Some swearing we can all appreciate

I was fortunate during the Christmas holiday to spend some time with family and while back home, stayed with my best friend and her husband. Linda and Kent have been together for nearly 15 years, but I never noticed until last week how often they refer to one another as "honey."

It has become an all-purpose term between them, used with tones of affection, distraction, irritation, anger and forgiveness.

Every now an then, in the middle of working with words all day, an old familiar one will suddenly sound entirely different. Think about the word "swearing."

I had almost forgotten that this word, which people smarter than I have traced back to Old High German, means something besides cussing.

Its nicest meaning refers to taking a serious vow, or an oath. That's what came to mind while reading an e-mail from Cape Girardeau County election supervisor Joey Keys. He wrote a reminder that at 10 a.m. Wednesday, County Clerk Kara Clark will hold the swearing-in ceremony for all newly elected (or re-elected) county officials, among them incoming 1st District Commissioner Paul Koeper and returning treasurer Roger Hudson.

Basically, each elected official will be asked to swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri and behave appropriately to his or her office.

The ceremony will be held in on the third floor of the county administration building, 1 Barton Square in Jackson, in the county commission chambers.

For details, call the county clerk's office at 243-3547.

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A completely different type of swearing could ensue among people trying to discard Christmas trees, especially if the water in the holder spills onto the rug. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources sent out a few suggestions, starting with making plans to keep next year's tree planted firmly outside. For this year's leftover, consider turning it into mulch. The DNR also suggests tossing it into a lake or pond to create a natural fish habitat, but also suggests getting permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first.

The DNR statement also asks that all the tinsel and other decoration be removed before putting it outside again, to keep the environment clean. A long list of suggestions is posted at the DNR's website, www.dnr.mo.gov/pubs/pub184.pdf, but you can also call 800-361-4827 or 573-751-5401 to ask for tips.

Which leads to another reminder -- since I personally forgot this one last week -- Thursday is a government holiday, and that means some of us need to put the trash by the curb Wednesday.

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As the year winds down it's easy to review the highs and lows and hope to do better in the future. One of my big regrets this year is not spending more time with the late Ivan Irvin, former mayor of Cape Girardeau, before he died March 19. Though he served just two years, those two years were pivotal in U.S. history: 1969 and 1970.

A one-time Town Plaza retailer and real estate agent, Irvin had to deal with at least one municipal sit-in over housing problems, and flash flooding that affected his shop. It was a tumultuous time. Whenever he and I spoke about it, his eyes danced.

"If we do what is best for the majority or what is best for the community," he once wrote, "we are still going to step on some toes. Not everybody will be happy."

In 2009, we'll get the chance to see a whole lot of people, from the president-elect on down to our hometown officials, demonstrate what their oath of office really means. I look forward to writing those stories.

Questions, suggestions or tips for Lost on Main Street? E-mail pmcnichol@semissourian.com or call 573-388-3646.