Susan Says . . .

GRAVETTE — After a couple of weeks in which we endured single digit temperatures and highs which barely made it to the freezing mark we really enjoyed this week’s warming trend. The mercury climbed into the 40’s and 50’s and we thought we were having a real heat wave. A heavy blanket of fog hung in the air Thursday morning and Friday a light rain fell and melted the last of the snow lingering in the fencerows. A few misshapen snowmen still stood in the neighborhood but gradually they too melted away, leaving no trace of our wintry storm.

I worked a long day at the office on Monday and enjoyed a lengthy telephone visit with my brother Richard that evening. Nancy came to stay with Mama Tuesday morning and returned again that afternoon when I went to our January library commission meeting. We presented a plaque to the library employee of 2009, Margo Thomas, and my fellow commissioners planned a little honor for me too. We enjoyed apple fritters and hot apple cider and they gave me a neat iron horsedrawn milk wagon. It was quite a surprise!

I got a call from a neighbor on Persimmon Street Wednesday morning and we had a good visit. Later in the day I went to the library to return a book, caught up on some of my reading and sorted through my junk mail. Sister Nancy came by in the afternoon and took home some canning jars I’d boxed up for her. Jim came limping in from work that evening after having a pile of lumber fall on a toe.

Thursday morning was foggy but Jim and his coworker returned to work on a house southwest of Maysville. Nancy came back that afternoon and we sorted out several more Mason canning jars and old Miracle Whip jars from the cellar. I gave her some boxes of lids and metal rings from the cabinet on the back porch. She’s collecting supplies to can some of hergarden produce this summer and I’m trying to start the year by making some extra space at our house. Jim and I listened to the Hogs basketball game that evening. It was an exciting contest but unfortunately our team came up just two points short.

A light rain was falling as we went off to work Friday morning but I went to the office for a couple of hours. The mail carrier brought a nice supportive note from a friend, a farm gal who said she was tired of cutting ice on the ponds. When Jim came in that evening he sent me out to get a pizza for supper. We were watching a football game after we ate but gladly shifted our attention from that activity when Joe, Heather and the grandkids dropped by to visit. The grandkids brought some video games to play, I read a new book to Matthew and Alyssa got out paper and markers to draw us a picture.

Jim went to Maysville to do a short job after breakfast Saturday morning. I took items to the recycling collection point and made a short trip to the grocery store. Jim was already home when I returned and we soon tuned in the Razorback basketball game. We were happy with the victory over conference rival Alabama.

We took a friend with us to Southwest City Sunday morning and enjoyed a late breakfast when we returned. I attended visitation at the funeral home that afternoon for long-time school superintendent Glenn Duffy and visited with his family, many fellow teachers and students. We did a couple of loads of laundry when I returned and I broiled pork steaks for our supper.

-Susan Holland

Editor’s Note: Susan’s folksy column each week is filled with events in her life and the life of Gravette. Years from now, folks reading it will get a feel of just what Gravette and the area are like in the early twentyfirst century.