Lookout Mountain is fortunate to have a recycling program in the community. Both Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Lookout Mountain, Ga., have access to it. However, some of us need a refresher course on what we can and cannot recycle.

The other day I looked into the recycling bin and noticed boards, lots of plastic bags, a doll, some hardback books and Styrofoam food boxes - none of which are recyclable. The dumpster is available on the first Saturday of the month, and that’s the occasion to get rid of your trash that is not recyclable.

But lots of people think the recycling bin is the same as the garbage dumpster and throw their plastic bags of “junk” into the recycling bin. I know it’s tempting, but when you add stuff that is not accepted by the recycle center, it contaminates the entire “batch” of recycling. One bad apple indeed does spoil the whole bin in the case of recycling. Obviously, this defeats the purpose. And it’s not fair to those who take the time to clean recyclable containers, collect them and then take them to the town’s recycling center.

Some of the things that are accepted are plastic bottles and jugs and their lids and caps, cans, plastic tubs and containers, phone books, newspapers, scrap paper, magazines and paperbacks, paper milk and juice cartons, metal jar lids, paperboard boxes like cereal/cracker boxes, steel bottle caps and old greeting cards.
Glass is recycled in a separate bin labeled Glass Only, and cardboard is also recycled in a separate area that is labeled Cardboard Only. All boxes must be empty, with no Styrofoam, plastic or packing peanuts inside.

Some of the things that are not accepted in the big recycling bin include PLASTICS, except those listed above, scrap metal, frozen food containers, mirrors, Pyrex, plates, drinking glasses, plastic bags, Styrofoam or Kraft envelopes, tissues, paper towels or napkins that have been used, stickers or sheets of address labels, empty aerosol cans, batteries, light bulbs, foil pouches like Capri Sun, scrap metal, wax paper and hardback books. Really, it is just common sense. No, whole toilets are not recyclable. And yes, someone did that.

Also, we don’t need to flatten anything, like cans and plastic bottles, because it makes it harder on the sorting machine. So, let’s all use our brains when it comes to recycling, and if you have a question, ask Johnny Bowen. He is usually around with a smile and a friendly comment, and who couldn’t use that? Thank you all so much for recycling, and thanks to our towns for making it possible!
​
by Gwin Tugman

​It’s now time to respond to the 2020 Census! 
The U.S. Census Bureau has been preparing for this once-a-decade population count for years. The question is: Are you ready?
  
Here are 10 quick tips to help you to respond and it should take just a few minutes: 
​

1. If you don’t regularly check the mail, please do so now. By now, most households have received at least one invite to respond to the 2020 Census, which includes instructions for how to respond online, by phone, or by mail. 
2. Even if you don’t get an invitation in the mail, you can go online at 2020census.gov and respond now. You don’t have to wait for the paper questionnaire to arrive either.
3. Your name isn’t on it. The invitation will be addressed to “Resident” – that’s you (and everyone in your household). Don’t throw it out just because your name isn’t on it. But do be aware of scam and fraud mail – learn more here. 
4. Determine how you will respond: online, by phone, or by mail.  If you want to answer on paper, you can. Paper questionnaires are arriving by mail to households that haven’t yet responded.
5. Responding online is easy. Your invitation includes a Census ID number. But if you lose it, you can use your address. You can go online on any device including a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Remember: If you respond online, you must complete the census in one sitting. You will not have the ability to save your progress and come back to finish. 
6. You can respond in English and 12 different languages online and by phone. There will be a drop-down menu online, or a special phone number on your invitation. Other languages are: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese. The Census Bureau also offers webpages and guides in 59 non-English languages, including American Sign Language, and guides in Braille and large print. 
7. On the paper questionnaire use blue or black ink – no pencils! You can write in the margins, though, if you need space. Be sure to return the questionnaire in the envelope provided. If you lost it, return it to: U.S. Census Bureau, National Processing Center, 1201 E 10th Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47132. 
8. Figure out who is “Person 1/Head of Household.” If you’re the only person in your home, then you are Person 1. If more than one person lives in your home, Person 1 is generally someone whose name is on the mortgage or rental agreement and who is over age 15.
9. Count everyone who lives in your home – including children. Count everyone who lives and sleeps in your home most of the time, including relatives, friends and others. Learn more about who to count and special circumstances for specific groups of people such as military. If more than 10 people live in your home, respond online at 2020census.gov where there is plenty of space. 
10. Respond as soon as you can. Respond on your own now to avoid a visit from a census taker later this year. 

Learn more at 2020census.gov.  

​Lookout Mountain, GA:  Like most nonprofit organizations struggling with fundraising events in the time of COVID-19, Lula Lake Land Trust (LLLT) is no different. Their biggest fundraiser, Hike Bike Brew Lula Lake Beer Festival, was rescheduled from March to August, and now they’d had to make a tough decision due to the ongoing pandemic. 
 
“Hike Bike Brew is, by far, Lula Lake's biggest fundraiser,” says Matthew Hubbard, LLLT Director of Development. “Our beer festival is a crowd favorite, drawing people in from as far as Seattle and New York City. We’re putting the safety of our community first by making the decision to cancel Hike Bike Brew. This event is a staff favorite too, and we worked tirelessly planning it. Then we worked even harder re-planning it in hopes to help raise funds for Lula Lake’s trails and conservation efforts.”
 
After making the decision to cancel, an idea sparked through discussions with staff and brewery sponsors that led to the creation of a "plan C" for the fundraiser. 
 
LLLT is proud to present Brewery Quest: Alternative Beer Festival to raise funds in the void left by the cancellation of Hike Bike Brew. Each “Explorer” ticket buyer will embark on a solo mission to visit (8) Chattanooga area breweries, and they will receive a voucher for one “Hike Bike Brew pour” at each brewery in addition to a limited edition, eco-friendly souvenir cup.
 
“We’re so honored by the breweries and the willingness of our corporate partners to back this alternative beer festival,” Hubbard continues. “Hike Bike Brew would have raised funds equivalent to 6 miles of new trails. LLLT can only hope our community will embrace this new route as well as support small business by visiting each brewery.”
 
Explorer Tickets for Brewery Quest are $50, which includes the aforementioned vouchers and souvenir cup plus a 15 feet of trail work guarantee, can be purchased online at www.LulaLake.org/Events. Pick-up for ticket purchases will be in downtown Chattanooga or the LLLT offices in August. Full details on ticketing website.
 
Brewery Quest: Alternative Beer Festival and Lula Lake’s trail work initiatives are proudly sponsored by Five Wits Brewing Company, Chattanooga Brewing Company, WanderLinger Brewing Company, Big River Grille & Brewing Works, Naked River Brewing Company, OddStory Brewing Company, Phantom Horse Brewing Company, Dalton Brewing Company, Elly, Southeastern Salvage Home Emporium, Audi Chattanooga, Village Volkswagen of Chattanooga, and First Horizon.

The Rising Pines Farm Market began with an extra head of lettuce. But a plethora of summer squash sealed the deal.

“The idea of an open market started last year as my sweet neighbor kept offering extra produce from his garden … just as I was also trying to give my extras away,” said Connie Ward, former Fairyland Elementary School teacher.

Not about to let their precious produce go to waste but also producing more than they could eat themselves, a few folks thought about putting up a stand by the road and asking people to self-pay. But they realized the traffic might pose a problem; even if it didn’t cause traffic jams exactly, cars pulling in and out at all times would upset dogs and disrupt quiet farm life. But Connie had an idea.

“I work in the garden most afternoons and realized that one day a week I could have a farm stand open, since I am up there anyway,” she said. Picking cucumbers and smelling homegrown tomatoes, she thought about other items that might be of interest to browsers.

“The idea grew as I considered including some my own creative crafts. I realized this could provide an outlet for other community farmers and artists,” she said, citing pottery, wood turned wares, homemade bread, beautiful bouquets, salsa, honey and paper mache creations.

For $10, a vender can set up a space. All vender fees go to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, where her husband, Dane, has volunteered for years.

“Rising Pines Farm Market’s goal is to promote work of friends and family by providing an opportunity to share their creative and agriculture efforts. We live in a community where artists, gardeners, farmers and craftsmen are abundant. We hope this market will become a showcase for our community’s treasures,” Connie said.

So there you have it - the Rising Pines Farm Market. You never know what you will find, but it will always be homegrown or handmade.

The Rising Pines Farm Market will be open Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., June through September, at the Ward’s farm at 10384 Highway 157 in Rising Fawn.

by Ferris Robinson

113 Linden Street
Lookout Mtn, TN

Warm, livable family home on professionally landscaped lot surrounded by woods at the end of a dead end road providing a quiet, private lifestyle.  This home provides a warm welcome for owners and visitors alike and is well suited for entertaining. 

Here are a few of the home’s features:

• 5 Bedrooms,  4 1/2 bathrooms
• 4800 square feet on 3 levels
• Modern Kitchen with SubZero Refrigerator & Wolf Range
• New roof and new driveway
• 2 fireplaces (one gas logs, one wood burning)
• Master Suite with large modern bathroom
• Sunroom with slate floor and vaulted pine ceiling
• Private Guest Suite Area on lower level
• 3 Heat & Air Zones (Gas Heat)
• Generac Generator
• Extensive closets and storage spaces
• Large laundry room with cabinets, sink and extra dishwasher
• Fenced backyard surrounded by woods
• Irrigation system
• Covered deck and patio area; large open patio
• Built 1981; Remodeled and Expanded 1991

Priced for quick sale at
$775,000

For more information:
Dwight Montague
(423) 825-2120

For more photos,
​visit Zillow.com at https://tinyurl.com/y4kch2ru

I began thinking about this article a month and a half into our response to the COVID-19 pandemic - quarantine, social distancing, lockdown - whatever you want to call it. My thoughts turned to those motivational writers who encourage us to develop clear goals, to visualize what we want in life, to project our desires out into the cosmos. In that vein, this edition of Oh, For a Book is dedicated to the “beach read.”

What exactly is a beach read? I think a beach read is any book that you want to read at the beach, or the pool, or wherever you are carefree and have the leisure to read. Which, if you have children, you know is neither the beach nor the pool, but I digress. Like Lin-Manuel Miranda, I once took Ron Chernow’s  “Alexander Hamilton” to the beach. While it was a phenomenal biography, I didn’t finish the 730-page book on that trip, and unlike Miranda, I was not inspired to create a groundbreaking theatrical sensation.

The idea of the beach read came about early in the 19th century, when urbanization and industrialization made getting away from the city popular, and steamships and railroads made it accessible. Advertisers began using images of summertime leisure activities, and publishers began touting summer reading. At a time when novels were not considered proper reading material, this was an opportunity to rebrand them as “an acceptable middle-class pleasure,” according to Donna Harrington-Lucker in her book “Books for Idle Hours.” However, in 1876, Reverend T. DeWitt Talmadge wrote that he believed that there was “more pestiferous trash read among the intelligent classes in July and August than in all the other 10 months of the year.”

Yikes!

In 2020, a beach read is typically an easy-to-read fictional book. It might be a romance, or maybe a thriller; if it’s pestiferous trash, you may want to keep it away from the kids.

Although not a work of fiction, if you’re looking for a book that requires zero thinking on your part, let A.J. Jacobs do the thinking for you in his 2004 book, “The Know-It-All.” It’s an entertaining memoir of his quest to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. He touches on everything from Ancient Eastern Asian music to a town in South Central Poland, as well as why a man would set this goal for himself.  While you may not be required to think, you might learn something.   

If you prefer to keep your mind sharp, grab “The Scotland Yard Puzzle Book: Test Your Inner Detective by Solving Some of the World’s Most Difficult Cases.” I’ve been training for this for years! Some of my favorite books are British police procedurals, like Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series. If you try “The Scotland Yard Puzzle Book,” let’s compare notes.

If you really want to embrace the beach in your beach read, Mary Alice Monroe has an entire series devoted to it. Her “Beach House” series includes “The Beach House,” “Swimming Lessons,” “Beach House Memories, “Beach House for Rent,” “Beach House Reunion,” and “On Ocean Boulevard.” Her newest book, “The Summer Guests,” published in June 2019,  moves inland as people,  dogs, and  horses escape a hurricane.

For the ultimate beach read though, what could be better than Emily Henry’s newly released and appropriately titled “Beach Read?” This book has a little bit of everything. It’s funny; it’s dark. It’s sexy. There are misunderstandings and reconciliations. There is pride and there is prejudice. Don’t miss it! And happy beach reading, wherever you are!

by Nancy Carstens