http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-Rogers/147487728602745

Taken from Robin Roger’s Facebook Page:

Last week Robin was to undergo TIPS surgery to keep blood from further entering her belly and breaking down into unsafe elements. The surgery would also have kept the swelling from threatening the integrity of the banding operation previously done to relieve esophageal verices (enlarged veins). Robin has had Hepatitis Type C and this condition has attacked her liver and has caused multiple complications. A CT scan prior to the procedure revealed a cancerous tumor on her liver. The tumor is untreatable given the condition of her liver. She is also not a candidate for a transplant as the drugs required to help the body accept a transplant would be ineffective and dangerous.

Robin is at home now and hospice has been called in. Tony and their family respectfully ask that despite the best of intentions, you do not stop by or call. They need their private time to be their own. At this point basic living expenses are the most pressing need. Robin will not be able to return to the stage and Tony will be out of work for the foreseeable future. Expenses for medicine are extremely high. Their medical fund does not cover any of these expenditures. Donations can be made directly to Robin at:
Robin Rogers
1134 Hardin Road
Dallas NC 28034

Benefit concerts in Michigan and North Carolina are being finalized as well as other fundraising efforts. There will be a benefit with a silent auction at the Double Door Inn in Charlotte on October 24. Details very shortly. There is now a Facebook group you can join to stay on top of Robin’s benefits http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=132068270172379&v=wall

Robin Rogers new cd,”Back in the Fire” is scheduled for release Sept 14 on Blind Pig Records. She will not be having the record release events that were planned for this month. You can help Robins cause, as she and her band are now essentially unemployed by purchasing the new cd directly from Robin via her website www.robinrogers.com.

We Love You Robin!

More news on Robin

Renowned Gastonia blues musician battling effects of chronic illness in hospital - Gaston Gazette (8/31/10)

We were once a real capitalist society as every family controlled, to some extent, their own means of production instead of relying on a faceless, corporate bureaucracy for the primary sustenance of life. What can one individual possibly do to change this? A lot! First, join the growing garden revolution. Plant some vegetables, can them and/or cook them.

If you haven’t started a garden, but have been thinking of doing so, now is a great time! Yes, I know, it’s not spring time you say. This is what the seasonal sales cycle would have you think. Actually, you can start a garden any time of the year in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Right now is the perfect time to plant for the fall.

The following is a list of things to put in the ground now for a bountiful holiday season: Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage (plants), Cauliflower, Collards, Cucumbers.

For the entire month of August and into September put in: Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuces, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Radishes and Turnips. (West)

Recently, I was invited to a private lunch put on by Ball® at Mimosa Grill in Charlotte. Chef Keith Snow, founder of Thoughtful Harvest, performed a canning demonstration of a simple salsa. “Oh, no, canning!” you shriek.   Have no fear Kris is here to keep it simple and invite you to partake in preserving any season’s bountiful harvest to be enjoyed all year long. First, canning is not scary and it’s not difficult. Actually, if you pull some friends together on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon it can be quite fun!  Reconnect over a stove instead of around a television. We are talking about one day here folks! There are some basic things you will need and a few things you need to know:

First the equipment:

• 3 pint jars with two piece lid closures (bands can be reused but lids should be
purchased new every time you can-The Belmont General Store, BiLo and Lowes all carry these supplies).

• A large stock pot that is at least 7 ½ inches tall and 9 ½ inches in diameter.

• A tested canning recipe (I am providing Zesty Salsa from the Ball® Blue Book)

• Common utensils for measuring, mixing bowl and saucepan

What you need to know:

• ALWAYS use a tested recipe. Good sources are; CanningUSA.com, The Ball® Blue Book, your local extension office.

• Wash jars, lids and bands in hot soapy water (Ball® recommends running them through your dishwasher while you are preparing your recipe, so that when the jars are removed they are still hot). This sterilizes and heats the jars to prevent breakage when hot food is added.

• Use fresh, in season, locally produced, preferably organic or sustainably grown products for the highest quality possible.

Let’s get canning!

Fill your stock pot half way with water and simmer. This is where the jars of salsa will be processed. Meanwhile,  prepare the following recipe.

5 c chopped, cored, peeled tomatoes
2 ½ c chopped seeded green bell peppers
1 ¼ c chopped seeded chili peppers
2/3 c cider vinegar
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 ½ tsp salt

1 Combine tomatoes, green peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro and salt in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

2 Ladle hot salsa into jars, leaving ½ inch of “headspace” or ½ inch from the top of jar. This allows room for the salsa to expand during processing. Slide a small plastic spatula or knife into the jar, and  gently press food in the opposite direction. This helps remove air bubbles from the jar and ensures canning effectiveness. Wipe rim with a paper towel to remove any spillage so that you will have a complete seal. Center lid on the jar, and screw on band until it meet resistance. Screwing on bands too tight will not allow air to travel out of the can during processing.

3 Process jars in boiling stock pot, Make sure water covers the jars with 1-2 inches of water. Once you have lowered the jars in, if there is too much water, ladle some out, if not enough add a little warm water to the pot. Once the stock pot is boiling, process jars for 20 minutes with lid on the pot. Remove lid, turn off the heat and wait five minutes. Using tongs, remove the jars to a towel covered counter top. Once the jars are cool you can store them.(Ball Blue Book)

So now that you have a garden planted and you’ve canned some salsa, think of all the meal possibilities; Beef Fajitas, with salsa and cabbage on warm corn tortillas, Warm Spinach Dip with Salsa and chips for a snack. These are just two of the endless variety of meals that can be enjoyed with all those people you connected with while growing, canning and cooking. •••

About Kris
Kris Reid, is the Chef/Owner of K.Leigh Cuisine, a catering and consulting business in Belmont, NC.  She is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University. In addition to her business she is currently a volunteer greenhouse and garden space manager for Hope Haven, a non-profit in Charlotte, where she is helping grow food to feed the resident community of 200 men, women and children.   Her motto- “Don’t eat low fat or low cal- just eat food, real food from farmers you know”

You can contact Kris at
kleighreid@yahoo.com or through her website at http://www.kleighcuisine.com

The fact is that from time to time everyone needs to adjust their attitudes.  Jimmy Buffett’s, “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitude,” reminds us of six ways to do this.

Reminder 1:

Take Time To Reflect
“I took off for a weekend last month just to try and recall the whole year.”
Time to deliberately reflect allows us to re-live our successes and learn from our mistakes.

Reminder 2:

Change Is Good.
“Nothing remains quiet the same.”
Where would you be today if you hadn’t changed?  Maybe still wearing diapers and drooling.  Change is inevitable.

Reminder 3:

Laugh Often
“If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”
Laughter and humor…the greatest stress reducer of all.

Reminder 4:

Confidence To Go On
“If it suddenly ended tomorrow, I could somehow adjust to the fall.”
Enjoy your life and the success you have NOW with the confidence that if it suddenly ended tomorrow you’d adjust to it.

Reminder 5:

SOBs’ Are Everywhere
“Good times and riches and son of-a-bitches, I’ve seen more than I can recall.”
There will always be those people who “rub you the wrong way.”  I bet if you’re honest you’d admit that you learned more about tolerance from them than those who “rubbed you the right way.”

Reminder 6:

Let Go…Look Forward
“Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder, so I can’t look back for too long. There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can’t go wrong.”

• • •

About Rob
Rob writes, speaks, consults, counsels, builds teams & resolves conflicts.

For more information visit:

http://www.robmccarter.com.

What makes a Carolina Girl? From all the response we received it is evident that a Carolina Girl is a State Of Mind.

To Read More on what a Carolina Girl is please go to • http://www.rocksmagazine.com/what-exactly-is-a-carolina-girl/

To Vote for the Carolina Girl please go to • http://www.rocksmagazine.com/carolina-girl-celebration/

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Everyone is talking about sustainability these days.

It seems we are all subjected to messages of living “greener” through reading, watching and listening to more stories, messages, and marketing of how to “Go Green”.  Increasingly people are recycling, bringing their own bags to the market, and also becoming more concerned of their carbon foot print.   This shift has been in progress for many years, picking up momentum in the past decade. These changes are now becoming more than trends, they are slowly becoming the standard by which we live, as we collectively commit to changing our ways of thinking especially when considering our level of consumption.

While many of us are paying more attention to our consumption of energy, especially fossil fuels, few consider the impact that our food system has or how dependent that single system alone is on a non-renewable resource. In the United States, 400 gallons of oil equivalents are expended annually to feed each American (Kindell). This is figured not only in the transportation of the food, which most travels 1500 miles from its origin to a diner’s plate,  but also in farm inputs like mechanized labor and fertilizers.

To avoid “eating oil”, one must learn to shop and cook sustainably.  Here are 5 tips to not just feed your family, but your lifestyle as you move towards sustainability. Our Earth and children thank you!

Tip #1
Buy Local – It’s shopping day and you do what you always do- head to the grocery store.  But before you do that, head to a farmers market. There are plenty and some weekday markets now. The Cramerton Farmers Market is hopping on Wednesdays from 4:00pm-8:00pm, Gastonia is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00am-1:00pm and if you are in Charlotte check out the Atherton Mills Market on Tuesdays from 11:30am-6:30pm. Saturday markets are plentiful. Check out Localharvest.org, and type in your zip code for a list of farms and farmers markets in your area.

Tip #2
Buy Organic – Of course you won’t find everything you need at a farmers market, so when you do head to the grocery store by organic, especially when it comes to the Dirty Dozen (the most pesticide ridden foods). Those would be peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes. You know those little stickers on the produce you buy at the market? The numbers mean something. Make sure your produce stickers are a five-digit number beginning with a 9. That means they are organically grown.  Avoid sticker numbers that being with an 8. This indicates the produce is genetically modified, and these foods are especially damaging to our environment.

Tip #3

Eat free range, grass fed, organic animal proteins – It is now well documented that free range, grass fed animals  are better for you and better for the environment.  Grass fed beef has less saturated fat and cholesterol and boast up to 6 times more omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventionally raised beef. Chickens that are pasture raised lay eggs that have 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A,  2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E and  7 times more beta carotene .

Tip #4
Recipes are not sustainable, don’t use them unless you are baking – Ever take out a recipe book, make a shopping list, bring all the ingredients home to cook a meal that leaves you with left over spices and condiments that then sit in your pantry or take up room in your refrigerator until they go bad? This is a waste of money and resources. Focus on learning cooking techniques like, sautéing, braising, stewing, grilling and roasting. Arm yourself with a pantry of flavor profiles you like.  I stock a few vinegars, oils, 5 or 6 spices, aromatics such as onions and garlic, as well as a quality mayonnaise, organic boxed stocks, mustard and soy sauce.

Tip #5
Learn how to and start composting -  Thousands of pound of vegetable scraps enter our waste stream every day. These scraps can easily be turned into health compost for your garden and flower beds. Go to howtocompost.org for more information.
About Kris
Kris Reid, is the Chef/Owner of K.Leigh Cuisine, a catering and consulting business in Belmont, NC.  She is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University. In addition to her business she is currently a volunteer greenhouse and garden space manager for Hope Haven, a non-profit in Charlotte, where she is helping grow food to feed the resident community of 200 men, women and children.   Her motto- “Don’t eat low fat or low cal- just eat food, real food from farmers you know”
You can contact Kris at
kleighreid@yahoo.com or through her website at http://www.kleighcuisine.com

References
Constraints on the Expansion of Global Food Supply, Kindell, Henry H. and Pimentel, David. Ambio Vol. 23 No. 3, May 1994. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

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If you have not been to the U.S.
National Whitewater center lately,
you are missing out on some great fun!  Only a short drive from Gaston County, the Whitewater Center is perfect for a family day trip or a last minute jaunt with friends.  Thursdays and Saturdays are the days to go for great live music.   For about the price of dinner and a movie, you can experience everything the Whitewater Center has to offer. Just relax and listen to some hot bands on the deck of the “Rivers Edge Bar and Grille” with a cold beverage and wonderful food.  (Try the steamed soy beans, delicious!)

The biggest surprise is that you don’t need to have any experience to do any of the “fun stuff” out there.  The guides will help you, and there is no real age restriction.  Folks from 8 to 80 can climb rocks and rope, kayak, hike, bike, zip and rip down the water rapids.   For more information on pricing and special events, check out their website.  www.usnwc.org.

THE U.S. WHITEWATER PARK IS:
•A premier outdoor sports and recreation with LOADS of family activities.
•The WORLD’S LARGEST artificial whitewater river.
•4 years old. (2006)
•Operates a retail store (Outfitter’s Store), a restaurant (River’s Edge Bar & Grill), Grab ‘n Go, and a 2,400 foot Conference Center,  and a variety of outdoor gathering spaces.
•A great value, with over 1.6 million visitors since 2006 and prices to fit any budget.
•Now MUCH easier to get to from Gaston County.  (485 towards Statesville and follow the signs.)

If you are looking for fun, it’s in your own backyard at the U.S. Whitewater Center.

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An affiliate of Habitat International, Habitat-Gaston was founded in 1989.  Johan Newcombe was the champion for the establishment of the local Habitat affiliate and its first volunteer president and executive director.  She organized the construction of the first Habitat houses and was the major architect of the program in Gastonia.  Becky Carter, former Executive Director of the Community Foundation, was the visionary who aspired to establish a Habitat affiliate in Gastonia.  Both women devoted long hours and tremendous effort to build a broad constituency to advocate for the elimination of substandard housing in our community.  Habitat-Gaston acknowledged the co-founders with their anniversary projects.

The 20th Anniversary House honors Mrs. Newcombe and the 20th Anniversary renovation honors Mrs. Carter.  The homes are located in Gastonia’s Parkdale Neighborhood and were dedicated on Sunday, May 23.

Additionally Habitat-Gaston opened a Habitat ReStore, which accepts and resells donations of new and gently used items.  The ReStore selection is vast and varied, from housewares to hardware; from bikes to building materials.  Located on the Avon Street side of the Habitat-Gaston office building, the ReStore is Gaston County’s best kept bargain secret.  Donating to the store is a green way to discard unneeded items. Purchases at the ReStore help Habitat build more homes.

Habitat for Humanity will persist in its efforts to provide safe, decent and affordable housing for low income families in Gaston County.  Homeowner information meetings are held at the Habitat-Gaston office on the second Saturday of each month at 10 AM.  Pre-registration is required.

There are a number of ways for the community to partner with Habitat-Gaston.  Contact a Habitat-Gaston staff person, based on your level of interest.

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•  In National Parks where a “per person” entrance fee is charged, the Senior Pass admits you plus three other adults (who need not be seniors). This is an especially good deal if you are also traveling with grandchildren, because children under 16 have free admission.

•  The lifetime national parks Senior Pass also gives seniors a 50 percent discount on federal use fees charged for camping, swimming, boat launching, parking and tours.

•  In some cases where use fees are charged, only the person named on the Senior Pass will be given the 50 percent discount.

•  The senior pass is non-transferable and does not cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or concession fees charged by private companies.

How to Buy a National Parks Lifetime Senior Pass

The Senior Pass to national parks cannot be purchased by mail or online. It must be purchased in person at a federal area where entrance fees are charged, or at regional offices of the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Proof of age, such as a valid driver’s license, is required at the time you purchase your senior pass.

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July is the time of year when you can sit back for a moment and enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s also a pretty unpredictable month and depending on your climate, most gardeners have to play it by ear.

While there is no definite list of tasks to perform in the garden in July, one must keep a close eye on pests and diseases,  and water often.

It doesn’t matter how much it rains in June or the earlier months, in July the rain tends to become pretty vague.

Deep watering is the most commonly used method of watering in these hot months; water

thoroughly and deeply each time and allow the soil to dry out in between watering.

In my garden I grow everything from Heirloom Tomatoes of all sizes to Sweet Genovese Basils.

My hopes are high each year as I plan on what to plant in the garden; I try to grow a little bit of everything. My tomato plants are outgrowing their tomato cages and even towering over me, while the beans are just reaching my chest and I hope to have a very late crop of them.

The bees are buzzing throughout the garden, pollinating the squash and cucumbers as they travel back and forth from the lavender plants to the basils. This year most of my vegetables will come in later then most people’s gardens. It will definitely pay off for me in the long run as I will have  the main veggies most people wish they had still growing.

Happy Gardening!

You Can Sign Up For
Rosemary Pete’s Newsletter At
http://rosemarypete.weebly.com

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The Newest Schiele Exhibit, Pirates!, will be open for FREE from 7:00pm – 8:00pm prior to the launch of the newest issue. There will be free food catered by Belmont Food and Beverage of Belmont, NC (while supplies last) and Sun Drop will be on hand with a limited quantity of the Pirate Sun Drop Can.

The first 100 People to RSVP by phone will receive free pirate gifts. Please call the captain at 704-866-6923.

Gypsy Jack himself will be on hand to answer any questions about pirate life and will be available for autographs at the end of the presentation.

This is open to the Public for FREE so tell everyone you know. More information can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141606179191080

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