June 2020 Issue

Middleton Place Plantation | A Visual and Historical Banquet

A road trip is the best prescription for cabin fever. Middleton Place Plantation on Ashley River Road in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of my favorite destinations for an all day outdoor visit. My husband and I took our daughter there in February when the camellias were in full bloom. I splurged and bought the all inclusive ticket that includes a house tour, carriage ride, and full access to the grounds. We started at 1:00 pm with the thirty minute buggy ride pulled by two large draft houses that looked like they were wearing white fringed boots. I imagined that we were visitors coming to call back in the 1800s.

Do You Need to Take Supplements to Be Healthy?

I first thought about supplements when I became pregnant with my first child. My obstetrician prescribed prenatal vitamins which I dutifully took. My son was born very healthy and then I promptly stopped taking them. I took prenatal vitamins again a few years later when I was pregnant with my daughter. I did not think about supplements again until 2008 when my general practitioner checked my Vitamin D levels as part of the many tests she ran to discover the causes of my physical pains and exhaustion. Over the years, through my nutrition education, I have learned a lot more about the role supplements can play in our health status.

Two, Three, or Four

While visiting with many horse owners either by telephone or in person, I don’t look only at nutrition, but also at nutrition management. Sometimes, nutrition management can be the most important part of your program. There are many considerations that have to be taken into account, including type of feed, work intensity, breed, discipline, stalled or not stalled, pasture or dry lot, and hay type, to name just a few. Your personal schedule is also extremely important if you work outside of your home. As we all know, a horse’s digestive system is at its peak efficiency when consuming smaller meals. The small intestine, which averages seventy feet in length,

Self-Care and the Current Pandemic

Isolation • Fear • Uncertainty • Confusion These are symptoms from a pandemic that has cast the world in fear. A fear of getting sick, a fear of spreading the virus, even the fear of dying. Our social distancing directives are meant to slow the spread of the virus but come at a steep price. Isolation disconnects us from our routines, our environment, our friends, and even ourselves. With all the confusion about drugs, treatments, quarantine, and conflicting plans for return to school and jobs from a variety of professionals, it is important, now more than ever, to turn to self-care. We often refer to self-care as a huge part

Our Flag | June 14, 2020

I’m known by many names: Old Glory The Stars and Stripes The Star Spangled Banner The Red White and Blue That Grand Old Flag I demand care, respect and honor. I stand for all that we citizens hold dear: Freedom and Democracy Our government — OF, BY, and FOR the People. That’s Us! I represent a living country. Citizen soldiers follow the flag into battle “Some carry the flag in peaceful protest And sometimes not so peaceful.” From that huge banner That flies over the Capitol Dome and in all 50 states, To the flag posted at the door of the most modest home, To the flag draped over a

The Edge of Creativity | Creative of the Month

“Let’s get a little crazy here.” Bob Ross Art and the creative world have always been important to both Bella and me personally, and with that, we have decided to introduce a new Creative each month. Not necessarily an Artist, but a Creative and, at least to me, it is important to note the difference between the two. Although I think Creatives are Artists, I do think using the title “Creatives” expands the series in an important way. Let’s take just a minute to explore the differences between Art, Artist, and Creative. “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” Thomas Merton Art, according to

From the Kitchen of ….

As you may have heard, we are exploring the idea of a recipe section within the magazine where we will bring you recipes and ideas from the kitchens of some of our favorites people and places. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the idea, along with suggestions about who or where we should go to next. When we at Bella Magazine first started discussing this idea, we couldn’t help but think back to some of our favorite recipes, more specifically some of our loved ones’ favorite recipes. So, we thought, who better to sponsor the first recipe page than us! Mom’s Summer Salad By Charlotte Putnam Large bowl

Introducing the Aiken Bella Magazine Book Club

Each month we will select a book to read and then publish a review. The selection will be posted on Instagram and Facebook before our publication date for anyone who would like to read along. This month we read Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate. This story caught our attention because of its partial setting in Aiken, South Carolina, as well as its basis in the true events involving the Memphis Children’s Home scandal. I, for one, am looking forward to the books Nichole “Book Nerd Nikkie” Miller will select in the future. Be sure to follow Aiken Bella Magazine on Facebook and Instagram for updates and our next

To Vaccinate for SARS-CoV-2 or NOT?

There’s a lot of talk about a rush to get a vaccine for this novel virus SARS-CoV-2. Stocks rebounded on optimism the United States economy might start to recover from the coronavirus pandemic after drug maker Moderna released promising early results for a vaccine. The surge in deaths not related to coronavirus is on the rise. Folks are not going to the doctor’s office or the ER for fear of becoming exposed, possibly contributing to their poor health. So, the Dow soars, people are dying, sailors on ships are being “reinfected.” What are we to do? So many confusing messages … Let’s start here. Unlike external events that we cannot