Hi everyone! So glad to have all of you back again this fourth of July week. We are truly blessed today to be living in a nation where our forefathers were willing to lose their wealth and lives to establish a new nation under God Almighty. Since January we have been reliving the lives of Johnny and Mary Lou who grew up near Sand Springs in northwestern Webster county. For many of us they have become our newspaper family. Our couple grew up during the 1850’s and eventually were married when our American civil war began. Our Johnny joined the Union army and Mary Lou stayed home living a life of mental anguish separated from her husband. Years pass and our Mary Lou has become the clerk and manager of the town's only Mercantile store with Mr Kissee as her boss and owner of most of the town. more

With it being the Fourth of July, I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday. more

Of the few truly important things in life, kids and livestock have to rank near the top. more

Howdy to all my friends and neighbors and beyond. O.K.- Let's briefly review and jump into this week's new adventures. Our young couple grew up together and eventually got married. On their wedding day, it was officially announced our country's civil war had officially started. Our Johnny and Mary Lou had a few happy months together before our young man joined the Union Army. Mary Lou had to live with her parents; in which her dad was a hard-core rebel supporter. more

I grew up in a house with cold running water in the kitchen sometimes and an outdoor toilet always. Anywhere I’ve lived since has been a mansion in comparison. So, it was kind of hard for me to have much empathy for a couple featured in the Sunday paper who lamented they had spent years of looking before finally finding the lake home of their dreams. more

With summer in full swing, many will start planning their BBQs, vacations, and Fourth of July events. Another popular pastime is watching movies. Movies, after all, are a great way to spend time with family and friends, escape the summer heat, or unplug from the world. Consider my picks of ten summer movies if you want to watch something but don't know what to go for. This list will have a mix of classic summer movies and some released during the season. more

Our truck and car both have cruise control. Our grandkids don’t, and oh, how they run. Sometimes I wish I could push “set” and hold them down to 55. But, I really wouldn’t want to. I don’t really get upset, just jealous. They race everywhere — from the car to the front door, from the front door to the play room, from the kitchen to the dining room, in circles through the house and hitting every room. more

Hi again to all my rambling reading friends and neighbors. This week we are getting close to the end of our civil war love story that has been ongoing since January first. Quick review: our story is about two young people that grew up in our county during the turbulent times of pre civil war years. Our couple of Johnny and Mary Lou eventually got married and the civil war began. more

Sunday was about the first man I ever loved and the best man I will ever know, my daddy. He was out of town this weekend, and it’s the first Father’s Day I have had to spend without him. more

Video games are a form of art. They can tell amazing stories that stick with you for years, and you actively get to be a part of it. Video Games are just one of the many forms of entertainment seeking to get attention from the general public. To help bring awareness, many companies have hosted conventions and events to give people a look at upcoming video games. more

I randomly ran across a couple different stories about author Mary Harrington. Intrigued by the synchronicity, I looked her up. Harrington’s book is called Feminism Against Progress, and her online writings are so thought provoking; they also reminded me of a point I have been eager to write about. more

Here it is the middle of June, and I’ve yet to wet a line. I don’t have a good excuse. I’m just minutes away from the Niangua River and only about a half hour from Bennett Spring on the east or Lake Pomme de Terre to the north. I can’t even use “no fishing permit” as an excuse. I haven’t needed one of those for six years. I didn’t need one when I was a kid, either, and I took full advantage of the liberty. I never came up with an excuse not to go fishing. more