Busyness increases as the year winds down

It's just about a week until the first day of winter but, except for a few cold nights, so far we've had little indication that winter is near. We've had a few frosty mornings, but the frost soon melted off when the sun made its appearance. Fortunately, that's meant we've only had a couple of mornings when it was necessary to scrape the car windshield before venturing out. A good rain on Sunday filled the fish pond and the bird bath without lowering the temperature too much.

December is living up to its reputation as one of the busiest months of the year. I started off the month with a Lions Club meeting and a haircut appointment on the first, and it seems I've been running ever since. City meetings were pushed ahead because of the holidays, so there was a council committee meeting the first Thursday and regular council meeting the next week. The first week concluded with the annual parade and the "Come Home for Christmas" celebration at the museum. Scores of people came out to enjoy one of the most entertaining holiday celebrations in years. Later that evening, I attended the GHS drama class presentation at the performing arts center.

Last week Jim and I made a return trip to a home in Bentonville which he determined needed a new window and a new garbage disposal. The next evening I baked a pork loin in a cheddar applewood bacon sauce. The sauce, a Campbell Soup Company product, was advertised for use on chicken but it worked quite well for pork. We placed slices of the meat on pieces of toast along with slices of red onion and cheese and some of the sauce to make a tasty open-face sandwich. On Friday I went to the high school for a GHS student's signing with a college volleyball team.

It seems our focus is on food much of the time during this season. Last Saturday I baked a variety of cookies and took some of each to quilt class that afternoon. We received instructions for a traditional nine-patch quilt block and made cute gift bags shaped like gingerbread men. A highlight of the get-together was the meal, though, including a number of delicious desserts. They included carrot cake, rum cake, brownies, cookies and, one of my favorites, healthy green grapes.

The rainy Sunday afternoon provided a good opportunity to do a couple of loads of laundry, then we launched into another busy week. I attended a school board meeting Monday night and Lions Club meeting Tuesday night, then the newspaper treated us staff members to a company dinner in Siloam today. The full schedule will continue the end of the week with a holiday open house at Bank of Gravett, Christmas dinner at the Senior Center on Friday and a retirement party for fire department personnel on Saturday.

It's always good to hear from friends and family members as the year comes to a close. A recent note from cousins John and Debbie at Highfill reported he got along well after hip replacement surgery last year. Their daughter Alicia visited in May and joined her parents for hiking and a tour of Branson. Son Brandon and granddaughter Brecklin were here for Thanksgiving. They included a good photo of themselves taken on a September trip to Rapid City, South Dakota.

Decorating one's home is easy this time of year. Well-known interior designer Alexandra Stoddard offered ideas for pleasing the nose as well as the eyes. She suggested placing a basket filled with green Granny Smith and red Delicious apples on your hall table. Tie a red-and-green plaid ribbon around the basket and the sight and scent will put a smile on everyone's face. Add further pleasant scents by placing evergreen roping around the hall doorways.

Another Stoddard suggestion included a recipe. Heat a half gallon of apple cider, add 12 cloves, three cinnamon sticks, one cup of orange juice and a half cup of lemon juice. Allow the mixture to simmer for a half hour of more. The aroma will perfume your house. Serve this easy, healthful drink in mugs on a chilly night. It makes 12 servings.

Susan Holland is a long-time resident of Benton County and a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer. She may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 12/16/2015