A few days ago Becky Ogle, who works for the Union County Schools Technology Department, gave me a gift of appreciation. It was a yellow mug bearing the school system’s logo, and it contained a few goodies in it (ink pen, note pad, a 3-in-1 “phone buddy”). Becky said the cup would turn orange if I filled it with a cool drink and ice cubes. She gave me two, one for me and one for my Administrative Assistant, Angela Henderlight. Each cup had a raffle ticket, and a drawing was to be held I read a post on Facebook a few days later.

I wasn’t going to highlight any particular pet, but I have already done it before, so see no reason to stop now. When I was working at Niota Elementary School in the northern part of McMinn County, I would sometimes go and work in the summer, trying to get the library up and ready for the new school year.

We have a new dog in the family now. Frankie joined us two days ago; she’s part shepherd and part something (or several somethings), eight weeks old and doing the standard cycle of full speed ahead, crash for a few hours, repeat. Razor teeth, no bladder control to speak of, and still a little scared of all the new sights, smells, and sounds, not to mention the two adult cats who are not thrilled at sharing what they thought was their space by divine right. No fights so far, just wary circles and uncertain boundaries. We’re all still getting used to each other.

Boy, oh boy! Here is a recipe straight out of the 50's. I suppose some women during the Great Depression had enough money to fancy up their menus. My mother didn't. It seemed that women's magazines only came into their own around the late 40s time. They were only 10 or 15 cents each. I could afford that. I would pick up a woman's magazine when I did my grocery shopping on the weekend. This recipe reminds me of these days. It has survived the test of time, just brought up to date with the Cool Whip.

Is it finally spring? Well...if you can count how much water has been "springing" from the sky, then yes. And with spring comes recipes for greens from the garden. Here's one for collards that my daughter Christa came up with and shared with me. It takes some time, but is soooo worth it!.

if you need a sugar-free snack, this is for you. Unflavored gelatin takes the place of fruit pectin. Give it a try.

Graduation time is upon us. It’s that time of year every teenager looks forward to—the moment students complete their foundational education and close a chapter of their lives to move on to a new one, more exciting than the last.

After several meetings and much discussion, the Union County Commission passed a resolution at its May meeting to fund the Union County Chamber of Commerce with the majority of the hotel/motel tax annual revenues. The resolution will give the chamber 80% of the last three years average.

At its May meeting, the Union County Board of Education passed a balanced budget with increased funding. Teacher salaries will increase due to a raise in beginning teacher pay from $36,000 to $37,000. This raise causes an increase throughout the scale. There will be no longevity pay for seniority since all educators will get an increase in pay.

The 2020 season at the Union County Farmers Market will be an exciting one, as changes are in the air. Not only does the market look a little different as everyone tries to follow public safety guidelines during this pandemic, there will be other changes in 2020.