A Fire in the Pasture
Thanksgiving 2006
I had lived in the deep south for nearly ten years back in the 70’s and early 80’s, and coming into Arkansas after not having been here in more than another ten years, brought back vivid memories of the past. Ashdown is a stereotypical small Deep South town. The main road thru town is the “4 lane” that runs north out of Texarkana. The town is quaint and sports a good little shopping area with a McDonald’s; a small Wal-Mart (Heidi says it is the smallest Wal-Mart ever built), a Sonic, a self storage and several convenience stores. As you roll north out of the business district, you pass the old down town, much of which is boarded up; and the little brick homes built right along the highway. You could have taken the city limits sign down and exchanged it with any number of city limits signs in Alabama – Opp, Elba, and Newton, and you wouldn’t know the difference.
Heidi and Shawn and their kids moved to Ashdown a couple of years ago and actually live about five miles north on 350 acres. Shawn’s father and mother raise chickens on the land for Tyson Foods and decided to move to a smaller house next to the bigger house, and Heidi and Shawn moved into the big house. They are in the process of remodeling the house to bring it up to current design, and making it easier to live with seven children.
Last year Heidi invited all up to the farm for the Thanksgiving holiday. Several families came up, but Mom and I stayed in Texas with the kids who couldn’t come up. This year, however, we decided to all come up, and except for Todd and Sunde, all were coming up. Mom and I, along with Chad, Kimber and Maddy, came up on Tuesday afternoon. Heather and Shawn came up later that evening, arriving at about 1 AM. On Wednesday, Brett and Cindy arrived and then Hilary and Paul at 2 AM Thursday. The last to arrive was Scott and Val on Thursday, at about 8:30. Holly was supposed to come up, but at the last minute decided to stay in Killeen. This group, along with Heidi’s, gave us 31 people, men, women and children, all staying in Heidi’s house with two bathrooms, overworked bathrooms, I might add! All that was missing was Todd and his family and Holly. Maybe next year we can all be together.
Thursday morning Heidi and Mom were up putting a turkey in the oven, making dressing and gravy, etc. Later in the morning, Chad fired up the turkey fryer and fried two turkeys. Then the rest of the family, Shawn Miller’s family, began showing up, bringing hams, potatoes, and all sorts of sides and desserts. When all was said and done, we had 62 people in Heidi’s house eating Thanksgiving dinner. We had tables in the house and in the yard. Some were eating in the living room with plates balanced on their laps; some just found a spot in the yard and had dinner. When everyone was done, we had put a huge dent in the food!
Heidi had said that by 3, all of Shawn’s family would be gone, and by three there was only us! We ate, played games and watched the kids and just had a great day.
Some of the boys went hunting and mid-morning Shawn Mc came in with a huge smile on his face. He has got his deer! He shot a doe, about 2 years old. We all went out to the truck and ooo’ed and awed over the kill. Then the boys butchered the deer and iced the meat so Shawn Mc could take it back to Killeen. Of course, this kill brought out the deer fever in the other boys, so up went the targets and they spent the afternoon shooting and sighting in the new rifles purchased for the Thanksgiving Day hunt. At 3, all of the hunters, decked out like a Sears and Roebuck Hunters Catalog, were ready to go a-hunting… with visions of prancing deer in their heads. By dark they were all back, no new deer, but with big plans for early the next morning.
Later in the evening, Jannie and I decided to take a walk to work off our dinner and the bloat! We had two little tag alongs, Jannie and Rachael. Our walk took us out in pasture by the lake and it was a perfect night for a country walk. Earlier in the afternoon, we watched a cow birth her calf, and on our walk we could see the new calf with its mother. As we got to the other side of the lake, we could see a fire in the pasture. Then we could hear the unmistakable voices of adolescent boys and younger children. The fire was confined to the burn pile. The boys had found the pile with smoldering embers. Being Boy Scouts, it didn’t take them long to build the fire back up. When we rounded up the boys to send them back to the house because it was dark, I had to laugh at Reilly and Nathan, who were covered head to toe with dirt and soot. I don’t think the make up department of Viva Les Arts could have done as good a job making boys look like they were having such a good time. Talmage said the fire was okay and we left it to burn itself out.
By nightfall, leftovers having been devoured, games were brought out and the older kids outside playing capture the flag and the younger kids watching TV, we had a roaring good time visiting, laughing, and watching the kids. The older boys had a tent in the front yard and were sleeping out. The girls and younger kids where on the floors in sleeping bags. Not enough sleep was had by all, but memories to last a lifetime were made by even the youngest.
As I sat in the living room last night, watching my children and my grandchildren having such a wonderful time, my thoughts drifted to Psalms 127: 3-5.
“3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: …”
My quiver is full and what great joy it is to me. If I had some counsel for my children, it would be to love your children, be patient with them, enjoy their ups and downs, listen to them with your undivided attention, support them in their activities, encourage your boys in their Aaronic Priesthood duties and to be Eagle Scouts and your girls to be Young Women of Excellence and in their becoming valiant daughters of their Heavenly Father, who loves them.
Whether or not we come to Arkansas again in mass, Thanksgiving of 2006 will always be a wonderful memory and a fire in the pasture of our lives.
Thanksgiving 2006
I had lived in the deep south for nearly ten years back in the 70’s and early 80’s, and coming into Arkansas after not having been here in more than another ten years, brought back vivid memories of the past. Ashdown is a stereotypical small Deep South town. The main road thru town is the “4 lane” that runs north out of Texarkana. The town is quaint and sports a good little shopping area with a McDonald’s; a small Wal-Mart (Heidi says it is the smallest Wal-Mart ever built), a Sonic, a self storage and several convenience stores. As you roll north out of the business district, you pass the old down town, much of which is boarded up; and the little brick homes built right along the highway. You could have taken the city limits sign down and exchanged it with any number of city limits signs in Alabama – Opp, Elba, and Newton, and you wouldn’t know the difference.
Heidi and Shawn and their kids moved to Ashdown a couple of years ago and actually live about five miles north on 350 acres. Shawn’s father and mother raise chickens on the land for Tyson Foods and decided to move to a smaller house next to the bigger house, and Heidi and Shawn moved into the big house. They are in the process of remodeling the house to bring it up to current design, and making it easier to live with seven children.
Last year Heidi invited all up to the farm for the Thanksgiving holiday. Several families came up, but Mom and I stayed in Texas with the kids who couldn’t come up. This year, however, we decided to all come up, and except for Todd and Sunde, all were coming up. Mom and I, along with Chad, Kimber and Maddy, came up on Tuesday afternoon. Heather and Shawn came up later that evening, arriving at about 1 AM. On Wednesday, Brett and Cindy arrived and then Hilary and Paul at 2 AM Thursday. The last to arrive was Scott and Val on Thursday, at about 8:30. Holly was supposed to come up, but at the last minute decided to stay in Killeen. This group, along with Heidi’s, gave us 31 people, men, women and children, all staying in Heidi’s house with two bathrooms, overworked bathrooms, I might add! All that was missing was Todd and his family and Holly. Maybe next year we can all be together.
Thursday morning Heidi and Mom were up putting a turkey in the oven, making dressing and gravy, etc. Later in the morning, Chad fired up the turkey fryer and fried two turkeys. Then the rest of the family, Shawn Miller’s family, began showing up, bringing hams, potatoes, and all sorts of sides and desserts. When all was said and done, we had 62 people in Heidi’s house eating Thanksgiving dinner. We had tables in the house and in the yard. Some were eating in the living room with plates balanced on their laps; some just found a spot in the yard and had dinner. When everyone was done, we had put a huge dent in the food!
Heidi had said that by 3, all of Shawn’s family would be gone, and by three there was only us! We ate, played games and watched the kids and just had a great day.
Some of the boys went hunting and mid-morning Shawn Mc came in with a huge smile on his face. He has got his deer! He shot a doe, about 2 years old. We all went out to the truck and ooo’ed and awed over the kill. Then the boys butchered the deer and iced the meat so Shawn Mc could take it back to Killeen. Of course, this kill brought out the deer fever in the other boys, so up went the targets and they spent the afternoon shooting and sighting in the new rifles purchased for the Thanksgiving Day hunt. At 3, all of the hunters, decked out like a Sears and Roebuck Hunters Catalog, were ready to go a-hunting… with visions of prancing deer in their heads. By dark they were all back, no new deer, but with big plans for early the next morning.
Later in the evening, Jannie and I decided to take a walk to work off our dinner and the bloat! We had two little tag alongs, Jannie and Rachael. Our walk took us out in pasture by the lake and it was a perfect night for a country walk. Earlier in the afternoon, we watched a cow birth her calf, and on our walk we could see the new calf with its mother. As we got to the other side of the lake, we could see a fire in the pasture. Then we could hear the unmistakable voices of adolescent boys and younger children. The fire was confined to the burn pile. The boys had found the pile with smoldering embers. Being Boy Scouts, it didn’t take them long to build the fire back up. When we rounded up the boys to send them back to the house because it was dark, I had to laugh at Reilly and Nathan, who were covered head to toe with dirt and soot. I don’t think the make up department of Viva Les Arts could have done as good a job making boys look like they were having such a good time. Talmage said the fire was okay and we left it to burn itself out.
By nightfall, leftovers having been devoured, games were brought out and the older kids outside playing capture the flag and the younger kids watching TV, we had a roaring good time visiting, laughing, and watching the kids. The older boys had a tent in the front yard and were sleeping out. The girls and younger kids where on the floors in sleeping bags. Not enough sleep was had by all, but memories to last a lifetime were made by even the youngest.
As I sat in the living room last night, watching my children and my grandchildren having such a wonderful time, my thoughts drifted to Psalms 127: 3-5.
“3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: …”
My quiver is full and what great joy it is to me. If I had some counsel for my children, it would be to love your children, be patient with them, enjoy their ups and downs, listen to them with your undivided attention, support them in their activities, encourage your boys in their Aaronic Priesthood duties and to be Eagle Scouts and your girls to be Young Women of Excellence and in their becoming valiant daughters of their Heavenly Father, who loves them.
Whether or not we come to Arkansas again in mass, Thanksgiving of 2006 will always be a wonderful memory and a fire in the pasture of our lives.
