I was brushing my teeth Sunday morning and suddenly I felt a little hard thing in my mouth. My first thought was that a filling had come out. I expected to see a gray object-and did. Except this one had little legs sticking out of it.

How did a lady bug get in there and how long had it been there anyway?

I might have to quit walking outdoors.

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Ethanol. After driving through Minnesota and Iowa last week, I seemed to see new ethanol plants everywhere. It's called E10 or E85, meaning that the fuel mixture is either 10 percent or 85 percent ethanol, and the rest is gasoline.

Not all vehicles are set up for the E85, but most cars manufactured after 1986 can safely use it. I filled up with it because it cost less than regular unleaded, and didn't notice a loss of power or any other negative effect.

Then I was told the fuel mileage isn't as good-so what do you save? A query on Google didn't offer a defining answer. Some experts say it's just as good, others say it results in lower mileage. But most agree it's probably a good thing for the farm economy and makes the United States less reliant on foreign oil.

My mileage seemed to decrease several miles per gallon. This needs further study, though.

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My wife is always observant and she proved it once again when she pointed out that the commercial for Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport is flawed.

The woman in the commercial is looking out the window of the passenger side of the car on the way to Kansas City airport and comments about the big beer can in Emporia.

There is no way she can see it from her side of the car when traveling east or northeast.

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The Relay for Life for Marion County will be July 29-30 at Reimer Field in Hillsboro. This year our business promotions committee for the Chamber of Commerce is creating a team to do our part in raising money for the American Cancer Society.

Who doesn't have a family member, friend or employee who has been affected by this disease?

So far, we have 11 team members, but would welcome more to participate. Contact the Chamber office, Nancy or me.

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Sometimes my brother comes up with notable sayings. Here's an example: "It's so hard to afford the things you want because of the many things you need."

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When we used to come back from Minnesota in the summer, we knew we were back when we rolled down the windows in Abilene and heard the cicadas singing.

The classic sound is made when the cicadas rub their legs together. Could a dehydrated cicada start a fire from the friction?

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Cousin Kathy has an 11-year-old son who is a real go-getter. He was chided in his physical education class for running too fast and making the rest of the class look bad.

He already owns a pickup truck, so he's ready to drive it in five years.