On October 19 and 20, neighbors worked together at the Sharps Chapel Elementary School to help people in need. The event was sponsored by Chapel of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church which worships in the Community Center at 10:30 AM on Sundays. Over fifty volunteers came. There were Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Roman Catholics, non-denominationals, and non-churched. The volunteers ranged in age from children through seniors. Organizers of the event were Karen and Kevin Kitts, members of Chapel of the Good Shepherd.

True love meets "head on."

Much has been written about animals finding their way back home after months, or even years of being lost. This is a true story about a man, a woman and a Mustang that found its way home. The car, not the horse.

Alan Summers bought his first car when he was in high school; a vintage 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback. He dated Lynda Fields in that car; a girl he had known since kindergarten. Alan and Lynda parted, neither can say why, and the Mustang eventually became neglected to the point that Alan decided to sell it to a friend.

I like coconut in just about anything sweet. This is an easy quick recipe that is cheap to make. Do you have all your ingredients measured out before you make a baking recipe? It is wise to do so even if you have made it a dozen times before. Forget any ingredient and the recipe will suffer for it. There is nothing worse than to start on the process of stirring up a batch of cookies and finding you only have one egg when you need two or three. It is also wise to measure everything out in their own dishes so you won't add too much milk for instance.

It’s a southern tradition that I usually experienced at church. On rare occasions it also happened to me at the funeral home or in the store. In those places, in front of God and everybody else, my mother felt the need to give me a spit bath. Yes, you read it right: a spit bath.

Let me tell you, I was such a little tomboy. While I am an only child, I have two uncles who are not that much older than me. Growing up, they were more like brothers. My neighbors and cousins were mainly boys. I didn’t play with other girls on a regular basis until I started kindergarten.

Mincey’s Musings
Year One, Week Forty-One

This is an old story that I heard a long time ago, by a little-known comedian named Cotton Ivy. It was on a 33 1/3 RPM record given to me by a blind man named Earn Hendrix who lived on Dotson’s Creek.

Researchers have reported that one-third of people 40-59 years of age have image-based evidence of moderate to severe degenerative disc disease and more than half had moderate to severe spinal osteoarthritis. Beyond that, the prevalence of disc height narrowing and joint osteoarthritis increased 2- to 4-fold in those aged 60-69 and 70-89, respectively. Furthermore, scientists observed that progression of these conditions occurred 40 - 70% more frequently in women than in men.

Large trees are a great asset in a home landscape, providing shade, beauty, and added property value. Well cared for yard trees are normally healthy and will provide these benefits for decades, perhaps a century. But trees with health issues can be potentially dangerous. These are classified as Hazard Trees that pose a threat of dropping large limbs or falling over on people or property. Poor tree health can be caused by landowner neglect, insect or disease attacks, old age, and wind or ice storms.

This is a good dish to make for a Sunday after church potluck, or for any occasion when you are short on time. Put it together the night before, refrigerate, and bake the next morning while getting the family ready for church. Since the casserole is chilled, it will take a little longer to bake than the time given below.

A kind-hearted group of quilters in Sharps Chapel finished a true labor of love this summer. The Norris Lake Quilting Bee, who meet in Irwin's Chapel United Methodist Church, completed a quilt started by an Ohio woman who passed away due to cancer and returned the completed quilt to her husband, Jeff Sutherland.

We are all unique with the capacity for creativity and artistic expression. Through purposeful creation we form physical manifestations of our uniqueness. Of course, there is not simply just one correct way to do anything and with that idea we find that there is infinite strength in individualism. What one person may envision and create given a blank canvas can be, and often is, vastly different from another person's creation. That was greatly displayed at the Union County Heritage Festival's Art Show on Saturday, October 6, 2018.