I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw the expression on my mamaw’s face. Let’s just say it didn’t exactly relate joy.

We had just pulled into the driveway after our week long trip to Florida. Our daughter Sara, who was 9 years old at this time, was showing Papaw all the treasures she had amassed at Sea World. That was when Mamaw whispered to Tim and myself, “I need you all to come down to the carport to look at something.”

Yep, this was not good.

My mother could put together a soup even when there didn't seem to be enough food in the house to make a meal. I grew up on soup, especially in the winter time. With a little meat to season it and the vegetables we had on hand, she could make a hearty soup for not much money. Cornbread goes well with most soups and goes well with this one.

This week, my column is going to be diving into stuff I really don’t know much about. I’m not feeling too inferior though. No one knows much about this topic, even people who are deemed experts are really just scratching the surface. So, you can roll your eyes and shake your head at some of the things I’m going to say, but it won’t rattle me in the slightest – and not just because I can’t see you on the other side of your computer or phone screen.

There really is a film industry in Tennessee. One day, while we were living in Niota, my husband was driving home and was stopped by a gentleman wanting directions. Imagine his surprise when he recognized the man as Claude Akins. Mr. Akins was in Tennessee filming scenes for the forgettable movie, King Kong Lives.

If you drive down the road right now and see patches of blue in the green hayfields and pastures, it’s liable to be Lyre-leaf Sage. I have a lot of it in my fields for the first time that I can remember, as does my neighbors. It’s always been around, but I normally only see it along roadsides and field edges. It is in the same family of plants as the herbal sage used in cooking and such.

I read a recent article that celebrated the health benefits of squatting and said that we should be doing this regularly (as opposed to spending all our time sitting or standing, I guess). I was offended by this outlandish disregard for the heritage and history of a good portion of the population, not to mention the language.

Where I come from, people don’t squat. They hunker down. Allow me to illustrate the distinction:

On Friday night, April 26, the Union County Chamber of Commerce held the Annual Fundraising Gala at Union County High School. Doors opened at 6:00pm with the Gala beginning at 7:00pm. The agenda was full of guest speakers with a delicious meal being catered by Li’l Jo’s Bar-B-Que.

Born in 1932 to Jesse Lewis and Anna Smith Lewis, Harrell was a man who loved the Lord above all else. He was a proud lifetime citizen of Maynardville where he was well known and loved. He married wife, Ima Ruth Cooke, on November 24, 1951 to begin their nearly sixty-three years together before her death in 2014.

Union County has never had a county seal. Other counties have a seal that reflects their work, products, resources, or heritage. Believing that Union County should have a seal, Mayor Jason Bailey met with Ms. Lana Booker, who teaches graphic design at Union County High School. The Mayor challenged the students to develop several seals. He offered to personally fund the project with a $50 gift card to the student who developed the winning design. The students submitted their designs anonymously and a committee of county leaders narrowed the choices to the top three.

In 1966, The National Preservation Act was enacted, establishing a federal policy for preserving our nation's heritage and creating the National Register of Historic Places and the National Landmark Program.

In order to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts in America, The National Trust for Historic Preservation created preservation week in 1971. Because of overwhelming popularity, the Trust decided to extend the celebrations to last the entire month of May.