From time to time, I hear friends and family complain about being called for jury duty. It seems the summons for jury duty never comes at a convenient time because of personal or work obligations. But serving on a jury is an incredibly important constitutional duty for all of us. To recognize and honor jury service, Missouri was one of a few states in the country to hold a statewide Juror Appreciation Week earlier this month. more

It is common practice to pair wines with foods; but why stop there? How about pairing wines with movies? more

We live in a world today where anxiousness and worry are found everywhere. Every decision, every job, every move we make seems to be wound up in worry. When we read the book of Philippians, we read, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). So how do we begin to have joy in the midst of worry and anxiety? more

There’s another woman in my husband’s life, and I’m the one who put her there. more

Abundant trees, a pond, a creek, hilly terrain, and open areas that used to be pasture compose our 47 acres south of Warrensburg. We love living here, but we are struggling with invasive plant species, most notably sericea lespedeza. more

It was inevitable and as predictable as the sun rising in the morning that at the first sign of winter departing, the marketplace becomes rosé central. While rosé wines do announce the “happy time” of spring, this year, they seem to be doing so in volume. As a person who cannot deny the obvious, I usher in the upcoming season by reviewing some truly excellent rosé wines that I have recently sampled. more

Finally, the rains came and blooms followed. May in Central Missouri gardens is a time of abundance. Gardens come to life with the blousy blooms of peonies and the statuesque blooms of irises. The bloom size and the longevity of the peony and iris make them must-haves for any garden. They are good starter plants as they are both very hardy and bloom reliably when planted correctly. more

Sauvignon blanc wines are currently suffering the same fate that befell the merlot wines at the turn of the last century. more

Sleep is beautiful. But the physical act of sleeping isn’t. That’s why I roll my eyes during rom-com movies when the man wakes up early (yeah, right) to gaze adoringly at the woman he loves while she sleeps. more

I love the story of the woman at the well. If you’re not familiar with it, look in the fourth chapter of John’s gospel. more

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12 and is one of the happiest of our national holidays. Thus, only the happiest of wine is the order of the day, but which one? more

It’s time again for every parent, teacher and student’s least favorite school year tradition: standardized testing. more

Welcome to the year of the bug. We’re just in time to witness two giant broods of cicadas rising from the ground like a horde of zombie bugs. How many zombie bugs? Definitely billions. But most likely trillions. There’s no official tree-to-tree cicada census, so it’s hard to be sure. more

Last month, the Sedalia Democrat announced its transition to a twice-weekly newspaper from its former schedule of Tuesday through Saturday publication. more

Those yellow-bellied dusty devils are at it again. They've launched their annual full-scale attack, and no amount of antihistamines can stop them. more

With the ever-increasing Hispanic presence in this country, Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, which is the Hispanic equivalent of the Fourth of July, has become a very popular holiday in the United States. more

Often in political discussions today, we hear that America is a Christian nation or that America needs to get back to Christianity. Both statements fall under the umbrella of Christian nationalism, which is a cultural framework that advocates for the fusion of a particular interpretation of Christianity and American civic life. more

From Chile comes the southern hemisphere's version of the oenological mighty handful: a cabernet sauvignon, a pinot noir, a sauvignon blanc and, for added color, a rosé, all of which have been organically grown and are also vegan. more

The irises are blooming in April, which has never happened at my place in more than 20 years. Everything is a couple of weeks early this year which means gardeners need to be very observant. If you trim back your spring-blooming shrubs, such as lilac and wiegela, those tasks will happen sooner than in years past. Other late spring and early summer tasks will also need to be adjusted. more

Chocolate chip cookies, the Slinky, Play-Doh, Post-It notes, and potato chips. The one thing they all have in common is this: They’re losers. more