Outlook

Hello, hello, to all you dear folks who are now reading this week’s Richland Beacon News to see what it may offer in the way of things to read.  And, the weather is rather on the warm side and then some; but, what else can we expect of a late June afternoon???  Also, if we check our calendars, we can readily see that we have the months of July and August still ahead of us.  So, that is when we will really enjoy the benefits of air-conditioning the most.... Oh,  yes........

So, let’s see what I did over the weekend.  I attended  Woodlawn Baptiist Church for Sunday School and morning worship service.  After that, I joined my son, Kirby and his wife, Linda, and we traveled on down to the rural home of the Wiggins family out west of Mangham, La.  And, I will not attempt to list all the names of the folks who were there - the Sr. and Jr. members who had gathered at the Sr. home where we had a delicious lunch of barbecued ham on buns and plenty of good iced tea to wash it down.  Oh, yes, indeed.  Mighty good....

Next, we traveled on down to the home of Roy, Jr. & Kristi Wiggins (my niece) and some of our group got into a lively card game.  I just sat down where I could see the table with those playing and they all had such a good time as first one and then the other would have a really good hand of cards and play it out well.  Of course, the tea was plentiful and there was a bit of good-natured ribbing going on among the card players.  We returned home late that afternoon and I was just pleasantly tired.  But, I did take my little pooch, “Cookie” out for our late afternoon walk.  And, I really can’t say which of us enjoys those walks the most.  We rarely see any of our neighbors as we walk around that big block of home; but, we just like to get out anywhere together.  Also,  I can make our walk a longer one if I feel up to it and Cookie will tag along.  She and I agree on most things - Oh, yes, she is a pretty smart “Cookie”........

CHUCKLE #1 - A  small girl was sitting with her mother while watching a church wedding.  Suddenly, the child piped up, “What’s the matter, Mommy?   Did the lady change her mind about getting married?”

“Hush, dear.  What makes you say that?” reproved the mother.

“Well, it sure looks like she changed her mind,” insisted the girl.  “She went down the aisle with one man and came back with a different one.”  ?????

And, I must say again that I am so enjoying this lovely weather.  It still cools up enough at night so that I haven’t had to use the air conditioning in my back bedroom.  But, I do have a ceiling fan there to circulate the air and that has been sufficient thus far.  As I have said man¥ times, I just kind of “go with the flow” and cope with whatever comes along.  I don’t believe in trying to cross bridges until I come to them and that refers to the problems of life which can crop up at various times.

I am still waiting for a reply to the letter I sent recently to my longtime friend, Irma Cason, who now lives in the state of Washington.  I have not quite figured out just how Irma came to live so far away from the area of SE Arkansas where we both grew up in our teen-age years.  I know that she married a man that I also knew; but, I lost track of her until just two or three years ago.   I still don’t know just how she got my address here in Rayville after so many years.  But, things like this help to make life more interesting as we get older.  Oh,  yes......

CHUCKLE #2 - The wives of an African chief were grouped about the missionary’s wife as they questioned her curiously.   “And you say you never let your husband beat you?” asked one of the natives.

“Why, most certainly not!” declared the Christian lady indignantly.  “He wouldn’t dare!”

The chief’s oldest  wife nodded her head knowingly and then commented, “It is now plain why white man has only one wife.”  ???

As we move further into the summer months, I know the hot weather is going to be even hotter and I believe I can cope with that as it comes.  When I think of my growing up years in SE Arkansas, we  had no air conditioning - no electricity at all on that rural farm in those days.  My dad would bring home a big block of ice (About 100 lbs) and he would wrap it up in a quilt or two on the shaded back porch.  We would make a batch of ice cream before all the ice melted and it tasted so super good.....Oh, yes,,,,,,,,,

I continue to remember our early years in Rayville and I think of them as good years.  We lived in three different homes prior to moving into the house where I now live.  And, I like this present one best of all. I no longer have any desire for any traveling which may require me to be away from home overnight.  I watch TV and see people winning trips to far-away places and that doesn’t interest me at all.  No, no........I have seen all the world that I care to see.  If that makes me a dull gal, then so be it.  I am content, satisfied and happy..Oh, yes!!!!  And, I do mean that, sincerely......

Folks are still having birthdays and I have a few on this week’s list and they are as follows:  Carly Cade, Cody Franks and Lynn Word on 6/25; Melba Hendrix (that’s me) on 6/27; Shirley Mason and Janice Spencer on

6/28; Jeremy Gowan, Iris Mayberry and Orie Davis on 6/29; Bobby Hales and Randy Pierce on 6/30 and for Kevin Hendrix (my grandson) and Kristi Colvin and Stephen Arnold on 7/1.   May all of these birthday folks enjoy a special celebration of their natal day and we wish them many, many more in the years ahead.  Oh, yes.                                         That will just about close out another Outlook column for one more week.  So, I should be writing my next column in the first week of July.  Wow!  That means we have already lived through the first half of this year of 2015.  I know the old saying about time flying by when you are having fun; but, I just hadn’t realized that I was having so much fun.  And, I am still enjoying life and I plan to continue that pattern.   Oh, yes indeed........

PARTING THOUGHT:  I recently ran across a statement which said that one out of every four Americans is mentally ill.  So that must mean that if three of your friends are okay, then you are in trouble!!  (Nah, no, no way........I just don’t believe everything I read..... No way, Hosea.