Monthly archive for January 2026

I love February. It’s not because of Valentines day or Mardi Gras. It’s knowing that trout season will begin when this short month is over.

February seems to have a lot shoved in a short amount of month. It’s Black History Month, we have groundhog day, Lincolns birthday, Valentine’s day, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), Ash Wednesday (Lent begins), Washington’s Birthday! Is there still a sweetheart stroll? If not, I’m sure there will be sweethearts still out there strolling.

As I sit here piecing this paper together it is 13 degrees and we are supposed to get snow this coming weekend. I finally got all my Christmas decorations down and am getting set up for Mardi Gras celebrations. We (as a community) are blessed to be a part of the French heritage here in the St. Louis area.

I read somewhere that St. Louis has a larger Mardi Gras celebration than New Orleans. Is that true? I like to think that we in this region have the best of whatever it is we have. The best baseball fans, the best peaceful celebrations, the best Zoo (Free), the best art museum (Free), the best entertainment and concert venues around the area all within 30 minutes.

EarthDance is offering their spring training again this year. I took the course a couple of years ago and it was really fun. I learned a lot. They are very knowledgeable so ask questions. (see page 6) I would recommend getting back to the soil to everyone. The best reward is sitting back and letting your garden grow and picking fresh vegetables.

I was fortunate to attend my grandsons high school wrestling match. Wow! Those boys can move! Shoutout to James: I’m proud of him as he won all four of his matches.

Hope everyone enjoys February. Have a Happy Valentines Day, remember to party responsibly on Mardi Gras, and enjoy yourself. Trout season is just around the corner.

Peace, Papa Deau

It’s a new year and I look forward to a fresh start. It seems every year I do the same thing: Think about what I failed at the past year and promise to work on doing better this year. And that’s where I stop. Yes, I promise to work on it but do I? Does everyone do this? I need to know.

In 2026 I will reach a milestone (75 trips around the sun). I can’t complain much, I am pretty healthy and other than my arthritis, I get around good, play golf, been doing Tai Chi work outs in the mornings, work around my house and yard like everyone else. I think of a Joe Walsh song lyric: “Life’s been good to me so far”. I had cataract surgery this past July and it is amazing to be able to see again. But this darn computer is not good for my eyes and wish someone would take over the editing.

As we begin this year, I look forward to venturing around the town to see how Ferguson is doing. I’ve seen some new businesses opening and some of the older established ones becoming staples of our community. Some advertise with us but a lot choose not to.

If you are a business owner in Ferguson I implore you to begin advertising with the Ferguson Neighborhood News. This paper is made available to all Ferguson residents free of charge. The ads you see in this paper are what is paying for that printing and distribution. In addition to mailing to each resident, we have paper stands in stores, our community centers, and city hall.

I know we normally do not discuss issues that are not positive, but some things need to be addressed if we want our community to continue to be proud. So I will try to be as gentle as possible.

For 2026, I pray that the building owners along Florissant Road clean up their storefronts to make them look as professional as possible. I think some are a disgrace. If you don’t believe me take a look at them yourself.

Does the city not have an ordinance concerning signage on storefronts. Am I the only one that thinks this?

Do the business owners not understand that a professional sign has an impact on their business? Your sign is your business signature. Unless you are working on a food truck, you should not have hand painted signs. Customers look at your sign and judge the quality of the product by the quality of your sign. Would you hand out a business card that looks that bad?

I didn’t mean to get off tangent. We live in a great community. And I want Ferguson to remain a vibrant community.

Well, those are my thoughts for 2026. Happy New Year Everyone!

– Papa Deau