Homemaking soaps is a centuries old skill that many have the desire to learn. Recently, Big Ridge State Park has offered a class teaching these skills to pupils from the community. Ranger Hannah Paschall, who has been with the park for ten years, has led three sessions, only generating more interest. Classes were held in January, February, and are scheduled for March at the Big Ridge State Park Rec Hall. Ranger Hannah says that she expected the first class to fill up quickly, but she did not realize a second class would fill up in a day.

Union County’s JC Baker Lodge hosted a Scholarship Fundraiser Breakfast on Saturday, February 16. Members began to arrive for preparation at 4:00am with the breakfast being served from 7:00 – 11:00am. The goal of the breakfast was for lodge members to do their part in helping students from the community further their educations. Initially the goal was to kick this off as an annual event and with much support and success that goal seems hopeful.

Genesis 1:1 KJV
[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Mankind has a penchant, propensity or knack, call it what you will for asking the wrong question. Wrong headed thinking is the cause of much confusion in regards to understanding what the Bible is communicating on many subjects and in particular the creation story. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul instructs Timothy to study, so that he may "rightly divide the word of truth". We cannot study without asking questions and it stands to reason one cannot learn the "right" or correct answer apart from the truth.

“Miss Brooke! Miss Brooke!” I felt the tug on the back of my blouse.

I turned around and looked down into the wide blue eyes of a little boy in my Sunday school class. “Did you know an angel argued with Satan over Moses’ body and the angel didn’t use any bad words?”

At that time, I taught 2nd grade Sunday school. On this particular Sunday, the other teacher and I had talked to the children about not using bad words. We used examples of when we are upset or get into an argument.

Are you looking for a holistic way to take the edge off of those painful joints? Chiropractic medicine may be for you, as long as you remember to listen to your body.

Unlike what you see on TV, most of what chiropractors do today is more gentle than cracking backs or popping necks into place. In fact, there are more than 150 techniques that chiropractors use to manually adjust the spine, joints and muscles with varying degrees of force.

It was in the fall of 1942 when my brother, Rod, approached me with an offer to take me hunting. “I will teach you how to hunt squirrel,” he said. Wait a minute! Where did he get off using such a big word? Rod could take school or leave it. He wasn't an educator. Not at all. I did figure I was teachable, however.

Mincey’s Musings
Year Two, Week Nine

I was part of a conversation last week that revolved on horrible motel experiences. It seems that anyone who has traveled much at all has a horror story or two to tell about overnight travel accommodations.

I had a nephew who was graduating from Marine basic training at Paris Island, South Carolina. There is much I could tell you about that trip, and I believe I will share that experience with you next week. But for now, the only part I’ll share is about the hotel.

In our area Spring seems to be a crap shoot with all the cold snaps in between warm ups. And when I looked into it, I found that there is more than one opinion of when Spring begins, and so here is a rundown of the possibilities.

I had the pleasure of visiting your beautiful county in November of last year. Many of my ancestors have their final resting place in old cemeteries in Chuck Swan State Forest. I was able to find several of them. I'm sharing a photo I took from Highway 33 a few miles east of Maynardville, shortly after dawn of November 18, 2018 as the fog was lifting. My mother, Retha Shelby Elrod, told stories of her visits there and how proud she was of the place where her mother and father were born. I was happy to find that her pride was well founded.

When I was glued to my TV set last year watching the rescue of those soccer boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, I thought about times I had been in caves. Most of those experiences were in Tennessee. Caves in Tennessee are fascinating. One of my encounters was in a primitive cave near South Pittsburgh. Usually a primitive cave is one that is undeveloped, with no pathways, no paid guides, and no admission fees. Those types of caves are on private property. Of course, all of the well-known caves were once primitive, until someone saw the opportunity to make a little money.