The 29th Parade of Lights was held Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, through downtown Cape Girardeau. Part of Old Town Cape Inc.'s Christmas in Downtown, this year's theme was 'Ringing in the Holidays with Old Town Cape!' Winners of this year's Parade of Lights include: Best Theme - Cape Shrine Club; Best Appearance Business/Organization: Plants Plus; Best Appearance Nonprofit: The Bridge Church; Best Music: Steve and Eric Dueling Pianos; Best Lighting: The Dream Factory; Best Marching Band: Meadow Heights; Chairman's Award: In Memory of Eric Uhrhan and Memory of Dominik.. ...

Marge and I usually heat with just our wood heat when the average temp is say freezing or above. But when the temp gets any colder than we're used to, we rely on our central heat system. But last spring our central heat system kind of went on the blink, so we don't have it to fall back on right now. ...

St, Ambrose Catholic Church will hold a breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 5 at the Parish Center. The menu includes whole-hog sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy. St. Augustine School will host Breakfast with Santa and a special guest from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. ...

I wrote a note on the December page of my analog calendar that read, "Warning! December fills up fast." My prophetic sticky note proved true. A plethora of activities now surrounds the few events I had on the calendar. The busyness of December has prompted the idea of rewriting the Andy Williams Christmas song to say, "It's the most busiest time of the year."...

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. The Greek word for "Faith" means to believe or trust. In Hebrew we get the word "Amen." When a person says amen, it means that he or she agrees and believes it to be so. The important aspect of the Christian faith is not the person's positive or hopeful attitude, but God in whom the faith is placed...

Psalm 23, titled "The Lord, Shepherd and Host," (NAB) is one of my favorites. For most of my life, I really latched on to the "shepherd" role in the title and somehow, until more recently, completely overlooked the "and host" part. It is delightful to me that God would be so kind to help us relate to him through this language and imagery, to think about our Lord as someone who welcomes us in and puts together a banquet for us, wanting to nourish not only our bodies with "a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines" as Isaiah 25:6 (NAB) says, but also nourish our minds, spirits, souls with good conversation, deep thought and love, in the same way we want to do these things for others when we invite them in to our homes.. ...

Monday: Tortellini with ham and peas or almond Dijon chicken, glazed carrots, steamed squash, whole-grain hot roll and pineapple tidbits or honeybun cake. Tuesday: Sloppy Joe on bun or pork chop with apple stuffing, baby baker potatoes, steam broccoli and Mandarin oranges or banana pudding with cookies...

A deer hunter will probably know what this is, but do you? It's called a ground blind. A ground blind can be made of nearly anything from a permanent small building with a stove to a camouflage plastic tent like the one here. Photographers, birdwatchers, deer hunters and nature lovers all can enjoy time in a ground blind...

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Even Christmas trees aren't immune to the pandemic-induced shortages and inflation plaguing the economy. Extreme weather and supply chain disruptions have reduced supplies of both real and artificial trees this season. American shoppers should expect to have fewer choices and pay up to 30% more for both types this Christmas, industry officials said...

This is your brief glimpse into the (not so) glamorous life of a local foodie writer. Food is probably the last thing anyone wants to think about after the planning, preparation, expense and gluttonous feasting that is Thanksgiving. I am no different...

Fresh cranberries are one of my favorite foods during fall and winter, so I try to use them in as many ways as I can. Luckily, dried cranberries are available all year and they can be a nice addition to many foods. I follow the US Cranberries page on Facebook and I enjoy the pictures of harvest and the process of gathering the berries in the pools of water. There are also many recipes on the page as well...

NEW YORK — Leave it to Mel Brooks to blurb his own memoir. There, along with laudatory quotes from Billy Crystal, Norman Lear, Conan O'Brien and others is one from "M. Brooks," who hails "All About Me!" as: "Not since the Bible have I read anything so powerful and poignant. And to boot — it's a lot funnier!"...

In his basement, Robert Ward has dozens of paintings on display or stored away. Not too far from his easel is a painting of flowers completed more than 100 years ago by his grandmother. She is one of his inspirations, which include his father, Bill Davidson, and Herb Wickman, Ward said...

People love their pets, and pets love their people. It’s a bond built on love, service and dependence. They need us, but it seems we need them, as well. And as much work as they add to our lives, what they give in return is invaluable. They are loyal, loving and make us laugh. ...

Members of Kage FCE met Nov. 18 for lunch at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Joybna Daume presided and also gave the devotional "have no fear." Members were reminded of the County FCE Christmas Party to be held Thursday at the University of Missouri Extension Office in Jackson. Registration will be at 9:30 a.m. with the meeting beginning at 10 a.m...

The Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson will hold an indoor Nativity walk. It will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except Dec. 4, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day through Dec. 31. It will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 5...

Have you ever done something only to realize you really made a dumb mistake? About right then, you are really wishing you could roll back time and do a "retake" or a "do-over, please." Man I have. Years ago, I went with Lewis Hamilton hunting at Mingo, which is a big swampy, state-owned area in Missouri. ...

How was your day at work, today? Was it a good day in your estimation, or did it seem like the same old thing as yesterday? Did you sit and look at the clock, counting the hours until it was time to leave? Those are view-points most of us take, many times, whether we're taking about work or pleasure...

This writer is generally loathe to comment on the experiences of celebrities who go public with their stories of faith. In the 15 years penning this column for the Southeast Missourian, my memory is only once has an entertainer's faith postulations made it into this space...

Monday: Cheeseburger or turkey bacon melt, Tater Tots, winger-blend veggies, whole-grain bun or bread and cinnamon applesauce or brownie. Tuesday: Beef and bean chili and half sandwich or cabbage roll, steamed broccoli, half baked potato, whole-grain crackers and mixed fruit dessert or chocolate cake with peanut butter icing...

A ray of morning sunlight glanced off a tree limb and reached toward me as I held the camera at just the right angle. Autumn is a beautiful time to embrace the woods. The colors of the leaves can give a hint to what kind of autumn tree you might be looking at. ...

The St. Avit family loved the holidays. Each year, the Christmas season was busy and profitable. Their popular mercantile/grocery store at the southeast corner of Spanish and Independence streets was fully stocked with beautiful porcelain, textiles and other goods, not only from their native France, but other European countries. ...

Life is hectic, and I am a terrible planner. I can't plan a menu for a week like my mom. I do try. I always end up throwing out food that has gone bad before I can even think of cooking it. I love food, but I don't always like giving up the time to cook it. Convenience has become an issue for me, though, with the diabetic diagnosis. A burger and fries won't work and eating a bunless burger and side salad gets old really fast. I wanted to share one of my favorite go-tos lately...

We plan the menu, buy the groceries, prepare the feast and then deal with the leftovers. What do we do with all of the leftovers? Repurpose them into something else that is just as amazing as the main meal, just in a different form. From breakfast casserole to potato cakes to cranberry cake, we can use up leftovers in creative and fun ways and not get tired or bored with them...

NEW YORK -- Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day, making permanent a shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season that was suspended during the pandemic. To limit crowds in stores, retailers last year were forced to turn what had become a weekend shopping blitz into an extended event, with big holiday discounts beginning as early as October...