I finally accepted this fact Saturday night after I tried “coon” for the second year in a roll at the 69th annual Gillett Coon Supper. Believe me, it’s words I never thought I would utter.
The Gillett Farmers and Businessmen’s Club hosts the coon supper as a fundraiser for college scholarship. It originally began after World War II as a way to raise money for athletics at Gillett School District but the focus shifted when the district was consolidated with the DeWitt School District.
It remains one of the most popular events in Arkansas County and is held each January. It also garners more than 600 attendees — pretty impressive for a community of only 691 residents. Continue reading “Sampling ‘coon’”
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
On Sunday, my congregation was tasked with one simple assignment — to start the new year being a better person. It’s never to late to live up to our dreams and expectations — we just might get a later start then we meant too.
It really struck a nerve with me, especially since the visiting priest was able to phrase the message in a witty, down-to-earth sermon. It reminded me of who I always dreamed of being and had me thinking of how I had drifted from this ideal persona.
I would like to be thought of as kind, approachable and truthful. I want to be known for my morals and to be able to give whenever I can. It’s easy to be a ditzy blonde, which is a generalization that can sometimes be said about me. So, this year I am going to work on being more knowledgeable, less gossipy and more helpful to others in need. Continue reading “A better me”
I spent my first afternoon of 2012 at my aunt and uncle’s farm in Jonesboro. My sister and I originally went to pick out some old doors my sister needs for a do-it-yourself project, but we soon spent the majority of our visit heading out to a back pasture to see a newborn calf.
We arrived about an hour after it was born. The calf is beautiful with a grey coat and is the fourth calf born this winter. The only disgusting part of it was watching the mother eat the placenta. It makes sense that the mother would eat it since it could lead predators to her newborn, but it was still a sight I would rather not have seen.
Still, the newborn calf was one of the reasons why Jan. 1st was a great day. It also helped that the weather was nice, I was able to enjoy an amazing home-cooked meal with my immediate family, and spend the afternoon visiting with family.
Two calves and one of their mothers race to food on Jan. 1.Flowers blooming on New Year's Day.
He was curious to see what we were doing.This little girl nearly followed us every where except to the back pasture.This chicken means business.
A Red-Tailed Hawk soars through the sky on the last day of 2011.
2011 ended and 2012 began with a bang. I was able to scratch off more birds off my list of those to see with the help of my family to identify some of the birds I saw. I’m slowly learning that identifying the birds I take pictures of is the hardest part of my new hobby. Hopefully, it’ll get easier as time goes by. Still, feel free to correct me if I do misidentify a bird.
An American Robin perches on a branch near my house on Dec. 30.American Coots swim away from the road in a flooded field on Dec. 31. It's a frequent sight when I head to Wynne to visit family.A Northern Cardinal hops around gathering food beside House Sparrows near my back door this morning.A snow goose, Mallard duck and American Coots swim around my uncle's pond in Jonesboro on Jan. 1.
A koi fish charges through the water to see if we have any food for him. We didn’t.
I’m talented at losing things for brief periods of time, such as these pictures of Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs. I went to the 210-acre forested peninsula on Lake Hamilton earlier this fall with my aunt as a Saturday get-a-way with our dogs. It was definitely interesting and was still filled with plenty of flowers despite the approaching cold weather.
One of the things I like about the place is its Hixson Family Woodland Nature Preserve. The Garland County Audubon Society says it has more than 100 different birds including the pileated woodpecker, tufted titmouse and the occasional bald eagle.
A Pileated Woodpecker we passed on our Sept. 10 hike.
The Garvan Woodland Gardens opened nine years ago and is a department of the University of Arkansas’ Fay Jones School of Architecture. It was initially the beloved property of Malvern businesswoman Verna Cook Garvan, who dreamed of tranforming it into a public garden for all Arkansans to enjoy. She donated the private garden to the university in 1985 (26 years ago) with the understanding it would be developed into a first-class botanical garden.
It’s easy to get lost within the property that includes Evans Children’s Adventure Garden, Garden of Pine Wind (has a cool koi pond, see top picture), Singing Springs Gorge and Millsap Canopy Bridge, Three Sisters of Amity Daffodil Hill and Anthony Chapel where more than 355 couples were married in 2010 and 2011.
I can’t wait to go back in late spring, early summer, especially since it was that gorgeous in late fall. Until then, below are some of the pictures I took:
We’ve had plenty of fog-covered mornings lately. Fog can be nerve-wracking, but it has its pluses. I love the little surprises you see when the fog lets up just at the right moments so you can see what its hiding, such as geese in the field you are passing.
The snow geese winter in the area and, lately, you can definitely tell when the noisy birds are flying by.
It was a crazy weekend. I was hopping all over the county to photograph parades, fundraisers and an open house. On Sunday, Stuttgart residents also held their 80th annual Christmas Candlelight Musicale and there were 42 girls that competed for the coveted Miss SHS crown.
It might have been hectic, but it sure was fun for all involved (including me):
These Stuttgart boys lit up the night with decorative strands of Christmas lights wrapped around their shoulders during the 2011 Stuttgart Christmas Parade.James Gosney performs "Away in a manager" and "Amazing Grace" on saxophone at the 80th annual Christmas Candlelight Musicale.
Miss SJHS Charlsi Konecny talks to her sister Kelsi, the 2001 Miss SJHS after being crowned Sunday.
My favorite part of being a journalist is that it forces me to attend events that I normally wouldn’t attend otherwise. I usually end up enjoying myself immensely, and last night was no different. I attended “The Messiah” composed by George Fredric Handel at First United Methodist Church.
The Arts Center of the Grand Prairie’s Lennox Performing Arts Series, Grand Avenue United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church presented the event that had Charles Law conducting 21 pieces with a joint church choir as well as soloists Melissa Thoma, DeWitt native Satia Spencer, DeWitt resident Jess Essex, and Mark Wyers. Musicians were Kiril Laskarov on violin I, Beth Massa on violin II, Joe Joyner on viola, Casey Buck on cello and Amy Law (not pictured) on organ.
The church, already perfect with its beauty and calming atmosphere, was a great setting for the event with its lighted candles and Christmas tree.
I saw a monkey in camo on Friday. It was a sight I've never seen before, and it was pretty darn cute. It was also appropriate as the little guy was in the duck and rice Capital of the world — Stuttgart, Ark. It's pretty much required for residents to have some sort of camo in their closet (a memo I conveniently lost, lol).
Today’s worship service officially ended the Wings Over the Prairie festival. The event entailed a male Labrador retriever and his owner helping others find Christ through a hunter’s experience.
Kingdom Dog Ministry's Hank Hough and one of his three dogs visited Stuttgart on Sunday.
Despite an interesting weekend — my mother came and spent the night with me Saturday — it was a dreary weekend with it raining pretty hard Saturday night. Sunday was cloudy with great puddles of water every where.
I previously worked as a news and sports photographer. Recently I have been enjoying wildlife photography. My approach toward bird photos is similar to sports photography. I attempt to capture mostly action and hopefully a unique perspective.
Memos for Me 