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Timeless Magic
By Julie Terry Cartner
The cows lie in the pasture, their shaggy black and white coats covered in sparking crystals of the fallen snow, calmly chewing their cud and placidly waiting out the storm. The feeders are inundated with birds, fiery red cardinals beside warm brown sparrows, soft gray doves feasting beside dark-eyed juncos, and brilliant blue jays surrounded by chickadees and wrens. Some cling to the feeders while others scratch through the snow on the ground to find the fallen seed. Even the squirrels participate, sharing rather than stealing. Peace reigns. Dusk is descending and soon owls will join the landscape as they glide from tree to tree searching for prey. Snow gently falls from the sky, covering the deck and porch, and festooning the branches of the trees with the best of decorations, nature’s beauty at its finest.
A serenity, particular to snowy days covers the land. The frantic nature of life slows down as people regroup and take a different approach to their day. Not yet enough snow for sledding or snowball fights, not enough for snowmen or snow forts, the silence continues unbroken, the pure joy of a winter snow enough for now.
It’s a time to snuggle under a blanket, read a good book, and sip from a steaming cup of cocoa. It’s a time to paint or knit or listen to music. It’s a time to just be. That’s enough; in fact, that’s more than enough. Sometimes we need that: an excuse to step away from the bustle of life and just take in the beauty of our world.
Later, when darkness descends and the moonlight shimmers through the falling flakes, the night creatures will take over. Coyotes will howl and bark as they run their evening routes, and the silence will be broken. Owls will hoot their nighttime calls, and nightlife will slip between trees with only their hooves and paws occasionally snapping a twig or rustling fallen leaves. Yet, still, between times, the night air mostly will be filled with silence, a silence that is different in snow than in other night skies. Instinctively, wildlife will burrow down in warm nests, made soft and safe with autumn’s leaves, downy feathers and warm fur. They know what we sometimes forget, but what we seem to remember on snowy days. Sometimes we need to re-charge, to remember that the often frantic pace of life can become too much, and it’s okay, no, it’s better than okay, it’s wise to step back and allow ourselves the time to truly appreciate the silvery, peaceful silence and calm, the unexpected gift of a magical snowy day.
Tomorrow will come soon enough. Perhaps the land will be covered in snow and children will exclaim their joy as they pursue all the finer aspects of snow, the excitement of sledding down a hill, the sheer delight of aiming a snowball at an unsuspecting friend, or the absolute bliss of falling backwards and creating a perfect snow angel. Adults will forget their maturity and join in, creating the perfect snow man, stockpiling snowballs for an epic fight, and joining the children in the adventures of sledding. There will be bonfires and marshmallows, s’mores and snow cream, and for at least a while, sheer exuberance will rule the day.
Perhaps the snow will have faded away to small patches protected from the sun, and the rest will be gone as if it never happened. And yet, and yet, whatever happens, the timeless treasure of snow will once again have worked its magic.
 
Davie County Changes
By Marie Craig
My mother grew up in Davie County in the Sheffield community. She moved to Statesville to live with her married sister so that she could attend high school. When she was about 25, she met my dad in Statesville, and they married. We moved to Black Mountain when I was about two and a half. We came back several times a year to this area to visit. I remember riding the train to come here.
That was an exciting ride down the mountain from Ridgecrest to Old Fort. There are seven tunnels on this curvy, steep railroad grade. The trains burned coal back then, and I can remember smelling that strong scent as we were in the tunnels.
When we finally bought a used car after World War Two, we would drive the curvy highway 70 on this same route, once in a while glimpsing the train tracks that we had previously ridden on. There were fun stops on this trip; Point Lookout was a gift store and filling station clinging to the side of the mountain with a big back porch that hung out over the steep mountain.
Interstate 40 was finally built down the same precipice after banks slid off and blocked the road building. It was a real feat to construct that road. But I’m sure the building of the previous road took a lot of effort and engineering also. It is now a hiking trail. Building the train route and hand digging the seven tunnels by convicts in the late 1870’s is described in the historic novel, The Road by John Ehle.
Despite which route we took, we always enjoyed coming back to Statesville to visit my father’s family and to Davie County to visit my mother’s kinfolks. We enjoyed going to my cousin’s house on Country Lane which wasn’t paved and stopped a little beyond her home. It is now a major speedway as folks take that shortcut and gamble on going around some of those curves with breakneck speed.
When I moved here a little over twenty years ago, it was so much different than now. There was a small Walmart, no Lowes, and no dollar stores. There were four huge oak trees on the square that had to be removed because of safety reasons. There was a wonderful Ben Franklin Store on highway 601 and a marvelous fabric store on Salisbury Street.
Davie County is a great place to live and to learn about all the interesting history as I’ve researched and written twelve books about it.
 
Christmas 2025
By Gaye Hoots
This year I came to Advance early to get medical and dental appointments done and to spend time with my family. The medical appointments went well but I did have a molar pulled so this slowed me down a bit, and I did not get to see the Advance Christmas parade because of this. In addition to time with family I also had lunch with Lorene Markland and Gail Frye and ended up with Christmas goodies that I am still enjoying. Christine Smith and Kae Stockton took me to an event where I heard Dr. Gary Chapman speak. He and his wife made an impression on me as being totally dedicated to service. Janine Vogler, a friend from first grade, and I had lunch, and we visited Larry Vogler.
Today Janine and I attended services at Advance Methodist Church, and I got to see several friends I only see when I get to attend church there. I also paid a visit to Betty Potts, Jack and Jane Carter, Judy Howard, and Larry Carter where I saw Kay Morris. Another reason I planned a longer visit was to get time with Tiffany and Mia, now that they are home from NICU. Their church is being very supportive with visits, food, and prayers. We continue to pray for miracles for Mia. Jaden welcomed them home and I got several visits in and plan to spend Christmas there.
All my immediate family is here for Christmas except for my grandson Vann, who is active military, Navy EOD, and his wife Laura who is an officer in the Air Force. The twins are young enough to enjoy a traditional Christmas and Mia is enjoying her Christmas tree, programs and music. We are blessed to have her home.
I learned that Katy Potts, daughter of Ken Potts, piloted the plane that did the flyover at the Panthers game in Charlotte today. Ken is a commercial pilot, and his mother Betty earned a private pilot’s license, I believe. Roy and Gray Potts operated a small airport in Advance, and Roy had an instructor’s rating. We owned a small Tri pacer and flew often then, so flight is a family tradition. I saw Ken briefly at his business, Kopter Supply, and gave him a copy of my book.
The time here is always too short and there were many friends I did not get to see, but did see some of them when we joined the twins at the Loop for their birthdays. They celebrated with friends their age and Weston, Faye’s grandson. They will continue to celebrate through Christmas and will enjoy their goodies. They both like to read and enjoy books and that warms my heart. There are a few other visits I hope to make and if not, I will try on my next visit.
I want to wish a merry and blessed Christmas to family, friends, classmates, church members, all our community, and the world. This is my seventy-ninth Christmas, and each one becomes more precious. Both my siblings are deceased, and I am aware the sand is trickling away, and am grateful and blessed to have today.