What’s the perfect birthday present for you? I daresay you immediately thought of something. But what about one for somebody else? A few years ago, my friend and I went in together on the perfect gift for our coworker. It seemed like a simple enough thing to do, but it didn’t quite work out that way.

Our area’s enormous plant diversity makes getting outside an adventure, with every trail or country road having something interesting to see, feel, or smell. If you’d like to add taste to some of your outings, there are several common plants that provide a variety of flavors to enjoy as a beverage. Here is a rundown of some that I have tried and enjoyed. Be sure of correct identification before consuming any wild food, and try only a small amount at first in case of food allergies.

World War II was over and Pug was home from the war. We were newly married and living in our new house on Hanover Road just outside of Pulaski. I was not knowledgeable about the benefits returning servicemen were able to receive. Too bad.

Pug had a way of doing something that affected both of us but not telling me until afterwards when I could then do nothing about it. For instance, he bought a new steel cabinet sink with double drainboards on it. The attraction for it was the name "Shirley" on the nameplate. It was bigger than necessary for our new kitchen. Then there was also the time he brought home an expensive garden tiller. It was useless on our rocky garden. It sat out on the edge of the garden until Pug found someone to take it off his hands for a fraction of what he paid for it.

I remember back in Great Depression days when we didn't have a refrigerator. Hey, we didn't even have electricity. Some folks were lucky enough to have a spring house to keep milk and other foods cool. It was usually a concrete block or stone shanty built over a spring of running water. We weren't so blessed. I don't remember eating ground beef during those days either. Mother seldom was able to drive into town. She did most of her shopping in a nearby small grocery store at a country crossroads. They didn't carry fresh meat. Mother kept chickens so we had our own eggs.

I pass a house almost every day of my life. It is a rather nice brick structure, but I’ve noticed for some time it appears to need a roof.
Last week I noticed shingles and roofing materials in the yard. Today, workers are on site to replace the roof.
I remember the last time that house was roofed. The house originally belonged to a prominent Union County businessman. His son told me that another prominent Union Countian, Clifford Stiner, built the house. I’d say it was constructed in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

A research team set out to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness compared to cognitive behavioral therapy as treatments for chronic opioid-treated low back pain and their long-term effects. CBT is considered the standard psychotherapy for chronic pain, but its long-term benefits haven’t been well studied. To date, only 17 studies have evaluated mindfulness for chronic low-back pain and three studies have compared mindfulness and CBT.

Do you know somebody who has been struck by lightning? I’m not talking about being close to a strike. I’m referring to a bolt of lightning actually touching them. Most people don’t, but I know someone who experienced this.

The next regular workshop and meeting of the Union County Board of Education will be on Thursday, August 14, 2025 at Union County High School. The workshop will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting immediately to follow.

As Union County farmers know, summer is a critical time for managing pastures—and one persistent challenge is the spread of broomsedge. Broomsedge is a true grass, not a sedge. Broomsedge is also sometimes called “sage grass” but it falls short of the mark as a forage grass. Cattle will eat it but for only a short period in the spring when the new leaves first emerge and there is nothing better available. Once the perennial, clump-forming, three-foot-tall, erect growing stems emerge in early summer.

Congratulate me! I crossed a great divide this week. I’ve achieved another “Big O”! I turned sixty!
In the past, I have dreaded certain “ages”. Believe it or not, I was depressed when I turned twenty. Life was great, right on target, but the teenage years were no more. Looking back, my teenage years weren’t for the most part that great, though I will say they ended better than they began.