Delighted birders, holiday spirit and awesome wheels

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Raymond Dean.

Happy birthday to Kayla Chapman, Albert Eftink, Susie Seyer, Siddie Swain, Vernon Pobst, Paul Lappe, Tyler Bollinger, Brian Hamm, Paul Lappe, Marie Elfrink, Jae Hopkins, Jeannie Williams, Candy Witcher, Charley Robinson, Ron Kiefer, Randall Hibdon, Carolyn Walther, Bob Uhrhan, Austin Dirnberger, Marilyn Dohogne, Ruth Missey, Leann Knuckles, Lester Eichhorn, Ashton Lee, Joshua Griffin, Todd Surface, Addison Lincoln, Bonnie Schott, Bruce Raines, Clinton Stroder, Matt Glastetter, Melissa Nordin, Wesley Lowery, Audrey Witcher, Mary Faye Caul, Gina Beggs, Jerome Schlitt, Chug Little, Kevin Miller, Tyree Emerson, Garrett Duncan and Jason Chapman.

Happy anniversary to Richard and Julie Seyer, Ray and Donna Fisher, Randy and Connie Spane, Douglas and Sharon Hargrove and David and Delores Garland.

We birders are delighted to see our feathered friends returning to our feeders. Last Sunday, I stated that I saw a red-breasted nuthatch on our pine tree, but actually it was a white-breasted. Regardless of the color, they are always delightful to watch as they make their way down the tree upside down. I also saw a red-bellied and a hairy woodpecker, the latter of which is a little bigger than a downy.

There were lots of geese honking and flying overhead when we hiked Lake Tywappity recently. The leaves are off the trees here, and it is a great time to check out the skies and vacated nests in trees. On your next hike, see if you can spot three hornet nests -- two near the trail and one hanging high over the parking lot.

Bumper crop

We have had a bumper pecan harvest this year. My picker-upper worked well, but I was tempted to buy the new and improved model at Whitakers Hardware. After a demonstration by Mr. Whitaker, I was sold. They pick up small Missouri natives, and another model picks up the larger ones. One model even comes with a basket release.

Richard "Dick" Porter says that at one time Dr. Delezene, who delivered him back in the day, lived at 308 S. Third St. It is across the street from the First Baptist Church. We are still asking if anyone knows where her office was near Main and Elliott. Most of us were born in Cape at Southeast Hospital or Saint Francis and there are a precious few who were actually born in Chaffee.

Christmas shopping days are winding down, and if you weren't feeling the Christmas spirit, the Chaffee Christmas Parade and the Parade of Lights in Cape last weekend surely changed that. The Chaffee Chamber of Commerce thanks all who attended and those who participated.

Table for two

We asked for memories of Thanksgivings and Christmases past. Do you remember when you first saw Santa Claus?

Norman "Tyke" Finney shared this Thanksgiving memory with us. In 1968, after returning home from Vietnam, having served in the Army, he married Nancy a couple months later. When Thanksgiving rolled around, he had not heard back from a job interview. So, due to their tight budget, they shared a sandwich with two glasses of water at Denny's on their first Thanksgiving. With their two adult children spending Thanksgiving with in-laws this year, it was just the two of them once again as they reminisced about their very first Thanksgiving together at Denny's.

Rumor has it that Ken "Bud" and Laverne Keller are moving back to Chaffee after residing in Texas for many years. We welcome them back and always love when former residents return home.

Ask Bud about the Corvette he had in the 1960s. Car buffs like him love watching the Mecum Auto Auction on television. They recently featured a 1956 Oldsmobile convertible with the Imperial package.

It reminded me of a car Connie Shuford drove that was made more impressive with the stunning, red-haired driver behind the wheel. Ms. Shuford was active in the community, attended the First Baptist Church, taught at Chaffee High and was a retired field representative for the Missouri Department of Revenue.

Special words

Remember to tell those special people in your life that 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 and those undergoing cancer treatments. 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 church billboard in Tennessee: "Honk if you love Jesus. Phone or text while driving if you want to meet him."