Looking forward to German Days, and the scoop on the ducklings

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Morris Ireland.

Happy birthday to Michelle Foeste Asfour, Steve Schrum, Larry Horrell, Don Leggett, Pat Friga, Debbie Powderly, Versie Canady, Jim Teegarden, Debbie Lappe, George Carey, Wilma Compas, Sandra Whitmore, Taylor Pobst, Cassie Hindman, Lacey Bridwell, Ruth Sullivan, Jeremy Townsend, Anita Montgomery, Carl Estes, Dorothy Renaud, Darlene Crocker, Vannalee Hitt, Margie Bucher, Jonathan Dooley, Debbie Totty, Billie Jo Sadler, Fimble Enderle, Katie Hampton, Adam Swinford, Breanna Davis, Shelby Ancell, Kari Stone, Adam Uhrhahn and Bob Burnett.

Happy anniversary to Brian and Debbie Totty, Jim and Charlotte Smith, Randy and Gail Dumey, Herschel and Melissa Hamilton, Ken and Linda Lowery, Richard and Carol Hodge, Wayne and Marlys Ford, Ed and Dorothy Renaud, Butch and Darlene Dumey and Danny and Tammy Rains.

Kudos for Carolyn

My sister Carolyn had a birthday last week, and I enclosed a letter in her card. The letter was from Chaffee High School Band Director Oscar T. Honey to our parents, dated March 31, 1954. You could tell he had typed it himself. He thanked our parents for their final payment on the Selmer Bundy Clarinet, and told them how happy he was to have Carolyn in the band; he wished all in the class showed as much interest and did as well as she.

He was also happy to have her as a pianist for the eighth-grade program they were working on. He wrapped it up by saying that Carolyn was a girl who would make any parent proud. Now, that's what I call a nice birthday gift all these years later!

Aaron Horrell has extended the deadline for St. Jude Children's Hospital Paint for a Cause to July 31. Drop by the Painted Wren Galley in downtown Cape and paint one minute for $1 and an excellent cause.

Accolades for Aaron

Congratulations to Aaron on his photo "Fox and Vine" winning Best-in-Show at Margaret Harwell Art Museum's recent "Pictures by People" contest in Poplar Bluff. You can check it out through July.

We will have a Blue Moon Friday. That is because it is the second full moon this month -- the first was July 2.

The Chamber of Commerce has set Aug. 14 and 15 as German Days.

Don't you hate it when you see a story of interest in the paper or on television, yet you never see the rest of the story? Several readers have asked, "What happened with the wood ducks in your backyard?" We kept watch on the nest box for well over 30 days while the hen was laying/incubating the eggs. We finally concluded that we had somehow missed their hatching. Richard and I both were so bummed out. I was comforted with a clip on YouTube as the mother called them out one by one onto a yard. It was precious, and I got a chuckle because the recording couple failed to turn down their television and there was a Miralax ad blaring in the background!

We finally took our box down to count the shells but instead, found 14 eggs. It was beyond the hatching-out period, which is a good thing or I would have tried to figure out a way to incubate any viable eggs! Still uncertain as to what happened to the hen. Adding insult to injury, a house sparrow had already added to the nest and laid 3 eggs. The box is now ready for next season!

Missionary memories

The late Tom Heeb, of whom we spoke last Sunday, was the son of Arthur and Margaret Heeb of Chaffee. He served as a missionary in 17 countries and through his contacts in Finland, Russia and other countries, he was able to personally smuggle more than 500 Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. His last 21 years as a missionary were spent in China.

If you have special thoughts of Tom you'd like to share, you can go to tributes.com to read the Roy Thomas Heeb obituary and share your memories or send them to me and I'll forward them to his son, Jonathan, in Helsinki, Finland, who is planning another service in October.

Special words

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

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are missing loved ones, our homebound, those in hospitals and nursing homes. 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 resident so fed up with pot holes in streets that she filled them with potted plants.