A visit to Mingo, a (stress)ful fracture and baby bird watching

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy birthday to Brenda Shields, Mary Duncan, Jim Blevins, Arlene Harrell, James McDonald, Steve Ross, David Bollinger, Roger Reisenbichler, Martha Randall, Nikki Chambers, Margaret E. Rhodes, Jacob McIntosh, Caleb McIntosh, Barb Simpson, Barbara Simpson, Jamie Eaker, Linda Simpson, Barbara Sanderson, Ray Wagoner, Mark Devenport, Kerrie Swain, Rachel Treadway, Tyson Moyers, Lachelle Carroll, Ben Spane, Leon Kirchdoerfer, Connie White, Jessica Holland and Carol Galloway.

Happy anniversary to Tim and Nancy Brown, Jack and Barbara Simpson, Terry and Pat Glenzy, Mike and Alisha Razer, Anthony and Rosemary Elfrink and Chris and Priscilla Hornbuckle.

No, you are not seeing double -- there are two Barb Simpsons who will be celebrating their birthdays tomorrow! Actually, three Barb Simpsons live in Chaffee. The two mentioned today are sisters-in-law. One is married to Jack, and the other is married to Dale (Roger) Simpson.

The Cape Air Show is this Wednesday! Gates open at 2:30 p.m. with opening ceremonies at 5:30. It's free to the public!

An ice cream social will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. May 11 at the Chaffee High School Activity Center. Enjoy ice cream for $5 while checking out the industrial arts projects.

Wildlife sightings

Richard and I visited Mingo Wildlife Refuge after enjoying lunch at Mel's Diner in Puxico, Missouri. It was a good sightseeing drive from the start. After two deer ran across the road, we saw a juvenile eagle perched in a tree. We also saw lots of white herons, three pairs of blue-winged teal ducks and a pair of Canada geese with their five very young goslings. It is a great time to be outdoors. The bugs are few and the temperature is mostly just right.

Table tennis trauma

My walking activity has been limited since late January due to a painful left heel, which I was later informed was fractured. I was so determined to hike Lake Tywappity, I overdid it and, after a competitive game of table tennis with Richard, suffered a stress fracture of my right foot! Wearing a less-than-fashionable shoe on that foot with worn-out Velcro straps, annoying me and Richard, we were in Cape, so we stopped by John's Pharmacy. The two ladies who helped me were wonderful. Not only did they tend to my frustration and needs quickly, but also they found a shoe that fit, provided more support and, with its light blue color, was less orthotic looking.

Baby bird alert

Lots of birds are feeding babies, so keep an eye out for any nestlings that might fall out of their nest during a storm. We don't want them to fall prey to a neighbor's cat. Baby birds (nestlings) that are too young to fly can be placed back in their nest out of harm's way. Contrary to what many believe, touching young birds will not result in the parents abandoning them. Resist the urge to "save" them, as babies need their mothers. When the young birds start to fly (fledglings) and you see them hopping around, the parents are nearby and should be able to protect them unless a cat is on the prowl.

Pigeon event planned

Starting this weekend and continuing for six weekends, artist Duke Riley of Brooklyn, New York, will release more than 2,000 LED-adorned homing pigeons at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Referred to as "Fly By Night," surely a network will cover it, but you also can check it out online. Mr. Riley became interested in night flying pigeons when a friend of his gave him a 1930s U.S. War Department manual on training pigeons for night missions. The pigeons were so successful in World War II that the Nazis resorted to using hawks in an attempt to interrupt their missions. Riley's homing pigeons have been staying in an 80-foot-long complex of coops erected on the deck of a decommissioned Vietnam-era Navy ship, the Baylander. Riley refers to the coops as waterfront luxury lofts. The majority of the pigeons are rescue birds after people in New York could no longer keep them.

Final thoughts

Remember to tell those special people in your life that you love them -- those three words mean so very much.

We wish all our mothers a special day as we celebrate those who are with us and those who will always live on in our hearts.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are missing loved ones, our homebound, those in hospitals and nursing homes and those undergoing cancer treatments. Email your news and comments to darbuck2@airmail.net or call (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

And then...

Then there was this special day to honor our mothers.