Teresa Brooks

Receiving mail used to be a fun thing. It’s like when you first get married or move away from home and you have an actual address and mailbox of your own. To walk out to the mailbox and check the mail every day, it was exciting, right? You never knew what you were getting and you poured over each and every piece of mail that you received, including junk mail, because it was something new and enjoyable, and you were adulting. Fast forward to today. You have had your mailbox for quite a while now, and you’re receiving paper mail that just isn’t much fun to receive anymore. You get so...

A young person asked me the other day about snipe hunting. I snickered as my mind went back to when I was a young girl, and I remembered hearing of a young teenager who visited from the city and was taken out snipe hunting. I was curious about it. I later found out what it was, and decided then and there, I never wanted to go. So, what exactly is a snipe? A snipe is a bird with a long slender bill, similar to a sandpiper. Snipes are found in different areas of the world, from North America to Africa. In North America, they are called Wilson’s Snipes. The birds are usually...

We can only hope, when we pass away, that we leave pleasant memories and positive imprints on the lives of our dear family and friends. Occasionally someone touches so many lives in our little community, in such a profound way, that it is overwhelming. Such was the life of Richard James “Rick” McKiddy. Described as the “gentle giant”, the two-time kidney transplant survivor passed away on January 19th after a long battle with COVID-19. Sadly, Rick had just celebrated his 44th birthday in the hospital on January 7th of this year, while battling the deadly virus. It was evident how well Rick was liked, as I read through the many messages of...

This weekend while we were out running some errands, my husband offered to fill my vehicle with gas, so that I wouldn’t have to get out in the cold and pump it this week. How sweet was that? Who remembers when we had gas stations with attendants that came out to pump the gas, check the oil, and clean the windshield? I truly miss the days when I could pull into Disel Buhl’s Chevron, a full-service station which was located in Williamsburg, and be greeted by friendly attendants eager to help me with whatever small thing I needed done. I would drive across town just to go to Buhl’s Chevron. The gas...

Column by Teresa Brooks The radio station I listen to in the mornings is very entertaining. I got such a chuckle listening this morning that I had to laugh out loud. I bet people who pass by me probably wonder what kind of crazy woman I am, laughing while in my car all by myself. But listening to the radio crew’s crazy banter back and forth, and hearing them laugh, helps start my day on a lighter note. The crew this morning was talking about winter, beautiful icicles, and people eating icicles. Some of the crew said they had ate them before, others thought eating icicles was disgusting. In my mind, I...

Teresa Brooks

(Column by Teresa Brooks) Around Thanksgiving time last year, I ran across a long-lost grocery store item at Food City in Middlesboro that I hadn’t been able to find locally for many years. Three Rivers brand cornmeal was like a tradition in southern cooking. Used for over 75 years by Appalachian women and their ancestors in dishes requiring cornmeal, they baked delicious cornbread, used it in the batter for their fried green tomatoes, cornmeal gravy, and many other dishes. I think most everyone I knew used Three Rivers Cornmeal, until all of a sudden, none of the stores carried it. I never knew why the stores quit selling it, but I missed...