An Arkies Musings

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 24, 2021, issue of The Polk County Pulse. For several days the weather forecast has been dominated by the probability of snow. It has been over three years since we have had any significant snowfall. On the Arkansas Weather Blog, Todd Yakoubian wrote, “There are no guarantees in weather until after it happens, but confidence is very high snow will fall twice over the next several days.” My Friday afternoon shopping trip to Wal-Mart confirmed the forecast. The parking lot was full, and the bread aisle was empty. Last weekend there were light flurries here in town. Just a few feet higher in elevation, there were several inches of snow. My cousin, my Dad, and I drove up to Queen Wilhelmina State Park. The skies were grey and dreary, but the snow-covered landscape was lovely. In several places, the road was so slick that we had difficulty making it to the lodge on top of Rich Mountain. This Saturday, as we drove into Mena from the south, we ...

I love history and learning.  Many things we learn about history are a bit uncertain, but it is always a little frustrating when you can't find out with any certainty the history of someone or something. The origin of St. Valentine and Valentine's Day is one of those topics. Who was Saint Valentine?  According to the website Catholic Online, The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom. It is unclear how the modern idea of celebrating Valentine's Day by giving gifts to your romantic partner started a...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 10, 2021, issue of The Polk County Pulse. I watched the new baseball fields’ construction at the McMillan Park site on South Mena Street for the past year. Every night, as I drive past the location on my way home, I look to see the project’s progress. As the construction crew made more and more headway, I became excited about the prospect of watching baseball at the new ball field in my back yard.  In April of 2019, the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain announced a new baseball program. “I could not be more excited to announce the addition of Coach Lance Spigner as the first baseball coach for the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain ,” said Chancellor Dr. Phillip Wilson. “Coach Spigner is as good as any coach in Arkansas, and he comes with a pedigree that is rarely matched. He is a winner, a leader, and a baseball visionary.” The news caught my attention, but I did not start following the new baseball program closely until I saw tha...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 3, 2021, issue of The Polk County Pulse. Walking down Broadway in downtown Boulder, Colorado, the shy, gangly teenage boy opened the door to the store with his younger sister in tow. The sign out front said Duck Soup. The boy looked inside the small shop and saw used books and records with some other weird stuff thrown in. As he browsed through the stacks of paperbacks, the title and the cover art of a book grabbed his attention. A futuristic scene burst from a bright orange-yellow cover. The blurb at the top said, “Tales of the Near Future by the Master of Science Fiction.” The boy picked the book up and carried it to the counter. The friendly man took his quarter and placed the book Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov in a paper bag along with a colorful flower power sticker. “You will enjoy the book,” the man behind the counter said. “Isaac Asimov is one of my favorite authors.” That night, the boy opened the book and began reading. He was...