Springing forward, an attorney turned chocolatier and sumac seed seasoning

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Bobby Fisher.

Happy birthday to Zeke Sietman, Pam Wilson, Charles Hemingway, Jaimie Ralph, Marty Moore, Sheila Richardson, Taylor Friga, Danny Lindy, Kori Markwood, Sam Burnett, Whitney Horrell, Susan Hampton, Belinda McMurry, Katie Pfefferkorn, Ken Schlitt, Cindy Gadberry, Freddie Wicker, Jim Haney, Mayme Cobb, Ronnie Senciboy, Jeannie Chapman, Charlene Johnson, Norma Mawhinney, Margaret Cahill, Brianna Hibdon, Melanie Clubb, GP Glueck, Johnny King, Chris Kirn, Ruth Anne Glency, Ruth Welborn, Harry Imhoff, Bobby Sexton, Dale Tenkhoff, Betty Sides, David Tuller, Sean Hampton, Linda Lowery and Frances White.

Happy anniversary to Andy and Adrianne Obermann, Ron and Tammy Eifert, Butch and Lisa Davis and Danny and Sarah Gordon.

March is Music in Our Schools Month, Irish American Month, National Women's History Month, Red Cross Month and Social Workers Month.

Today is National Frozen Food Day and we all are screaming for ice cream! The Chaffee Drive-In reopens tomorrow for the summer season. I am certain the first in line will be Bob Burnett!

Other signs of spring are the sights and sounds in nature. In Dallas, a sign that spring is here is the departure of the beautiful white pelicans that winter in Texas. Watch for new beaks at your feeders! The stunning rose-breasted grosbeaks migrate through Southeast Missouri in early spring. They like black oil sunflower seeds and prefer platform feeders. The males are black, white and red, and the females are brown.

Sporting transitions

Those of us watching the Honda Classic Golf Tournament last Sunday got to see an osprey perched high in a tree. The majestic raptor is quite a sight, and Richard and I have, on occasion, spotted one at Lake Tywappity.

We NFL fans have endured our withdrawal from the season and have transitioned into tennis, golf, NASCAR and of course the St. Louis Cardinals!

Springtime obligations

We will spring forward one hour next Sunday when we return to Daylight Saving Time. Like it or not, we continue with this twice-a-year routine of turning our clocks back and forth an hour.

Tax time is here and the senior center offers free AARP tax help every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon. Be alert to any IRS scams that may be going around, especially this time of year. The senior center also is accepting sellable items for its yard sale fundraiser Easter weekend.

Missouri chocolatier recognized

Easter comes early this year -- March 27. Special services and Easter egg hunts will abound as we celebrate that He is risen on this sacred holiday.

On the lighter side, the chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs are on full display and tempting. Did you know a chocolate company in our great state of Missouri was recently featured in Forbes magazine as one of 25 Best Small Companies? Based in Springfield, Askinosie Chocolate has 17 employees and works with cacao farmers in Ecuador, Tanzania, Honduras and the Philippines. The farmers are treated as business partners by including them in a profit-sharing program. Since the fine chocolate isn't blended from different suppliers, each batch can be directly tied to a single source. Former criminal defense attorney, CEO and founder Shawn Askinosie makes several pilgrimages every year to visit his suppliers and adds that some farmers in Tanzania had never tasted chocolate until now.

Chaffee High School engineers excel

All three Chaffee High School Robotics teams are in Rolla, Missouri, this weekend to compete for state. If they do well, as they have done in the past, they will head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Seasoning with sumac

Sumac berries for seasoning? Yes, according to an article in the Wall Street Weekend Journal, those roadside plants that are so colorful in the fall. The tiny red berries are dried, ground and used in all types of recipes. It adds a lemony taste without being acidic. Michael Solomonov, chef of the contemporary Israeli restaurant Zahav in Philadelphia, likes to combine the spice with yogurt and lemon juice, adding that it is far superior to buttermilk dressing. He smears chicken with sumac-garlic butter and uses the spice in meat, vegetables and soups. Let us know if you try it out, but I think I would buy it from a Middle Eastern market before gathering it from the roadside.

Final thoughts

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

Please 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 criminal defense attorney who got in the chocolate business.