It's August: Don't forget to wiggle your toes and have eyes checked

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Jackie Fowler, Ruben Hitt, Stephanie Bennett, Keith Hamn, Jessie Lee Evans, Shirley Foulk, Chris Mayberry, Shirley Owens, Stephen Buck, Joey Burton, Ryan Greer, Deloris Newman, Leyton Hanback, Marilyn Benton, Koby Pobst, Amanda Cannon, Pam Coomer, Andrew Horrell, Jared Walker, Janae Eskew, Cinda Hall, Mike Lee, Becki Scheeter, Nan Charleston, Karen Owens, Ann Whistler, Joe Dysinger, Mary Gallop, Stan Hahn, Tyson Proctor, Virginia Garner, Jerry Snider, Jim Hindman and Wendy Wilson.

A very special happy birthday to Fern Vickery Kyle who will be 100 years young tomorrow -- Aug. 7!

Happy anniversary to Bill and Carolyn Hawkins, Gene and Margaret Nation, Larry and Beverly Cleair, Kenny and Debbie Davie, Kenny and Paula Chapman and John and Geralyn Siebert.

Hello August! Today is Friendship Day, Wiggle Your Toes Day and Sisters Day. August is Admit You're Happy Month, National Catfish Month, National Golf Month, Peach Month and National Eye Exam Month.

We are enjoying a full moon, which is often referred to as Dog Day's Moon, Peach Moon, Corn Moon and Moon When All Things Ripen.

City Council meets at 7 p.m Monday at City Hall. City Hall reminds pet owners once again that your dogs and cats must have a city license. City Hall also reminds residents to keep your culverts clean and mow your grass.

The cool spell we had last week was most welcome and absolutely enjoyable enough to get out and take care of those overdue yard chores that had been put off due to the heat and high humidity.

Elvis has left the truck

If you have missed seeing Elvis Abernathy around in the park's department white truck, it is because he retired. He has served as director of the Parks and Recreation Department since 2008. We'll miss seeing Elvis but wish him the very best knowing that he is enjoying his well-deserved retirement and catching lots of fish! Give his replacement, Keith Glaus, a big "city with a smile" welcome!

VBS memories

The mentioning of Vacation Bible School brought back some memories for some readers. When Jennifer McFerron Nolen dropped by the house with homemade chocolate-chip cookies in hand (yummy!), we recalled our days of Vacation Bible School. In the 1950s, one reader said that she is pretty certain VBS at the First Baptist Church started at 8 a.m. and lasted two weeks because on the first Friday everything had to be put up for Sunday school. Another remembers the many handicrafts, such as making pot holders and wooden hamburger presses, painting ceramics and for the little ones, turning round oat boxes into drums. No one recalls what the guys did, but those attending ranged from very young to teenagers. It is always fun to look at the pictures and see how many attendees you recognize from those early years. It seems like it was a half a day, and many remember marching into the church auditorium with the youngest going first. Everyone had nice memories, but the one standout favorite of all were the vanilla ice cream-filled Dixie cups with the wooden spoons.

Sister to the rescue

After putting out a plea for honey with honeycomb I received a pint of it in the mail! My sister Ruth in San Marcos, Texas, had received her order from Sam Crowe, so she shared and surprised me with a jar of honey with comb! Thank you Ruth!

Paint for a Cause

Before you know it September will be here, and that means the SEMO District Fair Sept. 9 to 16. Jon Rust had a terrific overview recently of Aaron Horrell's "Paint for a Cause" that will be ongoing during the fair. Most of us are familiar with the various "Paint for a Cause" at the Painted Wren Art Gallery, and Aaron and gallery partner Barb Bailey invite fair visitors to drop by the arena and paint for $1. The cause? The Veterans Home in Cape. Aaron assures me that there is no way anyone can mess up the large picture since they will be there to help you choose your spot and direct your paintbrush. If you do not want to paint or do not plan to attend the fair but would like to donate, call Aaron at (573) 579-1000.

As always

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

Email your news to darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

And then ...

Then there was the actor/playwright/author Sam Shepard who definitely had the "The Right Stuff."