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App Features Magazine - Production Team
Publisher: Dru Heldman
Editor: Bev Heldman
Managing Editor: Donna Mayton
Art & Direction: Dru Heldman
Staff Photographer: Bev Heldman
Accounting and Advertising Director: Donna Mayton
Contributing Writers:
Donna Mayton
Dru Heldman
Morgan Hincks
This Issue
Feature Artisan for December—Beverly Heldman aka, “Wormy” Page 3
Native American Art –This month’s art form is the Medicine Wheel. Page 5
The story of Coyote and the Stars comes from the Navajo Nation. Page 6
Art of the Navajo
Famous Navajo
Coyote and the Stars
The Medicine Wheel
Spirituality of the Medicine Wheel
Medicine Wheel Prophecy
Feature Artisans Page 11
Kevin Clark
Faye Huskey
Judith Grabowski
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Page 13
TAAS Gallery Feature Artisans Page 13—Page 16
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December 2009 Feature Artisan, Beverly Heldman By: Dru Heldman
The Appalachian Artisan Society is proud to feature the Co-founder of TAAS Gallery Beverly Heldman, aka, “Wormy”, as this month’s feature artisan. Beverly’s creativity is endless as she
creates a wide range of unique items that are best described as gifts, keepsakes and trinkets of art and craft. She spends most evenings working on something while watching her favorite TV shows. She is constantly knitting, weaving, or twist-ing wire into something. One of the most recognized
pieces from her collection are her wire bonsai trees. Most of them are perched on a rock or a weathered piece of wood. Each tree is hand twisted into branches that taper off into twigs. She gives each branch a unique series of bends and twists making them authentic and depicting real trees without their leaves. Beverly will make me stop the car when we’re driving somewhere when she spots a perfect tree perched atop of a rolling hill in a pasture so she can see it closer or take a picture. Trees have always been a fascination of hers and I have to admit that being
married to Bev has made me appreciate trees much more. Each tree no matter how small and simple is a creation of God, an example of his own creativity. Each tree is different and unique just like people. They live and they grow based on the environmental conditions. In times of drought, they grow less and during times of great rain they grow more.
Beverly has captured some wonderful tree scenes in her wire sculpture like the lone tree on a mountain cliff, sculpted by con-stant winds or the tree that’s battling a windstorm. In her latest series she has experimented with colored wire and has a collec-tion of trees that are made to hang anywhere with a small nail. Many of the copper trees will become more interesting as they age. The copper color of the wire will darken and oxidize with time. Eventually, you will have a tree that dark copper with black and green highlights.
Before we had the gallery on East Main Street in Old Fort, we used to go to weekend festivals with mostly just trees. I remem-ber our first booth was made by Bev as we couldn’t afford a fancy pop-up tent. So we made it with PVC plumbing pipes and she sewed a cover to make the booth cover.
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It wasn’t just any booth cover though, she made it unique and added beaded strings and color, the booth cover was a work of art itself.
Jewelry made by Beverly includes selections of sterling silver and Swarovski Crystal Beads, hemp braded pieces, chainmail, leather braded and she make he own beads or uses beads from the Pinwilz Bead Store selection. Her jewelry line includes; necklaces, bracelets, anklets and earrings. Bev’s jewelry and crafts have consistently been one of the galleries best sellers. Bev also does jewelry repair on many types of jewelry, restringing, resizing or repair.
Beverly has recently made some innovative items with her newly developed skill in cro-cheting that she has learned during the cro-chet classes that held every Saturday in TAAS Gallery. She has made some very cool pot han-dle holders. The pot handle holder slips on over a cast iron pan handle and provides a cool surface to grab onto. Very cool, I think this one should be patented. She’s also made some small item holders that will hold a cell phone or your small electronic devices or may be used as a small purse. You’ll just have to come in and check it all out.
All the tables in Catawba Vale Café are painted with different scenes by Beverly. There’s a Kokopelli, a frog, a car-dinal a wolf howling at the moon and more. It’s become one of the more unique features of the café and folks try to find their favorite table.
Beverly is the most important person involved in Old Fort’s development as far as I’m concerned. Raised here in Old Fort as Beverly Peek, her family roots go back many generations. Through her genealogy research, it has been found that here family has existed here since the first settlers came her in the 1700’s around the time of David-son’s Fort. She has traced her family back to ties with the Vess, Lackey, Allison, Davis, Lewis Harvey and more. Bev tells me about how Old Fort was a prosperous town when she grew up here and it’s her dream and her vision to bring it back. All of our small businesses are a testament to Bev’s belief that investing in Old Fort is the right thing to do for our family.
Bev always stays positive despite the hardships and pushes me forward. I dedicate all my time and energy to mak-ing Beverly’s dreams a reality. Beverly is one of those unique individuals that is always herself and she’ll tell you what she thinks, no holding back, but she’s also generous with her time and helping people feel better, and at ease. She’ll welcome anyone into the store and doesn’t judge based on looks or how you’re dressed. It keeps the gallery a very social place where many people just come by to see Bev and shoot the breeze. She can talk about guns and ammo, politics or handcrafts all the same. Always a smile and a friendly hello, Bev never meets a stranger.
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TAAS Gallery invites you to come in for Beverly’s Recep-tion this week that will be held on Thursday December 17th starting at 6:00 PM. With our monthly receptions we give everyone a chance to come into TAAS Gallery and get to know one of our artisan members. This month is special because Beverly is not only one of the artisans she is also the owner, creator and driving force for TAAS Gallery's ex-istence and it’s future.
Incase you’ve never been to TAAS Gallery or Catawba Vale Café, it is more remarkable that you may believe. We hear all the time that people are blown away that it’s as nice as it is. The store front definitely doesn’t represent what’s inside. The handcrafts and the art that are in TAAS Gallery are as good as you will see in any other gallery in more prestigious places but it’s right here in Old Fort. All the handcrafts are made locally or regionally since that’s part of our scope for acceptance.
Thursday, December 17th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM is the Reception for Beverly Heldman
Other things to check out
New in the Fine Art Gallery new works by Susan Stanton. (Right)
We also have holiday greeting cards from many of our artist.
Gift boxes of sock by Parker Hosiery. There are all manufac-tured here in Old Fort, part of the Old Fort Store.
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Native American Art
By Donna Mayton
This month’s art form is the
Medicine Wheel.
The story of Coyote and the Stars
comes from the Navajo Nation.
The Navajo’s refer to themselves
as Dine’. Meaning "The People" in
the traditional Navajo language. The Navajo Nation
extends into the states of Utah, Arizona and New
Mexico, covering 27,000 sq miles of unparalleled
beauty. Dine’ Bike’yah, or Navajoland is larger than
10 of the 50 states.
Navajo Reservation in Arizona
Most Navajo speak English fluently; however the tra-
ditional Navajo Indian language is still largely taught
and spoken throughout the reservation.
The origin of the Navajo tribe is the subject of contro-
versy. Academicians, for the most part, believe that the
Navajo were latecomers to the Americas, crossing a
land bridge that connected the Asian continent with
what is now Alaska and western Canada.
There is some evidence that the Navajo may be related
to the Khanty (pronounced "han-tee") of Siberia.
They have survived the Spanish Conquest of the 1600’s and
their own “Trail of Tears” known to them as “The Long
Walk” with the American Calvary. The famous Kit Carson
was in charge of rounding up the Navajo. In 1864 over
8000 men, women and children were forced to make the
“Long Walk” to Fort Sumner from their homeland in the
Arizona and New Mexico territories.
Today the Navajo Nation is striving to sustain a viable econ-
omy for an ever increasing population of over 250,000. To-
day there is a gaming Casino near Gallup, New Mexico that
opened in November 2008.
Coal, oil, and uranium have been the foundation of the Na-
vajo economy since the
1920’s. Leases for min-
eral and petroleum ex-
ploration or extraction
cover over 400,000
acres.
Coal storage and transfers to the generating station Navajo Reservation.
From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium ore were
dug and blasted from Navajo soil, nearly all of it for Amer-
ica's atomic arsenal. Navajos inhaled radioactive dust,
drank contaminated water and built homes using rock from
the mines and mills. Many of the dangers persist to this
day.
Many Navajo farm and raise sheep for wool to use in the
weaving of blankets and rugs.
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Traditional Navajo dress still worn today and Hogan style home still used
today. Photo of Monument Valley, AZ.
The Hogan is a sacred home for the Diné (Navajo) peo-
ple who practice traditional religion. Every family - even
if they live most of the time in a newer home - must
have the traditional Hogan for ceremonies, and to keep
themselves in balance.
Art of the Navajo
The Navajo are well-known for their many crafts includ-
ing weaving of blankets and rugs, silversmithing, and
Sand painting. Although originally begun as necessity,
weaving of blankets became more refined thru influ-
ence from nearby Pueblo people. With the sheep given
to the Navajo by the American government, they raised,
sheared, spun and dyed their own wool and invented
many intricate patterns. Through a system of trade set
up by some non-Indians in shops known as Trading
Posts, the Navajo were encouraged to experiment with
different designs which would appeal to the non-Indian
settlers. Now, each region of the Navajo Nation is re-
flected in its own design of blankets and rugs, although
individual weavers do make different patterns.
Some Navajo learned Silversmithing from the Spanish
before the era of the Long Walk and it has evolved as
many have become master silversmiths making jewelry,
using Mexican and U.S. coins (such as silver dollars) as
raw material, these smiths fashion intricate belt buckles,
buttons, bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces horse bri-
dles, and other items.
By the 1890s, Navajo silversmiths had begun setting tur-
quoise into their jewelry.
Sand painting, unlike the other Navajo arts, is not practiced
for the sake of the non-Indian public. Created for the pur-
pose of bringing the Navajo patient back into harmony and
balance, the medicine man and his assistants created the
Sand painting (more correctly known as a drypainting) as
part of a healing ceremony.
Navajo artist adopt many art forms from other tribes.
Famous Navajo
Unknown to many, the Navajo language was used to create
a secret code to battle the Japanese during WWII. These
men are recognized as the famous Navajo Code Talkers
who exemplify the unequaled bravery and patriotism of
the Navajo people.
Because the Navajo language has a complex grammar, and
because very few people other than Native Navajo’s speak
the language, the military thought it would be an undeci-
pherable code. The first 29 recruits attended boot camp in
May 1942. Staged
tests under simu-
lated combat condi-
tions demonstrated
that Navajos could
encode, transmit,
and decode a three-
line English mes-
sage in 20 seconds,
versus the 30 minutes required by machines at that time.
The Navajo code talkers were commended for their skill,
speed and accuracy accrued throughout the war. At Iwo
Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal
officer, had six Navajo code talkers working around the
clock during the first two days of the battle. These six sent
and received over 800 messages, all without error. Connor
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later stated, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines
would never have taken Iwo Jima.
The deployment of the Navajo code talkers continued
through the Korean War and after, until it was ended
early in the Vietnam War.
Coyote and the Stars
A very long time ago, before the two legged walked the
Earth, the world was very different from the way it is
now. Back then, in the beginning time, there were no
stars in the night sky, and there was no moon. The nights
were very dark, and the animals could not see to walk
around and were always bumping into each other. Fi-
nally they talked and decided to go ask the Great Spirit
for help.
The animals gathered and talked to Great Spirit. They
told Great Spirit that they were grateful for all they had,
yet they wanted something else. They would like to be
able to see at night. Great Spirit nodded and smiled and
told the animals "watch me, little ones." He then picked
up a bright shiny stone from a stream and placed it in
the sky, where it became a star. "This is the home star"
Great Spirit ex-
plained "it does
not move, use it to
find your way
home when you
are lost" (Note,
this star is Polaris,
the North Star.)
Photo of Polaris Nebula North Star from NASA
Then the Great Spirit told the animals to go collect piles
of these shiny stones and carry them up into the sky and
make pictures of themselves. The animals began
this task, but soon the little animals grew tired. After
awhile longer, the bigger animals also grew tired.
Back they went to Great Spirit and asked for more help.
"Go to Coyote" Great Spirit said "tell him to help you."
And so they did. Now Coyote thought he was clever and
the wisest of all the animals, and he did not want to
waste his time helping the other animals. Still, he also
did not want to offend Great Spirit. So coyote told the
animals to leave their stones with him, and he would
finish the job for them. After the animals left, Coyote
began thinking of what a grand picture of himself he
would create in the sky, "it will be better than all the
others," he thought. It will have the most stones and will
be the brightest of all!
Suddenly Coyote was reminded that he must finish the ani-
mals work. Coyote did not want to waste a lot of time fin-
ishing the pictures of the other animals. So, hurriedly he
snatched up the bag of stones and flung them up into the
air. The stones went here and there, and all over. None of
the stones really helped finish the pictures of the other ani-
mals. And that is why not all constellations appear finished,
and why some do not look like what they are named after.
But, coyote was punished for
his treachery, for in his haste,
he forgot to save stones for
his own picture! Coyote was
furious and he howled in
rage. That is why Coyote
howls at night now, because
he cannot see a picture of
himself in the night sky!
The Medicine Wheel
The origins and purposes of the Medicine Wheels differ
slightly from tribe to tribe.
Medicine Wheel teachings are among the oldest of First
Nations people and are based on the seven directions
(North, East, South West, Life above the earth, life on the
earth, life below the earth). They are vast and limitless and
form the basis of most First Nations belief themes. For ex-
ample, the natural world was created in groups of four to
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honor East, South, West and North. They are connected in
the center by Mother Earth's heart beat.
The Wheel's sacred teachings assist us along our healing
paths, and the relationships among the teachings form the
basis of what it is to be human. After all, humans are the
weakest of all creation and therefore, as the world’s
“takers”, we must be aware of what we take, how much we
take, who we are taking it from and why we are taking it.
This includes: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
realms.
Spirituality of the Medicine Wheel
The term "Medicine" as it is used by First Nations people
does not refer to drugs or herbal remedies. It is used
within the context of inner spiritual energy and healing
or an enlightened experience.
A good starting point on the wheel is birth dates. The
Medicine Wheel is walked in a clockwise direction (the
direction of the Sun). The time needed to walk a com-
plete circle is whatever time it takes - time, in other
words, is relative to the process of building one's life.
The directions on Medicine Wheel assist in helping to
seek: strong, healthy bodies (East); strong inner spirits
(South), inner peace (West), healthy minds (North). A
Medicine Wheel can best be described as a mirror within
which everything about the human condition is reflected
back to each of us. It requires courage to look into the
mirror and really see what is being reflected back be-
cause some of it is painful, while other lessons are joyful
and reflective. However, it is ultimately facing all aspects
with courage that makes each of us a stronger and bet-
ter person. Stops along the medicine wheel are repre-
sented by animals and colors of the four directions that
vary from tribe to tribe. The essence of the lessons is
how each of us must make our own choices. They are
moral guides to our growth as humans who live in com-
munion with one another and all of creation. It is our
responsibility to care for each other in a manner that
allows us to walk our earth walks in emotional, spiritual,
mental and physical balance.
An Elder once said the grains of sand on a beach will
never equal the number of teachings contained within
the mysteries of the Medicine Wheel.
Anthropological discoveries have shown that many
wheels (over 100) are mainly clustered in southern Al-
berta, Canada and various spots in North and South Da-
kota, and Montana, meaning tribes such as the Lakota ,
Blackfeet, and Cheyenne (loosely grouped as “The Plains
Tribes”) were the main builders and the wheels were
created to honor the power of the Stars and Sun.
A Map of the Stars
On a remote peak high in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyo-
ming lays an intricate pattern traced out in stone. It, and
other similar designs constructed by some ancient people,
is known as a Medicine Wheel. This medicine wheel meas-
ures 213 feet around and has 28 spokes representing the
lunar cycle. The Solar System model stretches from the
Sun (in the center of the Medicine Wheel) to Pluto. Boul
ders representing the planets are spaced in exact propor-
tion to their distances from the Sun (1 foot = 3 million
miles).
This is an area of incredible beauty – there is no develop-
ment for literally hundreds of miles in most directions, and
the plants in this mountain range are the same ones which
have been here for centuries. Although archeologists have
dated the Bighorn Wheel to some point between 1200 –
1700 AD, the plateau upon which it sits has shown evidence
of use going back nearly 7,000 years. The park was desig-
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nated as a National Historic Landmark in 1970. Bighorn
Medicine Wheel is comprised of seven cairns (a man made
pile of stones) an outer ring, and 28 spokes. It is 80-90
feet across, and has an elliptical shape. The entire structure
is made of piles of rock. The average height of Bighorn
Medicine Wheel is about 4 feet.
The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is aligned with the sum-
mer solstice sunrise and sunset, and the stars Alde-
baran, Rigel, Sirius, and Fomalhaut. An observer would
sit at the lower cairn and observe the sunrise each
morning as summer approached, moving more north-
ward each day until the summer solstice. Only on that
day the sunrise would be seen to rise over the middle
cairn and between the 2 upper cairns, like a cosmic rifle
sight. The wheel was used as a primitive astronomical
calculator to set the times of ritual ceremonies such as
sun dance lodge ceremony, a sacred event for many
tribes. Each of the before mentioned stars come into
their alignment with the Bighorn Medicine Wheel 28
days apart from each other.
The Bighorn Medicine Wheel has been found to be as-
tronomically aligned for a time between the 12th-14th
centuries. This is because the position of Earth's axis
changes slowly, and the direct alignment of the stars
and the summer solstice sunrise and sunset fit the night
sky of this age. It is believed to have been constructed in
different stages. The cairns have been found to have
been constructed first sometime between 1050-1450
A.D. and the 28 spokes between 1500-1760 A.D. The
spokes were dated at this time period due to carbon
dating from archaeological excavation.
Are Medicine Wheels stone star computers built by Natives?
How did they know how to map the stars?
Despite their physical existence, there is a lot of mystery
that surrounds the Medicine Wheel, because without
written records, so little is understood as to their true
meaning. Many theories abound, including: (a) the
wheels contain significant stellar and cosmological align-
ments, specifically designed in other words to point to-
wards the rising sun or to certain star nation constella-
tion(s); (b) the performance of specific rituals and cere-
monies that have been lost to the mists of time.
Native American spirituality is rich in history and cul-
ture, with many of its traditions still practiced within
tribes today. To understand the depth of the faith of
Native Americans, one must take the time to learn
about the various practices and rituals, and, most im-
portantly, the meaning found behind them.
Medicine Wheel Prophecy
The Hopi Tribe Medicine Wheel Prophecy symbolizes the
four races of the world. The White race represented in the
North. The Yellow race in the East. The Red race in the
South, and, the Black race in the West. The people were
sent out into 4 directions to
learn to care for the mother
earth. In the times to come
all the races must come back
together with the knowledge
gained and live together in
peace and harmony for the
human race to survive.
Stones, stars, the directions, and time -- these can
speak to us out of an otherwise mostly silent past.
Sometimes their language is intuitive, or spiritual.
Meanings or awe will be felt by the sensitive person,
but can't really be communicated. Anthropologist and
archaeologist try
their best guess. But
when scientists, get
interested, the cos-
mos speaks, and they
can hear it through
mathematics of the
alignment of stars.
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What may have been lost in the mists of time can be
found again.
Medicine wheels are hung in the home today to remind
us of the lessons of reflections, each of us like the mir-
ror. It reminds us to face life’s challenges with courage.
It reminds us we are connected with all beings on earth
and with the cosmos.
Photo of Medicine Wheel available for purchase at TAAS Gallery.
Gallery Artisans
Kevin Clark Kevin Clark a long stand-
ing member of TAAS Gal-
lery brings a wonderful
offering of products in
both styles and price
ranges. His wood turned
bowls, vases and unique
necklace holders all
signed and numbered.
Each one is made using
carefully selected woods
and then carefully hand-
crafted to get the final
product. Kevin prides
himself if making sure that he offers products that are
authentic and affordable for anyone. He enjoys talking to
people in the gallery when he’s in restocking his shelves.
This year Kevin completed his 1000’s birdhouse Christ-
mas tree ornament. This important milestone piece is on
display in the gallery. In addition to the popular bird-
house style ornaments, Kevin has also created some very
unique new designs. One that I think really stands out is
an ornament that includes stranded wires that he care-
fully inserted into holes in the wood turned top and bot-
tom. He twisted the wire himself and then shaped each
strand to get it perfect. Kevin hand his wife Donna, also
a TAAS member, make the Bowed Saltry instruments
available at TAAS Gallery.
“The talent I have is a gift from the Lord. I am a master
carpenter by trade. I got started in the business by
making Christmas presents for the family to avoid some
of the "commercialization" that is attached to Christ-
mas. Sometimes gifts are bought that aren't really ap-
preciated just because they need to give a gift. Friends
of the family seeing the gifts I had made, inquired about
the gifts and encouraged me to start selling them.” Says
Kevin Clark.
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Kevin was our feature artisan this past August and you can
read more about him and his craft in the August issue of
Appalachian Features Magazine on the website:
www.appalchianfeaturesmagazine.com or get to it from a
link at the top of www.taasg.com
Faye Huskey
Faye Huskey from Front Row Beads was one of TAAS Gal-
lery’s first members. Faye is a wonderfully creative person
that can make just about anything. She particularly loves
making jewelry that people can afford to buy. Many of her
one of a kind jewelry creations are made using the peyote
stitch method.
A peyote stitch; Many cultures around the world have used
peyote stitch in their beadwork. Examples of peyote stitch
have been found in artifacts from Ancient Egypt, and the
stitch has also been used in historic and contemporary Na-
tive American beadwork. The name "peyote stitch" derives
from the use of this stitch to decorate objects used in pe-
yote ceremonies by members of the Native American
Church. The name "gourd stitch" similarly derives from the
use of the stitch in decorating gourd containers
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Faye formerly, taught crafts to developmentally- disabled
adults and senior citizens, owned an alterations/sewing
shop and designed and made pageant costumes.
“I am a North Carolina native born and raised in this
beautiful state. Several years ago my husband and I
moved to Marion, NC. to be closer to our grandchildren.
My favorite beading technique is bead weaving and most
of my pieces are of my own design. Most may be pur-
chased “as a one-of-a-kind piece.” says, Faye Huskey.
And “One of my most important goals is to help develop
the natural creativity of my grandchildren and share my
"God given" talents. Another is to share my blessings.”
Judith Grabowski
Judith Grabowski and her husband have been with
TAAS Gallery for about 8 months now and Judy is some-
one that can make anything you can imagine with her
knitting needles and some yarn. She has made some very
innovative
new prod-
ucts that are
available
here like a
scarf with
mittens at-
tached. Yea,
you’ll never
lose those
mittens
again. She makes some really fun items like a boggin hat
with big eyeballs on top. She also makes quilted items
that are unique as they are handy and functional, like
the potholder, notepad & pen holder. It sticks to your
refrigerator with a magnet and hold a note pad and pen.
Or how about the quillow? It’s a quilt, no, it’s a pillow.
It’s actually both. The quilt is sewn so that it can be
folded up into a pillow. Great for the car.
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There are her quilted pot holders that sometimes have
pictures of the Arrowhead, pine trees or the moun-
tains. Her Kitchen Angels Bless your Cooking and all that
you do! The Rub-A-Dub Bath towels or the baby clothes
make great shower or grandma's baby gifts. We're al-
ways looking for new things to bring to the store to
share with folks who enjoy the love of things handmade.
Judy is a participant and teacher during the Saturday cro-
chet class in TAAS Gallery every Saturday from 12:00 -
3:00 PM and she invites you to come to join the Crochet-
ing Class. Judy’s husband John has been making some
great things for TAAS Gallery too. He make stained glass
and since he’s been here, we’ve seen his creativity flour-
ish. He had made a bunch of Old Fort items like the
stained glass arrowhead or the arrowhead lamp. Very
cool! John has been making stars and angle ornaments
that are really nice and can be seen on the Christmas
trees in both galleries and up front in the window dis-
play.
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
Written by Morgan Hincks
Photos courtesy of http://fslt.org/building/
index.htm
They say that your sense of
smell triggers your memory
more than any other sense.
My olfactory memory is in
love with the tinge of apples!
Whether they were spiced
and stewing to become my
Grandmothers applesauce or
squished under foot running
through my childhood back
yard, the scent of apples
holds a special place for me this time of year. Spicing and
heating apple cider, “mulling,” is my most recent fireside
pleasure. Mulling cider, and other beverages, is a time-
tested tradition that holds properties beneficial to your
body as much as the fond memories that it creates.
mull 1 (ml)
tr.v. mulled, mull·ing, mulls
To heat and spice (wine, for example).
[Origin unknown.]
Mulled wine was first observed as a way to mask the
taste of wine that had gone bad. It quickly transformed
into a tradition, each region of the world adding their
unique twist. Orange peel, Cinnamon, and Cloves are
common in most mulled beverages however many other
ingredients are used including allspice, nutmeg, lemon,
vanilla bean, brown sugar, peppercorn, raisins, almonds,
ginger and honey. Wine and apple cider are the most
common mulled beverages but tea, other fruit juice,
rum, brandy and vodka are commonly added.
One tradition that involves this spiced winter tonic is
Wassailing. “Wes Hal” is the Old English greeting that
translates to “Be In Good Health.” Wassailing has hap-
pened on the 12th night for hundreds of years. A group
of “wassailers” travel from door to door, gathering com-
munity members and drink on their way to the orchards.
Once in the apple orchard they hang cider-soaked pieces
of bread in the trees for the birds. Much of the drink is
consumed while dancing ‘round the apple tree to ensure
its survival through the winter months.
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“Here's to thee, old apple tree, That blooms well, bears
well. Hats full, caps full, Three bushel bags full, An' all
under one tree. Hurrah! Hurrah!”
photo and song courtesy of http://www.whimple.org/wassail.htm
The meaning of the Wes Hal isn’t far from the truth of the
beverage. It is said that a heated drink can warm you from
the inside and help to fight off any winter flu. The addition
of cinnamon and cloves
are not only wonderful
scents but loaded with
medicinal properties.
Cinnamon has been
known to cure the com-
mon cold and to aid in
digestion. Its volatile oil
is a powerful medicine
recognized most re-
cently as a successful treatment to Type 2 diabetes among
other ailments. Clove is a strong healer that has been used
in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic and Western
Dentistry. It has the ability to warm the core, help with
digestion and sooth an upset stomach, to name only a few.
This warming digestive tonic sounds like the perfect des-
sert to a winter eve meal, Enjoy!
Photos courtesy of http://www.kew.org/plants/festivefoods/cinnamon.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove
Mulled Apple Cider
1 gallon fresh Apple cider or apple juice
1 t whole Cloves
3 sticks Cinnamon, broken
1 t whole Allspice
1 piece Ginger root, 1 inch, peeled and sliced
1 organic Orange peel, cut up
¼ cup Honey or other sweetener
Combine all into a crock-pot or stove pot on a low temp.
You can tie the spices, orange and ginger into cheese-
cloth so you don’t need to strain them later. Don’t
worry if you don’t have these ingredients, you can use
what you spices and fruits you have, experiment! Cover
and cook on low for 5-6 hours. The longer the better!
Be sure to spend time inside while it’s cooking; the
aroma is just as much a part of this experience. Remove
spices (strain or remove bag) and ladle into mugs.
Cheers and Wes Hal!
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When life hands you lemons…When life hands you lemons…
Play with themPlay with them
Catawba Vale CaféCatawba Vale Café
Have Fun!Have Fun! 32 E. Main St, Downtown Old Fort, NC
www.catawbavale.com
828-668-9899