Witnessing the winter migration, wildlife in the area

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Richard Nation, Justin Wilson, Kathy Enderle, Robert Hudson Lincoln, Kevin Ancell, Don Hester, CB Stidham, Keith Ancell, Darren McIntosh, Derrick Uhrhan, Tom Leible, Correy Chapman, Danny Walter, James Tollison, Brenda Bryant, Chris Siebert, Wade Cannon, Butch Baker, Rocky Rainey, Jr., Missy Ikerman, Trevor Duncan, Ruth Ann Hailey, Shirley Hefner, Becky Glastetter, Mike Dragoni, Eddie Wagoner and Becky Heisserer.

City Council meets 7 p.m. Monday at city hall.

The program "Mommy and Me" is from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Chaffee Public Library.

Tax season is here, and you are invited to drop by the Senior Center on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon for free AARP tax help.

Congratulations to Chaffee senior Mary Knutson, daughter of Chris and Diana Knutson, for being awarded the University Scholarship; also to Notre Dame senior Alexander Eftink, son of Keith and Julie Eftink, for being awarded the Regents' Scholarship.

After a tease of warm weather, Old Man Winter returned with a blast of frigid air and an alert for possible frozen precipitation.

The skies have been busy with flocks, also known as skein or plump, of honking geese heading south, north and northeast toward Anna, Illinois. Richard and I also were delighted to see two eagles flying over the fields north of Dame Street. Watching the majestic birds is always a special treat.

We drove through Trail of Tears State Park the other day, and there was little bird activity; we did see three deer. The visitor center is closed but will reopen in May. No one likes to make that long walk to the front door only to find it locked -- especially when your bladder is under pressure.

Julep history

One of the books I am reading is "Pre-Prohibition Cocktails; Potations So Good They Scandalized a President" by Tom Bullock. A master bartender, Bullock first revealed his recipes in 1917 in his classic book "The Ideal Bartender." He was the ideal bartender to many wealthy men and women at exclusive country clubs such as the St. Louis Country Club and luxurious train cars, especially during Prohibition. A Spanish filmmaker said he never drank so much as he did during the five months he spent in the U.S. during Prohibition. George Herbert Walker (1875-1953), grandfather of the 41st U.S. president, George H.W. Bush, and patron of the St. Louis Country Club, was one of Tom Bullock's friends, along with August A. Busch Sr.

Obviously, we all are familiar with the Busch ongoing legacy, but how many of us know what contributions August Sr. made in the 13 long years of Prohibition and the early phase of the Great Depression? His inventiveness kept thousands of people legally employed and millions more fed. Anheuser-Busch, the company he saved, has helped shape the face of American culture. Anticipating Prohibition, Busch invented a non-alcoholic beer, Bevo, in 1916 to keep the company his father-in-law founded financially solvent and workers employed. Bevo became an international phenomenon and sold in more than 20 countries. Sadly, August Sr. shot himself Feb. 13, 1934, having endured a long battle with heart disease and gout.

The part of the title that caught my eye is "Potations So Good They Scandalized a President." In 1913, several newspapers accused former President Teddy Roosevelt of being a drunk and unfit for office. Roosevelt sued and testified in court he only had consumed parts of two drinks in his life, one of which was a Mint Julep at the St. Louis Country Club. An editorial May 18, 1913, in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, stated there was no way a person, especially a colonel, could stop after one sip of Tom Bullock's Mint Julep. After all, Bullock, the great mixologist, was taught the art of the julep by Marse Lilburn G. McNair, the father of the julep. The very cup that Col. Roosevelt drank it from belonged to Gov. McNair, the first governor of Missouri, and the great-grandfather of Marse Lilburn and the great-great-grandfather of the julep.

Super day on hand

It's here -- Super Bowl Sunday! Enjoy the game, festivities, snacks and beverages; and remember, don't drink and drive. We can all return to our 2018 resolutions Monday!

As always

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

Email your news to darbuck2@airmail.net or call (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

And then ..,

Then there was Super Bowl LII.