Outlook

Hello, hello, good morning or afternoon or whatever time you folks may be reading this week’s edition of the Richland Beacon News.  I do hope this finds everyone in good health and enjoying your usual activities.

As you surely know, we will be into the month of July by the time this week’s Beacon gets out to you readers and that means that this year of 2015 is half past.  And, we can’t do anything about that either so I will just go on a little further and see what I can report on,

I think I mentioned last week that I had a birthday coming up on June 27 which was this past Saturday. So, my son, Kirby and his wife, Linda, came by late that afternoon to pick up me and my friend, Laura Pierce, to take us to supper at our local Mexican restaurant, San Miguel’s here in Rayville.  And, we were joined there by my great-grand-daughter, Abby Wiggins and her parents, Roy Wiggins, Jr. and his wife, Kristi and Abby’s friend, Hunter Penick.  And, we all enjoyed chatting with each other while enjoying early evening.  I have a ceiling fan in my bedroom and it helps to cool the room at night.  But, I know these next few weeks are going to bring on our hottest weather and that’s when I will really appreciate the air conditioning...... the good food.  Oh, yes, indeed.......    So, we are now into the second half of this year of 2015 and I know that July and August just have to be the hottest of the year.  And, that is when I am so thankful for the air-conditioning.  Of course, I have already been using it some in the late afternoon and  Oh,  yes.........

CHUCKLE #1 - ˇThe city editor was a stickler for accuracy, and all available space was filled up with signs to impress this on the workers.  One day the youngest reporter turned in an account of a public meeting in which he related that, “There were 3,999 eyes turned toward the speaker.”  The editor shouted for him, “What do you mean by such a silly blunder?”

“But, it’s no blunder,” objected the young fellow.  “It is strictly accurate, sir.  There was a one-eyed man in the audience.”???

As usual, I attended Woodlawn Baptist Church this past Sunday morning along with my friend, Laura.  I find find this is a good way to begin every week. The rest of the week seems to go smoother and easier.   Oh. yes....

I find myself going back in memory quite a bit in my older years and I think that is pretty normal for most older folks.  I  do a lot of “remembering” of my early years of life including my beginning school in the small town of Plain Dealing, LA over in the NW corner of Louisiana.

Of course, as a child, I had no idea of what was ahead in my life when my dad got a hankering to own some land and he had heard of a new tract being opened up to home-steaders in the SE corner of Arkansas.  So. in December of my first year in school, we moved to the small town of Jerome, Arkansas.  There had once been a huge sawmill operation there and some of the executives had lived in nice wooden bungalow homes there.  But, a few of the vacant homes were still in good condition and my dad was able to tear down one of them and have the lumber moved a few miles to our new land where he rebuilt the home.  I can’t imagine how Dad was able to work all of this out at that time.  But, he was a remarkable man with many talents which besides being an excellent carpenter, he was a good farmer and also a blacksmith which involved tasks that few people know about today.  I will tell more about that at a later date.

CHUCKLE #2 - Once more the waiter returned to the table and inquired of the patron, “Let’s see, sir, what was it that you wanted now?”

“Well, I originally came in for breakfast,” the man explained, “but, if lunch is about ready. I’ll take supper.” ??

And, I do have a few birthdays to list for this week and they are as follows:  Mrs. Willie Gammill, Stuart King and Lamar Lane, Sr. on 7/3; Julie Dupree on 7/6; Roxanne Townsend, Judy Wesley and Kyle King on 7/7 and for Jim McConathy on 7/8.  We wish all of these folks a most happy celebration of their natal day and that they  may have many more in the years ahead.  Oh,  yes indeed.......

So, another Outlook effort comes to a close and I will say goodbye for one more week and I wish all of you folks a most happy week ahead.  I hope to meet all of you next week in this same manner.

[PARTING THOUGHT:  Some times in life, we face some problems and we usually pray about them.  Sometimes, our attitude may be as follows - “Lord, I don’t know what you are going to do about this at this time; but if you are not going, then please don’t send me.”  Oh, yes, I know about that .........