Christmas season begins, beautiful Chaffee and remembering Bill Emerson

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Margie Eastwood, Travis Dumey, Jeanette Wachter, Lauren Bader, Monica Senciboy, Staria Ricks, Gary Kelley, Betty Nordin, Joyce McCullough, Jill Hodge, Allen Cox, Shirley Hopper, Janet Revelle, Brenda Swain, Julie Prindle, Betty Vandeven, Christa Beck, Jodi Pfefferkorn, Tony Swain, Kelly Burnett, Diane Eftink, Mike Eichhorn, Shirley Mobley, Wade Robert, Doug Mirly, Alex Stone, Bradley Uhrhan, Marilyn Edmonds, Amy Watkins and Bob Sullivan.

Happy anniversary to Danny and Joyce Loucks and Jerry and Jeanette Beck.

After a day of steady rain last Monday, we were blessed with a beautiful sky and a glorious double rainbow.

Thanksgiving takeaways

Our tummies are full and the leftovers are history. My aunt Mardell Finney's oyster cornbread dressing was again a hit, as were the pies. The annual picture was taken of Richard with his pecan and pumpkin pies and my sister Jo with her apple and gooseberry pies.

Christmas season begins

Our focus now is on Christmas and giving. Today is Santa's List Day. His elves have been everywhere checking to see who has been naughty and nice. Santa has two lists: a short list for those who have been naughty and a longer list for those who have been good all year. We hope you are on his long list!

Chaffee the beautiful

Several out-of-town visitors commented on how nice our town is looking. Residences, downtown, Jean Whitaker Memorial Park, the fire station and Circle Park are now looking especially bright and beautiful with their LED Christmas lights. We thank everyone who put the decorations in place, including WarChild, Fire Chief Sam Glency and volunteer firemen and chamber of commerce members HB Rice, Steve and Richard Seyer and their families.

City updates

The Bank of Advance will host Christmas bingo at the senior center at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

We remind you that county and city taxes are due by the end of this month. County Collector Mark Hensley is at city hall every Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. through Dec. 28. You can pay your city tax any work day at city hall.

Memorial bricks are still available for purchase through the end of this month. It is a great gift or a wonderful way to remember family members. The cost is $50 per brick. Call Ronnie Eichhorn at (573) 318-6011 to place your order.

Wining and dining

Jo and her husband, Don, treated Richard and me to dinner at Farraddays Steakhouse at the Isle of Capri. We had great service by our waitress, Emily, but were disappointed in the quality of the steaks. We wonder if they have a new supplier, because when we ate there last Thanksgiving the steaks were superb. This year the New York strip and ribeye were so tough I tried three different knives to cut mine. Everything else was excellent, though, and we shared a good bottle of wine.

Thanksgiving birthday

My mother's birthday was on Thanksgiving this year, and I continued my tradition of releasing a bright red balloon on her day. Jo joined me this year and we watched as it went upward, straight to heaven.

First-rate football

There was plenty of college and professional football to watch; how about those Chiefs and Cowboys! The season is over for Mizzou, but what a way to end with their comeback against Arkansas!

Thankful for Bill Emerson

Mentioning the end of pay toilets last Sunday, I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the late Republican Congressman Bill Emerson. I read in Dr. Max Heeb's book "Max, the Knife" that he was instrumental in getting a law passed to put an end to pay toilets in Missouri. He did many great things for our state during his long tenure (1981-1996), that being the reason our beautiful bridge was proudly named the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. The bridge is a must-see, especially at night, for every guest who visits you during the holidays.

Condolences to share

Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Bob Dennis. Bob ran the barber shop in Chaffee at 137 W. Yoakum St., next door to Dr. Moudy's office, for 28 years and gave many a haircut to men of all ages. He was a member of the Chaffee Elks Lodge 1810. The barber shop changed hands earlier this year and is owned and operated by Darin Teague.

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.

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 DJ who had to quit because he lost his wit.