I wrote last week about a class I took as an undergraduate at Lincoln Memorial University during Winter Quarter 1985 called In Search of Self. Though I might have trouble finding things on my desk that I placed there yesterday, I went straight to the file cabinet at home and found the notebook I kept in that class thirty-nine years ago.

With all the hot, dry weather we’ve had of late, watering plants becomes necessary. Water is a critical requirement for all plants, and they need a lot of it. Pulling water in from the soil through the roots is not only how plants get water, but also how they obtain the nutrients they need to grow, which is dissolved and suspended in soil water. Each day they take in a great deal of water through their roots, sift out the nutrients, and then release it as vapor through their leaves in a process called transpiration. Forests, being made up of a lot of really big plants standing shoulder to shoulder, account for some of the high humidity we experience each summer through this process. A mature maple tree can take up enough water to fill three bathtubs per day.

This French way of preparing chicken can be a challenge, but this recipe makes quick work of making this delicious French entree. In shallow dish, combine flour, dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Coat the chicken thighs in mixture, shaking off excess. In Dutch oven, heat chopped bacon over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Add coated chicken thighs ans cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken and keep warm.

On July 20, Union County residents joined Mayor Jason Bailey, TN Rep Monty Fritts, Sheldon Livesay (Co-Ordinator for both National Day of Prayer and the TN Prayer Coalition), and Arnold Smallin (Chaplain for both the Tri-County Honor Guard and the Union County American Legion Post 212), at the County Courthouse for Pray4TN.

Monday August 5, the Veteran Volunteers will prepare dinner for all Union County Veterans and their spouses. All Veterans are invited to the free meal downstairs at the American Legion Building. The Volunteer chefs have pulled out all the stops with homemade pulled pork and smoked chicken served with beans and coleslaw. These meals provide an opportunity for Veterans to socialize, support and get to know each other. There is always plenty of food - and all spouses are warmly welcomed. Dinner is from 6:00-6:45 on the first Monday of every month.

You don’t have to be an adult to experience the ill effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Kids sitting for hours in front of computers, televisions or hand-held devices are setting themselves up for problems later in life. Not only has childhood obesity reached epidemic proportion in the U.S., Chiropractors are seeing an increase in the number of children suffering from neck and back problems.

Did the title confuse you? Haven refers to a safe place. It’s like finding a port in a storm. So how can dirt be a safe place? Let’s just say I found out the hard way when I was in the seventh grade.
On that fateful morning in January 1978, my mom pulled up to let me out at Halls Middle School. Hanging over it was a dark ominous cloud. I hadn’t ever seen one as black as it was

Remember some of those things we had to do in school that we have never had to do since? I went to college, majored in English, taught in public school and community college and have worked in the Union County Public Schools for many years, but never since high school have I had to conjugate a verb or diagram a sentence. I’m sure that you, Dear Reader, can remember many other things you had to do in school that you have never used elsewhere in life.

I name this recipe a star when I was cooking at the Hickory Star Restaurant on Norris Lake. I hope you like it. The sour cream gives it an especially rich flavor. There aren't many ingredients. I hope you like it. Combine garlic, sour cream, lemon juice, salt and paprika for a marinade. Place chicken in large bowl. Pour marinade over chicken. Cover bowl.

Used to early to mid-summer was considered tick season, but since here of late I have pulled them off me all twelve months, I no longer think there is a season. But warm weather gets more people outdoors, which ups the chance of contact with the little pests. I’ve also heard of several local folks that have gotten Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and they are other tick-borne diseases to be concerned about.