'Phantom' birthday, signs of spring in wildlife and eagle eyes

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Carolyn Oliver.

Happy birthday this week to Nancy Griffin, Mary Maddock, James Shannon, Tommy Rauch, William Hargrove, Bob Baert, Patricia McDonald, Brandon Parker, Chris Hampton, Brenda White, Mark Totty, Jim Kemper, Logan Emerson, Lewis Hamilton, Ruby Hester, Julie Hodge, Alfred Horman, Sharon Ayers, Frances Bollinger, Patty Tanksley, Kenneth Chapman, Megan Devenport, Travis Lee, Charlie Clark, AJ Glastetter, Joyce Estes, Pansey Acey, Jerome Kluesner, Hailey Peters, Jaimie Emerson, Joshua King, Jimmy Smith, Joseph Stagoski, Bob Dennis and Daisy Williams.

Happy anniversary to Craig and Allison Ressel and Doug and Carol Sutterfield.

Ruth Anne Glency had a special birthday gift this year. It was the sunniest and warmest day of the year on her actual birthday, the 11th, and the following Sunday, her daughters, Brenda Dannenmueller and Gayliene Glency, and daughter in law, Tonya Glency, took her to St. Louis to see "Phantom of the Opera." Ruth Anne said they had a wonderful evening; they enjoyed dinner and, afterward, the lovely music and performance of the opera.

Mel's, then Mingo

We visited Mingo National Wildlife Refuge after lunch at Mel's in Puxico. Richard was pleased that raisin pie was on the dessert menu. We stopped by the new visitor center to visit with the ranger regarding recent sightings of wildlife. We walked the boardwalk over the still thawing swamp and saw a kingfisher and two very vocal hawks. Although the Auto Tour is not open yet we drove other roads and saw deer, merganser, shoveler and mallard ducks, Canada geese and red ear turtles. We spotted a mature and a juvenile eagle that is always exciting and a migrating osprey! We were pretty happy with our sightings but things got even better -- we saw a couple of eagles then five perched in one cypress tree! It was at the pond area where there is a wooden handicap-accessible lookout. We counted 12 eagles that included juveniles and two adults. It was fun watching them fly then perch and one adult looked as if it was trying to teach the young perched eagles to catch a duck. We are pretty spoiled here with our resident eagles, but it was always a special delight to see the majestic birds whether it is one or a dozen.

Spring is officially here! The snow melted, the sun came out and then, the rains came! Water was everywhere and sent a vivid reminder to everyone to keep your culverts and ditches clear of debris.

Things have been a mess around town with the winter weather and the water project, but it is not too early to gather (do not put out yet) items for the Citywide Spring Clean-up April 7 and 9.

The City reminds residents that all park pavilions are available for rent at a cost of $5.

Artist in you?

Did you ever wish you could be an artist? You can do so now through the end of April at the Painted Wren Art Gallery in downtown Cape. Each visitor to the gallery has the opportunity to "be an artist for one minute" for a $1 donation. All money raised in this "Paint for a Cause" goes to the Safe House for Women in Cape. Aaron Horrell thanks the following for their generosity: the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History of Marble Hill for the paint; Victor Kantchex of Cape Girardeau for the stretched canvas and Belinda Kokoro of Marion, Ill. for the frame for the completed art. The project is expected to end late April or early May. Richard and I participated--he enhanced a squirrel and I painted spots on a strawberry. Drop by and enjoy your artistic minute for a great cause!

Barbara Arnold tells that the Historical Museum needs volunteers to get the museum up and running again. Those interested can call her at 887-3272 or Shirley Lee at 887-6677. Annual memberships are also available for $10 per year. Send your checks to PO Box 185 Chaffee 63740.

We wish the Chaffee High School teams great success as they travel to Des Moines, Iowa this week to compete in the super-regionals.

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, 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 man who removed the bike pedals so he could advertise the bike as having low mileage.