By Rennie Phillips

We moved to the Scott City area back in 1986 where I pastored a smaller Wesley Church here in Scott City. I had visited with God about where I wanted to Pastor and where I didn't. At the top of my list on places where I didn't want to Pastor was Kansas. Nothing against Kansas but I just didn't want to go there. Next in line where I didn't want to Pastor was Missouri. So God probably chuckled and sent us here to Missouri. And honestly we have loved it here. I don't like the real heat in the summer but overall it is a great place to live. God knew what He was doing.

I started to write this article back in 1986 or 1987 I believe. I think it was '86 but I might be wrong. At that time it was the Jimplicute. So once a week I'd crank out an article and take it in person to the Jimplicute and give it to Sharon Venable. The article was mainly religious but I'd throw in some stories as well. Probably somewhere I have some copies of those articles. Not sure where but my wife and I tend to keep most everything.

In time the name of the paper changed and it moved to Chaffee. I think it was the North Scott Country News before it became a part of the Southeast Missourian. And my article changed. I started to write about hunting and fishing and gardening and just life in general. Now and then I'd add tidbits about my religion and my faith. It's hard not to mention something that is a big part of my everyday life.

There are times when the topic of my article was clear and I had it in plenty of time to write the article and get it to the paper before the deadline. And there were also times when I struggled for a topic. So the finished article made it to the paper right on the deadline or was even a little late. Thanks to the folks at the paper for understanding. Thanks to those at the paper who also would ask what I meant when I wrote this or that. It has been interesting.

Down through the years my wife and I have met some really interesting people through this article. Kind of amazing to say the least. One gentleman said he read my article about growing up in Arthur, Nebraska, and how not many people lived there. At one time Arthur County was the least populated county in the U.S. The neat thing was while they were on vacation they visited Arthur, Nebraska. He said Arthur was an interesting place. Arthur has one of the smallest courthouses in the U.S. Also has a baled hay church. And one of his comments was that almost no one lives in that part of the country or the Sandhills.

I was working in my high tunnel just this week and a gentleman from Jackson, Missouri, came walking up. Joe and his wife had come to visit and to find out what BT was. So I showed Joe my high tunnels and our garden. Kind of gave him a tour. Talked about BT. Great insecticide for worms or caterpillars in our gardens. Joe had retired from P & G so I asked Joe if he knew Morris McCrory, a good friend of mine. He said he did and they had been good friends. Morris died here a year ago or so. Miss him. So Joe and his wife and my wife and I visited. Good meeting him and his bride.

One of my articles was on Stupice tomatoes. Stupice is a variety of an early tomato that is simply awesome. Good taste and early. So I wrote my article on how to plant and grow Stupice tomatoes so that you can pick May tomatoes here in grow zone 6b. Last year we picked our first tomato May 4 I believe. This year I'm late. Picked our first tomato May 22. So anyway my article was on how to get a May tomato. A feller from Benton named Jim emailed me and we eventually met and have become friends. Nice guy. Eventually I'd like to help him learn how to roast coffee.

Every now and then I write about our bottle calves and how we raise them up and eventually butcher them. Growing them up I really enjoy. Taking them to the butcher not so much. Got to know Steve over in Chaffee who would ask how our calves were doing. So we'd visit about our calves and how they were doing. Steve likes to garden so we'd also visit about the high tunnels and what was growing. I enjoy visiting with him.

One article I mentioned eating in an old railcar diner down in Dexter. Marge and I were antiquing down there and ended up looking for a place to eat. This old diner car looked interesting so we checked it out. We weren't sure what to order so just settled on a burger and fries. Can't go wrong on a burger and fries. Our order came and it was pretty neat. Almost like the fries had been fried in lard like when we were kids. Really enjoyed it. So I mentioned it in an article. Well Jerry read my article so he and his family drove to Dexter to try out this diner car and the food. Jerry mentioned it to me later. I enjoy visiting with Jerry.

I had a lady from the Southeast Missourian newspaper contact me about doing a gardening article. So she called me up and we talked gardening and such. And in time an article was published about gardening. Kind of got to know her then. But come to find out her and my wife knew each other and were kind of friends. Now when someone from the newspaper emails me named Marybeth I know exactly who they are. I really like being able to put some flesh on a name. Too often we know someone by their name and don't know anything else about them. That's sad.

Probably through my articles you have come to know my wife and I, our dog and cats and cattle and how we garden and fish and hunt and do coffee. If God grants us a bunch of more years on this earth maybe we can get to meet you and yours and to become friends as well.