[SeMissourian.com] Fair ~ 77°F  
High: 86°F ~ Low: 69°F
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Our part in Armed Forces Day (05/18/13)
Hi neighbors. Today is Armed Forces Day. America's military is the best in the world and I see no reason to be shy about saying that. I admire all the branches of our military dressed so sharply in so many colors of various dress uniforms marching so proudly in a parade. You go gals and guys!...
Mother's Day memories (05/11/13)
Hi neighbors. This Sunday is a special day for most families in America. It is Mother's Day. Mother's Day is always a good day to celebrate our living mothers, aunts, grandmothers, mothers-in-law, and other older females in our circles of friends and family...
Flossie prepares for spring weather (05/04/13)
Hi neighbors. I went to Flossie's the other day to see her new kitten "Tinkerbelle" and to eat some of her homemade applesauce cake. (Delicious!) Tinkerbelle is a tiny calico with a loud voice and very sharp kitten claws! She had just been weaned when Flossie got her the day before and she was very needy for attention...
Citizens on watch (04/19/13)
Hi neighbors. We all have heard of the unfortunate bombing at the Boston marathon. I haven't kept up with the daily dose of what happened and who might be responsible because I find it just too depressing. But whoever it was they may have helped us wake up to the fact that there is danger everywhere...
Flossie the gardener (04/13/13)
Hi neighbors. The other day I was admiring the swamp that once was my back yard when Flossie came around the side of the house from the high and dry front yard. "Hi neighbor!" she greeted me and gingerly hopped from dry grass clump to rock and finally onto my back stoop...
Spring cleaning (04/06/13)
Hi neighbors. It is finally starting to feel like spring! I've seen crocus in bloom and the brave little dandelions are popping up all over. It was this proclivity to bloom early that inspired early immigrants to bring dandelions with them. Once in the New World they made themselves at home...
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone (03/16/13)
Uncle Pat sat on my grandmother's porch and told a tale that bears repeating. He was a diminutive man, dressed in work jeans with suspenders over a green flannel shirt and a red handkerchief around his neck. He wore a straw hat pushed back on his head...
So this is what they've been talking about (02/23/13)
Hi neighbors. What a week! I guess Mother Nature decided to dump everything on us at once. Others had snow and we did not. Others had sleet and we did not. Others had freezing rain and we did not. Then we got ALL of that in one shot! I hope all of you got through Thursday and Friday without incident. It was a good way to END winter (and I hope Mother Nature is listening.)...
Presidents Day (02/16/13)
Hi neighbors. I hope you had a good Valentine's Day. There were roses and chocolates all over the place it seems. There were even chocolate roses! The next big thing is President's Day on Monday. I don't think chocolate, roses or words of love mean much to dead presidents; but it is the thought that counts...
Saturday mail chorus (02/09/13)
Hi neighbors. You have probably already heard about no first class mail delivery on Saturdays starting some time this summer. Wow. Is the newspaper first class mail? No Saturday newspaper? Maybe there will be a Monday newspaper now instead? Maybe Saturday's newspaper won't get delivered until Monday. Some readers who live in the country have told me they get their newspapers a day late, so I suppose we will all be in the same boat soon...
Always something to celebrate (02/01/13)
Hi neighbors. Another February is upon us and with it another Groundhog Day. Groundhogs are difficult to observe, being the shy little creatures they are, so I have decided to watch for a squirrel to see his shadow. Squirrels, however, move so fast it might be hard to determine if they saw their shadow or not. ...
What are you doing for the next 20 years? (01/26/13)
Hi neighbors. Have you ever wanted to travel around the world? With all those thoughts of mountains and beaches, did the weather or the wind chill factor ever enter the visions of serenity in your head? During the past few weeks I have journeyed to the beaches of Florida, the dry hot dunes of the Sahara, the windy cold and wet Himalayan Mountains, and the muggy jungles of the Amazon. All here in Nevada, Mo.!...
Love is in the air (01/19/13)
Hi neighbors. I've heard that spring turns a young man's heart to fancy, but for my son it seems late summer was the magic moment. He came in one evening, sat on the couch and said he no longer considered himself a single man. I was flabbergasted! "What? You got married during lunch today?" I asked...
Flossie on gun control (01/12/13)
Hi neighbors. Other than the weather, the big talk in my neighborhood is on gun control. Flossie was over the other day for coffee and cake, and she had -- as usual -- her own opinions about gun control. "First and last word on gun control," Flossie took a bite of cake, munched a while and took a sip of coffee. "is NO."...
2012: time to review (01/05/13)
Hi neighbors. Did someone leave the door open? Wow! Talk about cold. If you know the expression "three dog night" we have had some 10 dog nights this week. I suppose that gave us more time to sit around and ponder the coming year; and to review the past year. While you're wrapped up in your blanket, sipping hot coffee in your easy chair, think back on the last twelve months. What do you remember most about 2012?...
Happy 2013! (12/29/12)
Our Congress is contemplating the next few months and how they are going to pay their bills. Welcome to grass roots America, elected officials. Most of them could see a resolution a lot sooner if they weren't trying to figure out which way and how far to lean to make things easier on them...
Merry Christmas! (12/21/12)
Hi neighbors. Christmas is just around the corner and I hope you have your shopping done and can sit down and have a cup of coffee before the visitors start showing up. How many of you will be headed "over the river and through the woods" to visit Grandma's house?...
Flossie writes yellow press (12/14/12)
Hi neighbors. I was in a waiting room the other day. It seems as a senior with a few medical problems I spend an inordinate amount of time in waiting rooms these days. Either waiting for lab draws, X-rays, scans, medications, or to hear results from X-rays, scans, lab draws, etc. You get the idea...
'Our Robin is Read ...' (12/08/12)
Hi neighbors. I have had the pleasure of reading Ellen Gray Massey's latest book and I am very impressed! The book, "Our Robin is Read -- Voices from the Wayside" is a collection of letters sent as a round robin between the Gray family's eight siblings, children of Chester and Pearl Gray. The letters span the time period from July 1944 through July 1970...
Just waiting for Christmas (11/30/12)
Hi neighbors. Thanksgiving is over and now we all just wait for Christmas. Some eager folks had their Christmas music CDs already in the CD player the night before Thanksgiving. They could hardly wait for Black Friday to start playing Christmas songs. Oh, joy...
Cold turkey (11/24/12)
Hi neighbors. Turkey Day is over for most of us and the fun of leftover exploration has already become old. I hope everyone got what they wanted on Black Friday. If not, don't despair. Cyber Monday is still waiting for your hard-earned bucks. For many people the weeks after Thanksgiving leading into Christmas are like the entire year speeded up for a month. As 2012 nears its close, we don't even slow down to see it pass until Dec. 31...
Flossie goes hunting (11/17/12)
Hi neighbors. Many of you might have been spending time outdoors hunting the wonderful Missouri white tailed deer this week. I know many hunters who spend the first day of deer season sitting in a tree stand waiting for the perfect buck to come hopping along...
Back to basics (11/10/12)
Hi neighbors. As usual there is as much debate after the various elections as before the votes were cast. As far as I'm concerned the die is cast, and what will be, will be. We all just need to figure out how to survive whatever future awaits us. As usual, I look for insights into contending with future problems from my ancestors who faced hard times with more grit than I feel I have...
See you at the polls! (11/03/12)
Hi neighbors. The spooks, ghosts, hobgoblins, werewolves, vampires and all other such things have been laid to rest again for another year. They have had enough chocolate, apples, oranges, popcorn balls and various types of chewing gum, and other candies to fill their ravenous little tummies for now. The streets are safe again. Well, as safe as they were pre-Oct. 31, at least...
Happy Halloween (10/27/12)
Hi neighbors. It's almost time for the monster invasion! I anticipate seeing more superheroes than monsters though. With the popularity of Spiderman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk, I bet all types of heroes with buckets in tow, will keep the streets busy this Wednesday night...
Scare time again! (10/20/12)
Hi neighbors. As Halloween approaches I reminisce about scary stories of my own past. Now these stories may not conjure up images from Hollywood movies, but they seemed pretty intimidating while living through them. As a child I was always afraid of the dark. ...
Settling in for winter (10/13/12)
Hi neighbors. There has been some frost on the pumpkins this week. I found myself forced to turn on the furnace. How I long for the smell of burning wood! Either as a fireplace or even a wood or pellet burning stove. I just hate the thought of being dependent upon one heat source with another winter coming on so quickly...
Flossie debates Columbus Day (10/06/12)
Hi neighbors. This Monday we can celebrate (and government employees stay home from work) Columbus Day. I'm not certain why we have a Monday holiday to celebrate Columbus Day. The usual reply is due to Christopher Columbus discovering America. Of course it wasn't America when he discovered it. I asked Flossie's opinion...
Cooking up the harvest (09/29/12)
Hi neighbors. Most people today take having food for granted. If you run out of food in your cupboard, there is always a variety of food at the local store. If you can't wait to go shopping, buying and bringing it home to cook; you can go to a local drive-through and be eating a hot meal within 10 minutes...
Opening day of autumn! (09/22/12)
Hi neighbors. Happy Autumn! It is official. Put away the patio furniture. Take in the plants on the porch or deck. There will be frost on the pumpkins any night now. September is almost over, and the next big thing is Halloween! Of course nowadays we call the entire season "Harvest Festival" or some such made-up-to-sell-stuff name...
Who are you? (09/15/12)
Hi neighbors. This time of year brings on a nostalgic retrospective for many people. How was the summer? Where has this year gone already? Is winter really creeping up on us so quickly? Often, yearly cycles are seen as small representations of past wide cycles of our lives. Many people refer to the spring of their lives, the summer and fall and then winter of their lives...
A family funeral (09/08/12)
Hi neighbors. Last week I attended my aunt's funeral in Stockton. She was the baby of her family -- only 78 years old. She would have been 79 during the week she died, but she missed it by two days. That is odd. My experience with people dying shows a tendency to die just past one's birthday. It is as if that milestone needs to be crossed just once more to complete their journey. Still, and obviously, people die when they die and their birthday anniversary most likely has little to do with it...
How to get the job done (09/01/12)
Hi neighbors. It's another hot day in the neighborhood and like the weather the race for various offices is heating up. Have you ever considered running for any office? I cannot imagine why anyone would want to go through all the rigmarole just to get a job...
Thyroid cancer walk-through (08/18/12)
Hi neighbors. Since the statistics state that thyroid cancer is quickly becoming the most prevalent cancer in America, I thought I'd share my experiences with it. Some of my readers will no doubt develop thyroid cancer themselves in the next few years and I know some of my readers have already been there and done that...
Back into the swing of things (08/11/12)
Hi neighbors. Only a couple more weeks and the writers' group I belong to should get back into full swing. We've all taken the summer off and by the last week of August we should all be ready to jump back into our weekly meetings. The time and place will be announced next week...
Ah, that healthy glow (08/04/12)
Hi neighbors. Do you remember "duck and cover"? Here is a quick history lesson for those born after the Baby Boomers. In the 1950s the world was living in fear of a nuclear catastrophe that would kill off all life on the planet. That is ALL life. No people, no plants, no animals, no water, no food, no nothing...
Who I'll vote for (07/28/12)
Hi neighbors. If you ever watch any politicians holding what they like to call a debate, you will notice that they all sound pretty good in that forum. Someone has figured out a way to say little or nothing of any significance and sound and look good doing it. A perfect politician's stage!...
Some things can change (07/21/12)
Hi neighbors. The heat continues. However I did hear it on the roof and ran out to see falling rain early Thursday morning. I quickly put the dog out so he could see this rare atmospheric event. I was afraid he had forgotten what rain was. He enjoyed it -- running around trying to catch the drops on his tongue and rolling in the damp grass...
How lucky are you? (07/14/12)
Hi neighbors. Another Friday the 13th has come and gone. I hope you all survived the ominous day with no problems. Paraskevidekatriaphobics is the word invented by Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias, to describe people with a morbid fear of Friday the 13th. According to some studies, as many as 21 million Americans have stated they feel their luck may be bad on Friday the 13th. Who would have thought?...
How hot is it? (07/07/12)
Hi neighbors. The Fourth of July has passed us by, and now instead of hot and noisy, it is just hot. Hot. That's a pretty small word to describe this week's inescapable heat. Here are a few phrases that come to mind: Incendiary atmosphere, skin scorching sunshine, and blinding, eyelid blistering hot winds...
What does July 4 mean to you? (06/30/12)
Hi neighbors. This next week we will celebrate our nation's birth and our own identification with "what is American." Most of us have celebrated the Fourth of July all of our lives with fireworks, family gatherings, big feasts and patriotic themed events...
Men at work (06/23/12)
Hi neighbors. I was driving to Joplin with my friend Flossie. As always we came across the highway nemesis "roadwork" at least four times between point A and point B. After the first two areas of four to 10 miles each of two way traffic I noticed something missing...
Happy Father's Day (06/15/12)
Hi neighbors. This Sunday is Father's Day and I hope you have your fathers still alive, well and nearby so you can show them firsthand how much you love them. For those whose fathers cannot be with them because they are far away, incapacitated or deceased; there are still ways to share the spirit of Father's Day with them...
Bushwhacker Days! (06/09/12)
Hi neighbors. Here we are again celebrating Bushwhacker Days in Nevada. So why do we do this? The same reason most small towns celebrate Founders Day or Groundhog Day or any other historic event relevant to that particular community. It is to recognize a shared history and shared goals...
Hair (06/02/12)
Hi neighbors. The gentle breezes of spring and summer bring to mind how much we all enjoy feeling the wind blow through our hair. And how hard some people work to keep that from happening! All people have a relationship with their hair. Almost all of these relationships are based on control. We want our hair to do a certain thing and our hair does as it pleases...
Memorial Day weekend (05/26/12)
Hi neighbors. It is difficult to believe another Memorial Day weekend is here. Most of us will gather flower arrangements and flags and head for the areas where our loved ones are resting. Many will gather with other family members or friends to have a meal, go to the lake, participate in, or sit and watch, a family ball game, or enjoy an afternoon ice cream social...
May Day your way (04/30/10)
Hi neighbors. It's time to celebrate May Day! Did you leave a garland or basket of flowers on your neighbor's door knobs? Maybe you just went to the woods, cut down the tallest tree you could find, tied some streamers on it and invited all your friends over to dance in circles around it till the ribbons were all tied up...
Some good news! (04/24/10)
Hi neighbors. There is good news this month for the living and the dead here in Vernon County. The "2010 Vernon County, Missouri Cemetery Directory" is finally available! Nancy Thompson, Neoma Foreman and at least 30 volunteers from the Tri-County Genealogical Society contributed thousands of hours over the past six years to get this tome completed. The work is published by the Vernon county Historical Society...
Slow down -- wave (04/17/10)
Hi neighbors. One night this week there was a show on TV about nostalgia of the 1970s. One thing mentioned was the television show "Mr. Rogers." How many of us still say, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" and think of that pleasant man? Although the more rambunctious youths of the day would belittle him, mothers and younger children enjoyed watching his calm mannered and non-abrasive discussions...
Let's go on a grand quest! (04/10/10)
Hi neighbors. My son likes to play video games. Actually he is a master of most of them and is busy designing his own. Because he is so skilled, watching him play is more like watching an animated movie than a game. He goes through so quickly that the story line is easy to follow; most of the time at least...
Made where? (03/13/10)
Hi neighbors. Have you noticed changes in some of the larger stores around? If something isn't a big seller, they stop carrying it. Of course, that "something" is always the one thing you really want often enough that you miss it when it is no longer available...
Before I forget... (03/06/10)
Hi neighbors. Didn't I tell you we would have nice weather again sooner or later? Let's hope there's more where this came from. One of my favorite things to collect is trivia. Few people know more about less than I do. When I hear some fact that is more or less pretty useless, I remember it...
I have an opinion too! (02/20/10)
Hi neighbors. Although I find the news depressing most of the time and take days off when I don't watch national political news, once in a while my Yahoo page will have a headline I can't ignore. The Supreme Court has come up with a ruling that says the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections...
Waiting on changes (02/13/10)
Hi neighbors. Do you spend a lot of time waiting? I hear about people waiting for all sorts of things all the time. We are all waiting for spring. At least we are waiting for the sun to shine, waiting for the temperatures to heat up, waiting for the snow to melt (or at least stop falling) waiting, waiting, waiting...
Weather -- take a guess (02/06/10)
Hi neighbors. You probably already know Phil the groundhog saw his shadow. That is supposed to mean six more weeks of bad weather. On the other tip of the country General Beauregard Lee of Georgia did not see his shadow, so I guess that part of the country is going to have more spring like weather early...
Katie comes home! (01/09/10)
Hi neighbors. Do you remember the 1930's show "Lassie Come Home" with Roddy McDowell as a little boy whose dog has to overcome all types of obstacles to make it back home after getting lost? The show has been remade several times, including another version called "The Incredible Journey" that was itself redone twice...
Welcome 2010! (01/02/10)
Hi neighbors. A new year is here! Did you watch the lighted ball drop in New York City's Times Square? I like watching the people trying to figure out a way to stay warm while they stand around for several hours in the open air waiting for the big moment...
The long cold week (12/26/09)
Hi neighbors. It is the day after Christmas! Are you already getting up early in the morning to sneak the batteries out of all those noisy children's toys? Are you hoping the monsters, mutants or aliens will go ahead and take over the planet if that is what it will take to end the video game?...
Merry Christmas! (12/19/09)
Hi neighbors. Christmas shopping jitters aside, it's been a pretty decent week. It seems every person has only one thought in mind -- getting ready for the Christmas holiday. Have you noticed all the Christmas-based shows on television? Every year or so some one comes out with a new Christmas show for television or the theaters. Most holiday shows that appear in the theaters will eventually make their way to the small screen at Christmas time...
Making snow ice cream long distance (12/12/09)
Hi neighbors. Christmas is getting closer with each day. If you have small children at home they are probably "x"ing out each day as it passes. I don't know if we will have a white Christmas or not, but I think my grandchild will still be "enjoying" the snow they got this week, long after Christmas!...
Early shopping (12/05/09)
Hi neighbors. We all made it through Thanksgiving and hopefully all that turkey is long gone. I was glad that this year most of the stores waited till Thanksgiving week at least to start playing Christmas music and putting up trees. Are you a "Black Friday" shopper? You know, the day after Thanksgiving when stores traditionally mark down prices on lots of their inventory...
What is Alzheimer's disease? (11/14/09)
Although we hear about Alzheimer's disease almost daily, it is still a mystery to most of us. What is it? How do you get it? Can you get over it? Here, from the Alzheimer's Association Web site, www.alz.org, is a good overview: Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Scientists have learned a great deal about Alzheimer's disease in the century since Dr. Alzheimer first drew attention to it...
Ten warning signs of Alzheimer's disease (11/07/09)
Hi neighbors. November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month. Alzheimer's is a disease unlike any other. People who care for a parent or other loved one with Alzheimer's are unlike any other caregivers as well...
Times of our lives (10/17/09)
Hi neighbors. As we watch this season of changes we should all take a little time out of our busy lives to reflect on not only the beautiful foliage, but the lessons offered from their beauty. Looking back on my life I can see a long procession of seasons and the changes that came with them. But the seasons are short compared to our lives...
Pass it on! (10/03/09)
Hi neighbors. There is some good news if you are a history buff or genealogist. The two-volume set "Nevada & Vernon County Heritage 1855-2005 Pass It On!" family history book has been marked down to $75 for the set. The original price was $100 a set; but with several books left to sell, the Vernon County Historical Society wants to get them out to the reading public. ...
Do you just need more dirt? (09/26/09)
Hi neighbors. My mother often told me that plants are only as good as the dirt they are growing in. If they aren't thriving, they may just need more dirt. I think her advice was sound; about plants or people. Recently I repotted my Christmas cactus that was again root-bound in the large pot I repotted it into last year when it faced the same "space deficit" resulting in the same root-bound condition...
Behave yourself! (09/19/09)
Hi neighbors. The main thing on my mind this week is blatant disregard for social decorum. In other words, let us talk about rude, crude and belligerent celebrities. The first one that comes to mind this week is Kanye West. Although I didn't watch the MTV Music Video Awards show, I have seen the replay of his actions many more times than he deserves the publicity over...
Sit a spell (09/12/09)
Hi neighbors. Have a cup of coffee and deliberate on whether you should turn on the heater or the air conditioner today. If you are like me you may end up doing both. It is good porch sitting weather though and I hope you are getting an opportunity now and then to just "sit a spell" on the porch, stoop, steps or whatever you have to sit on...
Summer's last hurrah! (09/05/09)
Hi neighbors. Another Labor Day is upon us! Where did the summer go? If the last week means anything, we might as well start packing up all of our "summer stuff" early. It looks like another year where summer will simply "fall" into winter with no autumn to speak of...
Nancy Malcom
The Third Cup