A little girl dressed in white holds a small American flag in her dainty hand. Ruffles touch her elbows, and the hem of her dress falls to her knees,
She is the “4th of July Girl’ and is one of artist John Vanderpool’s favorite paintings. She was one of several people in an old photo, circa 1912, but it was her face that captured Vanderpool’s attention.
“I look at a photo and see something there,” he says.
Visitors to the Muchnic Gallery in Atchison, Kan., can take a look of Vanderpool’s paintings and see what they see there because the gallery is showcasing an exhibit of his work through June 29.

When seasoning the food we eat, many Americans are stuck in a rut. A lot of us reach for salt and pepper — and usually it’s more salt than pepper.
“If it doesn’t taste salty, we tend to think it doesn’t taste good,” says Sheri Caldwell, Hy-Vee in-store dietitian.
But for a tasty and nutritious way to season food and promote good health, shake the salt habit and start using herbs and spices.

The sun is shining and you want to go out and play. Perhaps you’re taking your boat out onto the lake or you’re headed out to the ballpark. Maybe you just want to lounge by the pool.
While you gathering the gear that will see you through any outdoor activity you love, don’t forget to grab one of the most important items on any list — a pair of sunglasses.

A rainbow of color is drenching the aisles of nurseries, garden centers and big-box stores at this time of year. Flowers of every shape, size and color are in bloom.
All a gardener has to do is decide which ones to take home.
Should it be the annuals or perennials? Or how about a mixture of both?
For some of us, perennials are the way to grow. After all, you only have to plant them once, but the flowers and plants re-bloom every year. A dream come true for those of us with less than a green thumb.
Annuals, on the other hand, last only one season. You have to buy new ones and replant them every year.
Umm, why would anyone want to do that?

Molly the Golden Retriever doesn’t want to balance the Milk Bone dog treat on her nose.
She’d rather eat it.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Molly’s owner, Deb Wenzel, coaxes her 7-year-old furry companion.
And Molly, all golden fur so soft you just want to sink your hand into it and pet her forever, truly tries to wait. She sits as asked, her tail sweeping across the floor in front of the carpeted stairs that lead to the second-story of her Savannah, Mo., home. Her eyes are focused more on the treat in her owner’s hand rather than her owner.
“Wait...”
Three treats later, Molly still hasn’t demonstrated her skill at balancing dog treats on her nose. But she has gotten to eat them. Her waiting has paid off.

You know a director is having fun with his latest production when he breaks into song while on his cell phone.
“It’s time to put on makeup, it’s time to light the lights,” Mike Swymeler, director of “Nunsense 2: The Second Coming,” sings, referencing “The Muppet Show” theme. “Nunsense 2” opens tonight at Robidoux Landing Playhouse.
No doubt, Kermit and the Muppets would approve.
But the veteran director’s songbite isn’t meant to honor a beloved old show. It’s a nod to the Little Sisters of Hoboken, who stole audiences’ hearts by ticking their funnybones in the original “Nunsense.” And now, those rollicking, righteous ladies of the habit are back for another song-filled frolic.

There are a lot of adjectives that can be used to describe strawberries — juicy, sweet, delicious, sour, squishy and moldy.
Those last three are the ones you hope you don’t have to utter when it comes to the fruit that many consider the mascot of spring. Strawberries shouldn’t be sour, squishy or moldy.
And while the fruit signals the coming of warm weather for many, it’s still too early in this area to pick your own. That should come around the end of May, says Cory Schweizer of Schweizer Orchards (that’s when the orchard is set to open).
“It all depends on the weather,” he says.
But strawberries are in the stores, and with a few tips from the pros, you can avoid picking a pint that will be less than pleasing.

Kyle McLaughlin picks up a silver X-Acto knife. Beneath his hand, small pieces of balsa wood rest on the slanted cardboard box he has placed on the rectangular table in the back of teacher Earl Sharp’s classroom.
Holding the thin blade steady in his hand, the Robidoux Middle School seventh-grader leans forward and scores a small piece of the wood.

Repeat after me, “I will not touch the wildlife babies that may show up in my yard.”
With the arrival of warm weather, nature also is unveiling its newest residents, the baby bunnies, squirrels, raccoons, birds, fawns, skunks and foxes. Oftentimes homeowners may encounter the little ones in their own yards, alone without mama nearby. And the urge to help kicks in.

Laura Simon, field director for the Urban Wildlife Program of the Humane Society of the United States offers the following tips to help homeowners discover whether a wildlife baby needs help.