Valentine's Day memories, Super Bowl review and a fresh flower dessert

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Kay Sue Finney.

Happy birthday to Troy and Tyler Collins, Connie Hamilton, Jeff Graviett, Joe Swain, Charlie Hindman, Tilda Davidson, Denny Rose, Kenith Lowery, Randy Dooley, Zach Horman, Sarah Hahn, Alta Laster, Bob Niederkorn, Elizabeth Cummins, James Whorton, Misty Davis, Sidney Burkes, Tyler Graham, John Gramlisch, Shea Smith, Samantha Hendrix, David Pettit, Craig Glenzy, Mark Ballard, Freeda Miller, Debbie Davie, Kevin McCallum, Debbie Gaines, Sally Rogers and Marcella Westrich.

Happy anniversary to Mike and Connie Hamilton, Red and June Lynn and Davey and Misty Davis.

Congratulations to Darren and Tara Lincoln on the birth of their son, Robert Hudson Lincoln. He was born Feb. 4, weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and 20 inches in length. His 4-year-old sister, Addison, and his grandmother, Vicky Martin, are very excited about his arrival!

Fly your flag tomorrow on Presidents Day!

Last Sunday we wondered about Andrew Zupka. Mr. Zupka was superintendent at Chaffee Elementary School in 1954 and taught sixth grade. The mustached man made an impressive appearance with his tall stature and handsome good looks. Young students were intimidated by him -- after all, he was the principal, and if you were sent to him, just waiting to be called in was punishment enough. Former sixth-graders remember him being a wonderful teacher. We would love to know where Mr. Zupka went after Chaffee.

This is Leap Year and, according to an old Irish tradition, the gals can propose marriage. What better month than February, the month of romance?

A Valentine's adventure

With today being Valentine's Day, it is fun to think of special past Valentine's Days. I always think about the time my sister Jo and I decided to surprise our mother by driving up to Chaffee. We left from Dallas in Jo's Cougar convertible after work on a warm evening, with me behind the wheel. About the time we got to Little Rock, Arkansas, my feet were getting cold, so I reached down to turn the heat on. Jo said, "Oh, the heat doesn't work." For some reason we had a pillow in the car, so I put that on top of my foot to block the cold air. When we arrived in Blytheville, Arkansas, the gas attendant asked where we were going. When we told him, he warned us about the frigid weather we were about to hit. By the time we reached Hayti, Missouri, the highways were covered with ice. Trucks were sliding this way and that as we crept along at 20 mph.

When we finally arrived in Chaffee in the wee hours of the morning, we woke our sleeping mother and found out she'd been sick for several days. We stocked her up with cold medicine, food and hugs. I'm not certain who got the bigger surprise but, like all mothers, seeing her daughters made her feel much better. From then on, we checked the weather and car systems. Oh, youth!

Finding success after Dallas

Talk following Super Bowl Sunday was about the terrific win by the Denver Broncos, the postgame attitude of losing Carolina Panthers' quarterback and the commercials. We were thrilled every time Cam Newton was sacked, especially when ex-Cowboy defensive end Demarcus Ware and Dallas area native Von Miller had a hand in it! Von's play got him the MVP award. Broncos' defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, was a former coach of the Dallas Cowboys. It seems when anyone from the Cowboys organization moves on, they find success.

Super Bowl entertainment review

Lady GaGa's singing of our national anthem and the halftime show were great, but the commercials were disappointing, including Budweiser. We want the Clydesdales and the puppies, not Helen Mirren, although her message was fitting -- don't drink and drive.

Too pretty to eat

A rite of passage after I graduated from college was my sister-in-law, Rena, buying me a dress at Neiman Marcus in Dallas for upcoming job interviews. The one we selected was a favorite for many years. Another rite was having lunch in the fancy Zodiac Room at Neiman's. All the talk was about their signature flower pot dessert. It was so pretty with its fresh flowers that one wanted to admire it rather than eat it. It resembled a baked Alaska in a clay flower pot adorned with fresh flowers.

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 start of spring training.