Fall color for sassafras and sumac

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Bobby Diamond.

Happy birthday to Opal Kiefer, Vicky Martin, Marcia Fuller, Mike Mitchell, Abby Walter, Lori Sadler, Kristen Bridwell, Pansy Campbell, Don Hency, Emily Eichhorn, Virginia Williams, Cassie Eichhorn, Debbie Simmons, Al Kern Jr., Nicole Poe, Henry Kirn, Michael Proctor, Mike Hinkebein, David Hooker, Jerry Schlitt, Ashlyn McKinley, Ray Fisher, Tonyua Townsend, Leta Engram, Kirk Whitaker, Charles McDonald, Sandra Bollinger, Christine Benton, Donny McCarty, Ali Hornback, Charlie Vickery, Judy Ralph, Perry Rice, Jamie Nix, Jeremy Perry, Gail Siebert, Douglas Hargrove, Lacie Pobst, Laura Russom, Dusty Grissom, Lachelle Cook, Kathleen LaGrand, Mike Uhrhan, Forrest Davis, Amy Reischman, Casey Nolen and Taylor Kirchdoerfer.

Happy anniversary to Paul and Diane Keller, David and Laura Halter, Jack and Gayle Dragoni and Donnie and Mary Ann Kiefer.

We welcome all CHS Alumni who are in town this weekend for the banquet.

Today is Old Farmer's Day and tomorrow, many federal and financial institutions will be closed for Columbus Day.

The Chaffee Fire Department will hold an Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Everyone is invited to help out with the Community Cleanup of Union Park at 10 a.m. Saturday. We were told that no new arrangements will be removed.

Moon and constellations

We enjoyed the full moon of October last week that is known as Hunter's Moon and Blood Moon. A recent study found that on three or four nights surrounding any full moon, it may take longer for some people to fall asleep, sleep 20 minutes less and experience a 30 percent decrease in deep sleep. Now is a good time to preview winter planets before dawn; Taurus high overhead, Orion to its southeast, and Sirius, the sky's brightest star, low in the south-southeast.

After a brief rain last Monday it was delightful to see a double rainbow! Earlier that day, we saw a mature bald eagle flying over Interstate 55 near Cape Central.

No eagle sightings at a recent trek around Tywappity Lake but we did see lots of red-headed woodpeckers and nuthatches. The sassafras trees, sumac and poison ivy have a hint of fall color. The trail is in good shape but beware of the exposed roots and now the plentiful roly-poly acorns.

RSVP thanks everyone who participated and attended their recent horseshoe tournament at the Al Friga Farm. T-shirts are currently available for sale at their office on North Main for $10 and coolie cups for $2 in neon blue and neon green.

We recently wondered about Karen Williams, and we thank Jack Maxwell for this update. Now Karen Hayes, he tells us, she owned a beauty salon in Dexter and lived there for many years.

With the end of The Signal, we thought it was appropriate to wonder about Warren Millham and more recently, Jerry Reppert. According to the Centennial Celebration book, after a succession of owners in 1953, Bob Kielhofner sold the paper to Warren, who owned it for a couple of years after which Bob bought it back. Karl von Kessel bought the paper in 1972 and operated it until it was sold to Jerry Reppert in 1981; it was subsequently bought by Concord Publishing, owned by Gary Rust of Cape Girardeau, in 1993.

We were told that Warren married Judy Gilmer, and they are living in St. Charles, and that Jerry is in the Cape area.

Signal subscribers are urged to call customer care at 573-388-3680 for special rates to the Southeast Missourian.

Lifetime subscriptions

The Signal went through a lot of name changes through the years but most of us have always referred to it as The Signal. One thing that has remained constant throughout the years was a life subscription presented to two young girls who won a Halloween costume contest. Halloween used to be a big deal in Chaffee, and when Barbara Arnold and her sister Bonnie were very small, their mother's friend Berle Wilson, who later became Mrs. Don Miller, bought the girls Mickey and Minnie Mouse false faces and their mother made the costumes to match the masks. All the merchants donated prizes for the best costume, and Barbara and Bonnie won first place. One of the prizes was a lifetime subscription to The Signal. Barbara says this was around 1940-1941 and throughout all those years, every editor has honored the two lifelong subscriptions! She adds that she is guessing they have probably ended now with the merger.

Homemade costumes

Remember when everyone made their Halloween costumes and if any item was purchased, it was the mask? It was fun coming up with themes using what was on hand at the house which for many was an old sheet. Share with us some of your creative homemade costumes.

The movie "Gone Girl" has been getting lots of positive publicity and although a few locals have said they are tired of reading about it, it is fun to see Cape Girardeau, The Bar and other local sights and faces in print and on screen.

Cape was always a popular destination for many of us and one of those stops in Cape was for hamburgers and fries at Wimpy's. Another popular stop was Libson's in downtown Cape. Their store windows showcased beautiful clothes, and shopping there was always fun. I don't know how many sweaters I put in lay-away there and I am certain my Mother, like many, cringed when their daughters returned with Libson purchases. The "older" girls who worked there were probably in their 20s, and we younger girls thought they were pretty, so mature and sophisticated. Let us know if you remember any of the salesgirls' names.

Special words

Remember to tell those special people in your life that 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 nursing homes and hospitals, those undergoing cancer treatments and those recovering from surgery. We thank our many brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country so valiantly. We pray for the safe and timely return of those on active duty.

Contact

Please email your news and comments to me at darbuck2@airmail.net. You may also leave a detailed message at 573/887-6430 or 214/207-7839.

And then ...

Then there was the jeans company making pockets larger to accommodate the new iPhones.