With mid-June's arrival, the temperatures have been slowly climbing. Our weather reporter showed the thermometer reached into the 90s a few days last week. A chorus of song from the young frogs punctuates the evening, and clouds of fireflies drift lazily upward at dusk. The sweet smell of honeysuckle floats over from the fencerow, and the rose of Sharon beside the lawnmower shed has a lovely display of blossoms.
I visited a friend at Cherokee City in late May and she gave me and my companion small vials of coxcomb seed. Most of the flowers in the beds Jim built beside the front porch died out last summer, so about a week later I took my scratcher and worked up the soil there. I planted two rows of the tiny seeds, and already slender shoots are emerging.
I rode with Jim to Southwest City early this month and walked into the downtown area while he paid for a window he had ordered at the lumberyard. I noted several changes there. I was dismayed to discover the trading post where I had enjoyed shopping was closed up, as well as the little malt shop in the middle of the next block. I visited with a couple of fellows at the pawn shop and spied a new event center across the street. At least it was comforting to see the Corner Cafe and Main Sweets Bakery with its tasty soups and sandwiches is still thriving.
Late spring is haying time in the area and, with a few sunny days in a row, several pastures nearby had farmers cutting, raking and baling hay last week. The field behind our house was ready for cutting. Our longtime hay man has moved to Oklahoma, so we engaged the services of a young man named Jeremy. With lots of Queen Anne's lace growing among the grass, I was worried the vegetation might be too weedy. Jeremy said he had goats, not cattle, and they would love it. "The more weeds, the better," he said.
Jeremy pulled into the field and mowed the grass on a Friday. He did an excellent job of cleaning up the field, cutting some sprouts around the edge and placing them on our brush pile. He returned to rake it over the weekend and again on Monday morning. After a short drying period, he was back with his baler and began to wrap up the bales. When he finished, 88 bales were scattered around the field. It wasn't long until he returned with his family to haul them away. He and his wife walked beside the trailer and loaded the bales, while a teenage daughter drove the vehicle. A younger daughter rode atop the trailer and stacked the bales as they were thrown up. With everyone working together, it wasn't long before the task was accomplished and they were headed home.
Our son, daughter-in-law and the grandkids have been on vacation this month, and I've followed their posts on Facebook as they were traveling. They put more than 3,000 miles on their vehicle as they traveled to Washington, D.C., New York and New Jersey and many points in between. They visited Hersheypark in Hershey, Penn., a water park and the Dream Car Museum in Indiana, an intriguing castle and the U.S. Air Force museum in Ohio, Gettysburg and several other interesting sites. They returned home Saturday evening and invited us up for a cookout Sunday. We enjoyed burgers fresh off the grill, baked beans, pasta salad and chips while hearing all about their trip.
Two big events are planned on Saturday, and I plan to attend both of them. Our neighbors in Sulphur Springs are holding their annual Sulphur Day celebration, and we've arranged to take grandson Matthew to the fishing derby that morning. I'll photograph several of the activities and return to Gravette for the library's summer reading program kickoff and hamburger fry from 10 to 2 at Old Town Park. Bring the family and come join us for an enjoyable event. Eat a hamburger meal and sign up for a summer of reading fun and prizes. I hope to see you there.
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.
Community on 06/21/2017