Conservation is getting more report of bear sightings, so have a plan in mind of what you’ll do if you do have a close encounter of the furry kind.

It’s 4 p.m. Friday and only one girl is answering the phone at MDC El Dorado Springs and she doesn’t have any release on that. I called MDC headquarters and everybody has gone home. I suppose a 30-06 might not be the proper response unless it’s your life or the bear’s.

Call MDC at 417/876-5336 during office hours. My best source at MDC for years, Lana Wilson, went home and stayed, at in retired. Her mom and my mom were best friends when they were girls. I think it was Helen Cawood, another of those questions I can’t ask Mom.

I had a welcome visitor in my office the other day. Lana Sue Lewallen Jones and I were classmates. Her late husband, Tom, and I grew up together at Glade Springs Missionary Baptist Church where our parents were members and we both joined after we were saved.

Kimball went to the office for a couple of hours on Saturday and came home with the sad news that Doug Rice died. I called Davis who had just got home from Kansas City with his family. He was not happy with the news. Doug probably still has a card in his billfold that Davis made for him years ago. We’ll get more information Monday. Good man. Good friend. Always glad to see him and his wife, Janice. I know we’ll meet again.    KL