Historic Union County

Spreading the good news of Union County

The older I become, the more I realize just how much I am like my Papaw E.O. Both of us are awkward, we have the oddest experiences, and we love to tell our stories to others.
There was this one story that made papaw laugh when he told it. It happened to him in the early 1970s. At this time, he and his friend Mr. J were on the board of directors for a local insurance company. They were required to wear suits when they attended the board meetings and they usually rode together.

On most Saturdays I am not obligated to do anything other than mow my yard or “piddle” around the house. One such Saturday I was hauling my trash to throw away. There was a lot of stuff that could only be placed in a “big” dumpster.
It just so happened on that particular day there were two men, each with a truck, also depositing into the “big” dumpsters. It seemed both had already thrown their trash away, but they were in the lot, talking at great length to each other, just exactly in position to block my access to get rid of my own junk.

I like a moist cookie. Crisp ones are good for dunking, but I don't do that. Give me a moist cookie anytime. In mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in oatmeal. Chill in fridge for 1 hour.

I’ve heard of water witching all my life and heard many a story about people doing it successfully. I even played around with it some with interesting results that I’ll share later. It perked my curiosity enough to learn more about the topic.
Water witching, also referred to as dowsing or divining, is the art of locating a good underground source of water that is reasonably close to the surface to make digging a well easier and less expensive.

The Norris Lake Protection Alliance “NLPA” organized a lake cleanup project on September 10th and 11th. Working in conjunction with Norris Lake Project “NLP”, the NLPA continues to make a positive difference for all who enjoy Norris Lake. The Team of 26 volunteers donated their time, boats, fuel, and trucks to remove trash from Norris Lake. The effort was focused in four locations: Dollar Island, Gull Island, the shore area of Chuck Swan across from Sunset Bay and Island 23.

One of my memories of elementary school was thinking I was just not very smart. In 1st 2nd and 3rd grades, I was having trouble understanding things that the other students seemed to grasp. Most of the class instruction in the mid-1950’s was done on a blackboard. We used worksheets to show our comprehension of what was being taught. I was not doing well. I was struggling to see the world around me. At some point in the 3rd grade our school had a vision screening. My parents were advised that I needed an eye exam. Mom took me to the ophthalmologist for a vision test.

We are living longer and, if you play your cards right and have taken care of yourself, this is a wonderful thing. Good genes certainly help, but healthy lifestyle practices are just as important in continuing to live a productive life. Here are some tips the American Chiropractic Association recommends for aging with grace and health:

Have you ever had an eye-opening experience? I did when I was thirteen years old. That’s when one I went on a day trip to Cades Cove with my friend and her family. Early that Saturday morning we all piled into her parents’ van. I love the Smokey Mountains, so I was very excited.

I am always looking for a special cookie for the Fall season. Here is an easy one. Cute, too. In large bowl, combine pumpkin purée, brown sugar and maple flavoured syrup. Next, roll out 2 sheets of thawed frozen puff pastry. Cut out shapes using 3 inch pumpkin cutter

It’s hard to spot Katydids because they are so well camouflaged. But anyone who sits on their porch on a late summer’s night has enjoyed hearing their “katy did….katy didn’t” song, along with their chirping cousin, the cricket.

Each state in the United States (except Hawaii) holds an annual educational learning camp called Boys State. Boys State is among the most respected and selective government service educational programs. This is an annual forum, conceived 1935 by the American Legion to teach civic training. It has been going strong ever since and has been held at Tennessee Tech since 1965.

Samantha Brantley stood in front of 30 attendees from the community at Miller’s Chapel UMC, with purple lights and beautiful stained-glass windows positioned behind her, and a memorial board in the foyer in front of her. The memorial board displayed some of the many faces and names of people in our community who have been lost to substance use and addiction.

The Sharps Chapel Fall Music Festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 30th from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Sharps Chapel Community Park. Sharps Chapel has historically held an Annual Octoberfest which hasn’t happened in many years. It feels wonderful to revive a Chapel tradition!

Managing the stress in your life — and most of us experience stress to one degree or another — is essential to keeping a healthy lifestyle. Stress comes from many directions and makes itself known in a variety of ways. It might manifest as a headache, tight muscles, nausea or back pain.

I am rather proud of myself. Recently, I dealt with one of my biggest fears. Wait a minute, make that two of them.
It started with the renovating of our back deck. As you may know, we have been working on it for quite some time. If we want to get technical about it, Tim and I actually rebuilt the uncovered section. After we replaced the floor joists and the skirt boards, it was time to lay down the new floor. At first this made me a little antsy since the deck is about 10 feet high. As you probably know, I have a fear of falling.

I remember when I was a kid in the 1970s and 1980s there was a Mazola Corn Oil commercial. I searched Google to see if I could find that old commercial.
I was, of course, successful, and I learned some things that I had forgotten, and other things that I did not know.

During the Great Depression, kids had few resources outside of their imagination and old-timey games from a long ago era. My two brothers and myself had no outside resources until I began school. Then the world opened up. We played games in the school yard during recess time and inside when it rained.

You don't usually think of pork chops in the same sentence as "Stew," but here it is. Preheat oven to 350 F. In skillet over medium heat, brown pork chops. Add salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste. When browned on both sides remove from skillet and place in 9 by 13 inch baking pan.

While spring is the traditional season to plant trees and shrubs, fall may be better. The soil is still fairly warm on into December, and it gives the tree a chance to rest and get well settled into the soil before the spring growth spurt. The following are a few guidelines on choosing and planting trees.

Bluegrass, gospel, country and traditional Appalachian music resounded throughout the ridges of Big Ridge State Park as quartets, quintets and duos took the stage at the 42nd Annual Bluegrass Festival in August.