Dog Days

And not just because of the heat.  When we were out campaigning along the county line we ran across lots of critters.  I was rushed by two good sized Rottwielers(sp?).  When we pulled in the driveway Rick saw the dogs and said, "Have your pepper spray ready."  I wasn't worried.  I had my treats ready and said to the dogs, "Hi guys" and gave them each a treat.  They were good dogs that just look and behave aggressively at times but they didn't phase me at all.  I told the owners that they need not worry because we are "dog people" and have many of our own at home.  Then a couple of houses later there was a daschund and mini pincher that greated me when I got out of the car but as I was walking up the steps of the deck a large black nose poked out from between the stair treads.  I just started laughing and gave the lab mix a treat.  They were all good dogs.  Then there was the farm with about a dozen turkeys and 30 chickens running around everywhere.  Not a dog or cat in sight.  I was hoping those people were home so I could ask them about there collection of critters but no one was home.  At another house was Baxter and Sadie and they were both really friendly dogs.  So it was kinda animal adventure day. 
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Paul Quinn's Fundraiser

Paul Quinn is our State Representative and he is up for election this year also.  He is an extremely nice Irish Catholic young man who does not have a political agenda.  His agenda is what is best for Missourians and he's always willing to listen and truely cares about making Missouri better for us, our kids and our grandkids.  So, tonight after work, we went campaigning on the way to Paul's fish fry.   I even got another sign out which was nice.  I just wish I felt better.  Still trying to mend from the stomach flu last weekend.   I made it to all the important engagements scheduled for this week, but just barely.  It was nice to sit in the air conditioning tonight and enjoy a great meal with friends and supporters.  As soon as we got home I went straight to the garden to give it some water and TLC before the sun went down.
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Financial Audit

I had an auditor in my office yesterday.  He was looking at numbers for the detailed financial audit.    I had him sit at the other (cleaned off) desk and showed him where I kept the 2010 and 2011 records and let him do his thing.  He made notes on his computer and lots of copies.  I explained to him that the 2010 records were that of the previous treasurer and that I produced most of the 2011 records.  When he got ready to leave I asked him if he was able to find everything and he said, "Yes, I found everything I needed.  Thank you for your help.  I can really see the improvements you made in this office and I like the way you keep your records.  It made everything very easy for me to get the information I was looking for."  I thanked him for his comment and he let me know that he would have his report done in a couple of weeks.  That went VERY well for an audit experience!
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Paris Methodist Church Ladies Salad Supper (say that 3 times fast)

Well, after work tonight, since it's SO HOT outside, I was very happy to have a place to go inside!  It was a festive and delicious evening and I had a great time visiting with the ladies at the salad supper.  The guest speaker talked about her rebuilding trip in Joplin where she was able assist the Extreme Home Makover crew with several of the houses they built on their 7 houses in 7 days show where she helped mostly with landscaping.  It must have been a very rewarding.   Help others and you help yourself!
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Monroe County Democrat Club

After work today, we had our Democrat meeting in Madison so Rick and I decided to campaign in the area on our way to the meeting.   We made stops along Highway 151.  That is a LONG highway.  It will probably take us one more day to complete.  There are some really pretty houses along this road. 
The meeting was another good rally to get us all fired up to get out the vote in August and November.  There have been a lot of political meetings to attend with this being a Presidential year.  I hope I can stir up enough votes for a win!
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Dollar Days Picnic

Chris Koster

This is an annual event for Democrats in North-East Missouri to have a rally.  It gives the big Dems (like our AG at right) a chance to talk to us and then the little guys like me get up and introduce ourselves.  You get a nice meal and drink for $1.00.  Ya can't beat that price.  It was a nice evening for it and I needed the break from campaigning tonight because I still don't feel well.  Hopefully tomorrow I will feel more human as I have a busy day!
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Relay for Life and stomach flu

or possibly something I ate at Relay.  Not sure which but it has not been a fun 24 hours.  Relay for Life had a good turnout and the weather cooperated nicely.   The suvivors walk is always inspirational.  Rick and I were both exhaused when we got home last night and my tummy didn't geel right.  By 2 am I was up involuntarily revlieing my self of the contents of my stomach.  That went on for several hours.  I think I got to sleep about 6 am.  Needless to say, I was worthless all day Sunday and Monday isn't looking to peachy either.  :-(

Paris Tractor Pull

Me with Desperatto



The banner



Tonight was the big tractor pull in Paris, but before we were able to go to that, I had to knock some doors after work, and I got a few more signs out.  I was also a sponsor of tonight's show so we were allowed to put a banner up on the gate and they read Mary Lynn Powell, Treasurer of Monroe County over the PA system.  Now that's a way to reach a BIG part of Monroe County.  It was a successful day but there is a lot more work to be done. 

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Treasurer's Update

Things at the office have been going very well.  First, I will be finishing up my sixth month of closing the books both manually and using the new software program.  It is twice the work right now, but this is a necessary step when going from manual books to computer books.  I balance to the penny every month and all monies are in their proper place.  Second, I am getting ready for my first 6 month "Treasurer's recapitulation" (which balances the last 6 months overall and compares the numbers to the budget) using the new computer software.  The more prepared I am for the end of this month the better.  And third, there are the last two policies (Internal Control Policy and Collateralization Policy) which the county should have in place to be compliant with State Statutes.  I have submitted the Internal Control Policy to the Commissioners for their signature and hopefully they will sign it soon. 
I always work with Monroe County's best interests in mind.  The bottom line is I love what I am doing.  I love helping anyone who comes to my office.  I have really enjoyed learning the job of Treasurer, converting the books to computer and learning the State Statutes which we are required to follow.  Because I am able to directly enter the data from daily transactions that the Treasurer's Office perfoms, I no longer have to purchase those expensive ledger pages.  I was very happy to save that money.   :-)))     More improvements are on the way!
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My new reality show should be....

...the Itch Factor.   Very appropriate since I have had at least a dozen bouts with chiggers, so many mosquitoe bites I lost count, a couple of ticks and one spider bite.  Itch, itch, itch, itch, itch.   My new fragrance is "eau de la chig-a-rid."  I will probably go through a gallon of it before campaign season is over.   And I spray before we go out and scrub down after we get home.  Yes, the bugs are bad this year. 
But I did get more signs out in Monroe City and finished another two blacktop roads.  Making progress with little, tiny baby steps and lots of scratching.

Paris Chamber Meeting

Tonight was the quarterly meeting of the Paris Area Chamber of Commerce with cake and ice cream provided by Nancy Baca, State Farm Agent.  It was a good meeting with a lot of new ideas talked about for the Paris area.  Rick gave the invocation and did a fine job.

Charles Holland gave a great talk about using social media to get the word out about the businesses that Paris has to offer.  No Paris locations/restaurants
/stores, nothing, pops up when googled.  There was a lengthy discussion about how to correct that situation.  Charles gave us a broad overview of the options that are available to get the information online to draw people to the Paris area.  The meeting was very informative.

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Honor thy Father

And if your father is gone, honor his memory. 
This is my dad, Warren Kinninger, in his patriotic colors.  I was able to spend the afternoon with him and the rest of the family today and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  We talk and laugh and tell stories on each other.  Today we went through my sisters wedding album from 22 years ago.  Walking my sister down the aisle was such a challenge for my dad as his MS had progressed to the point where he was in a wheel chair most of the time.  He started working using parallel bars, with a physical therapist, months before the wedding trying to get strong enough to walk his youngest child to the altar.  He  accomplished his goal!  The things dad's do for love.   :-)

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First man in his underwear

It happened two years ago also, but today's man was a little younger (and it was 5:00 in the evening).  Yikes!  I looked away and just handed him my flyer and apologized for interrupting his day and then moved quickly back to the vehicle.  Other than that it was a pretty successful day and week.  I put out 15 more signs this week at various places as I campaigned.  Today, midway through campaigning in Monroe City, we went to a Tractor Show fund raiser in memory of Kolton Edward Karr, a young man who was majorly into tractors.  We had some good fish and chatted with others stopping by to eat and admire the tractors.  After that we campaigned our way back home cause the rain was chasing us.

Kolton Karr's Tractor Show

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Good-Bye Cedar Grove Baptist Church

As we were out campaigning some of the 700 gravel roads tonight we went past Cedar Grove Cemetery and the old church beside it and the roof had caved in on the church!  The end of an era I am sorry to say, the church roof fell in today.  What I am sure was once a thriving church along side a beautiful cemetery in and amongst gigantic, old oak trees is now no more.  Such a peaceful and serene place, I can see why they built a church here.  Some of the headstones date to the 1700s.  A piece of real history is now gone.  :-(


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Flag Day

And a busy Flag Day it was!  At 3:00 there was a Flag Day ceremony at the Courthouse.  The American Legion Paris Post, DAR Group and another handful of us were in attendance.  It was a beautiful ceremony.

This little Flag Day angel joined the ceremony. 
After work Rick and I went campaigning.  I had 4 different people ask me to put a sign in their yard.  ASKED ME.  You can practically knock me over with a feather when that happens.  I am so VERY grateful!  God's watching over me.  Later in the evening I went to the Baptist Church Ladies Salad Supper.  Oh my goodness, the array of delicious food was wonderful.  Those Baptist Ladies know how to put out a spread.  There was a very insightful program given by a smart and humerous 94 year old lady named Elizabeth who had brought some of her 18th century antiques, mainly candle making/burning pieces and even some whale oil burners.  She was quite remarkable and kept the audience's attention during her entire talk.  She's got spunk.  I want to be like her when I grow up! 
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4H Camp

All this week is 4H Camp over at the park.  The Political Officials from the Courthouse are invited to attend lunch for Taco Day and see all the kids in action.  It was a really fun break in our day.  There was a table full of us that went.  They are very strict about table manners and if any of the kids gets caught putting their elbows on the table while eating they get called out and have to get up and run around the room while everyone claps and chants.  It is always funny to see one of the kids get caught with elbows on the table and watch the adults at our table all make double sure not to put our elbows on the table - cause they can call us out, too!  ;-)
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BIG SIGNS

After several weeks of planning we were ready to put out some 2' x 4' signs.  The fact that it finally rained made the job much easier.  So after my Board meeting at the Manor we put them out at strategic locations and I think they turned out great!  Rick worked really hard to get the signs ready to be mounted and stuck into the ground and dear friend Elmer helped us get them all set up in their new locations.   I couldn't have done it without them.  Thanks you guys!  
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There is something new blooming...

...cause my sinuses are going crazy!    It was nice to have a rest from the campaign trail today.  It is an unwritten rule that you DO NOT campaign on Sundays.  You don't even put out signs or anything.  Sunday is  the Lord's Day.  So I used the time to catch up in the garden (the corn is tasseling!) and doing misc chores around the farm that have needed my attention for the last several weeks.   I feel closer to God when I am in the garden or out in the woods.  It is a really nice feeling.  Here's hoping for a good week!
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Here, there and everywhere

We began the day running errands around town and visiting the new 2D Energy open house.  It was well attended, they had delicious food and we got our propane cooking tank filled for $5.00!   There were also several people there that told me I could put a sign out in their yard.  I hit the jack-pot three times at one stop.   Then we campaigned our way up to 5:30 Mass at Monroe City, getting out several new signs in good, strategic places.  After Mass we headed over to Madison for a 50th/25th Anniversary Party combo for Guy and Sandy Callison (50th) and Brad and Michelle Callison (25th).  It was a wonderful party and I was so happy they invited us to share in their special celebration.  It, too, was well attended and a lot of my friends were there along with almost the entire town of Holliday and many from Madison.  We had a really great time and came home absolutely exhausted from the busy, but very good, day. 
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Dinner at the Dry Dock....

...and then we hit the road.  We have been going to the Dry Dock since we moved here in 95.   We have seen it go through many owners but Hank has done the best with the place.  The food is wonderful and you can get a great meal there anytime.  Rick and I highly recomend this eating establishment.  Afterwards, we hit the road doing gravel and blacktop.  I ran across one voting Monroe Countian who commented, "Thank you for coming so far out to introduce yourself to us, no one ever comes out here."  At another house a young woman said "You must really want to keep your job if you're campaigning way out here."   What can I say?  They're right!  I'll do whatever it takes, even going to the ends of the gravel, to find voters and say Hello.    We put out a few more signs and had good encounters with everyone.  Many people remember when I came by their house 2 years ago.   I guess I left an impression of one kind or another.    :-)
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Good-bye Pastor Ben

The Pastor at the Methodist Church in Paris has been reassigned.   Ben Mulford has been the Pastor for the last 4 years here in Paris.  There was a carry-in dinner for him last night at the church so on the way out to knock doors we stopped by to wish him and his family well on their next journey in life.   I wanted to shake his hand one last time and thank him for his service to our community.  Rick and I don't go to the Methodist Church for regular Sunday service but many of our friends do and have always spoken very highly of Pastor Ben.   We have attended many of the lunches and auctions that the church holds throughout the year and Ben was always a wonderful host.  I hope he and his family experience many new blessings in the years to come.    Good-bye Pastor Ben.
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Route A and the deer farm

I received very positive responses from everyone I met along Route A tonight.  We also campaigned DD and TT.  We were at the northwest corner of the county tonight.  Not intentially though, I just wanted to get all the way up Route A but sometime we wander off our original planned path.  On Route A, I encountered some really nice folks that raise white tail deer.  One of their does had just had her baby and I got to see the little one up close.  Such a precious gift from God and the perfect was to end my campaign trail tonight.  And I was invited to put out more signs.  Thank you God for a wonderful evening.
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Opossum encounter

Rick and I campaigned in familiar territory tonight and it was fun remembering our last visit to so many of the homes.  Such beautiful places tucked in all around Monroe County and so many nice people.    There were  dogs at many of the homes so I got in lots of petting tonight.  The funniest thing I saw was when I walked aound the side of a house to find an opossum standing in the middle of a cat food bowl having dinner.  I backed off right away as it looked pretty scraggelly(sp?) and possibly diseased.  It didn't like seeing me any more than I liked seeing it so we parted ways in a hurry.   I always have to be prepared for ANY kind of  critters, some desirable and some not so desirable. 
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Rockin' the roads

Since there wasn't a Cardinal game to listen to tonight, (they finally WON earlier today), we were rockin' the highways when we were campaigning tonight.  Most everyone I talked with was very receptive and it was a nice cool evening to boot.  Rick and I also went up to the Monroe City Senior Center for some very delicious meat loaf for lunch.  I visited and campaigned the folks at dinner and several of them asked me for signs to place in their yards.  I love it when that happens!  It helps me to know that I am headed on the right track and just need to keep pressing forward.
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Knocking doors

First thing Saturday morning we went to Paris to put a big sign in the window on Main Street at the 4 way stop.  It looks very nice and I hope lots of people notice it.  Then, from 10 am until 5 pm, Rick and I went knocking doors and getting out more signs.  We put some miles on the car this weekend but were able to meet lots of nice people and see some beautiful gardens.  It was a successful day! 
After church on Sunday, Rick and I went to my mom's and dad's for a family reunion with my dad's side of the family.   It was the first time I was able to get together with my consins since my Uncle died in January.   It is always great to get together with them and we had a fun visit with everyone. 
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More success

Rick and I went knocking doors tonight and everyone was very receptive.  I had nice visits with many of the people I talked with about my campaign.  And again, more people asked me to put a sign in their yard.  I am always so grateful for their support.  Tomorrow Rick and I will be putting out some of my 2x4 signs and knocking on more doors.  There is a lot of territory to cover in this county and I am so happy that it is cooler outside as it makes campaigning not so rough on the body.  It will be a busy weekend.
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