Meg Duncan
No matter how many people came to Granny’s house for dinner, there was always a two-to-one person ratio when it came to dessert. The staples were strawberry rhubarb pie, German chocolate cake, pistachio salad (or potassium salad as Granny called it) and the light and fluffy wonder that she called cherry cheesecake—the only thing, by…
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Roger was the first of two Ashburn basset hounds. He was white with red markings, and as lazy as they come. Roger took breaks when getting out of bed in the morning which, which meant he often fell asleep with his head planted into the carpet and his butt still under the blankets. He was…
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I stood on the platform, suited up in gear to safely attach me to a zipline. I was about to soar above the treetops instead of falling to my death. I had prepared for this moment in the months leading to our Dominican Republic trip. Scape Park is an adventure park with nine interactive ziplines,…
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“Can you spare a square?” It was mid-movie, and I sat there wishing I hadn’t drank all that Mountain Dew. I finally found a lull in the plot, got up, and said, “excuse me!” and “so sorry!” to about 15 pairs of knees. Moments later, I sat in relief, and I heard a little cough…
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I stared at her in the mirror. She looked lifeless, a little bleak. She had no certainty of the future. She couldn’t tell me who I am. She could just reflect what was already there. Blond hair. Hazel eyes. Pants size depending on the French fries-to-stretchyness ratio of the material. Height depending on the angle…
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I recently ran into a 20-something friend at Walmart. As she told me about her career aspirations and a possible move to another state, her cart called out to me: two bottles of wine, a frozen dinner for one, and a bag of party Snickers, which I know she fearlessly displays on her coffee table.…
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It’s been a beautiful morning before work to sit outside, spend time with God and have Clover snuggle up beside me. It was only last February when we scooped her up from the ground where her mom left her after birth. Her other two babies were stronger than Clover and already walking around and nursing.…
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Her name was Ellie. I recently met her in the bathroom at lunch. She was in the stall beside me talking to her mom, who was coaxing her through the potty process. “Mom,” Ellie whisper-yelled as little kids do. “What is that noise?” Her mom tried to wave her off a few times in that…
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It’s my first full day with an office at the new Muddy River News Hannibal location. I made coffee, looked around the room and thought, “This is weird. Where is the music?” I’m now wanting to order a Mimi’s Coffehouse soundtrack. I could play my own, but it doesn’t feel right. I thought I locked…
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I often write about marital trials, but I am writing about a marital phenomenon this week. Experienced by many, talked about by few. Between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., a sleepy fog hangs over the bed. We transform into uninhibited, sometimes violent, often drooling and always snoring people of the night. As the…
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Twenty minutes before closing time, we were down to one waitress (me). A group of 30 adults breezed through the door like nobody’s business. One guy approached me as I shined the counter. “Are you open?” he asked. “For another 20 minutes,” I replied. “Yep, they’re open!” He turned to the group and waved them…
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Standing behind the cash register, my co-worker looked at me with burning eyes. “Do you really believe there’s a man up in the sky who loves me?” he asked. He was one of my favorites to work with. I was in my early 20s, and he was in one of the groups I usually ran…
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Google is mad at me. I don’t even know what I did, except that I asked directions to a place less than two blocks away. I was just making sure I had the right street. Instead of a map popping up, Google was short with me. “Turn left on Veterans and right on Hospital Drive.…
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Sarah Genenbacher from Frese Ornamental Nursery stops by to motivate you to get that spring yard work underway. MRN’s Meg Duncan also lets us know what’s going on in Marion County.
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I sucked in a breath three years ago and submitted my first ever column to our local newspaper. I was just offered a regular Friday spot, and it was a dream come true. Long before I was married or had kids of my own, I ran across my mom’s books written by Erma Bombeck. Her…
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Daily Muddy DAILY MUDDY PODCAST: The Hannibal Girlfriend Getaway and Meg Duncan Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 30 seconds 00:00 / 00:23:57 Subscribe Share RSS Feed Share Link Embed Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 00:23:57 | Recorded on April 20, 2023Mike O’Cheltree talks to…
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Cooking around a campfire, listening to music and just being still with the people I love. It was a perfect moment amid an imperfect life. I got up after assembling another shish-kebab and looked around wondering how I ever got things so twisted. My mind has wandered back and forth lately between now and then.…
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When thinking about our value as a human, I think God sees us the same way my husband looks at the ’59 Fairlane he’s restoring in our garage. He sees the rust and the dents and scrapes, but he has a vision. He knows beauty is underneath the many years of damage, and He wants…
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Sometimes I’m the mom who gathers with them at the table with all the construction paper, craft glue, glitter, and stickers … Actually, never mind. I’m never that mom. I just send them to children’s church for crafts. If you don’t know this about me already, I hate crafts. I mean, I’m not against them.…
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One morning I sat on the deck, and I just watched this bee (maybe a yellow jacket) going from flower to flower. It looked happy and in its element. I thought it would be a good picture. It turned out that it does not want its picture posted on social media and chased me around…
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I hear some interesting things throughout the day as I migrate to various Hannibal coffee shops to work. I don’t always order coffee. Sometimes I get food. Other times, I get dessert. One time I got nothing because I paid for a coffee — but really just to get the booth space — then forgot…
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We were on a July float trip when my boyfriend decided to let me die in the raging current of the Salt River. Well, that’s the way I remember it at least. My arms flailing to catch nearby logs and sticks, I watched his backside go up the hill to lunch while I loudly vowed…
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Fives were wild and I had two of them along with a pair of Kings. I threw two chips in with caution to the wind. My leg twitched a little as I did. It was two days after returning from our honeymoon, and we were in the basement for a poker night with friends from…
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Bob Gough introduces us to Meg Duncan, the newest Muddy River News reporter based out of Hannibal. Ron Kinscherf also talks to meteorologist Brent Clair about the weather.
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Bob Gough sits in for Ashley and talks about Muddy River’s expansion with a full-time reporter based out of Hannibal. Meg Duncan is an award-winning columnist and Hannibal native who has years of experience covering Northeast Missouri for various publications. Meg will also be covering Pike County, Illinois for Muddy River as well. She will…
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