My mom and I are different in a few ways. One is how we played as children. As for her, she was always a cowgirl. Not me. I used to love to pretend I was in outer space or that I was a spy/secret agent. It makes sense since I loved to watch “Lost in Space” and “Get Smart.”
The hemlock is one of my favorite trees because of its huge size and that it grows along mountain springs and creeks that are usually picturesque and nice places to visit.
The eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is our local native, and there is also a western species found from the Rockies west. The local name for the tree is spruce-pine. As mentioned, it likes to grow up in the mountains near streams where the soil is cool and moist. It is a majestic tree, reaching a height of 100 feet when mature, and can have a trunk up to 4 feet in diameter. Standing in a grove of large hemlocks makes me feel like I’m in a church cathedral and I can get into a spiritual, awestruck mood.
SCHEDULE OF REGULAR MEETINGS OF
THE UNION COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Union County Board of Education meets in regular session the second Thursday of each month at Union County High School. All meetings are preceded by a workshop beginning at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting immediately following.
WORKSHOP/MEETING DATES
THROUGH THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR
Grief is a really weird thing. It doesn’t always make sense. It doesn’t follow the rules. It never asks for permission to invade. It shows up in the strangest times and the weirdest ways.
I am currently reading and studying the early days of David, the shepherd from Bethlehem, and his rise to become the king of Israel. I was particularly struck by the message in 2 Samuel 1, which offers one of the most unexpected responses to loss found in the Bible. David, a warrior and the future king, is devastated upon hearing of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. He breaks down, weeps, and experiences deep pain.
Managing the stress in your life — and most of us have it to one degree or another — is essential to keeping a healthy lifestyle. Stress comes from many directions and makes itself known in a variety of ways. It might show up as a headache, tight muscles, nausea or back pain. It’s generally caused by outside factors, some obvious, like fretting over financial problems, and others not so much, such as planning for a joyous occasion like an impending wedding.
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
John 13:23 KJV
Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
In our reference verse above the Apostle John makes it clear that he knew that Jesus loved him beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yet no where in his entire Gospel narrative does John use his given name or refer to himself as I. How is it in a first person account known as “The Gospel According to John”, that the author never mentions his personal name in the discourse of the account?
Several readers will probably remember the words in the title as part of a jingle for Toys“R”Us. You might think that Toys“R”Us is no more, but a Google search will indicate that what was to some an icon has made a comeback (Source: https://x.com/toysrus?lang=en Retrieved May 28, 2025).
Not everything makes a comeback. Facebook presented me recently with what was called a “harsh truth”—"If you’re not losing friends, you’re not growing up.”
Who doesn’t experience a bad dream from time to time. The one that really bothers me is the one where I can’t reach where I need to go. In it, I’m usually late for work or a class of some kind and I’m constantly being thwarted as I try to get there. When I wake up, I’m so frustrated that it takes me a while to go back to sleep. Last year I actually experienced one of those dreams.
After months of requests, Thomas Skibinski from the Union County Chamber of Commerce addressed the county budget committee on May 27. The committee inquired as to how the chamber was spending the more than $80K contributed to the chamber from the occupancy (hotel-motel) tax. Skibinski listed the total amount on tourism but did not explain individual project expenditures. When asked about Thunder in the Park, he and Mayor Bailey explained that fireworks could no longer be launched behind Trinity Funeral Home due to the new housing development.
Union County Commission made progress on the jail property at the regular May meeting. Jim Langford, CEO of Spirit Architecture and a certified advisor on jail construction, evaluated the Hubbs property regarding construction. In his opinion, the price is very good compared to property cost for jails in surrounding counties and there is ample acreage for long term expansion. Langford commented that a high knoll would cause a lot of excavation, but overall the property is a good site. He noted that core drilling and a survey were needed to determine further information.