TBY: The Best Years

Caroline Thompson goes into her art studio every day. Sometimes she paints for hours on end, creating beautiful abstract pieces she hangs in her home and gallery. Yet there are many times she just sits down, takes in her surroundings, observes the smells of the studio and cleans the brushes. It’s a practice she learned from a respected art teacher long ago: the practice of showing up, of being present, of being still. And it’s this type of teaching that continues to inspire Thompson today...

Many of you have wondered about our mysterious neighbor to the north, the country of Canada. They really don’t get a lot of attention, so I will attempt to correct the situation. Since my mother, Joan, who is a nice person, has visited every province of Canada and I have listened to her stories, I consider myself something of an expert. At least compared to you...

I have seldom thought about getting old, but it happened. Before this year winds down (on the last day of December) I will, God-willing, mark another birthday — the big 9-0. From that cold December morning arrival in a modest house along Angelica Street in north St. ...

Dale Spell Dale Spale has been making candy buckeyes at Christmas for 15 to 20 years. He is known in his family as the keeper of the buckeye recipe. “I tell my grandkids they have to be certified before [they can make them by themselves], they have to help me at least one time making them. ...

“That’s a pie crust promise. Easily made. Easily broken.” — Mary Poppins Because Mary Poppins is “practically perfect in every way,” perhaps making pie crust is easy for her, but for most of us, it is an extra step we don’t always have the time to take...

A co-worker and I were discussing how much we enjoy the end-of-year festivities and how the holiday season can be a time of great joy, spending time with family, eating food that we don’t often allow ourselves to indulge in, buying presents and enjoying the kind mood people find themselves in. ...

The holidays are all about celebrating what’s good, but that doesn’t mean scammers are taking a vacation. Better Business Bureau (BBB) reminds consumers that con artists see busy, overburdened shoppers as likely targets for their schemes. Some common scams this holiday season include:...

No, Donnie LeGrand didn’t push Santa Claus off a roof. That might be one avenue of becoming Santa according to the movie “The Santa Clause,” but it didn’t happen that way for Donnie and his wife, Mrs. Claus, who goes by Gera throughout the rest of the year...

In 1799, patriarch Amos Byrd and his three sons, Stephen, John and Abraham, along with their families, ventured west of the Mississippi River in search of new land to own. They arrived in the area of Post Cape Girardeau, soon to become known as the Missouri Territory. ...

It began with a small mistake. Moth and Raynor Winn simply trusted the wrong person with their friendship and their money. And at first, their business investment was only a minor loss. But when they received a court summons for the repayment of a debt they never incurred, everything snowballed. Their savings ran dry as they paid for lawyers. Their incorrectly-filed evidence became useless in court. The home they restored and the business they created were taken away because of a technicality...

To say my interest in putting out Christmas yard ornaments and outdoor lights is an obsession would be an overstatement. But putting out a manger scene and stringing up four dozen or more strands of lights has become the norm. Perhaps I wouldn’t remember it on my own, but photos from my childhood help me “remember” that our family had a Christmas tree early on. Those were the days when we had silver tinsel and the original colored ceramic lights one can now find in antique stores...

1. Name the sitcom that featured the Kramdens and Nortons. 2. What was the name of the actor who played Ricky Ricardo on “I Love Lucy?” 3. Who was the first host of Saturday Night Live? 4. Mr. Green Jeans was a character in which children’s show? 5. Who played Chester in “Gunsmoke?”...

Robert Owens is a travelling peddler who roams from one town to the next selling his wares. And in many ways, he is simply ordinary, just one of the many salesmen who pass through Evie Dawson’s unnamed town. But Robert’s merchandise is unlike anything this town has seen before: he deals in dreams. For a small fee, he will concoct a vial of any heart’s deepest desires. For just one night, almost any dream can come true, and satisfaction is guaranteed...

He was a member of the Navy. She worked at a law office. He was stationed on a ship headed for Vietnam when he received a telegram: “Birth. Daughter. Mother and daughter fine.” She delivered their first child. Decades later, the couple still keeps that military history alive through curating exhibits at the Perry County Military History Museum in Perryville, Missouri. ...

As I sit down to tell the tale of my experiences in the Transpac 2019 Yacht Race, it is hard to believe it actually happened. A few short days ago, I was still on the water racing to Honolulu, completely immersed in the moment and mentally focused on the task at hand of getting across the finish line ASAP. ...

I’m thankful that my kids are well and healthy, and that everything is going good right now, and there’s no complications that have been going on lately. — Michelle Turner I’m just thankful for my family, that God is for me and he’s with me, and I just thank him that things are as well as they are...

Judy Cureton, cyclist and resident of Cape Girardeau, has cycled on all six continents that are not covered in ice. It’s an impressive feat, incorporating a passion Cureton doesn’t keep to herself: she uses her love of cycling as an excuse to open her home to cycling tourists riding through the area who need a place to stay for the night and for whom a warm shower might be just what they need to unwind after a long day of cycling...

When I was about to start my freshman year of high school, I looked with excitement at the descriptions of electives in the student handbook. The problem was: because I was in the orchestra and choir, my counselor told me if I was college-bound, I wouldn’t have time for additional electives like Foods. ...

It’s 2:15 in the afternoon, and Herman Erzfeld is stirring apple butter in an iron kettle over a wood fire outside St. Joseph Church in Apple Creek, Missouri. He’s been stirring since 6:45 that morning, and he still has approximately 15 minutes to go before the water has evaporated from the apple butter and it’s thick enough to take off the fire...

My first acquaintance with Trinity Lutheran School in Cape was my first day of kindergarten. I was just about to turn five. My mom walked me from the car to the classroom, but when she waved goodbye, I started crying. The other kids started laughing and pointing at me. My first educational challenge! Thanks to a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Bender, my fears and tears soon evaporated, leaving me behaving like a full-fledged kindergartner...

Louis Perkins, 750 W. Rodney Drive in Cape Girardeau, is shown with 16 pumpkins weighing an aggregate of 200 pounds, taken from one vine in his garden in October 1958. The largest of the collection weighed 25 pounds. Perkins didn’t plant the pumpkin seed that caused all this. It came up voluntarily and covered most of the rear of his lot...

The Koenigs create memories for families at Perryville Pumpkin Farm For most of us, we only think about pumpkins for a few months each year. But for Brian and Dianna Koenig’s family of Perryville Pumpkin Farm in Perryville, Missouri, planning for the harvest season starts way before the fall. ...

Jim Long, resident of Jackson, began bowling while attending high school in Ferguson, Missouri. Although he says he didn’t enjoy school because he wrote words backward and in those days, teachers didn’t know how to help students who struggled in this way, there was a bowling alley called Weber Lanes across the street from his high school. ...

Most of you know the story of the dodo bird, a very large (30 to 50 pounds!), flightless bird which went extinct a long time ago. Found on the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, it’s one of the most well-known examples of human-induced extermination...

You might not expect tai chi and boxing lessons to converge with medical advice. However, when treating Parkinson’s — which can be difficult to diagnose and currently has no cure — education on new resources can make a world of difference. The Parkinson’s Support Group of Southeast Missouri provides just that. Through meetings led by group coordinator Desma Reno, individuals with Parkinson’s can grow to a better understanding of how to handle a Parkinson’s diagnosis...

Robin’s father is a monster — a murderer. He is the infamous Sen. Norman Windsor who was tried and convicted of three counts of murder and his alleged dealings with al-Qaeda. Robin’s mother played the role of an accomplice to his misdeeds. And when both of her parents were sentenced to prison, Robin fled to small-town Michigan to live with her grandmother and adopted a new name — Robin Dickinson...

Wolfgang Puck, creator of the buffalo chicken spring roll, is often credited with the “fusion food movement.” According to Smithsonian magazine, however, the blending of culinary worlds to create new, hybrid dishes, has been around since people began cooking. The most famous example, the Smithsonian authors point out, is so ubiquitous it’s difficult to connect origin to culture: the noodle...

Every year, many seniors are targeted by scammers who want to steal their Medicare numbers to do things like rack up fake health care charges and commit identity theft. These scams hurt seniors and other people eligible for Medicare, cost taxpayers money and result in higher health care costs for everyone. The good news is that you can protect yourself from fraud and help Medicare stop scammers in their tracks...

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood due to surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries; one pint of blood can save up to three lives. You are eligible to donate blood every 56 days if you are in good health, feeling well and weigh at least 110 pounds...

Many studies have shown drumming with others has an array of wide-ranging benefits. Participating in this activity can help reduce stress, boost the immune system and create a sense of community and connectedness with other drummers, to name just a few of its advantages...

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. There are some who gave all in serving our country, and many who sacrificed more than we know for the ideals and beliefs our country stands for. ...

TBY Active living expo | wednesday, oct. 9--- Make plans to join TBY and the Southeast Missourian for the TBY Active Living Expo from 8 a.m. to noon at the Isle Casino Event Center, 777 Main Street in Cape Girardeau, on Wednesday, October 9. Designed for active adults age 55+, the TBY Active Living Expo is a FREE lifestyle, health and active aging event featuring entertainment, demonstrations, refreshments, games, door prizes and a vendor expo!...

Loosing a beloved canine friend can be a heartbreaking experience for some, and while many who lose a furry friend never take on another dog, some of us start all over again. My beloved 8-year-old chocolate lab, Abbie, was put to sleep April 1 after a mast cell tumor became too aggressive too quickly. ...

Life is full of paradoxes. Like picking up dead flowers on a loved one’s grave site — a kind of death for the dead. Or stepping on old, soggy, torn ticket stubs from that baseball game someone waited months to attend; now the ticket is rendered unnecessary, but without that ticket, the experience would not have happened. ...

With the roaring sound of the tractor pull, Egypt Fest 2019 was in full swing. Held on the grounds of the Egypt Mills Antique Tractor Club along Highway 177 north of Cape Girardeau, old and young from the community took part in the festivities. David Powers said it was the 37th holding the festival held this year on the weekend of Aug. 24 and 25. Powers has lived in Egypt Mills for the last quarter century and is now president of the tractor club...

At 9 a.m., Kaye puts on her coat and picks up her purse, readying for her dental appointment. I explain to her that the appointment is not until 10:40 and it will take us only 10 minutes to drive to the dentist’s office. She looks puzzled, but puts her purse down...

When I was planning our family’s trip to New York City this summer, I turned to various friends of ours who live in the city for the advice. They rarely added another sight to see to our itinerary, but they often suggested places to eat. New Yorkers are famous for starting food trends like the Cronut and rainbow bagel, but also eschewing anything pedestrian or too touristy. ...

There’s something magical about getting a letter in the mail, its contents scrawled in perfectly-scripted cursive meant just for you. And William Woolf, a letter detective at the Dead Letters Depot, feels this same sense of euphoria when he sticks his hand deep into a bag of lost letters to pull out the one he is fated to read and hopefully return to its rightful recipient. ...

There’s one rule for joining Old Farts Racing, a lawn mower racing team in Patton, Missouri: you have to be 65 years old or older. It’s a club that was formed approximately five or six years ago by Leonard Crites, Bob Crites, Carl Crites, Rick Fox, Wayne Goodwin and Vernon Yount. ...

It can be hard to find companionship at almost any age, but it can be extra difficult for seniors who choose to jump back in the dating pool. So many obstacles such as health, family and the fact that you have not dated in a few decades can make a person question the wisdom of dating again...

What’s a music festival? You know. The Newport Folk Festival, Rhode Island, 1965. The Monterey Pop Festival, California, 1967. Woodstock, New York, 1969. Those are just a few examples. Turns out, the music festival goes back to the ancient Greeks at Delphi in the 6th Century B.C.: they held multiple-day events that included music and athletic competitions. ...

As a parent of teenagers, I’m struggling right now with societal miscommunications and particularly the concept of work ethics in 2019. Two of my children are working more than 30 hours per week in labor-intensive jobs, and I’m very proud of them. However, on the back side, I also have to deal with lots of long sighs, ugly looks, deep-throated grumbles and even some whining because they’re growing up in a society that feels like kids shouldn’t have to do too much. ...

Service dogs can be invaluable to those who have physical disabilities, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and much more. Helping the public learn about accessibility to service dogs was the focus of “Task Dogs: A Service Dog Expo,” which took place Saturday, June 15, at the Gateway Hall at the Purina Event Center in Gray Summit, Missouri. You can learn more about the event at facebook.com/taskdog...

Maureen Lea grew up in England during World War II. She remembers using blackout curtains to ensure her and her family’s safety during the war. When she was 18, Maureen joined the Women’s Land Army and met an American soldier, Richard Lea, while he was deployed. The two were married in England and then moved to America shortly thereafter. Richard and Maureen were married for 50 years and had six children...