It's September and this month we'll close out the third quarter of 2015. There's a subtle change in the air and we've been enjoying some cooler days and cooler nights. We don't often have the luxury of sleeping in but, when we do, these cool mornings are perfect weather for rolling over and snoozing just a bit longer. When we do get up, we seem to have more energy to tackle our chores than when the summer heat was hanging on. There's a hint of fall in the neighborhood and it feels good.
In a column I've saved from an old magazine, Lee Radziwill called September "a time of change and challenge." Most people's spirits are high at the start of September, she says. It's a time of looking forward. The youngsters are back in school and many adults are settling down again after a summer holiday, whether they traveled on vacation or enjoyed it in their own backyard. Radziwill believes there's nothing more beneficial than a change, a contrast that sends us back to our after-summer lives with new appreciation. In September most of us feel renewed enough to have the best intentions about what we want to accomplish in the coming months, what we want to learn and achieve.
One of the things we look forward to this time of year is the start of football season. We've already seen a couple of pro preseason games and Jim's K.C. Chiefs are looking pretty good. Friday night is the beginning of the high school contests and we plan to be in the stands for all the Lions' home games and travel to games at Pea Ridge and Gentry. With four returning starters on the offensive line, four on defense and some promising newcomers, Gravette seems poised to make it to the playoffs again this year. In a recent letter from my friend in Florida, she echoed our enthusiasm for the return of football season. She's especially looking forward to the college games.
The Lion Pride Night a week ago Friday provided the opportunity to meet the football teams, volleyball players, members of the golf and cross-country teams, and hear the cheerleaders and the band. It was the beginning of a jam-packed weekend as I was busy almost all day Saturday gathering supplies, decorating and then photographing the library "Hoedown" gala and auction. That was an enjoyable evening with good friends, good food, good country music, and all for a good cause. Then on Sunday Jim and I went out for a bountiful buffet meal and later that evening I attended a 25th anniversary celebration for our friends James and Christie Campbell.
This last Sunday we enjoyed a fried chicken dinner, a perfect way to usher in September as this is National Chicken Month. It reminded me of going to Sunday dinner at Grandma's when I was a kid, when chicken was often on the menu. The chicken was tender and juicy with a delicious crispy skin and, accompanied with fluffy mashed potatoes, cream gravy and corn, it was a very tasty meal. As for the National Chicken Month designation, it seems the National Chicken Council instituted the observance more than 20 years ago to perk up chicken sales as the summer grilling season was winding down.
An article in this month's Country Living is titled "All of Life's Problems Can be Solved With a Casserole." A new baby, a new neighbor, a time of loss, a holiday, any day, really, the author maintains, is the right time to serve a casserole. And, of course, one of my favorite casseroles is chicken pot pie. If you don't want to stand over the stove frying chicken or heat up the oven to bake one, just purchase a rotisserie chicken from the deli, pull off the meat and you'll have the makings for chicken salad, chicken stir fry, chicken enchiladas, chicken spaghetti or one of my favorites, the popular King Ranch chicken.
Jim's hoping the cooler weather will mean lawn mowing chores are less frequent. He has everything nicely mowed now and he's caught up on the weed eating after buying a new head at the hardware store last week. He tries to keep the four bird feeders filled but our feathered friends empty them in a hurry. When he discovered some critter had ripped into the sack and scattered bird seed all around, he blamed the squirrels. I saw a big raccoon in front of the lawnmower shed when I came home from a meeting Wednesday night, so I suspect he may be the culprit.
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.
Community on 09/02/2015