I’ve had a month of March muffin madness. I just can’t get over the many ways we can satisfy a sugar craving with a treat so sweet and packed with nutrition, but absolutely no flour, refined sugar, or oil. The nutrients in these muffins are nothing to joke about. They are not messing around, like little prepackaged baked goods that claim to be healthy, with a multitude of oil and ingredients that cannot be pronounced.

I’ve written previously about my Dad’s occupation as a spray pilot, which is what led me to have adventures as a kid walking across fields. As a “flagger” for the spray planes, my job was to wave a flag for the spray pilot to line up on, then move across the field as he made a pass in the spray plane. All this was before GPS made flaggers unnecessary. If Dad was spraying large fields far from the airport or a suitable landing spot, of if some problem caused a delay, we flaggers might be dropped off in a field early in the morning about sunrise and not be picked up for hours, possibly even late afternoon. Now that sounds bad, but at the time, we didn’t mind. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was usually a pleasant day. We would walk and flag for a while, then relax while the planes went back for chemical and fuel, and we spent more time relaxing than walking, so it was an easy day.

Children’s books are a lot of fun to read. Not only do kids enjoy hearing them but it’s a joy for the adults who are reading them also. It takes an impressive imagination to create a story to keep children interested to the end. From start to finish the story needs lovable main characters, a villain we all dislike, a problem that needs to be solved, some positive emotional attachment, and of course a happily ever after.

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MUNDAY – One of the service projects the Lions Club performs is providing free glasses to anyone in need and provide checks for vision disorders for elementary students. Lions Club members Irl Holt, Melissa Moore, and Michael Burnett from Vernon, Texas visited the Munday elementary school on Mar.

When we identify potatoes with any one country, we often think of Ireland and the survival stories we hear about the folks there in the 1700’s and 1800’s. If it’s a fine Irish meal you’re after this year to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, dishes like corned beef brisket and potatoes come to mind.

I have always enjoyed old sayings and proverbs from other countries. Some convey the same wisdom and thoughts as American sayings, some are different. Years ago, I was seated next to an older Japanese medical doctor – as I recall, he was in his late 80s - on a Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit to Tokyo, on the way to China. We talked a bit in passing time on the long flight, and since he was an elderly retired gentleman, I asked him his secret for a long life.

KNOX CITY – In light of the alarming rise in colon cancer cases, Knox Clinic is issuing a call to action to combat this formidable disease. Recent statistics underscore the urgency of the situation, revealing that colon cancer affects both men and women, with approximately 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women at risk of developing the disease in their lifetime.

HANABA MUNN WELCH Animal tracks, Levitation Ready to expand your mind? Sharpen your senses? Learn more about your world? Check out what’s on Facebook, or go outside and look for animal tracks. Your choice.

Smalltownnewspapersareproducedby people that have put the editions together over the years. The publishers, editors, photographers and writers put their blood, sweat and tears – pardon the cliché but it’s fitting – not tomentiontimeandmoney into putting out the newspaper week after week. If you’re a long-time resident of Knox County, you will likely remember the people that have brought you the newspapers over the years. If you’re new to the area, the evolution of the Knox County News-Courier is interesting.