Birthday wishes for Richard Kiehne, hummingbird tips and upcoming German Days

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Fimble Enderle, Margie Bucher, Debbie Totty, Jonathan Dooley, Billie Jo Sadler, Katie Hampton, Adam Swinford, Breanna Davis, Bob Burnett, Shelby Ancell, Kari Stone, Dorothy Margrabe, Anne Woodyard, Adam Uhrhahn, Tom Burnett, Rocky Portell, Leann Carroll, Jane Swain, Nancy Jenkerson, Margie Kielhofner, Opal Vessels, BJ Jackson, Carol Cannon, Stephanie Scheeter, Larry Wolfe, Dale Tierney, Tracey Totty, Paula Stidham, Saundra Hamilton, Simon Zerbe, Jackie Fowler, Ruben Hitt and Stephanie Bennett.

And a belated happy birthday to former Chaffee High School teacher Richard Kiehne, who celebrated his special day July 20. I happened to call to catch up with him and his wife, Beverly, and was delighted to get to wish him a happy birthday as well!

Happy anniversary to Butch and Darlene Dumey, Danny and Tammy Rains, Alan and Marty Seabaugh, John and Sheila Hahn, Donald and Iris Crowe, Chris and Rhonda Wessel, Warren and Alberta Masterson, Johnny and Gina King, Gene and Margaret Nation, Larry and Beverly Cleair and Bill and Carolyn Hawkins.

Chaffe happenings

​If you are you missing a bicycle, check with the Chaffee Police Department.

Seniors can have their blood pressure and sugar levels checked at 11 a.m. Friday at the senior center. It is sponsored by the Chaffee Nursing Home.

​The Chaffee Historical Society will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday at the museum. The main topic will be the "Evening in the Park" that will be held Aug. 20.

HB Rice says anyone wanting information about this year's German Day Picnic Aug. 12 and 13 can call John Swinford at (573) 887-1332 or Andrew Horrell at (573) 979-4198. They can always use volunteers.

Birds galore

We are accustomed to seeing bald eagles in Chaffee, and just last week we saw one doing a touch-and-go on a levee near the airport. We pulled over to watch the amazing female make her approach, light and then take off once again.

We drove through Trail of Tears State Park recently. It's always a pleasure, but the only bird activity we saw were Canada geese at Lake Boutin. There also seemed to be more geese than usual at the pond near Procter & Gamble. We stopped to let several saunter across the road to the other side.

Knowing how much I can't resist the latest hummingbird feeder, a dear friend gave me a Perky Pet Hummerbar. It has 22 ports, and immediately, one young female curiously hovered above the bar. Soon there was a face-off of three young hummers, and finally one got close, going from port to port. The small female finally figured it out and drank from several ports. The activity is fun to watch, but one important tip: Fill it up outside when it is in place, because the sticky nectar spills out easily with the slightest tip.

The Chaffee Public Library hosted a party at Chaffee Elementary recently to celebrate another successful summer reading program. In the spirit of the Olympics, the theme for the younger ones was "Get Ready, Set, Read," and for the older kiddos, "Get in the Game."

Gray Avenue memories

A couple people have complimented the fine work being done at my home in Chaffee. No, there are no plans to sell; it's just deferred maintenance. There are, however, a couple houses for sale on the first block of Gray. One has long been known as the Clyde Duncan house, and 125 Gray as the Kirn/Komis house. Henry and Virginia Kirn and her three children, Jim, Jack and Kathy Komis, lived there for years. Before that, my dad and mother owned the house where my older sisters spent their early years.

My sister Carolyn remembers putting her doll and favorite items in her wagon for the move to the big house on the corner down the street. Apparently my lifelong affection for our current home on Gray started as a toddler -- any time we went someplace, my mother said the first thing I did when we returned was kiss the living room floor.

More recently, the blue house was the home of Bill and Norma Burke. We miss seeing them sitting on their porch and getting Narvel Felts' updates from Bill. We wish them well.

Final thoughts

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

Please email your news and comments to darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

And then ...

Then there was the "Goosenator" used to rid a Connecticut golf course of geese.