In October, I noticed a new business, Letner & Company, advertising its services on the Union County Speaks Out Facebook page. As someone with a strong background in sales and marketing, I appreciate the effort in making one’s available services known, so I wanted to learn more about this new company. Over the years I have heard several people comment on the difficulty in finding people to fill service positions in this area, and thought I would use this forum to introduce them to the community.

It’s a tradition in my family for the men to go rabbit hunting on Thanksgiving morning. Our native cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is the fourth most popular game animal in the United States, behind deer, turkey, and squirrel. They provide food and sport for humans and are an important food source for other animals higher on the food chain.

This should come as no surprise, but I have the strangest things happen to me. Such as the time I blew cherry pie filling out of my nose. I first realized I was prone to things like this when I was around 12 years old. Whenever I had one of my strange experiences, I would ask my friends, “Does that happen to you?” They always answered. “Uh…no.”
I kinda got used to it. Or so I thought.

Most of us have a can of biscuits lounging in our refrigerators. You have the turkey leftovers in there, too. This turkey stew will be a good use for them. I don't keep whole baby carrots on hand, but it's not much work to peel a carrot, dice and cook a few minutes in the microwave before adding to the casserole. It's an easy dish to make. I hope you try it.

In a year of new normals, this Christmas season poses an even greater feeling of excitement. We have stayed in and are accustomed to socially distancing and finding creative ways to share time with our families. It seems, in all of the things that 2020 has challenged us with, that the magic of the Christmas season feels even more joyful and exciting this year. Maybe there is a necessity to fulfill our hearts' needs; maybe we have a stronger, deeper appreciation for the small things; or maybe it is just exciting to say goodbye to this year and hope for a fresh new start for 2021.

Charles “Chuck” Gildrie, a Tennessee Licensed Clinical Social Worker, recently shared with me a glimpse into his early life experiences, family life in Tennessee, getting an education, and the joys of working in a fulfilling career helping others.

When I married my wife, she was an avid “rummager”. For those of you who might not be familiar with the term, she was a person who lived to go to rummage sales. Nothing thrilled her more than the hunt for bargains.

There is a book entitled The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I read the book in my younger days of idealism, and admittedly don’t remember a great deal about it. I would recommend it to you, Faithful Reader, as a Google search. The only thing I remember is that one of the ways a person shows their love for another is to give gifts.

Tree leaves are most recognized and appreciated when they go through their fall color blitz that we enjoy every year. But they should also be recognized for all they do throughout the year, including creating food and fiber through the miracle of photosynthesis, and when dead on the ground they supply the raw materials needed for next year’s growth of new leaves. Going from dead leaves to nutrients that can be taken up by the tree requires a recycling system of decomposition.

Have you ever made bagels? If you are feeling adventurous, try it. I did a few years back. They turned out just fine. However, and this is a big however, I prefer to pick up a package of bagels at Food City. They are a lot of work. If you stir up a batch, you will understand all that is required to do them. If you are bored, it's raining outside and there's nothing on TV, give it a try. They are good, just a lot of work. By the way, potato water is the water you boiled the potatoes in.

Mayor Ty Blakely can be described as the city’s website describes the town: friendly, with an eye on the future. He had an unusual habit for a small boy, he enjoyed reading the daily newspaper! As a child, he looked up to his grandfather who was a math teacher and coach at Powell High School. He wanted to be like his grandfather and expected to follow in his footsteps in the teaching profession, but life presented other opportunities.

Plant life is very lush in our area. If the landscape is not paved or has a building on it, it has plants growing on it if it sits long enough. Which begs the question: How do plants spread if they are literally rooted to the ground? The answer is in seed design, and several ingenious mechanisms are used to allow plant embryos (seeds) to move away from the shadows of the mother plant.

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved going to the fair. In my mind, it was a night of fun adventure. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

A few years back, we were visiting friends in another state. One evening, they took us to their local fair. I was so excited and we were having fun until we walked by the Ferris wheel.

You don't need to make this at holiday time. Of course, it would be good then. To me, a dish made with cream style corn is a treat anytime. If you have a cup or less of cooked chicken or turkey, this would be a good place to hide it. Just dice it up and sneak it in when you add the cream style corn.

More than 4,000 locations will now offer a curbside drop-off option for the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child. Volunteers are preparing to collect shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, November 16 – 23.
Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts — filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys — to children worldwide for more than two decades. This is a project that everyone can still be a part of, even with COVID-19 restrictions.

The Union County Board of Education met in a called meeting to discuss adding capital projects into the Five Year Plan.
Dr. Jimmy Carter, director of schools, distributed a list of the capital projects and their costs that had been completed over the last five years.
Finance Director Ann Dyer and Maintenance Supervisor Mike Johnson were present to answer questions. Carter informed the board that the current capital project of providing a heating and air conditioning system for the hallways of Luttrell Elementary had been placed on hold until after the meeting.

During the mayor's report, Union County Commission received the first visual of the farmers market at the regular October meeting. Mayor Jason Bailey commented that from Highway 33, the building would look like “a big barn with barn doors and the name, Union County Farmers Market.”

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Those who were raised in church have probably heard more than one sermon how that Christmas is a special day set aside to commemorate the birth of the Lord Jesus.
Although this a special day of remembrance, the spirit of the season should live in our hearts all year long. I’m not so sure the “spirit” of Christmas prevails throughout the year (in fact, I’m certain that it is gone for many before the clock strikes midnight to ring in the new year), but one thing is for sure — the commercialism of Christmas is evident all 365 and one-fourth days!

In the previous articles about the Big Ridge area, we discussed the history of the early settlers and their relationship with the land.
The area around Big Ridge was once a happening little community with a town center called Loyston. This area was a farming community with schools, churches and farms scattered along the banks of the Clinch River.
Many people who visit Big Ridge or Norris Lake don’t picture or know that the area was farms. Now the area is mostly wooded and undeveloped.

What goes good with butter beans? Pork sausage, of course. I like tomato soup, too. It's good alone or with something like butter beans. It's a cold weather soup that's easy to prepare.

Q: What conditions do chiropractors treat?
A: Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) care for patients of all ages, with a variety of health conditions. DCs are especially well known for their expertise in caring for patients with back pain, neck pain and headaches, particularly with their highly skilled manipulations or chiropractic adjustments. They also care for patients with a wide range of injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, involving the muscles, ligaments and joints.

How did you spend your fall break? Well, I took my wife to several doctors most days of that week. I did manage to finish reading at least one book, portions of a few others, shop at KARM, eat out with a friend, mow my and my neighbor’s yard, and put up a storm door at my home library.

Yes, I like onions. I remember from my childhood during the Great Depression that Mother flavored our monotonous menu with onions whenever possible. She only had that old 1936 Detroit Times cookbook for guidance. I don't know what she did before that. Introduce this recipe to your family. They will learn that onions can be used for more than just flavor. Onions can play a starring roll. It is simple but delicious.

Union County Food Pantry started in 1997 when the current Director, Kitty Lewis, had a close friend from church who shared with her the struggles that people in our area were having with getting enough food to last the entire month. One lady was rumored to stretch her budget by eating cat food. These unfortunate circumstances spurred these two ladies to take action. Lewis and friends turned to local churches and have been supported by congregations and individuals ever since.