Town Talk

March is full of birthdays in the Smalley household. I recently found out a dear friend of mine also celebrates a birthday in March – Pat Owens. If you have lived in Stroud any length of time, I’m sure you know Pat Owens. She was Dr. Market’s nurse for many years.

Reno

On Tuesday, Reno the puppy went to the vet, where he was probed, swabbed, vaccinated and dewormed. The little guy didn’t suffer these indignities quietly, Kindra said, and squirmed and wriggled the whole time. When it was over, the vet tried to make nice by offering Reno some puppy treats.

Town Talk

Great news! Town Talk’s Bugle Boy has been ordered. We had enough funds left over from another project to make the down payment. That gets the price locked in and begins the process. It will take about six months for him to be completed. At the end of that six months, we will pay the balance.

Thumbs-up for PCJLS changes

The Pottawatomie County Junior Livestock Show finished up last Friday evening with the annual premium auction and presentation of awards and scholarships. A new wrinkle, if you will, was having the Gordon Richards, Sr. Achievement Awards presented on the same night.

Letter to the editor

Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, I was taught basic manners, like open a door for ladies and the elderly, to always return something borrowed in better condition than it was when you got it.

A visitor

Sunday afternoon I was at the dining room table, working on this week’s edition of the newspaper. J.R. the camerabreaking cat jumped on the window sill, crouched and started staring at something outside between the air conditioner and the dining room wall. J.R.

Town Talk

Can you believe March is already here? I was driving down Main Street Tuesday morning and noticed the few straggling dead flowers in our downtown flowerpots. Town Talk is anxious to get those filled with gorgeous spring flowers which helps Stroud look alive.

Cat actions

I pulled out one of my old film cameras three weeks ago. Kindra and I were slipping off for an overnight anniversary get-away and I thought I’d snap a couple of rolls of film to commemorate the event.

Openness essential in government

Openness should be the standard not the exception when it comes to meetings and records of public bodies. We see and hear of boards, councils, other public bodies that either ignore or attempt to skirt the Open Meetings and Records Act.

Remembering Virginia Bradshaw

A couple of weeks ago this area lost a well-respected retired member of the journalism community. Virginia Bradshaw passed away on Feb. 9 at her home. She was 92 years old. She had played a role in my entering into the world of journalism and played a role in my landing my first newspaper job.