There are a jillion bean and pasta salads out there. They are all a little different and good, too. This one is a bit different from the rest. The celery is partially cooked. The onion is marinated in white vinegar. All of that does make a difference. Try it and see what you think. You can use any combination of canned beans, even add green beans, if you like. Mix it up.

In June 2019, David McCollough celebrated thirty years in the insurance industry. David is a State Farm Agent in Maynardville, Tennessee. He grew up in South Alabama with hardworking parents who taught him the importance of working to achieve your goals. David graduated from Troy University with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree. He has three children who live close by in beautiful East Tennessee; Jake, Abby, and John David.

This Saturday, June 15, clear your calendar and take a beautiful drive into Sharps Chapel for an evening of music and festivities at the George Jones Tribute Concert. The fun filled, family event will be held at the Sharps Chapel Community Park from 6:00 – 9:00pm with festival seating, so don’t forget to bring your lawn chair!

It seemed like any other Sunday afternoon. That was until Sara and I hopped out of the car.

Down the back driveway, my stepfather Dick came barreling toward us in his truck. He and my mom lived behind us on top of the hill. I realized he had been watching and waiting for us to arrive back home from chirper choir. That told me something had happened.

The first thing I noticed was that my mom wasn’t with him. Fear and uncertainty slowly crept up my spine. Had something happened her? And if so, why wasn’t Dick with her?

Author Denise Sherriff has released her first book, Kairos Moments, a compiled work featuring personal words of encouragement. Sherriff says the book is a result of combining stories from her journals filled with knowledge, wisdom and observations that include both the highs and lows of life; not just her own, but the affects of opportunities, choices, tragedy and joy in the lives of others.

Treatment for back pain has come a long way. It was once believed that taking pain medication and getting some rest were the best course of treatment for a bout of low-back pain, but nowadays research supports first trying drug-free, conservative options for pain management while remaining as active as possible during recuperation.

Mincey’s Musings
Year One, Week Twenty-One

With fondness and joy I watch certain episodes of one of my favorite childhood situation comedies (aka “sit coms”) Sanford and Son. Fred Sanford knew better than most—there are dummies, if not under your own roof, out there somewhere!

When my oldest son, Rick, was of Cub Scout age, I became a Den Mother. It was a fun time for me. Those boys were a joy to work with. I delighted in coming up with new skills for them to try. Making kites was one of them.

Putting together store bought kite kits would have been too easy. I gave each boy a double page of newspaper, two sticks my husband had cut out on the table saw and some homemade glue. Rags would make a tail in the next week's session.

I like to write articles that are upbeat and positive, but this one is a total bummer. As a forester and lover of the outdoors, I’m in the woods way more than the average citizen, and over the decades have had my share of ticks. But this past year is beyond anything I’ve experienced before, finding them on me every month, including the dead of winter. Some were so small that I would miss them and let them get embedded, which is particularly worrisome with all the tick-borne diseases out there now. So this time I’m writing words of warning.

Some years ago, we made our first trip to Cades Cove. We have made many trips since, and have seen the valley in every season. Cades Cove is the most visited site in the Smoky Mountains National Park. You can tell by the number of cars on the one-way lane in the middle of the day. Even so, it’s well worth visiting.