are appealing to toddlers. Be
sure any prescriptions and over-the-counter
lieve mild anxiety very effectively. Sometimes
a valium can be taken at least an hour before
the treatment and combined with nitrous oxide can be even more effective. You will need
a driver if you take a valium before treatment.
Beyond that is Oral Sedation an IV Sedation.
drugs are locked up. Check your purse and counters – even the refrigerator – before your young
visitors arrive so you can be sure there aren’t any
dangers lurking in a forgotten place.
Another way children get into poisons is out
in the garage or yard. Hazardous liquids abound
in these areas! Do a quick walk-through and move
things like gasoline, windshield wiper fluid, bleach
and pest controls out of reach.
If a child in your care has accidentally ingested a harmful substance, call Poison Control
right away – before you try to induce vomiting.
Some materials will cause more damage if they
come back up the child’s esophagus, so you need
to get directions from an expert immediately before you make any moves.
The last call anyone wants to make is the
one telling parents their child has been injured
because of someone else’s negligence. A little
preparation can ensure that isn’t a call you ever
have to make.
Also make sure you don’t have any of these
substances stored in containers that aren’t the
original packaging. It’s really easy to get confused
if, say, you keep some leftover antifreeze in an old
soda or formula bottle that was ready for the recycling bin. We have seen caretakers confuse household chemicals for punch or juice this way!
Another tip: The MyACH iPhone app available
from the Apple iTunes store can help you find lots
of helpful information about preventing all kinds of
injuries and illnesses. Download it free today.
Another good way to be prepared is to go
ahead and save the number for Poison Control in
your phone. You don’t want to think about tracking down that number when it’s needed ASAP.
The number is 1-800-222-1222.
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
You may have heard this treatment called
anxiety-free dentistry or relaxation dentistry. You
may also hear the term moderate sedation or
conscious sedation dentistry. For the fearful patient, it is simply called a solution.
We all have our own sense of personal
space; and when hands and tools enter the
mouth, as they must, the feeling can get downright “full of anxiety emanating from being in
that dental chair.” These emotions are perfectly
normal. There is no reason to be embarrassed
about these feelings. Fortunately, there’s an
antidote to this problem, Sedation Dentistry.
a prescription for a sedative to take the night
before your appointment to guarantee a good
night’s sleep and to make sure you wake up
relaxed. The safety of sedation medications is
measured by pharmacists and physicians on a
scale called the therapeutic index. The larger
the number is on the scale, the safer the drug.
The sedation medications used by most general
dentists for oral sedation have the highest numbers possible on the therapeutic index, making
them the least likely to cause an adverse reaction.
The day of your appointment, you’ll need
a family member or friend to help transport
you to and from the office safely. When you arrive for your appointment you’ll be awake, but
drowsy. You will be given a little more medi-
There are several forms of sedation dentistry. It can be as simple as nitrous oxide and as
complex as IV sedation. Nitrous oxide is readily available in most dental offices and will re-
Office: 501-664-4117
Your dental visit is so comfortable, you’ll
breeze through it!
IV sedation can also be used if you are extremely fearful of the dental work to be performed. Most general dentists that provide this
service will have an anesthetist come into the
office to provide and oversee the procedure.
If you are fearful of dental procedures,
don’t let it get the best of you. If you put off
dental treatment for too long it will only get
worse and more expensive. Call around and
find a dental office that is certified and experienced with sedation dentistry. It’s much easier
than you think. 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.
STAY HEALTHY! SCHEDULE YOUR CHECK UP TODAY!
Doctors Building
500 S. University Ave., Suite 200
Little Rock, AR 72205
Next thing you’ll know, you’ll be told that
the procedure is complete and it is time to go
home - thanks to anxiety-free Sedation Dentistry.
D
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.
cation to take when you get in the chair. Most
important, you’ll be relaxed and anxiety free.
While you’re in the chair, the sedation team will
monitor you closely. You won’t be unconscious;
you’ll just enjoy a soothing mental and emotional
“distance” from the goings on.
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
S
By Dr. Bryan Austin
23
A
By Christie Brooks, MS, RD, LD
Registered Dietitian, CrossFit Trainer, Essential Oils Educator
Why Weight Lifestyle Program - www.WhyWeightLifestsyle.com
ccording to Psychology
Today, Self-Sabotaging is
defined as: A Behavior that
creates problems and interferes with long-stand-
ing goals. The most common self-sabotaging
May/June 2016
behaviors regarding health are procrastination, self-medication with food (sometimes
called “comfort eating”). These acts may seem
helpful in the moment, but they ultimately
undermine us, especially when we engage in
them repeatedly. People aren’t always aware
of their own self-sabotage as the effects of
their behavior may not show up for some time.
They tend to show up with a slow gradual
weight gain. Thus begins the spiral of events
that take place.
24
So where did it all start?? Most commonly, it all starts with childhood. How a
child “perceives” events or situations sets up
their thought process foundation that they
will carry with them into adulthood. Events
or situations could be conversations between
them and parents, or it could be witnessing
their parents divorce and feeling they are the
ones to blame for it. It could also be living with
the fact that they were sexually or physically
abused as a child. Maybe it could be that their
parents never showed them love or praised
them. It could also be that their parents told
them they were overweight and needed to
lose weight. And it possibly could be a void
that was left behind be the death of a loved
one and they just didn’t have the tools to know
how to healthfully grieve it. There really could
have been any event that impacted a young
mind that was not yet equipped.
What a child “perceives” reflects upon how
they feel loved, worthy, or even a sense of
belonging. If they perceive themselves as being inadequate in those areas or possibly not
measuring up the the standards of the adults
around them, then this leads them to try to
“earn” them. This starts the root for the “perfection driven personality” or possibly even actions and reactions prompted by “shame.” The
fruit of these roots bear problems of emotional
eating, eating disorders, unrealistic restricted
diets, closet eating (hidden binging), quickly
losing motivation to get healthy, etc. When
we lose that control of eating correctly and
healthfully, it typically leads to feeling MORE
shame, so we continue on in that same spiral
of cause and effect… affecting our subconscious thought process…and desiring to get
off the self-sabotaging roller coaster but not
knowing HOW to do just that.
Here’s the problem: we don’t get to the
root of the issue. The root of the problem is
NOT losing perfection or losing control of the
food intake. Those are only the symptoms of
what’s truly the issue. We need to dig deeper
than that… a deeper area that maybe we buried up so long ago that we don’t even think
about it anymore yet it subconsciously still affects us today.
So how do we get to the root and how
do we find out if that is truly our issue?
Emotions are the root. Unhealthy
eating behaviors are the fruit of
that unhealed emotion.
C
Think back to the last time you got upset
at yourself or at someone… how did you deal
with your emotions?? Did you binge on sugar
or other foods? Did you avoid food altogether
until you felt you had “control” again?
So where do I go from here?
First off, if you have suffered a childhood
trauma (big or small) or somewhat tragic
event, I urge you to seek professional counseling that does a form of therapy called EMDR.
This form of therapy will help you heal from
the deepest of wounds and emotions.
Secondly, you need to love yourself. Mark
12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind and with all your strength.’ The
second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than
these.” If you feel you are not good enough
Unhealthy food consumption
to suffocate emotions is just as
crippling as a physician prescribing
medicine to a patient whom he
knows has a poor lifestyle habits
but isn’t addressing it. It just treats
the symptoms but not the root of
the problem.
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
And Thirdly, I encourage you to give
thanks in ALL things. I’m not talking about
just the good times but instead I’m talking about giving thanks in the deepest
and darkest valleys (1 Thess 5:18). There is
something that changes within the soul a shift within - when we give thanks in the
mud and junk of life’s arrows. It’s just like a
key that unlocks the door of joy and hope.
We all truly desire that deep down, right?
I personally have a Gratitude Journal that I
write in each night before bed. I can’t begin
to tell you the shift it evoked within! This is
something that I will continue until my days
are up.
If you have tried even one time to
change your lifestyle of eating and/or exercise and you quickly fell off the plan, then
I encourage you to look within. Refuse the
lies of negativity we allow to become “truth.”
We are our worst enemy. It’s time we get
to the root of the problem, address it, and
seek healing from it. Only then, you can see
how easy it is to move forward in reaching
your goals! MM
»» Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become
your words.
»» Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions.
»» Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.
»» Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.
»» Be careful of your character,
for your character becomes
your destiny. — Chinese proverb, author unknown
Signs and Symptoms of a Sinus Infection
W
By Alissa Kanaan, M.D.
hether it’s because of
congestion, stuffiness
or facial pain, many of
us know the pain and
discomfort of sinus infections. Known as sinusitis, the condition is a common problem.
Treating Sinusitis
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately
29.4 million Americans have chronic sinusitis. On
top of that, sinusitis accounts for nearly 12 million
doctor visits each year. The American College of
Allergy, Asthma & Immunology says we’ll spend
more than $1 billion this year on over-the-counter
medications trying to treat it.
If the condition is chronic, persisting longer
than 12 weeks, symptoms can occur even without
an infection, so treatment options and preventive
measures beside antibiotics should be explored.
There are surgical options, including an endoscopic procedure that washes out the sinuses and
be an effective way to deal with fungus or polyps
in the sinus cavities.
With numbers like these, it’s important to
understand the causes, symptoms and treatment
options for sinus infections.
What is Sinusitis?
The human body has four pair of sinuses
that form a connected system of hollow, air-filled
cavities in the skull. While we still aren’t sure exactly why we have sinuses, we know many of their
functions, which include humidifying the air we
breathe, helping us smell better, giving resonance
to our voice, contributing to our facial growth and
lightening the weight of the skull.
The sinus cavities are lined with a thin layer of
mucus that serves to trap dust, germs and other
air particles. A normally functioning sinus cavity
sweeps these trappings to the back of the throat
and down to the stomach.
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses,
which stops the normal flow of mucus. This can be
caused by a multitude of things, including nasal
polyps, allergies, a deviated septum, a weak immune system or colds that eventually turn into a
sinus infection. Common symptoms include nasal
discharge, stuffiness, congestion, frontal headaches and tenderness.
Many times, sinusitis is confused for a cold.
However, the symptoms and length of those
symptoms are key to recognizing the difference. If
symptoms last from three to five days, sometimes
even up to 10 days, your illness is most likely a cold.
If after more than a week the symptoms worsen
and do not subside, it’s possible your cold has become a sinus infection.
In treating sinusitis, it’s important to note
whether you are experiencing symptoms that are
sudden and severe, or if the condition has persisted over a longer period of time. If you have coldlike symptoms that last a few weeks, antibiotics,
rest, plenty of fluids, along with a nasal spray or
saline rinse are the best forms of treatment. These
control your symptoms and can get you to a point
of feeling better quicker.
In rare cases, a balloon sinuplasty is performed. The procedure inserts a balloon catheter
and inflated to expand the cavity. Saline is then
sprayed into the cavity to flush out any blockages
and the catheter is removed.
Preventing Sinusitis
There are several precautions you can take
at home to help prevent sinus infections. This includes having a humidifier or using a neti pot or
squeeze bottles for nasal irrigation.
Just like your teeth require daily brushing,
for those with sinus problems, using a neti pot
or squeeze bottle up to two times a day can help
keep your sinus cavities clean. Be sure to use distilled water.
For those with known allergies that could
lead to sinus problems be sure to frequently vacuum and change your linens. Occasionally putting
your pillows in the dryer can also help. These steps
help keep away dust mites that can lead to allergy
problems. Using steroid nasal spray and over-thecounter antihistamines can also help those with
outdoor allergens and stave off sinusitis. MM
Alissa Kanaan, M.D.
Assistant Professor,
Department of
Otolaryngology,
College of Medicine,
University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences
www.MauMag.com
Self-Sabotaging Our Fitness Plan
and you strive for constant perfection only
to feel failure in not succeeding, only to sabotage your day with an unhealthy food relationship, then you need to dig deep within
your emotions. You can NOT give what you,
yourself, have not yet received. You can’t
love yourself, nor wholeheartedly love anyone else, until you received His love FIRST.
He has loved you through the mud and junk
that life threw at you, never leaving you.
25
Sugar Ants Are Not Sweet
By Cary Maddox
Take Your Range Game To The Golf Course!
I
f you are a golfer chances are you have uttered this phrase: “I can hit the ball great
on the range, but can’t seem to take it to
the course.” As a teacher, I hear it often. I
have on the range. You will find you are much
more relaxed and can perform a nice fluid
swing. You begin to gain confidence as you
see yourself hitting the shots that normally give
you trouble. Soon you will begin to feel more
comfortable on the course.
would say that most golfers have experienced this “phenomenon” at some point in their
golfing career. Why does this happen?
Pre-Shot Routine Is a Must
Getting comfortable and confident on the
course is what we are trying to achieve. This begins before you even hit a shot. As you practice
using either of these strategies, make sure to
develop a pre-shot routine and try to make it
the same each time. Your routine doesn’t have
to be a long drawn out process. You definitely
don’t want to be the cause of slow play in your
group. It should be short, simple, and something that gets you in the good mindset to hit
the shot.
Think about your mindset on the range…
• You are relaxed. A bad shot doesn’t really matter on the range. You are calm; your
breathing pattern is more consistent. Also,
there are very few distractions so you can
perform at the pace you want to.
• You get in a rhythm. Hitting ball after ball
with the same club allows you to get in a
rhythm with that club and you begin to hit
good shots.
• You are repetitive. As you hit balls on
the range there is not much time between
swings, you remember your swing thoughts
easier, and you can repeat good swings.
Now think about how you feel on the course…
• You are tense. With every shot counting
things are different. Your body feels different, muscles tighten up, and that produces
inconsistent swings.
• You are apprehensive. You’re anxious, rush
things, and feel more pressure. This leads to
bad decisions (club selection, course management, etc.) and thus bad results.
May/June 2016
• You are out of rhythm. It is hard to get into
a rhythm when you hit a driver on one shot,
then hit an iron on the next shot. Add that
in with the time in between shots it is difficult to find a consistent swing.
Now we better understand why we sometimes feel more confident on the range versus
the course. Let’s focus now how we can be
more confident on the course. There are several
ways you can practice and prepare your game
for the course.
Practice Like You Play
26
Next time you are out on the range try and
A good pre-shot routine should consist of…
hit in sequences that you see on the course.
For instance, the first hole at your course may
be a Par 4 that you hit a driver then 8-iron to
the green. While you are on the range pull out
your driver, hit a drive and then switch and hit
an 8-iron. Practice like this and play 18-holes on
the range. Even take it a step further, if you hit
a bad drive, put the next ball in a bad lie. If you
miss hit an iron shot, get your wedge out and
hit a chip/pitch shot as if you’re chipping onto a
green. This will allow you to practice the same
type of sequences and situations you see on the
course.
One-Person Scramble
Another fun way to practice, and see your
potential at the same time,
is to play a one-person
scramble. Go out and
play a 9-hole one-person
scramble by yourself or
with a buddy. As you play
focus on the positive feelings and thoughts you
• The right club selection
• A practice swing (or short ¾ swing to get
the feel). If it is an awkward lie you may take
2-3 just don’t hold up play.
• A deep breath to calm the nerves
• A visual of the shot you want to hit
Once you have done this you step up confidently and hit the shot.
I encourage you to try these strategies the
next time you go out and practice. You will find
it helps you adjust and hit different shots that
are required on the course. You will also enjoy
the way you feel on the course.
Good luck!MM
C
ary Maddox is the PGA Head Golf
Professional at the Maumelle Country
Club. He has over 20 years of teaching experience
working with men, women, seniors, and juniors.
For more information on lessons contact him at
carymaddox@pga.com.
By Prunella Pinetree
S
ugar ants: teeny, tiny
home invaders that appear out of nowhere and
travel in long Conga lines
anywhere food may have
been. One might think that they only like
“sweet” food, but one would be sadly mistaken. I’ve actually heard of them being found
in a salt shaker, hanging around dog food,
surrounding greasy droplets on the counter,
and practically mesmerized by anything remotely categorized within the food or food
prep groups.
If you’re from the South, you and every
member of your family have dealt with them
more than once, and even though you may
have won the battle, you will never win the
war. They are resilient and have only one mission in life: finding some groceries for the gang.
Judging by the many that have fallen due to
my own personal persistence and other’s creativity, I feel fairly confident saying that Earth
has an endless supply of them. Though the
lowly sugar ant belongs to the species Aggravatus Nocturnus, after they have repeatedly
violated your peace and tranquility, you may
catch yourself referring to them as the lily-livered, yellow-bellied varmints who are driving
you nuts: but for this article, I’ll use the term
sugar ants.
For something so small that lives outdoors, they certainly seem to know what’s
going on inside our homes and how to readily access it. Where do they come from? How
do they know there is something worthy of
eating? How do they send signals to alert the
group? Why am I unable to keep them from
entering my premises? They are so small
that they don’t even cast a shadow. Are they
wearing camouflage now? Big ol’ top-of-the-
food-chain me has to wait for them to actually move before my eyes can focus on them.
Otherwise, they just look like the little squiggles of my counter top.
I’m truly baffled: why would they come
to my house when there are plenty of people
elsewhere actually cooking? No tasty meals
are being produced or consumed here, no
pet dishes are overflowing with crunchy stuff,
no little crumb-snatchers are running hither
and yon scattering food debris, and the closest fraternity house is in Conway. Do sugar
ants now have a taste for my cardboard and
styrofoam “to-go” containers? If their taste
buds keep evolving, we could potentially be
in for some scary stuff later down the road,
folks.
When I turn on the kitchen light and approach the sink, there often seems to be an
important meeting being held as they gather
in a little group. Are they talking, and if so,
is it about me? Are they discussing the next
plan of attack? Could it be roll-call? Are they
wondering who the new ant cutie in town is?
The ant killing websites say to wipe down
your counter tops with vinegar or bleach to
interrupt the pheromone trails that they follow. Ha! My little 6-legged intruders do the
backstroke in any and all of my attempts to
erase their scent. No matter how many times
I wipe it down, they just come right back to
the same exact area like it is Bourbon Street
during Mardi Gras. They seem to know the
way by heart. Could they be using GPS now?
I’ve wondered if my kitchen is the sugar
ant training grounds for invasions being
planned for a more target-rich environment
of decent food particles and not so many dust
bunnies. Here at Fort Pinetree, they probably
learn to be stealthy as they run along the edg-
es of the sink, practice blending in with their
surroundings, and enhance their reflexes as
they try to dodge incoming assaults. With
the astronomical number of sugar ants in the
world, maybe their training losses are a small
price to pay for their military being ready for
action when duty calls. All I know is that for
a brief period of time during the hottest part
of each summer, their presence here is as predictable as my lottery ticket being a sure-fire
loser.
During my research of home remedies to
force the little beggars to am-scray, I found
several hopeful suggestions, but I just cannot make myself prepare the buffet of borax
and sugar death-cubes without wincing at
terrifying visions of my simple homestead being overrun by hordes of sugar ants enticed
by the spread. It’s bad enough that they can
mysteriously locate a speck of something
that draws a platoon of them inside for an invasion. Imagining the size stampede I might
trigger by catering to their desires just makes
me itchy all over. I simply can’t do it.
It’s sad to say, but I guess the next time I
want to buy some Nutella I’ll have to drive to
the river just to eat it in peace. I wonder if the
mighty dinosaur had this problem, too.
prunellapinetree@gmail.com MM
FOR SOMETHING SO SMALL THAT
LIVES OUTDOORS, THEY CERTAINLY
SEEM TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING
ON INSIDE OUR HOMES AND
HOW TO READILY ACCESS IT.
www.MauMag.com
Minute With Maddox
27
SO HOW CAN YOU
INSTANTLY AND
EASILY SHARE YOUR
IMAGES WITHOUT
SACRIFICING QUALITY?
WELL I’M GLAD
YOU ASKED!
By Austin Pittman
B
etween the year 1930 and
the year 2000, it is estimated that 182 billion photos were taken worldwide
(buzzfeed.com). In 2015
alone, it is estimated that 1 trillion photos were taken (resourcemag.com). That
means that that over 5 times the pictures
were taken than in that one year (2015)
than in the 70 years from 1930-2000. That
is an unbelievable statistic, but it is not too
surprising considering how the camera industry has evolved from film cameras to
digital cameras and now to smart phones.
Everyone now has a camera with them all
the time, and the beauty of the camera
phone is that they are not only an image
capturing device, but an image sharing device. The problem with camera phones is the
quality. Even if you have a high resolution
phone, the small sensor size impacts your
image quality, especially in low light. So
how can you instantly and easily share your
images without sacrificing quality? Well I’m
glad you asked!
May/June 2016
Over the last few years the camera manufacturers introduced something called Wifi
technology. This introduction has caused
some confusion to consumers, mostly because when people think “Wifi” they think
28
computers. This technology was actually
designed to wirelessly transfer images from
your camera to your smartphone or tablet,
not to your computer. You download the
camera manufacturers app to your device,
and use the app to select the images for
downloading. It is a very common misconception that you have to be within a wireless
network, whether at home or a “hotspot” to
transfer your images. The camera actually
creates its own hotspot, so whether you are
in the woods, at the lake, or anywhere else,
the technology allows you to send pictures
from your camera to your device. So now you
can have the great image quality that you get
from a “real” camera, while using your phone
or tablet for what it is good at, texting, emailing, or uploading those images.
In theory, this idea sounds great, but for
those of you that have used this Wifi technology, you probably know that a lot is left
to be desired. Every time you want to connect your camera to your phone, you have
to go through a lengthy process. 1. Turn on
the camera. 2. Turn on the Wifi feature on the
camera. 3. Go in to settings on your device
and select the appropriate Wifi network that
the camera is creating, and type in appropriate password. 4. Go to the App. 5. Finally
start the download process. The process,
although much easier than downloading
images to your computer using cables or
card readers and then transferring to your
tablet or phone, still has too many steps and
can be confusing if done in the wrong order.
Also although many cameras have Wifi built
in, others require a small accessory dongle
to plug in to the camera in order for Wifi to
work. One more little thing that you never
have with you when you need it.
Enter Nikon’s new Snapbridge technology. Snapbridge actually uses Bluetooth
technology instead of Wifi. The beauty of
Bluetooth is that just like your Bluetooth
headset or speakers, once you pair the two
devices together the first time, they remain
paired. It is a much more seamless technology, and you don’t even have to have your
camera turned on! Just go to your app and
select the images you want to view or download and you’re good to go. Nikons slogan
for Snapbridge “I AM ALWAYS CONNECTED”
says it all. The technology is actually called
Bluetooth low energy (BLE) so like the name,
it uses very little energy and is therefore very
easy on your battery. Snapbridge is brand
new, and is only available on Nikon’s new
line of cameras, so visit www.bedfords.com
or come see us at the store to see which
cameras have this new exciting feature.
Some cameras also have Near Field
Communication (NFC) technology to transfer images to your mobile devices. NFC is
defined as “a method of wireless data transfer that detects and then enables technology in close proximity to communicate without the need for an internet connection”
(techradar.com). This is the “tap” technology
used for Apple Pay and many Android devices to share data (remember the “bump”
commercials?). No pairing is needed, when
the two chips (one in the camera and one in
the device) come within range of each other,
they automatically connect. In the camera
world, the NFC technology only works with
Android devices, so as of now you can’t use
it with your Iphone or Ipad. Canon, Nikon
and Sony all have cameras that incorporate
NFC technology, so if you are dedicated to
one brand (and are an Android user) you
have more choices on camera models than
with Snapbridge.
I am a huge proponent of capturing and
sharing images, and there is no doubt that
camera phones have made this incredibly
easy for everyone. Images taken with smart
phones are acceptable as long as you have
plenty of light and are not wanting to print
the pictures any bigger than a standard
snapshot. Every day people bring images
taken with a camera phone in wanting canvas prints, metal prints, books, and enlargements done, and are disappointed with the
results. The advantages of the smartphone
are twofold, you always have a “camera” with
you, and it is easy to share your images with
friends and family. The Wifi and Bluetooth
technology have taken the sharing advantage away, so grab your “real” camera and
use your phone for what it is designed for,
sharing you images, not shooting them. MM
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
Camera Connectivity
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
Old Technology
By Angela Wiser
By Larry Egger
By Angela Wiser
www.MauMag.com
May/June 2016
By Harvey Durham
By Larry Egger
By Joseph E. Goble
30 By Harvey Durham
By Harvey Durham
31
T
hree months after the UAMS
Neighborhood Clinic opened
in Maumelle, it is already expanding with the addition of
a second physician and an advanced practice registered nurse.
Siobahn Hruby, M.D., and Donna Gullette,
Ph.D., A.P.R.N., on Feb. 1 joined the clinic’s medical team led by Michael Stout, M.D. The clinic’s
hours have also changed. Effective Feb. 1, the
clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Appointments are encouraged
and can be made by calling 501-614-2470.
May/June 2016
Stout is board certified in family medicine
and has been practicing in Little Rock for 18
years. He graduated from Arkansas Tech with a
bachelor’s degree in biology and received his
medical degree from UAMS. He completed a
three-year residency with the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.
“I’ve wanted to be a physician as long as I
can remember,” said Stout, who said he chose
family practice because it allowed him to help
a number of patients with a wide variety of
health problems.
“We have often heard from Maumelle
residents about the need for more primary
care physicians in their community,” said Roxane A. Townsend, M.D., UAMS Medical Center
CEO and vice chancellor for clinical programs.
“We are thrilled that the UAMS Neighborhood
Clinic has been warmly received in Maumelle
and is already expanding to meet the needs of
the community.”
“My medical philosophy is simple: Patients
should expect to be cared for in a friendly atmosphere by people who love what they do,”
Stout said. “That is what patients can expect at
the clinic in Maumelle.”
Located at 102 Town Centre Drive, the clinic offers primary care services to those 12 and
older. Services available include annual exams
and preventive care, treatment for illnesses
that arise unexpectedly and management of
ongoing medical conditions.
She graduated from the College of Saint
Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, with a bachelor’s
degree in chemistry, biology and math. Hruby
received her medical degree from Creighton
University School of Medicine in Omaha and
completed a three-year internal medicine residency there during which she was selected as
resident of the year in 2010.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has assembled a team of caring
32
health care professionals at the Neighborhood
Clinic.
Michael Stout, M.D.
Education: Bachelor of Science in biology,
Arkansas Tech University, 1990
Doctor of Medicine, University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences, 1995
Residency: Department of Family and
Preventive Medicine, UAMS
Specialties: Board certified in Family Medicine
Hruby is board certified in internal medicine and most recently practiced in Belmont,
Michigan. She also has worked at hospitals in
Nebraska and Iowa.
Siobahn Mhari Hruby, M.D.
Education: Bachelor of Science in chemistry, biology and
math, College of Saint Mary, 2003
Doctor of Medicine, Creighton University
School of Medicine, 2007
Residency: Internal medicine, Creighton University
Specialties: Board certified in Internal Medicine
Should You Hate A Financial Product
I’m a big believer in listening to my patients
and devising a medical treatment plan that fits
them and their lifestyle,” said Hruby, who will be
available to treat a variety of health conditions
for patients 17 and older.
I
While new to the Neighborhood Clinic,
Gullette isn’t new to UAMS. Now the associate
dean for practice in the UAMS College of Nursing and the director of the master of nursing
science degree program, she has worked at the
university since 2005.
that job you may not need that tool. I doubt
seriously if that would make you despise the
tool. There may be some point in time where
the proper tool for a job will greatly improve
your odds for success.
Hruby said she learned a valuable lesson in
medical school about the importance of being
a lifelong teacher to her patients.
Gullette is dual certified as an acute care
nurse practitioner and as an adult gerontology
acute care nurse practitioner. She graduated
from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She
received her master’s degree in nursing from
Northwestern State University in Natchitoches,
Louisiana, and her doctorate of philosophy
from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
For Gullette, medicine is a partnership between the clinician and the patient.
“My medical philosophy is to provide the
best care to all of my patients by teaching them
about their disease, the type of management
needed, and provide them with information so
they can make informed decisions about their
care and treatment options,” she said. MM
Donna Gullette, Ph.D., A.P.R.N.
Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing,
Northeast Louisiana University, 1977
Master of Science in Nursing,
Northwestern State University, 1985
Doctor of philosophy, University of Alabama
at Birmingham, 1998
Specialties: Board certified as an Adult Gerontology
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and as an
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
f I told you that I hated hammers,
you might think that was because
I probably have a few loose screws
and would be far better served
with a screwdriver. It is totally irratio-
nal to hate inanimate objects. A tool is only
useful for the job it was designed to perform,
and if you are not attempting to complete
What do tools have to do with an article
which is supposed to address financial topics?
All financial products are nothing more than
tools, which when properly employed can help
complete the task of perpetuating your financial success. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs,
certificates of deposit, home mortgages, auto
loans, life insurance, and homeowners insurance are all financial products which can be taken from your financial toolbox and used when
appropriate to address your personal financial
challenges and objectives. You may prefer one
or more of these tools to the others, but consumers have few emotional ties to any of the
financial tools they employ.
There is currently a national media advertising campaign which begins with the quote
“I hate annuities and so should you.” This advertising campaign is designed to tempt the
consumer with negative information about a
particular financial product, and after the consumer responds the investment advisory firm
paying for the ads attempts to take over management of the client’s investment portfolio.
In this article I will attempt to explain what
annuities are, and what if anything about them
would cause anyone enough distress to decide
that they are worthy of hatred. Unlike the firm
running the campaign, I am licensed in Arkansas and several other states to sell and consult
upon the purchase of annuities. I am not registered with a broker – dealer which is a requirement to sell or service any annuities which directly invest in the securities market.
If there are any of you reading this article
who would like to give up your Social Secu-
rity or pension benefit payments, I would be
happy to put you in touch with a few charities
who would be happy to rescue you from those
hated annuities. Whether you have considered
it or not Pensions, Structured Settlements, and
Social Security are all annuities. In its most basic
form, an annuity is a financial instrument which
pays out a guaranteed stream of income for a
defined period of time or for life. Just what is
there about guaranteed income which should
cause hatred?
Individual annuities are issued by insurance companies and are available for purchase
through insurance companies and licensed insurance agents. In the scope of this article I will
not discuss variable annuity contracts which are
considered to be both insurance and investment products. Other than the variable annuities, no other form of annuity is an investment
product. All other annuities are insurance products which at their core contain income guarantees. Following are brief descriptions of annuity
types which are readily available in today’s market environment.
Single Premium Immediate Annuities
(SPIA’s) work very much like Social Security or
Pension payouts. For a one time premium payment the insurance company will guarantee
payment of a fixed amount for a period of time,
for your lifetime, or a combination of both. This
guarantee can be based upon one life or multiple lives. In return for this income the purchaser
generally gives up access to the payment which
funds the annuity. Income usually must start
within 12 months from the purchase date of
the annuity. Some contracts allow for increases
to the guaranteed payments based upon inflation. There is a wide variation on the amount of
income available for the purchase price among
insurance companies offering SPIA’s.
Deferred Income Annuities (DIA’s) work
like SPIA’s except that the start date for the in-
F
come is some time in the future. This allows the
consumer to purchase income now and guarantee the income they will receive later. Terms
are set at the time of purchase and flexibility to
make changes is limited after purchase. Each
insurance company designs their own product
and as with SPIA’s there may be a wide variation
in flexibility of the contract and the amount of
income available for the purchase price.
Fixed Annuities (FA’s) are designed to allow the contract holder to deposit funds, earn
tax deferred interest, and remove income at a
later date. Interest rates are declared by the insurance company and are commonly guaranteed for time periods as long as ten years. Fixed
annuities include the same types of income
payout options as SPIA’s when the contracts are
settled. Until the contracts are annuitized the
owner may cash them in for the current value
minus any surrender charges. There is a wide
variation in interest rates and contract terms offered by insurance companies issuing the annuity contracts.
Fixed Index Annuities (FIA’s) work just
like FA’s except that interest earnings credited
to the contracts is based upon a formula tied to
the actual returns of an equity market such as
the S&P 500 Index. If the index returns are positive, the annuity is credited interest based upon
the formula. If the index returns are negative no
earnings or nominal earnings will be credited
for that time frame. Settlement options are similar to those offered with FA’s. There is an even
wider variation in interest rate formulas and
contract terms offered by insurance companies
issuing FIA’s.
I don’t hate annuities and neither should
you! Annuities are a unique financial tool which
can simplify the retirement income planning
process and provide a source of income which
cannot be outlived. MM
rank B Howell, Jr. is a Certified Financial Planner ™ in Little Rock, AR
and developer of the Tax Efficient Asset Movement process.
No portion of this article is to be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell a security or to provide
personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Frank can be reached by phone at 501-519-3280
or on the web at TaxEfficientAssetMovement.com. Frank B Howell, Jr. holds Arkansas Insurance
Consultant License # 829849 / CFP Board ID # 116373
www.MauMag.com
UAMS Neighborhood Clinic
Increases Staff, Expands Hours
Financial
By Frank Howell
33
Spring Fling
By Robyn D. Rektor
Ode to warm weather, seasonal changes, and other wonders
W
e sit in a loose circle on
the front lawn of a house
in Gentilly that was once
under eight feet of water
when the city was sieged by an angry
mother nature’s wet wrath. I absently
The next day, after light had fully descended, I took her out for our first spin. Feeling the cool breeze caress my cheeks and flip
my hair back perfectly like a shampoo commercial, I felt the same exhilaration and peace
the previous week had invoked, and instantly
recalled why I had loved riding my bike as a
kid. It was so yummy. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt this impulse purchase had not
been flighty or foolish but the perfect choice,
the right thing to do, my one-way ticket to nirvana. Oh the joy. The self assurance. The smug.
pick at an anemic blade of grass, feeling
hugged under the blanket of satisfaction that
envelops our worn out group on a warmish
March evening. Each of us sits quietly, tired
from a hard day of manual labor, hearts happy from helping brothers and sisters in need,
souls satiated from a week well spent.
34
In this moment I am fiercely proud of this
group who have spent the past few days in
close quarters as we chipped out old grout,
laid window sashes, installed closet doors, and
sweated together, occasionally quite profusely. They could be skiing in Colorado, sunning
on a beach in Florida, or playing Xbox in North
Little Rock. But instead here they sit in dirty
jeans, torn scrubs, and paint splattered T’s on
a grass-hungry front yard in the ninth ward of
New Orleans, La.
This was not my first feel good rodeo. In
fact, I have been lucky enough to have enjoyed a number of meaningful moments during the last three or four years, gems born of
shared experiences with the youth where I
church and volunteer as an adult leader.
Which lasted all of ten seconds.
This part pulls at my heart strings every
time, rips away the jaded adult skin covering my soft core. This is the gold nugget, the
nexus of why I come back for more and more--these kids give in spades. There’s no judging
need, value, or worth--they give simply to give,
freely, no strings attached. It’s a beautiful thing
to see.
When parents thank for me spending
days or a week with their kids, when other
adults ask if I’m crazy for chaperoning youth
trips by choice, I smile to myself knowing a
secret. I don’t chaperone because it is my kid’s
turn to throw up a sacrificial parent--indeed
I have no kids to pull duty for--but because I
want to. The secret is that it’s ridiculously FUN.
That’s right, I said fun. These experiences make
me feel fulfilled and happy, but I also have a
crazy good time.
Witnessing young people live and love
and give might actually be the secret fountain
of youth.
On this particular trip we were able to
sandwich around work time for sightseeing,
cooking dinner together, downtime playing
board games in the evenings, and even souvenir shopping. We enjoyed repeated stops
for hot beignets and large cups of thick, sweet
frozen cafe au laits from Cafe DuMonde. Walking through the French market, I tried to let
my senses be assailed, soaking in the rainbow
stew of the French Quarter. I hadn’t visited
since my college spring break twenty years
before, so it was all new, and yet it was all the
same. A hurricane had come through and left
her mark, but largely it was still the same NOLA
I had traipsed through two decades prior.
I learn so many lessons on youth trips that
I leave their company rejuvenated and wiser,
and wonder why I didn’t think teenagers were
this cool when I was one. I love their earnest
frankness, saying exactly what they feel or like,
not hiding what they don’t, and doing it all
with enough tact that even when the subject
is touchy, it’s still okay to be straightforward. I
find myself trying to be more like them than
my four decades of layered layers of misperceptions and wrongs want me to be. Leaving
the youth at the end of a trip is always bittersweet. I like getting back to my life, but I also
hate leaving the simple happy of theirs.
Then I came upon the beginning of the
hill at the end of my street, a small space between me and the cross street, the very thing
separating my house from the rest of Maumelle. It suddenly looked as long as the Amazon River, as wide as the Mississippi, and as
tall as Mount Everest. I nearly rolled backward
while surveying. I stood up on the wheels to
pedal harder but that still wasn’t enough to
continue propelling forward. I grunted, dug
deep for every bit of muscle I could muster,
pedaled with all my strength, and rolled forward one inch.
It wasn’t enough.
At the last second I had to hop off the bike
to avoid crashing face forward. Apparently my
new cruiser and I were no match for this Goliath of a hill that had suddenly sprung up at
the end of my street.
“This is going to be harder than I thought,”
I conceded out loud.
Trying to appear unfazed to the work
crew atop the roof on the corner, the one
laughing at me, I restraddled the machine
and hopped back on for the downhill return
trip. I went so fast I nearly hit their rollaway
trash bin and barely made it back to my driveway in one piece. A little shaken I parked the
cruiser in the garage and left its mastering for
another day
A few days later I had another delicious
bite of spring as I sat in the rows of folding
chairs on the banks of Lake Willastein with
other Maumellians gathered to hear some
thoughtful words early in the morning on
Easter Sunday. If you’ve never been to this
sunrise service, give it a try. There’s nothing to
make you feel connected to your neighbors
like waking up at 6 a.m., sharing a napkin to
wipe dew off your outdoor church seat, sitting
together as the glowing ball of sun rises, and
breaking bread together. It’s almost as bonding as a mission trip involving a 16-hour
drive in a small church van. But not quite. MM
W
ant to rediscover your own fountain of inner youth?
Volunteer! For more information on St. Bernard Project,
which has utilized more than 100,000 volunteers to help rehome 1,000
families, visit www.stbernardproject.org.
Robyn D. Rektor writes and teaches writing for the University of
Phoenix, rdr0119@icloud.com.
www.MauMag.com
May/June 2016
The volunteer coordinator from St. Bernard Project looks around the circle slowly,
stopping to settle on each of the faces that
has traveled here from from the heart of Arkansas, giving up time off school or work to
help our eastern neighbors. “You could be
anywhere this week,” she says. “But you chose
to come here, to help people you don’t know,
in a neighborhood in need, to use your spring
break to work for strangers.” The gravity of the
gift tugs at my soft side. I can’t swallow and try
to discreetly wipe the tears pooling in my eyes.
I returned home from this particular mission trip to a just-delivered toy, a vintagelooking new and shiny mint green cruiser that
my sweet friend had kindly assembled during
my absence. It came complete with cream colored tires, mesh basket, old school book rack
in the back, and upright latte holder on the
handlebars. I had prolonged visions of slow
idyllic journeys carefreely pedaling across the
rolling burg of Maumelle as I tootled to Morningside or Starbucks, Kroger or the library, on
my carbon-footprintless chariot, baguette
and novel sticking out of the basket.
35
Say Goodbye Grace
Broadband Competition
Worse Than Ever
By Troy Pousardien
fforts such as Google Fiber
have given people hope that
the monopolies of US Broadband might have finally been
coming to an end. Unfortunately,
through price increases and data caps. Despite this, it seems ISPs are still willing to use
every trick in the book to prevent what little
competition services like Google Fiber present, going as far as even preventing them access to utility poles (3).
however, it seems that things have only continued to get worse. Fixed-line broadband
(DSL) continues to be neglected by major
providers instead of upgraded, in favor of focusing on wireless broadband. While neglecting a core service like this wouldn’t normally
have been possible, an overwhelming lack
of competition (something ensured by the
never-ending, continuous lobbying (1) they
take part in, as well as the increasingly complex bureaucratic hoops (2) they introduce)
combined with a shared disinterest in upgrading has made it easier than ever for them
to simply continue offering their already poor
service, if not even make it actively worse
One can imagine that such outright anticonsumer behavior will eventually catch up to
them, but we can only hope that this will happen sooner than later.
QUICK TIP: REVO UNINSTALLER
– SAFELY REMOVE PROGRAMS
We’ve been using Revo for years and it’s
one of the best free Windows programs we’ve
seen. It almost always does a better job than
a product’s built-in uninstaller, and it can do
this without even needing to monitor any installations.
It works by scanning a hard drive and
registry for files that would otherwise be left
behind. It removes all the program’s files, auto
start entries and all noticeable registry entries.
When you ask Revo to uninstall a program, it
first looks for the product’s uninstall program
and will run that program if it is found. If the
search fails, only then will it try to remove files
and registry entries itself.
It is the only freeware product I know of
that does a decent job of cleaning up a failed
install. More info here (4)! MM
QUICK TIP: WINDOWS 10 – CAN I GET STICKY NOTES?
One of our readers asked this week if he could get Sticky Notes back on
his Windows 10 upgrade. Absolutely!
For those who aren’t familiar with Windows Sticky Notes, it’s a neat
little app that comes with Windows 7, 8, and 10 which allows you to take
quick notes and leave them on your screen – much like a Post-It Note.
However, it’s not quite so easy to find in Windows 10, but it’s there!
May/June 2016
All you have to do is click the Cortana (search) button and type “Sticky
Notes” and create your first note. To add more, simply Click the + button
in the top left of your note. You can even right-click your note and change
the color.
36
Visit https://greendragon.tech/newsletters to see all of our newsletter!
Links in this article:
(1) http://go.greendragonpc.com/1du
(2) http://go.greendragonpc.com/1dv
(3) http://go.greendragonpc.com/1dw
(4) http://go.greendragonpc.com/1dx
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.
B
irds sang on breeze swaying
branches that lent a soft rustling
rhythm to their calls. A lulling hum from
bees dancing among the flowers added to the ancient
music of nature. Hummingbirds swept by sounding like tiny diesel
engines whose whirring faded into the fluid splashing roll of the
nearby stream. At this late morning hour the sun had warmed
the ground enough to release its sweet scent of soil after a rain.
In this cultivated landscape, each perfectly aligned row of plants
joined together in an aromatic fusion for the senses. The sharp
scent of tomatoes and sweetness of basil along with the abrasive
smell of rosemary wafted on the wind. Oregano and lemon thyme
joined in a savory duet with mint bringing in its own harmony. A
delicate perfume from fruit tree blossoms ignited the imagination
of things to come. Old stone walls marked the perimeter of this
small paradise on three sides. A stream created the fourth border
re-enforced with a tall spiked metal fence. In his garden, peace
embraced Albert Watts like an old friend.
They had grown up together, Albert and his garden. The
plot of land was all that was left to him of his ancestral estate. Everything else had been sold off or inherited by others long ago. His
great grandmother’s home had been purchased by a young couple
who renovated it to a splendid showplace. Albert still liked to walk
by admiring its beautiful architecture. Their family was now taking over where his left off with children playing on a tree swing
in the front yard. The small bit of land that was left to Albert was
immaculate. Those two acres shown from the loving attention he
gave to what had been his birthright, vocation, and sanctuary.
Having come from a wealthy family, Albert never worried
financially his whole life. He tried to follow in his father’s footsteps
and became a lawyer, but never really had a taste for it. His father
told him he, “Lacked the killer instinct” it took to be really effective at his job. So, he decided to study botany on a whim thinking
it would take him as far away from litigation as possible. Albert
found he loved studying plants and their endless potential. And
having never married and no children, Albert devoted his heart
and soul to tending the plot of land he called Grace. He had always kept to himself, and now in his later years Albert felt more
comfortable alone in his garden retreat than anywhere else. All he
needed was Miles Davis playing from the CD player in the greenhouse, the plant beds free of weeds, and a nap in the hammock
that sat under the peach trees to be happy. Sometimes on warm
summer nights he would stay all night in the garden, hammock
swaying, and listening to the nocturnal sounds.
Albert was well known in the small town for the fruits and
vegetables he sold at the farmers market on weekends, and whatever was left over he gave to anyone who might not be able to
pay. People in town had nicknamed him “Albert Greenthumbs”.
And while some people thought of Albert as a harmless eccentric
old man, others thought he was dangerous and his land would be
better put to other use. They didn’t like that he would hide out in
the middle of the little tract like a wild man, and told their children
to walk on the other side of the street when passing by.
Situated on the outer edge of the center of town, developers believed the plot would be a perfect spot for a boutique hotel,
or apartments. Some neighbors thought it would make a perfect
park for the children to play. With his legal background Albert had
always been adept at evading their ambitions, but one summer
everything changed.
At the farmers market one Saturday morning Albert noticed
fewer people at his stand than usual. The box of leftovers he took
to the shelter that day was full to the brim. It was Sam, a middle
aged homeless man that told Albert why. He explained that there
was a rumor his produce had been contaminated by the fertilizer
he used. Albert laughed at the thought of such ridiculous gossip.
He was fastidious about the care of his plants, and had grown everything organically from the beginning. But sure enough, the
next weeks showed fewer and fewer people at his produce stand.
Albert didn’t particularly mind, seeing that sharing the abundance
of his garden was more a hobby than needed income. Although,
he did enjoy chatting with people. Albert decided the produce
stand wasn’t worth the effort anymore and packed it all away, but
continued to give produce to the shelter where it was still received
with gratitude.
Albert lived in a high-rise condo a few blocks away from the
garden he called Grace where he looked over most of the town. If
he leaned over the balcony and looked to the west of the building
he could see the garden, but Albert always preferred to be among
the plants than looking down on them. Every day began with a
toasted bagel and coffee on the balcony as he observed people
conducting their morning lives. He enjoyed reading the paper and
going over his mail while the day began to unfold. Being an election year, there was plenty of political propaganda in the mailbox,
but what caught his eye was the envelope from a familiar law firm.
Inside was a letter of intent to take the land. A similar letter had
come earlier offering a minimal amount of money for his property,
and Albert sent a registered letter back with a resounding rebuff
of their proposition. This morning’s letter stated that his property
was to be annexed for public green space. Albert felt dizzy as it
dawned on him that whoever these people were, they had every
intention of taking his garden.
How could anyone believe they
were right in taking what had
been his even before he was
born? Albert immediately called
his attorney. Grace may be in
their sights, but Albert would
never let it go without a fight.
To calm down Albert walked to the garden to put his hands
in the soil and focus on something other than the thousands of
questions running through his mind. He couldn’t grasp what this
was really about until he remembered a political flyer of one of
the candidates proclaiming to take back the community for a better America. More town parks is what he promised. Albert had
no idea his garden was what he was talking about. His thoughts
were interrupted by a humming sound outside. Stepping out of
the greenhouse, a mist landed on his head and shoulders. The
hum was coming from a drone spraying something on his garden.
Albert chased after the invader, but it soon flew off. Chalking this
up as a terrible day, Albert went home to talk in depth with his attorney, Carter Johnson. Carter informed Albert that very powerful
people were behind the candidate pledging a better America, and
planned on making good on his campaign promises. What Carter
didn’t know was the lengths they would go to acquire the land.
That was until the next day when every plant in Albert’s garden began to die. The drone had sprayed herbicide on everything.
Then he remembered what Sam had said was the reason people
weren’t buying Albert’s produce. He realized this agenda had been
set in motion long ago. What Albert still couldn’t comprehend was
why his garden? And how could sensible people be so easily deceived? He never got the answer as later that day a political rally
was being held in the town square for “A Better America”. Not
everyone was in favor of the candidate, so supporters as well as
protesters yelled opposing slogans at each other hours before he
even arrived to make his speech. As the sun went down tempers
rose and people from both sides of the rally began throwing things
at each other. First rocks and bottles had been thrown, and then
everyone attacked creating a full scale riot. Albert watched news
reports of the melee and could hear it below from his balcony. He
was thankful to be removed from the chaos going on in the street,
but then his heart stopped when on television he saw his garden
on fire. Someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail over the wall, and
the dead foliage was aflame within seconds. Without thought, Albert flew out the door and down into the pandemonium.
Eyewitnesses said they had seen Albert standing at the
stone wall shouting “Why?” through sobs as he watched his garden burn to the ground. Then a mob of people ran down the street
to where he stood engulfing Albert. No one reported seeing him
again until the fracas was over, and Albert lay dead at the irongate to the entrance of what was once his Grace. 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
E
By Michae Orfanos
37
By Pam Rudkin
The Secret to Hummingbird Cake
by Celeste Fletcher McHale
enduring while growing up in Bon
Dieu Falls, Louisiana, and they consider
themselves true sisters. This story takes
the reader on the
journey of really maturing through life’s
most difficult challenges, while doing
it with those we love
and those who love
us. Initially, I was convinced this book was
just a fluffy, feel-good
book. And it is that.
But it’s also an honest look at the kind
of friendships that
women long for, treasure when they find
them, and rely on as a
compass throughout
their lives. I’ve heard
women say, “You’re
my sister by choice.” Good way to put it.
May/June 2016
Carrigan is in the midst of a mid-life
crisis. Ella Rae drinks too much. And Laine
is the morally grounded one, who never
marries (and hardly dates), but gives to
38
P
her community in ways that neither of
the other two knows. She is kind, loving,
always loyal, and revered in her church
and community. And as the friends work
through their thirties together, something
happens to devastate them all—to shake
their belief in all they felt they knew and
was settled: Laine is diagnosed with stage
four cancer.
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The story chronicles the beautiful
way these three friends love each other
through the end of Laine’s life, even discovering along the way that Laine had loved
someone long ago, and had never loved
anyone else, even though they could never
be together.
I don’t usually choose such a predictable, sweet story to review—but there’s
something about this book. Maybe it’s
because I connect with how honest the
women were with each other, and I can appreciate that in my own girlfriends. Maybe
I just needed a sweet story amidst a lot of
not-so-great books I started and put down
recently. Or maybe it’s a pretty good read.
Chick book? Yes. Relatable characters?
Definitely. Book club recommendation?
Yes.
This book is available to borrow for free
from the Central Arkansas Library System,
with your library card. 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.
• 9,750 mailed directly to all households and businesses in zip code 72113
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C
arrigan, Ella Rae and Laine have
been best friends since elementary school. Their friendship has
39
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