Last night around 11 p.m., we heard a familiar noise from the darkened hallway outside our bedroom door. It was part moan, part growl and part muffled meow. Tom and I glanced at each other because we knew what that sound meant. Percy had another mouse. more

Thank you, Myron Hartzel, for introducing me to this fantastic term to describe retirement. I've heard retirement described in many terms, but this is my favorite description thus far--glorious retirement. more

Door to door salesmen are a thing of the past. But I can remember when they were regular visitors. Today I will start off this column with encounters with three insurance fellows. The first one came here, some 40 years ago. What is memorable about him, he was here the evening the house down the hill burned. We were in the dining room, when we looked out the north window and noticed huge flames; something big was burning. The fellow left, and Terry and the children drove down there to see what was going on. Oh, goodness, the entire house went up in flames. It was so sad. more

March 6, 1971, I married an 18-year-old girl from South Dakota. I barely knew her, but in the span of three months I’d learned all I needed to know. more

It’s true. Once you reach a certain age, you no longer care what the people around you think. I’m that age. I wish I had come to this realization decades earlier. more

When there’s a bomb threat or, God forbid, an explosion, we run away and report it so attackers can be arrested and punished.  more

It is the fourth subzero day of January as I put pen to paper, every day of which I have devoted to mining for inspiration for my February columns. more

The first snow fell on December 27th. According to an old wives' tale, whatever day the first snow falls is how many snows we will have that winter. Whew! 27 snows. I sure hope those old wives' are wrong. more

I didn’t know that families did not reuse, renew and recycle. All households did not practice conservation. I thought saving and reusing things was as normal as having salt and pepper on the dinner table. more

I’ve never depended on farming for my bread and butter, but I can thank FFA — Future Farmers of America, in my day — for launching my career as a journalist. more

Dear readers, I’m taking some time off this week to help my mom during her cancer treatment. But while I’m away, I’m sharing a column published nearly 14 years ago about a topic that has boomeranged back into pop culture in a big way. In a few weeks when the Academy Awards are handed out in Hollywood, the movie “Barbie” will be one of the films in the running to take home the Oscar. I watched the movie with my 17-year-old daughter, and we both laughed and loved it. more

I'm old enough to remember drive-in theaters. They were in full swing when I was a teenager. more

My Ruby Red Slippers carried me back to one of my homes this month, St. Louis. My slippers were red Hey Dude sneakers. The experience brought back memories and experiences only a tour of St. Louis can bring to me. more

Often I miss the good old days of my farm boy youth. more

I contemplated tossing out the old Royal typewriter last week and stopped writing columns or feature stories. For the past two months, I've only been able to get out a few times because I could rarely drive. My health prevented me from enjoying life at home or in the neighborhood. more

Driving south of Buffalo one morning just a few days before the Missouri Conservation Department’s designated Eagle Days, Martha and I saw at least a half-dozen bald eagles, some aloft, some in trees. more

It was in the blood of many of our forefathers - perhaps existing in the tiny interior of their genes-something built in - never to leave. This capacity for actual physical labor - backed up by astute mental properties. Men and women who could create - as well as repair-what was required then and in the future. The very things that mean so much - whose value is not measured in monetary terms - but in terms of practical usage. New or old no matter. Often treasured from one generation to another - where time has no standing. Holding the tools used by beloved parents, grandparents and family - inside the home as well as out - to maintain what was most important in daily living. Having little ownership of what folks yesterday and today call wealth - the value was in using and protecting what was possessed. This belief was passed to each succeeding generation - whether aware of it or not-by the style of living demonstrated each day. Wealth was always measured by the security afforded to loved ones.  more

When a thought or a random fact circles around and around in your head, looking for a place to land, sometimes it’s trying to tell you something. Lately, it’s elephants who keep tromping around in my brain. more

The first day of spring is three months away as I pen these lines with the season’s first seed catalog in hand. more

Before I had teenagers of my own, I interviewed a child psychologist for an article I was writing at the time. During the interview, I asked the doctor for tips on how parents could better relate to teenagers. His answer stuck with me: “Parents need to remember that almost all teenagers have the same number one fear, and it influences nearly everything they do and say.” more

At our house, we've had a fascination with food. I love to cook, and my husband was in restaurant management for many years. We loved to try new restaurants. We made a point of trying something on the menu that we'd never eaten before. Moreover, those meals and specialty items evoke a memory of time spent together. more

While researching the history of my old homeplace, located about a mile or so northeast of the historic district of Fair Grove, I interviewed Rufus Davison, the son of J. E. and Lenna Davison. During the time they lived on that 120-acre farm, they operated Maple Leaf Dairy. To begin with, approximately 35 cows had to be milked every night and morning by hand. Later they purchased an electric milking machine. more

As like every morning before, I woke up in the temple. It was my life’s duty to maintain all aspects of the great amazing structure my master had built. He was proud of his creation and its purpose to serve him in the ways he had designed it for. more

When was the last time you got locked out of church? For me, it was Sunday. more

A friend called a few days ago asking if I had a lantern she could borrow, not an unusual request from someone needing a light, but she had another purpose. more