Have you heard the bells? Each year during the holiday season, there are individuals standing at the doors of local businesses ringing a bell and asking for donations for the Salvation Army. When you make a donation at one of those local businesses, eighty-five percent of those funds stay right here in Dallas County to help with needs like utilities, housing, school supplies and food. Our local Salvation Army Extension Unit is administered by a board of local leaders who are excited and hopeful for this year’s bell ringing campaign. Bell ringing will be on Fridays and Saturdays starting the day after Thanksgiving at WoodsSupermarket, Buffalo Wal-Mart, and Cashsaver. If you or your organization would like to volunteer to ring bells, contact Salvation Army via email at mark@buffalocalvary.com or by calling (417) 345-6418. If you are in need of assistance from the Salvation Army, please contact them via the OACAC Neighborhood Center at (417) 345-7964. If you want to support an organization that makes an impact in the lives of Dallas County residents, come out and fill the kettles this holiday season! more

There should be a warning on this column because it’s graphic, and if your stomach is as weak as mine, perhaps you should turn back now and save yourself. more

We can all agree once a human egg is fertilized, it cannot become anything but a human being. Just as with anything that grows, it is alive. Cells divide thus life. My only way to see this is a human life at fertilization. And for humans, it is not controversial that we do not take a human life. So, if I could make the rules, there would only be life. Abortion would not even be a word associated with human life.
I’m a practical realist. In large democratic societies, getting what one wants, I mean one specific individual, is often not possible. One has to decide among many or at least several alternatives. One has to determine what guides one’s beliefs and how one may accommodate others with differing opinions. That may be defined using terms such as an understanding, deal, bargain, trade-off, middle ground, settlement, or compromise. It leads to agreement on how society will address a particular issue. Of course, if one side or the other (or one of many sides) feels their accommodation is more than they can “stomach,” the issue is not settled and will become an issue that will have to be addressed again and likely again and again. more

I've commented before how I believed my mother's memories were on a Rolodex. It was not unusual for her file cards to twirl around, then stop on a new story. That is what happened recently with my brother Jimmy's Rolodex cards. They stopped on a memory about our old bull getting our dad cornered in the pasture. That bull was intent on doing some harm. more

Sunday morning, I ran into my friend Joe in the church lobby and asked him what my column subject should be about. Joe said, "How about the disease that none of us asked to own?" Why not? So, here it goes. more

Now that I’m nearing the bottom of the other side of the hill, I think I have a little better understanding of most things. more

For most of my life our nation’s commanders-in-chief were seasoned by military service, nine tempered in the fire of combat service. more

On my desk, there are three essential things – my laptop, a computer mouse, and a no-frills, lined pad of paper. Without the computer and mouse, nothing could get done. But without that humble pad of paper where I scribble my to-do list, I wouldn’t remember what needed doing in the first place. more

Recently at the Fair Grove Senior Center, a fellow said, "We talked about you last night." more

In September, I've been interviewing women for the annual ladies' journal for the Buffalo Reflex. The old timers would say all of them are from good stock. Meeting women of all ages committed to their families, spiritual lives, careers and community support is refreshing. more

I was going to call this essay “What we did on our summer vacation,” though we didn’t go until early October. more

It finally happened. After a stifling summer in the broiler, fall temperatures dipped to a crisp, cool 58 degrees. And that meant it was time for the annual changing of the closet. more

The afternoon of September 30, 2023, came and went with its fair share of drama, including narrowly avoiding a government shutdown and the subsequent ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. One significant item largely flew under the radar, which was the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill. Despite not gaining as much media attention as a continuing resolution or the House Speaker’s removal, the expiration of the farm bill is a big deal in farm country.  more

Do young people have as much fun as we did when we were that age? Fun, mischief, whatever you would call it. Mostly mischief. more

I always thought I would be the old lady down the street that kids would describe as the aging hippie lady. I fit the bill some days. Since retiring, I've been wearing the wardrobe I feel most comfortable in--loose dresses in all tie-dye colors. I wear knock-off Birkenstocks in all colors. In fact, I have all colors of Funky Monkey sandals. My favorite sandal is also patterned with tie-dye. more

If statistics are to be believed, I’m part of a shrinking minority: I go to church every Sunday. more

There’s an old joke that states, “A liberal is someone who has never been mugged.” more

To the public: more

This is a story about an old gal I once knew. Her name was Hilda. She has been long gone to be with the Lord. Hilda was born in Germany and left there with her parents to come to America on a ship. While sailing to their new home, both parents became ill and passed away. When she arrived in America, she was immediately sent to an orphanage in San Francisco as a very young child. She never knew her birth date. She was in San Francisco in 1906 when the big earthquake hit. She talked about the destruction and the fires. After the earthquake, there were lots of orphans who needed shoes so her feet were crippled, especially her toes from wearing too small of shoes. It was a rough life for her. Different homes; some good and some not so good.   more

October is about restraint. It's about resisting the urge to buy those giant bags of candy until the day before trick-or-treaters show up to collect it. Years ago, I learned – the hard way – that if you buy the chocolate too early, your house will be haunted by the siren song of Snickers. more

We are all aware of the problem at our Southern border. Throughout the history of the world, nations have enforced border security as a necessity. In America's case, immigrants built this country but that started centuries ago. In today's world, a border that is not patrolled and maintained can be a disaster for our country. This is not a cruel thing, but it is a sad thing that these people flee their own countries to escape oppression and extreme poverty. So as a free country, we feel a moral obligation to do what we can for others throughout the world who are less fortunate than we are. This is a noble thing to do. But, we must all understand that our resources are limited and not totally secure for our own citizens welfare. more

I’m in the fourth quarter of life, retired and blessed. more

The 2024 Fair Grove Historical and Preservation Society calendars are now available at Monroe House, located on the east side of Main Street, north of the Fair Grove square, and Teal's Outlet, located behind Dollar General, on AF Highway, at $5.00 each. more

We have dozens of options for a quick hamburger today, but when I was a boy fast-food hamburgers were not so common, at least not as far as I knew. more

I want to give a big thank you and much appreciation to the doctors and staff at Buffalo Eye Clinic. I have been going there for over 25 years. Sure, I've tried the "big name” eye places, thinking I would find something new and better; but no, I always came back to my home town place. I have had bad eyes as long as I can remember. It started in grade school. I always wore glasses and contacts, but I felt it was never enough — I just always went with it. I Never was a good speller or reader and I know it was because I wasn't able to see properly.  more