The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Children’s book author looking for artist



Dorothy Tacket on her 88th birthday as she was being discharged from Pikeville Medical Center on September 29.

Dorothy Tacket on her 88th birthday as she was being discharged from Pikeville Medical Center on September 29.

Finally at last, we were able to bring our mommy home from the hospital. I don’t know who was the happiest to be home, Mom or us kids. It will be a long time though before she will be able to get out and about in the community. She had so many people praying for her and please don’t stop. She needs all those prayers to fully recover from this.

We are loving this cooler weather but I just wish it didn’t have to get any colder than this for at least four or five months. I know there are lots of people who love the winter weather, but it turns Mommy into an old hermit. She just wants to snuggle up in her blankets and stay inside the entire winter. In the fall every time we have been out and then walk back into her house, she says, “Thank you, Lord, for my good warm house!”

As I was scrolling through Facebook for some good news instead of all the negativity about our Supreme Court Justice appointee, I found this announcement from Bill and June Craft’s great granddaughter, Cassie McCool-Solis:

Bob Smith, a teacher at West Whitesburg Elementary School, is shown with his wife Debbie Smith and their three children, Kyle and his wife Brandy and their son Conner, Tyler Smith, and Ashley Smith.

Bob Smith, a teacher at West Whitesburg Elementary School, is shown with his wife Debbie Smith and their three children, Kyle and his wife Brandy and their son Conner, Tyler Smith, and Ashley Smith.

Whitesburg

“Friends and Family, I’m incredibly excited to share with you that I’ve written my second Children’s Book! This book is about the Appalachian Mountains and how special it is to call our Mountains home. I know the mountains are also home to many incredible artists, so I’m hosting a contest in order to illustrate my new book! I’m inviting artists of all ages and all skill levels to submit their illustrations for consideration to be published. My dream is for the world to know how talented we are and for children of Appalachia to never be limited because of where they are from. Below are the links to the Contest Guidelines and required Illustration Release Form.

Please share this! Share this status, share this with teachers, schools, churches, after-school programs, or anyone who loves to create! My goal is for this to reach far and wide so we can include as many artists from the Appalachian Mountain Region as possible! I can also send this in email form if that’s easier for you to share! https:// docs. google.com/…/2PACX- 1vQwp48V2CtXu4OqbLFX- 0pz…/pub https:// docs. google.com/…/2PACX-1vTtOJcK2RrE6PdUfEYn NMS…/pub.”

Jamie and Karen Elizabeth Graves Barger, daughter of John and Lucille Tacket Graves, are shown at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Ariz., on their 13th wedding anniversary

Jamie and Karen Elizabeth Graves Barger, daughter of John and Lucille Tacket Graves, are shown at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Ariz., on their 13th wedding anniversary

Cassie and her husband Drew McCool-Solis are now residents of Texas. They were in Kentucky in July for her book signing party.

Some other “good news” worth mentioning was Monday, the 1st of October, was one of my good friends and Lees College alumni, Bob Smith’s birthday. I won’t tell you how old he is though. His daughter Ashley Smith posted lots of pictures of him with all his family. They have two grandchildren, Conner Smith and Hallie Smith. They are two of the cutest little children you ever saw. Hallie wasn’t born yet when the picture I chose was posted.

While I’m on birthdays I should mention the October birthdays at Letcher County Senior Citizens. Oct. 5, Jewel McBee; Oct. 13, Don Tolliver; Oct. 14, Ronnie Halberstadt. I know I have been really behind on our Senior Citizens events, but with Mom being in the shape she was in since the last of July, I have struggled just to get our column in each week. Hopefully, things will start to pick up some now.

Congratulations to our FNMS Students of the Week! Pictured are Brooklyn Wiseman, Kara Stone, Kara Holcomb, Lila Stones, Kaylin Whitt, Cruiser Fleming, Dalton Sexton, Logan Vance, Kennedi Hall, Drew Hampton, Jae- Leigh Bates and Principal Ronny Goins.

Congratulations to our FNMS Students of the Week! Pictured are Brooklyn Wiseman, Kara Stone, Kara Holcomb, Lila Stones, Kaylin Whitt, Cruiser Fleming, Dalton Sexton, Logan Vance, Kennedi Hall, Drew Hampton, Jae- Leigh Bates and Principal Ronny Goins.

Oh, I have to mention this wonderful news, too. One of my most precious third-grade students at Martha Jane Potter, Bella Back, won the Mountain Heritage Essay Contest.

She is the daughter of Rod and Jodi McAuley Back from Kona. I have to tell you the thing I remember most about her. I had had a hard time for a few weeks getting them to turn in their math homework. So, I told them the next time they didn’t turn in their homework I was going to write them a detention slip. Well, who would be the only one to not turn in their homework but the one who always turned it in before? Little Ms. Bella Back. Well, she was hunting all through her desk and books and backpack and crying and screaming the whole time. The rest of the class was just sitting there with their mouths hanging open not knowing what to do. She was saying things like, “No, no, no, my mom will kill me. Please I know it’s in here somewhere!” She did finally find it and just sat down and started crying.

Not long after that I was in the hospital with pancreatitis. My class all made me cards and Bella’s card was so sweet. Her P.S. though is what I will never forget. It said, “Oh yeah, I did my homework.” And Bella, just so you know I still have all those precious cards.

Please be in prayer for the family of Rick Collins. Our pastor Bill and Sandy Jones surely would desire your prayers, also.

Please, as Oma would always end, try your best to be in church Sunday. If your church has services Sunday night and throughout the week, God would want you there then, too.

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