Three Things I love about Autumn

Sage ready for Autumn on Main in Mount Holly

Sage Canine Advice, by Sage Riverdog – Sept. 30, 2012

There are three things that I really love about this time of year: community events and fairs that allow dogs, lying in the leaves on a cool day, and oatmeal. I spent last weekend at Mount Holly's annual Autumn on Main. My people helped at a booth that supports the Catawba River District and the Catawba River Women's Group. I love these events because I meet so many people who give me attention. I particularly love interacting with the shorter people who rub my head and tummy when I roll over.  

Being a social black lab, I thrive on attention.  It seems to me that the communities that host these types of events also thrive on them, because everyone I meet seems so happy to be there. 


Meditating on a fall day

My next favorite thing about fall is enjoying my own backyard.  I lie in the leaves and watch squirrels scurry about, getting ready for the winter. I watch acorns fall on the deck (my silly sister eats those things!). I will soon be rolling in the piles of leaves being raked - what fun!  

Enjoying the sights and sounds of autumn

The cool air has many scents and feels wonderful. If I get chilly I move to a sunny spot. This is my meditation and relaxation and it's way better than any of those silly Yoga poses I see going on in the house.

Oatmeal – yum!

The third wonderful thing about autumn is the many good smells in the kitchen. My sister virtually parks in front of the oven as the kitchen comes alive with smells of pumpkin pie, apples, soups and crock pot stews. 
I keep my nose focused on oatmeal on Saturday mornings. I know I'll be getting a second breakfast when I smell oatmeal.  My owners always make a little extra for us dogs. We love it straight – no milk or sugar; just the wholesome filling goodness of oatmeal.  
Did you know oatmeal is a good substitute for sensitive dogs' stomachs or dogs who are allergic to wheat?  Umm, my mouth is watering! Let's go check the kitchen.  

About Sage – Sage is an 8-year-old black Labrador retriever who lives with River District Executive Director Edna Chirico and Edna’s husband, John Huber. Sage earned a Canine Good Citizen award, which allows her to visit nursing homes, hospitals and schools. Sage loves to run, fetch, swim, ride in boats, travel in the car and play with just about anyone, especially children. 

Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

“Although the United States is the most powerful nation on the earth, the one area in which this country does not excel is health. “ – Dr. Oz

Sustainable Healthy Living, by Sheila Mullen - Sept 29, 2012

I could easily claim to have read all the “how to eat” books.  Here is just a few; The Paleo Solution Diet, You on a Diet, Crazy Sexy Diet, The Mediterranean Diet, The Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, The Ultra Simple Diet and another one of my favorites, the China Study.  They have all been best sellers, earnest I their attempt to help us become healthier, but in their own way they added to the complexity of an already confusing “how to eat” chaotic landscape. We as a nation continue to escalate in our diet of heavily processed foods and sedentary lifestyle, leading to extreme obesity and disease.

I have always believed in a concept I learned from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition called bio-individuality. The fundamental belief is everyone should eat differently. Some of us do well on a strict vegan diet while others need some animal protein for their body to function properly. Only the individual can determine and assess the best way of eating. Given the proper guidance and knowledge, I believe we all intuitively know what food is best for our well-being.

A good friend of mine, Dr. Mark McGinley, when asked his beliefs of nutrition, recommended that I read the book, Eat To Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I downloaded the book in January to my iPhone, but have to admit I just listened to it this month. I was blown away. It is easily the most informative book about how food interacts with our bodies I have ever read. Kudus to Dr. McGinley!

The one thing I admired most about Dr. Fuhrman's book was his definition of nutritarian “… as someone who strives for more micro-nutrients per calorie in their diet. A nutritarian understands that food has powerful disease-protecting and therapeutic effects and seeks to consume a broad array of micro-nutrients via their food choices.“ Three cheers for Dr. Fuhrman. If we could all concentrate on the density of nutrients obtained by our food choices we would all be healthier. We would automatically select healthier food options and leave the processed food on the shelves to maybe disintegrate tens of thousands of years from now.

Based on the research presented in his book, Dr. Fuhrman believes a vegan lifestyle is optimal. Given my belief in bio-individuality I am not 100% bought into the vegan lifestyle, but what I love is that Dr. Fuhram’s book is grounded in scientific research that causes one to think about the merits of his argument. 

As I stated in the beginning, I have read tons of book on “how to eat,” but I have not been so excited about any of them as I have been about Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live, which is so scientifically researched. 

Be well! 

About Sheila Mullen – The founder of Continuous Motion Consulting, Sheila is passionate about engaging friends, family and community in improving their lives and the lives of those around them. Sheila spent more than 20 years in technology sales, marketing and development. She also has a background in organizational development, innovation and executive wellness coaching.

The Challenges Of Raising Chicks

Young hens at Rivendell Farms

That's Farming, by Jeffie Hardin – Sept. 25, 2012
We have some new feathered friends around our farm now. They aren't actually new ... these chickens are approximately 24 weeks old and are just starting to lay eggs.

When our children were younger, our normal poultry cycle was to buy day-old chicks (also known as pullets) from a local farm store in the spring. There was the annual oohing and ahhing over the cute fuzzy wonders who would be hopping around in a large box at the farm store. We'd figure out which type of chicken we'd want to try out that year. Some chickens are known for being good egg layers, others for having good dispositions. 

Our family liked a variety of chickens, but not the ones who liked to brood. No, that's not a moody chicken, although they often seemed like it. A broody chicken is a hen whose nature is to sit on her eggs to hatch them ... 21 days with only occasionally breaks for water and food. After 21 days and multiple turns of each egg, chicks should emerge from beneath her.  Although that sounds fun, you need the right set-up for hatching eggs. There needs to be enough boxes for your regular layers and your brooders. We opted to just stick with buying pullets every year and raising them once they hatched out of their eggs.

Our children always had a blast raising their cute little flock.  So sweet and soft ... but then they'd grow and start to peck the hand that fed them. These cute little chicks would turn into unruly teenagers who would stretch their wings and try to fly. Suddenly it wasn't all that fun raising this flock, and the watering and feeding people had to be reminded to do their chore. Changing the boxes of soiled straw was something to be avoided at all cost.

After 12 weeks the chickens would be transferred into a holding pen for teenagers.  To put a young teenage chick in the hen house with older chickens would be dangerous for the youngsters.  It's best to transfer them in when they are 20 weeks and are more substantial in size.

Well, now our own "chicks" or children are growing up with less time on their hands to ooh and ahh and even less time to change a stinky mess, so we have opted to let a nearby farmer raise pullets until they are 20 weeks old. We buy them at that time and only have a month or so before the boxes are filling with eggs. No mortality from young chicks and no wild and wooly teenage chicken times. Only mature hens who are ready to do their job of laying eggs.

I guess some parents would love to do the same - skip over those teenage years and slide right into the young adult age children. 

About Jeffie and Chris Hardin – The Hardins left suburban life in 2001 for an 8-acre farm near Mountain Island Lake. Now the Hardins and their children seek to grow half of their family’s food and help others grow food, too.

An Annual Event

Join Big Sweep and help rid our shores of trash like this.

Clear And Clean Catawba, by Alice Battle – Sept. 21, 2012

The summer is over and all that remains is the remnants and memories of fun days on the lake.  Unfortunately, some of the memories return when the items left behind mar the landscape. Glass bottles, dirty diapers, plastic bags, drink can holders, etc. not only are an eyesore, but they are environmental hazards.

Once a year the volunteers from the community meet on a Saturday to remove the trash from the area.  This year there are two dates, so if you are busy one day, there is another opportunity to pitch in.

Mecklenburg County has elected to sponsor Big Sweep for both Mountain Island Lake and Lake Wylie on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Mountain Island Lake, volunteers will meet at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve (CLICK for map and directions).  
For sites on Lake Wylie, visit lakewylieriversweep.com. There is a list of 13 meeting sites plus other important information. The Mecklenburg locations meet on Saturday, September 29^th.

The other counties are conducting Big Sweep on Saturday, October 6^th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Mountain Island Lake, the Gaston County site for meeting is the Riverbend Access area off Highway 16 (CLICK for map and directions). The sites for other counties on Lake Wylie are listed at the above website.

Appropriate clothing should be worn, as you may be exposed to hazards such as broken glass, sharp metal, insects, mud and water.  Gloves and trash bags along with drinks and snacks will be provided.

For the Riverbend site, contact Roger.caldwell@duke-energy.com, cell: 704-400-3857.

About Alice Battle – Alice lives on Mountain Island Lake has served on numerous groups devoted to protecting the lake, including the Duke Energy Relicensing stakeholders group. She currently is Lakekeeper for the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.

Searching online for LOCAL can be FRUSTRATING

Keep It Local, by Barbara Lawrence – Sept. 19, 2012

Imagine that you are a visitor to your community. When you want a specific product or service, you ask a friend, look at the Yellow Pages (book), or search on the Internet. When a referral isn't available, finding what you are looking for on the Internet is like looking for a "needle in a haystack." The internet is better at being globally oriented than locally oriented.

Online search engines can be helpful and very frustrating. We haven't even touched mobile applications yet!

Whether you are a local resident or a visitor, we are going to do some online "exploring" of our Catawba River District community and see what we find. This week we begin with Belmont restaurants. Out of the top rated results below, I personally haven't heard of four of these businesses. It is a good bet that these are authentic locally owned restaurants with a special following. On the other hand, these could be restaurants that closed their doors years ago, because information on the Internet tends to stay forever, including listings of long-closed businesses. Information on these restaurants is something to explore further for next week. 

Belmont, NC Restaurants Online: A Very Short Exploration   

Presented below is a short list of a few of the first online search results for this specific category. What you already know about searches is that you get different results from different search services. Intrusive ads can push a result to the top of the list, even when the business in the ad isn't even located in the geographic area you desire. 

Ratings and entries may or may not be beneficial. Do you rely on the search information you find if it is not bolstered by your own knowledge of the business or a friend's recommendation?

First up, showing the top rated choices: Yahoo

www.Local.yahoo.com/nc/Belmont

1. Chick-Fil-A (704) 825-8600 801 Park St, Belmont, NC 
2. Deep Forest Barbecue (704) 820-8373 1420 Perfection Ave, Belmont, NC  
3. Caravan Coffee & Dessert Bar (704) 829-7711 7 S Main St, Belmont, NC 

Results:  With Local.yahoo, you do get Belmont restaurants and these are the top rated out of 10, advertisers are included showing 3 restaurants out of Belmont with 2 in Gastonia, 1 in Charlotte.

Next on list: Yellow Pages

yellowpages.com/belmont-nc/restaurants

Top rated on this website search engine: 

1. Mot's Diner, 501 Woodlawn Ave, Belmont, NC 28012 Map (704) 827-6200  
2. Papa John's Pizza, 6511 E Wilkinson Blvd, Belmont, NC 28012 Map (704) 825-7272 
3. Arby's, 700 Park St, Belmont, NC 28012 Map (704) 825-4950   
4. Cowboys BS, 1420 Perfection Ave, Belmont, NC 28012 Map (704) 820-8652  

Results: The Yellow Pages heading states there are 2,022 restaurants in Belmont listed. I imagine many of this number are not in Belmont. On the first page of search results we get 30 choices, all but one located in Belmont.  

Next up: Superpages

superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Restaurants/S-NC/T-belmont/

Top rated:

1. Captain's Cap: 670 Park St, Belmont, NC
2. MC Donald's:  505 N Main St, Belmont, NC
3. Rita's Northend Grill: 1420 Perfection Ave, Belmont, NC

Results: Superpages brings up 25 of 46 results. One out of the first 7 restaurants shown is actually anywhere near Belmont; one is even in Banner Elk, NC. The out-of-area restaurants come up first but aren’t actually counted in the numbered 25 of the 46 Belmont restaurants.

Another search measure: Boorah "buzz"

http://business.intuit.com/boorah-restaurants/best-of/18613/NC/Belmont.html

Top rated restaurants:

1. Sammy’s Deli & Neighborhood Pub, 25 S Main St, Belmont, NC 704-825-4266 – Nice casual atmosphere.
2. New China, 6517 W Wilkinson Blvd, Belmont, NC 704-829-1010 – The sesame chicken is soft and very tasty.
3. The Captain’s Cap, 670 Park St, Belmont, NC 704-825-4103 – Kids under four eat free and the portion sizes are very large.

Results: Boorah is a different way of rating restaurants. According to the website, "Boorah is the ultimate, personalized review guide providing consumers a smarter way to find great restaurants. BooRah's patent-pending natural language processing technology automatically summarizes a collection of online reviews from bloggers, professional critics and consumers, and allows consumers to search based on their personal preferences."
In my search for Belmont restaurants, the first 10 of 34 listings are in Belmont. 

How do you find your list?

The greatest advertising for local business is still a word-of-mouth referral. It helps to be able to have information available to you when you need it. There is so much information presented in so many ways that sometimes finding what you want can be frustrating, even if you know what you are looking for.

The geographic business centers of the Catawba District include Belmont, Mount Holly and Mountain Island Lake. In the months ahead I will be working on a new initiative to improve your search capabilities so that you can "explore," visit, and increase word-of-mouth referrals for our local community and those who visit occasionally.

Feedback welcome!

Share your stories about local businesses, referrals, and suggestions to improve our local business search capabilities.  What makes a local business so special that we tell a visitor "you have to go there." 

About Barbara Lawrence – Barbara has a background in economic development and real-estate research. Her work has included revitalization of downtown Boone, downtown Gastonia and now Mount Holly. 

The Tongue of a Dog

Sage Canine Advice, by Sage Riverdog – Sept. 17, 2012

My Children's Church lesson this week was about Taming the Tongue. I thought it would be of value to share with you all the things a dog's tongue is responsible for:

1. It's a radiator and helps regulate my temperature. I pant to cool my body down after exercise or when it's hot.
2. Its a water-lapper, how I drink. There are really cool videos on YouTube if you want to see the slow motion version of water-lapping.
3. It's a healer of wounds. I use my tongue to clean up scrapes, clean off dirt and help dry me when I get wet.
4. It's a food conveyor. I only use my mouth to eat all sorts of food. Sometimes my paws help position things like bones so my mouth can reach them better.
5. A register of tastes - much like a human tongue.
6. A texture sensor - testing whether something is edible or chewable.
7. A wet equivalent of a dog's handshake.

A dog's tongue has more responsiblities than any othe rpart of the dog anatomy, excluding the brain, of course.

And to clarify an urban myth: dog tongues are very similar in the number of enzymes used for these various responsibilities and are therefore probably not any cleaner than a human tongue. In any case, humans should use good hygiene. Wash your hands after petting a dog and always before eating.

About Sage – Sage is an 8-year-old black Labrador retriever who lives with River District Executive Director Edna Chirico and Edna’s husband, John Huber. Sage earned a Canine Good Citizen award, which allows her to visit nursing homes, hospitals and schools. Sage loves to run, fetch, swim, ride in boats, travel in the car and play with just about anyone, especially children. 

Free Family Movie Night!!

Friday, September 21^st

On the green space between

 Chick-Fil-A and Hwy 16

Field opens at 7:15pm

Short video from We Love Mountain Island Lake and featured movie,

The Lorax, begin at 8pm!

Bring your lawn chairs and join us

for an evening of entertainment,

 door prizes and fun!

Hosted by

www.welovemountainislandlake.com 

About Sheila Mullen – The founder of Continuous Motion Consulting, Sheila is passionate about engaging friends, family and community in improving their lives and the lives of those around them. Sheila spent more than 20 years in technology sales, marketing and development. She also has a background in organizational development, innovation and executive wellness coaching.

Muddy Water Watch Training

Construction runoff is among the many threats to a clean Catawba. (Photo from Catawba Riverkeeper)

Clean And Clear Catawba, by Alice Battle – Sept. 14, 2012

(The Catawba Riverkeeper provides this important news and course)

This notice is a little late for some, but if anyone is interested in learning more about water quality and water-related issues, the Water Watch training workshop is for you. It's OK that you did not make the first session.

The course by the Catawba Riverkeeper will teach you about water-related issues in the basin from the history and science to the legal and regulatory.  At the end of the course, you will know what action to take when you see something that concerns you, whether it is general pollution, a spill, a violation or any other issue plaguing the water of the Catawba River, upon which millions of Carolina residents and businesses depend.

There is NO FEE FOR THIS COURSE but the Catawba Riverkeeper encourages all participants to join Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation!  Whether or not you are a member, sign up and participate (see below).

There are four sessions in the course, each 6:30-8:30 PM, at the Steele Creek Fire Station #38 at 12100 Shopton Road West, Charlotte. This is a new, beautiful station located on Lake Wylie accessible to you if you're in Mecklenburg, Gaston, York or any other county, really.  The course will take place on:

• Tuesday, September 11
• Wednesday, September 19
• Wednesday, September 26
• Wednesday, October 3

How to register

Contact the Catawba Riverkeeper (sam@catawbariverkeeper.org or 704-679-9494) to sign up or if you have any questions! Learn about the Riverkeeper's important work at Catawbariverkeeper.org

About Alice Battle – Alice lives on Mountain Island Lake has served on numerous groups devoted to protecting the lake, including the Duke Energy Relicensing stakeholders group. She currently is Lakekeeper for the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.

Sage Advice For Going Back To School

Me wearing my Canine Good Citizen backpack



Sage Canine Advice, by Sage Riverdog – Sept. 11, 2012

There are a lot of parallels between the needs of our students starting school this fall and the needs of dogs. I went to formal schooling at PetSmart and graduated with a Canine Good Citizen degree from the AKC (American Kennel Club). I am now allowed to teach, which I do part time.

There are three areas that need all of our attention pertaining to human and canine academic achievement:

1. We all need good nutrition.
2. We all need regular exercise.
3. We all need discipline to adhere to a schedule that allows for time to complete homework or, in my case, to regularly practice what I have learned and to continue learning.

Twice a day I eat a balanced, pre-measured mixture of wet and dry food. I get brushed regularly, my teeth cleaned, my ears cleaned, regular check-ups. I do get some great treats as well. Since Pepper and I have a glutten allergy, we eat wheat-free food and treats. I don’t get any junk food (I would sure eat it if it was offered). I do get a piece of cheese every night before I go to bed – my nighttime ritual.

I get long walks at least 4 times a week, and I love chasing after my ball daily. This is a balance of cardio, strength building and endurance exercises. If I go a few days without my exercise due to rain or traveling, I become more anxious and less able to focus on what I’m asked to do.

Dogs have an internal instinct that helps us set a schedule. I wake up every morning at 6 a.m. and, if my owners aren’t yet up, I fix that and get them to let me out and make my breakfast. I tell them when it’s 6 p.m., as well, to get fed again. 

I get rewards when we practice my series of commands (sit, stay, down, heel, leave it, etc.). The small pieces of treats, petting and verbal praise are all appreciated. As long as we regularly practice, I stay fresh and pass all my tests.

I hope some of my lessons help students starting their 2012-2013 school year. I look forward to seeing many students in the Catawba River District Farm to School program this year.

About Sage – Sage is an 8-year-old black Labrador retriever who lives with River District Executive Director Edna Chirico and Edna’s husband, John Huber. Sage earned a Canine Good Citizen award, which allows her to visit nursing homes, hospitals and schools. Sage loves to run, fetch, swim, ride in boats, travel in the car and play with just about anyone, especially children.