May is a lovely time in our area

Mid-May is a lovely time in our area. The weather is warm enough to get out and putter in the yard and garden but not yet too hot to be uncomfortable. Our early purple iris are gone and the bright yellow ones are winding down, but a variety of other colors have opened and the sweet-smelling peonies have begun to blossom. In Chinese tradition the peony symbolizes good fortune and is called "the flower of wealth and honor." I agree for, whether we have many coins in our pockets or few, we are rich indeed if we have a few of these beautiful blooms to clip and bring inside to add fragrance to our rooms.

The creamy petals of the mock orange on the north fence add beauty to the yard. Unfolding honeysuckle and wild rose contribute to the pleasant scent that greets us as we walk around the yard. And walking has other benefits. A recent study says a stroll can increase the size of your brain. Researchers compared the brain size of 60 people before and after walking 45 minutes a day, three times a week. Study author Arthur Kramer, a professor at the University of Illinois, concluded that, regardless of age, "a relatively modest amount of exercise can produce increases in brain efficiency and brain volume, as well as improvements in memory, attention and decision making."

Both my sisters have visited recently and brought me more poke greens and I'm still enjoying the onions we were given by a friend west of town. Trips to the farmers' market have netted crisp radishes, a tasty salad mix, purple asparagus stalks and some kale. I also bought a handful of rhubarb for a friend who'd been searching for some. One evening we had only a big salad for supper. I took the package of salad mix, radishes, added a few leaves of head lettuce, some grated carrot, chopped green onions and celery and topped it with crunchy Caesar croutons. We both ate a couple of bowls full, a healthy, filling meal.

We had a visit on a recent Saturday from grandson Matthew and his dad. Joe was painting Matthew's bedroom a new blue-gray shade and they dropped by briefly while waiting for the first coat to dry. That same afternoon, sister Nancy's grandson Austin and his friend took a break from the games at Pop Allum Park and walked over for a visit. One of Jim's helpers came by Tuesday morning and helped me haul some broken glass and other discards to the street for the spring cleanup day. Then, on Thursday, a representative of my health insurance company came to do an evaluation and short exam.

Noted Cherokee author Joyce Sequichie Hifler has expressed her gratitude for our clear sparkling streams. "So few of these things exist anymore," she pointed out. Hifler always encourages conservation and caring for the earth. "We often take for granted the sky with all its glittering stars and the land with its beauty." It's tempting to drop an empty cup or can if no one is watching, she says, but treating our surroundings with care and keeping them pollution-free will give them life and beauty for many more years.

Hifler has fond memories of growing up in Indian Territory. "As a child it was a pleasure to drift down the creek in an old wooden boat -- or slip into the water to dog-paddle alongside the boat. We loved the violets that bloomed on the moist banks," she wrote, "and fishing for sun perch while an egg boiled in a bucket of creek water for our lunch."

A flurry of wind and rain just as our Sunday services ended prompted most of us to stick around the meeting hall and visit just a bit longer. I enjoyed talking with a young couple who are moving to our area from Nashville. By the time we'd gotten acquainted, the storm had slackened somewhat and I made it home without getting too wet. In midafternoon we put on a pot of pinto beans and ham. It seemed a good choice for a cool, rainy Sunday. With a couple of cornmeal muffins crumbled underneath and a few of Nancy's green tomato pickles on top, they made a tasty Mother's Day dinner.

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