It seemed like any other Sunday afternoon. That was until Sara and I hopped out of the car.

Down the back driveway, my stepfather Dick came barreling toward us in his truck. He and my mom lived behind us on top of the hill. I realized he had been watching and waiting for us to arrive back home from chirper choir. That told me something had happened.

The first thing I noticed was that my mom wasn’t with him. Fear and uncertainty slowly crept up my spine. Had something happened her? And if so, why wasn’t Dick with her?

Author Denise Sherriff has released her first book, Kairos Moments, a compiled work featuring personal words of encouragement. Sherriff says the book is a result of combining stories from her journals filled with knowledge, wisdom and observations that include both the highs and lows of life; not just her own, but the affects of opportunities, choices, tragedy and joy in the lives of others.

Treatment for back pain has come a long way. It was once believed that taking pain medication and getting some rest were the best course of treatment for a bout of low-back pain, but nowadays research supports first trying drug-free, conservative options for pain management while remaining as active as possible during recuperation.

Mincey’s Musings
Year One, Week Twenty-One

With fondness and joy I watch certain episodes of one of my favorite childhood situation comedies (aka “sit coms”) Sanford and Son. Fred Sanford knew better than most—there are dummies, if not under your own roof, out there somewhere!

When my oldest son, Rick, was of Cub Scout age, I became a Den Mother. It was a fun time for me. Those boys were a joy to work with. I delighted in coming up with new skills for them to try. Making kites was one of them.

Putting together store bought kite kits would have been too easy. I gave each boy a double page of newspaper, two sticks my husband had cut out on the table saw and some homemade glue. Rags would make a tail in the next week's session.

I like to write articles that are upbeat and positive, but this one is a total bummer. As a forester and lover of the outdoors, I’m in the woods way more than the average citizen, and over the decades have had my share of ticks. But this past year is beyond anything I’ve experienced before, finding them on me every month, including the dead of winter. Some were so small that I would miss them and let them get embedded, which is particularly worrisome with all the tick-borne diseases out there now. So this time I’m writing words of warning.

Some years ago, we made our first trip to Cades Cove. We have made many trips since, and have seen the valley in every season. Cades Cove is the most visited site in the Smoky Mountains National Park. You can tell by the number of cars on the one-way lane in the middle of the day. Even so, it’s well worth visiting.

So here we are in June. Fathers’ Day is upon us. Notice that I specify the holiday with the plural form of “father”. I believe that this is a day for all fathers, not just one. I’m a father. I have two kids. Their relationship to me is pretty clear. I’m their dad. My wife is their mom. Straightforward. This is not so much the case with honey bees.

Nashville, Tenn. – Meradeth Whitley has been named the 2019 June Dairy Month Chairman for Union County.

Whitley will be honored May 30 at the Tennessee June Dairy Month Kickoff Event at Battle Mountain Farm in College Grove. The event includes recognition from Celeste Blackburn, president of the American Dairy Association of Tennessee.

The official kickoff celebration recognizes Tennessee 4-H members’ efforts to promote June Dairy Month in Tennessee. The event is co-sponsored by The Dairy Alliance, 4-H and the Tennessee Farm Bureau.

On Saturday morning, May 25, 2019, a large crowd gathered at the entrance of Wilson Park in Maynardville, for the dedication and ribbon cutting of the Veterans Bridge Memorial that houses the new Wilson Park sign. The structure is made of approximately 4,000 pounds of steel pieces from the old Highway 33 Veterans Memorial Bridge that crossed Clinch River (Norris Lake) between Maynardville and Tazewell.