Let me preface this column by saying I do love traveling and exploring places I’ve never been; I simply loathe the going part. That sentiment never rang truer than during my recent trip to Florida on a charter bus full of high school band students...

In early October, my fifty-two year old Magic Chef gas range and wall oven blew her last breath of blue flames. She’s been an avocado green work horse since being installed in my family’s newly built ranch home in 1968. No major repairs over the years that I remember save for a couple of pilot light filaments, one new gas line and a new knob or two. They certainly don’t make appliances like they used to...

In these times of world trial, there are a few aspects of my normal life remaining constant; my faith, love of my family, going to work every day and U.S. mail delivered daily to my box. Included with the usual garden variety of items in Wednesday’s mail lot was my monthly packet of tithing envelopes from church. My first thought was, “how will churches financially survive this pandemic?”...

My dad was a soldier, not in the military sense of the word, but in the way he lived his life. As a young teen, my dad enlisted in the Army. He was anxious to serve his country and to procure a steady vocation to support his future. Daddy had only a sixth grade education but was one of the smartest men I’ve ever known. His mechanical abilities were nothing short of genius and his knack for deductive reasoning was remarkable...

This article is a reboot of a piece I wrote for the DAR in 2013. With all the bad stuff happening in the world, Halloween celebrating has gotten a bad wrap. Certain costume choices are now being banned from schools and college campuses. There’s more to Halloween than blood and guts or what you see in the movies...

The Oxford English Dictionary defines sport as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. It does not relegate sport to solely football, baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming, lacrosse, hockey, volleyball, soccer, polo, gymnastics, wrestling, golf, etc...

If I were addressing all of you in an auditorium and asked how many of your children, grandchildren, etc. possess cellphones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices etc., the majority, if not all of you, would raise your hands. If I posed the question “Do you know who they talk to, chat with and what websites/pages they look at?” I would wager to guess the show of hands would be considerably smaller...

Memories of summers growing up in southeast Missouri stick in my brain like newly mowed grass to my bare feet after a heavy dew. I can still feel the scratchiness of that straw broom my mom used to clean my feet and legs before coming into the house...

My dad was a keeper. I always felt safe and protected knowing those 'Popeye' arms of his would fight the world for me and our family, if need be. I hear his voice in my head often, especially when it comes to motors and household fix-ups… "check your oil," "don't ride your brakes," "keep an eye out on the place" and "don't be wearin' your night clothes during the day." That last one I totally disregard. ...

My late grandmother, Stella, often recalled what a wondrous sight it was to behold the "burning of Atlanta" scene in 1939's "Gone With The Wind" while she sat in the audience of a darkened movie theatre in Poplar Bluff. That movie was the first color film she had ever seen...

Mom's been gone 14 years now. Never a day goes by without a thought of her. I hear her voice in my head all the time… doling out words of instruction, advice, sometimes critical, sometimes harsh, but always with love. I hear her voice coming out of my own mouth, too. I feel her hands on mine when I clean out the drainage ditch by the field at our house...

Really lawn? You want to grow three inches overnight every day in March then taunt me till I have to lurch myself to the mower to slay you, only for you to relentlessly reappear hours later? I say, (in my best Shakespearean voice), “be gone you wretched beast!”, as I wield a jug of weed killer like a sword. Alas, the month of April set in motion the dreaded yard season. (Insert dramatic wailing)...

Today, I watched in horror and disbelief, the great Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris engulfed in flames. My heart crushed in grief for this historic icon lost. Praying was my first instinct, then mournful tears came. As a Catholic, I unabashedly uphold the bonds tying the history of our church and its cathedrals together. All of which have been built upon the foundation of faith. I believe that God is among us, most strongly on the altar, within the church...

Now that I have all of you singing in your heads to the tune of the late great Aretha Franklin's iconic song, ponder your own take on self respect. After a recent flight, my brother was lamenting on the lack of wardrobe decorum most people follow when flying on commercial airlines. ...

Over 80 years have passed since Orson Welles’ paralyzed radio listeners in 1938 with his chilling broadcast of H.G. Well’s “War of the Worlds.” His realistic reading caused widespread panic amongst the people of the United States. ...

Having worked here at the Daily American Republic newspaper for nearly a quarter of a century, I can say I've heard and seen a great deal of fodder float about town that wasn't exactly the honest truth. We strive very diligently here at the paper to provide accurate, truthful and fact-based information to our readers. Simply put, the truth in news can sometimes be hard to swallow and not always is there something good or positive to report...

My beautiful, bouncing baby boy is 15 today. I zealously mourn the days and years gone by; the baby, the toddler, the grade schooler, the preteen boy I've known and loved. I ache with longing to hold that tiny, writhing, four-pound boy just once more, as he was; to smell the sweetness of his infant breath, to nestle him protectively into the crook of my arm, lullabying him to sleep...

On my fridge is a drawing by my son, Cooper, that serves as my morning inspiration. The artwork is a group of hearts forming a circle with a line of the classic "Beatles" tune, "All you need is love" written inside. Simple, yet profound, if you ponder it long enough...

Hi, I'm Amber and I have anxiety. My brother, Joe, can sense when I'm particularly anxious, even though he lives hundreds of miles away. Late last week he sent me a random text that read, "a successful woman is one who can build a firm foundation from the bricks thrown at her" during a rather challenging work day. ...

My son affectionately likes to refer to me as 'Joan' (as in the old Hollywood actress with the alleged aversion to wire hangers and clutter) because of my incessant need to clean and purge drawers and cabinets at odd hours. My mother was like that and I suppose I inherited her want to pitch unnecessary things into the trash. ...