What happened to that good old place we called home, America? That good old stable country formed by thinkers and developed through the years by those who dared to love it by facing problems and sorting through answers until the road to peace and pleasantness allowed nearly everybody to do their whatevers and enjoy living?
What happened yesterday? This is being clinked out on a little old Smith-Corona -- daggum word. I watched many of the activities later and heard many self-appointed experts play their script on the tube. Did you come away from the TV without your head spinning, your conscience bothering you and your outlook for the next several years trying to shine through a rainbow in the sky but with a huge thunderhead roaring, trying to keep time with the flashing lightning of ?.
Let's change subjects -- Did you catch the omission in the last 'cuff which suggested a January date could be one of those to go down in history? But, you ask, what was the date? Yep, it was intended to be Jan. 6, 2021, but the six I did not properly add to my copy. It's just as well because there have been quite a few days this January that are memorable. Everybody has seemed to be affiliated with fighting, stubbornness and name-calling, so compromise has been impossible -- not this January but unfortunately how many years now? Maybe it's time to remember that new word which headed the 'cuff a few weeks ago. Remember it? "Meeooism." It grabs such a hold on a person the big "Me" gets the upper hand, right becomes wrong, vise turns into verse and good old common sense goes out a window or two ... or even worse!
Let's turn this into one of those "Conglomeration" 'cuffs. Remember them? It's been a while. How about an answer for that guy who asked, "What happened to those sweet gum balls that were one of your problems?" Honestly, there weren't many this year. At least it didn't seem to be many because very few fell until that big surprise six-inch December snow and several big wind days shook a few loose. A couple of wheelbarrows full were picked up but when two or three March winds hit in early January, quite a crop of those prickly jaw-breaker size spheres littered the ground. They're still there. Any volunteers? There's an extra rake available.
How about that postage stamp garden? The same guy wanted to know, "Is it about ready for tilling?" No comment. Let's just say the size will shrink, maybe. What's smaller than a postage stamp? It may end up with one row of green beans, a couple of cucumber plants, five or six okra, and who knows what. A pickup of soil didn't get added and most of the leaves were chopped up on the lawn or went over the hill ... so adding a few bags of soil may be scattered on a plot smaller than a stamp. "What about sweet corn?" he asked. We'll see. The farmers' market always bests me anyway.
What about a 'cuff about Highway 59? There's still a handful of hand-written notes that keep getting lost under a pile of those about socialism. I doubt I could still read them. Maybe a little more about socialism is possible since it has been a topic of the recent election. Anyway, that problem has been around for many years. There are so many government programs for so many years we might say we're already well on the way.
Let's try another subject: Let's try a date. Do you remember what you were doing 12 years ago, say, Jan. 21, 2009? Going through a box of old newspapers, I ran across a copy of a USA Today special edition of the previous day. The front page was a big picture of the new president, Barack Obama, and 23 pages about his inauguration. Under the picture were two large lines of a headline: "Obama takes office, vows to begin 'remaking America.'" With all that has happened during the past 12 years, he was quite successful. Eight years by Mr. Obama and four by our last president, Mr. Trump, followed by promises from our newly-elected president, Joe Biden. Wouldn't you say there has been and there possibly will be much more remaking? Wouldn't it be nice if things would calm down, everybody from the top on down and every news network, and every individual in the country would just forget the "Me" in "Meeootism" and let the "...ismes" of past generations recall that their calm, collective and cooperative spirits maintained a great American dream which has been experiencing too many nightmares lately.
Change is always possible and sometimes needed, but the spirit in which it is sought can dwarf the possible peaceful outcome with a culture that is so uncontrollable it is hardly considered as positive. Shouldn't the greatest concern be our youth and young and how they have recently been affected by the impossibles of the past several years? These past years are the "good old years" for them as they will search memories from their past, just like old-timers of today, lean on their good old ways of yesteryear. Don't we all have a responsibility of helping them remember these, their good old days, in a shape they will be asking themselves this same question?
Let's stop the main street burnings, the trampling of our flag, and breaking into our capitol, and especially remember that the thinking process of our forefathers was based on Christian principles. When they are destroyed or altered ... well, don't we all know?
Dodie Evans is the former owner and longtime editor of The Gravette News Herald. Opinions expressed are those of the author.