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Friday, Feb. 10, 2012
Pressing issues in Cape Girardeau (01/29/12)
Many Cape Girardeans have taken an interest in two important issues of late: dress code revisions in the public schools, and a plan for turning the downtown portion of Broadway into a more aesthetically pleasing thoroughfare. That's good. Too often important -- and expensive -- decisions are made with little public input. It's good to know that there are still some issues that will ignite public debate...
Missy Kitty's decorating tips (01/22/12)
What I'm about to say will come as no surprise to the lovers and owners of cats. If you do not like cats, or if you prefer dogs, please stop reading and move on to something that means more to you, like a rousing game of fetch. That will be loads of fun for the two of you...
Pursuing the dream of a good night's sleep (01/15/12)
My wife and I have been on a quest for several years. We have been pursuing an ever more elusive good night's sleep. Since all the mattress salespeople say reaching our goal depends entirely on finding the right mattress, we have given them plenty of business. We believe mattress salespeople to be honest and forthright. We have to. We don't know squat about mattresses...
The signs of changing seasons (01/08/12)
Seasons come and go, and six days into 2012 we already have a sense of how the seasons bring change. And, like all seasons, we expect familiarity. Soon, daffodil shoots will poke up through the ground, signaling the approach of spring, my favorite season. Meanwhile, we can see signs of other seasons ending and beginning as the new year takes hold...
Noble fruitcake (12/18/11)
You really didn't think you would make it all the way through December without my annual appeal on behalf of the much maligned fruitcake. You surely know by now that I am probably the world's foremost champion of the noble fruitcake. Sad to say, I sometimes believe I am the ONLY champion...
Close the border (10/23/11)
Deer hunting in Cape Girardeau? The city's leaders are giving it serious consideration. As the spouse of someone whose sweet disposition has been overtaken by a killer instinct, thanks to our growing deer population, I understand why the city might want to allow deer "harvesting" (which is the polite way of saying killing)...
Autumn's best (10/16/11)
If you hurry, you can still make it to the hills to see the fall colors. You might have to drive "a fur piece," as they say in the Ozarks over yonder, especially if you want to see brilliant scarlets and dazzling golds. My wife and I drove home from a week in Virginia at the end of last week. We came through North Carolina on purpose to seek the Great Smokey Mountain. As it turns out, they are as beautiful as we remembered from previous trips...
Missy Kitty and catnip (10/09/11)
Almost anyone who is owned by a cat will not likely find anything startlingly surprising in what you are about to read. For thousands of years domesticated cats have been developing their special abilities to confound human beings. But sometimes humans take the upper hand...
More from the asylum (10/02/11)
Americans' approval ratings for Congress are barely in double digits -- far lower than similar ratings for President Obama. The nation is in a crisis of enormous proportions. Too many Americans are out of work. The nation's debt continues to climb to staggering levels. Signs of leadership have all but vanished. Political partisanship has all but immobilized our executive and legislative branches of government...
Catching up (09/11/11)
The cat's rules: Now that things are starting to settle down at the Sullivan house (we're happy to report my wife's health has much improved in recent days -- thank you to all who have included us in their prayers), Missy Kitty, the new cat, has decided it's time to lay down some rules for her human keepers...
The social knot (07/31/11)
A lot of so-called experts seem to be saying that all the high-tech doodads used to communicate these days have created a social network that ties us all together. I say, What have these people been smoking? As some of you will recall, my wife and I gave up our phone, the one that thought it was smarter than God, and switched to a phone that is slightly more intelligent than a golden retriever...
Wiping out debt (07/10/11)
America's politicians are wrangling over the nation's debt ceiling, which hovers around $14 trillion. First off, politicians know nothing about wise stewardship of the U.S Treasury. If they did, we wouldn't be in this mess. But here we are, in a money crisis so severe there is talk of defaulting on our country's debts...
Birdieballs and matrimony (06/19/11)
You might want to squeeze in a practice round this weekend for the First-Ever Sixth Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial Downtown Golf Tournament and All-You-Can-Eat Catfish Buffet, which is the following weekend -- 1:30 p.m. June 26, to be exact. Practice round? Of course you can. ...
Let it be (04/17/11)
A few weeks ago, I told you about the cellphones my wife and I had found. These phones do what cellphones are supposed to do. They send and receive phone calls. Period. These cellphones are not representative of the technological wizardry of modern hand-held devices that do remarkable things. It just happens that my wife and I are not remarkable people, nor do we need remarkable machines that fit in our pocket or purse...
The ocean's fury (02/13/11)
Thanks to the Internet, I scan about a dozen papers a day. If I see something that interests me, I go to that paper's website and read the story. Sunday morning, there was a headline on the front page of the Eugene Register-Guard in Oregon that made my heart stand still. It was a story of tragedy, and it brought back memories nearly 40 years old...
Listening in (01/30/11)
OK. I'll be honest. I eavesdrop. These days it's easy to do. Individuals -- diners in restaurants, shoppers in stores, pedestrians on your daily walk and even churchgoers occupying the pew behind you -- talk openly about private matters. They do this on cell phones, of course. And when the phone reception is spotty, they talk louder, just the way we do when we're speaking to a foreigner who doesn't seem to understand what we're saying. We assume, instinctively, that louder means plainer...
The boss cat (01/23/11)
On an a cold, wet, gray morning this week, Miss Kitty is curled into a tight ball -- about the size of a basketball -- in her wicker chair in the family room, the wicker chair with the soft cushion and a towel neatly arranged to collect whatever Miss Kitty sees fit to remove from her fur during the course of a day...
Legal aide (01/16/11)
You know how it is when you face a day of legal uncertainty. Remember Anita Bryant? And don't we all feel nutritionally superior when we slurp down a glass of OJ every morning? That's the way it is with knowing the right thing to do when matters of law cloud our horizon...
Bad news week (01/09/11)
After 45 years of newspapering, I now read newspapers like everyone else: mostly day-old (or older) news that is chosen mostly for its friction factor or its shock value. Two stories making national headlines this week gave me pause. Is this the best the news media can do in providing useful information?...
Making holiday memories at regional destinations (01/02/11)
This being start of a new year, it also means our Christmas present has left Cape Girardeau. Younger son surprised us the week before Christmas by flying home from Ireland, where he has lived the past 10-plus years. He has been home before, but such trips are rare -- and wonderful...
Free stuff (10/17/10)
The perfect storm of freebies occurred this week. I have to tell you: I like this keep-your-money cloudburst. Here's what happened: I took my car to my favorite automobile dealer to have the oil changed. After waiting a respectable amount of time, the service manager told me the car was ready. And, he said, there would be no charge, because every fourth oil change is free...
Good memories (08/29/10)
Much has been said about Wally Lage since his death last week. Those who knew him understand the generous and kind accolades that have been fittingly heaped on him. For those who didn't know Wally, it would be difficult to explain all the reasons he was such a special person...
Deerstalkers: Ready, aim ... (07/12/10)
Since I wrote about the status of our cotton crop two weeks ago, very little has changed as far as the weather is concerned. The Missouri Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending July 4 gives an update of how the cotton situation continues to deteriorate. Within a week?s time, we went from the condition of 9 percent in the very poor and poor categories to 14 percent. The factor that is responsible for this is the lack of rainfall...
Thanks, officers (06/20/10)
The issue about pay increases within the Cape Girardeau Police Department is a complex one, and I don't pretend to fully comprehend it. But I can say this with certainty: Whatever our police officers are making -- even with the raises they seek -- it isn't enough...
Sleep Please... (05/30/10)
People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. -- Leo J. Burke A while back there was a story about a lad who fell asleep on his school bus and wasn't found for hours. Several years ago I remember a story about a man who woke up from a nap on his living room sofa and realized his house had been blown away by a tornado...
Out and about (05/07/10)
Today's editorial, on the other side of this page, offers just a glimpse of the events, happenings, performances and celebrations on tap this weekend and the rest of May. It's great to know there are so many choices. One thing that may not be on your radar yet is strawberry season. Sweet, juicy strawberries are being picked by nearby growers, and this year's crop seems to be tastier than ever. Find your favorite patch and enjoy...
Spring beauty (04/18/10)
I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. If you haven't made plans to visit Charleston, Mo., this weekend during the annual dogwood and azalea festival, shame on you. Charleston's broad residential avenues are lined with lovely homes surrounded by dazzling displays of flowering trees and shrubs, not to mention the tulips, irises and wisterias thrown in for good measure...
Shut-ins awe (04/11/10)
If you go to Ironton, the county seat of Iron County in the Ozarks over yonder, you get three towns for the price of one. Arcadia is on the south end, and Pilot Knob is on the north end. And if you're in Ironton, you also are close to three of Missouri's state parks: Taum Sauk, Johnson's Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks...
A good movie (03/14/10)
Writers for movie mags call it rom-com, the cinematic genre over which Sandra Bullock is the reigning queen. Bullock's regal stature has been honed by her many entertaining romantic-comedy performances with their predictable plots. This year's Oscar for best performance by an actress went to Bullock for her role as a compassionate Memphis do-gooder in "The Blind Side." Hers was not the best effort, considering the performances by other nominees in the same category, but who doesn't like watching a Sandra Bullock movie?. ...
A cat's life (02/07/10)
Miss Kitty, the calico cat who lives with us, has us figured out. And we continue to discover more and more about our constantly shedding purr factory. Because she is partly an outdoor cat, Miss Kitty keeps her claws sharp and ready to use. Too ready, sometimes. When she purrs, her paws knead the closest soft surface -- usually my midsection -- and her claws etch interesting patterns into my skin...
One ringy-dingy (01/31/10)
I'm a bill checker, and I'm proud of it. When I get a bill, I take a close look to make sure I know what I'm paying for. Sometimes the sender of a bill makes an honest mistake. This is easy to fix: a simple phone call, a pleasant conversation, an apology and an immediate adjustment. Thank you very much...
Satisfied customer (01/24/10)
Things aren't like they used to be. I hear that a lot. The words are usually spoken by someone with hair my color. For us, "used to be" is measured in decades. For the pre-bifocal set with most of their internal organs intact, "used to be" was Tuesday...
Show me the $ (09/20/09)
I am for progress. And I like historic buildings. Yes, it's possible to be for progress and preservation at the same time. The trick is to not let one impinge on the other. So, yes, I think the improvements along Broadway that Southeast Missouri State University has made are for the better. I do not miss the business buildings that were there before...
Another talk for students (09/13/09)
It's hard to say, for certain, what hidden menace lurked in the pep talk President Obama gave to young students on Tuesday. Millions of Americans, however, imagined something sinister. Many of them chose to excuse their sons and daughters from listening to ... ...
Get out. Enjoy great weather... (08/30/09)
As usual, everyone is talking about the weather. What a year it has been, going all the way back to the first week in March, when spring arrived. This has been one of the most bearable years, weatherwise, in recent memory. Let's not get spoiled. The weather always changes...
R. Joe Sullivan
R. Joe Sullivan