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Features

  •
    Cotton candy

    Cotton is a Chihuahua mix who was brought in with her two brothers. The males have been adopted, but Cotton still needs a home. Cotton is housebroken, cuddly, and loves being carried around all day. She is in a foster home and needs a quiet home of her own. 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.-noon daily. Paws Place also offers animal-care education and volunteer work programs at its 5-acre humanitarian facility 5 miles east of N.C.

  • Wilma 'n' Fred

    Wilma, right, is a 1-year-old brown tabby with beautiful orange eyes who has been at Cat Tails for quite a while awaiting a new home. She has a brother named Fred. Wilma is playful, loves attention and gets along well with other cats and people except she would not do well in a home with small children. To see her and her brother, call Cat Tails at 253-1375 or visit its Web site at www.cattails.org. You can visit Wilma and Fred, 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.

  • Which turfgrass is best for local...

    Even though the temperatures are still a bit on the chilly side, I know spring is almost here. That’s because I’ve seen the “Amazoy” advertisement in the Sunday newspaper. This supposedly amazing grass is just Meyer zoysia—a selection that’s been around since the 1950s. While it makes a pretty nice lawn, “amazing” is a stretch.

    This slow-spreading grass did get the wheels in my head turning about that oft-asked question: “Which turfgrass is the best for our lawns?”

  • Timing and species are key when...

    I recently had a student from an elementary school ask a question that many people need to know the answer to.

    “Should we be fertilizing our plants now?”

    That is a very good question. There are many situations where growing plants require additional fertilizers to be applied. A fertilizer is a nutrient that can be applied to plants to help them grow better. A plant could possibly grow without adding any nutrients but it may not grow as well or as vigorous as one provided with a nutrient from a fertilizer.

  • Winter's last cool days: Now...

    During these cool days of winter, take time to prepare for spring. Get your soil tested and avoid the spring rush and keep compost turned and watered.

    The garden soil population of over-wintering insects can be reduced by turning soil and exposing the slumbering plant-eaters to the cold weather. Feed and water birds during the winter; they are a gardener’s friend and they will love the insects from the garden when the soil is turned over.

  • Migrating robins know importance of...

    I am sitting in my home office, gazing into space. It’s one of those times when the day was filled with all kinds of irritations and annoyances.

    There were bits of good news interspersed with the sudden death of a friend who had come through dangerous surgery successfully only to succumb to a massive stroke. So, I had been riding a rollercoaster of emotions for a number of hours.

    Serious questions about life and death meandered in and out of my mind. My natural optimism was subject to erosion. I was trying hard to keep a balanced attitude.

  •
    Rowdy

    Rowdy (ID No. A003222) is a 4-month-old male Norfolk terrier pup seeking a good, new home at Brunswick County Animal Services in Supply. The shelter’s adoption fees are based on age. Adoption fees for dogs are $65 for ages 6 months or older, and $46 for dogs 5 months old or younger. Fees include rabies shot, physical exam, heartworm test (for older dogs only) and spay or neuter. Female cats and kittens, $55; includes physical exam, feline leukemia/FIV (feline HIV) tests, rabies vaccination and spay surgery.

  • Preparing meals for one or two,...

    When it’s just you or the two of you, it can be a real challenge preparing meals when you were used to preparing for an army, as my wife can attest.

    What works well for many of us is making a large casserole and eating half and freezing the other half. You can also divide it into two smaller baking pans. Bake one right away and wrap and freeze the other, leaving you with leftovers for another day.

  •
    Female version of 'Odd Couple...

    There’s a slob and a neat freak sharing an apartment, a loudmouth cop and a disastrous double date with a couple of upstairs neighbors, but the Brunswick Little Theatre’s latest production of “The Odd Couple” is not what you’d expect.

    This year, longtime BLT member Thom Clemmons decided to direct playwright Neil Simon’s female version of the popular play, which Simon rewrote for a female cast in 1985.

  • Wilma 'n' Fred

    Wilma, right, is a 1-year-old brown tabby with beautiful orange eyes who has been at Cat Tails for quite a while awaiting a new home. She has a brother named Fred. Wilma is playful, loves attention and gets along well with other cats and people except she would not do well in a home with small children. To see her and her brother, call Cat Tails at 253-1375 or visit its Web site at www.cattails.org. You can visit Wilma and Fred, 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.

  • Try creating your own sauce when...

    Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the ultimate fast food for family and guests—quick to prepare and low in fat. However, you can substitute chicken thighs for most any recipe calling for breasts, especially if your preference is dark meat.

    I’ve seen many articles claiming more than 100 ways to prepare chicken. I’m sure it must be at least 10 times that amount, but before I share a few of my favorites, let’s go over the ABC’s for sautéing chicken breasts for tender, juicy results.

    Sautéing Chicken Breasts

  • Starting a new trend: Southern...

    During a class last week, one of the students asked me what I considered an elegant garden. Elegance is, of course, in the eyes and mind of the individual. I have visions of graceful Japanese maples, stacked-stone retaining walls, fountains and outdoor kitchens with enough BTU’s to make Lucifer envious.

  • Pruning primer: Part II,...

    Last week, we had an introduction to pruning giving you some basic reasons for pruning, what to prune and how to prune.

    There are always the 4Ds of pruning to fall back on whenever you are trying to decide whether to prune or not to prune. If you don’t need to prune, then don’t. The 4Ds are basic. You need to prune away any dead, diseased, dying or damaged tissue.

  • Choose fruit tree varieties with...

    Late fall through winter in southeastern North Carolina is a great time for planting fruit trees. There are several kinds that work well in backyard landscapes; however, not every fruit tree will grow and reliably produce in our area.

  • Can salvation be extended to...

    It was an icy cold, snowy day in the village of Valatie, N.Y. My youngest sister was returning home after long, somewhat unproductive, hours spent working in her studio/store.

    Her dream of creating pieces of art and offering them for sale in a combination workplace and salesroom was not meeting her expectations. Some saw her productions as costume jewelry, perused, commented, and left without purchase.

  •
    Wilma 'n' Fred

    Wilma, right, is a 1-year-old brown tabby with beautiful orange eyes who has been at Cat Tails for quite a while awaiting a new home. She has a brother named Fred. Wilma is playful, loves attention and gets along well with other cats and people except she would not do well in a home with small children. To see her and her brother, call Cat Tails at 253-1375 or visit its Web site at www.cattails.org. You can visit Wilma and Fred, 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.

  •
    Book covers restaurants south of...

    Several restaurants just across the state line are featured in a new book published by Sandlapper Magazine.

    The book, “Stop Where the Parking Lot’s Full,” is a collection of Sandlapper’s favorite restaurants excerpted and updated from columns over the past two decades by magazine staffers Aida Rogers and Tim Driggers.

    Among featured write-ups are restaurants in the Little River and Longs areas, as well as Myrtle Beach, Conway, Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island, Georgetown and dozens of other eateries throughout South Carolina—159 in all.

  • Art show continues; winners...

    The Brunswick Arts Council’s Winter Art Show continues at Sunset River Studio in Calabash until Feb. 20.

    This year’s judge of two-dimensional art was Allesandro Giambra, a native of Torino, Italy, who now teaches fine art classes in Wilmington.

    Two-dimensional category winners included Richard Staat, who received the Victor Gerloven Award for Best in Show for his work “Seated Figure.”

    Linda Drye earned first place for her painting, “Lazy Palm Pony.”

  •
    'Sharon in God's laughter...

    Sharon United Methodist Church will present “Sharon in God’s Laughter,” a variety show of comedy and music at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, in Odell Williamson Auditorium at Brunswick Community College.

    Featured will be comedian and speaker David Ferrell, Crystal River gospel group and brother-and-sister singer/musician duo Trenton and Chloe Durham.

    The show is described as suitable for all ages. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and younger.

  •
    Freewheeling Freddy

    Freddy is a delightful 11-month-old red-tick hound mix who is very loving and full of life. He is housebroken, gentle and mid-sized at 40 pounds. He will do well in a home with lots of love and a fenced yard. 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.-noon daily. Paws Place also offers animal care education and volunteer work programs at its 5-acre humanitarian facility 5 miles east of U.S.