Our son was approaching his fifth birthday, and like many children, he decided a puppy was the present of choice for him. Wide open, rambunctious and never-tiring are adjectives which describe both our 5-year-old son and his new best friend.
My wife chose correctly when her always-meticulous research determined that a Jack Russell terrier was the dog breed of choice for our little boy. It was a match made in dog heaven, if there is such a thing.

The famous quote “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet” is from Act II Scene II of William Shakespeare’s enduring play Romeo and Juliet. Juliet speaks this to Romeo as she tries to reason with him that Romeo’s family name has no bearing on their love.
Perhaps that was true for Juliet, but it sure seemed to matter to her own family, the Capulets. It also seemed to matter to the principal players in the Hatfield and McCoy feud that has become historic in United States lore.

December is one of the best times to fish for any type of fish that can be caught in Norris Lake. By early December, the water temperature in a normal year should be someplace in the mid to high 50s. This is a great time for inexperienced fishermen to target stripers, because they start feeding on smaller bait, which is much easier for inexperienced striper fishermen to come by.

Turkey isn't only for the holidays. The leftovers can be the basis of a delicious casserole. Don't let that package of leftover holiday bird get freezer burnt and go to waste. If you have a package languishing in the back of your freezer, rescue it and make this casserole. I suppose cooked chicken would work as well, but turkey is a favorite of mine. It can be a star here.

“Poor wise men.” Hannah presses her freckled nose against the back window. “I feel sorry for them.”
They have just driven by their church, which is down the street from their home. Every December, the church displays a manger scene with life-size statues. Even the camels are their real size.
“Why in the world do you feel sorry for statues?” Her momma asks.
“Because all they do is follow the bright star.” Hannah answers. “They never reach baby Jesus.”
“It’s okay sweetie.” Her daddy tells her. “They’re not real anyway.”

“I don’t know what it is, but it’s coming up behind us!” Alan’s voice rose.
He is the husband of my cousin and best friend Lynda. A few years ago, they had an extra ticket to the Smokies game. She called and asked if I wanted to go. Does the sun come up? Of course I wanted to go. She and her family stopped by and picked me up on the way to the game. I sat in the back with their son Clark.
When Alan made his announcement, we were driving east on I-40. Naturally we turned back and looked into the traffic behind us. As for me, all I saw were a mass of cars.

The other day, I found the grave marker of my baby sister. It was an emotional moment, because I was eight when she died as an infant in 1961. She had laid in that spot unvisited for almost twenty years because the only people with sure knowledge of her whereabouts had all passed on. When I found her grave, I saw where other baby angels had been interred. Their gravestones looked as neglected as my sister’s had been.

Those that hold to the tradition of using a real tree enjoy the smell and feel of a natural product that comes from a renewable resource. Buying one can also help support small family farms, so it has many positives. On the downside, a Christmas tree is a living thing that requires some extra care to be sure it doesn’t dry out and pose a fire hazard. Here are some tips from the National Christmas Tree Association on keeping your Christmas tree fresh and green as long as possible.
- When you get the tree home place it in water as soon as possible.

Each month, nearly eight hundred books are mailed out to children across Union County through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation. Maynardville Public Library hosts as the headquarters of the foundation here in Union County, investing their time and efforts in assuring that the hundreds of children in the county that have signed up for the free program are receiving their reading materials each and every month.

This year, fall was slow to move in, but winter has fallen in quickly behind with freezing temperatures and a beautiful early snowfall. Kids, and those with a youthful heart, gleamed with joy as they awakened on Tuesday, November 12 to a beautifully, cotton tinted blanket of snow across the county. The excitement swept across the smiles of many faces as they sprinted out in the early morning hours, some unable to wait until sunrise, in their bundles beneath the gray clouded skies.