THE SPECTATOR, Ozark, Ark.

, Wednesday, August 20, 2014 - - Page 5

Every Friday
KARAOKE, 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Saturday
Oct. 4: Dead Snake Road band
2 - 6 p.m.
* Must be 21 years of age
Hwy. 64 in Altus ~ 468-0361
St. Mary's Mtn.
By Lynda Evans
The Good Old Days
Church sponsors 15 campers
The week of July 28,
Abundant Life Fellowship in
Altus sponsored 15 Altus-
Ozark youth to the five-day
Brookhill Ranch Youth Camp
in Hot Springs.
Abundant Life Fellowship
wants to thank everyone who
contributed to the youth camp
fund to help make the youth
trip possible, buying home-
made fried pies at the Altus
Park 4
th
of July celebration and
Grape Fest, purchasing
RADA cutlery, buying tickets
for the Razorback-plaque
raffle, items donated and
bought at the yard sale, and
the many monetary contribu-
tions. Marlene Robinson was
the proud winner of the hand-
carved razorback plaque.
When the participants
were asked about their favor-
ite activities the following re-
sponses were expressed:
Kayston: Meeting the
counselors and making new
friends from different states.
Rhiannon: Horseback
riding, go-carts, and fun-swim-
ming.
Jaydyn: Horses and na-
ture, observing different ani-
mals in the barn.
Mary Grace: Drama-act-
ing and singing. She added
that one of the staff members
advised the youth, Dont be
mean to your family.
George: Everything, in-
cluding back-paddle boats
and canoeing.
Luke: Nature with ani-
mals and go-carts.
Jacob: Go-carts and
counselors.
Logan: Archery, the
counselors, and go-carts.
Caedyn: Horse-back
riding and fishing.
Michael: Go-carts, riflery,
and the counselors.
Kalie: The counselors
and their teaching about
Jesus.
Haylee: The resurrection
reenactment, and daily sing-
ing and worship.
Stephanie: Having fun in
activities; then, being able to
settle down to learn about
Jesus.
Kenley: Seeing the resur-
rection reenactment and re-
dedicating my life to Jesus.
Kenley added, The counse-
lors told us, You are who you
hang around with. You are
valuable. In Gods eyes, we are
beautiful to him.
Cameron: The Resurrec-
tion reenactment.
All participants will re-
member the Brookhill Youth
Camp trip and are thankful for
all who helped to make it pos-
sible.
- - Alfreda Covert,
youth teacher
Greetings! I went to a wed-
ding in Minnesota this past
week. My cousins daughter
was married on one of the
ridges and the view was spec-
tacular. Now up there a ridge
is what you call a mountain
down here. The reception was
in a barn that was so pretty.
The couple raised all the flow-
ers used on the tables, mak-
ing a beautiful mixture. All our
kids came and we sure had a
good time. Sharon is one of
my younger cousins and not
too much older than our kids,
so she and they have some
very good memories of the
farm. It was fun to hear them
reminisce about those good
ole days. I usually learn of
their shenanigans that way.
Evan, Christine and I went
to the zoo. Also we had
Evans birthday party. He
loved his dinosaur cake, tent,
Legos and most of all his
squirt gun, super-sized of
course.
Hasnt the weather been
good? I have been able to do
so much in the mornings. Usu-
ally this time of year the yard
gets away from me because it
is just too hot to be outside.
Very unusual summer, one we
will be talking about for a
while.
Poor Bug is not getting
any better. I sure was hoping
that with time he would regain
his use of his back legs. The
worst part is he is on pain pills
most of the time. Mary Ellen
and I are going to have to
make some decision soon.
Maybe Dr. Moon has some
different ideas. Bug was so
happy to see Floyd. They
played and rolled around. And
Bug has always loved Tank,
so he was trying so hard to
keep up with him. It was heart-
breaking to see him try so
hard.
I talked to my neighbor,
Helen Cook, last week. I asked
about her dogs, Sadie and
Pepper, because they have
not been over since July 4
th
.
They are fine, but staying in-
side a lot these days. She has
a Westinghouse roaster on
wheels for me. It will come in
handy when I have company
as I can roll it anywhere there
is an outlet. Stanley, Kens
brother, is coming down over
Labor Day. He is going to take
Floyd to his Illinois home. My
wonderful family found
homes for all those puppies.
All say how good they are
and love kids. Vickie brought
her grandkids over and Floyd
just melts into their arms.
I better get going. Until
next week, bye.
by Clydene Overbey
I was born in the early
1940s and grew up in the 50s
and 60s. You hear a lot of
jokes about our childhood.
They just have no way of
knowing how it really was.
I remember some kids and
their parents coming to our
house sometime in that
timeframe. They were cousins
from another state and must
have been from a big city.
They thought we were so
dumb and backward. The kids
went with us to gather eggs
in the hen house. They asked
so many questions that
Brenda and I looked at each
other and made the crazy sign.
Are they ripe? Did you put
those eggs in the nest? Where
did the chicken go to get the
egg? How did that chicken
carry an egg? It was the same
with the milk. Pappa told them
that brown cows made choco-
late milk and they wanted to
know if we fed the cows co-
coa.
The annual salary then
was less than $3,000 in the
early 50s. For Daddy it was a
lot less. Yet, most of the time,
only one parent had to work.
Mamas stayed at home with a
big smile to meet you when
you got off the school bus.
Grandma had a sorghum cake
usually.
It was safe to send a six
year old to the store to get a
loaf of bread. We walked about
a mile to Hall Parks Store to
get the bread. For a quarter,
we could get the bread and
enjoy a candy bar on our way
back. That wasnt bad at all.
We didnt have air condi-
tioning, so you left the win-
dows and doors open. And
you werent afraid to do so.
You knew every person in the
community and their children.
When a neighbor needed
help, the neighborhood was
there to lend a helping hand.
When both parents did need
to be away for a while,
childcare meant leaving them
with grandparents and aunts
and uncles.
You had teachers who re-
ally cared and parents who
were thankful for those teach-
ers. If you got a paddling in
school, you knew you were
going to get another one when
you got home. You could go
to school and not worry about
someone having a gun. And
the only drug you had to
worry about was being drug
out of bed in the morning. Ah,
those fresh sun-dried sheets
felt so good.
You could go down to the
theater and watch a Gene
Autry movie, enjoy a Coke
and candy bar, all for 25 cents.
On Sundays families went
to church together, enjoyed
the afternoon together.
Kids played outside and par-
ents relaxed inside.
Your Mamma knew how to
make a cut knee feel fine (after
the burn) and Daddy could fix
anything that needed to be
fixed.
You enjoyed fresh veggies
from the garden, and the chick-
ens ran loose in the yard. You
gathered the eggs and milked
the cow and harvested the
garden right along beside
your parents.
Parents were respected
and their rules were the law.
Kids didnt talk back without
suffering the consequences
of a switch to the backside or
bare legs. Kids were taught to
have respect for our elders
and those in authority. Kids
were taught to show manners
in their walk and talk. Please,
thank you.
Neighbors and friends
corrected each others chil-
dren, and it was appreciated.
They cared! You were taught
patriotism and Christian val-
ues in school. You had prayer
and the teacher read from the
Bible. We had the Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag. It was
a wonderful and grand time in
so many ways! If you got a
switching there was no child
welfare poking around claim-
ing child abuse.
We wore bell-bottoms and
hip huggers after I went to
high school. Did I say we? The
word would be they. Daddy
wouldnt have let me wear
them even if we could have
afforded it. I wore a dress that
my Grandma made for me and
I was as pleased as punch
about it.
Each family had only one
car, if they had one at all. Fami-
lies visited and knew the
neighbors. A handshake con-
stituted a legal and binding
contract. You kept what
money you had in your
pocket. We walked every-
where we went. Teens didnt
have a car or the most of us
didnt even have a bicycle.
We went bare foot most of the
time in the winter and all the
time in the summer. Our shoes
were for Dress-up or school
and we kept them nice.
Things have changed a lot
in my 65 + years and Ive seen
it all. Ive been here for all the
newfangled things that my
Mamma and Grandma never
even thought of.
I dont much like change.
Things are changing too fast
now and Im struggling to
stay still. I want things to be
simple, warm and safe the way
they were. Wouldnt it be nice
to stop time? Silly thought I
know. but it will be that way
when we get to Heaven wont
it?
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 -
But of the times and the sea-
sons, brethren, ye have no
need that I write unto you.
Proverbs 6:10-11 - [Yet]
a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands
to sleep.
Ozark Cancer
Support Group
has meeting
The Ozark Cancer Support
Group met Thursday evening
at 6:30 at the physical therapy
section of Mercy Hospital.
The group meets the sec-
ond Thursday of each month
and is here not only for can-
cer survivors but also their
families and supporters.
We are hoping to build a
team to participate in the
Reynolds Cancer Support
House Survivors Challenge
5K Walk/Run and Finish Line
Festival to be held in Fort
Smith on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Come join us.
To join or if you have ques-
tions, call Lynn Washington
at 667-2539 or Mary Darter at
264-3261.
Lynn Washington
See global deal-making
on energy development
AETN (Conway) Tune in
Monday, Aug 25, at 9 p.m., for
POV: Big Men and get an
unprecedented inside look at
the global deal-making and
dark underside of energy de-
vel opment .
Rivertowne has expanded
its hours and is in need of a
larger supply of hickory wood
Please contact Ben McCall
501-960-3616
Now open
Sunday and Monday
Hours:
Sunday - Thursday,
11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday,
11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Spectator
deadline is
4 p.m. Mon-
days for all
news and
advertising.