At least Missourians will have a stress-free Super Bowl

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to CB Stidham, Kevin Ancell, Keith Ancell, Darren McIntosh, Derrick Uhrhan, Tom Leible, Correy Chapman, Danny Walter, Brenda Bryant, Chris Siebert, Wade Cannon, Butch Baker, Rocky Rainey, Jr., Missy Ikerman, Trevor Duncan, Becky Glastetter, Mike Dragoni, Eddie Wagoner, Robert Penrose, Jerry Wolsey, Jr., Linda Glastetter and Susie Pobst.

No anniversaries this week but we do congratulate the following couples with Chaffee connections on their engagements during this month of romance: Todd Wessel and Amber Newcomb, Geoff Mirly and Bridget Rains and Kyle Stroder and Ellie Sigman.

We will enjoy the full moon of February this weekend which is often referred to as Trappers Moon, Storm Moon, Budding Moon and Moon of the Raccoon.

Super day ahead

It's Super Bowl Sunday! Regardless of who is playing, it is a fun day for everyone! Maybe even more so for those whose favorite teams are not in it since we don't have to sweat every play. Dallas Cowboys fans have finally gotten their lower lip off the floor and are ready to join in on a full day and evening of Super Bowl activities. San Diegan Jae Hopkins reminds me that at least the 'Boys will be back, unlike the Chargers, who have left San Diego. Missouri football fans can appreciate the sadness of losing a home team since they experienced the loss of two football teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams!

A sunny disposition toward your forecaster

It is also National Weatherperson's Day! Designated as such on this the birthday of John Jeffries (1744) who was one of the United States' first weather observers; he took daily measurements starting in 1774. If you happen to run into one of our local meteorologists today, give them a big thank you for all they do, keeping us properly attired and safe from storms.

Photo conjures memories

It is always fun to look at the pictures in Fred Lynch's archive! Recently he featured a 1929 picture of Buckner-Ragsdale Co. on Broadway and Main. The accompanying story of its beginning and W.B. Ragsdale of Centralia is very interesting. The story goes that he was interested in Southeast Missouri because he had a girlfriend in Charleston, whom he later married. Those of us who accompanied our parents to the ready-to-wear store were fascinated with the pneumatic tube system that transported cash and such to the upper floor and back. My sister Carolyn remembers the children's shoe department with Buster Brown shoes on the lower floor and my other sister Ruth remembers our parents buying her a new dress for the first grade; it was red with little white reindeer. She must have worn it a lot because it never made it to me in the hand-me-down list. If you missed the story and picture, check them out on the Southeast Missourian website.

A child's view

There are also some pictures of the original St. Francis Hospital. When I ask my sisters what they remember most about it, they all agree it was the stone wall around the property with the big concrete balls. Kids liked to walk along the top. The entrance was impressive with the large concrete cross above the massive double doors. The nuns in their starched white habits were all business, scurrying here and there. Of course the hospital had a distinct medicinal smell. My sister Carolyn says she rode up with our dad when our little sister Jo was born. She waited in the car and watched as mother waved to her from her room window, after which the four of them drove back to Chaffee with Carolyn in the back seat watching over yet another bundle of joy nestled in the bassinet.

Since kids had to wait in the waiting room off the front entrance, we would wait with our cousins in the car or run up and down the front sidewalk while our uncle Dr. W. O. Finney made his patient rounds. Also, my sister Jo and I waited on many an afternoon in the family car while our dad had his physical therapy following a stroke. Many of you probably remember when the majestic hospital was turned into University Hall in 1977 to house approximately 50 SEMO female students. Maybe someone can tell us when the building was razed.

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

Falcons vs. Pats

Then there was one.