"I'm so glad you're here." How does it feel to hear those words? How does it feel to say those words? You may say them when a loved one returns after a long absence. You may utter them after returning home from a particularly trying day at work. Some people exhale them along with a sigh of relief when roadside assistance or a police officer responds to their call for help. I know I have...

I looked through a Gooseberry Patch cookbook recently that featured recipes from all over the country. Each recipe chosen was a "Mom's Favorite Recipe" sent in by family members. It was very interesting to see what was chosen as mom's favorite by her children...

For many of us, January is all about giving things up: Maybe we're going to stop eating meat and embrace a plant-based diet. Or we're ready to kick excess sugar to the curb after a holiday season awash in sweets. Or we're committed to avoiding fast food...

I went to lunch with several friends last month, and after the obligatory discussion of how busy we were due to the holidays and how much simpler (i.e., better) things where when we were growing up, the conversation turned to New Year’s resolutions...

BATTENVILLE, N.Y. -- New York state is planning to do restoration work on the early childhood home of Susan B. Anthony. The house Anthony's father built in 1833 in the Washington County hamlet of Battenville is water-damaged and in rough shape. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation bought the foreclosed property in 2006 but has done little to preserve it...

I recently heard about a story in “The New York Post” that reported chicken Parmesan is the perfect date food. On a date, you are usually trying to make a good first impression, so it seems counterintuitive to me to order a messy dish like chicken Parm. However, “The Post” article argued “chicken Parm season” falls during the colder months, which also happens to be when New York singles are looking to settle down and snuggle with someone. That makes more sense...

What is a fidget mat? It is a quilted piece of fabric about the size of a table place mat that provides sensory input and stimulation for Alzheimer’s patients to encourage engagement with the world around them. It can be adorned with materials of different textures such as soft Velcro, corduroy or velvet and is covered with items that can be manipulated, like ribbons, medals or even small toys. ...

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday. This is the day we set aside to honor a Baptist pastor. Well, he was a Baptist pastor, but it is his work in civil rights we celebrate. I was born two years before he died, so the world in which he lived is unfamiliar to me. Watching documentaries about this time period reminds me how far we have come as a nation. I know we are not perfect, but to deny our progress is to diminish King's legacy...

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. -- Simon Beck carefully plots his course before shuffling through a windswept snowfield high in the Rocky Mountains. Using a compass, snowshoes and his background as a cartographer and competitive orienteer, the 61-year-old British artist and a handful of volunteers recently tromped across a frozen reservoir near the ski resort town of Silverthorne, west of Denver, to create a massive, geometrical design on a fresh canvas of snow...

In celebration of the life and legacy of late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., WGU Missouri has announced it will award up to $75,000 in scholarships to Missourians who dream of completing their college degrees and advancing their careers. The "I Have a Dream" scholarships are being offered to new students enrolling in any of the online, not-for-profit university's more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs...

Town & Country FCE club met at the home of Mary Klaproth on Jan. 9. Klaproth, president, opened the meeting by reading the devotion biscuits. A guest, Gina Michelin, was welcomed by the president. Darlene McCain led the club in singing "God Bless America" accompanied by Linda Thompson. Roll call was answered with club members telling their favorite salad dressing...

We were down at our son's a week ago or so having a piece of angel food cake with peanut butter frosting. My birthday had been that week, so we were celebrating. Our son asked if I had some seeds planted. I told him I hadn't, but was fixing to. I would like to get some tomato plants ready to plant around March 15 or so. ...

No actual travel is required to enjoy the flavors and health benefits of the Mediterraneau diet at 6 p.m. Monday at HealthPoint Fitness in Cape Girardeau. Learn more about this way of eating that is based on the traditional cuisine of countries bordering the Mediterraneau Sea. The class is taught by Raina Childers-Richmond, HealthPoint nutritional services coordinator...

Monday: Closed for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Tuesday: BBQ riblet or French dip sandwich, baked beans, coleslaw, whole-grain bread or bun and chilled pears or birthday cake. Wednesday: Glazed ham slice or roasted chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, whole-grain hot roll and pineapple with coconut or coconut cream pie...

This photo was taken Jan. 10, as I was out walking in the rain. The ground was not frozen, so when it became saturated with excessive rainwater this and other worms came to the surface to escape drowning. This worm is called an earthworm. Across the world there are thousands of different kinds and sizes of earthworms...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary This pretty female cat is 3-year-old Zoe, and she is waiting for a loving home. She is available for adoption at Safe Harbor; call (573) 243-9823.

In the past two years, I have been trying to resolve some health issues in my family. Parts of the treatment protocols have involved learning to recognize and manage stress. In the past two years, I have learned much about stress. The one aspect of stress that has surprised me most is that the body knows when it is under stress but cannot distinguish between the source of stress. ...

I love cows. We have some on our farm, and I love walking through our fields talking to them. Sometimes, I stop and stretch out my hand to one of them. I hope she lets me make contact with her so I can show her my admiration for all she does through a touch on her nose or side. She looks at me with curiosity in her eyes. She hesitantly approaches with cautious steps. Usually, she's really just not sure...

During the Civil War, Missouri's legislative decisions were made by a provisional State Convention. First convened in 1862 to consider secession from the Union (an action rejected), the State Convention convened several more times to wrestle with the question of slavery. ...

Drive down Broadway in Cape Girardeau often enough and you will find yourself looking forward to the clever and pun-riddled sign that stands outside an unassuming restaurant named Burrito-Ville. Nineteen years ago, that is exactly what drew me inside to try the food. I wanted to know what kind of flavors would come from the minds of people with such finely honed senses of humor. Burrito-Ville's sense of taste is just as good as its sense of humor...

The new year has brought with it resolutions from many people to reduce carbs and to eat a little healthier. There are many ways to cut carbohydrates, some easier than others. Today I have found several recipes that are lower in carbs but still pack a plate full of taste and flavors...

A fluffy baked potato is a glorious thing, but too often you slice into the potato and it is shiny and waxy, not light and creamy in texture. Baking a potato is the easiest thing in the world, right? Then why are so many potatoes lacking in texture and flavor?...

Fans of historical fiction have something to be excited about: bestselling author and self-proclaimed “Seeker of Lost Stories” Ruta Sepetys’ new novel, “The Fountains of Silence.” This time, Sepetys takes her readers to 1950s Madrid, Spain, to explore life under the dictatorship of Generalissimo Francisco Franco — an era in which the rich grew richer, the poor grew poorer, and citizens dared not speak of the limitations, restrictions and cruelties of fascism...

If you open the wooden door to the right of the pipe organ that fills the back wall of the sanctuary at Zion United Methodist Church in Gordonville and step behind it, you can see the inner workings of the organ, a behind-the-scenes sort of view. On the organ, you’ll find several signatures and dates people have signed onto it throughout the years. One of them reads “Charles Bartels 1891.”...

There was another shooting at a church recently. You most likely heard about it. It was Dec. 29 at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. There were three people who died including the killer. Fortunately, a well-trained security team leader was able to take out the threat before more parishioners were murdered...

I took this photo Jan. 5. It shows the green limbs and five buds at the ends of the limbs. Not many native North American trees will tell you during winter whether they will bloom come springtime. But the flowering dogwood will. If you have a dogwood tree in your yard, you can go now and see if it will have several or few flowers blooming next April. Count the buds that look like those you see here...

Peace is a coveted word. Just the meaning of the letters brings feelings of tranquility and calm. "Ah-h, "we say, "If I could merely have this feeling of serenity and safety, always; I would feel secure." Often we're only relaxed when we can find refuge in our home, and being with those we love--and that love us. Peace is a much sought after state. How can we acquire this diamond, this lack of anxiety living within, this never ending oasis of tranquility?...

In a little over a week, the spring semester begins at Southeast Missouri State. It's a decided privilege once again to teach a subject close to my heart -- and since you are reading this column -- perhaps close to yours as well: New Testament Literature...

The Anti-Saloon League of America was founded in Ohio in 1895. The organization quickly spread nationally. The purpose of the group was to end the sale and distribution of liquor in the United States. State chapters popped up throughout the nation. Missouri's chapter was organized in 1890. ...