There is a nursery in New Tazewell that sold lawn ornaments as well as regular nursery items like potted flowers and vegetable flats. I saw the cement alligator there when I bought some vegetable plants. I wanted that gater. It would be perfect to sit atop the snake pit down by the lower driveway.

This salad goes together quickly. Just chill 2 hours before serving time for the best flavor. In large bowl combine all ingredients with soy sauce and mayonnaise. Mix well. Chill 2 hours before serving. Place individual servings on shredded lettuce.

We had not been in Tennessee very long and there was so much to do. The place was in terrible shape. We walked behind the log cabin to see what had to be done there. What a shock. The ground had a steep slope down to the road. That wouldn't do. But the worse sight was the jumble stumps and stones just behind the cabin wall. That had to come out!

Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with foil, having long sides extend 2 inches over sides of pan. Spray with cooking spray. Sift dry cake mix, if lumpy. In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, Cool Whip and egg. Beat with mixer until well blended. Batter will be stiff. Add white chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Mix well. Spread in prepared pan. Bake at 350 F. for about 25 minutes in preheated oven or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan, use foil handles to lift brownies from pan before cutting into bars. Makes 24 bars.

Every time we went from our house over to the log cabin, we had to go down the steps to the lower driveway level and then up some more steps to the log cabin. Just doing that would wear a person out. Something had to be done. I thought long and hard about the problem.

If a bridge were built across the ravine behind our house, a walkway could be dug out of the ridge side over to the log cabin. I could see it in my mind, but could it be done? I took the twenty-five­ foot tape and measured the width of the ravine. Glory be! A twelve foot long two by twelve would fit across the opening, if I laid up a concrete block base at either end.

Grate 1/2 teaspoon zest and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from limes. In large bowl combine tomatoes, chopped onions, cilantro, garlic, Tabasco sauce, lime zest and juice with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 4 servings.

There was a program on TV I found interesting. It was called "How Its Made." One evening when no baseball game was on, I checked it out. The topic hit a familiar cord with me. It explained how beet sugar was made.

I am familiar with sugar beets. They are a major crop in the Saginaw Valley of Michigan. My maternal grandparents had a twenty acre farm about a mile from the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. The soil was fertile. It had been part of an ancient flood plain formed when the glacier melted long ago. That soil would grow anything.

This is a good hearty salad any time of the year. The ingredients are available anytime you can get to the grocery store. In mixing bowl combine shells, tomatoes and crumbled bacon. Set aside. In a small bowl combine dressing ingredients. Spoon dressing mixture over pasta mixture. Stir lightly to combine. To be the most flavorful, chill at least 2 hours before serving. On individual salad plates, on a small pile of shredded lettuce, divide salad into 6 portions and serve.

I have always been a volunteer. For instance, it pains me to see others go without. The Great Depression marks a person. It was only natural that I would become involved in the United Way.

I do not remember how it came about, but l found myself on the United Way's Speakers Bureau in Jackson, Michigan under the direction of Charlotte Minnette. She trained me in the art of public speaking. Armed with campaign literature, l was sent out to various working class job sites"

In a large bowl, combine vegetables. Add salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the corn oil, wine vinegar and sugar. Pour over vegetables and marinate 1 hour or more