It is already mid-September and soon the third quarter of the year will be gone. Cooler weather has moved in the last few days. Fog hangs over the field behind the house in the early mornings and a few leaves are beginning to drift lazily to the ground. The weather man predicts that summer weather will return the middle of the week but, as for now, we've pulled down the windows and hunted out long-sleeved shirts and warm socks. It feels good to snuggle under a blanket at night. Our cat, Miss Abby, even chose to spend a couple of nights in the house.
There's been a whirlwind of activity around the old homestead recently. We got the hay cut and wrapped up in four big bales over the Labor Day weekend. Then, just after the holiday, workmen moved in to spray the vegetation in the north fencerow and trim the larger trees. I got out and burned our brushpile one afternoon while they were working and, just last Friday, someone came to clear the lot up at the corner. It sure is nice to see the neighborhood getting cleaned up for the fall season.
Cooler weather has brought an increase in activity in the animal kingdom too. The pesky armadillos have been digging holes all around the yard and one of our visiting critters plucked a tomato off our vines and gnawed a big hole in the side before abandoning it in the yard. I saw a cottontail rabbit scampering toward the fence when the mower was circling the field, and a soft grey dove has been hunting seeds under one of the bird feeders. Friday morning, after an overnight rain, a flock of geese flew by, honking noisily as they passed.
A friend at Noel planned to come to Gravette and have lunch with me late last month but called at the last minute and canceled. We're hoping to reschedule our outing soon. I was invited out for a delightful Sunday dinner with friends the first Sunday of the month, then we made a trip to Siloam on Labor Day and Jim treated me to a tasty bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. I'm enjoying such meals while I can because the dentist is recommending I have some teeth pulled and I may be on a soft diet for a few days after my dental appointment later this week.
My calendar was full this last weekend, beginning with open house at the new eye clinic before the committee of the whole meeting Thursday evening. Friday evening we picked up grandson Matthew and went to Lion Field for the season's first home football game. With the game well in hand, we came home about midway through the fourth quarter and saw the final score on the 10 o'clock sportscast. Saturday morning I visited the farmers' market and purchased spinach, green beans, okra and green peppers. I spent the early afternoon at the Hiwasse fall festival, returned home to listen to the Hogs game and drove to Sulphur Springs for the Kiwanis Club banquet that evening.
I'm an avid reader and I spend most of my spare time with my nose in a book or magazine. I especially enjoy reading newspapers from other area towns and I've become a fan of Ronnie McBrayer, the columnist who writes "Keeping The Faith" in the Carroll County News. Last week's column, titled "A Dog's Life: A Good Life," was one of his best. In it, Ronnie described his dog, Mo, who "wakes up every morning as if he has just won the lottery, boundlessly full of joy at the prospects of another day. He attacks every single meal and gobbles down each treat as if it were filet mignon. He becomes deliciously euphoric when taken for a walk. He greets every newcomer with wet kisses and a wagging tail."
McBrayer says Mo makes few demands and has few expectations. All he requires is a little affection. He suggests that perhaps that's the secret to happiness for us humans as well, to find satisfaction in what we have. "You can use your time and energy being happy," he says, "or you can spend your time and energy chasing, demanding, expecting and striving -- but never quite being satisfied, never quite getting what you feel you need. I don't think you can do both at the same time."
McBrayer concludes by asking his readers to consider one question: How different would your life be if you were truly content with what you have instead of being disappointed over what you don't have? "Your answer will reveal that happiness is not something you 'try' to find. It is all around you -- and within you -- if you will only accept it." Certainly, it's something to think about.
Susan Holland is a 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 09/16/2015