Editorial / Opinions

Through the many years of writing this little column, I’ve received hundreds of letters, emails and telephone calls from readers. Most want to express their like (or in some cases – dislike) of a particular story I have relayed through the pages of one of the magazines or newspapers for which I write. I appreciate every letter, but the one I received today had a profound effect upon this simple, old storyteller.

One of my favorite things about the Ozarks is when one-season ends and another one begins. It doesn’t seem to matter what season is ending and which is beginning, I am anxious every time. I am not one of those people who prefer one season to another. By the time each season gets here I am ready for it.

In my other life, I write western novels and short stories. I know several of you have read some of them because I get comments from you in person or online. I wanted to talk about the e-book business (that’s an electronic nonpaper version of a book sold digitally). There are two main models of e-books – Kindle from Amazon and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. But you also can get e-books on a home computer, an iPad or even the iPhone.  

I have some wonderful memories of coon huntin’ when I was a youngster. There was nothing quite like a crisp, cool, late autumn night, joining up with a bunch of the neighbors to follow that melodic cadence of, “the best coon hound in the county.” Of course it made no difference which neighbor I’d joined up with, because we were always following, “the best coon hound in the county.”

One of my favorite things about the Ozarks is when one-season ends and another one begins. It doesn’t seem to matter what season is ending and which is beginning, I am anxious every time. I am not one of those people who prefer one season to another. By the time each seasons gets here I am ready for it.

I have some wonderful memories of coon huntin’ when I was a youngster. There was nothing quite like a crisp, cool, late autumn night, joining up with a bunch of the neighbors to follow that melodic cadence of, “the best coon hound in the county.” Of course it made no difference which neighbor I’d joined up with, because we were always following, “the best coon hound in the county.”

Recently, I was reminded about the significance our Founding Fathers played on agriculture. It’s truly inspiring.

By the time you get this issue, Storm Isaac will either have kissed you or went by without a tear. The folks over at Clinton, Ark., must have gotten more rain than the Arkansas/Oklahoma border had as we waited for the big storm. Some friends called to tell me the large Bar Eoff Ranch is green. That’s eight miles west of town. Of course those folks were Tonto and Beverly Shepherd from Winslow, Ark. They wanted me over there on Sunday for the 20-year plaque ceremony that we were set to receive. I’d sent Dan and Peggy Eoff a note that I sure appreciated all they’d done for me, but Pat and I weren’t any younger and we’d skip the Chuckwagon Races this year.

Twice, during the past year, I have wished for a tool that is no longer available to the average consumer. Last winter, when my farm was infiltrated by a pair of obnoxious beavers that had dammed the creek and created flooded fields, and again this summer when a large corner post broke off and the hole needed to be re-dug in drought-hardened soil, I found myself longing for a mere quarter of a stick of dynamite.

Recently, I was reminded about the significance our Founding Fathers played on agriculture. It’s truly inspiring.