Have you ever taken a day trip that gave you quite the unexpected surprise? We did years ago. Most people probably wouldn’t have appreciated our experience the way I did, but I have a quirky way of enjoying things.

Our trip started out innocently enough. We were traveling to Tim’s family reunion in Churchill, which is located in the northeast corner of the state. Some of the roads had been reworked since our last visit, so we were following another relative.

Recently my niece sent me a picture of her youngest daughter on Instagram. Brittany was dressed in a sparkly maroon uniform with an equally sparkly maroon flag in her hand. She was a bit disappointed that this year had been abbreviated by the Covid 19 because she loved being in color guard and performing all those intricate routines.

No, this is not a soup. It is a delicious baked mess of beans. Yes, sour and cream does get along well with baked beans.

This is not just another filled baked potato. Creamy mashed potatoes are on top, but underneath there is a surprise waiting for your fork. Your family will wonder when you had the time to go to cooking school.

State Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, and State Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, today announced the funding has been approved for the final phase of construction of State Route 33 connecting Union and Knox counties.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has completed the right-of-way phase of the development for State Route 33 (Maynardville Highway). This 5.2 mile project will adjoin the portion of State Route 33 in Union County to the Knox County line and State Route 144. The proposed project includes widening the highway from two lanes to five.

Vickie Burkhart has owned her business for 32 years. It was a hard hit when she had to close her salon, The New You, on March 27 due to a government order to help control the spread of Covid-19. But things are slowly returning to normal since Burkhart and her co-stylist Terry Shumate re-opened the salon May 6.

Recently, the CDC recommended wearing masks in public. Many people have regained confidence to enter super markets and other stores as result of wearing masks and gloves. However, gloves and masks, though important, should not be solely relied upon for protection. Homemade masks are not as effective as other masks like a type called N95s, and they are not always put on and taken off correctly. When wearing your mask, make sure it completely covers your mouth and nose. Make sure that you are still social distancing and only going out when necessary, even with a mask.

It was the winter of 1941-1942 and the war was just beginning. Dad found a job in Akron, Ohio, at a tire making plant. They would be making butyl rubber. The Japanese controlled all the real rubber coming out of the East Indies in the Orient. A substitute had to be found. Dad brought us a sample of the synthetic rubber when he came home for a weekend. It looked like rubber. It felt like rubber. It would be the only kind available until the war was over.

We all enjoy the thrill of seeing large wild animals such as a deer or bear, but imagine the adrenaline buzz if you could have seen some of the extinct animals that fossil records indicate once roamed our area not so long ago.

Two weeks ago I left three fictitious youngsters in the hayloft of Uncle Ex Newman’s barn as they laid out of school— Clark Mosely, his older brother Hen, and their still older cousin Jay Harvey Tatum. Three youngsters alone in a barn can be a scary situation for those not in the barn, I’m sure. I promise to join them in their misadventures once again soon, but inspiration has taken me on another path for this week.