Going nuts with Rosanne

Tatiana Monroe Harrison recently visited her sister, Lawrie on the big island of Hawaii. Lawrie owns a bookstore in Kona that also features antiques. This past spring comedienne Rosanne Barr held a book-signing there and became a customer. A friendship evolved and that's how Tatiana came to attend a luau at Roseanne's macadamia nut farm in Honokaa with her sister.

Tatiana says there were more camera and sound crew than guests at the party, filming for a Lifetime Network reality show, which will follow self-proclaimed domestic goddess Roseanne as she runs a nut and livestock farm.Tatiana describes Rosanne as very down-to-earth and a devoted grandma. Hopefully when the show airs we can see both Tatiana and Lawrie in their small screen debut!

***The Ronald D. Rankin Veterans Memorial Plaza between the Kootenai County administration building and courthouse includes a number of memorials and monuments to the military service of local citizens. Inside the Hall of Heroes foyer is a wall-sized Purple Heart Honor Roll. The honor roll is updated every few years to make sure service members have not been overlooked.

There are nearly 200 names on the PHHR, from World War I through Iraq. If you or someone you know has received a Purple Heart and would like to see if your name is listed already, go to http://rankinplaza.blogspot.com for links to the names and information on how to contact me for inclusion. A re-dedication ceremony will be held in late September.***

Speaking of past and recent Purple Heart recipients, Gregg Gain was wounded in action on Aug. 1, 1970 while serving with the Army's PCo 75th Rangers (ARMY) in Quang Tri, Vietnam. His name will now be added to the Purple Heart Honor Roll. Also to be added are KIA soldiers Nick Newby and Nathan Beyers, along with Jason Rzepa, all of the Idaho Army National Guard 116th. I've received word that SSG Rzepa is exceeding medical expectations in his recovery at Ft. Sam Houston hospital, following the amputation of both legs below the knee. He was injured in an Iraq roadside bombing on July 7. Let's fill SSG Rzepa's hospital room with postcards from home! SSG Jason Rzepa

IHG Army Hotels - Fort Sam HoustonBLDG 3625, Room 528

Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234***

A few mornings a week I'm at the KXLY North Idaho Broadcast Center on 5th and Sherman just after 5 a.m. The street is quiet and empty, with the exception of a four-wheeler with a large water container making its way up and down each side of the street. Gregg Peak and Martin MacAlpine are the two who share the job of keeping those gorgeous flower baskets looking good by watering them at sunrise every morning.

***Post Falls High School and Coeur d'Alene High School are holding their 10-year reunions this weekend. Amber (Durflinger) Engelbrecht and her husband, Chris, have a bit of dilemma on which to attend. In 2001 she graduated from Post Falls and he from Coeur d'Alene. To be continued ...

***Happy Birthday today to my brother-in-law Rick Scharf, also to Ernie Horton who's marking his 70th, Brady Campbell, Cathy Werner and Janet Pulis. Tomorrow is a special day for Darrell Rickard, Jan Nelson, Zack White and milestone celebrants Hank Wayman turning 70 and John Hensley turning the big 6-0. Ageless Jim Shepperd will be a youthful 85 on Friday, Mark Anthony's birthdate, too on Friday. Saturday's birthday girls are Sharmon Schmitt, Nicole Coquette and Peggy Coleman. Can you believe that Patricia Richardson is 60 on Sunday, sharing a birthday with Bill Hamilton, Adam Durflinger and Tab Bray. On Monday, Rich Houser turns 50 and Tatiana Harrison, Bev Moss, David Noordam, Dennis Harlan, Patricia Kaufman and Dodge Gonzales also have birthdays on the first day of August. Randy Olson, Matt Odd and Mandy Averill blow out the candles on Tuesday.

***THERE'S MORE: New stories and photos almost every day at More Main Street. There's a link also for adding your birthday to the Main Street Birthday Club!

***Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. She was voted Best Local Writer for 2010 by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press. More Main Street blog is at http://moremainstreet.blogspot.com. Listen to Main Street Monday on KVNI AM1080. Kerri can be reached at [email protected]