CN: January 25, 2023

By Wendy Todd

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021 only 19.1% of people with disabilities were unemployed. Though it was slight jump from 2020, there is a still a great challenge for many people with disabilities to obtain gainful employment, which also impacts their ability to secure suitable housing.

The nonprofit Promise Community Homes, formerly Rainbow Village, which is located in Creve Coeur, is celebrating its 50th year of providing affordable homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

In 1973, nine parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities began the organization with seven homes serving a few dozen residents. Today, the nonprofit is the largest specialty housing nonprofit in St. Louis providing 300 adults with IDD in 86 homes throughout St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County.

Among other factors, a big obstacle to people with IDD in securing housing is income, as explained by Lisa Dickerson, operations director.

“Most of our residents receive less than $800 a month in disability waivers from the state, so they cannot pay market rate rents unless they’re bringing in other income,” she said. “Employment is also a challenge because you must consider other supports to be successful in a job, like having reliable transportation.”

In addition, it can be challenging to find property owners who are willing to provide accessibility supports such as ramps

or bathrooms outfitted to accommodate special needs.

Along with housing, PCH provides other amenities in their Wolff Community Center for its residents including a heated therapeutic pool, a gymnasium and patio, that can be rented by all community members of all abilities and a garden bed to grow food for the residents.

People with IDD who need housing are typically referred to the nonprofit from other agencies and receive waivers from the Department of Mental Health. The organi-

zation helps people and families navigate the process to secure housing with them.

Mary Wilson has been a resident with the nonprofit since 1998 and enjoys living near the Wolff Community Center. She also participates in the agency’s Aging With Empowerment program.

“It’s good,” she said. “I love my two roommates. I walk to the center every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am happy living there. It’s easy to walk places.”

Mary Wilson (left), with caregiver Marybeth, in her home provided by Promise Community Homes.

Providing suitable housing for people with IDD not only give the residents as sense of personal freedom but also allows families to receive the support they need and the peace of mind knowing their family members are safe.

Terry Richter has three adult sons who have been living in a PCH home since 2018.

“I have no idea what I would have done without my sons’ home,” he said. “It’s given me another chance at life, and it’s given my sons a chance to grow up and be independent. It’s been great for my sons!”

Drivers who regularly use eastbound I-270 should note that the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) closed highway lanes between West Florissant Avenue and New Halls Ferry Road on Jan. 15.

The lane closures allowed crews to safely shift all three lanes of eastbound I-270 onto the New Halls Ferry Road Bridge. This new

alignment will remain in place until summer of 2023, when construction of the new I-270 bridge over New Halls Ferry Road will continue.

The lane closures and construction work are part of the $278 million I-270 North Project infrastructure upgrades. To stay updated on the status of this closure and

to view a project overview and graphic displays of planned construction, please visit the I-270 North Project website at: www. i270north.org. Travelers can also contact MoDOT’s customer service center at 1-314275-1500 or the I-270 North Project Team at: I270North@modot.mo.gov.

The wild action, sci-fi and comedic adventure “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has been named Best Film of 2022 by the St. Louis Film Critics Association.

Writer-directors The Daniels’ chaotic tale of an overworked Chinese immigrant’s multiverse journey won five awards overall, including Michelle Yeoh for best actress. She plays Evelyn Wang, whose business is struggling, her marriage is on the rocks, and she has complicated relationships with her daughter and father.

As Evelyn’s milquetoast husband, Ke Huy Quan won supporting actor while Paul Rogers won for editing and The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), who directed, were named in a tie for best original screenplay.

SLFCA announced its awards in 23 categories on Dec. 18, with honors spread out among 13 films.

“The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis” and “Women Talking” each received three awards.

Martin McDonagh tied with the Daniels for original screenplay, for his pitch-black comedy about friends at an impasse, who live on a remote Irish island in 1923, while Kerry Condon won best supporting actress as the smart and feisty Siobhan, sister to Colin Farrell’s Padraic, and Ben Davis won for his moody and rugged cinematography.

This is the third year the group has select-

ed a woman for its director award – Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland,” in 2020; Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog” in 2021; and now, Sarah Polley for “Women Talking.”

“Women Talking,” about the women in an isolated religious community deciding on what action to take after a series of sexual assaults in 2010, also won for best ensemble cast and for Hildur Guðnadóttir’s acoustic music score that taps into community and hope.

Catherine Martin won for designing costumes and with Karen Murphy for production design on her husband Baz Luhrmann’s electric “Elvis” biopic, which was also singled out for best soundtrack.

For best actor, Brendan Fraser was selected for his bravura performance in “The Whale,” playing a 600-lb. recluse grappling with loss and guilt while trying to reconnect with his daughter.

The regional critics group announced its annual nominations Dec. 11, with “The Banshees of Inisherin” leading with 11 nominations, followed by ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ with 10; ‘Women Talking’ and ‘The Fabelmans’ earned eight each. Those nominations are listed here: http://www.stlfilmcritics.org/awards.

For Special Merit recognition, the St. Louis Film Critics selected three people for the honor: imprisoned Iranian director Jafar

Panahi, whistleblower actress Ashley Judd and posthumously, influential musician-actor David Bowie.

SLFCA President Jim Tudor said the group wanted to recognize filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to six years in prison by the Iranian government for inquiring about the arrests of his fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad.

The international film community has denounced his imprisonment as unjust. His latest work, “No Bears,” was shown at the Venice Film Festival and New York Film Festival this fall.

The SLFCA statements on the three Special Merits:

Jafar Panahi: “In recognition of the courage of imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panahi and all those film professionals confronting political oppression in the pursuit of free speech, human rights, and artistic expression.”

Ashley Judd: “We recognize Ashley Judd for the bravery and courage she demonstrated in portraying herself in ‘She Said.’”

David Bowie: “After nominating the experimental documentary “Moonage Daydream,” we want to also honor the expansive and continuing cinematic presence of singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie, whose life

Terry Richter has three adult sons who have been living in this Promise Community Homes home since 2018. The nonprofit Promise Community Homes, formerly Rainbow Village, which is located in Creve Coeur, is celebrating its 50th year of providing affordable homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Submitted photo

Affinia Healthcare ‘long-COVID’ practice marks one-year milestone

Almost three years into the pandemic, most areas of public life have returned somewhat to a pre-COVID normal. For some who were diagnosed with COVID-19, their return to normal has yet to materialize.

Some who contracted COVID-19 still struggle with symptoms, a condition commonly referred to as “long COVID.” Recognizing that there was more once the initial symptoms subsided, Affinia Healthcare established a dedicated care team to help those individuals with treatment for this unique condition. The team marked its one-year milestone in November.

Those who experience long-COVID conditions suffer from symptoms like excessive fatigue, depression, memory loss, severe and persistent body aches and pain. Affinia Healthcare’s long-COVID care team has served 37 patients in its year of service. Like so many things associated with COVID, there are still many unknowns, even though society has learned how to better manage exposure and treatment.

Dr. Catherine Moore is one of the physicians working with Affinia Healthcare patients experiencing long-COVID symptoms. One of her patients was a certified nurse’s assistant working in a local nursing home when the CNA was diagnosed with COVID-19.

“She said that at least 50 of the residents she was working with died of COVID in those first few months (of the pandemic),” Moore said. “She was diagnosed in May 2020 with COVID, followed the protocols for quarantining, then went back to work. She was still having headaches and fatigue, but also was experiencing short-term memory loss, sleeplessness, and severe muscle tension.”

This patient continued to suffer with these symptoms but, to keep her mind off of them, she picked up additional shifts at work. She mentioned her health concerns to friends and family, but they dismissed them.

Moore says the patient returned to Affinia Healthcare for a wellness exam and mentioned her symptoms to the physician. The physician set up an appointment for her to see the long-COVID care team, which includes physician assistants, occupational therapists, nurses, chiropractors and behavioral health professionals.

“We were able to help her process what she had experienced, not just with her physical symptoms but also what she saw in her role as a CNA,” Dr. Moore explained. “She talked about the horror of seeing her patients die. She shared the frustration of pervasive symptoms that no one could see. She sobbed, because she finally felt validated in her experience.”

The long-COVID care team is also connecting this patient with Affinia Healthcare behavioral health professionals to “help process the trauma” of what she has experienced.

When North St. Louis City and County was expe-

riencing a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, Affinia Healthcare took the lead in 2020 and hit the streets to set up testing sites in these communities. Affinia Healthcare – with 12 locations in St. Louis City and County – continues to offer testing and vaccines on-site and through partnerships with community organizations and public service agencies. Affinia Healthcare also provides COVID-19 vaccinations, and the monoclonal antibody infusion therapy for patients who have mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 and an elevated risk of complications.

“The COVID pandemic exposed what many of us in the public health sector were already familiar with – the drastic health disparities that affect poor, black, and brown communities,” said Dr. Kendra Holmes, CEO and President for Affinia Healthcare. “The pandemic also provided healthcare providers an opportunity to be creative and more strategic in how we deliver our services to better meet the needs of all in our communities.”

As the medical profession turns the corner in diagnosis and prevention, listening to and learning from those with long-COVID can help patients return to true normalcy.

“Once a patient understands that they are not alone, they are not crazy, and there is some biological mechanism behind all of this, then they can begin the work of healing,” said Moore.

Dr. Alan Freeman, former Affinia Healthcare CEO and President, is proud of the initiative staff have shown in caring for patients, especially in light of the uncertainty of the pandemic.

“Caring for patients where they are is a trademark of the Affinia Healthcare professionals on our staff,” Freeman commented. “COVID-19 presents significant challenges for patients and healthcare professionals, and our staff, once again, has demonstrated its expertise and compassion to help those in need of care.”

If there are individuals experiencing long-COVID symptoms, please call 314-814-8700 to schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider.

Finalists announced in Normandy Schools superintendent search

The Normandy Schools Collaborative Joint Executive Governing Board has selected three finalist candidates in the running for the district’s superintendent vacancy. The candidates selected include:

• Dr. Howard E Fields III, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Kirkwood School District.

• Dr. Bruce Green, Director of Secondary Education for Ritenour School District.

• Dr. Michael Triplett, Assistant Superintendent of Operations for Olathe Public Schools.

The Joint Executive Governing Board retained the services of the Missouri School Boards’ Association as the search firm to lead the process, which kicked off in the fall of 2022. Board members interviewed candidates for the position and narrowed the field to three finalists.

The Joint Executive Governing Board will make its final decision at a later date.

Members of the Affinia Healthcare long-COVID treatment team at the N. Florissant location include (from left) Dr. Patrick Battaglia, chiropractor; Tenika Porter, LPN; Bernadette Sheffield, Occupational Therapist; Dr. Catherine Moore, Assistant Medical Director, Family Practice Physician; Dr. Jeffery Lin, Family Medicine Physician; and Rajeev John, MSW, LCSW, Manager, Trauma Informed Care.

Submitted photo

Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective featured in new CDC museum exhibit

Through a unique partnership between public health and the arts, St. Louis-based Saint Louis Story Stitchers was one of 30 arts and culture organizations that received support from the CDC Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts to develop works of art to educate the public and inspire confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

The participating organizations used their chosen art forms to translate public health information about the safety and importance of immunizations into an accessible, memorable and diverse body of work. An exhibit at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum in Atlanta, Georgia entitled “Trusted Messengers: Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines Through Art” is now showcasing original pieces from six of these organizations, including Saint Louis Story Stitchers.

“Story Stitchers artists were honored to be selected for this exhibition and pleased to see the work continue to be useful to public audiences. In St. Louis, our project generated bus kings, bus shelter posters, billboards, social media and radio ads, reaching 70 million people in the spring of 2022. The project was created by a collaborative group of youth and adult artists who generated work around the concept of worthiness and caring for one another in a campaign called, ‘I GOTCHU,’” said Susan Colangelo, executive director of Saint Louis Story Stitchers. “Through a partnership with St. Louis Public Libraries and St.

Louis County Libraries, Story Stitchers held multiple ‘Story Circles’ that featured live performances and public discussions with health care providers about COVID and the vaccines. Visitors to the museum exhibition will see examples of a marketing of the Story Circles, a bus king, video ads used on social media and posters from bus shelters.”

“Our talented partner organizations have created meaningful, innovative projects that engaged and in-

The important parts of moving Still In This Together:

I’m learning a lot about priorities, and even more about myself with this whole moving process.

It’s the first time in 45 years we’ve made a move, and that in itself is a huge thing. There have been so many things put aside over that time because we didn’t have to make a decision about whether to keep them or not. There was room, there would be time to grapple with it later, and there was plenty of extra space in the basement.

Our son, Chris, and his family live in North Carolina, where there are no basements, and while it has always been a source of great fun for grandkids Colin and Caroline when they come to visit (“Grandpa, do you still have a basement?”), Chris and Maureen have told us repeatedly that it’s wonderful not to have the space to hoard things. Their home has some ‘hidey-holes’ built into the walls for storage, but nothing as grand as an entire underground cave of a basement.

So now comes the reckoning that I was pretty sure would be left to our kids. It’s daunting, embarrassing because of the things we’ve simply let accumulate, and interesting to go through the decision process of what is important and what can thankfully, and finally, be disposed of because “we aren’t made of money, and it’s not worth moving.”

I knew long ago that I was a horrible judge of what’s deserving of clemency and what isn’t. The tulip bulbs that we bought from a school fundraiser thirty years ago needed to be thinned in order to stay healthy and vibrant, but I just couldn’t take the trowel to them, in essence judging which were worthy of living and which weren’t. Interestingly, they’ve all continued to thrive, and bloomed more beautifully last spring than they have in years, perhaps knowing before we even did that it would be our last year together. (Another thing I have to ask our home’s eventual new owners to please be protective of.)

As we began going through closets and drawers, basement areas and overstuffed cabinets, some of it was ridiculously freeing. “I really would keep that copy of my college transcript, but there seems no logical reason to fill another box.”

Christmas was a particular challenge this year, because we were painting and purging, moving boxes from room to room as various folks of various ages were visiting or helping out. One day, we needed the family room filled with toys for the three-year-old grand-twins to enjoy, the next I was trying to figure out where the Christmas tree (agreed upon that it should be a bit sparser in décor than in some years) would be best situated. Or how many boxes had to be moved in the basement to even get to some basic Christmas items.

John moved the bins that I begged for to the middle

formed community members,” said Catherine Zilber, MSc, vice president for infectious disease programs at the CDC Foundation. “This new exhibit features impressive art and uplifting messaging that demonstrates the crucial role the arts can play in communicating about important public health issues.”

“Trusted Messengers: Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines Through Art” exhibit will run through March 2023.

By Vicki Bahr

of the basement floor and coughed dramatically as I opened the first one.

“What is that godawful smell? Oh, it’s the plastic garland. Thankfully, that won’t be going with us!”

Oh, but it will.

It was a keepsake of sorts from his parents’ home, a horribly plastic-smelling green garland dotted with small red plastic holly berry clusters that my father-inlaw dutifully strung around the perimeter of their living room every year. Everyone in the family laughed at me when I asked for it, but for some reason, it holds wonderful memories for me. Once Frank had strung the garland, Christmas had officially begun. I’ve wrapped it around our front yard light pole so many years that pieces of plastic holly and tiny red berries fall off every year and blow around the yard. And the plastic smell that I would have thought should be gone after its outdoor reverie each year is somehow stronger than ever.

There won’t be a light pole to wrap it around, but the garland is too important to be left behind. Funny the importance of the simplest of things when there are memories attached to them. I’m not surprised in the least; it’s actually so rewarding to find out that when it comes right down to it, the little things were always what mattered the whole time.

Vicki Bahr is an inveterate word lover and story sharer, a published author in magazine, newspaper and blog forms. As a mom of four, grandma of nine, and wife of one for 50 years, she finds that inspiration and wonder are everywhere.

The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News

Photo by Mike Jensen, courtesy of the David J. Sencer CDC Museum

RECURRING EVENTS

Weekdays: Food pantry volunteers needed

The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry is in need of ongoing adult volunteers to sort food, stock shelves and shop with clients. Two-tofour hour shifts are available, Monday-Friday 8:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. To learn more or to join this fun group, contact Chelsey Banaskavich at 314-513-1674 or cbanaskavich@jfcs-stl.org.

Mondays: Choral Arts Group meetings

Choral Arts Group practices every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Connection Christian Church at 1332 Feise Rd. in O’Fallon. Auditions not required. Ages high school and older are invited to join. There will be spring and fall public concerts. For more information call Marty at 636579-9227, or email concertartsa@gmail.com.

Mondays: City council meetings

City of Pine Lawn holds regular city council meetings at city hall at 6250 Steve Marre Ave. in Pine Lawn on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.

Mondays: Workshop meetings

City of Pine Lawn holds regular workshop meetings at city hall at 6250 Steve Marre Ave. in Pine Lawn on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.

Mondays: A cappella singers

All men who like to sing are invited to come sing with us, The Men of Harmony. We practice every Monday night at 7 p.m. at 5500 Parker

Raoad which is the first house on Uthe Lane. We sing fourpart harmony a capella (without accompaniment). We sing some traditional songs, as well as show tunes and more contemporary music. We do perform for the public at various functions. Persons interested can come right on in or for more information call Al at 314-993-6134.

Mondays: Korean War Veterans Association meeting

If you had military service in Korea between Sept. 3, 1945 and the present you are cordially invited to a meeting of Chapter 4, North County Korean War Veterans Association. Meetings take place at the VFW Post 4105 at 410 St. Francois in Florissant on the second Monday of the month, starting at 7 p.m. For more information contact Walter Kaiser at 314-921-2132. For a limited period the Chapter will pay for one (1) year membership for new members.

Mondays-Thursdays: Volunteers needed

Community Action Agency of St. Louis County is in need of volunteers to stock shelves, sort food shipments and pack bags for Food Pantry Clients Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Two

to four hour shifts are available. If you are interested, please contact Cheryl Piece at 314-446-4440 or cpiece@ caastlc.org for additional information.

Tuesdays: Bingo

Florissant Elks Bingo takes place at 16400 New Halls Ferry every Tuesday. Doors open at 4 p.m., bingo starts at 6 p.m. No outside food or drinks allowed per St. Louis County. Food and drinks available for purchase. Maximum 150 players. Must wear mask to enter. Social distancing followed.

Tuesdays: A cappella singers

The Gentlemen of Sound are looking for men who like to sing or want to learn. They practice Tuesdays at Lady of the Pillar school at 401 S. Lindbergh from 7 – 9 p.m. They try to do public events monthly. Always looking for new members. Come by or call Kirk at 314-954-7920 .

Tuesdays: Chair Zumba Chair Zumba every Tuesday

from 2:15 – 3 p.m. at The Bridge At Florissant at 1101 Garden Plaza Dr. (Parker @ Arlington). For more information call 314-831-0988.

Tuesdays: Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery Tuesday meetings take place at 6 p.m. with a Saturday Bible Study at 9 a.m. at LifePoint Church at 424 Graham Rd. in Florissant. For more information visit www.lifepointministries.church/celebrate-recovery or call (men) Steve D. at 636-634-6582 or (women) Denise W. at 530-417-6151.

Tuesdays: Choir rehearsals

The St. Louis Chordinals, a women’s a cappella chorus, rehearse every Tuesday evening from 7 - 9:30 p.m. at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church at 12397 Natural Bridge Rd. in Bridgeton (next to the Bridgeton Government Center). For more information call Linda at 314-839-3495 or visit stlouischordinals.org.

CROSSWORD answers from page F-4

SUDOKU

Recipe: Warm up winter with watermelon fun

Ingredients:

Kitchen knives

1 round seedless watermelon

2 personal-sized watermelons, one larger than other ice cream scoop or large spoon melon baller mini melon baller or paring knife blueberries

large wooden skewers y-shaped sticks scarf

Directions:

Using knife, cut 1/4-inch slice off bottom of round seedless watermelon and both personal watermelons to provide stable bases.

Use smallest melon for head, second largest for torso and largest for lower body. Set aside smallest watermelon.

Cut tops off large and medium watermelons to create bowls. Using ice cream scoop or large

spoon, scoop out flesh.

W ATERMELON SNOWMAN

Using melon baller, scoop eyes out of smallest watermelon. Invert melon balls and reinsert.

Using mini melon baller or paring knife, scoop out holes for nose and mouth. Carve one piece of watermelon into triangle for nose and fill mouth holes with blueberries.

On platter, using large wooden skewers, connect all three watermelons.

Insert y-shaped sticks in middle watermelon for arms.

Fill bottom sections with fruit salad of melon balls and blueberries. Decorate with scarf and hat.

Tofindmorefamily-friendlycraftsandsweetsnackideas,visitWatermelon.org.

‘All in the Family’ and its multiple spinoffs

– SUDOKU –

Movie:

By Steve Bryan

After the country humor of “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Green Acres,” CBS shifted gears in 1971 with the debut of “All in the Family.” Carol O’Connor and Jean Stapleton starred as Archie and Edith Bunker, a blue-collar couple living at 704 Hauser in Queens, New York.

Born and raised in South St. Louis, Steve Bryan is now based in Anaheim, California, and has been allowed access to movie and television sets to see actors and directors at work. Though his writing has taken him far from St. Louis, Steve is, at heart, still the same wide-eyed kid who spent countless hours watching classic movies at neighborhood theaters.

Archie, who worked on a loading dock and later became a foreman, was opinionated to the point of being a bigot. Michael “Mike” Stivic (Rob Reiner), his son-in-law, would frequently argue with Archie on hot topics of the day. The Bunker’s daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) also had strong opinions, especially when Archie criticized her Polish husband.

Some characters that originated on “All in the Family” were given sitcoms of their own. After appearing in two episodes, Bea Arthur’s liberal character, Maude Findlay, got her own self-titled show.

“Maude” ran for six seasons and introduced Florida Evans (Esther Rolle), the housekeeper for Maude’s family in Tuckahoe, New York. Rolle’s performance was so memorable that another spinoff, “Good Times,” was created. For Esther Rolle, though, there were not-sogood times on the new series. She wasn’t happy with aspects of the show, in particular Jim-

mie Walker’s portrayal of J.J. Evans. Though “Maude” was set in New York, “Good Times” took place in Chicago.

With its 253 episodes, “The Jeffersons” became one of the longest-running sitcoms on television. George and Louise Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford) had lived next door to the Bunkers. Edith and Louise were great friends, but after George’s dry-cleaning business took off, the Jeffersons moved from Queens to a deluxe New York apartment. Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs) became their maid, which led to arguments between her and George. “The Jeffersons” had one spin-off, “Checking In,” where Florence became an executive housekeeper at a New York hotel, but this series ran for only four episodes.

In 1979, “Archie Bunker’s Place,” a rebooted version of “All in the Family,” debuted. Murray Klein (Martin Balsam), Archie’s Jewish partner, worked in the bar while dealing with the opinionated Archie. The revamped cast

included Danielle Brisebois as Archie’s niece and the wonderful Anne Meara as the bar’s cook. After Edith’s off-screen death, Archie wasn’t sure he was ready to date again, but that was before Katherine (Yvonne Wilder), a woman had previously expressed interest in him, walked back into the bar. “Archie Bunker’s Place” lasted a total of four seasons.

Archie’s daughter Gloria appeared in the final episode of “Archie Bunker’s Place,” which set the stage for “Gloria,” her own 1982 series. After husband Mike left her for someone else, Gloria returned to New York, but she didn’t want to raise her son in the big city. She then became the assistant to two veterinarians, Dr. Willard Adams (Burgess Meredith) and Dr. Maggie Lawrence (Jo de Winter). Counting the final episode of “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “Gloria” ran for 22 episodes, but it was not renewed for a second season.

Archie Bunker’s former home address became the title of another spin-off, “704 Hauser.” John Amos, whose character had been killed off years earlier on “Good Times,” played Ernie Cumberbatch and Lynnie Godfrey played his wife, Rose. Though they were working-class Democrats, their son Goodie (T.E. Russell) was highly conservative. Six episodes of “704 Hauser” were shot, but the final episode never aired.

(Left) ‘All in the Family’ photo courtesy Tandem Productions. (Right) ‘The Jeffersons’ photo courtesy Embassy Television.

It’s happening again, the crazy run on a vital grocery item. Last time it was TP, this time… eggs! The chickens have finally come home to roost and had it up to their tail feathers. They’ve staged a revolt.

For too long we have taken for granted these egg-producing wonders. Now they have formed a hen union and staged an uprising. More feed, better nests and longer bug breaks out on the range, they clucked. The head of the egg conglomerate corporation said, “No deal!”

The hens balked or more accurately, bawked: bawk, bawk, bawk! They took their tasty little drumsticks and egg-producing parts and chicken walked right out of that meeting. And as an act of rebellion, each left a little pile of their disgust atop the CEO’s desk. Fun fact: the mounds may have looked like pieces of chewed up gum, but they definitely were not.

Eggs are now as rare and valuable as double-ply toilet paper once was and these hen ladies know it –they have all the power. Just try and make a batch of brownies without these miraculous white orbs and you’ll get a nice baked slab of shoe leather. Better yet, just try and push out an egg on your own; you’ll wind up with…well, let’s just say if it wasn’t laundry day, it just got moved up.

The other day I went grocery shopping to pick up a few basics: eggs and milk. I strolled over to the egg aisle; the shelves were bare. I soon encountered some sort of skirmish. Two ladies were fighting over the last

Often positioned near the primary point of entry, mudrooms are a popular addition to many family homes. These organizational dynamos are the perfect place to catch muddy boots, backpacks, sports equipment and dirty paws before they make it all the way into the main living areas.

Luxurious mudrooms in high-end homes can sometimes boast custom cabinetry, full bathrooms, laundry facilities, showers for pets and direct pantry access.

Regardless of whether your mudroom is an actual room or just a small space near the front door to hang bags and jackets, the organizational basics are the same:

Corral clutter: One of the most important items in any mudroom is storage for shoes, pet supplies, backpacks, sporting equipment and other items. If built-in storage isn’t in your budget, put up a sturdy shelving unit with a bin or basket for each family member.

Get hooked: Securely anchor a row of strong hooks

By Cindy Moore CROSSWORD: AT THE

carton of eggs.

“Let go! Mine, mine!” They screeched.

While they were preoccupied slapping and pulling each other’s hair, I reached in between and snagged the carton for myself. I peeked inside the dented container: two were missing and three others were cracked enough to see the yolks. In previous times I would have tossed them aside, but today I realized it was nothing a little tape couldn’t fix.

Next, I headed over to the milk aisle. Aww, such a lovely sight to see: fully stocked shelves.

I then offered up a prayer to the grocery gods: Please, for the love of cheese and yogurt, do NOT tell the cows about this chicken revolt!

Cindy Moore is the mother of three superlative kids, servant of two self-indulgent felines and wife to one nifty husband. Her ficticious occupation? Archeological Humorist: someone who unearths absurdity and hilarity in strange and unusual places including public restrooms, the lint filter, and church meetings. Most recently, she excavated a find in her neighbor’s bird feeder.

The opinions expressed in this column are Cindy Moore’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

along the wall for coats, hats, scarves or other seasonal accessories that may otherwise find themselves dropped on the floor upon arriving home.

Mud happens: Mudrooms are meant to handle dirt so nix the carpet and lay down tile or hardwood flooring. Pick a stylish rug to catch dirt in its tracks while also adding a design element to the space.

Shoe space: Place a wooden bench or sturdy coffee table near the door so everyone has a place to sit while removing shoes. Slide a few baskets or bins underneath as an alternate location for storing backpacks and other gear when not in use.

Take command: Create a family command center by adding a small cabinet or desk with a corkboard above. It makes for a perfect spot to stash keys, charge cell phones, open mail, sort school papers and post the family calendar.

Find more organization tips and tricks at eLivingtoday.com.