Local congratulations, books for sale and Fourth of July reminders

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Harley Wicker, Chelsea and Courtney Walter, Jack Simpson, Ashley Davis, Mark McGuire, David Griffin, Sarah Benton, Mary Eifert, Deanna Bridwell, Kevin Teegarden, Darren Lee, Bud Haislip, Jeannie Walker, David Dalton, Storm Estes, Wayne Ford, Andy Terhune, Lisa Davis, Mary Ann Keller, Julie Seyer, Miranda Estes, Elaine Schlegel and Mandy Harris. Also, Loretta Arnzen, Marilyn Dame, Ruby Dixon, Judith Jones, Wanda Lovel, Sandra Patterson, Lee Cook, Betty Guzman, Sally Hahn, Robert Schwepker, Carla Shoemaker and Everette Snider.

Happy anniversary to Mike and Cindy Wibbenmeyer, Jim and Bonnie Haney, Stephen and Shelly Schrum, Steve and Karen Whitaker, Herman and Donna Sadler, Bill and Becky Hanlon and Mike and Ann Hinkebein.

We hope all the fathers out there had a grand Father's Day last Sunday. Did you know in the animal world, fewer than 5 percent of the males care for their young? Grizzly bears are the worst, as they are known to kill their own cubs. In the world of birds, males in 90 percent of the species share the duties of nest-building, egg sitting and feeding the young. In the case of songbirds, the fathering goes even further, with the male teaching the very young songbirds to sing! You can read that and more in a new book, "The Genius of Birds," by Jennifer Ackerman. Meanwhile, we remind you to feed and water the birds.

Scholarly congratulations

We have congratulated Hannah Seyer of Chaffee High School and other area high school valedictorians, and now we would like to send out special congratulations to Kylie Jackson of Scott City for making the dean's list at Southeast Missouri State University, where she is majoring in nursing. Kylie is the 2015 recipient of the Ruth A. Buckhannon Memorial RN Scholarship.

Plastic plant opens

Kudos to Fort Worth, Texas-based Select Plastics for opening a manufacturing plant in Scott City! The determining factor for choosing Scott City was the availability of trained personnel who previously worked at Spartech/PolyOne.

Local coloring book produced

Coloring books for adults are very popular now. Coloring pictures is of my most precious and fun memories of time spent with my mother when I was taking care of her. Local artists Aaron Horrell and Barb Bailey of the Marble Hill, Missouri, area have created the first of two coloring books suitable for adults as well as older children. The book contains whimsical hand-drawn images. "Alison Barbaron's Color Book for Kids of All Ages" is available at the Painted Wren Art Gallery and Amazon.com direct. While ordering the coloring book, you also can get my timeless guide to caregiving, "Old and in the Way: Caring for Yourself and the Ones You Love."

Firework guidelines

Firework hours start this Tuesday and continue through July 3 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Fourth from 9 a.m. to midnight. There always seem to be the rule breakers who go past the 9 p.m. cutoff. We remind you that unless you have a special permit, fireworks are permitted on your property only; they are prohibited on alleyways, streets, public parks and city property. Please be considerate of others.

City Council will meet Tuesday, July 5.

Fourth of July festivities

Fourth of July activities at Harmon Field include a cornhole tournament starting at 4 p.m. for ages 10 and older. Registration is $10 and starts at 3:30 p.m. There will be cash prizes. The pool will be open from 1 to 10 p.m., with pool games starting at 6:30. There will be concessions, and fireworks begin at dusk.

Weathering criticism

I don't know who gets more criticism -- the postal system or television weather people, most of whom are now meteorologists; I would say the latter. They oftentimes are criticized for being wrong, and many of us wonder why they feel compelled to give a weather report every 10 minutes, especially during the hot summer months, when temperatures seldom vary. They often grasp for new ideas. For instance, when giving rain chances, one meteorologist in Texas put a new twist on things by going into great detail as to why one should say, as an example, that 80 percent of the viewing area will see rain rather than there is an 80 percent chance of rain.

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 church marquee: "Believe in the SON even when it rains."