Were you around boats when you were growing up? I wasn’t unless the kiddie boat ride at the fair counts. This ride had little boats that floated in a shallow pool of water. They were attached by spokes to a central motor which turned them in a circle. Oh, I almost forgot about the canoe ride I had when I was twelve years old. I was in the middle as my friends sat at the ends. Each time they switched the oars to the other side, I was splattered with water. That was the extent of my boating experience until I was in my 30s.

I have always appreciated sunsets. Each sunset is totally different from any that preceded or will follow it. No artist can replicate the majesty and wonder of a sunset.
Forty years ago today I became a legal adult. I spent several evenings as a teenager sitting on the front porch or looking through my childhood bedroom window at magnificent sunsets. None have ever equaled the mysteries of those youthful end-of-day ponderings.

I have always had trouble with my eyes. In school up to the ninth grade, everything only a short distance away looked fuzzy. For instance, trees sometimes looked like green fuzz balls. In school, I would take my notebook up to the blackboard to write down the next day's assignment. The teaches didn't pay any attention until junior high school.

Here we go! Tuna again. This is a fancy way with that tasty fish. Make this when you have time to fuss with it. There won't be any leftovers. Line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry. Saute onions and celery in butter until tender, but do not brown. Blend in flour, salt, curry powder and pepper

The mountains of our area contain one of the most diverse forests in the world. Over 170 woody species and close to 2000 herbaceous plants grow here, second only to tropical rain forests in variety. If you’re observant, you can find sites here that are the same as forests hundreds of miles away.

Free to the Public, the Summer Exhibit Opens July

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Come see some fanciful foxes while strolling through a beautiful garden. The University of Tennessee announces the opening of Fanciful Foxes: A Garden Art Exhibit, its 2023 Art in the Gardens display. The exhibit opens Friday, July 7, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. as part of Knoxville’s First Friday arts celebration. The event and the exhibit are free and open to the public.

Farm fresh produce, both spring produce like all those healthy greens, and tasty summer produce like heirloom tomatoes, as well as meats, eggs, baked goods, crafts and more, can all be found at the Union County Farmers Market.
The market is in full swing at the Heritage Park pavilion and is a busy place on Saturday mornings. Once again, UT Extension is offering the Farmers Market Fresh program at our market. The program is designed to encourage everyone to make healthy meal choices with more fresh fruits and vegetables, and provides simple, easy to follow healthy recipes each week.

East Tennessee Lions Club District 12-N held the drawing for their annual Reverse Raffle on June 17th. The winning tickets of this raffle were the last three numbers drawn after of all of the other 1378 entries were drawn out one-by-one. The 3rd place prize was awarded to Glen Morris of Clinton. The very last ticket left (after all of the others had were picked out of the drum one-by-one) was the 1st prize winner of the $2000, Sunbright resident Billy Ward.

The Union County community is filled with generous and compassionate individuals. Over the years, citizens, business folks, community members, leaders, stakeholders, entrepreneurs and many others have taken part in the Leadership Union County program which helps instill these values and demonstrate the importance of giving back to the community when you can.

In the Union County Commission meeting in June, commissioners approved all budgets that did not affect the tax rate. Fund 122, which contains no property tax revenue, passed first.
Next the commission approved Fund 127, which contains funding from federal monies in the American Rescue Plan Act to provide broadband and to improve some water and sewer systems.
The Highway Department Fund 131 had no local increase in funding, so commission passed that budget.