Courtesy Wagener Monthly

Shannon Christofferson and Michelle Calvert have announced a soft opening date of June 1 for M & S Apothecary, 157 Sand Dam Rd, Wagener.

M & S Apothecary will be an herbal apothecary offering tinctures, capsules, salves, herbs, oils and vinegars as well as interactive workshops, education, stress relieving yoga and a meditation room for anyone who needs a minute of peace and quiet on any given day.

Christofferson says, “Our entire purpose is to share herbal healing with the community. Anybody who is interested can learn from us, but we’re not going to push this on anyone. Don’t get us wrong, we go to the doctor, we utilize modern medicine when it’s necessary. We’ve been doing this, combined, for probably thirty years. We just decided that we were at a point in our lives where we needed to share. It’s becoming a lost art and that’s a shame.

“My grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee Indian and some of my greatest memories were learning what she was doing in her garden. Sitting in her kitchen while she was drying and making stuff. That’s where the love of herbs and the medicinal part entered.”

Calvert adds, “Both of my grandmothers were very much into the herbs and harvesting whatever was around them and using what was there. They’re (herbs) here, we’re just not utilizing them. If we utilized it to how it was intended, it’s better for our bodies and our functioning – every system – that’s how we were designed.”

Reading with Beau is a program that encourages children to read by allowing them to read to a Therapy Dog named Beau. Children can read to Beau once a month at the Nancy Bonnette Library. Also, Beau visits Busbee Elementary and Forts Pond Elementary schools once a month bringing joy to children while they read.

Beau’s owner, Shirley Snipes acquired Beau in November of 2015. The first thing she noticed was his friendliness and desire to be around people. The second thing she noticed was a shine in his eyes when he was indoors.

After taking Beau to the vet, she took him to a veterinarian ophthalmologist in Mt. Pleasant, Dr. Anne Grimsley Cook who found that Beau had juvenile diabetes and was totally blind in one eye. She performed an evisceration of one eye and replaced it with a prosthetic. Beau has been doing great ever since.

Snipes decided Beau’s personality needed to be shared for his sake as well as for others. “He wants to share his personality,” Snipes said. “He’s so sweet. He’s like no dog I’ve ever had before.”

She took him through three levels of obedience training and then testing with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs organization. Along with testing, Beau and Shirley, as a team, had to go through three observations in public spaces. Beau did an outstanding job at the airport and two nursing homes.

Beau and Snipes were certified as a therapy team in 2016.

As this therapy team progressed, Snipes realized Beau likes working with children while nursing homes aren’t a good fit for him. “Part of becoming a therapy dog team is to recognize what your dog likes to do. Just listen to your dog and see where he or she feels most comfortable. You have to be flexible.”