Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

Wanda's Diary Entries

Thursday, August 14, 2008

A week ago Tuesday, I found myself driving around the most beautiful lake community en route to a speech for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s annual statewide meeting. The agency moves around the state for its yearly meetings, and, for 2008, planners decided to meet in Haywood County — in western North Carolina, west of Asheville. The lake in question was none other than Lake Junaluska, a mythical place of beauty named for the famous Cherokee leader.

I’ve been hearing about Lake Junaluska for decades, ever since moving to the southwest Virginia / northwest North Carolina area back in the mid-1980s. This lake community is home to many people and entities, including the World Methodist Council, a consultative body connecting most Methodist-affiliated churches worldwide. The Lake Junaluska Conference Center and Retreat also makes itself available to secular groups, like the Cooperative Extension.

My 11-year-old son, Henry, is still out of school, so I decided to invite him along for the ride. “Along for the ride.” As gas becomes more costly, most of us have become more conscious of savoring the trips we do take. The conservationist gene has always been a part of my personal physiology, but with age, it’s become stronger. Even before gas prices started spiralling upward this year, I made the vow not to just “go someplace,” with an eye on the clock and the road back home, but to savor my destination. No matter how busy I may be, I remind myself to make a conscious effort to engage in that place. So when I travelled with Henry to Seattle at the end of June, I tacked on a few days to the trip so we could really take in that great city in the Northwest. Same with last week’s trip to breathtakingly beautiful Western North Carolina.

At Lake Junaluska, I immediately felt at home. The members of North Carolina Cooperative Extension — women and men who’ve been educating the public on matters relating to agriculture through the years — were gracious to a person. They’re down-to-earth, brimming with common sense, like most of the farmers I’ve had the privilege of meeting through the years. The long-standing mission of North Carolina Extension agents has been informing constituents about gardening techniques, pest control, rain barrels and disseminating information about the latest agricultural research and trends — things that have suddenly become “the rage” as Americans reenage with local food and local economies.

Sue Counts, the dynamic extension director from Watauga County whom I’d met at an agri-tourism conference held in Abingdon, Virginia, in the late 1990s, greeted me at the door and immediately ushered us into the room where I’d be speaking. She put Henry to work carrying in the books and dvds that we were offering for sale. Your job today, she told me, is to “inspire” the agents about the green, eco-friendly transformation that’s taking place in our society right now.

After lunch and a catchy welcome from the Tuscola High School ROTC and remarks from Haywood County officials and others, I spoke to the 90-some agents about our work at Simple Living and the many individuals who’ve inspired me over the course of our four seasons of production. I talked about Cecile Andrews, who lives in Seattle and who has lowered the carbon footprint of her home by converting her second floor and basement into rental units and taking the first floor for personal use. I referenced Bill McDonough, the green architect based in Charlottesville, VA, who passionately believes we can reverse planetary destruction by introducing a new paradigm, of “cradle to cradle” thinking, to replace the current “cradle to grave” reality. I reminisced about my 2005 interview with former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter and quizzed the audience about what they remembered about their White House years. One agent volunteered something I’d never heard before. She told me that Rosalynn Carter had brought her sewing machine with her to the White House.

After my talk, I chatted with an agent from the coast about the challenges of rearing children with the values of simplicity (she has two youngsters younger than mine). She told a story about her pre-school son breaking a lamp at a friend’s home and how she insisted that he take personal responsibility for the accident. He had balked at first at having to pay for the lamp, but now was looking for jobs around the home to help repay his debt to his mother. Sue Counts invited me to her October retirement party, which will be a zero-waste event on a farm in Watauga County. “Maybe you can film it for the show!” she suggested. I told her that I’d certainly consider it, but, in any event, I would love to attend if possible.

As Henry and I pulled out of Lake Junaluska, we headed toward nearby Asheville, 30 minutes east. On my most recent visit to Thomas Wolfe’s hometown in March 2007, I had given a presentation and workshop with life coach Elizabeth Barbor and had stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast called the Applewood Manor Inn B&B. Henry has developed a taste for travel and loves exploring the nooks and crannies of older homes, so I thought bringing him along would be a treat.

He stepped into the door of the red Colonial inn and was in love. “Mom, why can’t we stay two nights?” he inquired before we’d even put our suitcases down. He was taken by the 1912 inn — with its baby grand piano and ample, deep velvet-covered antique settees. Located on a large piece of land in the historic Montford District, the Applewood is run by an engaging couple named Larry and Nancy Merrill. Nancy cooks gourmet breakfasts and books the guests, while Larry waits on patrons and handles maintenance.

The Applewood Manor Inn B&B is gaining an international reputation. When I called to book a room, only one was left — this for a Tuesday night. Providentially, it turned out to be exactly the room we needed. The York Imperial, a tastefully decorated, grand old room with original heart pine floors, is outfitted with two beds: one large queen-size sleigh bed and a second small twin, ideal for a mother and son. The room boasts a large balcony and fireplace with gas logs and a remote control switch that flipped Henry’s switch. Henry loved examining all the antique items on display, like the penny-pitcher cannon — a child’s toy from a century ago that shoots pennies out of a miniature cannon, with a soldier bobbing up and down in excitement with each “shot.”

The beauty of B&Bs is that they are local businesses that preserve historic homes and properties. And while they’re at it, they create community — and camaraderie. The Applewood on the night that we were there did not disappoint. At happy hour, two couples from Chicago sat down to socialize. Within minutes, the wives realized they were both Polish origin (not uncommon in Chicagoland!) and the husbands realized they worked for the same company! Another couple came from Mount Airy, Maryland. When I told them my hometown was Mount Airy, NC, they vowed to stop by en route home and take a peak. In fact, Doug later emailed me a photo of the reproduction of Andy Griffith’s squad car that resides on nearby City Hall Street to prove that he’d made the trip to my town.

What’s delightful about moments in time such as this one is recognizing once again the beauties of connection in the small world that we all share.