(The Johns Island Advocate)
The MUSC Health Sea Islands Medical Pavilion will help meet the demands of the growing community with its 12,056-square foot facility that is slated for completion in late 2025. Construction on the facility will begin in 2024. Just my though here... the location still seems like it is the older area that was rejected, due to lack of exit road availability. I believe we need to keep an eye on this whole project to see if it actually come to fruition.
Seabrook Island
Just a short mention of the somewhat battle/argument/tussle/on Seabrook Island pertaining to the possible cap on short term rentals and the impact these may cause on property values. A short-term rental study special committee was appointed on January 23, 2024. "The purpose of the committee is to bring together stakeholders from a variety of interests to study short-term rental activities and trends within the town and to recommend a comprehensive set of policy proposals that address the topics including;"
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| Sun behind cloud cover Acrylic on watercolor paper |
(The Johns Island Advocate)
Kiawah River Estates
Now That's Interesting
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| A photo of the painting after the initial cleaning |
Kaye served as a member of the Planning Commission for three years, where she was involved in key decisions related to the island’s future like the development of the Comprehensive Marsh Management Plan, rezoning key island parcels, and work on the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.
Congratulations on your victory.
“My track record during both my professional career and my volunteer activities on Kiawah is defined by teamwork and consensus building,” Kaye said in a profile on the town’s website. “A successful Town Council will be dependent upon the ability of its members to cooperate, collaborate, and reach sensible solutions.”
Kiawah River Estates
Now That's Interesting
The recorded oldest tree in South Carolina is the Angel Oak, a southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) that’s an estimated 400-500 years old.
This old tree stands 66.5 feet tall with a 28 feet circumference trunk. Its longest branch is 187 feet, and it casts shade for 17,000 square feet.
If the Angel Oak is 500 years old, it was a young sapling when Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492. No doubt this tree has seen a lot of change. It’s certainly survived earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, including Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which damaged its branches but not enough to topple the trunk.
However, there is debate surrounding Angel Oak and its oldest tree in South Carolina title. There are claims that bald cypress trees among South Carolina’s forests are much older with some estimates suggesting they are 1,000 years old.
These claims are not proven, but sometime in the future, the Angel Oak may lose its crown.
The City of Charleston owns Angel Oak. It’s located on John’s Island (right down Bohicket, if you didn't know), and it’s the main attraction of the city park. 400,000 people discover the oldest tree in South Carolina each year. The park is open seven days a week, and although you are discouraged from touching it, you can stand beneath its canopy and soak up its history.
The Angel Oak is named after plantation owners Justus Angel and his wife Martha Waight Tucker Angel, who owned the land it stood on in the early 1800s.
Emily Nelson’s The Heart of a Child novel features the Angel Oak. It’s enjoyed by many people attending social events, and it’s the backdrop of many wedding photographs too.
South Carolina is home to many live oaks, and they are an iconic species of the deep South. They survive drought through their long taproot, which also serves as an anchor against strong winds and is the reason why so many remain standing after hurricanes pass through.
Native Americans would bend live oak tree branches and sapling trees to grow at sharp angles. This created trail markers to help find pathways, but it didn’t give the secret trail away because live oaks tend to naturally grow at angles. The Angel Oak has branches that swerve down, enter the soil, and grow back out again.
The oldest and largest live oak in the deep south is the Seven Sisters Oak in Mandeville, Louisiana. It’s 500-1000 years old and only 57 feet tall, but it has a limb spread of 153 feet. (Discover the Oldest Tree in South Carolina - A-Z Animals (a-z-animals.com)
Did you know?
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The new year wasn't always celebrated in January, The Ancient Roman calendar used to follow the lunar cycle, and had the new year beginning in March. Sosigenes, an astronomer, convinced Julius Caesar to follow the solar year, instead. From 46 B.C. on, the new year began in January.
Starting the new year in January was partially done to honor the god Janus, for whom the month was named. Since Janus had two faces, he was able to look back into the past and forward into the future simultaneously, making him a great spokesperson for the holiday we celebrate today.
Most of us are familiar with the traditional ball drop in New York City's Times Square; even if we haven't sojourned to the city to see it, we have likely watched it on TV. But why does New York drop a giant, lit-up ball on New Year's Eve anyway? According to PBS, the festivities of New Year's Eve moved to the New York Times building in 1904 after previously taking place at Trinity Church in Manhattan, where spectators were able to hear the chiming of the bells signaling midnight. However, when the fireworks began, it quickly became obvious that the usual spectacle wouldn't do: Hot ashes fell down on the streets after the display, causing problems and leading the New York Police Department to put a ban on fireworks. New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs went to Walter Palmer, the Times' chief electrician, to create something different to draw in crowds and avoid the rains of fiery doom. Palmer, inspired by the maritime tradition of dropping the ball so sailors could adjust their chronometers while at sea, devised the idea of dropping a lit-up ball on New Year's Eve.
The tradition of dropping the ball in Times Square has been a tradition ever since 1907.
Did you know?
Seeing Our Community Flourish
One of the most popular holiday plants often considered poisonous are poinsettias. But in fact, they are “non” to “mildly” toxic and do not deserve their bad reputation. Pets that ingest poinsettias generally have no clinical signs or mild gastrointestinal discomfort. A mild rash may develop if rubbed on the skin, but they are considered safe to keep in the home. Dr. Dorothy Black, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVM), explained, “Poinsettias are usually referred to as highly toxic, but they really aren’t. Feel free to display them at Christmas.”
Mistletoe, on the other hand, can be quite poisonous to pets. If ingested, pets may experience gastrointestinal upset, or show clinical signs of poisoning such as a change in mental function, difficulty breathing, or a low heart rate. "If you see these symptoms in your pet and suspect or know they ingested mistletoe, you should seek veterinary assistance as soon as possible,” Black said. “Mistletoe shouldn’t be used where pets could possibly reach it.”
Another holiday decorative plant, holly, can be dangerous for pets and is considered poisonous. Clinical symptoms may be displayed as vomiting, diarrhea, decreased energy, and general upset stomach. Owners should seek veterinary assistance if they suspect their pets of ingesting holly.
Amaryllis and Daffodils are also considered poisonous for pets. If ingested, pets may vomit, appear depressed, or show signs of a painful abdomen and a loss of appetite.
“Some pets who consume amaryllis or daffodils will show symptoms of tremors,” Black said. “This can be a sign of severe toxicity.”
Lilies are particularly toxic to cats. The ingestion of any part of any type of lily can lead to kidney failure. The clinical signs can include vomiting, depression, or loss of appetite. If you suspect your cat of ingesting lilies, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. There is no antidote, and intense supportive care is needed for cats to recover.
“The more toxic the plant, the more careful you should be with displaying them in your home. While Poinsettias and Christmas trees are generally safe for pets, holly, mistletoe, amaryllis, daffodils, and lilies should be considered quite toxic,” Black said. “Pets should not be allowed to come in contact with poisonous holiday plants, and if they are displayed in the home they should be kept out of reach, and pet’s behavior should be monitored to make sure they do not show symptoms of poisoning.”
Which Holiday Plants are Toxic to Dogs? | Modern Dog magazine
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| Rick, Allison, Kathy and Erin |
