ABOUT | March 2021

SEEDS OF INSPIRATION

March 2021 • aboutrvmag.com

Reflecting the Character of the Arkansas River Valley

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March 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Seeds of inspiration Wife, mother, gardener, blogger, and author, Jill McSheehy began her foray into gardening in January, 2013, after working full-time for 10 years. Now she’s a full-time gardener, author, and mentor to beginning gardeners across the globe.

Sack lunch surprise Parting the clouds: help with mental health in the pandemic Mental health seemed to be on the back burner despite the contagion of the coronavirus. But mental health professionals have seen how mental illness could be the pandemic within a pandemic.

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Blasta blended brew It’s a straightforward drink with only three ingredients that you likely never thought of mixing together. And It’s a trio absolutely — and maybe surprisingly — made for each other.

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Countertop Creations Generational Gifts Squirrel tails 10 Things ABOUT: Sarah Clower

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ABOUT THIS MONTH’S COVER Jill McSheehy checks on the status of her crop of beets. In 2013, she transformed much of her family’s suburban acreage into a sustainable food source to feed her family. Many in the River Valley have hobby gardens but Jill’s? Her story is one dedicated to education and serious curiosity.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

A writer I truly admire If I had a nickel for every time someone told me they were a writer I’d probably have collected more money than I’ve actually made by writing. In the age of social media and blog posts, it seems that everyone fancies themselves a scribe.

While I’ve wired electrical outlets and even a barn once (with professional help), I am definitely not an electrician. Though I once slapped a carburetor on my old Chevy, I am not by any stretch a mechanic.

Most people know enough about both of those professions to understand the gaping chasm in their knowledge and skill versus the pros. Most folks would rather the light switch work, their house not burn down, and their car reliably transport them from point A to point B. But with writing, the results are often subjective. Even bad writing can be palatable and “good enough”. Most people can’t even tell you what good writing is, though, they often intuitively know it when they read it. That’s how it works.

Good writing is subtle. It’s not the light coming on with a flick. It’s the brightness and color of that light, the fixture it’s housed within, and how both collaborate to accentuate the room.

Come to think of it, writing is a lot like interior design…

Anyway, writing is a craft and the writer is a person toiling to perfect said craft, someone who has written so much bad stuff that the law of averages works in their favor now. Same as the electrician who burnt up all those fuses and the mechanic rebuilding the dang motor countless “on more times”.

I said all that to say this — professional writers in this area are few and far between.

But one of the best practitioners of the craft I know lives in Russellville and is on our cover this month.

Jill McSheehy wrote for us here at ABOUT for a few years bringing another level of skill, talent, and professionalism to our magazine. She stepped down as a columnist after 2020 for the best of reasons — she just had too much other work.

Of course, Jill is more than a writer now. She’s a sought-after influencer with a growing presence across the digital as well as print world. But she’s also on the shortlist of folks I call when I need professional advice, maybe some tips for how to proceed on a project, or sometimes just a little inspiration from a writer who has paid the dues, a writer I truly admire.

Reflecting the Character of the Arkansas River Valley since 2006 A Publication of One14 Productions, Inc Vol. XVI, Issue 2 – March 2021

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SEEDS of inspiration

Story by SUSAN CHESSER | Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

While it wasn’t something she intended to do, Jill McSheehy returned to her family roots.

Gardening is in her genes. Jill’s mom was a gardener and her grandfather was a cotton farmer in eastern Arkansas.

But while one might assume she has been gardening since childhood, Jill describes herself as a self-taught gardener.

And that didn’t happen until just a few years ago, after she left full-time work.

“My mom had a garden while I was growing up,” Jill says, “but I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t pay attention.

The running joke is that when I was a teenager, my mom asked me to go pick a pepper and I asked her what it looked like,” she laughs. “It just shows how much I paid attention to her gardening.”

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Grownup Jill is now a wife, mother, gardener, blogger, author, and teacher in her own way as mentor to beginning gardeners. Jill began her foray into gardening in January, 2013, after working full-time for 10 years. As a stay-at-home mother with a two-year old and a six-year old, delving into the role of full-time gardener, author, and mentor fell into place naturally.

“In one direction, I wanted to help grow our food to help with the grocery budget because we were losing my income,” Jill says. "So on a practical level I wanted to save money. But the more I got into it, the more I realized I really needed that outlet of gardening. Having gone from a full-time job to being home with kids, it was quite a different experience, and it gave me something that I could do as a person along with the transition of being a stay-at-home mom.”

She explains that in her old job it was easy to measure success but that assessment is difficult for raising children. “When you’re a parent, you don’t have all that right away,” Jill says. “Sometimes you don’t even know until they’re grown.” The garden provid10

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ed more immediate and tangible results. "For me, it [the garden] gave me something I could work toward,” Jills says, “something I could be successful at.”

The kids enjoy the garden, too, though on a limited scale. “My 10-year old now doesn’t remember what it’s like to not have a garden,” Jill says. “She was out there at a younger age. She helps me quite a bit.” But Jill notes that while they can help in the garden, she doesn’t force them to do it. “They like the harvesting better,” Jill says. “When it’s time to harvest carrots, they love doing that.

They’ll go pick blueberries as long as they can snack on some.”

Eventually, partly through this total family involvement, Jill knew her desire to garden was more than hobby.

“It became part of my lifestyle,” Jill says. “I do remember that first year. I was exhausted, thinking ‘do I want to do this again?’ And then there was part of me that was like, ‘how could you not?’”

Working the soil had found a place in her soul and shown her some deeper truths in life and in her faith.

“A lot of the spirituality in the garden is just observing what’s happening,”Jill says, “spending time praying while I’m weeding, just being quiet. Having that communication with God that doesn’t come if I’m not still. The garden makes my mind be still.”

Jill says she often hums “This is My Father’s World” while working intently. “I feel close to my creator,”Jill says. “Gardening makes my mind be still while my hands do rote work.”

Jill, a self-described introvert, says that both introverts and extroverts can love gardening. “Extroverts really enjoy connecting with other gardeners,” Jill says. “Whereas an introvert, to me, that’s my escape. That’s where I can go listen to a podcast or audiobook or just sit in silence. But, an extrovert may not find that as appealing. My best friend is an extrovert. She loves coming to help me in the garden. I think part of it is because she likes the conversation while doing the work. The two personalities probably need something different out of their garden.”

When she’s needed alone time this winter, Jill goes to her new greenhouse. “It’s been so nice to be able to go out on cold winter

days when it's sunny,” Jill says, "to see my early plants growing.

They give me hope for spring. I think, lately, that’s been my favorite place. The kids joke that that’s where I live half the time because I’m just in there enjoying the sun in the middle of the winter.”

Jill also found a link between gardening and her aspirations from long ago.

“My life goal, ever since I was in college, was to write Bible studies,” Jill says. “That’s what I thought I would be doing, writing ministry for Christian women and doing Bible studies. And, I did do that. I self-published the two Bible studies and wrote a couple of books. But the gardening thing just took off so much I realized that’s what people wanted to know more about.”

Jill says that, as a Christian, she felt some conflict. She wondered if it was wrong to go into the secular. “But the more I prayed about it and followed what I was led to,” Jill says, “the more I felt like my life goal now is to get people in the garden and then also share my faith in God. If I can bring more people to the garden then that gives them the opportunity to encounter Him.” >> MARCH 2021

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But bringing people to the garden means helping them overcome obstacles to gardening, like a lack of space. “You can start small where you are,” Jill says. “There are so many people who are gardening on balconies in urban areas. I hear about those every day, people that will just grow an herb on their windowsill. Even that very small herb gives you so much of a reward. You don’t have to have a huge space.You can just start with what you’ve got, where you’re at. I certainly didn’t start out with all this.”

And then there are other insecurities for the first-timer. “I’ve encouraged people not to be afraid of failure because it’s through that failure that we learn the most,” Jill says. "When you start, and you just try, even if you learn what doesn’t work you’re learning.”

Jill cites a recent social media exchange as an example. “I had someone tag me on Instagram the other day and she was getting ready to start her seeds,” Jill says. “She was like ‘my fall garden was very disappointing. I got four peas. Four. Not four plants.

Four peas!’ And then she was talking about starting again this year. Go into it with a mindset that you’re probably not going to do it all right. You are going to have some failures, but be ready for that. Then just embrace the good things that do come. Something's gonna work. Just take those disappointments as learning opportunities for next time.”

And when then things do work, the results are delicious. Jill admits that it’s hard to choose her favorite dish from the garden.

However, bruschetta from fresh Golden Jubilee tomatoes and fried okra get top billing.

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“My family, my husband and kids, would probably say fried okra. That, to me, has heritage because my mom grew okra and she fried it in good old Southern style,” Jill says. “I do the same thing and they all love it. The last couple of years I’ve been making bruschetta with fresh tomatoes. My favorite tomato to make that with is the Golden Jubilee. It’s a very bright orange. It looks

“If I can bring more people to the garden then that gives them the opportunity to encounter Him.”

like the sunset, and it’s got a sweet enough flavor.

I personally don’t like the taste of fresh tomatoes.

I never have. But when you add it to everything that’s in the bruschetta, the garlic and the basil, it’s really good.”

While much of gardening has remained the same over the past century, our grandparents would have been astonished by the thought of learning how to grow and maintain potatoes through handheld computers. But with each upcoming generation of gardeners who had no one to teach them, Jill’s digital following has also flourished.

Jill says that looking back on her mother being a gardener and on her grandfather being a cotton farmer in Eastern Arkansas inspires her because she feels that, in a way, she came back to her heritage by accident.

“In more of a present-day sense, I think the people that inspire me are the people that I’ve been able to connect with through my website and through my podcast,” Jill says. “So many of them in 2020 became brand new gardeners. They had just enough success to be starting their second garden, and they’re more excited than ever. Hearing their stories of how they may not have been perfect their first year, but they enjoyed it enough that it’s become a lifestyle for them, too. For me, it was such a life-change when I discovered the garden. So seeing other people discovering it, too, inspires me every time I hear a story like that.”

One recent afternoon, while agitated with the Arkansas River Valley weather, I joined Jill on her gardening journey via podcast as she discussed timing for tomatoes, peppers and cool season crops. I had never used the podcast app on my iPhone before. It

was a joy to hear the wisdom of this inspiring, and yet inspired, gardener on that cold winter day. I wondered if she was sitting in her greenhouse.

Jill McSheehy has authored books Glory in the Garden: 31 Days of Devotionals, Flourish: Discover How the Mystery of Compost Holds the Key to Experiencing a Fruitful Life in Christ, and Vegetable Gardening for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Growing Vegetables at Home.

You can connect with Jill via her website journeywithjill.net. And, you can follow her podcasts at journeywithjill.net/podcast. l MARCH 2021

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EVE RY DAY L I F E

Sack lunch surprise Story by SARAH CLOWER Illustration by CLIFF THOMAS

EVERY HOUSEHOLD HAS CERTAIN ITEMS THAT JUST SEEM TO DISAPPEAR, walk off, or be eaten by the dryer. In my household, these items are sunglasses (mine), lunchboxes (Raff’s), and coats (both of ours). I am so bad at losing sunglasses that I only purchase Dollar Store sunnies now. Coats are a little more of a necessity, so it’s hard to skimp on those. And when Raff loses another lunch box he has to start taking paper-sacked lunches.

So far, this school year Raff has lost three lunch boxes. The first, a tin Yu-gioh! lunchbox (this is an anime series) was purchased right before school started. It was gone in less than two weeks. Sacked lunches it was for over a month until Raff’s grandma took pity on him and was talked into a black Columbia brand lunch box. No telling how much she paid for that thing, but it was gone before Halloween. Back to paper-sacked lunches for Raff.

On his Christmas list, Raff had requested a bento box lunch kit. If you aren’t familiar with these, it’s a Japanese lunch box with various containers and sections that fit neatly together. He has really gotten into anime in the past year, and with that, Asian culture. I found one that I thought he would really enjoy.

During his Christmas vacation, Rafferty made himself several lunches and

snacks in his new bento box and even requested that I serve his dinner in it a few times. When school started back, he asked if he could take his lunch in his bento box.

I strongly suggested he not. However, after a few weeks he had worn me down.

There were so many containers that I ended up adding extra items to his lunch, and cutting up fruits in fun ways, and cutting little faces into sandwich wedges. He

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managed to bring it from home to school, and back again, and I was beginning to think he had finally found a way to keep up with his lunchboxes.

One Friday afternoon, I was running late at work and called Raff’s grandma to get him from school. She is always so willing to help out (thank you, Lynn!). By the time she dropped Raff off, I was finished up and ready to go. It wasn’t until Sunday evening, after that weekend, that I realized I couldn’t find his bento box.

“Raff, where is your bento box? I can’t find it. Did you lose it?” I asked, my voice full of exasperation.

“Oh no!” He exclaimed. “I don’t think so… I’ve been so careful with it…”

I could see in his face that his brain was frantically trying to remember where he had left it.

“I know I brought it home from school… maybe I left it in Meme’s car?

“Raff, I am very disappointed. That was an expensive lunch box. And I know that you loved it, but you are going to have to use your allowance money to buy a new one. Until then, you will have to take a sacked lunch again.”

Raff’s head hung low. I felt bad, but I also felt that it was important that I be strict when it came to keeping up with his things.

He had to learn responsibility, right?

The next morning, I started to make his lunch when an idea crossed my mind.

Maybe I had taken the wrong approach to this. I walked back to Raff’s room and rapped on his door. He opened it, and was surprisingly already dressed.

“I think that instead of me making your

lunch today, I think you should have to come make it. And I’ll make you a deal. If you make your lunch every day this week, I’ll count it as an extra chore, and you’ll receive a little more allowance.

Raff agreed to our deal and headed into the kitchen to make his lunch. I did set limitations and restrictions though. He had to make a sandwich or somewhat of a main course, a fruit or vegetable side, a small serving of chips or something akin to that, a drink, and a very small dessert.

I’m strict on sugar at my house, so Raff thinks of granola bars or Annie’s All Organic Fruit Chews as dessert. Raff has recently really gotten into flavored sparkling water, and I saw him get a drink out of the fridge and assumed it was the flavor of his choice.

I really thought that by having him make his own lunch, it would make him take responsibility for keeping up with his lunch box. The next morning, he was even more excited about making his lunch. I was really thinking that my plan was working!

Later that day, however, I missed a call from Raff’s homeroom teacher. She left a voicemail informing me that Raff had brought a couple of contraband things to school, and she requested that I come pick them up at the school office.

I was horrified! What in the world could he have brought to school that could be considered contraband?!

When I walked into the school office, I felt like every eye in the room was on me. The school secretary was on the phone, but she motioned me over to her and then handed me a tied-up plastic sack.

She didn’t say anything else, and no one else seemed to need to speak with me, so I sneaked back out of the office as inconspicuous as possible.

I walked back out to my car, hopped in and untied the sack. My face paled when I looked inside.

Oh no.

Oh no… he couldn’t have.

But apparently, he did.

My son had — for two days in a row — packed one of my Cran-A-Rita’s in his lunch sack. I guess he had confused the fruit-flavored sparkling water with my alcoholic seltzer drinks!

When I arrived back at my salon, still flushed with embarrassment, Raff’s grandma walked through the door.

“Hey! I just came by to drop off Raff’s bento box lunchbox. He left it in my car Friday,” she said, proffering his prized item towards me.

I took it from her, and said “Oh! Thank you. I’m sure he will really appreciate having it back.”

“Are you ok? You look a little flushed,” she said.

“Oh I’m fine, just so relieved to have his lunch box back. I’ve been making him pack his own lunch, and I’m sure he will be happy to go back to the bento-style lunches I was making for him.”

“I’m sure,” she said. “There’s no telling what he would pack himself if left to make his own lunch for too long.”

“You have no idea,” I mused, still redfaced with embarrassment. “That child never ceases to amaze me with what he can get himself — and me — into.” l

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MARCH 2021

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

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Parting the clouds Help with mental health in the pandemic Story by HANNAH BUTLER | Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

The physical form of the pandemic brought on crisis. The beginning was a frenzy in preparation for what seemed like the end of the world. Soon we saw our own coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the community. Shutdown mode for schools and workplaces commenced.

Underneath any worry about the future was a sense of anxiety. Our political differences didn’t matter.

Everyone needed to cope, or find a way to stay sane in a time of uprooted normalcy. Some remodeled their homes, played more games, or furiously baked their constant anxiety away.

But it’s an anxiety we haven’t dealt with before, a new form of stressors and way of life, unearthed emotional complexities we couldn’t understand.

Mental health seemed to be on the back burner despite the contagion of the coronavirus. But mental health professionals have seen how mental illness could be the pandemic within a pandemic. With more referrals to therapists than ever before, FEMA and the Arkansas Department of Human Services set up a free, anonymous mental health hotline through counseling services across Arkansas. The program is called Stay Positive Arkansas.

The anonymity of Stay Positive Arkansas creates no paper trails. There is no recorded call or patient file. Yet, there is the option to telehealth counseling calls without having an appointment or fees.

“When people get quarantined or in isolation, they kind of get this cloud over them,” Leigh Maxwell, program coordinator at Counseling Associates, said. “That's part of what we’re here for. People don’t realize it, but if they’re in quarantine, they’re feeling isolated and just need connection, they can call us. We can be a connection over a phone line.”

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Leigh Maxwell

ville School District, and I’m the one that receives those referrals and processes them. I’m seeing the reasons for referrals, this year versus last year, much more anxiety and depression related. Often they cite COVID, quarantine, or off-site learning because they can’t be in the classrooms as the source of anxiety and depression.

WHAT SHE’S LEARNED: I’ve learned that people are just people. Like, we might have different backgrounds, from different belief systems, from different circumstances and family genetic makeup. We’re just people at the heart of it. We all have a need for love, a need for acceptance and a need for encouragement.

We’re all just looking to be invaluable and valued. No matter any of our differences, we’re just people, and we need other people to survive.

Leigh Maxwell has been at Counseling Associates for 11 years.

She’s primarily worked with the Dardanelle School District and Yell County residents to provide mental health services.

ON THE HOTLINE’S MISSION: We want to reach as many as Arkansans as possible in order to provide them with hope: hope for their futures, hope for their relationships and just give them a little bit of life in the midst of such a dark and difficult time.

ON RESOURCES PROVIDED: We are able to do immediate crisis counseling but we are also able to do some resource linking.

We have all developed our own resource guides, so in Russellville we provide information about the Russ Bus and Main Street Mission. We help gather the resources people need. We’ve also talked about how to file for unemployment, how to gather necessary information in order to get your birth certificate or get your Social Security card so you can go through the process of getting unemployment or whatever we need done.

HOTLINE RESPONSES: In general, we are seeing people coming in and saying, ‘I’ve never felt depressed before, but now I just don’t know what’s going on with me.’ That is a common running theme right now. More kids are being referred for anxiety and depression than ever before. We have a contract with the Russell18

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Haley Yarbrough Haley Yarbrough (above) works with children and adults as a counselor. With the grant, she is focusing on supportive services to those in need.

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC: I’ve been in this role for probably eight months. I was an intern, then a case manager, then a therapist. I started my career as a therapist during the pandemic, so it’s been a wild ride. In the first couple of months that I came on, it was so hectic. There were many days that I just

Mandy Perry (left) is an outreach manager for day treatment centers and schools in Morrilton and handles speaking engagements about the hotline.

Mandy Perry sat and made calls all day with the elderly, because they really struggled with the transition to telehealth. I talked to people all day trying to walk them through the process of setting up a video chat account or livestream so we could even have counseling sessions. There were so many challenges with it and I was pretty overwhelmed.

ADAPTING TO THE PANDEMIC: Nothing was like I expected it to be when I got out of school. Things were all different.

Different clothes and we didn’t have furniture in the lobby. It was just not what I expected so I had to do a lot of adapting myself.

ON PROVIDING THERAPY SERVICES: We’ve definitely been really busy. I know that we have increased services just because of the additional stressors in the world. I just think we’re being more supportive in ways that we haven’t before and provided more telehealth options.

TAKING CARE OF HERSELF: My biggest thing is trying not to take a lot of work home with me and when I get home, trying to find 15 minutes to be somewhere quiet and decompress from the day. I’ll read something and try to get a minute to decompress and make time to be alone with myself for a second.

IMPACT OF KIDS IN PANDEMIC: A lot of kids feel more lonely because they’re not able to go to normal social functions.

They’re not having dances. Back when football season was in, a lot of students were not allowed to go to games because seats were reserved for parents. Within kids, their biggest source of support is each other and their peers and they were just limited on the contact … I’ve really seen a lot of kids struggle with depression. In Morrilton High School alone, there have been two suicides already, just this school year. Hospitilizatizations are up for suicide ideation for teenagers and kids. I feel like I’ve seen over in our day treatment centers just aggression because they’re frustrated and trying to figure out an outlet. I have some kids tell me that they’re scared of dying. They keep hearing all these stories and they’re afraid that if they get it, they’re going to end up dying and won’t be able to recover from it. Several kids are scared because if parents have health problems, they’ve quit their jobs or have lost their jobs, so their resources are more limited. That makes them more scared about where they’re going to get food. Christmas was a huge stressor. I had a huge amount of increase in kids and parents communicating that they didn’t know how they were going to do anything for Christmas.

ON NEEDING ENGAGEMENT: With the kids that I work with, I’m really working on practicing self-care, coping skills, problem solving and how we can stay in touch and get as much human contact as we can. Setting up those Facebook and Zoom times that they can get together and talk about things going on.

There’s not a good answer for schools because they’re doing their very best to keep everyone safe. I don’t know how they could do lunch differently but I don’t like that kids are having to isolate during their lunch times … They have no social interaction or engagement and those social skills are important.

ON COPING PRACTICES: A lot of what I’ve done before is try to offer solutions. At this point, I’m just offering comfort because it’s all I have to offer. I don’t necessarily have the answers or the solution. It’s a lot about validating their feelings and accepting them for where they are and how they’re feeling on that particular day. I’m trying to problem solve with them and how we can make this better. If we can’t, today might just be a sucky day.

And that’s OK. We’re going to have those days.

ON STATEWIDE RESOURCES: A lot of us in mental health purchase things out of our own pocket to be able to provide to our clients. It would be nice to have some sort of reimbursement or an opportunity to purchase things like face masks, stress balls, yoga and meditation stuff or a diffuser for essential oils. I feel like there’s a whole realm of approach of out-of-the-box [ideas for mental health] than traditional counseling.

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worried about something, then they know they can bring that up and we can talk about it, then move on. We don’t try to stay in that minute … Sometimes, it’s like when you have a topic and you’ve addressed it so many times, it becomes something they don’t even want to talk about.

HOW TO COPE: We do a lot of talking about self care. We ask, ‘What do you do for self care? How can you do more for self care?’ Our basic premise is that you have to take care of yourself.

You have to be healthy with yourself and your coping skills to be able to message. People have to have that part of their life that they can manage. We’ve used worry stones, coping skill sheets and things to do when you feel a certain way.

Joan Hudson Joan Hudson (above) is a qualified behavioral health specialist who sees elementary children needing mental health services monthly. She has been with Counseling Associates for 14 years.

THE IMPACT OF HER WORK: I think [my work] gives children a different person to connect with that’s not their parent.

Sometimes, they’re actually more open with us than they are their parents. They will open up more because we don’t have that parent role.

HOW HER WORK HAS CHANGED: We use telehealth, but I have rearranged my schedule to do in-home visits with kids.

That’s how we interact with the virtual students now.

ON KIDS ADAPTING TO PANDEMIC: I think one of the biggest changes is that they are more cautious. I had a student ask me, ‘Did anybody touch that before me? Have you cleaned that?’ They’re more aware of what it takes to not spread the virus. They’re more cautious. They wear their mask all the time, they don’t ask questions about it all the time, they know that’s the way to keep them safe. They actually have accepted it easier … I think it’s just going to become a part of their normal. We don’t have a lot of conversations about corona. The negative parts I try to stay away from unless they bring it up. If they’re 20

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Brandi Wiseman Brandi Wiseman (above) is a community liaison and crisis counselor for Counseling Associates. She creates marketing pieces for the hotline as well as focusing on educators’ mental health in Faulkner County. Wiseman also created a booklet on how parents can engage their child in social emotional skills and communication.

ON INCREASED SERVICES: I feel like we’ve seen a steady increase in the need for services, definitely. I’ve been with Counseling Associates for five years and I have definitely seen referrals go up. Initially, when I started, I was in an intensive

services program where we all worked intensively in the home with the family and the child. Then, I moved to child outpatient and started working within the schools and the referrals just increasing and increasing because you see these behaviors. What I’ve found is some of it is absolutely behaviors and diagnosis that the child has but a lot of it times it’s issues with the family unit. The parent has diagnoses that have gone untreated, so their parenting style and the way they handle and do things within the home has projected onto this child. Then, behaviors have developed that trickles down. So, you have these generational cycles beginning and referrals increase and services needed increases because of that.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: A lot of [people] have diagnoses and instead of engaging in treatment plan like they should, if they feel like it’s not working properly because they’re not doing what they should per the treatment plan, they will self-medicate with drugs or alcohol and spiral a little more quickly. It will lead to self-harm and that’s a problem … With a parent or an abuser who perpetuates the cycle, it’s an increase in low mood, low self-esteem and the use of those things.

beings from young children to the elderly. Being locked up for so long — whether it’s by yourself, with a healthy family unit, or with an abuser, whether you have a mental health diagnoses or you don’t — I think everyone across the board right now is suffering on some level right now with depression or anxiety. I think when COVID does clear, we’re going to see things like more cases of depression disorder, or agoraphobia, or anxiety. I think if there was a little bit more transparency from our government about what we are facing, mental health professionals could have maybe started preparing a little bit better.

Counseling Associates, a nonprofit mental health clinic, provides the Stay Positive Arkansas hotline service to 10 counties including Pope, Johnson, Yell, Logan and Perry counties.

Trained counselors are there and understand your frustration and worries. If you are needing help, or just an ear to listen, do not hesitate to reach out to staypositivearkansas.com or call 1-800-844-2066. l

ON HER OWN SELF CARE: I’m really good at leaving work at work. I do bring phones home with me, but I’m good at turning them off. I understand that self-care is more than a bubble bath. I journal, read and meditate. I make time with friends. I believe in the Zoom craft nights.

Me and my gal pals do that and have nights when we might paint something or jewelry making or knitting and crafting.

MENTAL HEALTH IN THE FUTURE: I guess if we had a crystal ball I wish we would have known this [the pandemic] was coming so we could have planned a little bit better. We are, by nature, social

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COMMUNITY

Akbar GbajaBiamila to Speak at Reynold’s Performance Hall Akbar Gbaja-Biamila is the host of NBC’s four-time Emmy nominated series American Ninja Warrior, Universal Kid’s spin off show, American Ninja Warrior Jr. as well as NFL Networks’ highest rated show, NFL Fantasy Live. The L.A. native grew up in the Crenshaw district with his mother and father, both who were born and raised in Nigeria, and his six siblings.

Akbar played football for San Diego State for four years while receiving his degree in communications and new media studies. He then played five years in the NFL as a linebacker and defensive end with the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, and Miami Dolphins before retiring in 2008.

Akbar is the author of Everyone Can Be A Ninja, his first book, which came out in May of 2019. He currently serves as a board member for the Asomugha Foundation, an organization aimed at creating better educational opportunities for impoverished communities and also serves on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which raises millions of dollars for Parkinson’s research.

Akbar will deliver a powerful message on how everyone can be a ninja, how you can find your inner warrior and achieve your dreams on April 6, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $5 for children/students. Tickets can be purchased at the box office Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. or by phone at 501-450-3265 starting Friday, February 5th. *Reynolds Performance Hall continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and has plans and protocols in place to ensure the safety of its patrons.

In the coming months, Reynolds will continue to follow all mandated regulations for large venues and institutions of higher education. Plans will be monitored and assessed on a show-by-show basis, depending on which phase we are in with the COVID-19 pandemic. This could mean that your seat assignments may be moved

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for any of your ticketed events.

For more information on all our upcoming season 20-21 shows, visit our website at uca.edu/reynolds and be sure to follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for any updates and changes to the season.

Catholic Schools Week at St. John Submitted by St. John Catholic Schools St. John Catholic School of Russellville recently celebrated Catholic Schools Week. The week’s festivities began with a proclamation by Mayor Richard Harris declaring January 31-February 6 as Catholic Schools Week.

On Monday, the students celebrated our community with a prayer and pledge at the flagpole and by collecting donations to support local nonprofit Joseph’s House.

Tuesday the school celebrated our stu-

A gift to Friendship Community Care today, no matter the size, can be directed toward specific programs (e.g. pediatrics), therapeutic and programmatic equipment, client support or areas of greatest need.

Help create a success story for those in need by making your gift TODAY. Contact Mike Hutchison at 501.336.5500 or hutchisonm@fccare.org.

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Young Alumna category.

Induction into the ATU Hall of Distinction is the highest honor Arkansas Tech may bestow upon an individual.

The induction of Beard, Ritchie and White into the ATU Hall of Distinction will be recognized on Friday, April 16, as part of the ATU Foundations and Futures virtual scholarship event.

Arkansas Tech will also recognize 2020 ATU Hall of Distinction inductees John Ed Chambers III of Danville, Benny Harris of Russellville and Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga of Kampala, Uganda, during the virtual event on April 16.

Call (479) 968-0400 for more information about accessing the Foundations and Futures presentation.

dents by dressing as their favorite book character. Wednesday the school celebrated our nation by participating in a living Rosary to pray for our nation. Thursday the school celebrated our vocations with a “what I want to be when I grow up” dress-up day and by making cards for the priests. Catholic Schools Week concluded on Friday with a celebration of faculty, staff, and volunteers with a hamburger and hot dog luncheon.

SJCS welcomes students of all faiths.

For more information on SJCS, please call 967-4644 or email info@sjccr.org.

Beard, Ritchie, White elected to ATU Hall of Distinction Travis Beard of Russellville, Howard Ritchie of Russellville and Adena Strickland White of Conway will be inducted into the Arkansas Tech University Hall of Distinction in 2021.

Beard will be inducted under the Distinguished Alumnus category, Ritchie will be inducted under the Distinguished Alumni Service category and White will be inducted under the Distinguished

TRAVIS BEARD A 1970 graduate of Arkansas Tech, Beard began his teaching career in the North Little Rock School District in 1971.

When he was hired as director of the sophomore band at Russellville High School in 1974, it was the beginning of a 35-year tenure in the Russellville School District.

Beard went on to serve as symphonic band director at Russellville High School, coordinator of music for the Russellville School District and band director at Russellville Middle School before retiring in 2009. Along the way, he added a Master of Education degree from Arkansas Tech in 1977. >>

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Travis Beard

Howard Ritchie

The Russellville High School marching band appeared in inaugural parades for President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton as well as the Cotton Bowl Parade during Beard’s career.

He served his profession as a board member and president for the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association and as president of the Arkansas Bandmasters Association.

Beard remained connected with his alma mater as an Arkansas Tech band camps faculty member. He first fulfilled that role during his days as an undergraduate student and continued to do so until his retirement.

The Arkansas Bandmasters Association bestowed its bandmaster of the year award upon Beard in 1989 and the National Fed-

eration Interscholastic Music Association presented him with its 2002 Arkansas outstanding music educator award.

In 2004, Beard earned the Band World Legion of Honor award from the John Philip Sousa Hall of Honor Foundation. He was a 2012 inductee into the hall of fame for the Omicron chapter of Phi Beta Mu, the international bandmasters fraternity.

HOWARD RITCHIE Ritchie graduated from Arkansas Tech in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in music.

His volunteer service on behalf of his alma mater has included two terms on the Arkansas Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors, and he served as president of that board in 2010.

In addition, Ritchie has served as chairman and as a member of the ATU Alumni

Association Scholarship committee, on the planning committees for several Arkansas Tech band reunions, on the committee that created the Robert Bright Scholarship endowment through the ATU Foundation and as a judge for ATU Homecoming student projects and parade floats.

Ritchie has given of his time at such ATU events as Time Out for Tech, welcome tents on the first day of class and the ATU Alumni Association Breakfast During Finals outreach at the conclusion of multiple semesters.

He is also a member of the Arkansas Tech Green and Gold booster club for Wonder Boys and Golden Suns athletics and has been a table sponsor for the Arkansas Tech scholarship dinner.

In his professional career, Ritchie

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Adena Strickland White

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

MARCH 2021

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worked as a band director in the schools at Malvern (1970-74) and Russellville (197487) before moving into administration. He was a principal in the Russellville School District at Oakland Heights Elementary (1987-96) and Upper Elementary Fifth Grade (1996-2005).

ADENA STRICKLAND WHITE White completed Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism with an emphasis in public relations and speech communication from Arkansas Tech in 2007.

She is founder and chief storyteller for Blackbelt Media LLC. Her company produces Blackbelt Voices, a podcast that celebrates Black Southern culture and has been named by O, The Oprah Magazine, as one of America’s 15 best educational podcasts.

White worked as director of communications for the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce from 2011-21 and will continue to contribute to the chamber’s efforts on a part-time basis as editor of Conway Publications.

She holds the Accredited Public Relations professional certification and is past president of the Arkansas chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

A former member of the ATU Alumni Association Board of Directors, White has also rendered volunteer service on behalf of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance.

Hall of Distinction Background Established in 1964, the Arkansas Tech

Hall of Distinction recognizes the accomplishments of Arkansas Tech alumni and friends in five categories: Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna, Distinguished Alumni Service, Outstanding Young Alumnus/ Alumna, Distinction in Intercollegiate Athletics and Distinguished Service (non-alumnus).

Nominations for the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction may be made by any graduate of Arkansas Tech, any current or former member of the faculty or administration of Tech, any currently enrolled full-time student at Tech or any member of the Hall of Distinction. Nominations may not be made by a family member of the nominee. The nomination deadline is Oct. 1 of each year.

No incumbent member of the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees, faculty, staff or administration is eligible for nomination for any category of the Hall of Distinction.

For more information about nominating an individual for the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction, visit www.atualumni.com, call (479) 968-0242 or send e-mail to alumni@ atu.edu.

Century League of Morrilton announces Super Raffle The Century League of Morrilton announces plans to hold a Super Raffle in place of their annual Charity Ball for 2021.

The Charity Ball raises funds to help the Morrilton community. “Our community still needs us, even more than before, and we are still committed to answering the

calls for help whenever we can,” says Club President Lyndsey Daniel. “We also have yearly commitments like our Christmas Angels, Free Little Pantry, and UACCM scholarship, just to name a few, and we are determined to fulfill those promises,”.

Century League members will be selling tickets for a Browning Buckmark .22 caliber pistol donated by LK Construction and Remodeling; a Covert Scouting Camera and solar panel donated by Roberson Tire; a Hobo Ballad Bag donated by Merle Norman & More; a handmade charcuterie board donated by Voss & Sons which will include Petit Jean Meats along with wine from Point Remove Brewery and Movie House Winery; 20 units of Botox, 1 tube of Juvederm, and a $200 gift certificate donated by Dixon Family Dental and MedSpa; and an autographed Days of our Lives Anniversary book donated by April Talbott. Tickets for these items are $5 each or 5 for $20.

A TrailMaster Mid XRX-R Go Kart, donated by Haynes Home Center and co-sponsored by Hawkins Insurance and Edward Jones Investments, will also be auctioned off. Tickets for the Go-Kart are $10 each or 6 for $50.

Tickets for all items are available from any Century League member or can be purchased online or through their facebook page www.facebook.com/centuryleague.

The drawing will be streamed on Facebook live April 12 at 7 p.m. Winners need not be present to win. l

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MARCH 2021

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PINEY BAY COFFEE COMPANY 117 S COLLEGE AVE, CLARKSVILLE, AR

Blasta blended brew Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN Story by JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

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IT’S NOT ALWAYS IN LIKE A LION AND OUT LIKE A LAMB, but March is, perhaps, the most waffling of months. The River Valley March experience could be flip-flops and shorts sunshine, bone-chilling dampness, muggy mornings followed by thunder-rolling nights, several inches of snow, or sometime all of the above.

Sometimes all in the same week.

It’s these multiple personalities that I find most appealing about the month because I’m all about some contrasting combinations… which is the perfect segue into our featured indulgence for this issue’s Valley Vittles — Piney Bay Coffee Company’s Irish Pepper.

It’s a straightforward drink with only three ingredients that you likely never thought of mixing together: cold-brew coffee, Irish cream, and Dr. Pepper. It’s a trio absolutely — and maybe surprisingly — made for each other.

The smooth cool of Irish cream perfectly compliments coffee and cola’s dark earthy tones. And then there’s those bubbles accenting the concoction with a carbonated fizz and snap. Mix the components, pair the potion with PBCH’s chonky signature blueberry muffin, and you’ve got the ultimate beverage and breakfast combo for an undecided time of year. l

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CO U N T E RTO P C R E AT I O N S

Pasta…

A staple in every home pantry Story by LYDIA ZIMMERMAN, Food Editor Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

I

Creamy Bacon-Mushroom Mostaccioli

f you have children, your home pantry more than likely has pasta of some kind. In my pantry you will often find macaroni, egg noodles, and Ramen noodles (a necessity when you have teenagers).

According to my findings there are actually two basic forms of pasta: Macaroni and noodles. Macaroni products are made from semolina and water. Noodles are made from durum flour (a more finely ground form of semolina), water, and, by Federal regulation, egg solids. So without the egg solids, a pasta product can’t be identified as a noodle.

As it so happens, March is National Noodle Month! In celebration of such a momentous occasion, I have gathered some tasty recipes using noodles. But for those who prefer to have macaroni I have included a dessert macaroni recipe.

As always, enjoy!

CREAMY BACON-MUSHROOM MOSTACCIOLI ABOUT Magazine Featured Recipe ~ MARCH 2021

8 slices of bacon 2 (6.5 oz) cans of small whole mushrooms, drained 2 tsp minced garlic 8 oz (1/2 bag) of mostaccioli pasta noodles 3/4 c half and half 1/3 c butter 2 tsp Italian seasoning 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder, adjust for taste 1/2-1 tsp onion salt, adjust for taste 1 tsp ground white pepper 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese 8 drops Louisiana supreme pepper sauce 1 c shredded Parmesan or Italian cheese blend

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In medium skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to plate lined with paper towels to drain, then crumble. Empty all but 2 T of bacon grease from skillet, then return to burner. Add drained mushrooms and minced garlic to skillet, sauté on low-medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

Cook mostaccioli according to package directions; drain; then set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add next 8 ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until butter melts. Then add mushrooms, minced garlic and crumbled bacon; mix well.

Pour butter mixture over pasta and toss to coat.

Top with shredded cheese of choice and serve hot.

NOODLE EGGPLANT CASSEROLE 8 oz medium egg noodles, uncooked 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-in slices 1 egg 1/2 c milk 1 c Italian style bread crumbs 1 c grated Parmesan cheese 1 can (14.5 oz) Best Choice diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onion, drained 2 cans (8 oz each) Tomato sauce 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp ground white pepper 1 tsp dried oregano 4 thinly sliced of Mozzarella cheese 2 c shredded Italian cheese blend 2 tsp Italian seasoning for garnish Turn oven to broil.

Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray, set aside.

Cook noodles according to package direction. Drain well and set aside.

Wash and dry eggplant. Peel and slice into 1/4-in slices.

Crack egg into a medium size bowl and add milk. Beat well.

Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese into a large bowl.

Dip eggplant slices one at a time into egg mixture, then dredge into bread crumbs.

Coat each slice well front and back then place on baking sheet. Place under broiler in oven for 4 minutes, then flip each slice over and return to broil for 4 more minutes.

Noodle Eggplant Casserole

Remove from oven and change oven setting to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combined diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, ground pepper and oregano.

Spray a 8x8 (2 qt) baking dish with cooking spray. Place a layer of egg plant in bottom of dish, followed by 1/2 of the noodles, then follow with 1/2 of the tomato

mixture and 4 sliced of mozzarella cheese across top. Repeat layering, ending with shredded Italian cheese blend and Italian seasoning on very top.

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, until cheese in melted and top is lightly browned. >>

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SESAME GARLIC RAMEN NOODLES 2 (3 oz) packages of Ramen Noodles, seasoning packets discarded 2 tsp Sesame Oil 2 Cloves Garlic, minced ¼ cup Soy Sauce Low Sodium is Best 1 tsp Brown Sugar 2 tsp Sriracha Cook the ramen noodles without the seasoning packet as directed on package.

Drain and set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Cook the garlic, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and sriracha until combined.

Toss the noodles with the sauce.

Garnish with green onions if desired.

Recipe courtesy of thesaltymarshmallow.com INSTANT POT BALSAMIC CHICKEN olive oil cooking spray 1–2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast 1 28 oz can of diced or crushed tomatoes (I love it with either!)

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 c balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp garlic powder salt pepper zoodles (zucchini noodles) Spray Instant Pot with cooking spray and use Saute button to saute onions until they become soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and saute for an additional minute.

Add chicken, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and spices to pot.

Set to manual/pressure cook for 15 minutes. After cook time, do a full natural release (about 10 minutes). Shred chicken and serve with sauce and zoodles* or pasta! *I don’t even cook the zoodles – I allow it to steam in the sauce, but feel free to saute also!

Recipe courtesy of confessionsofafitfoodie.com 30

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TACO NOODLE DISH 3 c uncooked wide egg noodles 2 lb lean ground turkey or ground beef 1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles 1/2 c water 1 c shredded cheddar cheese TOPPINGS: 2 c shredded lettuce 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1/3 c sliced ripe olives 1/2 c taco sauce 1/2 c fat-free sour cream Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook and crumble turkey/beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes; drain. Stir in seasonings, tomato sauce, chiles and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered to 5 minutes.

Spread noodles in a 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with turkey mixture; sprinkle with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes.

Top casserole with lettuce, tomatoes, olives and taco sauce. Serve with sour cream.

Recipe courtesy of tasteofhome.com 20 MINUTE THAI CHICKEN PEANUT NOODLES Thai Peanut Sauce: 1 tsp grated Fresh Ginger 1 clove Garlic, chopped 1/4 c Peanut Butter (Jif is good) 3 T Low-Sodium Soy Sauce 2 T Rice Vinegar 1/4 c Water 1 T Brown Sugar 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil 2 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce (optional; we like Sriracha, but any type will work) Noodles / Stir-Fry: 6 oz Instant Ramen Noodles (discard any flavor packets)

1 T Cooking Oil (I like grapeseed, vegetable or peanut) 2 c Vegetables, thinly sliced or chopped 2 c Cooked Shredded Chicken 1/4 c Roasted, Unsalted Peanuts, roughly chopped Chopped Cilantro, Green Onions, Lime Wedges, or Sliced Cucumbers (optional, for garnish) Bring a saucepan of water to a boil on the stove (or heat it in the microwave). Add noodles and soak in hot water until tender but still have some bite, 2 to 3 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook the noodles since they will continue to cook in the wok.)

Drain.

Whisk together ginger, garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, water, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, and hot sauce.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add oil and then vegetables. Saute until vegetables are tender, 2 to 4 minutes (tough vegetables like carrots might need an extra minute or two).

Add peanut butter and chicken and cook everything together for a minute.

Remove wok from heat and stir in noodles and peanuts. Top with chopped cilantro and / or green onions. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over top and / or sliced cucumbers if you’d like.

Recipe courtesy of inquiringchef.com CREAM CHEESE NOODLE KUGEL WITH CRUNCHY CORNFLAKE TOPPING For the Kugel: 1 (8 oz) package egg noodles (medium-wide) 1/2 c butter 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese 3/4 c sugar 4 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 c milk Optional: 1/2 c raisins For the Topping: 1 1/2 c cornflakes cereal (crushed) 2 T butter (melted) 1 T sugar 2 tsp cinnamon Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13-in baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a broil and cook noodles to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.

Add the eggs and vanilla, beat until well mixed. Pour in the milk and beat just until smooth.

Stir the drained noodles into the egg mixture. Add the raisins, if using, and stir to combine.

Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

DESSERT MACARONI AND CHEESE 8 oz elbow macaroni

Make the topping and Bake In a small bowl, combine the cereal, melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the frugal.

Bake in a heated oven for 1 1/4 hrs or until frugal is puffed, set in the center, and golden on the bottom.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Recipe courtesy of thespruceeats.com

TOPPING 1/4 c panko breadcrumbs 1/4 c granulated sugar

ONE-POT CREAMY CHICKEN POT PIE PASTA 1 carton (32 oz) Progresso™ chicken broth 4 1/4 c (8 oz) uncooked wide egg noodles (8 oz) 2 c shredded cooked chicken (may use Rotisserie chicken) 2 c frozen mixed vegetables 1 tsp dried thyme leaves 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 c half-and-half 2 T chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, if desired In 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven, add chicken broth, egg noodles, chicken, mixed vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper (ingredients will sit above liquid).

Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender.

Stir in half-and-half, and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.

Top with parsley.

Recipe courtesy of bettycrocker.com

CUSTARD 1/4 c unsalted butter 1/4 c all purpose flour 2 c whole milk 1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch of salt 8 oz cream cheese 1/2 c granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

Heat a large pot of salted water for the pasta and cook the pasta to al dente while making the batter for the custard. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

To make a roux, combine the butter and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to simmer and thickens to a pale beige paste. Slowly whisk the milk into the roux. Continue to whisk until the sauce has no lumps and is the consistency of thick cream. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the warm sauce with a small pinch of salt. Set aside to cool until it’s just barely warm or room temperature (see note).

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 2 quart casserole dish.

On low speed, cream the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl until it’s smooth. Scrape the bowl so there are no lumps of cream cheese. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each egg to avoid lumps. Add the cooled white sauce to the cream cheese mixture to form a batter.

Add the cooked pasta and the blueberries to the batter then pour the batter into the casserole dish. Combine the Panko bread crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar and sprinkle the topping over the custard.

Bake until golden brown, slightly puffed, and the custard is set in the center.

Just like savory macaroni and cheese, this is best still warm from the oven. Leftovers can be refrigerated and re-warmed.

Recipe courtesy baking-sense.com l

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COMMUNITY COMMERCE

Kirt Mosley Interior Design Story & photo by BENITA DREW

MORE TIME AT HOME THESE DAYS has led to reevaluating use of space and decor. Whether your walls just need a color update or your house a complete redesign for changing needs, Kirt Mosley Interiors can bring out the best in your space.

Kirt Mosley’s love for interior design began when he was a teen working in the family business, Home Furniture in Russellville. While Mosley was designing pieces for clients and making sure each detail was correct, his now-business-partner Brad Ward was managing his own family’s jewelry store in Morrilton. Since both come from family businesses, they firmly stand by the rule — the customer is always right. As Ward says, “There’s not usually a ‘no’ in our vocabularies.”

What had been a part-time job for Mosley turned full-time 10 years ago. And while Ward has helped Mosley part-time with out-of-state clients and buying trips for the past 30 years, he joined the business fulltime in 2017. “We make a good team,” Ward says.

“Sometimes one of us has to tell the other, ‘that’s too much.’ I’m more contemporary and Kirt is more traditional. It’s a good mix.” Mosley describes their style as “traditional with a twist.”

Kirt Mosley Interior Design (479) 890-1715 kirtm1101@hotmail.com

Kirt Mosley (seated) and Brad Ward

Start to Finish Mosley said the process usually starts with a straight-forward “I need your help” call from a potential client. From that point, he says, they schedule

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a walk-through and take photos while assessing what the client needs and what they already have. “We love to take the client’s sentimental pieces, the heirloom or vintage pieces, and bring them up to date,” Mosley says. Ward added that the duo enjoys working with the homeowner’s things if they choose. “We can do just one room and use their own items.”

And, of course, budget is always one of the first discussions. “We try to be economically feasible for the client,” Ward says.

“Sometimes when we tear things out we find things we didn’t expect. We work for the end result despite the obstacles that happen in between. Clients want the look of the complete job with Kirt’s God-given talent, and that’s what we strive to give them.”

After budgeting, Mosley and Ward shop, including the client if they’d like to be present. Mosley says they use Russellville businesses as much as possible. “I’m a Russellville native and that’s important to me.”

Once shopping is complete, Mosley and Ward meet the client to review the plan then start hiring specialists as needed for electric, flooring, blinds, drapes, granite,

etc. “A lot of our vendors got their starts at Home Furniture,” Ward says.

While interior remodels comprise the majority of their business, the team can design the look for the exterior as well, such as picking out roofs, shutters, doors, and brick finishes for new construction as well as remodeling. “A lot of people don’t realize we can do it all,” Ward says.“No job is too small or too big, whether it is one room or a full house. We can fit any budget.” He adds that many clients are repeat and regulars and often have Mosley and Ward design spaces for both their businesses and homes.

What are Mosley’s and Ward’s design preferences? “We like to soften the lighting and bring in greenery,” Ward says.

“Red is always strong for us.” Mosley adds that “instead of all Farmhouse, color is coming back.”

Kirt Mosley Interiors is available to help homes and businesses get off to a fresh start in 2021 with function, comfort, and beauty within the clients’ budgets.

Kirt Mosley Interiors can be reached on Facebook, kirtm1101@hotmail.com, or call 479-890-1715. l

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THE SEED & THE STORY

Generational gifts Story by MEREDITH MARTIN-MOATS

W

e were recently over at my Dad’s and Thelma’s when Dad got out his old engineering books. The orange leather cover and blue-lined graph paper pages were a familiar sight to me. As a child, they used to be spread out all over the kitchen table along with protractors, rulers, and yellow notebooks my dad used for his “figuring.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, my father worked for the Arkansas Highway Department and built roads all throughout the Ozarks, specifically Newton County. As a person who struggled with even basic math, these books always seemed to contain a magical, secret language I couldn’t even begin

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

MARCH 2021

to wrap my mind around. Decades and three children later, those formulas still look like another language to me.

My dad opened the books to the back pages to show my oldest children the trigonometry formulas they used long before anyone would carry a computer in their back pocket. He talked about how they used to figure the curves and elevation in the roads with nothing more than these books and a pencil and paper. It’s

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a language I still don’t understand. But I do know what it’s like to take a pattern, a little creativity, and bring something into existence. After all, I’d say that is what all writers and community workers do.

A few columns back I wrote about how I had been digging (literally) into my grandfather’s old garden plot. Over the years, I’ve come to notice that our deepest callings sometimes have a way of skipping a generation or two. My father didn’t dig

into this soil in the same way his father did.

That’s my work to do. I certainly missed the engineering calling. But my kids hear it loud and clear.

When my oldest were toddlers we lived in Little Rock. Every Tuesday I took them to a “music and movement” gathering for kids at one of the libraries in the city. It so happened that the driveway into the library had a few speed bumps. I remember one afternoon when we were leaving to head back home, my sons — verbal, but without large vocabularies — let me know they wanted to see the speed bump. I thought they just meant to drive over it. So I slowed down and we talked about the fun bump.

Then I headed out to the main road. They both broke into intense tears. Do you want to go over it again, I asked? Yes! They said.

I turned around; we drove over it again.

But still they cried. “See speed bump!” they told me. I realized they didn’t want to drive over the bump. They wanted to touch the bump.

So I parked and held their hands as we went over to what was, to me, just some asphalt. But to them it was a whole world.

They both got down eye-level with the bump and ran their hands over it. They talked to each other about the bump and its ascent and descent. They took their Hot Wheels cars out of their pockets (they never ever went anywhere without cars) and ran them slowly over the speed bump. Before nap that day, they went home and built their own speed bumps for their cars. It kept them busy for hours and even days afterwards.

I remember this moment as one of the most magical of their toddlerhood. I had

wanted to say “no” to getting out of the car that morning. I had wanted to just drive home. But I knew deep down that something was going on and they needed to see, touch, and explore that speed bump. It was boring to me, but clearly to them it held something much more. They were studying it the way I study dirt or seeds. It was full of wonder, possibility, and imagination.

Fast forward to today. Those twin boys are 11 now, and they still think like engineers. They don’t keep Hot Wheels cars in their pockets anymore, but they do build Legos of their own designs.

They take rulers and draw out detailed worlds. They build Minecraft creations.

They recently built a studio for their own Youtube channel called “Peg Animation” where they have a show called “Wabbits’ Weeact” wherein their rabbits react to things. Those engineering genes may have skipped right past me, but they are alive and well in my own children. And I guess my point here is that I first really noticed this in those moments where they fell in love with a speed bump. I didn’t have to understand their fascination. I just needed to slow down and give them space to be who they were and are becoming.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about what it means to honor our own callings and imaginations, especially the things that seem boring or foreign to others. And I know that part of my own commitment to my family — both the generations before and after me — is knowing that we all have skills and magic we’re inventing and reinventing into reality. l

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Story & photo by JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

A JOURNAL of our RURAL & NATURAL HERITAGE

Squirrel tails THE MORNING’S HUNT in the Ozark National Forest had ended with four fat gray squirrels riding home in my truck.

As I cleaned the squirrels, readying them for a simmering pot of potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and a blend of seasonings, the white-tipped fur on each tail caught my eye. It seemed wasteful to throw them away.

An after-dinner whiskey accompanied me to the fly-tying bench, where the squirrel tails rested amid wooden pegs holding a dozen spools of thread and a vise always standing ready for the next project. For me, fly-tying started as a path to more intimacy with the sport, the fish and water, but has since become a pleasant diversion from a sometimes scary world. It’s also made me pay closer attention to subtlety in the mundane.

Since I’ve started tying flies, I can’t look at any string, fiber or fur without pondering what it might be able to do while tied to a hook. I wonder about shimmy and wiggle, and if the material would look natural, yet also stand out just a bit.

Those white tips stood out to me.

When we think about what colors we assign to animals, we tend to think back to childhood, to crayons and monotones — brown for deer, black for bears. But animal pigmentation isn’t so cut and dried. In reality, it’s a matrix of hues, some earthy and some surprisingly flashy, that blend together in a harmony tuned through eons to near perfection. Gray-squirrel tails, for

example, aren’t gray at all. The individual hairs that make up the tail are marked with alternating bands of tan, black, tan, black, tan, wide black and then that silvery white tip. The searching beams of fluorescent light from my bench lamp bring out these details in the hair and lead me back to a curious age when I paid attention to those sorts of things.

I handle a few spools of various-colored thread, and they all accent the nuance of the squirrel hair. Its texture is like a silkier bucktail, which is, as the name implies, hair from a deer tail and a common ingredient of one of my favorite smallmouth

“I think about how the squirrel tails will find their way back to the Ozarks in a slightly altered form.”

36

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

MARCH 2021

bass flies: the Clouser minnow. Smallmouth bass are finning in the background of nearly every thought at my fly-tying bench. They are the objects of my fly-tying efforts.

Just down the ridge from where I squirrel hunted flows Snow Creek, one of the prettiest little mountain creeks in all of existence, and it’s full of smallmouth bass.

The bass run small, but I don’t mind. It’s a nice place to visit with a fly rod in hand and a pocketful of Clouser minnows, a fly which takes its name from Bob Clouser, a Pennsylvania fly-shop owner, who designed it in 1987. Like me, Mr. Clouser was enamored and probably a little obsessed with smallmouth bass. He created his now famous pattern specifically for smallmouth bass in his home waters of the Susquehanna River. I’m considering the

effectiveness of a squirrel-tail version of his iconic pattern specifically for smallmouth bass in my home waters I clamp the vise jaws around a size 2 hook and wrap rust-brown thread around a set of dumbbell eyes (this is a metal weight that looks exactly like a miniature dumbbell and is often painted to look like eyes) until they settle firm to the hook.

Then I take a flat of white craft fur and gently comb out the underfur before snip-

tinsel for a subtle flash of scales is the final touch on what I hope will perfectly mimic something a smallmouth bass would want to eat. Sitting on my wooden tying caddy, it looks like a darter or a minnow. It looks fishy in a good way.

I think about how the squirrel tails will find their way back to the Ozarks in a slightly altered form. It’s a thought that feels so right, so perfect, so satisfying in the most primal of ways that my mind

final miles to join the Arkansas River.

I’ve been here for half an hour and haven’t felt one bump. I swim the Clouser at the tip of my rod and am again impressed with its appearance. The squirrel hair looks as natural in the water as it did in the high limbs of a white oak. I cast again.

The Clouser was made for this type of fishing. Its weighted head helps it probe the depths, and its upturned hook means you can bounce it on the bottom without

“When we think about what colors we assign to animals, we tend to think back to childhood, to crayons and monotones — brown for deer, black for bears. But animal pigmentation isn’t so cut and dried. “ ping a few long strands. Most minnows and shiners are countershaded—their bellies are lighter in color, their backs darker.

When viewed from above by predators, the dark shadings tend to blend in with the rocks and woody debris of creek and lake bottoms. When viewed from below, white bellies help wash out hints of a body outline, softening the silhouette as the water’s surface diffuses sunbeams. Countershading is the foundation for much of the camouflage we see in the animal kingdom.

If I wanted my creations to look natural in those clear Ozark creeks, it was best to mimic Mother Nature’s plan.

After securing the craft fur, I flip the hook in my fly vise and wrap thread around a carefully trimmed pinch of squirrel hair. A few strands of sparkling

runs straight to that perfect spring day coming soon. I take a spicy sip of Tennessee’s finest and let the promise of that day guide my hands as I tie a few more.

That spring day comes sooner than expected. Wet line slips through my already water-wrinkled fingers as one, then two false casts followed by a rare nice throw plops the Clouser—my Clouser—between copper-colored boulders near the middle of an aquamarine pool. I’m at the confluence of my home waters and a smaller feeder creek. The waters mingle and unite in rain-freshened depths before surging up and over a shale overhang, then bubbling through a shoal in singularity to the next pool, the next riffle, the next shoal, the next pool and on until the creek finally relaxes into a plodding, lazy meander for its

much fear of hanging up. I think about offering a toast to Mr. Clouser and his genius design when I get back home. But despite the fly’s best efforts, I still haven’t had a bite.

It’s still early in the year, I tell myself.

The water is still downright chilly, the smallmouth’s metabolism still trying to shake off winter’s lethargy. And it’s then that I feel the gentle tug. The brown bass is just a shadow of the fighter it will be next month, but still, the energy of the mountain pulses through my fly rod with a vigor I’ve not felt since last autumn. After three short runs to the boulders, the smallmouth comes to hand, squirrelly Clouser hanging from its jaw. I admire the wildness for only a moment before releasing it back to the mountain currents. l

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COMMUNITY LEADERS

...

Sarah

CLOWER AGE: 35 OCCUPATION: Entrepreneur, owner of and

master colorist at The Scarlet Locke Hair Lounge, freelance writer, jewelry maker HOMETOWN: Born and raised in Russellville FAMILY: I have one son, Rafferty, and he is 11

1. What is your favorite book?

This is such a hard question for an avid reader and book lover. But if I have to choose, I’ll go with A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway and The Works of John Locke. A Moveable Feast is a memoir of Hemingway’s time in Paris during the 20s.

I am enthralled by this era and captivated by the artists who thrived in it. Having spent time in Paris when I was in high school and college, it is by far my favorite city. Hemingway sums it up perfectly when he says “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

I have always loved Locke’s works from the moment I read Two Treatises of Government in high school. I love his writings and musings so much I even named my salon as an homage to his works.

The style in which he writes and the formal language he uses can turn some readers off because it can be arduous. But I beg my fellow ABOUT readers to look into his writings as he is one of the forefathers of the Scientific Revolution and an early advocate of liberalism.

2. Dogs or cats?

Photo by LIZ CHRISMAN 38

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

MARCH 2021

If you know me, you know I love anything that has fur. I want to pet ALL the animals! I love cats and how self-reliant and independent they are. But dogs are so loyal and protective. I have two chihuahuas, Cheeto and ChaCha, and they are my babies. I’m pretty sure they have more clothes than I do! They have a special rug in my house that is their “play

mat” where all their toys live. I’ve probably spent a small fortune on those girls, and I’m not even mad about it.

spicy boiled peanuts and snagging a couple jalapeño Slim Jim’s. No trip is complete without boiled peanuts, though.

3. What do you think is the most positive aspect of living in the River Valley?

5. What is your favorite music genre?

One word: Community. As a small business owner, I am dependent on my community for my livelihood. I cherish my clients, their families, and the relationships I build with them. My heart breaks when theirs does. My heart swells with love when theirs does. And anything we go through, we go through together as a community.

4. What is something no one would ever guess about you?

I play D&D. I have since college, and now even my son plays. I’m a High Elf Mage named Glitter, and I will cast a spell on you quicker than you can pull out your long bow.

Also, I’m usually a very healthy, super-clean eater, but G.S.S. (A.K.A. Gas station snacks) are my guilty pleasure.

When I come across a seedy gas station in the middle of nowhere, I’m definitely getting into that always-on Crock Pot of

My favorite type of music is electronica or anything dancey. For me, it’s energizing and uplifting. But I can listen to just about anything as long as there’s a good beat.

amenities. One of my favorites is Falling Water.

9. Pizza, tacos, cheeseburgers, or fried chicken?

Definitely tacos. Authentic tacos. Asada, al pastor, chorizo, and barbacoa are my favorites with tons of hot sauce, extra onions and cilantro.

10. What is your favorite quote?

6. What do you nerd out on?

Homeopathic healing, gut health, food, and how pretty much any ailment can be cured with our diet. I’m obsessed with fermented foods and their health benefits, so I ferment my own pickles, kimchi, and kombucha, etc.

7. If you could change one thing about the River valley, what would it be?

I would make us a wet county.

8. Where is one location you would tell a first time visitor about?

I have several, and they are all equally inspiring to me.

“What worries you, masters you.” John Locke “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” - Hemingway “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.

Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” - Mark Twain

I would probably introduce them to someone way more outdoorsy than me because I truly think the best things our area has to offer is all of its natural beauty and

MARCH 2021

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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