Mincey’s Musings
Year Two, Week Twelve
When I was in first grade, Ms. Hazel Butcher gave me the teacher’s edition to some of the old reading books. One of my greatest regrets in life is that I let two brats bully me into giving them those books. It turns out they are one of the things that can’t be found on Amazon.
Fear and anxiety pervade our society. Every which way we turn there is something to be afraid of. Terrorist are running rampant in our schools, our workplace, our malls and even our churches. We worry about all manner of harm happening to our children, how we will care for our elderly parents as their health declines or what if, Lord forbid, we get cancer! Doctors prescribe antidepressants like they are magical and opioids as if they are a panacea for everything. I'm nearly depressing myself just writing the introduction to this article. I pray I'm not stressing and losing my readers too much by this paragraph.
An opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Powell River is coming up on April 20, when the fifth annual Powell River Regatta will take place in Claiborne County near Tazewell. This 12-mile float will let you compete (if you wish) for cash prizes in various age groups/genders and canoe and kayak styles (single or double). If you don’t want to compete, you can still get some exercise while enjoying some memorable scenery. Blue heron, ducks, kingfisher, and even ospreys and eagles have been seen during past events, and spring wildflowers will be in full swing.
One thing's for sure, Jim Houston has a real heart for helping others. In fact, he's made it his career, both paid and unpaid, to serve the people of Union County, often giving life-saving aid with his work in the Union County Rescue Squad.
On the 12th of March, 1993, East Tennessee had a storm to beat all storms. One of its titles was The Storm of the Century. When my colleagues and I compared notes a week later, after school finally reopened, some had lost power, some lost water, some lost both.
Who mows your lawn nowadays? You probably don't. A whole new business has grown up around grass and the need to manicure the lawn. Everyone works nowadays. There are enough “honey do” chores for Saturdays without spending several hours doing lawn care.
Union County High School students have been given an outstanding opportunity through OSHA training. OSHA is a ten hour general industry outreach class which provides basic safety and health awareness for all workers. Students completing OSHA training are introduced to OSHA policies, procedures and standards. Furthermore, there is special emphasis placed on hazardous topics. UCHS students receive an OSHA general industry safety and health course completion card from the Department of Labor upon successful completion of the course.
The students in Ms. Licata’s Greenhouse Management class have worked very hard on preparing the greenhouse for this year's spring plant sale. They have grown a variety of vegetables from tomatoes and peppers to eggplants and radishes. We also have a small variety of flowers. Union County High School’s Greenhouse will be open for business on April 2nd to May 17, 2019. Hours will be from 9am - 3pm, Monday-Friday. It will also be open every Saturday, 10am - 2pm. The greenhouse will not be open on Sundays. Come out and help support Agricultural Education at UCHS.
Our schools make use of gifts and resources from many areas to keep students supplied with necessities. On Thursday, March 21, Woodmen Lodge 1072 member and Vice President Keith Kail came to Horace Maynard Middle School with gifts in hand.
Kail presented a new American flag for the outdoor flagpole and fifteen backpacks along with various school supplies. Members of Lodge 1072 purchased and donated the backpacks and school supplies for students in need as one of the lodge’s community service projects.
With the recent rainfall in the County, our roads are littered with the aftermath of the litter thrown from cars onto the roadsides. Our beautiful lakes have also suffered from this problem. As people may or may not realize, the run off in lots of places runs directly into our Norris Lake. It is a constant problem, and as Keep Union County Beautiful Director, I am asking for your help.
Please take a few minutes to pick up on your road, or if your road is in great shape pick up somewhere else!