It is football time in Union County and along with the sport comes homecoming season. For the past two years, Horace Maynard FFA Chapter candidates have worked hard and earned the Union County Homecoming Crown, with Savannah Jones earning over $17,000 last year. This year the FFA candidate is Union County High School Senior, Kennedy Hill.

I have the best idea for a new accessory: fashionable bibs for adults. I’m not joking. Imagine going to a highfalutin restaurant and being asked, “Would you also like a bib to go with your meal? Our latest ones are silk with sequins.” The sequins wouldn’t matter since you would still use the napkin to wipe your mouth.

Or maybe your bibs could be for everyday wear. You could personalize them with your favorite pictures or sayings on the front like a T-shirt or hat. Here’s a thought: they could be sold in matching sets like baby outfits.

For years, spine surgeons have debated the best methods for treating scoliosis in adults. Spinal curvature often results in more back pain, leg pain and other symptoms for adults than teens because adults also can have degeneration in the discs between vertebrae, as well as spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the opening for the spinal nerves. Still, there hasn’t been good evidence regarding whether it’s better for adults with scoliosis to have corrective surgery or whether nonoperative treatment, such as physical therapy or nerve injections, is adequate.

When I was still a child, I thought my dad was bigger than life! He could do anything in my eyes. I really didn’t consider that he might have some limitations.

When I was around ten years old, my sister, who was about seven years of age, climbed a very tall pine tree. This pine tree stood in our backyard to the right side of our then two-story house. The tree must have been around 20 feet tall. I’m guessing my sister must have climbed twelve to thirteen feet up that pine tree because she climbed higher than the top of our house.

I am by admission not a morning person, but I love sunrises. I have seen a few and found them all beautiful.

A few mornings ago, I was sitting in my customary place on the left side of the loveseat. I was eating my morning snack and drinking the coffee that would refresh me for another day at work. I looked out the living room window at the lilac bush which was being bathed by the first rays of the day’s sunlight. Strangely, it seemed as if in the sunlight that some of the leaves were brown, as if they were dying.

I never saw a carnival or circus in the years we lived on the farm. Oh, they were around but I never had the opportunity to check one out. All I knew about a circus was what I saw in the movies or on the newsreels. They usually came to town by train and paraded the entire company, elephants and all, down main street. What a wonderful publicity promotion. The calliope would be blaring out circus music like you hear on a merry-go-round. It looked like the life to have, going from city to city. What fun that would be, especially in America during World War II.

The average American diet includes one of three meats, either beef, pork, or chicken. I always thought we ate more beef than anything, but chicken has of late given beef a run for its money. And if you look at it on a global scale, it turns out that beef is not always “what’s for dinner”.

I like almost any sweet pie. This is not a sweet pie. It's a ripe tomato pie, a great luncheon dish. Or you could take it to a potluck. It will be a big hit there. Be sure to take copies of the recipe. You certainly will be asked for it.

Every tomato pie I have seen in the past had slices of ripe tomatoes arranged in a pastry crust. This one does, too, but they are used as a garnish. Very pretty. It is a delicious tomato pie. With fresh tomatoes in season, this will be a treat.

On Wednesday, August 14, the new Maynardville business FirstBank invited guests, customers and fellow businesses to a Ribbon Cutting and Open House with refreshments, door prizes, and promotional products. Many guests stopped in for a meet and greet with the new business, its employees, and stakeholders.

In many cases, children who have been sexually or physically abused must visit several agencies at multiple locations in order to get the support they need. Children’s Centers were created to assist in providing a safe haven for then youths. They provide a place where the children can, instead of visiting multiple agencies, come to one location where specially trained professionals collaborate to facilitate a child friendly environment where the child knows he or she will be safe.