Claude Kelly, father of Bruce and Ruth Kelly Collins, knew his nearby friends and neighbors needed not to travel for miles for some good cornbread and biscuits. In the late 1930s or early 1940s, Mr. Kelly had the opportunity to purchase a grain mill that could be powered by a gasoline engine. The more power of the engine, the more it cost and the faster the grain could be ground. No one really remembers just what size engine Mr. Kelly used to grind the grain, but it is believed his engine would grind about 15 turns [bushels] per hour.

My cousin, Sharon DeVault, had a case of reel love that turned into real love. It is quite the tale. Some may say Sharon and Wayne’s story of how they came together was one of chances and coincidences. I say it is one of how God moves in mysterious ways.

It started in 1966 at Sharon’s church, Cedar Ford in Union County. Their new pastor, RC Harless, told her about a young man who attended his previous church: New Corinth in Grainger County. His name was Wayne Roach and he was serving in Korea. He was very homesick and longed to attend the church services of home.

Like all good lies, it started as a little thing!

PART 1

A Serpents Tale (NOT)

Like all good lies, it started as a little thing! The master of deception doing what he does best. Just in case you don’t know the story, here is the introductory part from the Bible:

Mincey’s Musings
Year One, Week Thirty-Eight

Practically my entire life has revolved around school. I have practically no memories of life before school. I don’t think life for me actually began until I attended two weeks of Headstart just before beginning first grade in 1971.

In general, chiropractors focus on the manipulation of the skeletal muscle systems to put the body back into natural alignment and relieve pain and tension. It isn’t so much an alternative treatment as it is considered complementary to many forms of traditional medicine. Chiropractors are highly trained doctors who have attended both undergraduate and chiropractic graduate school and have specialized in the way the body fits together. They have also been trained to use their hands to apply pressure to the body to help realign anything that has worked itself out of place.

Ironweed (Veronia altissima) is the purple flowers you see growing on a tall, slender stalk in pasture and hay fields while driving down the road. It seems particularly plentiful this year.

Everyone has a favorite car. Mine was the 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air. It was in 1970 when this treasure came into my life. It was four door, two tone pale green and pale yellow and covered with rust. I paid $200.00 for it. We only had a Ford F100 pickup at the time. I needed a car to drive to my new job at the school. Since I was a new bus driver, I could not take my bus home, so I needed transportation to and from the school.

I should have written about this cake back in the spring when daffodils were in bloom. It’s called “Daffodil Cake” because of its white and yellow color. But why can’t we call it a “Chrysanthemum Cake”? They are yellow, too. That would be in keeping with the Autumn season.

Have you ever heard of a Daffodil Cake? It is not an angel food cake. It has egg yolks in it. It’s not a chiffon cake either. It doesn’t have any oil. Nope. It’s in a class by itself.

At first glance, Snow Cone Eddie’s shaved ice trailer may look like any other roadside vendor. But trust me, if you see the “Ice Castle” trailer on your travels, stop. You won’t be disappointed.

What’s so special about these snow cones? Ask around. Snow Cone Eddie, also known as Eddie Johnson Sr., has been building a following lately, with folks driving clear to other counties to treat themselves to the delicious shaved ice.

Wanda Cox Byerley was all smiles after shopping at Maynardville's newest business, Serena's Surplus & Salvage located at 1402 Maynardville Highway near Little D's. “I even got back change,“ exclaimed Ms. Byerley.