By: Steve Roark
Volunteer: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Beautiful spring mornings are often accented with the distant sound of woodpecker drumming. During this time of year, the males use drumming on trees and even metal roofs to announce their territory and attract a mate.

“You don’t really know somebody until you live with them.” When I heard this old saying as a kid, I didn’t get it. Believe you me, I do now.
Tim and I dated three and a half years before we married. I know that seems like a long time, but I was only 17 when we met in high school.
By the time we wed, I thought I knew everything about him. And he thought he knew everything about me.
We were both very wrong.

The first time we visited Pigeon Forge back in the late ’80s, there was a small carnival style amusement park against a hill on one side of the road and tons of tourist shops on both sides. Dollywood was fairly new and many motels were still Mom and Pop establishments as were most of the restaurants. There were a couple of outlet malls, but there was no Titanic attraction, no Wonderworks, or Dixie Stampede, Splash Country or Hollywood Wax Museum, etc.

John Clark Mosely and his one-and-a-half-year-old brother Bobby Henry set out with their cousin Jay Harvey Tatum to find their father Fletch Mosely. If truth be told, Hen hoped they didn’t find him. Hen figured Fletch would beat the sap out of them for laying out of school. “Maybe,” Hen hoped, “he won’t even know it’s a school day.” Daddy never had been much for school when he was little—he only went to (not through) the second grade, and he hadn’t been around home enough lately to know much about what was going on. Hen would never have let either his little brother or older cousin know that he was scared of his daddy, but he for “dang-shore” was!

A few years ago, I wrote a novel called “Motes.”
The title of the book comes from the term used to describe particles of dust. Each particle is called a “mote.” There are alien creatures in the story from ten light-years away who are smaller than a dust mote. A human boy in the story mistakes one of them for an actual speck of dust and traps it in a peanut butter jar. You might be amazed at the story that develops from that.

In the third part of our tomato series, we discussed garden layout and water. In this edition, we will talk about plant support and pruning. This is an area where we can make it easier to manage our gardens and harvest the fruits of our labor. Also, depending on the type of tomato plant, pruning can yield larger fruit when the plant can devote as much energy as possible into fruit production.

Q: How is a chiropractic adjustment performed?

A: Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during the doctor of chiropractic’s intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractic physician typically uses his or her hands—or an instrument— to manipulate the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to restore or enhance joint function. This often helps resolve joint inflammation and reduces the patient’s pain. Chiropractic manipulation is a highly controlled procedure that rarely causes discomfort. The chiropractor adapts the procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. Patients often note positive changes in their symptoms immediately following treatment.

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is an interesting plant found in rich, moist, forested areas in deep hollows and drains. East and north facing lower slopes are its favored habitat, where it can be pretty prolific

Ginger has a stem (called a rhizome) that grows low along the ground with pairs of heart shaped leaves sticking up through the leaf litter. The leaf stems are very hairy. If you scratch around under the leaves in the spring you may find a brownish purple flower with three petals. If you break off a piece of the rhizome it will have the strong smell like ginger.

I watch a lot of television these days. With my knees bothering me so much, it is most comfortable to lie back in my recliner and watch mysteries on TV. I have noticed only two Easter-related commercials. One is the ever popular Cadbury Bunny tryouts and other is the Swiss chocolate commercial. Where are the Easter baskets? Where are the colored hard-boiled eggs?

The Easter Bunny came this year.
I wondered if he would.
Gloved and masked,
Going about his task,
His traditional job, with fear.

With handshakes no more;
I waved and I cheered,
”You Sweet Springtime Honey
Mr. Cotton Tailed Bunny.
I'll see you again next year.”