Historic Union County

Spreading the good news of Union County

I just want to take a moment to write down some random thoughts that come into my mind as I meditate upon Psalm 23. I have pasted the text below and will comment after each verse.
Psalm 23:1-6 KJV; A Psalm of David. David knew a lot about sheep and shepherding. In 2 Samuel 7, as David sits in his palace admiring its splendor, Nathan the prophet reminded David where God has brought him from. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:”

Violets are very abundant this time of year and are probably the most common and the easiest to identify family of spring wildflowers in our area. You can find them about anywhere, especially even in your yard right now unless you’re a grass purist who uses herbicides.

The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics has hired eight undergraduate researchers during the 2022 spring semester. The students and their mentors are, as follows:

Heather Mannis and Gray Erwin are working with Drs. Jada Thompson and Carlos Trejo-Pech by reviewing financial documents and creating a dataset for an event study on agribusiness firms relating to large animal health outbreaks, which provides an opportunity for these students to learn more about agricultural financial and food markets.

The real estate market continues to bring in high prices. Several homes are selling at or above asking price. Here are some quick stats for Union County.

Isn’t it funny how you can look back on things and see them differently after you are grown?
Back in the ancient times of the 1970s, there were no SUVS. When we went on family trips, we rode in one of Papaw’s station wagons. At least once a year, we all piled in one and headed south and east to Cades Coves in the Smokey Mountains. We always packed a picnic. Sometimes Papaw would stop at the KFC in Maryville and pick up a bucket of chicken to have with it.
But one trip was totally different.

The word “addiction” almost always has a negative connotation. I have a theory that everyone is addicted to something. While I believe that not all addictions are bad, I believe that any addiction can be both good and bad.
Take me, for example. I love to collect books. I also love to read them, but I find as much or more joy in the collecting. I learned on Jeopardy! there is a Japanese term for this—“tsundoku”.

Years ago when i worked as a telephone operator in Angola, Indiana, i learned how to cook rice the South American way. A fellow operator had been married to a man from Venezuela. The main difference is how the rice is prepared. Her Spanish Rice had no meat. She just browned raw rice in a little oil and sauteed it a few minutes. Then she added canned tomatoes, onion and green pepper, cooking until the rice was tender. I understood this was the mainstay of poor folks' diet down there. Do i have you confused as to what is really Spanish Rice? It is whatever you want it to be. Try mine.

It’s time to be on the lookout for Pink Lady’s-slippers, which normally bloom from late April to mid-May. They are one of the most striking flowers of the woods, but for all its beauty, has a bit of a sinister side, especially if you’re a Bumblebee.
Pink Lady’s-slipper, also called Moccasin Flower, does indeed look like a roundish shoe with its large, pink, bowl shaped flower, making it hard to miss on a hike in the woods. The flower has a slit opening in the front for pollinators to access, and always has two large, twin-like leaves with deep, parallel veins growing at the base of the plant. It prefers to grow in dry woods under a mix of oak and pine trees. Pink Lady’s-slipper is in the orchid family and is one of two shoe-like wildflowers, the other being Yellow Lady’s-Slipper, which prefers moist sites found in hollows and near streams.

Union County Farm Bureau leaders recently joined with other county Farm Bureau members from all corners of the 2nd Congressional District to show appreciation to Congressman Tim Burchett for his dedicated service to the 2nd district of Tennessee and to the agriculture community, listen to an update from Washington and share concerns and issues with him from an agricultural perspective.

Lew Strickland, DVM, DACT
Extension Veterinarian and Assistant Professor
Department of Animal Science and
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
W789

Spring with its green pastures is the time of year that cattle long for at the end of a long winter. These grasses will be lush and your cows will tear a fence down to get on these pastures, but these grasses also will be full of moisture and potentially diluted of minerals. This can lead to a condition known as grass tetany.

‘Frozen shoulder’ is a term sometimes used loosely in connection with any type of persistent shoulder pain. But specifically it is the loss of arm movement at the shoulder joint. The shoulder is the part of the body that is the third most common subject for chiropractic treatment, the lower back and the neck being the two most common. Frozen shoulder can be brought on by the trauma of a fall or car accident, or it may come on gradually as a result of muscle imbalance, overuse and irritation.

Growing up, I loved to watch super heroes. There were the old “Batman” reruns, “The Justic League” cartoon on Saturday mornings, and “Wonder Woman” starring Lynda Carter. But out of all of these, the only superhero I considered to be totally indestructible was Superman. Why am I telling you this? Because of our dog, Roxy.

At the time I am writing this article, it is the Tuesday afternoon of Easter Week. For Christians worldwide, Easter is the epitome of the Gospel story, as the resurrection of Christ from the dead makes it possible to inherit eternal life in Heaven.

Tuna is one of those "go-to" foods when you don't know what to fix for company. We usually have a tin of tuna on the pantry shelf. You probably do, too. The mashed potatoes makes it go further and softens the tuna flavor.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

I like looking over topographic maps, and I got to pondering all the different forms of water flow that show on a map. We have rivers, creeks, streams (also called brooks), and springs. I found myself asking what makes a creek a creek and a river a river? I assumed there was some size classification set up so that if a body of flowing water was so many feet wide it was a river. Research revealed that a creek is a vague concept.

On March 14, 2022 Union County Smoky Mountain home school 4-H group, lead by Bill and Debbie Morgan. Gathered at the Tindell's house to have a community service workday. Our goal was to serve Ronald McDonald House in Knoxville, elderly shut ins and the Union County children's services department. There were 34 of us present including 4-H'ers , parents and extension agent Alyshia Victoria.

Tai chi is a Chinese martial art practiced worldwide for health benefits, defense training, and meditation. It has been observed for centuries and is one of the oldest and best-known techniques that characterizes contrasting and complimentary movements.

If you’ve ever wondered if this form of exercise is a good fit for you, you can still explore that option. Thanks to UT Extension and Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Extension Agent Alyshia Victoria, the method of Tai chi is being taught in Union County.

As with many forms of health care, people will sometimes ask: If I’m feeling good, why do I need it? In terms of chiropractic treatment, one answer could be, “Are you feeling the best you could be?” Are you reaching maximum capacity?

If I had to describe my outlook on life, I would reply: “Always move forward.”
Did you instantly think of how I constantly move around because can’t stand to sit still? Can’t blame you there, but I am referring to life in general. A good example of this recently happened as I was driving to work one morning.

I attended the Union County Opry this past Saturday evening. I was not there to enjoy the music, but to sell concessions for the Union County Lions Club with my nephew Joe. There was a gentleman there who once dated a member of our family. In the course of conversation, Joe asked this fellow who he married. He told his wife’s name, a name that was unfamiliar to both Joe and me. Joe said, “So you didn’t marry a Union County girl, huh?” The man replied that he was afraid to, as he might unknowingly be marrying his cousin.