We are barely into the month of February, but already we've seen subtle signs of the seasons changing. A couple of weeks ago I noticed a cluster of hyacinths emerging beside the garden shed. Then, just last weekend, I went out to get a dozen eggs from our spare refrigerator before fixing Sunday breakfast and I spied several daffodils coming up beside Jim's lawnmower shed. Investigating further, I found more daffodils on the south side of the house. After a few days of near-freezing temperatures, frosty mornings and blustery winds, the weather moderated over the weekend and temps climbed to near 60 on Sunday.
It's still chilly enough that our appetites are keen and good, hearty food is welcome. February is National Heart Month and dietitians encourage us to protect our heart by eating healthy. They recommend consuming more chicken and fish and less pork and beef, but still we enjoy those pork products with our breakfast.
The local Lions Club held an induction ceremony for three new members Saturday and those who attended were treated to a tasty breakfast buffet featuring scrambled eggs, country potatoes, sausage patties, biscuits and gravy, mixed fruit and cinnamon rolls. With a glass of cranberry juice and a cup or two of good black coffee, it was a great meal to start off the day.
"I've always felt that if I'm not organized by February, the year will take off without me," wrote Mary Emmerling, creative director of Country Home magazine, in a February issue over a decade ago. The year 2017 has definitely taken off in a rush, and it seems it will most likely fly by just as 2016 did. Guess all we can do is just go along for the ride and hang on for dear life. And about that organizing, no, I wasn't organized by February, but I'm trying to make some headway on the job.
Emmerling also commented that, in this fast-forward world, it's a real wonder how any of us manage to stay sane. She has a point. At some times it's harder to maintain one's sanity than at others. This promises to be one of those fast-paced weeks with both a library commission meeting and the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year banquet Tuesday night and the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet Thursday night. There will be lots of photo ops at both banquets.
Over the weekend, I tackled the chore of reducing the clutter in an upstairs bedroom. In sorting through a stack of newspaper and magazine clippings, I came across one that seemed to offer some insight into how to stay sane in today's hectic world. The clues were offered in the closing lines of an article titled "How Best to Use the Day God Gives Us" by William Barkley. "We must avoid all sense of frantic haste and hurry," Barkley warned. "Even if there be much to do and little time in which to do it, there still remains the necessity of stillness, and quiet, and rest, and meditation, and communion with God."
"No man should be so busy that he has no time for thinking, or so busy working that he has no time for praying," Barkley continued. "As we grow older, there is an ever greater necessity for the life in which haste and idleness have no place, but in which all things are done in the light of eternity." Pretty good advice, it seems to me, and likely to guarantee some added peace of mind if only one could succeed in following it.
This has turned out to be one of those "C" (conglomeration) columns that 'Cuff columnist Dodie Evans sometimes speaks of and, since I've already included such a hodgepodge of thoughts, I'll close with a comment on the Super Bowl. I was pleased with the KC Chiefs' good season and didn't think I'd be too interested in pro football after they didn't make it to the final playoff game. I must admit, though, Sunday's game turned out to be one of the most exciting Super Bowls I've seen. Who would have thought that the Patriots would fail to score a touchdown until late in the third quarter? Or that we'd witness the first-ever overtime in a Super Bowl game? Or that the Patriots would pull out a come-from-behind victory in the final seconds of the game? But they all happened and it kept us watching until the sudden-death TD that gave the victory to the Patriots.
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 02/08/2017