September is National Library Card Sign Up Month. All month long, we are celebrating all the different resources we have access to with our library card. more

I miss the writers. The Writers Guild of America went on strike in early May, and it has been a creative wasteland on television ever since. Most of the shows Tom and I used to watch won't be back with new episodes this fall. Lately, we've been flipping through over 100 channels, amazed that there are so many options yet so little we want to see. more

Nineteenth-century folks displayed an incredible interest in the unusual, the old, and the rare. Whether it was something real, like the mastodon bones found near Warsaw or Native American arrowheads found in the fields after plowing, or fake, like the mummified mermaids displayed by traveling shows, people would pay to see it. Someone was even more interested in taking their money. more

Where does your joy come from and who provides it? more

The truckload of criminal charges Donald Trump faces tends to confirm the often-heard remark that he’s his own worst enemy. That’s saying a lot, considering all the other enemies he has. more

At long last, we are at home. Two weeks and 4,556 miles later, we walked through the front door of the condo, put down our bags (not too many, because the little car has a little trunk!), and plopped down in our chairs. Hue seemed happy to see us – by that, I mean she wound herself around each of our legs a few times and then scampered over to the scratching post to relieve her anxiety. more

We just pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Approximately 12 hours until we get home from a wonderful, relaxing week at the beach. more

All mums are hardy, but, to make it through the first winter in this area, they should be spring-planted. Most of our mums are sold in the fall. more

A friend and I were talking over the holiday weekend. She and I like to hold one another accountable for staying positive, focusing on joy and enjoying every small thing around us. It works out well because we both have a tendency to dwell on the small stuff. This exercise keeps us upbeat and less dramatic. We both enjoy it. more

Most people in the 19th century believed that helping one’s neighbors was divinely ordered and must be done. They also followed the Biblical injunction stating that everyone was everyone’s neighbor. more

I had a dream the other night that made me think hard about the hereafter and how I should maybe change my way of doing things. more

Dear Editor: more

We had hoped to take a road trip this fall, but that isn’t going to pan out, so on a whim, Max and I said, “Let’s go to Niagara Falls, Maine and PEI!” Sometimes, serendipity is best, and so with little fanfare – or planning – we just got in the car and went. more

As summer comes to a close and we move into the fall season, many of us are looking forward to cooler weather, spending more time outside, and yes, the beginning of football. Labor Day marks the ending of summer and the beginning of fall. However, the weather does not always cooperate and thus, sometimes it is hard to tell if the summer is really over. more

Dear Editor: more

My 5-year-old granddaughter experienced her first day of kindergarten on Monday. In the weeks leading up to that day, I watched my daughter patiently prepare her by walking her through the process step-by-step. more

In 1873, the Democrat printed a number of articles about the infestation of grasshoppers that had been predicted in 1873 by an Austin, Texas, reporter and had been denied by the Missouri State Etymologist, Professor C.V. Riley, who believed they would not come east of the counties along the Kansas-Missouri border. more

Dear Editor: more

As I quickly approach the end of my 70th year on this earth, I pause to reflect, and (I apologize in advance) you are going to bear the brunt of it. When I was asked to begin this column, now 10 and a half years and four editors ago, Dennis (Editor 1) made it clear to me that I could write about whatever I chose, whether that be something regarding the law, politics, something funny, or anything else that happened to occupy my brain when I sat down at the computer to share my thoughts. more

He stands in a weedy clearing in the woods, in front of an empty deer stand. His dogs loll and pant on the ground next to him. His T-shirt is drenched in sweat. His hair is unkempt. His singing is simple, even a bit clunky. more