Nevada Daily Mail: Columns: Carolyn Gray Thornton

Don't forget to write! (03/04/10)
Many of our western stories laud the bravery of our ancestors who went west to seek their fortune or to establish their new homes. Those of us who enjoy living in Vernon County are possibly descendants of a person, or a couple, who left their families and security "back east" to find new land. I am grateful to them for settling here eventually and have no desire to push further west...

Visits to the past (02/25/10)
I was recovering from a bad cold for several days last week. I didn't have too many responsibilities and the weather wasn't inviting to be outside, so I decided to really take good care of myself and stay inside and rest. I was disappointed that I didn't have any good books to read as I had neglected to pick up some from the library, so I turned to the TV for entertainment...

Memories of Bob Warren (02/18/10)
A recent notice from the Star-Telegram announced that Robert Carroll "Bob" Warren had died on Thursday, Feb. 4. Many people from Nevada will remember Bob as the son of the late Huell Warren Sr., a former minister of the Nevada Christian Church, the brother of the late Huell Warren Jr. ...

What do you do when you drive alone? (02/11/10)
The recent laws against using cell phones while driving your car are getting a lot of publicity. The laws vary in different localities, but generally they state that while you are driving you should not be doing anything but driving. Some places even prohibit the use of cell phones that are mounted and don't require the use of either of your hands. The idea is that if you are talking to someone on the phone you are not putting all your concentration on driving the car...

I'm on a national register for geese (02/04/10)
I know it is no surprise for those of you who know me, to find out that I am on a goose register. But I'll bet even you didn't think I would go national For some reason, in this cold season, our farm pond or lawn side lake (the same place, it depends on who I am trying to impress what I call it!) has become a haven for many geese. ...

Generational opinions change (01/28/10)
When I was a student at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., war was declared. (Not the Civil War, but World War II). Student life changed quickly. All extra curricular activities were held immediately after school since no lights could show after dark. The football games began shortly before the 3:00 p.m. school day ended and the last quarter was played in dimming light...

Hold it! (01/14/10)
There is a song with words saying something about knowing when to hold and when to fold. I'm not a poker player so I probably wouldn't know which to do if I played a game. But I have certainly been told many times lately to "please hold." These telephone moments when we are waiting for action are bad enough if we are just sitting there quietly by ourselves. ...

We are past the poetry side of snow (01/07/10)
There are many beautiful poems written about the beauty of snow. As a child I always loved to read John Greenleaf Whittier's "Snowbound." It sounded so exciting to be shut in by the snow and having to huddle around a fire. Then there is an earlier poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley whose words are, "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" We just finished the season where we sing about "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let It Snow" and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas." I think I have had enough of that for awhile -- maybe a year from now I will appreciate it again, but right now I don't burst into song or wax poetically when I look outside at our plentiful snow.. ...

Good friends and neighbors are a blessing (12/31/09)
As the year 2009 ends I am constantly reminded of the blessings we have from our friends and neighbors. I could write a year's worth of columns about the kind acts of our friends, but I will concentrate on several recent events. On a recent Saturday morning we discovered that one tire on our car was low. ...

Memories that leaked out (12/24/09)
The week before Christmas when you are getting ready for family coming in is not the best time to discover a leaking pipe. It is especially bad to discover one that has been leaking for several days before it was discovered. To make matters worse, the leak was in tubing running to the icemaker in the refrigerator, but the tubing ran through the extra closet in our great-granddaughter's room...

Friends and dinosaurs (12/10/09)
Friends are important at each stage of our life. As children we have a "best friend," which may change daily. As teenagers we usually have an "in-group" of friends we can count on. Again, that group can change with circumstances, and love affairs that complicate the grouping. But as we enter the middle age plus years, friendships become stable and especially important to us. As we lose our parents and some of our siblings, we find that having a wide group of friends is more essential than ever...

Family ties (10/07/09)
I imagine that quite a few of you went through a time in your life when you were constantly being compared to a sibling. Often the comparisons were not in your favor, or you thought they were not. Since I was the youngest of eight children I was well aware that each of the seven others around our table were far superior to me. I couldn't run as fast, read as well, do chores as quickly or as good, or tell as funny jokes as every one of the others could...

Maps To Where We Are Going (10/01/09)
I am in the car quite a bit lately, but I am usually going to familiar places. When I load the car I don't even think about needing a map. I could draw one myself for most of my trips. When I am going to someplace unusual I am often traveling with a family member who has the responsibility to chart the course...

Exterminating problems (09/24/09)
The weather has been damp and cool for this time of year. That is good news in some respects, but it does make pesky insects thrive. Have you noticed the early morning display of hundreds of single spider webs dotting the grass in the lawn? At first glance it looks like the lawn has blossomed overnight. As we investigate we can usually find one small spider in each sparkling web...

Stocking up on Memories (09/17/09)
I just turned off a news program on the television. I usually want to hear what is going on in the world and what is being done about it. I also usually like to hear the words of our leaders, to either applaud or be concerned. But today, I just turned it all off. I will read about any news later. I will probably hear it rehashed several times again today, but right now I don't want to listen anymore...

Fame Doesn't Always Jump Generations (09/10/09)
Did you watch the Jerry Lewis Telethon on Labor Day? We get many requests to help out financially for dozens of good causes. But somehow the Jerry Lewis Telethon has always been something we were interested in. I remember the first Labor Day holiday after Lester was appointed to the Savannah United Methodist Church up north of St. ...

Precautions against glu (09/03/09)
Swine flu has been on everyone's mind this year and that has led to plans made before the beginning of school this year to include preventive measures against the flu. I was not alive yet when the great flu epidemic hit during World War I. I know it's hard for some of you to believe that I am not quite that old, but I heard about it from my older siblings. ...

Faceing Facebook (08/20/09)
I have recently had many new friends. Well, they are not new friends really. They are people that I have known before, but now I am classified as their friend. Many of my long time readers are probably as confused about what I am saying as I was about a month ago when I got the notice on my e-mail that Susan Thornton wanted me as a friend. ...

Huston revisited (08/06/09)
My son, Mark, reads my columns on the Internet each week. He also read the column by Chuck Nash where he referred to my article about Nevada being the birthplace of the actor/director John Huston. Since Nevada is also Mark's birthplace, he was surprised to know that he shared that distinction with the famous director of such movies as "The African Queen." He wondered why he had never heard about this before...

Leftovers can cause problems (07/30/09)
Those of us who were raised in what some call the good old days (now that they are looking BACK on them) find it hard to throw anything away. This is especially true for the cooks. A small helping left in the casserole dish could be someone's lunch someday...

What we have here is a lack of communication (07/23/09)
Remember the line from the Paul Newman movie where the cruel gang boss said that the problem was a lack of communication? Of course the problem was not the communication. The problem was the people involved. Last week our family stepped into a quagmire of communication problems over a cell phone. ...

What is your question? (07/16/09)
The Internet can give the answers to many questions. When I let Google come up on my screen I can type in a few words and get thousands of places to get my answers. Sometimes I can narrow down the query to get fewer responses, hoping that the one I want is somewhere in there. In the process, information I wasn't seeking will appear and catch my interest. Often I will forget what my original purpose was and become immersed in some new idea...

I had a good title for this, but I forgot it (06/25/09)
Do you ever forget something so simple that it makes you afraid that your time has come? Yesterday I was making an appointment to have my car inspected. The man at the service desk asked for the type of car. For the life of me I couldn't remember to say that it is a Malibu. ...

Giving thanks (06/18/09)
I'm writing this column on a day when we had 3.6 inches of rain during the night. The lightning and thunder woke me several times and even though I reset my clock in the middle of the night it soon started blinking again because of a temporary power shortage. Our lawn looked like a lake when I first woke up, but it has now changed into a rice paddy...

Memories about World War II (06/11/09)
With the recent observances of the anniversary of D-Day, the patriotic musical program at the Fox Theater last week, and unfortunately reading the obituaries of recent deaths of some of our World War II veterans, I have been flooded with thoughts about that time in history...

April showers came in May (05/21/09)
0Several friends were standing at the door of the church on Sunday discussing the rain that came abundantly many days in a row. One commented that her mother-in-law had the saying that if it rains on Easter Sunday it will rain the next seven Sundays also. ...

I'll swear it's the truth (05/14/09)
I recently overheard a conversation between some men who were taking a rest from a construction job. I was pleased to hear how important their faith was. The longer I listened the more I could see that God was a very important part of their lives. One young man, in particular, was very fond of telling the others about his own personal relationship with God. ...

It's a secret (05/07/09)
Privacy! That seems to be the operative word these days. We can't tell you what is wrong with someone or we would invade his privacy. Churches send out prayer lists but we don't know what we are praying for. Is she seriously ill, or is she facing making an important decision?...

Is there a doctor in the house? (04/23/09)
Have you ever sat in a doctor's office for a long time past your appointment time? Or have you repeatedly called your doctor for some information about a test and either couldn't reach him/her or couldn't get the information because the nurse couldn't catch the doctor long enough to get the information? I think we have all had both experiences often. But I recently found out "the rest of the story."...

"De gustibus non disputandum est" (04/16/09)
I took three years of Latin in junior and senior high school. Mrs. Gerber said I was a good student but not as good as my sister, Ellen, had been. That didn't bother me because I was used to that comparison. I liked Latin but preferred French, which I studied later. ...

Were you an April Fool? (04/02/09)
April Fools' Day was yesterday and I was away from home so I couldn't catch some family members in a joke, but I had fun remembering all the jokes that have been played on me, or by me, in the past. One of my favorite pranks was one I only heard about. ...

When the clock is striking nine (03/26/09)
I grew up hearing the phrase, "When the clock is striking nine, have your washing on the line!" I think the only time I ever achieved that goal was when I was in Columbia, finishing my college degree while Lester was still in the army. We had gotten married, but I had one more summer session to finish before I could go with him to Fort Riley, Kan...

Budget blues (03/19/09)
Everywhere we turn, people are fretting or grieving over their budgets. Most of us have either heard about the Great Depression or lived through it. We can't easily put our minds back to that mentality where we have to squeeze every nickel until the buffalo complains. ...

Middle age plus (03/12/09)
My title of Middle Age Plus was contrived to show that I am not old, but I am past middle age. It was also designed to point out all the pluses of being this age. I realized that I had neglected that aspect of my column in recent weeks. Sometimes we feel we may have overused a theme and so we get away from it for a while. The danger is that we may stray so far away from the original theme that there is no connection between the title and the contents of the column...

March! (03/05/09)
The word "march" brings an image to our minds of soldiers going forward either on a parade ground or in battle. It also reminds some of us of a command from a parent when we dawdled in obeying a direction. The stern, "March!" meant that the time to negotiate had passed and the only option was to do what was requested. In other words, you marched...

I want to hold your hand (02/26/09)
In our culture a handshake has long been recognized as a sign of trust, of friendship, and occasionally of firming a deal. Two friends meet and immediately one or both will offer a hand for the other to shake. Some societies have their secret handshakes that show the two share a special bond. A left-handed shake has special meaning...

Letters Mean a Lot (02/18/09)
I have always looked forward to getting the mail. I used to receive several personal letters most days when my family wrote letters instead of using e-mail. I enjoy getting the e-mails also, but it does limit my daily mail to bills and advertisements. Oh yes, and the appeals for money from charitable causes come quite often too...

Friends for over 50 years (02/12/09)
When Lester and I came to Vernon County in 1956 for Lester to be one of the Extension agents, I was happy to be back with friends I had known most of my life. But just down the road was the young mother of three children about the age of our two, who I had not known before. Lula Pratt married Gene Welborn after they met at college and they came back to his home county to establish their home...

A winter cat tale (02/05/09)
We have had a house cat named Pumpkin for a little over a year. Our great-granddaughter, Marilyn, found him as a tiny kitten in a shed behind our house. He was cold, hungry and scared. That was probably the luckiest day of his life because since then he has been running our household very ably with only a personal maid and various other attentive humans...

In the blink of an eye (01/31/09)
Hi neighbors. A week ago Thursday my son and I had traveled to Fort Scott to pick up a meal at Wendy's restaurant. On the way home an oncoming car flipped its headlights at us in warning, but we didn't have time to figure out what the warning was about...

What's in a name? (01/22/09)
I have been going through a tough time lately. I have not been able to remember the name of a person I consider a friend. She is someone I worked closely with for several years. We knew each other's families. We still keep in touch from time to time. ...

Celebrity contacts (01/15/09)
Not many of us feel that we have achieved celebrity status. But something within us likes to acknowledge any close encounters with a famous person. For years our family has enjoyed the realization that Lester and Ken Curtis (Festus on the Gunsmoke series) are second cousins. ...

Grab bars and slippery slopes (01/08/09)
˘Several years ago I noticed my sister had some grab bars installed on two walls by her bathtub. I asked if she had had some troubles I didn't know about but she assured me that she was fine. She was having some work done on the house and decided it might be a good idea to have some safety preventions put in. I thought it was probably a good idea especially when she told me how handy they were to hang wash clothes on while she was in the tub...

It's the thought that matters (12/23/08)
By now I am sure that everyone has bought and wrapped every present for every person on the list. No? Have you forgotten someone? Will the girls know that the gift I gave to Sally cost more than the gift I have wrapped for Barbara? (I substituted names to protect the innocent.)...

Gonna sit right down and write my Christmas letter (12/18/08)
I just tried to write our annual Christmas letter. I know that people who are supposedly humorous writers should be able to get all the news of the year on one page in such a manner that people would actually want to read it. I have been inspired by many of the letters we have already received. They had pizzazz but still gave information that is needed to keep friends and family up to date...

Unsung heroes of Christmas pageants (12/11/08)
Every reader who has ever worn a bath robe to march down the church aisle singing "We Three Kings", or who has been the harried director of such a production, will get lots of laughs and fond memories watching the current CCPA production at the Fox Theater. The story is classic. Every volunteer director has had to deal with children like the Herdmans, and many a father has been reluctant to attend one more Christmas pageant...

Cats bring many things to a family (12/04/08)
We were doing some house cleaning recently in our family home where my late sister, Miriam, lived during her retirement years. We found a needlepoint picture with a cartoon cat looking smugly comfortable below the words, "Some people own cats and go on to lead normal lives."...

When it's ok to change positions (11/26/08)
There are times in the lives of middle age plus people when it is good to let the child become the parent. Times when the ability, strength or knowledge of the mature offspring is gratefully accepted by the even more mature parent. I had such a time last weekend...

My brother, Harold (11/13/08)
Not many people have had the privilege of living 83 years with an exceptional big brother. Although we were separated in age by 17 years, the feelings of pride and security were very strong. When the family gathered last year to celebrate his 100th birthday with three days of gatherings, honors for Harold, and fun for us all, I thought that I would not return to Washington, D.C. ...

It's Hard To Be The New Kid on the Block (11/06/08)
November is finally here. Usually I don't look forward to November because it seems to signal the end of the beautiful fall weather and the beginning of winter. In fact I have been know to chant, "No, No, No, November this year." But this year I was glad to see it come. ...

I've Got Your Number (10/30/08)
We just got our new telephone books. It always used to be such a pleasure to get the new ones each year so that we could get information on new arrivals, new businesses and numbers for those people who had moved during the year. The present books are fine, but many of our friends are no longer listed there. ...

This is the season for giving (10/23/08)
Now you think you have me pegged for sure. You think you know that the old girl has finally fallen off her rocker. Everyone knows that October is not the season for giving. That comes later, in December. October is the season for relaxing in the sun and watching the leaves change colors. The giving can come later...

Sister-in laws are wise (10/16/08)
Family gatherings for special occasions allow time for private conversations between individual family members. One of my sisters-in-law on Lester's side of the family has always been a very special person to me. When I visited the family in Taney County before we were married, and before Taney County became a resort area, Doris helped me through some embarrassing moments. We formed a bond that has remained for 63 years, even though we don't see each other as often as we should...

Keeping my mind sharp (10/09/08)
All of the health magazines I read while sitting in doctor's offices stress that when you are getting to be middle age plus you should exercise your mind as well as your body. I have had several opportunities lately to read these articles because of a non-threatening, but persistent problem my husband has finally overcome. ...

I Approve of This Message (10/02/08)
Working as an election judge has been our privilege for many years since we retired to Vernon County. I have met many dedicated and efficient workers during this time. The first time I helped out was when our neighbor, Dorothy Tyer, was the County Clerk. ...

What Time Is It? (09/19/08)
How do you know when you are the right age for a certain activity? When we are children we can look forward to the time when we will be old enough, tall enough or strong enough to do certain wonderful things such as ride a bicycle, hang by our knees, reach the cabinet top or cross the street by ourselves. ...

OUR COLORFUL AND CONFUSING LANGUAGE (09/11/08)
I have been embarrassed several times lately because of errors in some of my articles. For example, I put the Thornton Autobank on the wrong corner of Austin and Lynn. I also started the word psychiatrist to identify our friend, Candice Moore, and my fingers ended up typing psychologist. ...

This is not a Complaint (09/04/08)
Did you ever stick your foot in your mouth by complaining to someone about something and then later found out that it wasn't anything that the other person did, or neglected to do? I'll have to admit that I have been guilty of that too often. Usually my errors had to do with one of the children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren. ...

NRMC FRIENDLY AND CONVENIENT (08/28/08)
In case some of my readers have not noticed, I am very proud of Nevada. I often write about, brag about, and make occasions to talk about all the good things that I see in our hometown. I also feel the same way about our whole county especially the part around Ellis! You've read about my being identified by Elderhostel attendees as being from the town where Cottey College is located. All the PEO members nationwide know about Cottey and are proud of it...

Expiration Dates (08/14/08)
I was cleaning out my refrigerator today and noticed, to my horror, that I had, way in the back of the top shelf, a small carton of sour cream with the expiration date of 12-22-07. I have always wondered how can you tell with sour cream. Can it get too sour, or if there isn't green mold growing on top of it, is it OK to eat it? But that date was staring me in the face. Let's see, that is only not quite nine months past the date it was promised to be good...

Beauty Parlor Etiquette (08/07/08)
Anyone who knows me can see that I haven't spent very much time in beauty parlors. When my hair gets long people start asking me if I feel OK. When I get it cut I must begin to look healthier because I stop getting those questions. However these visits to a salon aren't frequent enough for me to really know the do's and don't of beauty shop protocol...

Reader Appreciation Thoughts (07/31/08)
There is nothing that a columnist likes more than to get feedback from a certain article or column. It is great when someone gives a general statement such as, "I really enjoy reading your work in the newspaper." But it is even better when someone responds to a specific piece of work. That way we can know it was actually read...

What a difference a letter makes! (07/24/08)
The article I wrote for last week's paper didn't have too many errors in it that I could find. But I had it ready to send to the editor when I noticed one slight error that could have made a big difference. Instead of inviting the public to come to the Meet Me in Missouri presentation and sing along with the cast, I suggested they might want to come sin along. Thankfully I caught the error in time...

The more we get together (07/17/08)
When I was a child we had long trips from our farm here in Vernon County to Washington, D.C., each year as we returned at the end of the school year before going back in September. Our large family all went in one car, with the luggage covered with a tarp, fastened on the passenger side of the car with a little folding gate...

I Never Make Mistakes (07/10/08)
Last Thursday was a very unsettling day for me. I had just been hostess to the Ellis Domestic Science Club the day before and was tired from all the housecleaning and planning I had done to make our meeting enjoyable and to hide all the corners I might not have gotten completely clean before my friends arrived. ...

Things you don't see much anymore (06/26/08)
Recently some friends have sent me e-mails listing things we don't hear much anymore. Among those things were: "shut the door, you're letting the flies in," and "take these bottles back to the store to get the refund." These sayings brought another list of things to my mind -- things you don't see much anymore...

It's hard to say goodbye (06/05/08)
We all occasionally are in groups where we are with the same people for several days and then each departs to go to individual homes, usually far apart. During our time together we have many conversations to get acquainted, and usually feel quite close to the others in the group...

Are you lonely? (05/29/08)
Trout Lodge at the YMCA of the Ozarks is a large resort-type building which can house up to 316 people in private bedrooms or two level suites. It also has a large dining room and kitchen on the floor with the offices and entrance lobby. On the second floor there are four large meeting rooms that overlook the lake as well as a nice lobby. ...

I hope that pictures do lie (05/22/08)
I recently got my driver's license renewed. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. I had heard horror stories about having to bring your birth certificate, passport etc. to prove that you are a citizen of the United States. I have never had a passport, and I wasn't real sure where my birth certificate is. ...

Family arguments (05/15/08)
We have a rather happy family, at most times. We enjoy each other's company, usually. We share the same basic values, most often. We can agree to disagree at times, in most cases. But in this unsettling season there is a disagreement on a basic issue that could lead to real trouble for our family life. Each side of this dispute turns to research and experience to prove his point...

That's the way I remembered it (05/08/08)
Our memories are tricky things. Some remain in our minds, crystal clear for decades. Others get lost in some corner of our recollections and need a hefty boost before we can even get started on our thoughts. I have some instant memories that flash into my mind immediately when a certain word is said, or when another memory stimulus such as odor, sound, or taste occurs...

Thank goodness it's Monday! (05/01/08)
Weekends are looked forward to by most persons as a time to relax or do something entertaining. Another value of weekends is a chance to catch up on work you didn't get done during the week. Family visits also often happen over the weekend. I'm not sure what category I fit into. The last two weekends have been a mixture of work, pleasure, visiting, excitement and stress. I know each time I was glad to see Monday come with its routine...

Getting To Know You (04/17/08)
In the musical "Anna and the King of Siam" there is a cute song entitled, "Getting to Know You." The song mentions wanting to know what each other like and dislike and shows that the people need to talk to really get acquainted. I like the song and I like the ideas in it...

Nighttime Thoughts (04/10/08)
What do you think about when you wake up in the middle of the night? I am trying to be careful about what I do think about, because often when I go back to sleep, my dreams continue my waking thoughts, but have a twist that I don't enjoy. Sometimes that will even wake me up again because the dream is so weird. Then I try to trace back my thoughts to see the origin of my dreams...

The power of seven (04/03/08)
An idea has circulated lately about the power of the number seven. It is said that if any two people get into a conversation, that within seven questions and answers the two will find some connection to each other. It may be as simple as finding out that each person has visited a certain site, gone to a certain school, or shares an interest in some subject. I have tried this out several times and have never failed to have it work...

Sneeze along with me (03/20/08)
Maybe you should hold the newspaper out away from your face as you are reading it today. I'm sure that as I wrote this column I coughed all over the page I was writing on. I would really worry about exposing other people except that almost everyone I meet either has a cold, is getting over a cold, or has a family member with one...

Tribute to a great teacher (03/13/08)
Helen Gast would have been the last person to want any special recognition for her life. She always preferred to stay in the background, devoting herself to her pets, flowers and family. Yet several generations of Vernon County youngsters can attribute much more than that to "Miss Helen."...

More words to the wise (03/13/08)
Assuming, on the basis of her Feb. 28 column, that my esteemed colleague Carolyn Gray Thornton is as fascinated by idiomatic sayings as I am, I can't help urging her to invest in "The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms" and "The Wordsworth Dictionary of Proverbs," both of which were recently offered for sale on remaindered lists for peanuts...

Can you play with me? (03/06/08)
I have rediscovered the Game Show Network. I used to watch it occasionally to get caught up on my nostalgia. I loved to watch the old emcees and panelists that I enjoyed when I was at home more often during the daytime hours. Now, since I do my newspaper work at home, I am again at home during the day more than I used to be. Our new arrangement with our TV packages includes the Game Show Network so sometimes instead of watching Judge Judy I turn to that channel...

'A Word to the Wise' (02/28/08)
Many middle age plus readers grew up hearing familiar maxims daily that governed our actions and made perfect sense to us. But when we try using these same sayings with our grandchildren or great grandchildren we are often faced with either a blank stare or a look of pity. They often think the old dear has really lost it now...

Where have all the belts gone? (02/21/08)
A group of talented young people were gathered together recently in Nevada. I was waiting for our great grandchild to be ready to come home so I passed the time by watching the group. They were both boys and girls and their ages ranged from middle school to high school ages. ...

Apologies from a Bossy Person (02/14/08)
Recently I wrote about liking to see the people in business places give me a smile when I am a customer. I understand that I offended some business owners who are well known for their friendly establishment and cheerful service. When I was mentioning experiences I had that week with sales persons who didn't even make eye contact or say anything to me except the amount I owed, I was not referring to the majority of the stores that we have in our friendly city...

That's what columns are made of (02/07/08)
Last night I was in the waiting room of a medical institution that was very busy. There were people sitting around waiting and several staff people bustling around. As I sat in a chair that seemed very like one I had relaxed in during a visit to some friends' home during the day, I saw a familiar looking person come in one door and quickly go to another. I was surprised to see that it was my friend who now lives in Marionville, Mo., in the Methodist retirement village...

What a year it was! (01/24/08)
Sometimes I fuss at the machines in our lives today. I feel that they tend to isolate us more and more from our family and friends. We can entertain ourselves all alone at our desk or in our easy chair. We don't need other people to play a game, see a show or figure out a problem...

Jungle Book Is Coming To Town (01/10/08)
Many of us have read and treasured Rudyard Kipling's stories about life in India. One of my favorites was the Jungle Book. Of course it has also been made into movies and animated features. But for me, the book is the best way to experience his stories. When you read a book you can put your own animation in your mind. It might become even more vivid that seeing it in living color on a large screen. Your own imagination can bring a super high density to any images the words bring to your mind...

Middle age minus (01/03/08)
I have titled my columns Middle Age Plus to refer not only to the advance of years past middle age, but also to point out the pluses of this age. There are many pluses. But today I am speaking of minuses. Even if you live a healthy, happy life into the upper decades there is one thing that keeps these later years from being completely on the plus side...

There are joys in this in-between period (12/27/07)
This period of the holiday season is a little like being middle age plus. The preparations and excitement of Christmas have usually passed. Leftovers are the main menu of your meals, and you are worrying if you went too far with expenses, but it's too late to do anything about it now. So you just bask in what you hoped was the appreciation each person felt for your gifts...

A magical town (12/20/07)
During this holiday season we often see some nice sentimental movies or TV shows that either take place in the past, or that feature life in a small town at Christmas. Usually the scenes take us back in memory to a happy time or place that seems almost magical using our selective memories. We remember gatherings that were fun and loved ones that were very special. Usually we can even describe some specific gift that was very meaningful...

The dark side of December (12/13/07)
I used to love reading the poem "Snowbound." It sounded like great fun to be shut in the house together for several days while still taking care of all the animals and people in the homestead. This week we had a modern version of that poem. However I did not wax poetic about it, but saw enough funny things about it that I can at least write a column about our two episodes of being in the dark...

What's in a name? (12/06/07)
Now that it has turned colder, the brisk air, heated rooms, and frequent hand washings to avoid colds have caused complexion problems of dry skin. Recently my husband and I were at an Elderhostel at Trout Lodge (YMCA of the Ozarks) and discovered that neither of us had remembered to bring a bottle of lotion. ...

I'm tired of learning new things (11/29/07)
I have always resisted the saying about old dogs and new tricks. I knew that it was prejudicial and unkind. What's more it wasn't true. When it is applied to humans it has been proven false through history. Look at some of the great minds of our world. Many of them did some of their most significant work in their later years...

Sock it to me (11/23/07)
I wonder who designs socks. I'm not talking about the cute puppies or flowers some socks have on them. And I'm not referring to the style. Some socks just barely show under the pair of shoes. Others go up to the knees. I prefer the ones that go up high enough on my legs that there won't be a glaring bare spot of legs showing between my slacks and the tops of the socks. It is more the style that most men wear, probably for the same reason...

Have you washed your hands? (11/15/07)
Every mother and father has asked a child this question at least once a day and probably more often. Grimy hands at the dinner table are frowned upon, and hands used as makeshift handkerchiefs are even worse. The routine question has taken on new meaning these days with the staph bug we hear about invading schools and gyms...

Autumn has reached Middle Age Plus (11/01/07)
November can be a depressing month. It often means that the wonderful autumn days are nearly gone. With the new rules in effect, it now means that daylight-saving time is over and it will be dark just as soon as most office workers start home. The weather usually begins to get cold. ...

Smiles is reactivated (10/31/07)
Nevada and Vernon County are known for being friendly. Many visiting our community have expressed this as their experience of visiting the area. In addition there are many citizens who do good deeds. There are many who go beyond the call of duty -- doing extra things for customers or guests to the community. It is these people who help to make this community the great community it is. These are the people who are deserving of a special pat on the back, a special recognition...

What should we bring inside? (10/25/07)
The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la, cause decisions to make in the fall. How many of these pots and hanging baskets that we so eagerly established in May are worth bringing inside now that cooler weather has come? Some plants have already made that decision. They decided to have a nice dignified death where they were planted. Others look too straggly to be worth bothering with...

Now What Do I Do? (10/18/07)
Do you ever get in a situation where you don’t know how to respond, or what you should do next? I’m sure everyone has a few of these situations, but I seem to have more than a few. The most recent experience like this happened at a near-by medical office...

Yellow is beautiful (10/04/07)
I grew up thinking that yellow was a rather ordinary color and not one to be admired very much. My father used to tease me by calling our beautiful Red Persian cat an ordinary "yellar" Cedar County tomcat. Then there was the movie about a dog called "Old Yellar."...

A world of miracles (09/27/07)
I have almost become used to using a restroom washbasin where the water starts without my turning a faucet and where the stool takes care of it's own problems without my assistance. But some of the "advances" I encountered on a trip last week continue to amaze me...

A moving experience (07/19/07)
The television and newspapers have recently had many programs about childhood obesity. Each article or episode gave suggestions for keeping your children active. The emphasis was on action and movement. Some parents had hired trainers for very young children to keep them in shape...

Carolyn Gray Thornton
Middle Age Plus