Despite 'Christmas creep,' holiday spirit intact

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Randy Hancock.

Get a great start to your day today by stopping by St. Ambrose for their whole-hog sausage breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m.

We are enjoying the full moon of December that is known as Long Night Moon, Snow Moon, Christmas Moon and Twelfth Moon.

A lot of people were talking about getting back on their diets and working off some of those calories consumed at Thanksgiving.

Hiking Tywappity

On a very cold, windy day, hikers were at Lake Tywappity in shorts and some in heavy gear. The lake is a popular option for those feeling housebound during the holidays.

Our grandnephews, Tyler and Ryan, wanted Uncle Richard to take them on a hike around Tywappity. It didn't take long before it was obvious the 9-year-old Ryan was not an adventurer. He eventually completed the lap around the lake, most of which was on the back of his father. His older brother, Tyler, said that's what happens when you sit around playing video games, drinking Coca Cola.

Many people voiced their aggravation with the so-called "Christmas creep," with retailers rushing into Christmas right after Halloween. The stores were packed, however, for Black Friday, and the Christmas spirit was intact, and, for those who preferred to stay in, there was plenty of football to watch. How about those Mizzou Tigers and St. Louis Rams?

Seeing Pete Tanner drive down our street to pick up our accumulated holiday trash was a welcome sight. We thank them for the great job they do in all kinds of weather. There are now two locations for recyclables: the southwest corner of Highway 77 and EE and Main Street near the Fire Station. Boxes must be flattened and recyclables are to be bagged; rinsed food containers and no glass or hazardous materials.

Starting in January, many municipalities are banning plastic bags. A major complaint is that they end up along our roadsides and in our trees, so instead of punishing the perpetrators, everyone is penalized. The grocery chains are upset as are those who do put plastic bags to good use. The problem is not with the bags, it is with those irresponsible people who toss them aside along our roadsides and parks.

For the birds

Remember to feed the birds! There are lots of hungry goldfinches, cardinals and juncos at feeders now. Black oil sunflower seed and suet provide lots of energy, and don't forget fresh water on these wintry days.

It is common to see crows chasing hawks but the other day, after checking out The River House in Scott City and heading to Cape, we saw two adult eagles chasing a hawk. We pulled over and watched until the hawk flew away and the eagles had the thermals all to themselves.

Chaffee High School is holding a blood drive Dec. 8 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Activity Center.

The weather has been a little crazy but the warm-up last Sunday allowed us to finish up yard work and put up outdoor Christmas decorations. We thank the Chamber of Commerce and volunteers who put up our nice downtown decorations.

Our mentioning of the correct pronunciation of poinsettia resulted in a couple of readers sharing their pet peeves. Among them were prerogative, with some people pronouncing it per-rogative; Realtor and athlete, both of which are pronounced with two, not three, syllables. The other was safe-deposit box incorrectly referred to as a safety-deposit box. As one wise man once asked me, "Why would you mispronounce a word just to accommodate a person's ignorance?"

Family farewells

It is always interesting how different personalities interact at once-a year-family gatherings. Those of you who have family nearby are truly blessed. We invite you to share some of your memorable events and guests. Our guests were sister Ruth Ann from San Marcos, Texas; my nephew Travis from McLean, Virginia, and his two sons, ages 9 and 12, from the St. Louis area; and my sister Jo and her husband Don from Chicago. We had a grand time, and, as always, fun to see everyone arrive and sad to see them leave. I always think of the many times we would drive away, with our mother standing at the side door, waving.

When Jo and I were in our 20 and 30s and anxious to get back to our busy lives in Dallas, we did not think too much about, it but as the years passed, it got harder and harder to leave our mother. She said she would have her cry, call her sister Mardell Finney, and await our call that we were safely back in Dallas. And, many years later when I left my mother sitting in her wheelchair at the front door of the Chaffee Nursing Center, we both cried.

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 continue to be with those who have lost loved ones, our homebound, those in hospitals and nursing homes.

And them ...

Then there was the personalized license plate "G-SUS."