There's a special magic about June in Arkansas. The kids are out of school, the weather has warmed up, life takes on a more leisurely pace. We're able to open the windows and let in the cool evening breezes and we've brought out the summer wardrobe of shorts and sandals. The chorus of spring peepers we heard earlier in the spring has quieted, making way for the hum of the cicada's song. I enjoy sitting on the front porch in the evenings and watching the lazy circles of the fireflies as they rise slowly upward with their tiny taillights blinking.
"It might seem as if June were an old story, with so much poetry written about it and so many songs sung," Gladys Taber wrote in The Book of Stillmeadow. "And yet every time it comes it is as much of a wonder, as much of a delight." She pointed out that June is one of the easiest months as far as menus go. With the first fresh garden crops, meals can be simple and quick. We've cooked up a few of the young, tender heads of cabbage and enjoyed them with smoked sausage. I've enjoyed turnips and Swiss chard as tasty, healthy side dishes and one evening we just prepared a big salad for supper. Take a packet of mixed salad greens from the farmers' market, add a couple of green onions and some crisply sliced radishes, a carrot and celery stalks from the fridge and you're done!
From all reports, it's a good year for fruit too. Sister Nancy dropped by one day and said her peach trees were loaded and she was having to pick off some of the green fruit to keep it from weighing down the branches. Her husband called during her visit and said he was pitting cherries. She didn't stay long, saying she had to get home and bake him a cherry pie. I saw friends from Honey Creek Road at the recent firemen's pancake breakfast and they invited us out to share their pears and apples when they ripen.
After an unusually wet spring, we've welcomed a few drier days. Jim spent a few days trimming trees and shrubs around the yard and cutting back vegetation in the fence row to make the mowing easier. He visited the hardware store, bought some parts and repaired the water pipe that froze and burst last winter. With the arrival of drier weather, it's been nice to have the outdoor faucet working and fill the fish pond with a hose instead of carrying water by bucket. I've also watered the strawberries, our tomato plants and a few flowers.
Jim and I took grandson Matthew, 10, to the fishing derby at the Centerton fish hatchery Saturday. He's been looking forward to it and we enjoy getting to share the activity with him. I hunted up the old red Folger's coffee can and dug a few worms Friday evening. Jim got out the tackle box, rigged up a pole and laid out the fish basket, a few extra hooks and weights and a five gallon bucket in which to bring home his catch.
Matthew was already getting anxious to depart when we arrived, said he'd been awake since 6 a.m., so we were soon on the road. When we got to Centerton and found parking space, the pond banks were lined with kids. When we finally found a spot for Matthew to fish, the brisk breeze and careless casts by some of the young fishermen resulted in a few tangled lines. Jim didn't think much of the worms I'd dug either, said they were too small and too tender to stay on the hook. After a bit, patience paid off and Matthew finally landed a pretty good-sized catfish.
Even though we stayed till about noon, that one fish was his only catch of the day. Matthew said he had fun despite his poor luck, though, as he visited the archery range and the BB gun range after we packed up the fishing gear. He was pleased with the new cap and bag of goodies he received. A family fishing nearby shared their fish with us, not wanting to clean them; so, when we returned home, he helped his grandpa clean the fish and a fish fry is anticipated in the near future.
Drier weather has seen many area farmers making hay. Got to do it "while the sun shines," as the old saying goes. The purple vetch in our little field was getting thick and tall, so I wasn't surprised to see our hay man pull in to cut it last Tuesday morning. He was back with a helper Thursday to rake and bale it and now three big bales wait for him to haul them to the barn.
Susan Holland is 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 06/17/2015