Have you ever heard of a hobo? It has been a couple generations since they walked the land. It was a different time, the Great Depression, that is. The hobo phenomenon was part of it. They weren't bums. A bum won't work. A hobo took to the roads to find work. Let me tell you what I remember about them.

Our area’s high 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 enjoy. Be sure of correct identification before consuming any wild food and try only a small amount in case of food allergies.

When we moved to Tennessee we left all our relatives behind, mostly in Utah and California. Even my father lived in Indiana.

Then we met Mimi at church. Specifically, her real name was Ida Lou Duggan. She was a retired 3rd grade school teacher who lived in the country up on Mecca Pike with her husband about halfway between Etowah and Tellico Plains.

She had grown children and scads of grandchildren, but Mimi was one of those people who treated all children like her own grandchildren. So Mimi became our children's Tennessee Mamaw.

Maynardville welcomingly introduces a new business into the community, Walker’s Appliances. Clint Walker and wife Mandi bring much knowledge, experience and service to the community. Clint grew up in the furniture industry, as his parents owned Mynatt’s Furniture store in Halls, and Mandi grew up in the Gibbs community. Later, Clint transitioned from furniture into appliance sales and service, gaining some of his experience while working in maintenance at an apartment complex. He soon advanced, working for an appliance store for some years as a service tech.

Union County, TN, 2019—For many years, Union County residents have been a part of Operation Christmas Child, a global project that shares the true meaning of Christmas with children around the world. On August 3rd, volunteers from Union, Claiborne, Campbell and Scott Counties will gather to equip Project Leaders as they prepare to pack more than 10,000 shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items. These gift-filled shoeboxes will contribute to the project’s global goal of reaching more than 11 million children in Jesus’ Name.

Call to Order 7:05 PM by Mayor Chandler
Prayer by Gordon Bright
Present: Mayor Chandler, Vice-Mayor Phillips, Aldermen Josh Collins, Marilyn Toppins, Gordon Bright
Reading of Previous Minutes by Mary Ann Brantley. Two name corrections were made. Motion by Marilyn Toppins, Second by Richard Phillips to approve with corrections.
Regional Director of Census Kimberly Smith presented information on the procedures and importance of reporting the upcoming 2020 Census.

VA chiropractic clinics saw a greater percentage of female and younger patients compared with the national VA outpatient population. This demographic tendency is consistent with the cohort of veterans from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is known to have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions.

Zombie’s scare the bejeebies out of me!

Our culture’s appetite for zombies is seemingly endless. We have zombie books, games, TV shows and movies. I counted the release of over 150 zombie movies in the last ten years, that is over one zombie movie per month. Zombie is a relatively new word of African origin, which over time has come to simply mean the walking dead. Although the English word zombie is fairly new, the concept of the walking dead can be traced from antiquity.

“No!” We told our dog Little John over and over. “No cups!”

It was Christmas and we had some family over to our house for a small get-together. To save ourselves some work, we used paper plates and Styrofoam cups. Little John snatched a cup and chewed on it. And chewed. And chewed. And chewed. I don’t know how many cups we had to take away from him and say “No!”

Mincey’s Musings
Year Two, Week Twenty-Six

I was reading in a back issue of the Reader’s Digest about a man who was dating a woman. Although he had dated her for several months, a surprise was in store. He called her home and her son answered. When the man identified himself and asked to speak to the boy’s mother, the son asked if he was Tom number one or Tom number two. There was not in the future a need for anyone to ask.