July has brought hotter, drier weather. Although we got some pretty good rains on a couple of Fridays this month, the regular rains have become less frequent and temperatures climbed into the 90s every day last week. We saw our typical July summer weather and the grass clippings from Jim's lawn mowing smell like hay curing in the sun. The hot, muggy nights would make it difficult to sleep; but running the air conditioner and ceiling fans make the evening hours bearable.
An anniversary party is always a joyful occasion, so it was a pleasure to attend the surprise party Tuesday evening celebrating Dr. Tucker's 30 years of practice in Gravette. Many well-wishers were on hand to congratulate him and thank him for his years of service to the community, and all are hoping he makes good on his promise to stick around several more years. He was on the verge of leaving for a vacation in his native Michigan and failed to send his biographical information, but you can read about his party elsewhere in this issue.
I attended the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday and learned of plans for several upcoming events. These are exciting days in Gravette with our Harps store opening on Aug. 3 and two new businesses opening on Main Street soon. I met the owners of the Junkin Sailor who will be holding their open house on Aug. 12, and work is progressing on the Shipley's doughnut shop in the south edge of town.
Approaching celebrations have kept me busy as we've been occupied with preparing plans for the upcoming library gala Aug. 6 and Gravette Day Aug. 13. I've been writing news stories for the special Gravette Day insert the last few days and taking every opportunity to put up posters advertising the gala. I made a trip to Southwest City on Thursday and visited the Anne Croxdale Memorial Library to chat with the librarian and leave a poster.
I stopped to see a friend in Noel on my return trip from Southwest City and took her a few books. I hadn't seen her since I attended her husband's funeral in March, so we were overdue for a visit. We've lost other dear ones this last week. I attended the funeral of John Richard Meade on Monday. Active in Gravette civic affairs, church and sports for many years, he will be greatly missed. A memorial service and gathering is planned this Saturday honoring "Ginnie" Perryman, one of our dear sisters from the Kingdom Hall. A plucky little lady, plagued with health problems for some time, she has remained faithful in attendance when possible and been an inspiration to others.
Jim's been busy recently working on construction of a new house on Stateline Road and was occupied with painting at the end of last week. With our hectic schedules, we haven't had the opportunity for many outings lately so we planned a trip to Siloam Friday evening. We dropped by Lowe's to buy a new ceiling fan for the dining room, savored a tasty buffet meal and did a little grocery shopping before returning home. We particularly enjoyed the frog legs on the buffet. They were cooked just right, tender and falling off the bone. I chose a frothy creation of whipped cream with blueberries, blackberries and red raspberries for dessert.
Chilled beverages and frozen desserts are popular on these hot days. I've been keeping a pitcher of drinks in the refrigerator, alternating between peach tea and a lemonade and tea combo in recent weeks. July is National Ice Cream Month, so I celebrated one evening with a homemade ice cream sundae. Scoops of butter pecan ice cream in the bottom of the bowl, topped by fresh peach slices and some toasted marshmallow ice cream topping made a tasty dessert. This Saturday, July 30, is National Cheesecake Day, so I'm thinking of making a cherry cheesecake over the weekend.
Susan Holland is a longtime resident of Benton County and a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer. She can be reached by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 07/27/2016