Bald eagles, ice bowling and bad moons

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Jack Taylor.

Happy birthday this week to Sarah Gaines, John Gaines, Tony Whitaker, Cindy Harris, Collin Dannenmueller, Ervin Eichhorn, Rebecca Reischman, Erica Dannenmueller, Judy Abernathy, Kimberly Hendrix, Jonathan Teegarden, Leroy Bollinger, Patrick Moore, Kathy Shetter, Dorothy Wolfe, Jessie Burnett, Alan Penrose, Brenda Hester, Mildred Wilhite, Clifford Van Dover, Aria Kirn, Joy Moyers, Jon Nordin, Richard Graviett, Zachary McDaniel and Maggie Lancaster.

Happy anniversary to Shannon and Kim Hendrix, Ron and Billie Davis and Jerry and Linda Lee.

This week in Missouri nature bald eagles gather in large numbers along rivers and lakes; also, watch for snowy owls. Feed the birds!

All about ice

Bob Burnett tells us he spotted a heron on the frozen Lake Tywappity; it was trying to peck through the ice for a fish. Although Bob finds a lot of outdoor activities here during the winter months, he says when he lived in Michigan, it was all about ice -- ice fishing, hockey, ice skating, cross country skiing and such. Bob just completed the Missouri 100-Mile Challenge and from March 19 through Dec. 31, he logged 6,813 miles; his total for his two years of participation on bicycle and foot is 10,425.

Back in the day before they built the dam, a fun activity during the winter was bowling on the frozen lake. Soda bottles were set up as pins, and we would take turns sliding into them to knock them down. Amazingly, no one ever fell through the ice.

City Council meets tomorrow at 7 p.m. We remind those interested in running for City Council that the deadline to file is this Tuesday.

Construction of apartments on the north side of Gray between Main and the railroad has started.

The Senior Center, banks and schools will be closed tomorrow in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

The party's over

Sadly, the Cowboys' season is over but what a run. After a dismal start, Dallas Cowboy fans got an unexpected Christmas present with their reaching the NFC East championship. Our singing of Creedence Clearwater's "I see a bad moon arisin', I see trouble on the way" turned into Don Meredith's "Turn out the lights, the party's over" during the fourth quarter of last Sunday's game in Green Bay. The streets of Dallas were empty just like in the old days of great Cowboy seasons when not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Landmarks

The bandstand at Circle Park was a project that was undertaken in 1916 by the Women's City Improvement Club; it was replaced in 1941 by the current one. The monument on which names of those killed in wars are listed was dedicated in May 1947, made possible with a fund started by the War Dad Organization. Cape Girardeau has Capaha Park, and this is for those visiting readers who asked me this past Thanksgiving about the Statue of Liberty replica. The statue was dedicated by the Boy Scouts of America in November 1950. Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. gave the address and named the corner Freedom Corner. The four brick columns list the names of those who fought and died in wars since World War I.

There are many interesting landmarks throughout the U.S., and it is always fun to stop to check out the history. I see lots of Missouri license plates in Dallas, and I know many of you travel to various Texas destinations. Next time you pass through Waco, drop by the Branding of the Brazos sculpture. It has been a work in progress for eight years and is now finished. It features three cowboys -- one white, one Hispanic and one black -- and 25 cows. The artwork pays tribute to Waco's location on the Chisholm Trail for cattle drives from South Texas to Kansas.

Sculptor Robert Summers modeled the African-American cowboy after Holt Collier, an actual cowboy and bear hunter most known for accompanying President Theodore Roosevelt on a 1902 bear hunt. The story goes that Collier was told to make sure that the President got a bear so he tracked one down and tied it to a tree. Wildlife lover Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear and when the press got wind of the incident, a toymaker named his stuffed toy bear "Teddy's bear." Teddy Roosevelt was our 26th president and created and saved many of our natural treasures.

Teddy bears are among the many items featured by retailers for Valentine's. You have plenty of time, however, to make those plans for your sweetie and choices with our two flower shops: The Chaffee Flower Shop and J Marie's Flowers & Boutique, which just completed its fine addition, J Marie's Formal Affairs, in the former Slaughters space.

Special words

Remember to tell those special people in your life you love them -- those three words mean so very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with those missing loved ones and continue to be with our homebound, those in hospitals and nursing homes.

Email your news to darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at 573-887-6430 or 214-207-7839.

And then ...

Then there was the complicated NFL rule book that jeopardizes the spontaneity of the game.