If you know my mom, you know that she’s the type of person who knows almost everybody and she loves to chat and catch up with them when she can. But there was this one instance when talking with an old friend threw her for a loop. To be honest, it did me as well.

I have a neighbor who has many statues of animals in her yard. I jokingly told her one day, “I’m worried about your livestock. I’m afraid they’ll wander into the road and get killed or cause someone to wreck.”
I also expressed concern at what the cost must be to feed all those animals.
I have never been one to try to “keep up with the Joneses,” but sometimes life circumstances just present the opportunity.

There are two major opinions about zoning in Union County. One seems to be “don’t tell me what I can do on my property”. People do not want to be told that they can or cannot (choose one) put an RV on their property, raise pigs or turkeys, build another building on their property, rent their property out to others, collect scrap metal. There is a long list of possible rules and regulations that many of the “don’t tread on me” citizens of this county simply do not want. There are also the “not in my backyard” folks who have a point as well.

Calling all Veterans! What better way to celebrate April Fool’s Day than to be at the American Legion building at noon to feast on Veteran Volunteer Margo McCaffery’s Famous American Goulash! Sometimes called slumgullion, American goulash is a comfort food dish based on the Hungarian goulash stew. The ground beef, tomato and macaroni are in a beautifully seasoned tomato sauce. Shredded cheese and sour cream will be available for garnish.

Different stretches have different functions. Some focus on a particular muscle or muscle group or limb, and improve movement. Others, sometimes referred to as ‘active’ stretches, are intended to increase strength. The following three exercises are designed to do both with your back:

Being the tomboy that I was, I always enjoyed playing sports, especially softball. My next favorite sport was dodge ball. My least favorite was basketball. I tried, but let’s just say I struggled with it.

I receive many emails. At least half of them are what I call email “e-commercials”. They pretty much immediately go to my trash folder. Today I received one of those emails, and though it went to the trash folder, the subject line did give me something to think about—expectations versus desires. This week’s article will focus on pleasant aspects of expectations.
The King James Version of the Bible has several things to say about expectation. Following are a few to ponder.

Scallops are new to me. I am still learning how to prepare them. Here is a recipe for preparing scallops. I think it is pretty good.
Put scallops in a paper towel and pat dry with another paper towel...

Human archaeology normally involves the study of things left by an ancient people in an ancient time, but it is also interesting to observe more recent signs that people lived in our area within the last 150 years or so. Many areas that appear to be natural untouched forests were actually greatly impacted by human presence. I find it intriguing to seek out visible clues and try to figure out what took place many years ago. Here are some indicators that humans impacted the landscape, particularly in a forest.

Have you heard of FCE clubs? Perhaps you have heard of the homemaker’s club. Family & Community Education clubs (FCE), formerly known as the homemaker’s group, have been around for a long time.
While 4-H clubs have been a way of building community and skills among youth throughout Tennessee history, FCE clubs have been doing the same for adults. The goal of FCE clubs is to strengthen the home and community by improving the quality of life of individuals and families through continuing education, leadership development and community service.