All of us have been touched by the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps and New Deal whether we realize it or not. As an elementary student, I attended a W.P.A.-built school, Corryton Elementary, and swam at the C.C.C.-built Big Ridge State Park beach. We camped and hiked through the erosion-preventing New Deal era forests and park campgrounds. During the Great Depression, Union County was effected greatly by programs like the C.C.C.. The Corps' reach put men, desperately in need of jobs, to work and helped to shape the physical landscape of the county.

My mother would have been 92 had she lived until January 16th of this year. Our mother/son relationship had its ups and downs, and of course, as Proverbs 22:15 (KJV) says, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”

Originally, I was going to use the title “Guiding Lights,” but I thought it sounded too much like one of the daytime dramas. That being said, this article does have some driving drama in it.

My first driving drama happened in my early 20s. I was heading to work at Baptist Hospital. Thankfully it was a Saturday morning, which meant lighter traffic on I-75.

Do you get the idea that I like pie? I certainly do. My sweet tooth is a mile wide and beyond belief deep. I just plain like pie!

This is another of those recipes that would have been hard to make back in the day. Wouldn't the cooks of yesteryear liked to have had Cool Whip? Didn't happen. There was no Fridgidaire Refrigerator to keep it in. Hey, we didn't even have electricity. I do now , so here we go.

My daughter Anne and I were reminiscing today about a friend of hers that we made a keeping box for. Wilma Hubbard has been gone about 20 years but she lives on in our memories. Anne worked with her at Union Knitwear in 1991-1992 when that sewing factory was located in the big building on the right on Durham just after you turned off Maynardville Highway. That was before the building burned and Union Knitwear moved further down the street.

Have you ever read The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien? No? I’ll wait here while you go do that.

Back already? My, you are a fast reader. OK, so now you know about the Ents. If you cheated and didn’t go do the reading, I’ll fill you in. Tolkien created beings called Ents as a part of his vast, sprawling universe. The Ents were essentially walking, talking, fully sentient trees. They were huge, lumbering, wise, and wholly terrifying. They made for powerful allies and dreaded enemies. They were good, but they were not to be messed with.

When our family first moved to Tennessee in 1982, we wanted to see and experience as much as we could in the area—the more inexpensive, the better. One place that caught our attention was Red Clay State Historic Park. Like all of Tennessee’s parks, this one has no admission.

With the leaves off the hardwood trees, plants that remain green show up more prominently and are a handsome contrast to the “dead of winter”. Two that you are likely to see in the mountains are rhododendron and mountain laurel, which look similar and are often confused.

Union County is laid out in beautiful mountains and valleys of prestigious land by nature, but in order for the land to inhibit its full potential, we the people must do our part to keep it clean. Dump sites and roadside litter are perceived regularly across the county and citizens and the community must work together to minimize the litter epidemic.

Until I began working for Hamilton County Schools at Birchwood Elementary, I had not heard of the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival (or Birchwood TN Sandhill Crane Festival). I don’t know why not. This is a gem of an educational and fun opportunity.