East Tennessee Mutual Insurance

Thursday, October 29, 2015

With the fall comes the time change......

This weekend we "fall back" an hour, gaining us an hour of extra sleep. The daylight hours are getting shorter, meaning when most of us are traveling to and from work it will be twilight or dark. The weather is getting cooler and winter will be here soon. Here are some tips to help keep you safe and prepared for your commute!

Inspect your car's headlights, tail lights, turn signals, etc. and make sure they are all working properly
Put together a travel bag with necessities in case you happen to get stranded, such as: Flashlight, first aid kit, phone charger, blanket, a couple bottles of water, granola bars, road flares, jumper cables (anything you think will help)
Have your emergency contacts written down and put in your glove compartment
Check your tire pressure! As the weather cools, the air in your tires will constrict and will more need more added
Check the tread on your tires! The better the tread, the more traction you will get to the roads
Check your anti-freeze levels. If you have not had it serviced in the last couple of years, it would be a good idea to do so
Make sure your windshield is clean. This will help in the event the sun glares through your windshield

Most importantly, watch out for deer and other animals in the roadways! With the decreased daylight hours, they are out looking for food and shelter at the time we are travelling to and from work. Their food source becomes limited in the fall and winter, so they will seek out new places to eat.

You can always contact us for more tips and ideas on how to keep safe.

Safe travels!

Barbie Lambert

Manager

East Tennessee Mutual Insurance Company

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Barbie's big pot of chili recipe

In our house, the fall and winter means it is time for warm and hearty meals. Here is my recipe for some warm and colorful chili. This recipe is pretty mild. If you want to add some heat, you can always add a couple cans of Rotella, chipolte or cayenne pepper. Be forewarned this recipe is made for a HUGE pot of chili!

As with most cooking, I found a recipe for the spices because we have been limiting our salt intake. I found the original spice recipe on wellnessmama.com and tweaked it to adjust to our taste.

1/2 cup + 3 Tbs Chili powder

1/4 cup Garlic Powder

3 Tbs onion powder

1/2 cup Oregano

2 Tbs Paprika

1/4 cup Cumin

1 Tbs Thyme

1 Tbs Salt

2 tsp Chipolte chili podwer

1/2 Tbs Salt

3-4 lbs lean ground beef (ours came from a local farmer that raised the cow for us)

2 medium onions, chopped

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 orange pepper

2- 15.5 oz can Bush's Low sodium Dark Kidney beans (mostly drained)

1- 15.5 oz can Bush's Light Kidney Beans (mostly drained)

1- 15.5 oz can Bush's Low sodium Cannellini (White Kidney) beans (mostly drained)

4- 15.5 oz can Hunts No Salt added Petite Diced Tomato

2- 8 oz Hunts No Salt added Tomato Sauce

1- 12 oz can Hunts Fancy Tomato Paste

1 can Rottella

2- 15.5 oz can Sweet Corn (drained)

Spice mixture- In a mixing bowl mix all spices, set aside.

In a large pot (I used a cast-iron) brown ground beef and onion. Adding in cut peppers toward end. Add in about 1/2 of the spice mixture, continue to finish cooking beef (this will help bring the flavor into the meat). Add in cans of diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, Rotella and corn. Add remaining spice mixture. Let that simmer for about 1/2 an hour to an hour, making sure to stir often as it has a tendency to stick and possibly burn. Then add the tomato paste. I like to leave the chili on low and let it continue to cook for several hours (this will help all the flavors marry and enhance the chili).

Serve and enjoy!

Have fun with this dish, play around with different flavors and veggies. I love to take a recipe and either try to make it healthier or make it to satisfy our tastes more.

Happy cooking! I will be posting more of my favorite dishes throughout the fall and winter.

Barbie Lambert

Manager

East Tennessee Mutual Insurance Company

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

It's going to be a cold weekend!

The weather reports are indicating that it is going to be a cold weekend with close to freezing overnight lows. As the cold weather comes, we all want to stay as warm as possible! So, here are some tips to keep you safe as we transition our homes to fall and winter heating.

Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors. Make sure to test your smoke detectors to ensure they are working properly. Most will start beeping when the batteries are going bad (mine did this weekend), but it is better to go ahead and replace them in the spring and winter.

Replace the Air-filter to your HVAC unit. I try to change mine out every month, but sometimes I forget. It is very important to have a new one in place before switching from your cooling to the heating as dust and dirt from the filters will be sucked into the unit and could catch fire on the heating elements. It is also a good idea to call your local HVAC carrier to come and do a quick check of your HVAC unit to ensure that it is running properly and ready for heating your home.

Many people may not be ready to turn on their heat just yet and may choose to use space heaters. Make sure they are plugged into an outlet that can support the wattage of the heater. Make sure that the heaters are not on carpeted flooring and are at least 2 feet away from walls and 3 feet away from drapery or furniture.

Wood stoves and fire places can be a lovely way to heat your home. Make sure that the wood stove has been installed properly and has protective flooring underneath and protective wall covering around the stove. Make sure that fire places have been cleaned out of any ash and soot. Most importantly make sure that the flue has been cleaned out! If there is any old debris in the flue it could catch fire. If you have a propane gas fire place, I recommend having a professional come out to inspect the gas lines going to the fire place and that the flue is clear.

Fall is the time to enjoy family, friends and the fall harvest. Enjoy the beautiful scenery, the wonderful food and a warm home. Stay safe and warm!

Barbie Lambert

Manager

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Fun Events for this Weekend

Friday: October 9th

Allison Gap Community Jam

Friday nights at 6pm at the Allison Gap Community Center in Allison Gap, VA

Free

Call (276) 496-7590 for more information

Scarecrows on Main
Stroll down Main Street in Mountain City and see all of the fun and spooky scarecrows that groups have created. The “People’s Choice” voting is still going on until Friday, October 9th at 5pm, and people are encouraged to visit Mountain City Antiques to cast their ballot for their favorite scarecrow exhibit. “Scarecrows on Main” exhibits create a visual feast in the downtown area while entertaining locals and tourists alike throughout the entire month of October.

The 2015 Battle of Blountville Civil War Reenactment

Fri, October 9, 11:30am – Sun, October 11, 12:30pm at scenic Old Hawley Farm, located at 1173 Hawley Road, Blountville, TN

Step back in time with re-enactors at this award-winning event as they perform continuous living history demonstrations including infantry, mounted cavalry, artillery drills and full-scale reenactments of the Battle of Blountville! The main battles will take place at 2 PM on Saturday and Sunday, and skirmishes at other times during the day. Period Civil War music will be on hand throughout the weekend. School Days activities will take place on Friday, along with a Ladies Tea and Civil War Bonfire on Saturday. This year's event will include a special Memorial Tribute to Joe Adkins (1957-2014) at 11:30 AM. The weekend event is hosted by the Battle of Blountville Civil War Military Park and Reenactment Committee in conjunction with the Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism. For more information, please call the office at (423) 323-4660 or Bob Dotson at (423) 276-2362. For other upcoming events, please visit historicsullivan.com.

Top Gun Showdown

Oct 9-11 at Muddy Creek Raceway

It is one of the premier amateur motocross events in the country.

Saturday: October 10th

Patriot 5k

In Gate City, VA, USA

Run the standard 5K or try the Rucksack Rush Challenge and run the 5K with a 30-pound backpack! Non-runners will also enjoy coming out to participate in the 1.5 Mile Walk! When: Saturday October 10, 2015 Where: National Guard Armory, Gate City, VA (Next to Gate City H.S.) Proceeds will be donated to local National Guard Family Readiness Groups Presented By: The Boone Brigade Military Officer Association Register online at www.werunevents.com Like us on Facebook or email at boonebrigade@gmail.com Rucksacks not provided, bring your own!

National Fossil Day

10am – 3pm at the Gray Fossil Museum

Visitors are invited to meet paleontologists, dig at the site and participate in all-ages activities at the East Tennessee State University and General Shale Natural History Museum at the Gray Fossil Site for National Fossil Day. From 10 a.m. – noon, preregistered visitors are invited to dig on the Gray Fossil Site with ETSU paleontologists. This program is limited to the first 25 registrants. To reserve a spot, call 1-866-202-6223 or email grayfossilinfo@etsu.edu. Participants must be at least 7 years old. The cost is $5 plus general admission. From 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., the museum will offer a variety of activities for all ages. Visitors can learn about picking for microfossils, water screening techniques and the types of fossils found at the Gray Fossil Site. There will also be a museum-wide scavenger hunt with prizes. At 1 p.m., Dr. Blaine Schubert will give a presentation about the Saltville, Virginia, excavations where ETSU paleontologists assist with an Ice Age dig, which has yielded mastodon and giant short-faced bear fossils. Schubert is an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at ETSU and director of the Natural History Museum. At 3 p.m., visitors are invited to attend a public lecture presented by ETSU geosciences professor and museum curator, Dr. Mick Whitelaw. Whitelaw’s presentation will be about trilobites, which are ancient arthropod fossils that appeared over 500 million years ago and continued until about 240 million years ago. The talk goes along with a trilobite-themed temporary exhibit featured at the museum, “Trilobite Treasures: Arthropods of the Ancient Seas.”

Family Fall Festival

1pm – 4pm at North Kingsport Church of God, 2409 N John B Dennis Hwy

A Work of Art Reopening

3pm – 6pm

A Work of Art Gallery & Gifts in Downtown Bristol, will host a Grand Re-Opening Celebration. We have doubled the square footage in our space, painted walls, added signage, revamped carpet, created a classroom space, and gained new members! We proudly boast a membership of over three dozen local artists who collectively own and operate the gallery, and who specialize in crafts like woodwork, furniture, stained glass, photography, paintings, wine bottle art, encaustics, soaps, jewelry, dolls, wall art, postcards, notecards, pottery, and more. We invite you to join in the celebration by stopping by our renovated space from 3pm-6pm to see the changes, listen to live music, enjoy drinks and snacks, and meet some of the members of Bristol's best artist cooperative gallery, A Work of Art! A Work of Art Gallery & Gifts | 600 State Street | Historic Downtown Bristol, TN | www.aworkofartgallery.com | 423.797.0089 | info@aworkofartgallery.com

A Spot on the Hill

6:30pm – 7:30pm

A Spot on the Hill: Original Play Returns to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery this Fall. The original, research based play by Anne G’Fellers-Mason, returns to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery this October. The show premiered last fall to sold-out performances, and this season’s production will feature a number of changes, including new stories, live music, and a stationary location inside the cemetery. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to sit on. Come and listen to real stories of real lives among real tombstones. Performances for A Spot on the Hill will take place at 6:30 p.m. on October 10 and October 24. Tickets are limited, so make sure you buy yours today! Tickets are $8 and proceeds benefit the Heritage Alliance’s cemetery preservation and tombstone restoration fund. Audience members should arrive 15 minutes prior to show time. Parking is available downtown. It is a short walk up East Main Street to the cemetery. A golf cart courtesy shuttle will be available for guests who park behind the downtown Courthouse. This program is not suggested for children under 10 years of age. In case of inclement weather, performances will be moved inside to the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. To purchase tickets, visit jonesboroughtn.org or call the Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580. On the day of the event, tickets should be purchased at the

Top Gun Showdown

Oct 9-11 at Muddy Creek Raceway

It is one of the premier amateur motocross events in the country.

The 2015 Battle of Blountville Civil War Reenactment

Fri, October 9, 11:30am – Sun, October 11, 12:30pm at scenic Old Hawley Farm, located at 1173 Hawley Road, Blountville, TN

Sunday: October 11th

The 2015 Battle of Blountville Civil War Reenactment

Fri, October 9, 11:30am – Sun, October 11, 12:30pm at scenic Old Hawley Farm, located at 1173 Hawley Road, Blountville, TN

Top Gun Showdown

Oct 9-11 at Muddy Creek Raceway

It is one of the premier amateur motocross events in the country.

Scarecrows on Main

Stroll down Main Street in Mountain City and see all of the fun and spooky scarecrows that groups have created. “Scarecrows on Main” exhibits create a visual feast in the downtown area while entertaining locals and tourists alike throughout the entire month of October.