RIVER CITY JOURNAL: CAT MOVES; HIGH PRAISE FOR GOLF PLAN; MAYOR SAYS HOWDY

It has been a hectic week in River City, and this weekend will be busy with the Shady Nook School reunion over yonder.

Yes.

The nice cat has a good home.

The outpouring of concern was unbelievable after last week's column, which was a commercial for the pride of cat proprietorship.

A wonderful woman from near Jackson called at 6:30 -- that's a.m. -- last Friday to inquire about taking the cat, which needed a new home after three years of bliss in our household because of orders from my wife's allergy doctor.

As it turns out, my wife is highly allergic to cats. Interestingly, I am allergic to doctors. Go figure.

The woman who called so early was apologetic, and, by way of explanation, said she wanted to call at 4 a.m. but didn't think it was a good idea. I was 100 percent in agreement.

Finding a good home for our nice cat turned out to be difficult, not because no one was interested, but because so many of you were. I believe all of you would have made wonderful cat servants. You did understand, didn't you, when you called, that you were volunteering to cater to the cat's every whim? I must say cats know about every whim in the book.

The couple who took the nice cat home live only about a block away. Their lifestyle is quite similar to our own. And the cat will continue to be queen of the hill -- once she gets these new owners properly trained.

I tried to tell the new owners some of her expectations, hoping they would sense the need for continuity. I also made it clear that, while I could joke about adopting a cat to be used for stir fry, I certainly didn't want to hear such ghastly humor from them.

So, thank you, every one of you who called and either offered to take the cat or expressed concern about her well-being. Let me assure you this cat leads a wonderful life, and she has eight more to go after this one.

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And there's more gratitude.

Everyone likes to hear compliments, and newspaper editors are compliment sponges. We hear our share of problems and complaints, many of them well-founded. So when compliments come our way, we accept them as bonuses.

I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am when one of you comes up to me and says something nice about this column or the newspapers or someone you have dealt with at the newspaper.

Just this week I was at a huge store when a nice couple with a loaded shopping cart came over and introduced themselves. They mentioned they had gone to the park at the common pleas courthouse on the bluff overlooking downtown. They said they didn't see me or any signs of the golf course I proposed a couple of weeks ago.

Out of genuine concern, I asked if they had brought their clubs when they came to the park. Fortunately, they hadn't.

For all the nice things -- and funny things -- folks tell me, thank you, thank you, thank you.

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But now that you brought up the golf course, let me give you an update.

Everyone who has mentioned my idea for a par-three course in the wonderful green area around the courthouse has been in favor of the idea.

If I were one of those high-priced pollsters, I could accurately report that the concept of a golf course in downtown Cape Girardeau has an approval rating of 100 percent (with a margin of error of plus or minus 0 percent).

But, I'm not a high-priced pollster. So just let me say this: Chicago has a downtown golf course. Why not Cape?

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From time to time, I tell you tidbits from my favorite hometown over in the Ozark hills west of here. I grew up on a farm in Kelo Valley near my favorite hometown (four miles as the crow flies; nine miles by the highway -- remember, this is in the Ozarks).

I have even mentioned the mayor of my favorite hometown, whose name is Gaylon Watson. Folks keep re-electing him, so he must be doing something right.

One thing about Gaylon: If you ever meet him, you'll like him. He's one of those friendly fellows who never met a stranger. What I remember most about him is the newspaper ads he runs every few years when it's time to run for re-election. Among his many qualities, he always mentions that he's a "pretty good crappie fisherman." I think that deserves votes, don't you?

Believe it or not, I had never met Mayor Watson until just the other day when he popped in unexpectedly. He said he had read all the nice things I'd written about my favorite hometown, and he wanted to say hello.

We had a nice visit. His purpose for traveling to Cape Girardeau was to drive a friend to one of our hospitals for special treatments. That's a pretty nice thing for anyone to do, and a lot of folks from my favorite hometown depend on the wonderful array of medical services in Cape Girardeau.

By the time Gaylon left, we were old friends. It was an enjoyable visit. And it makes me feel good to know my favorite hometown has such a loyal cheerleader at the helm.

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One final note: This is the big weekend for the first-ever reunion at Shady Nook School on Greenwood Valley where I started my education more than 45 years ago. My mother is going too, because she taught there. I plan to give you a full report next week, after I've consumed some of Mother's fried chicken and some of Mrs. Brown's famous cinnamon rolls. (I know those cinnamon rolls are famous, because I have personally told everyone I know about them in every state I've ever lived.)

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.