Early Bird

I don’t mind it when people call me an “Early Bird.” But it’s a little different when others say, “She’s a morning person.” At times, their tone of voice makes it sound as if that’s a bad thing.
I can’t deny it. God hard-wired me to be an early riser. Even as a small child, I looked forward to hopping out of bed and greeting a new day. What new adventures were awaiting me? What was I in danger of missing by staying inside?
As I grew older, I discovered the hard way that most people don’t share my perspectives on mornings.

Last chance for ten years

With the Secretary of Commerce attempting to complete the 2020 US Census by September 30, and a California judge issuing a ruling to require the secretary to have the census proceed until October 31, the ending date to be counted is somewhat confusing.

Teacher Depot

Luttrell Elementary would like to thank district administrators who teamed up with generous donors and sponsors to have the UC Teachers' Depot. Teachers were able to "shop" from a wide variety of items for their classrooms, and they received tokens of appreciation for all their hard work, patience and dedication while facing the overwhelming challenges of reopening schools.

Being a Big Wig

A colleague once told me that someone who had known me practically my entire life (a person I had considered a life icon) made a statement to the effect that I had forgotten where I came from. This was purportedly because I would neither heed to nor seek this person’s advice at work. May I respectfully disagree.

Oatmeal Rolls

I like anything with oatmeal. Those recipes usually call for brown sugar. Most yeast dough requires kneading. This one does, too. That's okay. The texture is different than what is usually a yeast bread. I make these rolls every once in a while.

Maintaining Your County Roadways since 2012

Willie David Cox Jr., known by friends and co-workers as David, was elected as Union County Road Superintendent in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. In this vital county position, Cox is responsible for directing, planning, and organizing the county road maintenance program. He oversees and performs many duties required to keep our county roads safe and traversable, such as paving, maintenance and repairs, striping, placing guardrails, culvert cleaning, ditching—as needed—and mowing. The Union County Highway Department is also responsible for the maintenance of the Union County Ferry.

Union County High School football update

The Union County Patriots Football team played a great fifth game against Northview Academy Friday, September 25. Although they did not come out with a win, they definitely did not leave without having taken away something from this experience.

With Senior Night against Sullivan South coming up, the football team is hoping to come away with a win. In preparation for the next game they are treating it like any other game, with the singular focus of winning, and this upcoming game can change the rest of the season for the better.

Rocker bottom shoes help reduce chronic low back pain

A new study confirms that rocker bottom shoes help strengthen back muscles, improving the spine’s curvature and thus reducing low back pain.

Researchers in sports physiotherapy have confirmed, in a new study of their research work into back pain, that unstable shoes improve the strength of back muscles by forcing them to maintain balance and stability when walking. This muscular strengthening contributes to reducing low-intensity chronic low back pain, which can be disabling for those who suffer it.

Yellow Fall Asters

When most folks consider a wildflower season, spring is usually what comes to mind, and rightfully so based on the sheer number of species that bloom then. But autumn also offers an impressive burst of color when some wildflowers make one last push to propagate before the killing frosts. Asters are particularly easy to find blooming now, especially yellow ones.

Christmas Wishes for 2020

With Christmas less than three months away and Covid-19-20-21 (who really knows) going as strong as ever, it’s anyone’s guess how the holiday will play out this year for shoppers.

According to sources on the internet, normal holiday shopping between November and December increases approximately 13 percent year over year. In May of 2020, with Corona surging and quarantine/lock-down/shelter-in-place raging, online shopping increased in popularity by 77 percent in a single month, a surge that generally takes four to six years over each twelve month period.