Features

If you haven’t purchased your daffodil bulbs for next year, you better hurry right now to the garden center to pick out some beauties for next year’s landscape.

Daffodils are among the easiest, most affordable and pest-free perennials available. One requirement is daffodils need to be vernalized; that is, they need both the cold and the warmth to bloom. Daffodils require a short chill period as opposed to tulips, which require a longer chill period. Our winters are cool enough for daffodils, as we can see as they continue to come back year after year.

BY SARAH SHEW WILSON

STAFF WRITER

She still remembers growing up in rural Brunswick County, raising a family and working hard for everything she had.

And Bessie Hewett has more memories than most, considering she is possibly the county’s oldest living resident.

The Supply native will celebrate her 108th birthday this month surrounded by generations of offspring, and she will even garner a mention on an upcoming broadcast of NBC’s “Today” show, along with other centenarians from across the country.

By Elsa Bonstein

Beacon Correspondent

When most boys were playing baseball and going to Boy Scout meetings, Chuck Fleming of Sunset Beach was serving in the Navy. He enlisted on Nov. 12, 1947, at the age of 15. By the time he was 16, Fleming was an air traffic controller.

Today, these boys-turned-soldiers are called “Young Warriors” and are part of an organization called Veterans of Underage Military Service (VUMS). All of the members of VUMS were underage when they served in the U.S. military. Some were as young as 12 or 13 years old.

Little Sammy was found as a stray in need of a home right away. He weighs 17 pounds, is housebroken, loves to play with his people and toys, but hates the cold and wet outdoors. He’s been neutered, is up-to-date on his shots, and is in a foster home due to the weather. Please call to make an appointment to see Sammy at Paws Place. Paws Place Animal Rescue is a no-kill, nonprofit domestic animal rescue facility that provides sanctuary for unadoptable dogs and seeks loving homes for those that are. Its kennels are open 9 a.m. to noon daily.

As the flowering season for Encore azaleas winds down, it’s time for a performance update.

I’m in the process of adding all 23 selections to my own garden, but I’m only half way there. The good folks at Flowerwood Nursery in Alabama, who developed the Encore line, were kind enough to donate two of each of the 23 varieties for us to plant in the Brunswick Botanical Garden in the metropolis of Bolivia.

Who says that we don’t have much color change for the fall in our area? Take time to enjoy the cool, fresh, fall days and look around and you will be amazed at how many plants offer a colorful palate of orange, yellow, red and purple hues.

If I hear the word change one more time, I think I am going to scream! On the political scene, it has been the buzz for months.

Each candidate in turn, from national to local, has grabbed the word, held it tightly, and squeezed the life out of it.

Each has questioned the ability of the other to promote change. Each has tested the validity of change itself. Each has threatened to explore change at the price of stability and pronounced change as the answer to all ills.

On the cusp of electing a new president, change is electrifying the air.

Starting life on a farm in Ash, where her parents worked hard for everything they had, Esther Myles knows the importance of perseverance.

She’s gone from farm life to motherhood, from business owner to teacher to world champion hairdresser and make-up artist, eventually founding the cosmetology department at Brunswick Community College.

Myles says she wants to encourage people to follow their dreams, let faith guide them and not be afraid of hard work.

That’s why, in 2002, she began writing a book to tell her story and inspire others.

Lonnie is a 6-month-old, high-energy orange tabby who plays well with others and loves attention. He is at his best when there is another cat or two in the house. To see him, call Cat Tails at 253-1375 or visit their Web site at www.cattails.org. You can visit Lonnie, as well as all the other cats and kittens available for adoption, at Cat Tails in the Corner Stone center at 6622 Beach Drive in Ocean Isle Beach. Visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 1-3 p.m. Sundays. Other hours are by appointment. Cat Tails is also desperate for volunteers.