If Matthew McConaughey would shave, I’d say him. He is so down-to-earth. I am his future wife, he just doesn’t know it yet.
Holly Dishman, 25

Morris Chestnut. He’s tall and muscular.
Tiranda Collett, 24

George Clooney would be up there. He’s got great eyes.
Connie Hallyburton, 42

Matthew McConaughey. Because of his eyes, his hair, his body… everything about him.
Krystal Buchanan, 20

Brad Pitt. He’s got such a sharp jaw line and a very masculine face.
Carrie Strother, 26

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Posted in Gab in Print

Tracy Farnham
www.grabthegab.com

With a wag of his tail and a skip in his step your dog greets you in the driveway.
The kids jump out and greet their canine friend with a hug around the neck.
Although parents are overjoyed in these attachments, they can’t help but consider how devastating the loss this family pet will be.
We’ve all experienced loss of one kind or another, but what about when it comes to losing the family pet?
Whether it be a hamster, goldfish, bird, cat or the beloved family dog these losses can be just as devastating as losing a close relative especially to children.

Teachable Moment
“Death of a pet for a child is a teachable moment,” says Larry Cronk, bereavement care coordinator with Hospice of Burke County.
“Death of a pet is most meaningful because the child has a relationship with the pet,” he says.
When a pet dies parents have an opportunity to teach them about grief and loss, he adds.
Cronk says his family once held a simple funeral for a pet hamster using a pencil box for a casket and a simple marker.
“Those things really do help children accept death as a part of life, a normal part of our existence and they can get through it,” he says.
While growing up, I had several pets from hamsters to rabbits and dogs pass away.
It was customary to bury our much-loved animals in the pet graveyard within Mama’s flower bed.
I guess the most decorated pet grave was for Ginger, my pet rabbit who received a marker that I painted with finger nail polish, and flowers surrounded by a plastic, white fence.
Shortly after my husband and I were married I put true love to the test when I asked him to bury our Pudgy, a shih tzu in the family plot.
He patiently chiseled away into the hard red clay that had been scorched by the heat of that long summer’s day.
Although the graveyard is no longer there, the memories remind me of the closure I experienced as a child and also an adult in giving my Pudgy a final resting place.

Reminiscing Not Replacing
Cronk says adults need to take time when a pet dies and explain the meaning of death to children and help them understand the finality of death.
“They need the opportunity to grieve that pet before attempting to replace it which they can’t do,” he says.
Wendy Callahan a veterinarian with Morganton Animal Clinic agrees that older kids need to have time to grieve the loss of their pet.
“A lot of times young children under 8, do really well if parents get a new puppy or kitten right away,” she says.
We decided not to rush into getting another dog after we lost Sara during the summer of 2005.
She was just a mixed hound dog that grew in our hearts for seven years. Though she was the family’s dog, Josh our oldest, claimed her as his own.
When Sara became sick it was believed she had cancer and we resorted to keeping her comfortable.
With vacation scheduled unknowingly for the week following Sara’s passing, we continued on carrying her memory with us.
While on our trip we reminisced of the joyful times with Sara and all the funny things she did.
Such as the time she chased motorcycles in the Glen Alpine Christmas parade and barked excitedly at the fireworks on July 4th.
Through all the good times, she was happiest simply lying on the picnic table in the back yard.
“It’s always good to talk about all the happy things you remember, the silly things they did,” says Callahan. It helps to ease the sorrow and loss, she adds.
She also suggests making a memorial for the pet or an imprint of their paw if it’s an older animal that has to be put to sleep.

Learning Aids
Children’s books are one of the best ways to teach children about loss of people or pets and Cronk says he recommends this as an option.
The Animal Clinic has books to borrow when deciding to put an older animal to sleep. Other suggested titles include “The Fall of Freddie The Leaf” by Leo Buscaglia, which describes the cycle of life as a leaf.
Also, “When a Pet Dies” by Fred Rogers and both are available at the Morganton Public Library says Alicia Lorenzo Scott.
“Pets can teach kids so much like being responsible,” Callahan says. “Losing one can help too. It’s all a learning process.”
Throughout those seven years as Sara grew into a mature dog, our children also matured learning to cope throughout the ever-continual cycle of life.

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Posted in Gab in Print Pets

By Mary Snow

You haven’t been able to see your feet in months, your belly has stretched to unbelievable lengths and in your ninth trimester you feel the end is near. For generations women have been trying to figure out ways to speed up going into labor, but what really works?

This is a riddle that has plagued women for years and generated an abundance of old wive’s tales.

The tales range from eating spicy foods to having sex to relying on the power of a full moon to induce labor.

Dr. Hytham Imseis, a high risk obstetrics physician and director of the OBGYN residency in Asheville, says that the study of what puts women into labor is a fascinating subject to scientists and after years of intensive research still remains an enigma. 

“It is something that has eluded modern science to this day. We have a lot of difficulty stopping or slowing down pre-term labor. We don’t understand scientifically why labor begins,” says Dr. Imseis.

He adds, “Through artificial means, we can put people into labor, but we don’t know exactly what it is in the body that stimulates labor. We know it depends on how big the uterus gets and that the baby’s brain signals to the mother’s when it’s ready.”

Dr. Imseis notes, “Many of the old wive’s tales have been studied in a systematic fashion, but they haven’t found any rhyme or reason to what causes labor.”

From research on the lunar patterns to studies on meteorological data, these tales have instigated a plethora of research.

Dr. Imseis offers his collection of old wive’s tales as well as a little trivia on the subject.

1. Some people say that a sudden on sight of bad weather or a thunderstorm makes your water break.

2. The old midwives believe that the use of an enema instigates labor. That’s what they use to do in the old days.

3. A lot of people believe that spicy foods may have some effect because it’s a general irritant and it might get the uterus started.

4. Riding in a car, (Imseis says he has no idea why they would think that would stimulate labor.)

5. Interesting Trivia: Imseis says doctors use medications called, Prostaglandin’s and those are very commonly used to induce labor. The word Prostaglandin comes from the word prostate gland and in fact after intercourse some women will contract, but unless their body is on the cusp of labor, they are not going to go into labor.

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Posted in Health Gab in Print

“I was pregnant and my time was up and I wanted to have my baby on Valentine’s Day so I drank Castor to speed up the labor and gave birth on Valentine’s Day.”
Fleta Allman,

“On the ninth full moon of your pregnancy is what the old people used to say would put you into labor. On the ninth moon women are supposed to go into labor.”
Doris Thrift, 84

“I heard that when you’re pregnant and you want to know if it’s a boy or girl you can use a medallion and tie it to a string and which ever way the medallion moves you can tell if it’s a boy or a girl.” Bonny Johnson

“A variation of that wive’s tale is taking the wedding ring off and putting a strained of hair through the ring and then holding it over your belly and see which way it moves. You can also tell how many kids you might have by doing the same thing and if it moves around twice, that means you’ll have two kids.” Jen Maclaughlin, 65

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Posted in Health Gab in Print