There's a hint of fall in the air, with a spell of cooler weather after the rains last week and the days growing a little shorter all the time. A heavy dew has covered the ground the last few mornings when I went out to retrieve the morning paper. Some of the leaves from the maples in the front yard are beginning to color up and drift to the ground, and I've noticed a few walnuts beginning to fall. Even the crickets that serenade us in the evenings seem to chirp a bit more urgently, as if they know their time is growing shorter. Jim's hoping the lawn mowing chore will soon become less frequent.
I've been having to water our garden stuff recently, so I was happy that some good rains last Thursday and Friday helped water our vegetables and flowers. Rain interfered somewhat with area football games Friday night but, fortunately, we didn't have a home game this week. Jim came in with muddy shoes Thursday night after setting posts for decks he is building at a new home on Stateline Road. I did appreciate the rain settling the dust, though, because I'd been plagued with sinus trouble and a runny nose for a couple of days prior to the storm. I think it was mainly due to breathing the dust in the air.
There was one disadvantage of the thunderstorm. A lightning strike near our home knocked out our telephone and Internet service for a couple of days. I was working in the dining room Thursday evening and could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Then, suddenly, a loud clap of thunder rang out nearby. The lights in the room went off but came right back on when Jim flipped the switch. Unfortunately, the phone and computer modem were completely dead. I called a technician on Jim's cell phone and arranged for a visit from the repairman, but it was a couple of days before he could work us in. A friendly young man named Josh arrived about 4 p.m. Saturday and, in about an hour, had us back in service.
Fall is traditionally the time of harvest, laying in crops and clearing the garden for the coming winter months. The vendors at the farmers' market are still bringing in lots of good quality produce. I visited on a recent Saturday and bought some tender pods of okra, which I fried for Sunday supper, some nice yellow squash and some crisp banana peppers to munch on for snacks. The hay in the field was cut again recently and we enjoyed its fragrance as it cured in the sun until they came, raked and baled it on Friday.
We begin to savor heartier meals as the summer slips away. On Friday after we returned from vacation, Jim and I met for lunch and enjoyed a filling bowl of brown beans with chopped onions and jalapeno peppers to sprinkle on top. There were cornbread and fried potatoes with onions to round out the meal, and a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Then, the next evening, a friend took me out for a delicious Mexican meal at Glasgow's and a latte afterward at Starbucks. This last Friday, I broiled some pork chops and fried some zucchini squash from the farmers' market to accompany them.
School's been back in session over a month and the youngsters are surely beginning to get back in the routine of classes. Sometimes it's hard to return to earlier bedtimes and earlier awakenings after having time off and being able to sleep in when you choose. Now that the football season has begun, Jim and I have both gotten our new senior citizen passes and will enjoy all the home games. We also plan to travel to Jay for the game Friday night. We picked up grandson Matthew and took him along for the Lions' first game with Ozark. They treated their fans to an exciting overtime victory that first week but, unfortunately, didn't fare so well this last Friday at Booneville.
We don't get the cable channels so aren't able to watch many of the Razorback games, but I did listen to the Hogs game Saturday evening. That one turned out to be a pretty exciting game too, with both teams trading touchdowns late in the game and then a couple of overtimes to settle the final score. Jim was really expecting the Arkansas team to get beat, but both of us were pleasantly surprised that they were able to pull out a victory over the 15th-ranked team in the nation. It's even more impressive when they're playing on the opposing team's turf.
We enjoyed watching the Olympics' events last month, admiring the skill of the athletes and marveling at the hours of practice it must take to reach that level in one's sport. I'm a big horse fan and am always disappointed that they don't show more of the equestrian events. Seems they could give them a little more exposure since they air several nights of swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, and track and field events. Oh well, guess fans of those sports are in the majority and horsey folk in the minority. They say the authentic American cowboy is a dying breed, but I hate to think that's true. Most of them I've known had a moral code and an outlook on life that would be good examples for anyone today.
Susan Holland is a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer and a lifelong Benton County resident. She can be reached by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 09/14/2016