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Age Spots - By Ruth Dockins
MOM Said Eat Your Vegetables
At the Cape Girardeau Riverfront Market you can purchase fresh vegetables and fruit and you can use your EBT card. You can simply swipe your EBT card at the Market table and receive Market tokens for shopping.
The Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon from now until October 31, 2014. So now you have no excuse for not eating your vegetables! Mom said “If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is,” but in this case it is true and helpful as well.
Mom also used to say, “Don’t go to bed with gum in your mouth,” how many of us have awakened to find gum stuck in our hair, on our pajamas or on the person sleeping with us? But, on the other hand, Mom also said “Don’t cross your eyes, they’ll get stuck that way”…never happened to anyone I knew.
My Mom always made me take a nap every afternoon (was that for me to rest, or for her to rest?) Well anyway I hated it, but now I would love it if my boss would come into my office and say “It’s time for you to take your nap!” That never happens either.
Roseanne Barr Arnold said “I know how to do anything…I’m a Mom” that seems to be true in our children’s eyes until they become about 10 years old, after that they become so much smarter than Mom, but they still want Mom to help out with the really sticky things like, talking to the neighbor whose flowers just got trampled or talking to Dad about why it was such a good idea to hammer all Dad’s screwdrivers all the way into the tree in the shape of a heart. Well, it was Mother’s day and they looked so pretty for Mom.
Anyone ever heard “Don’t go swimming until an hour after you eat,” wasn’t that the longest hour of the day? I, personally, knew kids who jumped in right after eating and NOTHING EVER HAPPENED TO THEM!
“Clean your plate, there are starving children in the world!” I always wanted to get their address so I could mail them the brussels sprouts and the cauliflower.
I had a Mom and I am a Mom and many times I have opened my mouth and my Mother came out! In fact my grandchildren have heard many of the warnings my Mom, and later I, have shared with my children. And now, there’s a little great-grandson coming along that is really in need of some of my good advice. My Mom is probably whispering in my ear reminding me of warnings I may have forgotten.
Submitted by Mark Reed
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Stoddard County, Missouri - With 520,000 Missouri deer hunters and more than 2 million wildlife watchers, whitetail deer are obviously a very important resource to Missouri citizens. In addition, whitetail deer support 12,000 jobs and provide $1 billion annually to state and local economies. Whatever your connection to whitetail deer, you owe it to yourself and the deer herd to stay informed on the issues.
A couple of diseases have been in the news the past few years. EHD or blue tongue is a naturally occurring disease and is spread by biting flies. Blue tongue can occur any year but generally is worse during dry years. As water holes become scarce, deer congregate at remaining watering spots and the disease is spread faster. Blue tongue is often fatal with only about 20% of infected animals surviving the disease, however, it is a part of nature’s process to control population numbers. Deer that do survive may pass on genes which can strengthen the deer herd’s immunity to the disease.
Chronic Wasting Disease has hit the news in a big way the past few years. CWD is a 100% fatal disease and is caused by a prion. Now if you don’t know what a prion is or have never even heard the word, you are not alone. Most conservation employees I know had not heard the term before CWD began occurring in whitetail deer. Prions are impossible to kill with current technology so once a deer becomes infected, there is not a cure. CWD was first discovered in Colorado and has recently been found in north-central Missouri. The Department of Conservation has been working with private landowners, captive deer breeders and other concerned citizens to detect cases of the disease and slow its spread.
There are currently regulations in Missouri regarding bringing hunter-harvested deer, elk and moose carcasses into the state. Several states have enacted similar regulations aimed at reducing the chances of CWD infected carcasses being brought into the state and spreading the disease. If you travel to hunt, I recommend you keep up with these regulations in addition to permits and seasons. Since captive whitetail deer are also part of the equation, folks who have permits for these animals must meet cage requirements and other restrictions aimed at preventing escape and contact with the wild deer herd. These regulations protect Missouri’s deer herd as well as the captive deer breeders.
The Department of Conservation will be holding public meetings all around Missouri this summer to give citizens the opportunity to learn more about these topics and to voice their opinion.
Try to attend one of the meetings or go to www.mdc.mo.gov for more information. Whether you hunt whitetail deer in Stoddard County, make an occasional trip through Mingo to see deer along the route or just want to know that our natural resources are being properly managed, please do your best to be informed on the issue of deer disease and know what you can do to help.
Law Enforcement Memorial
How many of us have been assisted by a law enforcement officer during our life time? Some may not have fond memories of these times but most of us can remember a time when we were very grateful for their assistance.
These men and women of law enforcement take their oath to serve and protect very seriously. They run toward trouble when the rest of us are running away. I remember a personal experience I had when my friend and I were at a meeting and were eating lunch with one of the police officers who was also at the meeting. We were in a building where the acoustics were very good, and we heard an extremely loud noise. My friend and I instinctively started to run away from where the sound came but our friend, the police officer, without hesitation started to run toward the sound. It turned out to be just a sound, no danger, but that quick little thing showed me the difference in myself (and many others, I might add) and the law enforcement officer. Me: run away from trouble; Him: run toward trouble.
I am so glad that we have law enforcement people who “stand in the gap” for all of us. All of them put themselves in the line of danger everyday for us, some of them have given their life for us.On May 9 at 10 a.m. at the Cape Bible Chapel, 2911 Kage Rd. in Cape Girardeau, the memorial service will be held for those from our area who have given their life in the line of duty. This ceremony, in some small way, is designed to show the families of these fallen officers, our gratitude for their loved ones service and sacrifice. There are 48 names on the memorial . Our prayer is that we never have to add another name to the list.
This year the Law Enforcement Memorial will have a very special meaning for me because I lost a very good friend who was a Cape Girardeau police officer. Assistant Chief Roger Fields passed away on March 30. Roger was not killed in the line of duty but we miss him just the same. In fact Roger was the driving force behind the Memorial Service for many years. He put in long off duty hours finding the names of law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty and contacting their family members to let them know that the Cape Girardeau County SALT Council had not forgotten them.
If you are interested in attending the Memorial you would certainly be welcome by the Cape Girardeau SALT Council who is responsible for organizing and promoting this annual Memorial event.
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Age Spots - By Ruth Dockins
Silver Haired Election to be held May 6
The Silver Haired Legislature (SHL) is a formally elected body of citizens 60 years of age or older that promote conscientious legislative advocacy for Missouri’s older adults.
All members are volunteers who serve without pay. Currently there are no term limits so a delegate may be re-elected to an unlimited number of terms. The elected delegates participate in a mock legislative session patterned after the MO General Assembly. The session is held in Jefferson City in the fall of each year. Many of the activities take place in the Senate and House chambers of the Capitol building.
The SHL delegates work all year as advocates for senior issues. They are kept abreast of proposed legislation and stay in touch with the legislators. Many of the legislators contact the SHL delegates asking for their input on proposed legislation.
There are 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) in Missouri and SHL delegates are elected from each AAA area. This brings about 150 seniors together in Jefferson City to present bills, debate issues, and choose the top five for which they will advocate during the year.
If you are interested in becoming a SHL delegate you should file a Declaration of Candidacy with the SEMO Area Agency on Aging office. This statement must arrive in the office by close of business on April 21. You may obtain an application by contacting our office at 1-800-392-8771 or locally at 335-3331 or pick one up at your local senior center.
The counties of Southeast Missouri are divided into three regions for purposes of SHL representation. The Bootheel region is made up of the counties of: Stoddard, Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Dunklin. This region has only one seat open this year. This is for one Representative.
The Ozark Foothills region is made up of the counties of: Ripley, Butler, Wayne, Reynolds and Carter. This region has only one seat open this year. This is for one Representative.
The Southeast Region consists of the counties of: St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Iron, Madison, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau. This region has seats open for one Senator, and two Representatives.
The May 6 election will be held at the area senior centers during regular business hours. Contact our office to learn more about this very important program.
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Age Spots - By Ruth Dockins
The Silver Haired Legislature
The Silver Haired Legislature (SHL) is a formally elected body of citizens 60 years of age and older that promote conscientious legislative advocacy for Missouri’s older adults. All members are volunteers who serve without pay. Elections are held annually during the month of May at the local senior centers. Senior citizens elect three senators and twelve representatives from each of the ten area agencies on aging in the state, for a total of 30 senators and 120 representatives.
The Bootheel region is comprised of Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin and Stoddard counties, there is one open seat for a representative from this region. The Ozark Foothills region is made up of Butler, Ripley, Carter, Reynolds and Wayne counties. This year there will be one representative elected from that region. One senator and two representatives will be elected from the Southeast Region which is made up of St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Iron, Madison, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties.
This past year the SHL met in Jefferson City October 9, 10 & 11. This annual meeting is held in the Missouri State Capitol building
It would be difficult to find a more dedicated group of senior citizens. Prior to the mock legislative session in Jefferson City they have meetings locally and determine what issues they feel are important enough to bring before the legislature as Silver Haired Proposals. After they decide on the issues they write the proposals which are presented to the SHL board for approval. The board chooses 20-21 proposals for presentation at the mock legislative session.
The SHL holds committee meetings the first day of the session. The committees are: Social Service, Health, Consumer Affairs and Taxation. Each member has been assigned to a committee based in part on their stated preference, this is where each proposal is heard.
After all proposals assigned to the committee are addressed, the committee will choose DO PASS, DO PASS AS AMENDED, or DO NOT PASS. When the committee has voted on each proposal this way, they are ready to go to the House or Senate for debate and final voting the next day.
In the evening of the first day, the SHL delegates will attend a banquet. At the banquet they will visit with old friends, new acquaintances and their table mates. Of course, much of the discussion centers on the bills their committee worked on that day. There will be a keynote speaker, many times it will be a state elected official.
After the banquet they gather in their caucus room to “plan their strategy” for the proposals they are sponsoring. These meetings are where any problems or questions regarding the proposals are addressed. In this meeting all the people are from the same area of the state and have met with each other in prior meetings regarding the proposals. The group is generally of the same mind with respect to the proposals.
The next day the legislators meet in the House and Senate chambers in the capitol building. On this day the proposals that passed out of committee as DO PASS are voted on and then five of them are chosen as the SHL priority bills. This past year the top five bills were:
1. Restore and increase funding of Medicaid, home-delivered and congregate meals
2. Transportation – increase AAA funding
3. Raise asset level for persons on MO Healthnet - $2,000 for a single person; $3,000 for a married couple
4. Silver Alert combined with Amber Alert
5. Grandparents’ right of guardianship
After the proposals are chosen and the SHL delegates go home they advocate for these bills with their state legislators and encourage them to write and pass bills of a similar nature in the General Assembly.
The Silver Haired legislators work hard all year long advocating for senior issues. Many of our state legislators have said that they count on and look forward to the input these folks have regarding the issues with which they must deal in the General Assembly.
If you think you would be interested in running for an open seat of the SHL contact me at 573-335-3331 or 1-800-392-8771 or your local senior center and we’ll get the proper paperwork to you. The paperwork must be in this office by close of business on April 21 with the election being held at your local senior center on May 6 during regular business hours. Our address is SEMO AAA, 1219 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.
