Signs of autumn are upon us -- apples, fall cleanup, football, reunion

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Dennis Mills.

Happy birthday to Coradell Mitchell, Andrew Nix, Jerry Stroup, Dave Fuller, Robin Dannenmueller, James Reischman, Beverly James, Raymond Rowell, Barry Hampton, Anna Nanney, Patty Halter, Carol Swinford, Courtney Burton, Braden Wicker, Jill Hendrix, Heather Wilson, Joann Kirchdoerfer, Gary Pobst, Marie Robert, Linda Welter, Brad Bader, Pauline Asmus, Paul Griffin, Danny Schlosser, Henry Fort, Renee Hitt, Greg Scherer, Della Strop, Jeannie Rice, Tommie Burnett, Jason Rains, Shannon Hendrix, Russell Gardner, Helen Scholz, Barbara Tyler, Vanessa Enderle, Zachary Harris, June Lynn, Rhonda Emerson, Paul Hudson, Kaitlyn Herbst, Shannon Brown, BJ Nunnally, Shannon McIntosh, Micki Horrell, Chris Wessel, Brad Miller, Dorothy Crump, David Heath, Jim Fowler, Joe P. Rice III, Brian Horrell, Betty Proffer, Aunna Kirn and Kason Hanback.

Happy anniversary to Robert and Candi Bowman and Rusty and Lana Rister.

We try to keep our birthday/anniversary lists up to date and we feel bad when we miss someone. That was the case recently with Velma Williams. Her niece, Carol Robinson, informed us that her Aunt Velma passed away in Kelseyville, California, where she lived with her granddaughter, Monae Harrell Rosgen. We apologize for our error, and thank Carol and those of you who help us stay current.

A variety of apples are available now, and we got some good ones at Kinnaman's in Aquilla. Their roadside stand is open Monday and Wednesday from 10:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. We also like to drop by Yoder's Garden Shop & Deli on Highway 25 down from Kinnaman's.

Autumn officially arrives this week, and city hall reminds us to keep our culverts and storm drains clear of debris. A city ordinance prohibits the blowing of lawn clippings into the street, and we urge those of you who use yard crews to make them aware of this ordinance.

The Citywide Sale is Oct. 2 and 3 and Fall Cleanup is Oct. 6 and 8, depending on your scheduled bulk pickup day.

All was well in football-land here and in Dallas after the Rams beat the Seahawks in overtime and the Cowboys won in the final seconds Sunday night! After two weeks of U.S. Open tennis, many of us were hoping for a big win by the classy Roger Federer rather than Novak Djokovic in the grand finale.

Spruced-up library

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, and if you haven't visited our library recently, you should. It has new shelves and the brightly painted walls feature colorful bird prints by Aaron Horrell, most of which was made possible with donations in memory of longtime resident Betty McFerron.

The deadline for getting your checks and reservations in for the Oct. 10 Chaffie High School Alumni Banquet is this Saturday. The cost is $15 per person; dues and donations are welcome.

Another important reminder: The Chaffee Drive-in closes at 9 p.m. next Sunday for the season.

We would like to ask those of you who call to please leave a message. I know some people return calls from caller ID, but we don't, and cannot when we are traveling.

Cure for robocalls

Are you receiving annoying robocalls? Most people are aware of the scams and are not fooled by calls supposedly from the IRS or a relative stranded in another country. I received three recorded messages from the IRS this week with a 509 area code. First of all, when receiving a robocall, ignore them or hang up. You can also join EndRoboCalls.org and sign up for national and state do-not-call lists. If you have an Internet bundle in your home where your phone goes through the Web rather than a landline, sign up for NoMoRobo.com. It is a free service that blocks most robocalls immediately.

'No problem'

An interesting segment aired regarding wait persons' and cashiers' routine reply of "no problem." The point being made is that they are service business personnel and are stating the obvious because customer care should not be a problem. It is interesting to note how often we hear "no problem" instead of "you're welcome."

Special words

Remember to tell those special people in your life that you love them -- those three words mean so very much.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are missing loved ones, our homebound, those in hospitals and nursing homes and those undergoing cancer treatments. 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 driver who got a $120 ticket in a small town for having a bent, dirty license plate.