Features

You’re looking to sell your house and have gone through a lot of the big checklist items.
Roof work, floor repairs and new paint may have been huge points of emphasis. Even the ceilings have received attention.
But what about curb appeal?
That phrase is used quite often in home-improvement circles, but what does it really mean and are you focusing on it?

from Scotts Miracle-Gro
When spring fever hits, it’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed with all the things you want to do in the yard. Here’s a simple list that will help you get your garden ready for good weather.  
You can start with this checklist as soon as weather permits.
If you can get these things done in the coming weeks, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying spring when it gets into full swing.

Jenny Cash Dennis would like to know exactly what this giant gourd-like vegetable or fruit is.

She said the plant came up as a "volunteer" in the chicken yard at her Dogwood Acres home this summer. The vine was about 20 feet long, but it only produced this one massive fruit or vegetable. It’s 2 feet long and weighs 25 pounds.

She’s holding up a regular crookneck squash next to it for comparison.

If you have any idea what it is, contact her at (803) 547-3872 or sonnyandjenny@comporium.net.
 

Summer is here and more cooks are moving outdoors. Whether you use gas or charcoal, cook beef, chicken or pork, everyone seems to enjoy those savory meats hot off the grill, as people have been doing for thousands of years.  
Not to be the ants at a picnic, but grilled food has been shown to increase the risk of cancer. Some nasty chemicals called heterocyclic amines or HCAs, similar to those found in cigarette smoke, are formed when high heat chars the meat.

Bereavement is a powerful, life-changing experience that most people find overwhelming the first time.
Although grief is a natural process of human life, most of us are not inherently able to manage it alone.
At the same time, others are often unable to provide aid or insight because of discomfort with the situation and the desire to avoid making things worse.
The following explains how some of our “normal” assumptions about grief may make it more difficult to deal with.
Five assumptions that may complicate grief

From the time of our birth until the time of our death, we all plan and experience many things in life: Education, marriage, children and retirement, but how many of us think about the inevitable – our death?
Making your wishes known prior to your death insures that you will have the type of funeral or memorial service you want. Planning ahead allows you to decide whether you want a traditional funeral with a full visitation, service and burial or whether you want to be cremated with a memorial service in celebration of your life.

One of the more frustrating facts of aging is the likelihood that the dream home you and your spouse bought back when you were young and spry has slowly become a royal pain to live in.
What was once a front walkway is now an uneven stumble-trap, the front doorknob is a hard-to-turn chunk of metal, the snug, comfy den is a dark maze of clutter and the staircase is a creaking, uphill journey of dread.
Then there’s the bathroom. Need we say more?

Healthy aging is defined as aging without disease, financial concerns, or lack of educational opportunity.   
Several scientific studies have been conducted to study aging.  
The National Institute on Aging conducted the study “The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging” and concluded that there are four factors important for healthy aging: physical activity, paying attention to weight and shape, healthy eating and participating in activities you enjoy.

Sun City Carolina Lakes residents directed their attention and efforts toward keeping others in the greater Indian Land Community warm and well cared for during the cold winter months.