Guess we're in what they call the dog days of summer but, personally, I don't think the weather we've been having is even fit for a dog. Jim finally put in the air conditioner a couple of weekends ago and on these hot afternoons we don't have much incentive to do anything other than sit in the living room and enjoy the cool. Miss Abby has gotten a case of "the lazies" too and spends most of her time stretched out in the shade in the backyard.
Our youngsters had the right idea. They recently returned from a little vacation where they spent a couple of days at a water park in Indiana. Their trip also included a stop in St. Louis where they went up in the arch and visited a science museum there. Water always has a cooling effect. The local pool has seen heavy use the last couple of weeks. It's nice to have a little breeze when I'm filling the fish pond with water, to blow a light mist back over me. Even watching a video of a raft trip through the Grand Canyon yesterday seemed to help lower the temperature a bit.
Jim recruited grandson Matthew to help do some yard work last Saturday. We made a trip to Southwest City that morning to buy some materials and picked him up when we returned to town. He helped mow a little, raked some grass from a previous mowing and helped Jim bend some metal for a job coming up this week. It was hot and sweaty work so there were frequent breaks on the patio, but they managed to get the planned chores done about noon. Meanwhile, I filled the fish pond, watered the tomatoes, cleared some webworm nests from the trees in the backyard and broke some green beans to cook for our supper.
The farmers' market is still going strong. We've enjoyed green beans and little red potatoes from there the last two evenings, and I've sliced some okra to fry in the next couple of days. I still have one zucchini large enough to fry, but the green tomatoes Jim brought me are beginning to ripen before I can get them in the skillet. I visited a nearby flea market after my checkup at the clinic recently and found a Texas cookbook, "Lone Star Legacy," for only a dollar. It has some recipes for vegetable dishes that sound mighty tasty. I may have to try a few of them and give a new twist to some of our old favorites. But whether I cook anything out of it or not, it will make for good reading.
The mailman brought a big box a couple of weeks ago from my aunt Mary in Kansas City. Along with a book of Rudyard Kipling poems she wanted to donate to the museum were several other books of poetry, a copy of "The Yankee from Tennessee," a few bird figurines, even a lovely framed doily made by my great-grandmother, Martha Jemima Robinson White, and the crochet hook with which she created it. She also enclosed copies of pictures of my grandparents made a couple of years before I was born, one for me and for each of my sisters.
We have big plans for the weekend. We've bought tickets for the Naturals game Friday night and I'm looking forward to my first big baseball game. Jim's seen several, especially when he lived right next to Royals Stadium during his days in Kansas City, but this will be my first trip to a big stadium and they say the fireworks at Arvest Park are spectacular. Then, on Saturday, I plan to go down and buy some of those good old barbecue chicken dinners at Decatur.
Following right on the heels of Decatur's annual celebration will be our Gravette Day on Aug. 8. A full day of exciting events is planned, from the Kiwanis pancake breakfast in the morning to the big parade at noon and the various pageants, culminating with the crowning of Miss Gravette in the evening. In addition to the car show and Dutch oven cook-off, several new activities are planned this year. These include a model train exhibit at the museum, a disc golf tournament, Shave for Seniors, round pen demonstrations and a dance show, as well as entertainment by various musical groups throughout the day. Put it on your calendar and join us for a fun-filled occasion.
Susan Holland is longtime 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 07/29/2015