At the latest Glam and Glo Alternative Beauty Pageant, it is with honor that Union County’s own Courtney Brown was crowned Miss Inked Knoxville 2019. Courtney is a distinguished model, along with being a very talented and creative cosmetologist and proud mom.

Hearing well has never been my strong suit. Over the years, that has led to a few misunderstandings for me. A good example of this is learning the Lord’s Prayer as a child.

One of my first memories of church is being in the small children’s Sunday school class. Our teacher was a dear lady named Agnes, who everybody loved. And she was a very talented singer. She taught us a few children’s hymns and we would all sing one every Sunday morning.

I was reminded again this past week about how the act of making a decision pushes the subsequent decisions in sometimes unexpected directions.

Up until recently, the backyard project I have been working on has been confined to demolition and hauling stuff to the dump. Nasty stuff. Dangerous stuff. Boards with nails and screws protruding, splintered ends, and unwieldy shapes and sizes. Finishing that (well, mostly finishing that) has meant that I could move from destruction to creation.

Mincey’s Musings
Year Two, Week Thirty

Leaving Leaves

Leaf After Leaf Drops Off

Leaf after leaf drops off, flower after flower,
Some in the chill, some in the warmer hour:
Alive they flourish, and alive they fall,
And Earth who nourished them receives them all.
Should we, her wiser sons, be less content
To sink into her lap when life is spent?
--Walter Savage Landor

This is really a quiche, but I can't eat the usual quiche so I call it a “Bake.” One of my allergies is related to egg yolk. How do I get around it with this recipe? Easy. I use the egg whites that come in a carton. One fourth cup equals one egg.

We had an uninvited guest a few days ago. It wasn't that he wasn't welcome, just unexpected. Have you had a rooster on your roof lately? A neighbor called. “What is a chicken doing on your roof?” He noticed the rooster when he heard it shouting its lungs out, “Cockle-doodle-do!” Where could it be? He finally spotted it on the front roof of our house, standing at the roof's edge, singing his heart out. I thought roosters only announced the dawn.

Bagworms are a common landscape pest this time of year, especially on evergreens, especially arborvitae. A large enough population can seriously damage and eventually kill a tree.

When our family was younger, we loved visiting Cade’s Cove and took every opportunity to go there.

One summer we decided to go camping. The cove has a wonderful campground. Stream running nearby and a little store if you forgot something. Now mind you, we are not the camping type. Our budget was a little tight so we had no tent. We had blankets, sleeping bags, food and the assurance of the Knoxville weathermen that the night was going to be clear with absolutely no rain.

As American kids pack on the pounds, the number of those experiencing back pain is on the rise.

One in three between the ages of 10 and 18 said they had backaches in the past year, according to a survey of about 3,700 youngsters. The incidence rose along with kids’ age and weight and was higher among those who play competitive sports.

The 4th Annual Thunder in the Park, free professional fireworks show will light up the night sky in Maynardville, Tennessee, on Saturday evening, August 31, 2019. The gates open at 5:00pm, so be there with the family and some lawn chairs at Wilson Park to witness the county’s signature event. Last year’s nearly 8,000 attendees can share that the event was a spectacular light show with an array of family friendly activities available in addition.