We've arrived at the last week of July and several big events are looming on the horizon. Gravette Day and the first day of school are less than three weeks away. Our neighboring community of Decatur will hold its annual barbecue the weekend after next. And, right around the corner, county judge Barry Moehring is holding a town-hall meeting next Monday at the old Shiloh auditorium in Sulphur Springs. The calendar is filling up fast, so be sure to circle the dates and don't miss any of these important events.
I attended the 2017 convention of Jehovah's Witnesses July 7-9 in Fort Smith. Meetings were held all three days in the exhibit hall of the Fort Smith convention with more than 3,000 Witnesses in attendance. The theme of this year's convention was "Don't Give Up!" and we enjoyed hearing Bible-based talks and watching videos designed to help give us courage to endure in these trying times. Examples of endurance were given from the Bible and from nature, and emphasis was placed on going to the Bible for answers for life's perplexing questions.
We've been dining on lots of good eats lately. We enjoyed a tasty meal to start our day when Jim took me out for breakfast at Hard Luck Cafe on the 15th. Then I visited the farmer's market and bought some new potatoes, cucumbers and a few beets. I baked a tin full of cinnamon streusel muffins and took them along to quilt class that afternoon. On Thursday evening we joined several friends from the senior center crew for supper at El Bohemio, and on Friday enjoyed a bountiful buffet meal in Siloam Springs.
A mound of ruby-red tomatoes sits in a bowl on the kitchen counter, and the book, "A Woman's Life, the Story of an Ordinary American and her Extraordinary Generation" by Susan Cheever, lays on the arm of my chair, so I've got it made. Roman philosopher Cicero said, "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." Makes sense to me. That's food for the body and food for the mind. What more could anyone ask? Seems that Cicero was a pretty smart fellow.
The tomatoes are from the generosity of Jim Wiseman, a noted Gravette gardener who's growing one of the biggest, prettiest gardens he's ever had. We crossed paths at the grocery store and, when he learned we'd planted no tomatoes this year, he offered to share some of his. Jim and I drove out Thursday afternoon. We walked to Wiseman's garden and picked several tomatoes, a few bell and mild banana peppers and a small head of cabbage. Our host attributes part of the good crop to the fact that his grandson Ryan is staying with him now. Says he's a good gardener and a good cook who knows what to do with the vegetables when they're harvested, too.
A few days ago I took two zucchini, large enough to fry, from a box some benefactor left in the post office lobby. I returned to the farmers' market on Saturday and purchased more new potatoes, some spinach and yellow squash. Since we have an abundance of vegetables now, our Sunday supper was a vegetarian meal. I cooked half a head of cabbage and Jim ate a big bowlful. I added a few beets and beet tops and some tomatoes topped with cottage cheese alongside mine.
On Saturday afternoon, Jim and I drove to Grove and joined friends for a get-together at the home of John and Norma McAllister. The McAllisters have a lovely home and lovely yard just a few blocks from Grand Lake. We enjoyed visiting with them and other guests, who included John's brother from Springdale, the McAllisters' daughter and grandchildren from Prairie Grove. Their grandson Caleb took me on a golf-cart tour down to the lake area and we were served drinks on the patio and a delicious Mexican meal.
Along with the good times, we've received a bit of bad news too. My sister Nancy called Saturday to say that her daughter Laura was in Northwest Med Center suffering with heart problems. After a visit to Laura on Sunday, Nancy called again to report that a stress test Saturday caused much concern and a heart cath test was scheduled for Monday. Doctors are saying that apparently Laura's diabetes went undiagnosed long enough that it may have caused heart damage. Possible stents, maybe even open-heart surgery, are being discussed. Much will depend on test results. Just keep all the family in your prayers.
Susan Holland is a longtime Gravette resident 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 07/26/2017