For about 21 years I was a Kansan - sunflowers and sports, wheat and family. The roads there went fairly straight, was and west, north and south. There just weren't many switchback. But...
On Labor Day weekend, 1973, the Wells family, Ron, Bertie, Heidi and Jacob moved to Arkansas.
Each of my many trips from Mt. Judea to my home has me trying to see around curves, avoiding the deer flying across the road (usually they make it), admiring the zillion trees, gorgeous mountains, clouds, pastures and the Rond hay bales.
Some people objected to "hippies" in our red hand-painted van. Others through my skirts were too short, but darn it, they needed an English teacher. So it went, teaching English at Mt. Judea School for three years and then 33 years as librarian at the Deer School library, a job that was made for me.
Our first spring, an aged neighbor came to see if we'd want his mule to break our garden. Did we ever! Thus 50 years of gardening began, but it is dwindling sadly, now.
Our two children both graduated from Mt. Judea School and the University of Arkansas. Their careers seemed rot fit them very well. The six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren are city folks for the time being, at least.
One neighbor gave Ron a blind hog to fatten. This was Ron's start of raising pigs. I liked to sit with the mamas on a cold night while reading a book and watching over them while they were having their babies. We often said the pigs built our house, but it was rally Ron who had helped build houses in Kansas and then some in Newton County to learn the ropes. We enjoyed having some cows (one had twins), chickens, rabbits and a horse.
The goodness of friends and neighbors made our lives complete. They visited when we were sick, brought food, loaned tools and became part of our lives. One neighbor said, "'I'm here to help.'" Another said, "'He'll be right over.'"
