A break in the hot weather at midweek brought us a few cooler mornings and we’ve appreciated being able to turn off the air conditioner and open the windows. Should help lower the electric bill a bit too.

The cooler temperatures were welcome but still we’ve had no rain. The yard and garden are dry and brown and the parched ground is beginning to crack in places. Birds splash the water from the bird bath so I must refill it often. Others flock around the fish pond attempting to get a drink. The dry conditions are a fire hazard so we’re under a burn ban until further notice.

The week began with a pleasant surprise on Monday when my coworkers surprised me with cake and ice cream at the office. The delicious cake was one of my favorite flavors, peach, with a layer of peach preserves/cream cheese mixture just below the icing. Very tasty! And then there was a thoughtful gift, a charming little frog sitting on a rock. Appropriately enough he looked as if he were praying for rain.

Tuesday morning I received a phone call from my pen pal in California reporting he was missing my column in the paper.Thanks, Dennis, and all those faithful readers who called in support of Susan Says. I appreciate your comments but please understand that sometimes I’ll get bumped for more important news.

I baked a pan of sausage wrap rolls after breakfast Wednesday morning. I took them with me, picked up a neighbor and we went to the Senior Center for our J.G.T. Club meeting. Our secretary was on a trip so I filled in and took the minutes. We enjoyed a delightful program, excerpts from the book “Homer’s Odyssey,” and a filling potluck meal featuring Brie, sandwiches, deviled eggs and dessert pizza.

On Thursday I found a birthday card and letter from my aunt and uncle in Kansas City. Aunt Mary said they’d received three inches of rain Aug. 20. Wish she could send us some. Greatnephew Austin came by after football practice that evening. I fixed him some Kool-Aid and helped him with his math homework until his grandma came to pick him up.

Jim and I made a trip to Siloam after work on Friday. He made a couple of stops and bought materials for a roofing job, then we picked up deli chicken and potatowedges in Gentry on our way home. I wrote a note of thanks to my friend on Stagecoach Road after supper.

I visited the farmers’ market Saturday morning and bought a yellow squash and some new potatoes. The mail carrier brought a cheery note from cousin Russell in Tulsa and I wrote a couple of letters myself. Sister Nancy and her husband came up in early afternoon to pick up a table and a metal cabinet and she returned later that evening to pick up some plums. I went out and helped gather enough to make a batch of jelly.

Jim and I made a trip to Southwest City Sunday morning and enjoyed a late breakfast when we returned. Jim watched a golf tournament while I clipped coupons from the daily paper and before I finished we had visitors from Tulsa. Cindy, cousin Henry’s girlfriend, brought Aunt Merle over for a brief visit with Mama. I chopped some chicken fajita strips and mixed them with cream of mushroom soup and elbow macaroni for our supper.

The high school football season begins Friday night. We’ll be going out to cheer on the team as they meet the Jay Bulldogs in their first game. Hope to see you at Lion Stadium.

Susan Holland works for the Westside Eagle Observer and is a lifelong Benton County resident.

Opinion, Pages 8 on 09/01/2010