Cowgirls for Christ

Cowgirls for Christ is a local support group and ministry for girls who want to rodeo in a Christian environment. They travel to several local arenas on Sunday afternoons and host a casual worship service in the stands.

I'm glad we live in an area where adult mentors come together to nurture whole generations of young people in safe environments.

As my grandmother would say,"Thanks be to God."

Old South Still Kicking

In my town this Old South Restaurant, opened in 1947, is still serving up food, vintage American modular diner style, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is an icon and is listed on the historic register.

The proclamation reads: "The diner quickly became an oasis for hungry and wary travelers, providing food and a place to relax." This is still true.

In your part of the world, you might have all night restuarants. But here in the rural South, even situated on a major interstate, besides the gas station and the local Super Center, the Old South is a haven for folks wanting - and needing - nutritious food, a clean restroom and friendly conversation.

Recently, my family went for what the British call a Bean Feast. We ordered a slice of every pie they made, and we had a taste testing. That included pecan pie, apple crumb, lemon icebox, coconut cream, chocolate, possum and chocolate cream. Mmmm!!! I can taste it now.

They say their best selling pies are the possum and lemon, but you might just have to go down there and try it yourself.

Church Women Backbone of Churches

Doesn't it seem women are the backbone of the churches? I've always noticed that growing up in the South anyway. This is a member of the Presbyterian church from the neighboring small town who was manning the ticket table at the annual Bean Luncheon where she was taking advantage of the influx of guest to tout the women's new cookbook, River of Life.

The photo behind the woman is actually the cover of the book and shows the women of the church picking cotton at a member's farm in 1912 to raise money to rebuild their church which was "destroyed by the Federals during the War between the States."

A smaller church had been rebuilt in 1872, but the congregation had outgrown it, and the idea grew, fueled by several hundreds of dollars granted by the U.S. government as restitution for the original structure, of building a larger church home.

The First Presbyterian Church in Dardanelle was built in 1914 largely by the extraordinary measures taken by the women of the congregation who willed it into existence with bake sales and picking cotton for a prominent member. They devised a song they would sing during those hard times when they worked together out in the fields:

By sewing, milking or churning

We are making the money we are earning

But let us be thankful we are permitted to live

To make the money we are to give

Our duty we should not shirk for with this

Wea re to build a brand new church.

Hams Volunteer to Face Danger

These are the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service members in my little town. We have quite an active group. These are the folks who volunteer to maintain training throughout the year, so that when disaster strikes our community communication can still be maintained. Yep, these are the Ham operators - hams for short.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with these guys, mostly retired engineers although one is retired from National Public Radio in New York City.

Listening to their schedule of field days and training sessions was a humbling experience for me. I live in an area which is known for its tornado activity, and it's reassuring to know these guys are in my back pocket looking out for the many pitfalls which might render an emergency a true disaster.

The group (Did I mention all are volunteers?) regularly trains with the local hospital and emergency personnel in disaster drills both on local and statewide levels. They keep their eyes on potential inconsistencies in the infrastructures supporting the communication framework.

With the fourth anniversary of 9-11 just around the corner, it's a good time to tip our hats to these brave and generous citizens who work to keep us safe.

Retired Pharmacist Turns to Farming

This is my good friend Charles Oates of Pottsville, Arkansas. He is retired from his post as small town pharmacist of more than fifty years and now enjoys firing up the tractor and bush-hogging and tending to his horses, cattle and chickens.


Charles has seen a lot of changes in the pharmaceutical profession and counts the computer as making the most significant impact. Charles specialized in compounding individual prescriptions for his customers and marvels at the world of information just a click away because of the computer.



His daughter recalled that the drugstore was never closed except to observe an hour for lunch on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and half a day to honor his founding partner on the day of his funeral.



Charles has been married to the same girl during his whole career. Her name is Jean, and he still calls her "sweetheart."


Thanks goodness for the men and women, who because of hard work and pride, have added to our sense of community.