Southern Indiana Living - Jan / Feb 2021
January / February 2021 issue January / February 2021 issue
Southern Indiana Health Heroes: Saint Meinrad Abbey Infirmary Staff Jan/ Feb 2021 Living Local Artist Spotlight: New Albany Author Washington County Painter Orange County Sculptor
- Page 2 and 3: A special kind of compassion. The e
- Page 4 and 5: 4 • Jan/Feb 2021 • Southern Ind
- Page 6 and 7: Kim’s Top Picks Like our Facebook
- Page 8 and 9: A Walk in the Garden with Bob Hill
- Page 10 and 11: Thank you for choosing Harrison Cou
- Page 12 and 13: The spirit of the Saint Meinrad Arc
- Page 14 and 15: and German at Saint Meinrad and was
- Page 16 and 17: Making a Difference Brandon’s Hou
- Page 18 and 19: Painters of SoIN “Cock of Walk”
- Page 20 and 21: Alder, who taught art at Paoli High
- Page 22 and 23: 22 • Jan/Feb 2021 • Southern In
- Page 24 and 25: 24 • Jan/Feb 2021 • Southern In
- Page 26 and 27: Pictured: (left) an untitled sculpt
- Page 28 and 29: Southern Indiana Living Local Busin
- Page 30 and 31: Everyday Adventures The Star of Chr
- Page 32: BAPTIST HEALTH LOUISVILLE BAPTIST H
<strong>Southern</strong><br />
<strong>Indiana</strong><br />
Health<br />
Heroes:<br />
Saint Meinrad<br />
Abbey Infirmary<br />
Staff<br />
<strong>Jan</strong>/ <strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
<strong>Living</strong><br />
Local Artist Spotlight:<br />
New Albany Author<br />
Washington County Painter<br />
Orange County Sculptor
A special kind<br />
of compassion.<br />
The earlier you reach out, the sooner we can help create more<br />
moments and memories. Whether that means six months or three<br />
years, let us help you or your loved one get the most out of life at<br />
every stage. Call 800-264-0521 or visit HosparusHealth.org.<br />
Create more moments.<br />
2 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong>
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<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 3
4 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong>
Featured Stories<br />
12 | HEALTH HEROES<br />
St. Meinrad Abbey Infirmary Staff<br />
16 | BRANDON HOUSE COUNSELING<br />
Non-profit provides mental health support to teens<br />
b<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
JAN / FEB <strong>2021</strong><br />
Local Artist Spotlight:<br />
20 | THE CREATIVE HEART OF SUSIE BYERLEY<br />
Oil painter and grandmother<br />
22 | FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS<br />
Local horse owner shares tips in book<br />
24<br />
24 | CAST IN BRONZE<br />
Sculptor David Cox creates works of art using lost wax<br />
casting<br />
In Every Issue<br />
7 | FLASHBACK<br />
An Old-Fashioned Snow Day, 1967<br />
8 | A WALK IN THE GARDEN WITH BOB HILL<br />
The history of basketball<br />
11 | A NOTE TO BABY BOOMERS<br />
Who’s right during this pandemic?<br />
30 | EVERYDAY ADVENTURES<br />
Winter Escape<br />
12<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 5
Kim’s Top Picks<br />
Like our Facebook page<br />
and stay up-to-date on<br />
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sales, and to know Kim’s<br />
favorite finds each week.<br />
Follow along by<br />
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• VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE:<br />
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6 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong>
<strong>Southern</strong><br />
<strong>Indiana</strong><br />
<strong>Living</strong><br />
JAN / FEB <strong>2021</strong><br />
VOL. 14, ISSUE 1<br />
PUBLISHER |<br />
Karen Hanger<br />
karen@silivingmag.com<br />
LAYOUT & DESIGN |<br />
Christy Byerly<br />
christy@silivingmag.com<br />
COPY EDITOR |<br />
Jennifer Cash<br />
Flashback Photo<br />
An Old-Fashioned Snow Day<br />
New Albany, <strong>Indiana</strong><br />
1967<br />
COPY EDITOR |<br />
Sara Combs<br />
ADVERTISING |<br />
Take advantage of prime<br />
advertising space.<br />
Call us at 812-989-8871 or<br />
e-mail karen@silivingmag.com<br />
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ON THE COVER: St. Meinrad<br />
Abbey // Photo by Carol<br />
Ubelhor Troesch<br />
Check out more<br />
features and stories<br />
on our EPUB Exclusive!<br />
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// Photo courtesy of Stuart B. Wrege <strong>Indiana</strong> History Room, New Albany-Floyd County Public Library<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> is<br />
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According to library records, this photo of six children playing on the ice on frozen Fall<br />
Run Creek in Bedford Park in New Albany, <strong>Indiana</strong>, was taken by Ed Moss on December<br />
28, 1967.<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 7
A Walk in the Garden with Bob Hill<br />
Having some connections to<br />
the game, most Hoosiers<br />
surely realize our beloved<br />
basketball was invented in<br />
one day by Dr. James A. Naismith,<br />
who was born in a farmhouse near<br />
Almonte, Ontario – yes, he was a Canadian<br />
– on Nov. 6, 1861.<br />
Yes. Basketball. Farm. Canadian.<br />
Promise.<br />
I know so because about 30 years<br />
ago I wrote “The Amazing Basketball<br />
Book,” a paperback, now out-of-date<br />
history of the game available for only<br />
$2.50 on Amazon (plus who-knowswhat<br />
shipping) and on forgotten<br />
bookshelves everywhere.<br />
Naismith was orphaned at 9,<br />
taken in by a tough-minded uncle,<br />
worked farm fields and as a lumberjack,<br />
dropped out of high school at<br />
15 and eventually attended McGill<br />
University in Montreal to become<br />
a minister. He earned his doctorate<br />
and then found himself, in 1890, at a<br />
Young Men’s Christian Association<br />
(YMCA) school in Springfield, Massachusetts.<br />
The sports world already had<br />
football, track and baseball. But believe<br />
it or not there was this sports<br />
hole in the calendar all winter just<br />
waiting to be filled.<br />
In the fall of 1891, Naismith’s<br />
boss, Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick Jr.,<br />
asked Naismith to come up with that<br />
very sport those bored students could<br />
try in gymnasium class scheduled for<br />
two weeks away. On the fourteenth<br />
day, Dec. 21, Naismith came up with<br />
basketball.<br />
Merry Christmas.<br />
Seasonal serendipity ruled. Naismith<br />
found a soccer ball and a janitor<br />
found a pair of peach baskets and<br />
nailed them to a running track 10 feet<br />
above the gym floor. Imagine if that<br />
running track had been 12 feet off the<br />
floor. Or, if as originally intended,<br />
square wooden boxes were to have<br />
served as goals. Would wooden boxball<br />
with 12-foot dunks have survived?<br />
Thus, Naismith had the equipment,<br />
but the game needed some<br />
rules. So, he blasted out 13 of them in<br />
about an hour – promise – and basketball<br />
rolled out its first game with<br />
a few changes to occur over the next<br />
129 years.<br />
Those original 13 rules were<br />
printed in the school newspaper. Naismith<br />
suggested the goal be 15 inches<br />
across – it is now 18 inches. He explained,<br />
“The object of the game is<br />
8 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
This is the History of Basketball. Promise.<br />
to put the ball into your opponent’s<br />
goal. This may be done by throwing<br />
the ball from any part of the grounds,<br />
with one or both hands.”<br />
The “grounds” part assumed<br />
this new game could be played outdoors,<br />
which it was – and is. The first<br />
men’s game was played at the YMCA<br />
in Springfield in 1891 with women<br />
joining in shortly afterward at nearby<br />
Smith College in 1893, although their<br />
game would take much too long to<br />
spread.<br />
Reading those first 13 rules – and<br />
remember they were written in about<br />
an hour – shows some foresight into<br />
the best and worst possibilities of basketball.<br />
Along with Naismith’s intent<br />
on keeping the Christian game and<br />
participants healthy and “clean,” as<br />
we say in the modern vernacular.<br />
Players could not run with the<br />
ball. There was no dribbling. No<br />
shouldering, holding, tripping or<br />
striking would be allowed. The first<br />
infringement was a foul. The second<br />
would disqualify a player until the<br />
next goal was made.<br />
Think that over. Commit a second<br />
foul and your team is short a<br />
player until the next goal. The good<br />
news is the original game had nine<br />
players on a side – there were only 18<br />
people in the whole class – so losing a<br />
teammate or two was not so damaging.<br />
Also – and again think of this<br />
in the modern game – if either side<br />
made three consecutive fouls it would<br />
count as a goal for the other team. It<br />
does sound quite Christian.<br />
Here was another rule with<br />
larger implications. If a ball went out<br />
of bounds, it would be thrown back<br />
into play by the first person touching<br />
it. Which indicates a mad scramble<br />
off the court and into the spectators<br />
with 18 people chasing an errant soccer<br />
ball.<br />
After thinking things over, Naismith<br />
suggested the number of players<br />
on a team should vary with court<br />
size with the number fluctuating between<br />
three and 40. He also invented<br />
the “center jump” to start a game but<br />
never imagined a pair of 7-footers
Players could not run with the ball. There was no<br />
dribbling. No shouldering, holding, tripping or<br />
striking would be allowed. The first infringement<br />
was a foul. The second would disqualify a player<br />
until the next goal was made.<br />
would be involved. Later in basketball<br />
history, wire cages were placed<br />
around the court to keep the ball inbound.<br />
Hence the word “cagers.”<br />
Promise.<br />
Speaking of nomenclature, in<br />
those very early days basketball was<br />
often called “football in a gym” and<br />
each half an “inning.” Backboards<br />
were just a necessity. They were hung<br />
up behind the baskets because fans<br />
sitting up in the balcony – or using<br />
the running track – could swat the<br />
balls away. Thus, the first wooden<br />
backboards were 6 feet tall and 12 feet<br />
wide.<br />
Anticipating the future, Naismith<br />
declared his game should consist<br />
of two 15-minute halves with fiveminute<br />
breaks in between. He just<br />
couldn’t anticipate the 267 halftime<br />
car commercials and mindless commentary<br />
breaks in today’s game in<br />
which coaches are paid $9 million a<br />
year and NBA players $40 million a<br />
year.<br />
The inventor never made a nickel<br />
on it.<br />
Somewhere about 1900, as basketball<br />
bounced forward and rules<br />
committees were established, it was<br />
decided a player could dribble once,<br />
but only with two hands, and take a<br />
single step over before passing. The<br />
killjoys also decided a goal from out<br />
of bounds would not count.<br />
In the early years, basketball<br />
moved all over the northeast but<br />
with no universal rules. Lessening<br />
the rough play became a further talking<br />
point when one Harvard player<br />
was whistled for 15 fouls. The limit<br />
was then set at four, moved to five in<br />
high school and college and six in the<br />
NBA.<br />
Do I hear seven?<br />
Prior to 1923, each team was allowed<br />
a designated player to shoot<br />
free throws and it wasn’t until 1932<br />
that the 10-second line at midcourt<br />
came into play. Prior to that a team<br />
could hold the ball forever. The threesecond<br />
rule – now five seconds – for<br />
people hanging in the lane didn’t<br />
come into play until 1932.<br />
Oh yeah, the center jump after<br />
every basket was dropped after 1937.<br />
And because early-1890s Naismith<br />
basketball was first modeled on<br />
football, those first basketball “field<br />
goals” were worth three points. It just<br />
took a while to get back to that.<br />
Promise.<br />
Image credit: Ntdanai / shutterstock.com<br />
About the Author<br />
Former Courier-Journal<br />
columnist Bob Hill<br />
enjoys gardening, good<br />
fun, good friends and<br />
the life he and his wife,<br />
<strong>Jan</strong>et, have created on<br />
their eight bucolic acres<br />
near Utica in <strong>Southern</strong><br />
<strong>Indiana</strong>.<br />
LM Sugarbush<br />
Maple Syrup Festival<br />
<strong>Feb</strong>ruary 26-27 and March 6-7, <strong>2021</strong><br />
9:00AM - 5:00PM<br />
321 N. Garrison Hollow Rd, Salem<br />
LMSugarbush.com<br />
Enjoy farm tours, activities for the kids, craft and<br />
food vendors, live music, delicious pancakes and<br />
waffles, and of course, maple syrup!<br />
Contact us at:<br />
www.washingtoncountytourism.com<br />
or call 812-883-4303 to plan your trip!<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 9
Thank you for choosing Harrison<br />
County Hospital as your community<br />
healthcare provider!<br />
Our Patients Have Awarded<br />
HCH 5 STARS<br />
For Overall Patient Experience!<br />
*based on HCAHPS Summary Star Rating<br />
10 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
www.hchin.org
Who’s Right During This Pandemic?<br />
A Note to Baby Boomers<br />
Our yard was bigger than<br />
most.<br />
So, I had my share of<br />
childhood friends.<br />
When enough kids showed up,<br />
we smacked plastic baseballs onto<br />
our tin roof and into the vegetable<br />
garden. When enough kids showed<br />
up in dirty clothes, we got dirtier<br />
playing football.<br />
Rimmed in trees and shrubs and<br />
rickety sheds, the place was fit too for<br />
epic games of tag and hide and seek<br />
and cowboys and Indians. Political<br />
correctness was not a concern.<br />
Breaking up by dinnertime was.<br />
Bruce usually was there. Bruce<br />
got into more hot water than Dennis<br />
the Menace. He also had more fun.<br />
I never told him, but I envied<br />
Bruce. Still do.<br />
In fourth grade, maybe fifth,<br />
Bruce stopped by with a cast on his<br />
arm, ready to play like always. The<br />
phone rang at our house.<br />
Bruce’s mom asked my mom<br />
to be sure Bruce sat out. Mom did<br />
her motherly duty. Bruce threw a fit.<br />
Mom went back in. When the coast<br />
seemed clear Bruce, well, you know<br />
… . Mom again laid down the law.<br />
Bruce again went ape.<br />
Best as I recall, Mom wore down.<br />
Bruce never did.<br />
We all know a Bruce, don’t we? I<br />
thought of my Bruce as this nightmarish<br />
pandemic took hold and wouldn’t<br />
let go.<br />
Bruce took chances like I ate<br />
Hershey bars. Rules were meant to be<br />
bent on an off day, broken otherwise.<br />
Today’s leaders, at least most<br />
of them, urge us not to be Bruce. Be<br />
careful, they urge. Sacrifice. Keep<br />
one another in mind. This virus hates<br />
risk-takers like Bruce hated being<br />
grounded.<br />
We all know people who have<br />
holed up these past too many months.<br />
And we know others who mostly go<br />
about their routines. Many of us pick<br />
and choose our ventures and hope for<br />
the best. Who’s right? Who’s wrong?<br />
Where are you on the spectrum?<br />
How much Bruce is too much, too<br />
little?<br />
I again work out at the gym.<br />
Should I? I again eat occasionally inside<br />
restaurants. Is that foolish?<br />
I am a senior. I am stuck with<br />
health challenges. My father and my<br />
grandfathers did not live all that long.<br />
None of this reality helps me sleep.<br />
All of it is right up the virus’ alley.<br />
Then again, maybe at last I am<br />
a bit more like Bruce. Should I be<br />
proud? Or do I still need a mother to<br />
keep me in line?<br />
Mom, bless your soul, do not<br />
worry. My Bruce imitation only goes<br />
so far. Down deep, risk and I do not<br />
get along, pandemic or no pandemic.<br />
I like flu shots and don’t like heights.<br />
Flying in planes is cool, jumping out<br />
of them isn’t.<br />
And these days, I wear my mask<br />
and keep my distance.<br />
I grab a rail when going up stairs.<br />
I’ve given up wading more than knee<br />
deep in the ocean. Sure, sunscreen<br />
could be more of a friend and flossing<br />
less of a hassle. But I learned to<br />
text message the kids.<br />
Change need not be a four-letter<br />
word after all.<br />
Aging is as much about change<br />
as was every other step along the way.<br />
To think I figured pimples would be<br />
as bad as bad gets. To recall believing<br />
money flow like water once the last<br />
diaper was bought.<br />
To assume it gets easier when<br />
family and friends die. To have<br />
counted on needing like 19 seconds<br />
to settle comfortably into retirement.<br />
Like to imagine this virus stuff<br />
would be practically history by Easter<br />
or the Fourth of July or surely by<br />
Labor Day. No March Madness, no<br />
Olympics, no plays or concerts. Work<br />
at home, learn at home and worship<br />
at home. Get together on Zoom or<br />
whatever. Live large a virtual life? No<br />
way.<br />
Way.<br />
The Bruce in us cannot be trusted<br />
any more than Bruce could be trusted<br />
that day in my backyard. A busted<br />
arm was no more an excuse to Bruce<br />
than, to some of you, is this virus. I<br />
could try to convince you to believe<br />
the experts, to follow science.<br />
Then again, we remain almost<br />
as much at a loss for answers as were<br />
last March, don’t we? I go on doing<br />
what I do. You go on doing what you<br />
We all know people who have holed up these<br />
past too many months. And we know others<br />
who mostly go about their routines. Many of<br />
us pick and choose our ventures and hope for<br />
the best. Who’s right? Who’s wrong?<br />
do. Who’s right?<br />
Bruce moved to Louisville not<br />
long after the cast came off. We lost<br />
touch. I suspect my mom was relieved.<br />
No one came along to take<br />
over the Bruce part.<br />
A few summers ago, more than a<br />
half-century later, I settled into a lawn<br />
chair for a blues concert in my hometown.<br />
Wearing a Lite beer T-shirt, the<br />
group’s husky-voiced singer wailed<br />
and bounced about like he was at<br />
Woodstock.<br />
He looked familiar. He was familiar.<br />
He is Bruce.<br />
We caught up briefly at intermission<br />
and talked of getting together. It<br />
hasn’t happened.<br />
If it does, will Bruce have on a<br />
mask? •<br />
After 25 years, Dale Moss<br />
retired as <strong>Indiana</strong> columnist for<br />
The Courier-Journal. He now<br />
writes weekly for the News and<br />
Tribune. Dale and his wife Jean<br />
live in Jeffersonville in a house<br />
that has been in his family<br />
since the Civil War. Dale’s e-<br />
mail is dale.moss@twc.com<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 11
The spirit of the Saint Meinrad<br />
Archabbey infirmary is one of<br />
calm and comfort. Like many<br />
other health-care facilities, it is<br />
filled with dedicated people and caring<br />
hearts. Many days are long and<br />
tiring, but the compassion is inspiring.<br />
Ann Phillips, director of health<br />
services, who manages the health<br />
clinic, wellness department and the<br />
infirmary, has been with the Archabbey<br />
for 22 years. “Working at the Archabbey<br />
is definitely more family-oriented.<br />
You are respected and valued<br />
as an individual,” she said.<br />
Saint Meinrad Archabbey was<br />
founded in 1854 by monks from Einsiedeln<br />
Abbey in Switzerland. They<br />
came to <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> at the request<br />
of a local priest who was seeking<br />
help to serve the pastoral needs of<br />
the growing German-speaking population<br />
and to prepare local men to be<br />
priests.<br />
The Benedictine community<br />
at Saint Meinrad consists of about<br />
85 men who dedicate their lives to<br />
prayer and work. The monks live<br />
by the wisdom and guidance of the<br />
Rule of St. Benedict, the sixth century<br />
instructions for community living,<br />
written by St. Benedict.<br />
The infirmary, which averages<br />
around 10 monks, is an integral part<br />
of this community, as it allows those<br />
needing extra care and attention the<br />
ability to have that without leaving<br />
their home, whether for a short time<br />
of recuperation or for their remaining<br />
time.<br />
Archabbot Kurt Stasiak, OSB,<br />
speaks very highly of the staff. “It<br />
has been quite a few years since<br />
one of our monks has had to die in<br />
a hospital. Our monks, like so many<br />
people, would prefer to die at home<br />
rather than away, and the excellent<br />
and competent care our nursing staff<br />
provides usually makes that wish a<br />
reality.”<br />
The pandemic this year has been<br />
challenging for the staff and community<br />
alike.<br />
“COVID has challenged me and<br />
my staff, especially when many of the<br />
monks and nursing staff were both<br />
sick. We had a lot of fatigue. I also experience<br />
COVID-decision fatigue, as<br />
this can be very overwhelming. People<br />
rely on you to know the answers,”<br />
Phillips said.<br />
All but two of the monks in the<br />
infirmary have had, and have recovered,<br />
from COVID-19.<br />
12 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
Cover Story<br />
Health Heroes<br />
Saint Meinrad Archabbey infirmary staff provides<br />
care and comfort during the pandemic<br />
Story and Photos by Carol Ubelhor Troesch
“Those were the hardest few<br />
weeks we have had. We were short<br />
on staff, as some were off because of<br />
COVID. It was challenging, yet it’s a<br />
rewarding feeling now, because we<br />
made it through really well,” added<br />
Ann Wahl, a CNA who has been part<br />
of the staff for nine years. She says<br />
that the Saint Meinrad staff works<br />
hard to respect the fact that this is the<br />
monks’ home. She adds that she likes<br />
to serve people and help them maintain<br />
their individualism.<br />
Fr. Bonaventure Knaebel, OSB,<br />
agrees. Along with traditional healthcare<br />
needs, the monks often call on<br />
the staff to help with other important<br />
details. Knaebel says that he has macular<br />
degeneration, and that someone<br />
reads the Community Bulletin to him<br />
each week. The former archabbot<br />
(1955-66) is now 102 years old and<br />
has the rare ability to say he has lived<br />
through two pandemics, in 1918 and<br />
2020.<br />
“The nurses take care of us. A lot<br />
of little things come up that demand<br />
their attention. When I’m looking for<br />
something, and cannot see it due to<br />
my eyesight, they are always willing<br />
to help.”<br />
The daily activities for each of<br />
the monks varies, depending on their<br />
health and interests.<br />
Mass is celebrated each day in<br />
the Infirmary Chapel, with various<br />
monks coming from the monastery<br />
to assist. Meals are also taken together,<br />
often in silence, but occasionally<br />
with talk of current events, television<br />
shows or spiritual topics.<br />
Br. Jerome Croteau, OSB, who<br />
spent many years on the Archabbey<br />
building crew and working with the<br />
vineyards, also enjoys being able to<br />
go outside when the weather permits.<br />
The courtyard is a popular spot<br />
for many of the monks on beautiful,<br />
sunny days. He agrees that the staff<br />
is there for them, not only medically,<br />
but also in a very caring way.<br />
“Here, our patients are like part<br />
of our family,” said Doris Schaefer,<br />
who has worked in the department<br />
for 10 years. “If they need help with<br />
special things, like reading, writing<br />
letters or mailing things, I can help<br />
them. One of the greatest achievements<br />
is earning the trust and love of<br />
my patients.”<br />
Fr. Micheas Langston, OSB,<br />
mentions that the monks often try<br />
not to bother the nurses, but the nurses<br />
will tell us “that’s what I’m here<br />
for.” An Army chaplain for many<br />
years, Langston also taught Spanish<br />
“Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so<br />
that they may truly be served as Christ, for He said:<br />
I was sick and you visited Me,<br />
and what you did for one of the least<br />
brothers and sisters you did for Me.<br />
Let the sick on their part bear in mind that they are<br />
served out of honor for God, and let them not, by excessive<br />
demands, distress their nurses. Still, the sick must<br />
be patiently borne with, because serving them leads to<br />
greater ground.”<br />
- Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter 36<br />
Pictured: (left hand page) ) Doris Schaefer and Br. Jerome; (this page, top) Br. Giles and Mary Jo Waninger ; (this page, bottom)<br />
Br. Jerome Crouteau, OSB, Fr. Bonaventure Knaebel, OSB, Fr. Micheas Langston, OSB, and Ann Phillips<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 13
and German at Saint Meinrad and<br />
was involved in parish work here in<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong>. He returned to the<br />
Archabbey five years ago and still has<br />
frequent calls and letters from past<br />
students and those he knew from<br />
service. “Being able to talk to people<br />
is wonderful, since we cannot have<br />
visitors at this time, and we only go<br />
out for any necessary doctor appointments.”<br />
Wellness Coordinator Jill Memmer<br />
exercises with a group of monks<br />
twice a week in the infirmary. “With<br />
COVID, I have had to switch my<br />
mindset from mainly face-to-face interactions<br />
to virtual. I count my blessings<br />
that I have been able to adapt my<br />
programs and everyone seems willing<br />
to adapt along with me.”<br />
Memmer says that one of her<br />
favorite memories is from a few<br />
years ago when she asked the eldest<br />
monk about the key to living so long<br />
and he simply smiled and said, “just<br />
keep breathing.” “The experiences<br />
and knowledge the monks have to<br />
share with me and the world make<br />
our twice-a-week workouts a mutual<br />
benefit to them and to myself.”<br />
“I’m proud to call myself a<br />
nurse,” said Phillips. “This profession<br />
is definitely a calling, a lifestyle<br />
and a passion; the monks have taught<br />
me to view the profession as a ministry.<br />
It takes a lot of compassion and<br />
empathy to be a nurse. You have to<br />
have the desire to make a positive impact<br />
on the lives of our patients. Even<br />
though the days are long, and, at<br />
times, stressful, I leave knowing that<br />
we did a darn good job.”<br />
Stasiak easily sums up the compassion<br />
of the infirmary staff: “I’ve always<br />
said our infirmary staff is one of<br />
our greatest blessings. As so many of<br />
our co-workers have done, they have<br />
proved themselves several times over<br />
these past months as we’ve been living<br />
under the COVID pandemic. Caring<br />
for the sick while there’s a worldwide<br />
sickness going on is certainly<br />
not for the fainthearted. Our infirmary<br />
staff shows their strong and caring<br />
hearts day after day. They are among<br />
the most ‘careful’ — that is, ‘full of<br />
care’ — people I know.” •<br />
For more information on Saint Meinrad<br />
Archabbey, visit saintmeinrad.org.<br />
“I’ve always said our<br />
infirmary staff is one of<br />
our greatest blessings.<br />
As so many of our coworkers<br />
have done, they<br />
have proved themselves<br />
several times over these<br />
past months as we’ve<br />
been living under the<br />
COVID pandemic. Caring<br />
for the sick while<br />
there’s a worldwide<br />
sickness going on is<br />
certainly not for the<br />
fainthearted.”<br />
- Archabbot Kurt Stasiak<br />
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14 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
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<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 15
Making a Difference<br />
Brandon’s House Counseling<br />
Local non-profit offers much needed mental health services to teens at no cost<br />
16 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
Story by Darian Eswine<br />
Photo by Michelle Hockman (page 17) // Quorthon1 / shutterstock.com(page 16)<br />
Founded in 1993, Brandon’s<br />
House Counseling was, is and<br />
will always be a place to provide<br />
much-needed mental<br />
health services to teens at no cost to<br />
their families.<br />
Susan Parr created the counseling<br />
center as part of her master’s degree<br />
project before graduation. She<br />
realized there was a gap for a lot of<br />
people seeking services who either<br />
had insurance that limited the services<br />
they could receive, couldn’t afford<br />
the co-pay or didn’t have insurance<br />
and couldn’t afford the out-of-pocket<br />
cost for therapy.<br />
Parr was working with a young<br />
man at the time who had witnessed<br />
his father murder his mother. What<br />
was obviously a very traumatic event<br />
was made worse because he had a lot<br />
of limits to the care he could receive<br />
to aid his healing process.<br />
Parr saw that and realized it just<br />
wasn’t right, so she partnered with individuals<br />
in the community and with<br />
Depauw United Methodist Church<br />
in New Albany to create Brandon’s<br />
House.<br />
“We officially serve 13- to<br />
19-year-olds,” director Kathleen Randelia<br />
said. “We will make some exceptions<br />
generally on the younger<br />
end of that for siblings, for example.<br />
It’s a case-by-case basis.”<br />
For the past 27 years, Randelia,<br />
who became the director in 2018 after<br />
Parr retired, said they have focused<br />
on providing mental health counseling<br />
in a professional manner to as<br />
many people as they can at no cost to<br />
families.<br />
“We provide outpatient therapy,<br />
individual and family therapy for<br />
the most part. There are times where<br />
we’ll do group therapy, career counseling<br />
or couples counseling,” Randelia<br />
said. “We don’t do crisis intervention<br />
where if someone is having<br />
a mental crisis they would call us.<br />
We always refer to hospitals or other<br />
agencies that do that. We are exclusively<br />
outpatient.”<br />
One of the things Randelia<br />
makes sure clients understand is that<br />
even though they are getting free<br />
care, the staff is equally professional<br />
and educated and they stick with<br />
the state and national guidelines for<br />
mental health practices.<br />
With COVID-19 affecting everyone<br />
in different ways, Randelia said it<br />
has greatly affected the teens her team<br />
works with and their well-being. At<br />
the beginning of the pandemic, they<br />
switched to telehealth appointments<br />
exclusively. In June, they transitioned<br />
back to in-person only to switch back<br />
to telehealth in November.<br />
“At one point, we had 40 individuals<br />
on our waiting list. It really<br />
spiked,” Randelia said. “Mental<br />
Health Association sent out a State of<br />
Mental Health Report and their 2020<br />
data showed a marked increase in
individuals seeking help for anxiety<br />
and depression since COVID started.<br />
I want to say it was a 90% increase.”<br />
Randelia said research is showing<br />
what she’s seeing with their clients.<br />
Teens are facing a lot of uncertainty<br />
in their lives right now. Their<br />
anxiety and depression symptoms<br />
have increased. In fact, in <strong>Indiana</strong><br />
suicide is the second-leading cause of<br />
injury death in teens, just behind auto<br />
accidents.<br />
“A lot of them are really not<br />
adapting well to the online school<br />
process,” Randelia said. “I have a lot<br />
of parents who are frustrated because<br />
their kids who were really good students<br />
are now failing in classes and<br />
that adds stress to the whole family.”<br />
Randelia said that although<br />
everyone is facing uncertainty and<br />
stress this year, teens are seeing an<br />
even greater impact on their health.<br />
“If you think about all of the<br />
challenges adults have had adapting,<br />
teens feel everything much more intensely<br />
just because of where they’re<br />
at developmentally,” Randelia said.<br />
“So they’re going to feel those highs a<br />
lot higher and those lows a lot lower<br />
so for them it’s been even more of an<br />
emotional roller coaster this year.”<br />
Because of this, she said a lot<br />
of their focus in therapy has turned<br />
to working with clients on life skills,<br />
whereas the focus used to be more on<br />
the problem or issue for which they<br />
came to counseling.<br />
“We’re doing a lot more of<br />
‘how do you stay connected to your<br />
friends,’ because for adolescents social<br />
support is even more important<br />
than it is for adults,” Randelia said.<br />
“How do you organize your day<br />
when you’re not in the classroom that<br />
separates their lives in periods? How<br />
do you manage to keep yourself on<br />
task and focused?”<br />
Family members are encouraged<br />
to stay involved and often bring<br />
the teen to the session whether virtually<br />
or in-person.<br />
“One of the things with therapy<br />
that we find often, in order to help the<br />
teens the best possible way we can,<br />
we need to include family members<br />
and their support system in that process,”<br />
Randelia said.<br />
If you are a family or friend and<br />
notice a loved one saying they’re always<br />
tired, ignoring their personal<br />
hygiene or having a general lack of<br />
interest in themselves, withdrawing<br />
from social situations or being more<br />
emotionally vulnerable, these may be<br />
signs of a deeper issue.<br />
“If you think about all of the challenges adults<br />
have had adapting, teens feel everything much<br />
more intensely just because of where they’re at<br />
developmentally,” Randelia said. “So they’re going<br />
to feel those highs a lot higher and those lows a<br />
lot lower so for them it’s been even more of an<br />
emotional roller coaster this year.”<br />
“Those are things you want to<br />
have conversations about. Teens especially<br />
aren’t always comfortable<br />
talking about their emotions and<br />
thoughts and that is where counseling<br />
can come in because it’s that outside,<br />
third-party to talk to,” Randelia<br />
said.<br />
She said there used to be a fear<br />
that if you asked someone direct<br />
questions – “have you thought of<br />
self-harm?” – then you could put<br />
thoughts there that weren’t there before.<br />
But, she said this isn’t the case<br />
and that these questions are sometimes<br />
necessary. “It’s not going to<br />
make them think of it if they haven’t<br />
already.”<br />
As director of Brandon’s House,<br />
Randelia does a little bit of everything,<br />
including managing her own<br />
caseload of clients, managing the staff<br />
and handling the marketing and fundraising<br />
for the organization.<br />
Being very grassroots in nature,<br />
Brandon’s House does not take federal<br />
funds or tax dollars as they usually<br />
come with very specific restrictions to<br />
- Kathleen Randelia<br />
services.<br />
“We don’t want to have any barriers<br />
in place,” Randelia said. “We<br />
do accept some local grants and also<br />
have many individuals who sponsor<br />
us and support us throughout the<br />
year.”<br />
They also hold five to six fundraisers<br />
throughout the year. This year,<br />
they have switched to virtual events<br />
and are seeing about 50% of the revenue<br />
they usually make from in-person<br />
events. •<br />
To support Brandon’s House Counseling,<br />
visit brandonshousein.com to donate or<br />
find more information. For more resources<br />
on mental health, visit mhanational.<br />
org or nami.org.<br />
If you or someone you know is entertaining<br />
suicidal thoughts or thoughts<br />
of harming themselves or others, visit<br />
suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 800-<br />
273-8255.<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 17
Painters of SoIN<br />
“Cock of Walk”<br />
The Creative Heart of Susie Byerley<br />
Oil painter and grandmother<br />
Standing at the top of a small hill<br />
within the town of Hardinsburg<br />
in Washington County,<br />
the home of Susie and Wayne<br />
Byerley is surrounded by 7 acres<br />
of woods. Here, in this green world<br />
where diverse species of birds come<br />
to feed, goats saunter and fish swim<br />
in the pond, Susie Byerley is often<br />
thinking about how to translate these<br />
refreshing scenes and myriad inflections<br />
of color onto canvas.<br />
“I am always painting and mixing<br />
colors in my head,” Byerley said.<br />
“I am always evaluating what process<br />
to use so others can enjoy seeing<br />
what I am seeing.”<br />
Wildlife and domestic animals<br />
are some of her favorite subjects to<br />
paint. “Animals have always been<br />
a part of my life,” she said. “As a<br />
young girl, I loved horses and spent<br />
hours drawing their fine details. I<br />
later worked for a veterinarian for almost<br />
30 years. It is not surprising that<br />
when I began to paint seriously, in<br />
my mid-40s, I would paint animals.”<br />
A female cardinal perched in the<br />
snow is the subject of Byerley’s painting<br />
titled “Proud Lady.”<br />
18 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
“There are actually hints of blue<br />
and green in her tan feathers,” Byerley<br />
said, explaining the title of the<br />
piece. “Her confident demeanor suggests<br />
that she knows she is as beautiful<br />
as the more brilliant red male.”<br />
“Proud Lady” is a fairly recent<br />
painting that Byerley compared to<br />
one of her earlier works done when<br />
she was aiming at something closer<br />
to photorealism. “Allie With Fish,”<br />
the earlier work, is characterized by<br />
painstaking detail and precision,<br />
looking almost photographic.<br />
Byerley explained the shift: “As<br />
I grew as a painter, I wanted to capture<br />
more movement rather than the<br />
stillness of a photograph. In ‘Proud<br />
Lady,’ I softened the edges and<br />
blurred some details to create more<br />
vitality and also to leave something<br />
to the viewer’s imagination.”<br />
In a painting titled “Lambright’s<br />
Barn,” Byerley captures the mellow<br />
and peaceful attitude of a group of<br />
cows lazing inside a barn where light<br />
breaks through the stall gate and a<br />
small window.<br />
“I have a lot of fun representing<br />
the personalities of animals,” Byerley<br />
Story by Judy Cato<br />
Photos by Lorraine Hughes<br />
said of this painting.<br />
In a painting titled “Cock of the<br />
Walk,” a strutting rooster with a bright<br />
red cockscomb and grand arching tail<br />
feathers stands his ground over his<br />
hens and a piece of watermelon.<br />
Byerley is also well known for<br />
her still-lifes and exquisite portraits<br />
that often incorporate nature. Her<br />
response to the COVID-19 pandemic<br />
was to get to work painting portraits<br />
of her three granddaughters. “If I got<br />
the virus, I wanted them to have these<br />
portraits,” she said.<br />
When doing portraits, Byerley’s<br />
preference is to paint from live models,<br />
but her granddaughters’portraits<br />
were painted from photographs.<br />
“From models, I learn real skin tone,<br />
the anatomy of the face and where exactly<br />
light hits the face,” Byerley said.<br />
“With COVID, this had to shut down.<br />
Also, I would not ask my granddaughters<br />
to sit still for me. That<br />
would be torture. But they do like to<br />
get dressed up for photographs.”<br />
In her portrait of Macie holding<br />
a bunny, the frame is filled with<br />
the thrill of a moment. The little girl,<br />
oblivious to her strap falling down or
hair blowing about, is wholly captivated<br />
by the furry, wriggling animal.<br />
Lillie, reading by the pond, is under<br />
the spell of her book. The book’s<br />
title is hidden from view, leaving it to<br />
the viewer to guess what story might<br />
have provoked her trace of a smile.<br />
Charli, in a blue strapless dress,<br />
appears all grown up and poised with<br />
her hands gracefully folded. But there<br />
is some ambiguity in her face. Her<br />
eyes and expression seem to plead<br />
that she is still just a kid. Byerley said<br />
of this portrait: “Charli is 12, the time<br />
of metamorphosis.”<br />
The Byerley home and property<br />
is reminiscent of an artist retreat<br />
center. Byerley’s husband, Wayne, is<br />
also an artist - a wood turner - with a<br />
woodshop on the property where he<br />
creates segmented bowls on a lathe.<br />
Byerley’s studio, a transformed<br />
bedroom, is brimming with artist’s<br />
supplies and stacks of completed canvases.<br />
The magnificent windows in<br />
the home provide ample light to display<br />
the couple’s artwork in a gallerylike<br />
setting.<br />
When the couple are not making<br />
art, they enjoy other creative pursuits,<br />
such as gardening, cooking, canning,<br />
reading and fishing, and Byerley also<br />
sews and makes jewelry.<br />
Although Byerley has studied<br />
with several nationally known artists,<br />
she feels the most gratitude to Trish<br />
“Lambright’s Barn”<br />
“Animals have always been a part of my life.<br />
As a young girl, I loved horses and spent hours<br />
drawing their fine details. I later worked for<br />
a veterinarian for almost 30 years. It is not<br />
surprising that when I began to paint seriously, in<br />
my mid-40s, I would paint animals.”<br />
- Susie Byerley<br />
Artist Susie Byerley at her home in Washington County<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 19
Alder, who taught art at Paoli High<br />
School when Byerley was a student<br />
there. “She opened myeyes to art and<br />
taught me that there is nothing I can’t<br />
do,” Byerley said.<br />
Byerley has also won several<br />
prestigious art awards that have validated<br />
her work, but awards are not<br />
her motivation for working hard.<br />
What does motivate her? She pointed<br />
to a quotation by Erma Bombeck<br />
tacked to her refrigerator. Bombeck<br />
wrote: “When I stand before God at<br />
the end of my life, I would hope that<br />
I would not have a single bit of talent<br />
left and could say, ‘I used everything<br />
you gave me.’”<br />
Byerley said “this quotation has<br />
had a profound effect on my life and<br />
work: I feel it deep down.” •<br />
To see more of the artist’s work,<br />
visit atelierlouisville.com/carousel.<br />
php?galleryID=246648<br />
Pictured: (right) “Proud Lady”, a painting by Susie Byerley<br />
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20 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong>
PHILANTHROPY IS ALWAYS IN SEASON.<br />
For 25 years now, Harrison County Community Foundation has been helping our community experience<br />
philanthropy through every season – and every season of life. Scholarship for young people and adults.<br />
Funding Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten. Supporting youth programs and seniors’ meals. Investing in fiber<br />
internet backbone. COVID-19 relief. Providing grants and other resources for nonprofits. Funding mental<br />
health services and addiction treatment programs.<br />
Of course, plenty of opportunities and challenges remain. Together we can tackle the next 25 years and<br />
beyond. How are you going to experience philanthropy - this season and next? In what season of life are you<br />
going to help someone or perhaps need help yourself?<br />
Find out more by visiting hccfindiana.org or contacting us at 812-738-6668.<br />
25 YEARS<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
EXPERIENCE<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
L E G A C Y<br />
Harrison County Community Foundation<br />
1523 Foundation Way NE<br />
PO Box 279, Corydon, IN 47112<br />
P 812.738.6668 | F 812.738.6864<br />
hccfindiana.org<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 21
22 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
Local Author<br />
Following Your Dreams<br />
<strong>Jan</strong>et Wolanin Alexander<br />
New Albany horse owner shares tips in book<br />
Story by Julie Engelhardt<br />
Photo by Letha Cupp<br />
We all have dreams, hopes<br />
and aspirations — whether<br />
they have to do with<br />
careers, relationships or<br />
personal goals — but we often have to<br />
let them pass by due to circumstances<br />
that get in the way. We may not have<br />
the time to pursue them or be in the<br />
right place to make them happen,<br />
meaning we might have to wait until<br />
later in life for them to occur.<br />
Such is the case of former science<br />
teacher and nature enthusiast<br />
<strong>Jan</strong>et Wolanin Alexander, who lives<br />
in New Albany. She is the author of<br />
the book “At Home on a Horse in the<br />
Woods: A Journey into <strong>Living</strong> Your<br />
Ultimate Dream,” an inspiring collection<br />
of essays and poems. The book<br />
gives the reader insight into her quest<br />
to become a full-time horse owner,<br />
how she accomplished that goal in<br />
her 40s, her deep connection with<br />
her four-legged companions, and her<br />
personal and spiritual growth along<br />
the trail. While this book connects<br />
deeply with horse owners and equestrian<br />
enthusiasts, it is also for those<br />
who are searching for ways to attain<br />
their goals and follow their dreams,<br />
regardless of age or circumstance.<br />
Alexander, who’s now 68, has<br />
had a deep fascination with horses<br />
ever since she was a child. She grew<br />
up in the city, near Cleveland, Ohio,<br />
but never lived in close proximity to<br />
stables. “My parents weren’t horse<br />
people themselves and didn’t quite<br />
relate to or understand the whole<br />
thing,” she explained. “They probably<br />
thought it was a typical girl fancy,<br />
a passing stage that would go away<br />
when puberty and boys came along,<br />
but it never did.”<br />
In chapter 51 of her book, titled<br />
“A Range Horse,” Alexander ruminates<br />
on where her love for horses<br />
stemmed from. She writes, “Perhaps<br />
part of my horse craziness can be attributed<br />
to growing up in the 1950s<br />
and ’60s, when Westerns abounded<br />
on television.” She cites shows that<br />
were popular during that time period,<br />
which include “Big Valley,”<br />
“Cheyenne,” “Bonanza,” “Death Valley<br />
Days,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Lone<br />
Ranger,” “Maverick” and “The Rifleman.”<br />
These were shows where horses<br />
were as prominent as the human<br />
players.<br />
“I just fell in love with watching<br />
the horses,” Alexander said. “I had<br />
such a fascination with them.”<br />
Alexander’s love for horses increased<br />
when she was able to finally<br />
go on rides through her involvement
with area youth groups, like Campfire<br />
Girls, and local church organizations.<br />
“We’d go on field trips, and<br />
I enjoyed the outings where we got<br />
to ride horses,” she said. Also, near<br />
Cleveland, there was a stable where<br />
they could rent a horse for an hour<br />
and take guided rides. Her father<br />
also knew a professor through Case<br />
Western Reserve University who<br />
had opened a summer camp, which<br />
included riding. When she was old<br />
enough to drive, Alexander began<br />
leasing a horse and would head out<br />
to go on rides. “I’d take any opportunity<br />
I could get to go riding.”<br />
After high school, Alexander<br />
enrolled in the University of Dayton,<br />
where she majored in education with<br />
an emphasis in biology and English.<br />
She began teaching, and it was during<br />
this time that she was able to become<br />
seriously involved with horses.<br />
She began providing evening care<br />
for an Appaloosa gelding named<br />
Geronimo, and along with that, she<br />
was granted riding privileges. Eventually,<br />
Geronimo was for sale, so Alexander<br />
bought him. She began taking<br />
dressage lessons with Geronimo,<br />
and they began going on trail rides,<br />
which is an activity Alexander greatly<br />
enjoys to this day. When she was<br />
in her later 20s, Alexander decided<br />
that she wanted to return to college<br />
to earn her master’s degree. In order<br />
to pay for her schooling, she had to<br />
take out student loans, but she also<br />
reluctantly sold Geronimo. In chapter<br />
49, “My Worst Nightmare,” Alexander<br />
tells of her agony over selling the<br />
horse, something she thinks about to<br />
this day.<br />
When Alexander was in her<br />
early 40s, she met and married her<br />
husband, who was also an educator.<br />
She and her husband had different<br />
religious backgrounds, so in order<br />
to have a better understanding of<br />
his faith, she enrolled in a class at his<br />
church. One of the assignments she<br />
received was to schedule a private<br />
The book gives the reader insight into her quest<br />
to become a full-time horse owner, how she<br />
accomplished that goal in her 40s, her deep<br />
connection with her four-legged companions, and<br />
her personal and spiritual growth along the trail.<br />
meeting with a minister, a woman<br />
named Reverend Judy. Judy invited<br />
Alexander to discuss anything she<br />
wanted.<br />
“I had no idea what I was going<br />
to talk about,” Alexander explained.<br />
She eventually opened up to Judy<br />
about her passion, her burning desire<br />
to have a horse, and how she felt<br />
tortured when she drove past horse<br />
farms or saw owners in their riding<br />
garb. Alexander also expressed how<br />
angry she was at God. Right there,<br />
in front of Judy, Alexander said she<br />
“put God on notice.” In her book she<br />
writes, “I informed the big bully that<br />
I was no longer going to play the enabling<br />
victim in this game because I<br />
no longer wanted a horse. ‘So there,’ I<br />
told God, ‘you can’t hurt me any longer.’”<br />
Expecting that she would receive<br />
a dressing down from Judy, Alexander<br />
went on to tell how the next<br />
unexpected moment changed her life.<br />
“She wasn’t flustered or angry,<br />
and warmly looked at me and said,<br />
‘<strong>Jan</strong>, don’t you get it? Who do you<br />
think put your love of horses into<br />
your being? It’s not going to go away,<br />
until you fully open your heart and<br />
accept it.’”<br />
Alexander said that she was<br />
floored by this response to her outburst.<br />
“It was just so — this idea<br />
was so different than I had expected,<br />
and so pleasant,” she admitted. “I<br />
felt like the room was spinning and<br />
overwhelming, and I immediately<br />
accepted it. What’s wrong with being<br />
happy? If you’re happy, then you can<br />
be a better servant.”<br />
This was the turning point that<br />
Alexander needed, and after talking<br />
openly about it with her husband, the<br />
opportunities to work with horses,<br />
leading to eventual long-term horse<br />
ownership, began to take place.<br />
Through various personal connections<br />
and friends, she was offered the<br />
chance to ride and exercise a horse<br />
named Dancer’s Streak, a registered<br />
Arabian who was a 5,000-mile endurance<br />
champion who had entered 100<br />
endurance rides, including 13 oneday<br />
100-milers. Through Dancer’s<br />
owners, Alexander met others who<br />
gave her the opportunity to ride their<br />
horses, eventually meeting the horse<br />
that she’s now owned for 20 years,<br />
Highlander, a Tennessee Walker-<br />
Arabian mix. “He has great breeding<br />
and he’s a good trail horse,” she said.<br />
“A trail horse is the best of all horses<br />
because basically, they have to do everything<br />
a horse has to do in the ring.<br />
In nature, they’re performing similar<br />
activities. They have to be aware of so<br />
many different things we might encounter<br />
— wild turkeys, horse traffic,<br />
bicycles, people on four-wheelers, an<br />
errant truck that gets lost, backpackers,<br />
thunderstorms — you name it.”<br />
For many years, Alexander was<br />
under the impression that she had to<br />
be quite wealthy to own a horse, but<br />
soon realized that her dream was attainable.<br />
“Horses are still an expense, but<br />
we moved to <strong>Indiana</strong> because it’s less<br />
expensive, housing is less expensive<br />
and horse keeping is less expensive,”<br />
she said. “I don’t take lessons, so I<br />
don’t have that expense, I only have<br />
one horse, I don’t compete in any discipline,<br />
so I don’t have entry fees for<br />
shows or fancy costumes for me or<br />
my horse, I don’t own a truck and I<br />
don’t own a trailer, and I board at a<br />
stable next to 80 to 100 miles of trails.”<br />
And even though it took her 20<br />
years to realize that dream of fulltime<br />
horse ownership, Alexander<br />
made it happen. She found her home<br />
on the back of her horse.<br />
In the latter part of Alexander’s<br />
book, after sharing her stories and experiences<br />
that led her to horse ownership,<br />
she includes appendices to help<br />
guide the reader. The first includes<br />
safety riding tips, such as riding with<br />
someone if you can, items to carry<br />
while you’re on your ride, wearing<br />
a helmet and how to practice good<br />
trail etiquette. The second appendix<br />
is titled “Self-Study Discussion Questions.”<br />
In this chapter, readers will<br />
find 14 questions that will help them<br />
work through discovering how they<br />
can meet their goals.<br />
Her book gives readers an insight<br />
as to how they, too, can find<br />
their personal “home,” no matter<br />
what it is or where it may be. •<br />
Alexander’s book is available on Amazon<br />
at amazon.com/At-Home-Horse-Woods-<br />
Ultimate/dp/1640857850.<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 23
24 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
Sculptors of SoIN<br />
In a remote, forested area of Orange<br />
County, close to the Craw-<br />
ford County line, sculptor David<br />
Cox built – mostly by himself –<br />
his home, two studios, a gallery and<br />
his bronze foundry. This place that<br />
he shares with his partner, emerging<br />
artist Ann Burns, may not be the easi-<br />
est place to get to, but once there, the<br />
sylvan landscape, with its nut-brown<br />
buildings nestled in a hollow, is idyl-<br />
lic.<br />
The function of a foundry is to<br />
take an original sculpture in clay,<br />
wood, stone or other material, and<br />
replicate it in cold metal. Cox creates<br />
his original sculptures in clay before<br />
rendering them in bronze. He has<br />
also produced work in bronze for<br />
dozens of other sculptors who must<br />
trust him to execute their sculptures –<br />
large, small, in various styles and ma-<br />
terials – to perfection. One national<br />
caliber work that Cox, as head techni-<br />
cian, cast into bronze is the Blue Ash<br />
Veterans Memorial in Blue Ash, Ohio.<br />
Sculpted by Ken Bradford, the<br />
work consists of 11 life-sized figures<br />
in period military uniforms repre-<br />
senting 11 wars of the United States.<br />
The method Cox uses to turn<br />
sculpture into bronze is called “lost<br />
wax casting,” also known in French<br />
as cire perdu. This is a painstaking<br />
process with deep roots and a distin-<br />
guished lineage. A variation of this<br />
method dates back 5,000 years ago,<br />
with the ancient Sumerians getting<br />
credit for developing it most effectively.<br />
Today, it is still the most accu-<br />
rate and reliable method of turning<br />
sculpture into metal. Rodin and Bran-<br />
cusi, to name only a couple, both had<br />
works cast using this method. Cox<br />
summed it up this way:<br />
“Lost wax casting is the gold<br />
standard, the only method sculptors<br />
use because of its precision.”<br />
There are at least seven distinct<br />
stages of this complex process. Cox<br />
thoroughly enjoys talking abou them.<br />
“The original sculpture, called a ‘pos-<br />
itive,’ is used to make a ‘negative’<br />
rubber mold,” he explained, sim-<br />
plifying as much as possible. “Hot<br />
wax is poured into the rubber mold<br />
to make another ‘positive.’ This wax<br />
figure is dipped into a mixture called<br />
a ‘slurry’ to create a negative mold<br />
that can withstand high tempera-<br />
tures. This is heated to 1300 degrees<br />
to melt, or “lose,” the wax, leaving<br />
an empty mold. The molten bronze is<br />
poured into this empty mold, heated<br />
to 1850 degrees, and when cool, the<br />
“Jeherek”, created by David Cox<br />
Cast in Bronze<br />
Local Sculptor, David Cox, uses lost wax casting<br />
to create original works of art<br />
Story by Judy Cato<br />
Photos by Lorraine Hughes
Some of Cox’s ideas come from books. He is<br />
an avid reader, with a floor-to-ceiling library<br />
that stretches the length of his living room.<br />
His sculpture “Jherek” is based on a character<br />
in Michael Moorcock’s science fiction trilogy<br />
“Dancers at the End of Time.”<br />
mold is broken open to reveal a solid<br />
bronze sculpture.” But there is more.<br />
“In a process called ‘metal chasing,’<br />
the sculpture is chiseled into its final<br />
form. Finally, chemicals may be add-<br />
ed to create a patina – a gloss or sheen<br />
– on the metal,” Cox concluded, ac-<br />
knowledging that a lot more could be<br />
said. But one thing is clear: The work<br />
requires an immense array of intri-<br />
cate technical skills and knowledge,<br />
as well as a whiff of brawn.<br />
The more imaginative side of<br />
Cox’s work happens when he cre-<br />
ates his clay sculptures. These shapes<br />
arise, he said, “from looking at the<br />
world askance rather than directly. I<br />
am open to shadows and forms that<br />
“Bull”, created by David Cox<br />
appear out of the corner of my eye.<br />
They seem to come out of ether.” In<br />
his sculptures “Leap” and a horseh-<br />
ead that is “Untitled,” he seems to<br />
sculpt movement itself. There is so<br />
much swirling and flowing vitality<br />
in these sculptures that the viewer<br />
might feel lighter – freer to move and<br />
transcend limitations – after seeing<br />
them.<br />
Some of Cox’s ideas come from<br />
books. He is an avid reader, with a<br />
floor-to-ceiling library that stretches<br />
the length of his living room. His<br />
sculpture “Jherek” is based on a char-<br />
acter in Michael Moorcock’s science<br />
fiction trilogy “Dancers at the End of<br />
Time.” “The sculpture is pure fanta-<br />
Artist David Cox in his studio<br />
sy,” Cox said.<br />
“This is how I imagined him. I<br />
was inspired by the book because the<br />
characters had powers to transform<br />
into other creatures.”<br />
His largest sculpture, “Totem,”<br />
weighing over 120 pounds, is also<br />
a fantasy that was inspired by Inuit<br />
carvings and totem poles. Other influences<br />
on Cox’s work include Cub-<br />
ism, Art Deco and the S-shaped curve<br />
of design. His sculpture “Bull,” for<br />
example, he said “is an exercise in Art<br />
Deco stylization.”<br />
“My work has its own rhythm,”<br />
Cox said to describe how he works. “I<br />
don’t follow a schedule. I moved here<br />
20 years ago to get away from all that<br />
scramble and noise.” Before moving<br />
here, Cox had traveled the U.S. in<br />
search of technical knowledge; over<br />
the years, he supervised numerous<br />
employees, and was the first to open<br />
a gallery/studio/foundry in Fountain<br />
Square in downtown <strong>Indiana</strong>po-<br />
lis where he worked for 30 years. But<br />
he is more himself here: “I love the<br />
quiet, the solitude, the freedom and<br />
being close to nature,” he said.<br />
He is also supportive of his part-<br />
ner Burns’ drawing and painting.<br />
Burns is unassuming and does not<br />
like to shine a light on her own work,<br />
but Cox pointed it out, noting that<br />
she was previously selected by the<br />
Krempp Gallery in Jasper to exhibit<br />
her work in a juried show.<br />
In this out-of-the-way place in<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong>, off the beaten path,<br />
creativity and the artistic process<br />
matter, and are treated with uncondi-<br />
tional respect. •<br />
For more information about Cox’s work,<br />
go to dlcoxsculptor.com.<br />
<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 25
Pictured: (left) an untitled sculpture of a horse head; (right) “Totem”, a 30 inch tall sculpture // all<br />
sculptures by artist David Cox<br />
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26 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong>
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<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 27<br />
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28 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong>
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<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 29
Everyday Adventures<br />
The Star of Christmas<br />
A Winter Escape<br />
30 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong><br />
Ifeel sorry for my wife because she<br />
usually has crummy birthday weather.<br />
As a midwest <strong>Feb</strong>ruary baby, she’s<br />
lucky if it breaks sixty degrees. It’s often<br />
freezing, rainy or worse. One year she<br />
even got to celebrate with eight inches of<br />
snow on the ground.<br />
By the time my April birthday rolls<br />
around, however, the birds are singing,<br />
the sun is shining and temperatures are<br />
comfortably in the seventies or higher.<br />
Sure I’ve had a few cold snaps and rain,<br />
but most of my birthdays have been absolutely<br />
beautiful. Last year it hit eight-five<br />
that day. No joke.<br />
About ten years ago, I was feeling<br />
guilty for hogging all of this spectacular<br />
birthday weather for myself, so I decided<br />
to take my wife somewhere warm. Out of<br />
the blue we received an offer in the mail<br />
for half off a <strong>Feb</strong>ruary stay at a Disney resort.<br />
What a deal, I thought. This would<br />
be the perfect chance to show her what a<br />
tropical birthday like mine felt like.<br />
The day we left home it was fortyfive<br />
degrees. When we touched down<br />
in Orlando, it was a balmy eighty-three.<br />
Now this was going to be living the dream.<br />
While all of those suckers back home were<br />
bundling up with hats and scarves, we<br />
were going to be soaking up the sun. It<br />
was awesome. For about five hours.<br />
Unfortunately, the night we arrived,<br />
a freak cold-front barrelled across Florida.<br />
Temperatures plummeted to the low fifties<br />
with blustery, biting winds. Every<br />
time we stepped outside it felt miserable.<br />
We hadn’t packed anything warm so we<br />
had to buy Mickey gloves and hats. The<br />
young lady working in the gift shop said,<br />
“This is so weird. It’s been in the eighties<br />
for weeks!”<br />
Maybe it was my imagination, but I<br />
kept thinking the other tourists were giving<br />
us dirty looks for bringing the bad<br />
weather with us. We had done our best to<br />
escape Old Man Winter, but it looked like<br />
he had come along for the ride.<br />
Of course, the morning we flew<br />
home, the temperatures rebounded, and<br />
Florida was back to its sunny self. All the<br />
local residents cheered when our plane<br />
left the tarmac.<br />
I guess, though, we’re not the first<br />
people to try to run away from our circumstances<br />
just to find ourselves back in<br />
the same boat. The fantasy of escape is a<br />
powerful lure for the human heart.<br />
If we’re unhappy at work or unhappy<br />
at home, it’s easy to convince ourselves<br />
that a new job or a new family would fix<br />
the problem. If only my spouse were different<br />
or my friends were different or my<br />
boss was different, then I’d be happy.<br />
The only problem is sometimes we<br />
change jobs or friends or spouses but we<br />
find ourselves just as frustrated as before.<br />
No matter how far we run, the one person<br />
we can’t run away from is ourselves. Like<br />
my ill-fated Florida trip, sometimes we<br />
bring the bad weather with us.<br />
So maybe when it comes to fixing<br />
all the things we think are wrong with<br />
our lives, the best place to start is with us.<br />
But that’s where we need help. The great<br />
news is there is God who made us and<br />
loves and is more than happy to jump in<br />
and help us navigate the foul weather of<br />
our soul.<br />
In the book of Psalms a king named<br />
David once prayed, “Search me, God, and<br />
know my heart; test me and know my<br />
anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive<br />
way in me, and lead me in the way<br />
everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).<br />
That’s an uncomfortable prayer, a<br />
dangerous prayer, but a prayer that can<br />
Now this was going to be living the dream. While all<br />
of those suckers back home were bundling up with<br />
hats and scarves, we were going to be soaking up<br />
the sun. It was awesome. For about five hours.<br />
be the beginning of God transforming<br />
our lives from the inside out. Like a warm<br />
front blowing into our hearts, it can be the<br />
beginning of a brand new day. •<br />
Image: Vixit / shutterstock.com<br />
Jason Byerly is a writer, pastor, husband and<br />
dad who loves the quirky surprises God sends<br />
his way every day. You can read more from<br />
Jason in his books Tales from the Leaf Pile and<br />
Holiday Road. You can catch up with Jason on<br />
his blog at www.jasonbyerly.com.
For your adventures,<br />
on-road and off.<br />
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<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2021</strong> • 31
BAPTIST HEALTH<br />
LOUISVILLE<br />
BAPTIST HEALTH<br />
FLOYD<br />
BEING CENTERED ON YOU<br />
BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN US.<br />
For 2020-21, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Baptist Health Louisville #1 in the region for the eighth time,<br />
and Baptist Health Floyd has tied for #3. Louisville earned high performing ratings in eight areas: abdominal<br />
aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, colon cancer surgery, COPD, hip<br />
replacement and knee replacement. Floyd received accolades in three areas: COPD, lung cancer surgery and<br />
heart failure. We would like to extend our gratitude and congratulations to the physicians, staff and volunteers<br />
who made this possible. To learn more about our nationally recognized care, visit BaptistHealth.com.<br />
Corbin | Floyd | Hardin | La Grange | Lexington | Louisville | Madisonville | Paducah | Richmond<br />
BaptistHealth.com<br />
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12/21/20 8:48 AM