After patiently awaiting the arrival of fall in Arkansas, it’s finally arrived!
The temperatures finally dipped, and the crisp air feels amazing. This past weekend was perfect for an early-morning deer hunt.
Our 9- and 7-year-old sons were early to rise and head to the deer stands on Saturday morning.
We took each of them out early and waited through an hour of wiggles before the sun came up. It was chilly and bright. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any deer.
It’s always good to have time one-on-one with the boys in the great outdoors.
Recently, my husband has started cleaning up dead trees lining our driveway. After a long weekend of tree trimming, there was a lot of wood left to clean up. My husband hired a guy to come out and start cutting and splitting all the remaining trees into firewood. We were both so impressed with he and his family. They showed up early for work and worked together cutting, splitting and stacking wood. They were a well-oiled machine.
After a long morning of deer hunting, we decided to tackle some home projects as a family.
My husband and boys pulled my car into the shop and changed the brakes. Our 11-year-old daughter put her organizational skills to work in her dad’s shop. She cleaned and organized most of the day. It was spotless when she was finished hassling her dad to get all his tools and machines put back in their place.
On Sunday, we cheered our youngest child on in the local Hero’s Half Marathon one-mile fun run. I was inspired as his older sister ran alongside him, edging him along the route. He beamed when they stuck a medal around his neck. We were all very proud of him.
When we got home, our family worked together to clean out our firewood lean-to. We loaded and stacked several trailers full of wood at our house. It was amazing how once we found our groove, the work passed by quickly.
After that, we started cleaning out the abandoned garden. It was mostly overgrown weeds and dead plants left from what once was a productive vegetable garden. The boys crazily ran around chopping things down and pretending to give all the weeds haircuts. The girls and I pulled out tomato cages and cleaned out all the remains. My husband quickly hauled our weeds and trash pile away. It was a very productive day.
After the work was finished, the kids enjoyed riding motorcycles and horses around the farm. My husband reflected at the end of the day on what our family had accomplished working together all weekend long.
Fall’s return was welcomed by each one of us. The best part? Enjoying productive family time, neighbor.
Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
