Mary Harley is in her second year of employment at the Tattnall Elections Office in Reidsville and likes that her job keeps her busy, which has definitely been the case with the recent November 5, 2024, General Election. She lives in Reidsville.

"I really have a variety of jobs, such as digitizing registration records and other administrative requirements mandated by the State. Pretty much, 'other duties as assigned' covers what I do. My job seems to be and individual/team sport," said Mary, who likes the work ethics and camaraderie of her fellow employees.

"My objectives center around setting up the precincts and getting all the materials and equipment where they belong on election day. I am aware of what I need to do and have the autonomy to accomplish those objectives," she said.

Mary is retired from 22 years in the Air Force, retiring in 2008, and moving to Tattnall the previous year. She has a few distant cousins here, but just liked the area and the rural setting for her two sons.

While in the military, she was stationed all over the U.S. and the world, such as California, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Mississippi, and Nevada stateside; and Japan, United Kingdom, and Korea. Mary mainly worked in personnel and recruiting while in the Air Force.

"When I was expecting my twin sons, I retired from the Air Force, since I knew my deployments would be too hard on them," she said.

The boys are twins, 17 years old and juniors, enrolled online in the Georgia Connections Academy. They are both computer geeks, says Mary. Aaron builds and sells computers online, and Andrew is into gaming and game design. After earning their high school diploma, Aaron would like to attend the Air Force Academy, and Andrew prefers to stay local.

However, after exiting the military, Mary worked for 11 years at Plant Hatch as an administrative assistant in various departments. The company allows early retirement after ten years, and she was tired of working nonstop.

"About a year later, when Barbie from the Elections Office called me, I was ready to be actively working again," said Mary, who will be 55 in December.

She likes her solitude and indulges in puzzles (up to 2000 pieces), Legos,  reading, and watching movies. She also likes to travel, and with the twins enrolled online, they can just take their laptops with them when they choose to travel. On her bucket list is to drive from the state of Washington through a part of Alaska, although she knows that will have to be an early spring venture.

Just last year, she and her sons spent a month visiting Tennessee, Texas, and Louisiana.

Mary also believes in "giving back," and this includes one of her favorite groups, the local Tattnall 4-H Club. She encourages citizens to donate monetarily or to volunteer their time to this admirable organization that builds character, responsibility, respect, and skills and training in their various project areas of competition.

Mary Harley’s Recipes

CINNAMON PULL-APART BREAD

Bread:

• 1 (17.3-oz.) pkg. puff     pastry, thawed
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 4 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• ¼ cup finely chopped     pecans
• cooking spray

Glaze:

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. milk

For the Bread

Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Unfold one puff pastry sheet and roll into a 12x10-inch rectangle.  Brush the pastry sheet with half of the melted butter, and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Top with half of the chopped pecans.  Lightly press the toppings into the pastry sheet.  Cut the puff pastry into 4 (10x3-inch) strips.  Stack the strips on top of each other, making it a one-layer stack.  Cut the stack crosswise to form 4 stacked squares.  Place the stacked squares on their sides in the loaf pan.

Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.  Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack for an hour.

For the Glaze

Stir together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk.  If the glaze is too thick, add more milk or syrup.  Place the bread on a serving plate and drizzle the glaze over the top of the bread.

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI

• 1 lb. orecchiette (pasta)
• 5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 lb. broccoli florets
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the orecchiette, and cook according to package instructions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium, and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more.  Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release the flavorful brown bits, until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in the butter until melted, and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce. Drain the pasta well and place back in the pasta pot.  Add the sausage and broccoli mixture, along with half of the cheese, and toss to blend.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls, and pass the remaining grated cheese at the table.