Editor's note: This week has been another busy one both at work and at home. With the spring season here, I thought this column from almost exactly one year ago would be a good substitute. While I think my green thumb saw some improvements last year, I definitely still have a long way to go before I reach grandma's gardening status. I'll be giving it another go next month, so we'll see how long my plants last this time around. more

Recently, my father’s neighbor accused him of throwing leaves into her driveway. Although he assured her that he did not, she insisted he was lying and demanded he apologize. My dad, not being a liar, told her, “I am not going to apologize for something I did not do.” more

“If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them and half as much money.” – Author Unknown more

WROCLAW, Poland – It is unreal to me to be in Poland these last two weeks (April 3-15) helping at a Ukrainian refugee help point. And as Sedalia Democrat readers first saw this column on Saturday, April 15, I was flying back to America – a bittersweet thought. more

Pink is the favored color for Mother's Day, and I would like to suggest some of the pink rosé wines that I am sure will please mom. more

“Easter! Why would you use that term?! I’ve never read THAT in the Bible,” the stranger said as she felt compelled to comment on my social media advert for our upcoming Sunday service. Yes, I know the holiday has passed, but bear with me. There’s a broader point here. more

WROCLAW, Poland — On April 3, I left for Wroclaw, Poland, on a humanitarian trip with my friend Kathleen Boswell. We planned to spend time at a help point for Ukrainian Refugees in Wroclaw. But, before arriving, it took us 25 hours to get through airports and layovers and five hours traveling by train to reach our destination. more

Recently, I began a quest for affordable wines that are not only good but worth well above their selling price. more

I hope all of you gardeners have been able to get some seeds in the ground recently. I’ve planted most all the cold-weather vegetables that I will put in this year, but the weather is still too uncertain for me to plant warm-weather varieties. Our weather pattern is still bouncing up and down with not much “typical” weather, which is the 60s, for this time of year. more

I’ve mentioned it many times in my columns: people need other people, and connecting with others is so important. A few Sedalia women seem to agree with those thoughts and have created a group focused on connection, intention and mindfulness – with some fun and activities involved too. more

Don’t you just love statistics? Today, we are bombarded with statistics of all kinds and types to prove some point or other. more

As he was dying at the young age of 45 on April 4, 1774, the sharp-witted English writer Oliver Goldsmith was asked if his mind was “at ease,” to which he replied, “No, it is not.” Unease often accompanies people when dying, but it also does while living too because of unforeseen circumstances and puzzlement about how to respond. Many might dream of a life of ease, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be! more

Have you ever been so tired you don’t even know what you’re doing anymore? So tired that even coffee won’t put a dent in the impenetrable wall of sleepless fog? So tired you’re giddy? more

We experienced a rather scary situation within the Sedalia School District this week when an anonymous person called to report that there had been a shooting at Smith-Cotton Junior High School. more

Among the greatest conundrums to befall the wine industry in recent years is the question of the pull or the twist – the pull being corks and the twist the screw top. The best way to research this question is to look at the history of both closures. more

In today’s culture, there is no phrase I hear more than “I am too busy.” We often make our lives so busy that adding anything else seems impossible. more

“Molte grazie, ai nostri amici, i vignaioli italiani” or in English, many thanks, to our friends, the Italian winemakers. more

Daffodils are the unofficial heralds of spring here in mid-Missouri. Once those yellow, or white, or orange trumpets start showing, gardeners start itching to get things started. Those bright flowers also seem to stir possibilities in new gardeners. Regardless if you have gardened for many years or if this year will be the first that you put a seed into soil, there is always something to learn. more

My mother’s people have two passions: farming and reading. I inherited the love of both. more

The 50-year golden anniversary of Missouri’s Sunshine Law has led me to reflect on what could be done to restore the vision of Missouri’s original Sunshine Law sponsors. more