Surely, I’m not getting old! My youngest nephew is on the verge of celebrating his first anniversary. All of my siblings’ children are now married, and one of them is in college.

Few purchases can wreak more havoc on your pocketbook than when the used car you purchase develops mechanical problems.

Sometimes they are called weeds. That word is often included in the common name of some roadside wildflowers, but I like to refer to them as roadside beauties.

“Consider then how precious a soul must be, when both God and the devil are after it.” — C.H. Spurgeon

“Skits and Bits” - Little Bits of News and History – Some you may remember, some you may have forgotten and some you may have never heard of before; but all of which took place somewhere, sometime, throughout the years.

The week ahead is going to bring an increase in the showers and thunderstorms to Middle Tennessee. Probabilities increase to 50 percent Wednesday and 70 percent Thursday and Friday and I would expect some of those to be storms with heavy downpours.  

To the Editor:

The church in America is one of the greatest mission fields on Earth.

If, for some of us, just talking about herbs is therapeutic, just imagine how rewarding it can be to harvest and preserve them for personal use and gifts.

The annual Tennessee Wildlife calendar was released a few weeks ago. I thought that many readers might be interested in some of the upcoming hunting season dates. I wanted to highlight the statewide deer season that is just around the corner.

We have had a hot summer with most areas receiving adequate rain. Pastures look green and there has been plenty of grass to graze throughout the summer.

“Skits and Bits” - Little Bits of News and History – Some you may remember, some you may have forgotten and some you may have never heard of before; but all of which took place somewhere, sometime, throughout the years.

Every year, Tennessee’s two Senate offices face-off against each other in a game of softball on the National Mall in Washington. It’s a tradition that goes back years.

Expect hot and humid weather Tuesday with high temperatures in the low to mid-90s and scattered thunderstorms will be possible. Storms early in the week could be heavy because they will be powered by the hot and humid conditions.

To the Editor:

My mother was born on Aug. 7, 1920, 11 days before her mother was granted the right to vote.

Medicare for All is a popular idea — 70 percent of Americans say they support it, including 52 percent of Republicans. Why? Because in red and blue states alike, they see the costs of a market-driven system that values profit over patients.

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

When August rolls around, I’m thankful for the useful plants that thrive in the heat, Especially the ones that are drought tolerant!

“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” — George Carlin, American counterculture comedian (1937-2008)

I see pretty much the same weather pattern for the next two weeks: Partly cloudy, hot and humid each day with scattered thunderstorms.

Those of us who have had our DNA tested frequently get messages that whatever company we used has found a “genetic match.” In my experience, these matches are usually so far back that they aren’t very helpful. Occasionally, however, we may find a fairly close relative.

To the Editor:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The perennial Iris is a large group of plants numbering somewhere between 200-300 species.