Make it a memorable Mother's Day by cleaning up your room

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Jessica Holland, Carol Galloway, Emma Dalton, Eddie Lair, Gail Dumey, Debra Bader, Jimmy Roberts, Rick Duncan, Larry Glueck, David Moore, Jessie Brown, Wanda Hahn, Chris Montgomery, Shirley Jones, Leslie Herbst, Richard Sanders, Sherry Dirnberger, Rachel Daniel, Shirley Barber, Troy Wilburn, Madison Cannon, Candi Bowman, Mary Rose, Dayneen Glastetter, Anna Kinder, Samantha Kluesner, Darlene Seyer, Tull Garner, Kathy Reisenbichler and Delbert Horman.

Happy anniversary to Anthony and Rosemary Elfrink, Chris and Priscilla Hornbuckle, Denis and Francis Wagoner, Bud and Denise Haislip, Chris and Veronica Kirn, Steve and Marilyn Benton, Clifford and Mary Jo Barlow, Dave and Christy VanToll, Roy and Margaret Husband, Bobby and Kathy Sexton and Kelley and Brenda Swain.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today we celebrate mothers, whether they are here with us physically or in spirit. We have special memories of making Mother's Day extra special for the person who has done so much and sacrificed for us whether we were deserving or not. There is nothing more comforting than the love of our mother, especially on those days when we were little stinkers. I think it is interesting that today is also Clean Up Your Room Day! Give your mother an added joy, clean up your room!

What a voice

It is fitting on this Mother's Day to talk about Mary Hopkins, a mother to sons Jae and Mark and our English teacher who taught many of us not only grammar but proper behavior. I mentioned Mrs. Hopkins several issues ago about singing an Easter hymn at the First Baptist Church. Her son Mark Hopkins tells me when she sang "Were You There?" from the balcony on an Easter morning in 1959 or so, she did so only because First Baptist Church song director and Chaffee High School music director Durwood Lawson paid her a special visit to ask her. The piece required someone who could hit a high A and hold it, and that she could!

Mark said it was the last time she sang solo publicly. She started doing so in the 1920s and 1930s and was soloist for the 140th Infantry Band and billed as "Little Mary Lankford." Mark said musical director Oscar T. Honey, who directed from 1920 to 1940, often held the little less than 5-foot-tall girl on his shoulder so the audience could see her.

Mark said his mother never sang in the school or church choir when she was growing up because her voice teacher dictated to her where and what she could sing. She and others missed out on the joy of her singing at those venues. He said when he was about 8 years old, he saw his mother walk out on a bare stage with nothing but a microphone and sing "Getting to Know You" to approximately 17,000 attendees at the Missouri State Teacher's Meeting in St. Louis. She received a five minute standing ovation. He said it made such an impression on him that after that experience, he saw his mother in a very different "light!"

Beauty for the eyes

We have been enjoying a full moon, which is often referred to as Bright Moon, Planting Moon and Moon When Leaves Are Green. The bright planet Jupiter was nearby as was the fainter Spica, the leading star of Virgo.

Richard and I were surprised last Sunday in Dallas when a pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks showed up on our feeder! The male left, but the female hung around for several days.

Now that things are drying out, we can get back to planting. I am certain that the flower seeds I planted in my color box before the rains came ended up in one spot for a single burst of color.

Warning for the eyes

A lot of buzz has been about the Aug.t 21 total solar eclipse and our area being the prime viewing spot. Thousands of visitors are expected. Columnist Joe Sullivan has warned readers about the dangers of looking directly at the sun during an eclipse. He is urging us to get the special eclipse-viewing glasses that are available from Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics and Thousand Oaks Optics. I followed his advice and ordered Rainbow glasses on Amazon, which ships free if you have Amazon Prime. Order yours today before the big rush!

Reminders

Remember to tell those special people in your life, especially your mother, you love them -- those words mean so very much.

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

And then ...

Then there was this special day we celebrate and honor our Mother.