BENTON COUNTY — It’s a beautiful time of year in the Ozarks. Our irises are almost gone, but the honeysuckle and wild roses on the north fence fill the air with their sweet fragrance. The large mock orange is also filled with creamy white blossoms. Wisteria vines trailing from the corner of the cellar add to the medley of scents.
Columnist Jo Northrop wrote several years ago about how special the fragrances of flowers were and how they add to our enjoyment of spring.
“May reminds us to take time to smell the flowers,” she wrote. “In the middle of all our busyness - as we kneel, trowel in hand, with flats of petunias and marigolds around us - it is nice to stop digging, sit back on the green grass and actually sniff the flowers we have in hand. Onepetunia is aromatic - we don’t have to wait for the profusion of full bloom. It’s a small and satisfying pleasure, and one that’s easy to overlook.”
The farmers’ market is off to a good start. I visited there a couple of weeks ago and bought some large, crunchy red radishes. I cut off the tops and they looked so good I considered cooking them to add to the poke greens I’d picked and cooked earlier in the day. I tasted one and it had a flavor similar to watercress, so I called my sister Nancy and she checked on her computer.Sure enough, she read that they were good to add to salads and also could be used for soup. I cooked them and they made a very tasty dish.
Early April days have been filled with activities and the pleasant weather has kept us busy with outdoor chores in addition to our regular jobs. Jim has mowed the yard several times and also made a few trips to mow at Aunt Leta’s and a nearby neighbor’s home. He built another raised bed recently, and last weekend we finally got out and planted several tomato plants. I bought some Cherokee Purple and Lemon Boy plants at the farmers’ market and we purchased several others, including Celebrity and Super Fantastic, a patio tomato, a few cherry tomatoes and another yellow variety. Wealso put out a half dozen bell pepper plants. A good rain early the next morning helped get them off to a good start.
I ended April with a very enjoyable activity when I attended the opening of Gravette’s new wildlife observation/walking trail Saturday. After the ribbon cutting, I walked the trail and took in the sights. It was a pleasant way to get some exercise and appreciate the beauties of nature at the same time. The woodland trail was a little more challenging but worth the effort for those who are up to a little morechallenging walk than the upper trail.
The speakers were very interesting. Lynn Sciumbato captivated the crowd with friends Joey the barred owl and Igor the turkey vulture from her wildlife rehab center. Joe Neal, coauthor of the guidebook “Arkansas Birds,” spoke about how fortunate we are to have this trail, especially for handicapped people and families with young children who want to walk or bike safely.
Neal distributed several informative handouts, and I’ve already started listing species for my birding certificate program. The head of the bluebird society in Bella Vista reported on its highly successful program and showed one of their bluebird boxes.We learned a lot and were treated to a tasty lunch served up by the mayor.
We’re now into the “merry month” of May, and Northrop commented that when the beautiful days of May arrive, “we are filled with spring’s lovely prospects and projects.”
There are lots of “prospects and projects” this weekend. The Gravette Historical Museum will host its special “Collections” exhibit Saturday from 10 until 2. I plan to be there and then go home to watch the Kentucky Derby in the afternoon. Friends at Sulphur Springs have invited me up for their Cowboy Tradin’ Days Saturday evening, and then we plan to go on to Southwest City for the rodeo that night. It should be an exciting day.
Susan Holland, who works for the Westside Eagle Observer, is a lifelong Benton County resident.
Opinion, Pages 6 on 05/02/2012