If Thermometers Could Talk

How forgetful are you? While my age is a part of it, I have always struggled with my memory. For instance, back in high school I was desperately searching for my glasses one day before class. I worried about my mom having to buy me another pair. My teacher simply stated: “They’re on top of your head.” I reached up and pulled them down. Yep, that really happened.

Fresh Tomato Salad

Fresh tomatoes in the summertime are a treat. The winter hothouse ones are pretty but lack flavor. This is a summertime salad, place prepared vegetables in large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and mix well. Pour over vegetables and lightly toss. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve on lettuce leaves.

The Fun of Doodlebugs

My Uncle (Cas Newton Day) remained a kid at heart to his last days. I loved him for it, for I think (and hope) a little of it rubbed off on me. To illustrate, he and I, both grown adults, were helping hang tobacco in a barn that had very dusty soil in front of the doors. We noticed funnel shaped indentions in the soil and asked what it was.

Time is running out!

Will you help the Union County Lions Club provide needed eye exams and glasses for residents and screening exams for all pre-school students? One way to contribute to the work that the Lions do in our community is to buy a Reverse Raffle ticket. Tickets are $10 each. The money raised goes directly to the Lion Charities. Tickets can be purchased from Union County Lions members Pastor Kathy Chesney (865) 566-3289; Ronnie Mincey (865) 278-6430; Debbie Sylvia-Gardner (865) 603-5081; or Shirlee Grabko (865) 310-6874.

Delicious Feast for Veterans

Delicious food aromas hit you as you walked in the door of the American Legion Hall on June 3. If you thought you weren’t hungry before, the wonderful smells of the Chicken Alfredo dinner immediately changed your mind. And there was so much food – all expertly prepared by the cooks of the Veterans Volunteers. In addition to the huge pan of the Alfredo (see photos), there were pans of Caesar Salad and individual loaves of garlic bread that were baked to perfection.

Be careful how you sit

Many of us spend a good portion of our workdays sitting at a desk. Too much sitting, of course, is not good for anyone. We are not meant to be sedentary creatures. And recent research has concluded that it’s important for anyone who needs to sit for extended periods of time to get up and walk around at least once every hour.

Wilma Dykeman left a legacy of environmental awareness

“Shaconage—Place of the Blue Smoke—the Cherokees called it, the long range of forested pinnacles and plunging valleys crowning the boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee. Eden was the description bestowed by early botanists on this virgin wilderness. But thickets of intertwined laurel and tough rhododendron were known to hunters and settlers as hells.”
Very few writers have captured the essence of the Great Smoky Mountains as accurately as these words written by Wilma Dykeman in her book Explorations, published in 1984.

Turtle Trot

“Guess what I just did,” my husband Tim asked as he bounded into the kitchen. As my Mamaw Jo would say: “He’s smilin’ from ear to ear.” It was obvious that he was happy about something.
But I went with what would make me happy: “You bought a large box of chocolates?” Hey, a girl can dream.