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A suspected fish kill at a North Carolina lake turned out to be something much less alarming. According to Yadkin Riverkeeper, the “gross” scum covering parts of High Rock Lake outside Salisbury is actually the result of thousands of molting mayflies shedding their casings. “It’s gross and scummy, but doesn’t appear to be a threat to water quality,” the nonprofit wrote on Facebook last week. Photos shared by the environmental group show what looks like a yellowish-green growth “piling up at the end of a cove....

Study up on some rare daffodil factoids that will leave your friends gaping over knowledge of these lovable yellow and white flowers. A daffodil and Narcissus are the same flower. Narcissus is actually the Latin or botanical name for the daffodil, which is the common name. Not all yellow daffodils are jonquils. Jonquils are specific types of narcissus that have smaller, fragrant, clustered blooms. In short, they are the daintier flowers....

For 70 years, the late William Sell and his wife Catherine spent their vacations walking Outer Banks beaches and picking up whatever treasures caught their eye. Between 1939 and 2001, the Pennsylvania couple amassed a collection of rare coins that spans centuries. The William E. and Catherine F. Sell Coin Collection was donated to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, North Carolina, in 2006. It includes 55 coins, the oldest of which date to 221-203 B....

Returning to the Ryman Auditorium each December feels as familiar and festive to Amy Grant as sorting through her Yuletide treasures. “It’s like going into storage and pulling out the oldest cardboard box of ornaments I’ve duct-taped over and over,” says the Nashville performer. “Prepping for those shows is part of that same rhythm for me.” In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic and an unexpected open-heart surgery interrupted that cadence. But 2021 proved to be a celebratory comeback: In July, she released the 30th-anniversary edition of her Grammy-nominated album Heart in Motion, and in the fall, a rescheduled tour took her to both coasts....

From Mimi to Pop Pop, a growing number of boomer grandparents are trading in traditional monikers for creative new nicknames. Many of today’s grandparents find the terms “grandma” and “grandpa” to be stuffy, and worse yet, incongruous with how they view themselves: young, and hip. Instead, baby boomers are charting their own path, drawing influence from culture, religion, traditions, family names, inside jokes, and whims. “Many baby boomers have a hard time reconciling their vibrant, vital and active selves with the traditional names—they don’t fit their self-image,” says Dr....

A knife has the power make or break our cooking experience. A good one will make us feel proud for julienning a carrot with ease. A bad one will have us bemoaning our now extremely squished, deformed tomato that spilled out of its skin. So, how often should you be sharpening your knife, and how do you know if it’s sharp at all? If that mutilated tomato isn’t giving you a big enough hint, here’s exactly what you need to know about knife sharpening, according to an expert....

On the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Ivan striking the Gulf Coast, the same area finds itself picking up the pieces after Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Category 2 storm at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach at 4:45 AM, Wednesday, September 16, 2020. As it slowly crawled to shore, the monster storm gained strength which means that this area of Alabama, and then quickly followed by the panhandle of Florida, endured hours and hours of rain and storm surge....

Raw nuts make quick, convenient, and healthy snacks but, when it comes to baking pies and cakes, garnishing salads, stirring into pasta bowls or chilled yogurt, toasting the nuts adds extra flavor and interesting texture. This simple cooking technique does not require fancy equipment or extra ingredients and takes about 5 minutes (unless you are roasting chestnuts) to perform; the end result is well worth the effort. Get Started Begin with whole, raw nuts....

We’ve all been there. You set out to paint your porch ceiling, your beach house bathroom, or your bedroom, spend hours choosing the exact right shade and preparing your supplies, and putting on the paint. It looks like a job well done, but when you flip on the light, the paint looks different. What’s the deal? Turns out that the light bulb color temperature can affect paint color and change the look....

The Renaissance masterpieces that adorn the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome are headed to Charleston this summer. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition is described as a “life-sized, up-close, never-before-seen perspective” of Michelangelo’s greatest works—no scaffolding or plane ticket required. Produced by Special Entertainment Events (SEE), the exhibit features 34 massive reproductions of Sistine Chapel’s frescoes. Each life-sized piece is printed on a special fabric that mimics the look and texture of the original....

When a hankering for sweetness strikes, Krispy Kreme heeds your call. Now, the beloved Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based doughnut chain is delivering a “Krispety,” peanut buttery, sugar rush like never before. Today, the company unveiled two new doughnuts in partnership with Butterfinger. Available in participating U.S. Krispy Kreme shops through March 13th, the “Krispety” Butterfinger collection will include two doughnuts. First, there’s the Butterfinger Original Filled Doughnut, comprised of an Original Glazed doughnut filled with Peanut Butter Chocolate Kreme, and then dipped in Butterfinger icing followed by a sprinkling of Butterfinger pieces and a drizzle of chocolate....

When I think back to my childhood, I think of our yellow house on a steep-hilled street; I think of the tin roosters sitting atop the creamy white cabinets, flanking the stove; and I think of the smell of vanilla floating through the kitchen. Nothing was ever baking, except for that one time my mom attempted to make a homemade apple pie. But mom always smelled like vanilla. This signature scent came not from vanilla extract (although she’d dab that on the inside of her wrists when she ran out of perfume), but from another magical bottle: Outremer Vanille Eau de Toilette....

Over the weekend, at least 50 tornadoes tore through parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. In Kentucky, several communities were devastated by the destruction, including the Southern town of Bowling Green, where an EF3 tornado destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and more than 12 people died. In times of hardship, Southerners will always come together. And that’s exactly what happened over the weekend in Bowling Green, when neighbors banded together to rescue their neighbor from his crumbling house....

In the fall, Sunisa Lee will begin her collegiate career at Auburn University. But first? Well, she’s been pretty busy representing the United States in gymnastics in the Tokyo Olympics and today, this future Tiger won Olympic gold! She is the 6th American woman to earn gymnastics most coveted prize and the fifth in a row. She joins a list of names that include Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas, and of course, her teammate, Simone Biles....

Egg salad is like the Little Black Dress of the culinary world. When the cupboards are bare and you think there is nothing to eat, you can always fix egg salad. If you need to prepare a light snack for yourself or want to dial up an easy and inexpensive crowd-pleasing appetizer, egg salad is the way to go. As much as we agree that we all love egg salad, however, differences arise not only in the ingredients (purists insist on the traditional elements of mayonnaise, mustard, relish, etc....

When it comes to elaborate tailgates, it’s hard to beat the schools in the Southeastern Conference. Though the intra-conference rivalries are fierce, two universities top the pack year in and year out. The Grove in Oxford, Mississippi, is legendary for its over-the-top pre-game festivities. On Friday evening a shady 10-acre stand of oaks and maples in the center of campus is transformed into a sea of red, white, and blue tents....

Cleaning isn’t the most fun task in the world, but when you have the right tools it can make the process quick and painless. Some vacuum cleaners cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars, but we found a deal on the Goovi Robot Vacuum you won’t want to pass up. This convenient gadget is on sale for less than $160 right now, and trust us, you’ll want to grab one while you still can....

We can’t discuss pimientos without talking about pimiento cheese. As Southerners, we can agree pimiento cheese goes hand in hand with sweet tea, and one might even say a good pimiento cheese is equally as important as attending church on Sunday. This crowd-favorite dip has many regional varieties, but they all start with a combination of cheese, mayonnaise, and of course, pimientos. Though we all know and love this Southern delicacy, the starring ingredient often flies under the radar....

After years of neutral walls, people are starting to get bold. Don’t worry—the tranquil, calming colors you’ve grown accustomed to are still around, but in the coming year, you’ll see them warmed up. As our collective aesthetic tastes go from muted to vivid. Maggie Dillon, an interior designer out of Raleigh, has noticed that her clients are more interested in stepping out for a little walk on the wild side: “While moving away from an all-white comfort zone can be daunting, I’m having an easier time convincing clients to go for color from floor to ceiling....

So you want to stay in a tree house? There’s something about the buoyant joy of knowing you’ll be spending the night at canopy-level. Officially opened in March of 2019, we can’t wait to book our stay at Sulfur Ridge, a tree house vacation rental in Bloomington Springs, Tennessee, just outside Baxter and about 20 minutes from Cookeville. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom tree house can be booked on Airbnb from around $259 per night....