Otters, martins and finches make the scene, and we're having a meltdown

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Ralph Melton.

Happy birthday this week to Donnie Kiefer, Kelly Spies, Tammie Harmon, Betty Mirly, Adam Beard, Tonya Lynn, Rick Cobb, Sharon Gibbons, David Owens, Glenda Baker, Lawrence Vaughn, Margie Lee, Jody Hargrove, Jon Kessler, Kathy Blevins, Aggie Abernathy, Imogene Dumey, Easton Pobst, Megan Kerber, Peggy Kerber, Ray Dowd, Willie Evans, Charles Ditto, Betty Montgomery, Carl Seyer, Wayne Turner, Tara Duncan, David Glastetter, Zac Hindman, Alfred Wolfe, Brian Pfefferkorn, Robyn Hindman and Aaron Wilson.

Happy anniversary to David and Sue Slinkard, Mark and Brenda Freed, Mike and Emily Eichhorn and Stan and Brenda Shields.

This week in Missouri nature, young otters appear in dens near rivers and lakes, purple martins arrive and mourning doves build nests. The American goldfinches are out in numbers and eating sunflower and thistle. They haven't turned their pretty yellow summer colors, but they are delightful to watch along with our other songbirds.

The 'Chaffe' Tribune

Looks like Phil Punxsutawney was in the 10 ring on with his six more weeks of winter. Chaffee and our 7.5-inch snowfall made the March 5 edition of the Chicago Tribune newspaper along with Poplar Bluff's 8 inches and the 8 inches in Olive Branch, Illinois. My sister, Jo, called, happy to see her hometown of Chaffee in her city newspaper although it was missing an "e" in their spelling. How fitting was this month's full moon, suitably named When Eyes are Sore from Bright Snow!

Dallas received 4 inches of snow with that same wave of artic air, and, that along with a previous snowfall, broke a 68-year record for March. Even the Chisholm Trail Jeep Club hitched together and got into the action helping drivers in distress, including pulling 18-wheelers and police cars out of ditches.

This Friday is the first day of spring. Tulips are popping up but there are not many signs of spring just yet. The big snow meltdown continues, and, with all the rain we have had, water is everywhere. The archaic ritual of "springing forward" and the dark, rainy mornings have made for some grumpy early risers. The sump pumps are running and the cars are lined up at the car washes.

You know it's pretty slushy when weatherman Grant Wade at KFVS-12 Heartland News was giving us the "slush factor" each day. On a brighter note, you can look into our pre-dawn sky for a sign of summer.

Its best known star pattern, the Summer Triangle, marked by stars Vega, Deneb and Altair, is visible in the east at first light.

The cookbooks are in at the Chaffee Public Library! Cost is $10 each.

City Council meets Monday at 7 p.m. at city hall. Citywide Spring Clean-up is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, and Thursday, April 9, on your respective scheduled trash pick-up days. The city asks residents to please place trash inside trash containers and not on the ground.

They also encourage people to pull their trash bins in close to the house after your weekly pickup rather than leaving them on the parkway throughout the week.

Robotics team rolls on

Belated birthday wishes go out to Cindy Gadberry and Belinda McMurry, who celebrated their special days March 8. Belinda had an especially nice birthday in that the Chaffee High School Robotics team coached by her husband, Jaron McMurry, won at state in Rolla last weekend.

All three teams excelled, with Furious George winning Alliance, Girls with Attitude won the Inspire Award and Semper Fi the PTC Design Award. Congratulations to them for their state wins, and we will be cheering Furious George and Girls with Attitude as they travel to super regional competition in Iowa.

Parades and lots of St. Patrick's Day activities were happening this weekend as well as this Tuesday, the actual day.

Last week's "then there was" had to do with faux fur. A recent report revealed that many clothes and accessories that are sold as fake fur are actually made with real fur. Sources include rabbit and a raccoon-like animal called a raccoon dog.

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 are with those who are missing loved ones, with our homebound, and those in hospitals and nursing homes. 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 Greatest Show on Earth, soon to be without the majestic elephants for the first time since their debut in 1870.