Aluminum Wiring

Have you ever heard of aluminum wiring in a house? No? There was a time just after World War II when copper became so expensive that home builders cut costs by using aluminum wiring. It was single strand #12 and #16 aluminum.

We bought a house in a Jackson, Michigan subdivision called Birdland. That was because most of the streets were named after birds, such as Cardinal Crest and Oriole. The houses were contractor built in the early 1960's. To cut cost, they used the cheaper aluminum wiring. Some of the houses had aluminum studding as well. We didn't know about the aluminum wiring when we bought the house on McConnell Street in Birdland. We soon found out.

Mushroom Barley Pilaf

Mix chicken broth with enough water to equal 2 1/2 cups. Reserve.

In large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Add mushrooms,1/4 teaspoons each of salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add garlic during last 30 seconds of cooking time. Transfer 1/3 cup of the mixture to small bowl. Reserve.

Obesity and your Back

We put enough demands on our bodies and back every day without adding the burden of excessive weight. Studies — and common sense — tell us that obesity contributes substantially to lower-back pain and arthritis, and it has a deleterious impact all over the body.

Felt the Breeze

“Whoa!” Tim and I exclaimed at the same time. It happened while were waiting to turn onto Emory Road to go to church one Sunday morning. There was a car in front of us. After two cars passed on the far lane, the first car began to pull out. A white car zoomed by out of what seemed like nowhere. The car in front of us slammed on its brakes so hard that it bounced. I was amazed the cars didn’t have a wreck. As my momma would say: “It was so close that I felt the breeze.”

UCHS announces tennis teams

Union County High School Coach Mike Johnson and Coach Ella Johnson announce the 2024-2025 tennis teams. The girls team boasts a full roster this year of six players. The boys team has eight players.

Filling out the girls’ roster will be Hannah Groot, Ella Branscomb, Nola Chesney, Travyn Farmer, Saria Chapell and Ava Buckner. The boys’ team is Lathan Garner, Jaxon Bailey, Jace Walker, Zachary Clark, Braylon Graves, Luke Williams, Tucker Odom and Max Corum.

UC FCE meeting recap: Learning, fellowship, creativity

The Union County Family and Community Education (FCE) Club had a fantastic gathering for its March meeting, filled with learning, fellowship and fun!

To kick off our meeting, we played a St. Patrick’s Day-themed trivia game, which was a big hit! Congratulations to Lyndora Lyndsey for answering the most questions correctly!

United Labor Food Bank

As the Detroit auto plants instated "just-in-time" parts delivery, parts manufacturers were hit hard. Imports from Japan hurt the local parts makers, too. In 1980, unemployment in Michigan hit double digits and kept going higher.

The laid-off workers soon exhausted their unemployment benefits. Most had little savings to tide them over to another job. Unless one had a special skill, jobs were hard to find.

Crispy Corn and Tomato Fritters

In skillet, heat 1/2 cup oil over medium-high heat. In bowl, whisk remaining oil and eggs. Mix in cornmeal, corn, tomatoes, green onions, 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Spoon 1/3 cupful batter into skillet. Fry, flipping once until golden, about 30 seconds per side. If desired, serve with lettuce, sliced avocado and more chopped tomatoes. Makes 6 servings

When is Spring?

In our area Spring seems to be a crap shoot with all the cold snaps in between warm ups. And when I looked into it, I found that there is more than one opinion of when Spring begins, and so here is a rundown of the possibilities.