Surprising others used to be a challenge for me. If you read “Christmas Present Fiasco,” then you’re very well aware of this fact. After I grew up, I not only conquered that, but I lifted my ability to surprise to another level.
How strange it seemed when during the Christmas break of 2023 that I should suddenly have so vividly remembered something that has never left my mind.
As I do practically every day, my eyes wandered to the picture of the old house where I spent most of my growing up years. It was the original home of the Burl Warwick family, located on Old Luttrell Road, near the intersection with Highway 61. My family rented the house from Jack Warwick, and we moved there just as I entered first grade.
Gas tanks full, car and truck maintenance were all up-to-date, goats received thiamine shots to help their rumens with stress, hay bag hanging in the cargo trailer, wifi camera working to monitor goats on the iPad in the front seat, Leo the livestock guardian dog loaded into the car back seat, goat and dog feed in the back of the SUV, everything in the RV closed or tied, RV fridge full. With a stomach full of butterflies and already missing family and friends, we headed eastward to Ramsay. The plan was to take it real easy for the whole trip but especially for the first day.
Here is a go-to recipe for the depths of winter. I would have most of the ingredients on hand. What a wonderful aroma to greet you when you opened the door. Memories are made of this.
snow is the result of a complex mixing of materials and
conditions, but the result is a thing of beauty.
I’m sure you have looked up at a gray winter sky and wondered if it will snow. But have you ever wondered why it snows at all? What follows is God’s recipe for a snow, but I must warn you that the ingredients and mixing directions are tricky to try at home.
First, get around a million tons of water, vaporize it, and mix it in the atmosphere. Next, cool the air down, which will cause the humidity to rise. At 100% humidity the air is saturated with water vapor. Further cooling pushes the humidity above 100% and it becomes “supersaturated” and can’t hold any more vapor. Now add a ton or so of microscopic dust particles for the vapor to condense on, and you end up with countless minute water droplets so light they float on air…in other words, a cloud.
There aren’t many large studies on the value of chiropractic treatment in managing migraines. One study examined chiropractic treatment for different types of headaches, including migraines. The study combined the results of 22 studies, which included more than 2,600 patients total. The studies show that chiropractic treatment may serve as a good preventive treatment for migraines.
As with our Thanksgiving writing contest, we had some wonderful entries for our Christmas/New Years writing contest. We are happy to announce that Natalya Bender is our first place winner. Congratulations Natalya! We will be in touch with your prize.
Below is Natalya's wonderful story. The first four runners up stories follow in no particular order.
Thanks again to all who entered our contest. Watch for more writing contests to come next year!
An avid reader since the age of 3, ten-year-old
Natalya Bender continues her love for books.
The 5th grader also enjoys writing, playing piano
and karate. And of course, playing with Cookie,
The Best Dog Ever.
The nativity scene took center stage on the mantle above the glowing fireplace. Following our yearly tradition, the freshly cut Fraser Fir stood magnificently, illuminated by a myriad of lights. Our gold and silver ornaments were dispersed evenly throughout the tree, glimmering like precious metals. I had always wondered why, however, I was never allowed to help put those shiny trinkets up.
Carol Pratt is married to Ronnie Pratt, is the mother
of two sons, and grandmother to four blessings:
Baker, Hannah, Palmer & Hudson.
Carol is a five year ovarian cancer survivor.
God is GOOD!
Back in 1978 my dad Bob Hansen and I set out on a cold sunny Sunday afternoon in December to find my first live Christmas tree. I was 16 years old and had never had a real living Christmas tree.
We set out to Darrel Hundley’s farm along Bull Run Creek. Dad and I had never done anything like this alone, as I was one of eight Hansen kids, I felt special on this day. Dad carried a bow saw and I was on the lookout for the perfect tree.
Ronald and Nancy Pressley with granddaughter
Taylor. After retirement, Knoxville native and
member of the Authors Guild of Tennessee,
Ronald Pressley, adopted writing as a hobby.
He and wife, Nancy, currently have eight books
on the market with two more planned for release
in 2024.
Randy had just celebrated his eighth birthday. As the second grandchild in our extended family, he was awarded special attention from everybody.
Born on December 1, 1966, his birthday party and presents always made selecting a Christmas gift difficult.
For this birthday, he received a G. I. Joe doll, hot wheels, a Play-Doh modeling set, little golden books, coloring books and a 64-count of Crayola. In addition, Wilma had removed several packages before he opened them. She knew they would be neglected, and Christmas was only twenty-four days away.
Leoma Gilley served in Africa with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International for over 30
years, twenty years in the Sudan. Leoma retired from missions in 2017. She lives in Knoxville,
Tennessee and is writing a memoir series, Not How I Planned It. She continues to seek ways to
serve God and others through her writing and daily activities.
It was December 31, 1999, the day before the world would come to an end. For a year and a half, we knew there was a problem. When entering dates on forms or computer programs, the year was only assigned two digits. 1999 would normally be entered as 99. What would happen when the new century began and the date was 00? Worldwide, the computer geeks worked tirelessly to adjust programs so that the date would not mean 1900. If that happened, computers and all they control could come to a sudden standstill. No power, no water. Planes would fall out of the sky.
Seventh-grader Virginia Burgener
lives in East Tennessee with her
family and homeschools through
Homelife Academy.
My favorite Christmas memory is during a mini blizzard in 2021. It all started at Mamaw’s on Christmas Eve. I took the dogs out one last time before we left for Mamaw’s to spend Christmas eve with her. Once we got there it started to snow.
Every year at Christmas time, our veterans get together and try to make the holiday season a little bit nicer for those less fortunate. The members of the American Legion New Liberty Post 212 on Veterans St in Maynardville gather each year at this time to provide toys for Maynardville pre-school kids as well as boxes of food, games and toys for families. Recipients may be veterans, widows or any folks in need. This year, these were distributed on December 16. John Langley delivered Christmas boxes to folks in Sharps Chapel while Darrell White took boxes to Loyston.
The Companion Animal and Outdoor Adventures group with the treats they made for the dogs.
The 4-H Companion Animal and Outdoor Adventure groups met together at the Union County Extension Office afterschool for a service project. The December service project was to make dog treats for the animals at the Union County humane Society. 4-Her’s were eager to make oatmeal, banana, and peanut butter flavored treats! Some even took a treat or two home for their dogs to try.
Producers in UNION County are eligible to apply for 2023 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) benefits on full season improved pasture. On November 14, 2023, Union County reach a D3, Extreme Drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor, which may them eligible to file an LFP application with the Farm Service Agency.
LFP provides compensation if you suffer grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land.
Air travel is among the biggest challenges we face to our spinal health. Long hours in a cramped airliner often lead to back pain. here are some steps you can take to avoid that pain during your next flight.
Stand up straight and feel the normal “S” curve of your spine. Then use rolled-up pillows or blankets to maintain that curve when you sit in your seat. Tuck a pillow behind your back and just above the beltline and lay another pillow across the gap between your neck and the headrest. If the seat is hollowed from wear, use folded blankets to raise your buttocks a little.
The prophets looked ahead and held a watch so true.
To see His incarnation that would soon come into view.
The single star announced His birth, with the angels, just a few.
To the shepherds on the hillside who would soon be watching too.
The disciples watched His life, and His death upon the cross,
And saw the resurrection as hope for pain of loss.
“That’s it!” Molly claps her hands. “I know how to get us a new star! I’m gonna pray for one!”
“What?” Momma asks.
“Jesus had me see that falling meteor so I would pray for the miracle of us getting one. And I’m gonna start now!”
She closes her eyes and cups her hands under her chin. “Dear Jesus, please send us a new star for our manager in time for Christmas. That way people can see you. Amen.”
“Amen,” Her mother repeats behind her.
As I write, the song “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” is on my mind. In reality, other than decorations and the endless Hallmark movies, and the absence of leaves on the trees, it wouldn’t look like Christmas at all. There is no snow, though the temperature is dropping below freezing, and a brisk wind is blowing, making the air feel colder due to the wind chill factor. A more appropriate song might be “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”.
Leaving family and really good friends behind in Idaho was searingly painful. But to age gracefully, we just did not want to do it shoveling and plowing snow, living through cloudy days and smoke-smoggered skies from fires in surrounding states and Canada.