Snuggle - January 2018

®

SNUGGLE

January 2018 DoSouthMagazine.com

CONTENTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / OWNER Catherine Frederick CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Scott Frederick MANAGING EDITOR Marla Cantrell CONTRIBUTING WRITERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS Randi Bomar Marla Cantrell Catherine Frederick Jade Graves Dwain Hebda Sean Lamont Jessica Sowards James Stefiuk Tom Wing GRAPHIC DESIGNER Artifex 323 - Jessica Mays PROOFREADER Charity Chambers

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PUBLISHER Read Chair Publishing, LLC

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INSIDE

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THE SPIC-AND-SPAN LIFE OF STACY VANOURNY Stacy is a self-described neat freak who is helping others organize their homes, one room at a time. And she’s sharing some of her organizing tips with you!

THE UNTOUCHABLES Writer Jessica Sowards flew from Arkansas to India for a mission trip that changed her perspective. This beautiful story will touch your heart.

WHITE BEAN AND KALE SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE A cold winter’s day just got a lot cozier with this White Bean and Kale Soup with Grilled Cheese. We’re predicting this will be one of your favorite meals this year!

TAKE ME TO TENNESSEE Already thinking about traveling on Spring Break? So are we! We’ll tell you why a trip to Tennessee could be just the ticket!

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ADVERTISING INFORMATION Catherine Frederick - 479.782.1500 Catherine@DoSouthMagazine.com

EDITORIAL INFORMATION Marla Cantrell - 479.831.9116 Marla@DoSouthMagazine.com

©2018 Read Chair Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions contained in Do South® are exclusively those of the writers and do not represent those of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. as a whole or its affiliates. Any correspondence to Do South® or Read Chair Publishing, LLC., including photography, becomes the property of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. Do South® reserves the right to edit content and images. Printed in the U.S.A. | ISSN 2373-1893 Cover Image: Gladskikh Tatiana

FOLLOW US Annual subscriptions are $36 (12 months), within the contiguous United States. Subscribe at DoSouthMagazine.com or mail check to 4300 Rogers Avenue, Suite 20-110, Fort Smith, AR, 72903. Single issues are available upon request. Inquiries or address changes, call 479.782.1500.

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letter from the editor

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Another year has passed. New friendships gained. Lessons

Our food writer, James Stefiuk, put a whole lot of love in

learned. Joy and love. Loss and sadness. All woven together to

this month’s recipe, White Bean and Kale Soup with Grilled

create this beautiful life that God has given us.

Cheese, on page 28. He was likely thinking of all of you, on a cold winter’s night, looking for the

This year, my only resolution is to not make

perfect meal to warm you up and remind you

a long list of resolutions. I know me. I’ll

a little of those grilled cheese sandwiches of

make the list, and for a few weeks, things

your childhood.

will go well. Then, life will take over and before you know it, the “exercise daily,

Since January kicks off my countdown to

eat healthily, learn a new hobby, print the

Spring Break and the family trips we take,

photos from my phone train” will have

I’m thrilled we have a travel feature about

derailed. Not that those things aren’t excel-

Tennessee. It’s such a beautiful state, with

lent items to have on a list. I will strive for

so many great people. Managing Editor Marla

them all, but I won’t feel guilty when I veer off

Cantrell visited recently, and not only brought

course, making a giant pot of white chicken chili with French bread and eating it while curled up on my couch with my family while we watch our favorite show.

back a great story, but also a recipe for, wait for it, pinto bean pie! She tried it at the Bush’s Beans Visitors Center and was amazed at how good it was. Check out the recipe on page 34.

This year, my number one resolution is to choose kindness.

To be silent and listen before I speak. To not judge others. To

After you read this issue, I suspect that I’ll hear from some

treat others the way I want to be treated. Some days, when I

of you, as I do every month. You drop a note in the mail,

turn on the TV, or look through my Facebook feed, I see how

message me on Facebook, or send an email. You encourage

much we need a dose of kindness. So I’ll strive to be kind

me, brag on Do South ®, and bring so much to my life. I want

every single day.

you to know how much it means to me, and how much I love those sweet messages. You, dear readers, are great at prac-

I feel incredibly lucky to sit at the helm of this magazine, where kindness abounds. Each month, we get to feature people working to make the world a better place. This month, it starts with writer Jessica Sowards, who left her home in Arkansas to visit India. The poverty she encountered broke her heart. But in true Jessica style, she didn’t leave until she’d

ticing kindness. Happy 2018!

~Catherine

Follow Do South® Magazine

made a positive impact. Read her story, “The Untouchables,” beginning on page 20.

To reserve this free space for your charitable non-profit organization, email: Editors@DoSouthMagazine.com.

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calendar

JANUARY 4

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some images courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

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Spend a weekend getting to know the mighty eagle. There will even be eagle watch lake tours. Call for details.

The Art of John Bell, Jr. Fort Smith fsram.org The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum is hosting an opening reception, from 5-7pm, to celebrate the works of local legend John Bell, Jr. (1937-2013), whose artwork spanned nearly fifty years. Free for members, $5 for all others. Exhibit runs through April 22.

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Submit your events to editors@dosouthmagazine.com

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Tutu Run Fort Smith waballet.org Get your tutu ready for this run/walk 5K, and 1/4 marathon at Ben Geren.

Each participant will receive a finisher’s medal. See website for details.

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114th Season of Live Racing Hot Springs oaklawn.com Head to Hot Springs for the 12:30pm first post opening day at Oaklawn.

The track hosts the nation's top names at one of the nation's finest tracks through mid-April.

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Eagle Awareness Weekend Mountainburg 479.369.2469

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Fort Smith stjohnfs.org The 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, “Celebrate the Dream,” will take place in downtown Fort Smith at 11:30am. See website for details.

calendar

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Cabaret Fayetteville waltonartscenter.org

The Tony AwardÂŽ-winning musical, Cabaret, takes the stage at Walton Arts Center for a limited five-show run. See website for details.

Bumper Jacksons Fort Smith uafs.universitytickets.com

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TrailBlazers Hiking Club Van Buren thcfs.com

The TrailBlazers Hiking Club is meeting at Cloverleaf Plaza in Van Buren at 8am, before carpooling to Sam's Throne, in the Ozarks. Hike is about four miles. See website for contact information.

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Head to the Blue Lion in downtown Fort Smith for a night with The Bumper Jacksons, a singing group that plays roots jazz, country swing, and street blues. Doors open at 7pm.

See website for tickets.

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Romantic Echoes Fort Smith fortsmithsymphony.org The Fort Smith Symphony presents an evening with one of the most sublime cello concertos of all time by Saint-Saens, featuring cellist SangEun Lee. See website for details.

River Valley Bridal Extravaganza Fort Smith Find them on Facebook Is a wedding in your future? Then you’ll love the Bridal Extravaganza at Kay Rogers Park. Admission is $6.

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poetry

Gazing LINEs Randi Bomar

Moon gazing will turn you

into a wanton.

Whippoorwill pulls you to the edge

of the night woods but you will never uncover

her nest of song.

She is nothing

but leaves singing a circle

of sound rimming

your barefoot dreams.

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community

words Tom Wing, Historian

Fort Smith was founded on Christmas Day, 1817, and since

At that time, Fort Smith was at the edge of the known world.

then has had its share of successes and failures, triumphs and

And at times, as Osage War Chief Mad Buffalo would prove,

tragedies, hard times and abundance. Our city certainly has

a hostile environment. Major William Bradford, (buried in the

a compelling story, one that we’d like to share with you over

Fort Smith National Cemetery) challenged his men not only

the coming year.

as soldiers, but also as farmers. In subsequent years the post garden would feed the garrison well and even land the Major

Each month we will explore some of the lesser-known, some-

in hot water for selling off the surplus grown on government

what obscure, and largely forgotten aspects of Fort Smith’s

property. Words like survival, adaptation, improvisation, and

history. We will also approach a few well-remembered topics

temptation are definitely part of the Fort Smith “school.”

and famous people, from new perspectives and in some cases a different light. It is both fitting and proper that we take time to

These lessons are endless and come from a variety of sources

acknowledge Fort Smith’s 200th birthday, but perhaps we can

such as World War II heroes, African American Jazz pioneers,

go a little deeper. The Greek statesman Pericles saw his own

Cherokee and Creek Freedmen, judges, juries, executioners,

city (Athens) as a center of commerce, a home to families, and

numerous visits by First Ladies, and foreign immigrants. There

a contributor to a larger nation, yet he also saw the city itself as

are also lessons to be learned from changes in industry,

a school. He envisioned a city-school through which its citizens

transportation, and commerce. Lastly, as one might expect from

and others could learn the lessons of time and be an example

a historian, we will look at some of those who have tried to

for the future. What can we, the students of today, learn from

preserve and chronicle the 200-year history of Fort Smith.

200 years of history? The answer is simply an awful lot.

Meet me here next month for lesson two of the Fort Smith-

Our lessons include survival. The soldiers who landed and estab-

School, better known as our Bicentennial Year!

lished the fort in 1817, were crack troops, including many War of 1812 veterans, who for one reason or another did not bring enough supplies along for the winter. Without the prospects of new supplies arriving by the river, the troops marched twentyfive miles west of Belle Point, and encountered a buffalo herd, something usually associated with lands much farther west, and brought enough meat back to make do until spring.

Learn more about Fort Smith by attending the free concert featuring Chris Cameron and Don Bailey, and showing a documentary chronicling the life of bandleader Alphonso Trent. The show is at the Blue Lion in downtown Fort Smith on January 25.

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pets

New Year, New Furry Love M

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M

M

Audie

Darla

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Champ

Onyx

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Rusty

Phoebe

Almost Home Shelter and Rescue 3390 Pointer Trail East - Van Buren, AR | 479.462.3122 or 479.629.0056 | Almost Home Shelter and Rescue is a 501C-3 Non-Profit all volunteer staffed facility. They work in partnership with Van Buren Animal Control to find loving, forever homes for the dogs in their care. All dogs will be spayed or neutered and up to date on vaccines when adopted. The shelter is newly formed and has very limited space. Please consider adopting or fostering one of their sweet pets.

Each month, Do SouthÂŽ donates this page to local and regional non-profit animal shelters. If you work with a shelter and would like to reserve this space, please email editors@dosouthmagazine.com.

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entertainment

The Girls of Atomic City

By Denise Kiernan | Simon and Schuster | 371 pages | $17 review Marla Cantrell

In 1942, as the world

photos. Their jobs were critical to the effort, and they took them

grappled

seriously. They also struggled with loneliness, boredom, and the

with

the

evil of Adolf Hitler,

effects of being away from family.

a secret city called Oak Ridge was being

There were also moments of joy, as they attended dances, played

constructed

outside

on a women’s basketball team, or swam in the world’s biggest

Knoxville, Tennessee,

swimming pool, which was one and a half acres across, and

in the Clinch River valley. The government, using legal terms like

contained more than two million gallons of water.

Declarations of Taking, bought 800 parcels of land. Approximately 1,000 families moved from their homes, many stunned at the

In one of the massive buildings, the women monitored the

demand but unable to do much about it.

activity of the calutrons, machines used to separate uranium isotopes. Twenty-two thousand people worked at this one plant,

With the residents gone, the government took over 83,000 acres

most of them young women, and shifts ran twenty-four hours a

stretching approximately seventeen miles across the pristine river

day, seven days a week.

valley. Pre-fab homes were constructed at a break-neck pace, and three factories rose across the former farmland, one of

The women were instructed to keep the gauges within a certain

which was the largest building in the world.

numeric range. Unbeknownst to them, a group of scientists tried their hand at the same work to see who did it better and the

Barbed wire surrounded the city. Armed guards stood at the

women won hands down.

entrances. And mystery rode through every corner. Whatever was being produced there was critical to the World War II effort,

There were rules for employees that included not discussing their

although only a select few sanctioned by the government knew

jobs with anyone, including spouses and family. Some employees

what it was.

were asked to spy on others, to make sure there were no “loose lips sinking ships.”

That included those employed there. Many were young women, brought to the site from small towns and big cities near and far.

The security was imperative since Oak Ridge was one of the three

When they were hired, most didn’t even know where they were

government sites that made up the Manhattan Project, which was

going. All they knew is that they’d be helping Uncle Sam win the war.

organized to produce the atomic bomb. Oak Ridge’s job was to enhance uranium, the driving force of the bomb.

At its peak, 75,000 people lived and worked at Oak Ridge, a city Today, you can tour the American Museum of Science and

that was so protected, it didn’t appear on one map.

Energy at Oak Ridge, where you can learn more about this secret Among those working on the site were the women featured in The

city. There’s even a bus tour to take you to several of the loca-

Girls of Atomic City. Author Denise Kiernan spent years researching

tions. To find out more, visit amse.org.

their true stories, interviewing many of them, and gathering old DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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shop

New Year, New Favorites words Catherine Frederick imageS Jade Graves Photography and courtesy vendors

BANZ Hear No Blare, Em’s 4 Bubs, Pro For Sho Ear Protection for Infants to Adults

CENTER FOR HEARING 479.785.3277

Southern Sisters Farmhouse Home Décor

JENNIFER’S GIFT SHOP AT SPARKS HEALTH 479.441.4221

Quartzite Countertops Skinny and Light Classic Cocktails

MAJESTIC MARBLE & GRANITE

SODIE’S WINE & SPIRITS

479.783.0060

479.783.8013

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shop

It’s the New Year! Time to refresh and try new things. Check out some of our favorites, in store now. And remember, keep it local year-round!

Hearts On Fire Stackable Bands, 18kt Rose, Yellow or White Gold

SkinCeuticals Skincare Products

ARKANSAS VEIN CLINICS & SKINCARE

JOHN MAYS JEWELERS 479.452.2140

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Natural Weight Loss Supplements, Fresh Organic Produce

OLDE FASHIONED FOODS 479.782.6183 / 479.649.8200

We Love Eyes® Natural Makeup Removers, Face A Face Sunglasses

DR. STEVEN B. STILES OPTOMETRY 479.452.2020

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people

The Spic-and-Span Life

of Stacy Vanourny

Words Marla Cantrell images courtesy Stacy Vanourny

“If your house is cluttered, your mind is cluttered.”

This is one of the first things Stacy

Vanourny, owner of Cleaning and Organizing by Design, says to me. It is mid-morning on a sunlit day, and we are sitting on barstools at the kitchen island in one of the prettiest kitchens in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The owners are clients of Stacy’s, a family she’s come to know and admire.

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people

Nearby, the washing machine chugs away, the dryer plays a few melodic notes to indicate its work is over, and two happy pups lumber across the patio, stopping to peer through the French doors for just a second.

If the statement about clutter is accurate, Stacy must have a pristine mind. Since childhood, she’s been obsessed with order, and as she describes her childhood bedroom at her home in Kibler, she mentions first the toy box in the corner, the receptacle that helped keep the rest of the room in ship-shape.

“I’m the oldest child,” Stacy says. “My mother taught me so much about organization. When I was a kid, I didn’t enjoy cleaning that much, but I was always a neat freak. I think it led me to where I am today.”

Back then, she had an old blackboard on the wall, one rescued from a schoolhouse that was being torn down. Her father, who was working at the site, brought it to her. He knew Stacy wanted to be a teacher, and he understood how much the blackboard would mean to her.

In those days, she thought she’d spend her adult life influencing children, teaching them math and English, spelling and science.

She did try, making it all the way to student teaching before realizing her dream had changed. She switched to business administration and never looked back.

What she noticed next was that at every job she had, she became the resident organizer. She created supply closets where there were none. She painted scuffed up walls, straightened desktops, implemented virtual filing systems that did away with paper chaos.

The worry didn’t last long. More and more people were calling, And then, she put her house on the market. The eventual buyer

intrigued by the idea of having someone not only clean but

looked around, amazed by the orderliness of the rooms, and

organize as well. Stacy says she took over the business a few

said, “I wish you’d come clean my house!”

months later. Today, she has several women working with her, with clients as far away as Booneville and Cedarville.

A bit later, after a major life change, she found herself at a crossroads. A job she’d enjoyed was now behind her, and she

As she’s describing this journey, she shows me the nearby

had a chance to create whatever she wanted. Stacy and a friend

kitchen pantry that’s part of her handiwork. Each shelf is

opened Cleaning and Organizing by Design in May 2017, and

labeled. There’s a place for vitamins and supplements, for

for a while, Stacy worried about the future. “It was just the two

example, for cooking oil, for paper products. Imagine the

of us, and we had four clients. I’m a single mom, and I’d think

shelves of your favorite grocery store pared down for only

about all the bills, all the responsibility I had, and I’d wonder

your family. That’s what this pantry looks like.

what I’d gotten myself into.”

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people

Not long ago, Stacy and her team organized an 800-square-foot

She also taught them that excess is the enemy of order. And

kitchen, pulling everything from the cabinets and putting it all

so seasonally, she and her two teens go through their closets,

back together again, using a system that Stacy honed in her own

weeding out what they no longer need. They donate those

home. When I say the extent of that project makes it hard for me to

clothes to a local charity.

breathe, she laughs. “Really?” she asks. “That makes me excited!”

What goes back in the closet is arranged by clothing type and Which brings up the subject again of her childhood. When she

then by color. The end result is closets that are streamlined

was ten years old, her younger sister was born. That addition

and functional. Getting ready in a hurry is easy when you can

to the family sparked something in Stacy, and she reveled in

see everything you own. Which is why Stacy also uses clear

caring for this adoring little girl. Getting her dressed, helping

plastic bins to store socks and tops and shorts. If you can’t see

with baths, it made Stacy’s heart sing. It also solidified the

it, she says, you’ll never wear it.

notion that you take care of what you love.

Her clients have come to depend on Stacy’s keen eye, on her When she had daughters of her own, she found the same

ability to scan a room and envision it at its functional best. As

happiness, and she wanted to help them navigate their lives

she’s talking, she uses her hands, and when she points to a spot

through order, the same way her mother had helped her. “I

across the kitchen, a tattoo on her inner wrist shows. When I

taught them early that everything has its place,” she says.

ask about it, she extends both arms, and I see the coordinating tattoo on her other wrist. One reads “Faith,” the other “Hope.”

The words read like a mantra, which they are, but they’re also

Stacy’s Top Organizing Tips

1 2 3 4 5

the middle names of her two girls. Stacy smiles as she talks about

Start by de-cluttering. Take a look at what you actually use. Do you have duplicate items? Clear out what you don’t use and donate it to charity. Your clutter could actually help someone in need.

them. This summer, both worked with her, starting early in the morning and working until the job was done.

She likes what she’s teaching them, not just about work but also about following your dreams. It takes faith, she says, in your

Visualization is key. Use clear containers for clothing, and in the kitchen. If you use clear canisters, for example, it’s easy to see what you need to buy at the grocery store.

innate abilities, in your unwavering devotion that you can create a beautiful life. And it takes hope, especially in the beginning when you’re worried about next month’s bills, next year’s taxes.

Stacy pushes her blond hair off her forehead and walks to the

Invest in a label maker. Label your clear containers, and label your shelves in your cabinets, closets, or pantry. Doing this takes the guess work out of your daily routine. You’ll know where everything belongs.

And if someone else puts things away, they will too.

Fold your sheets and then store them in the accompanying pillowcase. Takes up much less space in your linen closet.

living room to fluff the throw pillows on the couch. When she replaces them, she makes sure the patterns on the pillows are going in the right direction. The pillows are a solid cream color, and the pattern is formed by the ply on the fabric. To tell you the truth, I couldn’t see the difference in the subtle pattern. But Stacy, the self-proclaimed neat freak could. She smiles wide, looking across this lovely home, knowing that when the owners come home, they’ll feel the effects of a sparkling house, of everything being in its exact right place.

Use color-coordinated baskets in your bathroom. Each family member gets a color and keeps all his or her items in the basket. Stops a lot of arguments among siblings!

Want to know more? Contact Stacy on Facebook, or at cleaningandorganizingbydesign.com.

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lifestyle

does it work?

Do South® Magazine Reviews MoviePass words Marla Cantrell

What’s the deal?

MoviePass is a theatergoing subscription service that’s changing the way consumers see movies.

What’s the claim?

The claim is that you can see any movie on any day in theaters across the nation. In fact, ninety-one percent of theaters accept MoviePass, including major chains. In the River Valley, that’s all-encompassing, including Carmike in Fort Smith, and Malco in Fort Smith and Van Buren. In Northwest Arkansas your MoviePass is also a golden ticket, granting you access to AMC, Malco, Carmike, and even the Siloam Springs 6, for example. The company is the brainchild of Netflix co-founder Mitch Lowe who believed people would buy this product in much the same way they did a gym membership.

How it works: Sign up at MoviePass.com and agree to pay the fee, which at this writing was $9.95 per month. Wait for your debit card to arrive, then download the MoviePass app on your phone. You can see one movie a day, 365 days a year. IMAX and 3D are not included.

Once you’re near the theater, log on to your app, select a movie, and go to either the ticket window or the kiosk. Swipe your card, or let the ticket taker swipe your card, and you’re all set!

What’s the verdict?

I signed up for MoviePass in November of last year, and since then I’ve seen every movie that’s interested me. This has dropped my cost to see movies in theaters dramatically. If you wonder what MoviePass gets out of all this, published reports say they can gather data subscribers’ viewing habits, which could lead to targeted ads or other marketing materials. (Other entities already do this. Ever notice how Facebook knows you’re looking for a refrigerator or a new coat, for instance?)

While at the Malco Theatre in Van Buren, Arkansas, I asked an employee if he was seeing customers using the MoviePass debit card. I was told that the number is growing weekly. It seems consumers are seeing the benefits of a service that costs $9.95 and allows them to see seven movies a week.

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Have a product you’d like us to review? Send your ideas to editors@dosouthmagazine.com.

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people

Words and images Jessica Sowards

THE UNTOUCHABLES DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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people

I used to imagine living a sacrificial life for God entailed

It was a short and life-changing trip. I missed my boys and

being a good girl. Follow the rules, try not to sin. Give up

my farm and my goats the entire time, and it was, without

R-rated movies and don’t drink too much wine. So I did. I

a doubt, a sacrifice to leave them and go. For eight days, I

followed all the rules. Then one day, at some point between

traveled with a group from Heart of David to India, encour-

milking the goats and sharing my heart from my kitchen

aging those who have been laboring in the underground

table, God started talking to me about His heart on the

prayer and worship movement in a country where the

rules. And He began showing me that He paid for sin on the

Gospel is illegal.

cross. Giving it up wasn’t a sacrifice but a grace.

The first two days in India, I decided that I was never leaving

The real sacrifice was to live

home again. I hated that country

entirely for Him.

with its stench and its filth and its

So I started asking what that looked like. I stopped looking for a formula and started asking the real, living, breathing God to walk me through the purpose He planned specifically for me. And I relinquished the death-grip with which I’d been clinging to my idea of security. In short, I said yes. And He took me at my word.

The seasons of my “yes” are something of a blur. It’s too messy to illustrate by timeline or sequenced events. However, I can tell you that in this season, I have learned to pack a suitcase with impressive efficiency. I’ve learned to get through TSA lines

We began to interact with the little girl, and I watched her mother sur veying us. I thought how extraordinarily like me she was. Her son in a fabric sling, her daughter apprehensively approaching a smiling stranger...

wildly alarming, sucking, screaming lack. My heart was being broken, and there was absolutely no escape.

It was everywhere, and I couldn’t un-see it.

I

was

undone

by

pervasive

poverty. It assaulted me from the moment we left the airport.

It took the form of half-dressed families living in tents on sidewalks. It knocked on the windows of our cars in the form of young girls selling knick-knacks or their bodies, whichever you preferred.

It pulled on my clothes as I walked down the street, with its hands the exact same size as my son’s.

I came to terms with the reality of my naivety by day three. By

without heart palpitations, and I’ve become rather comfortable on airplanes. I no longer

day four, I resolved that I could not raise my boys in a reality

want to throw up when I speak in front of large crowds,

that ignored everything aside from what was directly in

and I’m no longer surprised when my “yes” requires one

front of them. Days five through eight found me crying and

step further into the realm of walking on water.

laying my heart bare before God as He deconstructed the many walls I’d erected to keep myself safe.

So it didn’t entirely shock me when the invitation to leave the country came. It didn’t shock me that my first interna-

On our last day in India, our group went shopping at a

tional trip came with short notice and a bunch of details

market in New Delhi. As everyone else scoured the shops

that unexplainably fell into place. In fact, aside from one

for souvenirs, my dear friend Daniel and I turned our eyes to

initial emotional outburst that involved binge-eating an

a young mother begging on the sidewalk with two babies

entire bag of caramels, I’d say the process that led up to me

clinging to her dress. We began to interact with the little

boarding a plane for India was really pretty smooth.

girl, and I watched her mother surveying us. I thought how extraordinarily like me she was. Her son in a fabric

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sling, her daughter apprehensively approaching a smiling stranger, she nodded at us, giving her approval to our interest in her little family.

Daniel ducked into one of the shops and returned with a small, carved wooden turtle and presented it to the little girl. She lit up and immediately transformed from a little beggar into a two-year-old as I know them. She flopped to her belly, zooming the little turtle across the filthy ground. Her mother’s face relaxed, and I recognized the expression. It’s the same one that covers my face as I watch my sons on Christmas morning. And in her smile, I realized how small the world really was after all.

They followed us for a while, warming up the farther we walked along together. Eventually, the girl allowed us to hug her and kiss her matted hair. The mother began to tear up and we asked a translator to help us speak to her. He informed us that she was moved by our physical affection because she belonged to a Hindi social class called “The Untouchables.”

They are considered outcasts because they do not fit into the caste system, a thing on its own which is hard for me to fathom. These are the people who are responsible for the unclean jobs of slaughter and dealing with the filth of their social betters, and therefore, they were called Untouchable. They are born into this class and will never, ever leave it. Even now, in the modern age of iPhones and commercial flights that could carry an American DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

people

girl across the ocean for only 1,500 dollars, there is a woman living on a street, relegated to poverty by birth, undone by the fact that a clearly clean and well-off man and woman would kiss her baby.

On the airplane home, my prayers were very different. I realized that in all the struggles of my life, even on the days we ate ramen noodles in our airconditioned dining room, I have only ever known abundance. I wept with a new gratitude, and with genuine repentance for my small thinking. And somewhere in this process, my view of my farm changed. I stopped seeing it as the staging ground of my life’s call, and I started to see it as a soft place to land.

The mother in the market was the flourish at the end of one of my most powerful life lessons. We left her with prayer, some money for food and a small, wooden turtle, but more

I’m

certain

from

the

we

took

exchange.

I’m certain I will remember her smile and her daughter’s

reality and dive headlong into the brokenness of this

piercing eyes for the rest of my life. She taught me that I

world, all the while trusting Him to help me breathe in it.

was never called to stay put. I was called to sacrifice, to

I was called to touch the Untouchables, and it’s the most

sacrifice my comfort, my ignorance, my fear, my control. I

worthy heartbreak I’ve ever said yes to.

was called to pop the bubble of my carefully constructed

Follow Jessica

@thehodgepodgedarling.blogspot.com.

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SCOOTER COMMUTING Words and images Sean Lamont

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people people taste

As the new year arrives, many of us are looking at ways to

a motorized bar stool. And it is great fun. Imagine a grown

improve our lives, from eating better to exercising more.

man in suit and tie en-route to the office on a tiny scooter

Last year, as writer Sean Lamont faced a daunting drive to

zipping merrily along neighborhood streets and country roads.

work, he decided to turn things around, and that began by

As for my experience, the smiles and waves were frequent

selling his truck. This is his story.

and friendly from other motorists, and never did I encounter a negative word.

Northwest Arkansas is my beloved, adopted home. I extol its virtues to family and visitors, remarking on its scenic splendor,

Additionally, a 50 cc scooter is about the most minimalist

robust economy, numerous eateries and easy-going charm.

form of internally combustion powered locomotion available.

However, there is one true detriment to the region. I work for

The rider is in the environment, not simply moving through it.

that large retail concern with its main offices in Bentonville, but

When it rained, I quickly donned a rain suit or simply accepted

I live in Fayetteville (Long may it stay funky!). Connecting the

the dampness as part of the journey. When sunny, I applied a

two is a linear expression of anxiety and despair called I-49,

high value SPF to avoid burning skin in the abundant Arkansas

which is constantly in a state of disrepair from efforts to extend

sunshine. The engine is very quiet, and I happened upon deer,

and reform it. Each morning, a brief window of calm descends

fox, raccoons, possums, coyotes, and, of course, armadillos in

upon this highway, but you have to start early to find it. Too

my travels, getting quite close before they leapt or scurried away.

late a start, and the tens of thousands of commuters, navigating

And there are abundant herds of cows between my home and

this single main artery to Bentonville, turn driving into a white-

office, including, for a brief while, Belted Galloways. Scooters

knuckled exercise in self-restraint. Each evening, without fail,

are an oddity to cows, I surmised, given the bovine curiosity

the highway becomes a slowly migrating herd of automobiles.

they displayed as I quietly motored by. Belted Galloways, if

In May 2017, in an act of brazen masochism, I Googled how many business days are in a year. The answer was 260 for 2017. Doubling that, for the AM Northward and PM Southward trips, I realized I was looking at 520 commutes, annually. More than half a thousand trips on a freeway that looked more like a semi-immobilized parking lot was more than I could reasonably bear. I had to do something dramatically different. I probably could have changed routes, used the less traveled highways, or rescheduled my day to avoid the most egregious traffic congestion. Instead, I sold my truck, mapped a route of side streets and byways and commuted, daily, for the next four months on a 50 cc Ruckus scooter, logging in that span more than 3,000 miles.

The pros to commuting by scooter are many. It does not require license plates or, in fact, an operator’s license to use on the street. Fayetteville’s ordinances mandate them to be insured but elsewhere, this is not a requirement. My Ruckus averaged around 100 miles per gallon of gas. A scooter is an economical mode of transportation with a tiny ecological footprint compared to even the most efficient car. They are extremely easy to operate. Unlike a motorcycle with its hand clutch and foot lever transmission, a scooter requires you to twist the throttle and apply the hand brakes. It is, essentially, DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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you’re not familiar, are a breed of cattle that, with their black fore and aft and a white belt of color round their middles, resemble four-legged Oreo cookies. They are a visual delight.

June, July, August, and September, I scootered about fifty miles daily. And in that pursuit, there were a few cons, as well. A 50 cc scooter’s top speed is about forty miles per hour, but so many of our steep Arkansas hills slowed that speed considerably. One cannot be in a rush. Perhaps, that is both pro and con—there is an additional time investment in the commute but there is a concurrent strengthening of the virtue of patience. Actually, the additional time consumed is the only firm con that occurs to me from this endeavor.

I’m not suggesting this sort of solution is feasible for everyone. It would be verging toward the impossible to scooter children to daycare, for instance. If one’s dress code did not allow for casual attire, a scooter commute would prove difficult, or if one’s vocation required carrying heavy or bulky wares or tools, it would be flat-out impossible.

What I am vehemently asserting, though, is that the sterility, banality, frustration and undue stress of the freeway commute is not without alternatives. Mine, I enjoy believing, was an economical, environmentally-friendly and whimsically non-conformist alternative. Treasures, like the day when that hay field was newly mown, and I spent a mile or so breathing the fresh-cut grasses, are mine to examine in memory’s museum.

One evening a red fox ran across the street in front of me and then turned around in a front yard to watch my progress with cunning and intelligent eyes as its tall ears subtly twitched attentively. It was one of the most beautiful wild creatures I have seen, all the more poignant for its wildness, surrounded by the domesticity of a subdivision. Such experiences are not available at seventy miles an hour, jockeying for position Getting creative on your drive to and from work doesn’t have to

before the next exit on the freeway.

mean buying a scooter, although it did save gas and lessened The old saw is “All roads lead to Rome,” and I remind you that

my carbon footprint a bit. You could also take the bus a few

with enough turns, all roads lead everywhere. I encourage you

days a week, if you live in an area where that’s possible.

to choose one with a slower speed limit from time to time,

You could bike, if you’re close enough to your job, on days

so you can enjoy all the countryside we have in Arkansas, on

when the weather cooperates. Or you could carpool with your

either side of the freeway.

co-workers, who just might turn into your newest friends.

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White Bean & Kale Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches recipe and image James Stefiuk

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Ingredients

Method

FOR THE SOUP

Heat in a pot, cover beans with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, for 1

>>

1 lb. dried white beans

(Great Northern, cannellini or navy)

>> >> >> >> >> >>

2 onions, coarsely chopped

1 3-by-2-inch piece of Parmigiano-

While soup is simmering, brown sausage in batches in a heavy

Reggiano rind (optional)

skillet over moderate heat, turning, then transfer to paper

>> >> >> >> >>

2 tsps. salt

towels to drain.

hour. Drain beans in a colander and rinse. Cook onions in oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1

2 Tablespoons olive oil

minute. Add beans, broth, 1 quart of water, cheese rind, salt,

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

pepper, bay leaf and rosemary and simmer, uncovered, until

5 cups chicken broth

beans are just tender, about 50 minutes.

2 quarts water

1 tsp. black pepper 1 bay leaf

Stir carrots into soup and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in kale, sausage

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

and remaining quart of water and simmer, uncovered, stirring

1 lb. smoked sausage such as kielbasa (optional),

occasionally, until kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season soup

sliced crosswise Âź-inch thick

with salt and pepper.

>>

8 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut

crosswise into ½-inch pieces

>>

1 lb. kale, stems and center ribs discarded

and leaves coarsely chopped

FOR GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES >> >> >>

4 slices sourdough or preferred bread 6 slices of your favorite melting cheese 2+ Tablespoons salted butter

To make the grilled cheese, heat 1 Tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place two cheese slices between two slices of bread. Press together to form a sandwich and place in the skillet. Cook until golden on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes.

Flip, adding more butter to the pan if needed, and cook until the other side is golden and the cheese melts, 3 to 5 more minutes. Repeat for the second sandwich. Serve with soup.

Note: This soup is best if made 1 or 2 days ahead. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered. Thin with water if necessary.

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INGREDIENTS

WHISKEY

CITRUS SOUR recipe slightly altered from BHG.com Image James Stefiuk

• 1 orange • ½ red grapefruit • 1 mandarin or tangerine • 1 lemon

(Makes 2) • • • • •

½ lime 2 – 4 oz. whiskey 1 tsp. sugar or Truvia Ice cubes 2 maraschino cherries

METHOD Juice citrus fruits, strain seeds and pulp. Fill two cocktail glasses halfway up with juice blend. Add 1-2 oz. whiskey to each glass, stir. If drink is too bitter, add ½ tsp. sugar to each glass to sweeten. Stir until dissolved, add ice. For garnish, add a maraschino cherry.

Please drink responsibly. Never drink and drive.

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RECIPE and IMAGES Bush’s® Beans WORDS Marla Cantrell

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taste taste

On a recent trip to Tennessee, I visited the epicenter of Bush’s® Beans in Chestnut Hill, which is approximately forty miles from Knoxville. The visitor center, housed in the original A.J. Bush & Company general store, founded in 1897, stands across the road from the Bush’s historic farmhouse. On the rolling hills surrounding the home, cattle munched grass and ambled across the wide space.

Once inside the visitor center, I picked up a reproduction of a vintage tablecloth in the impressive gift shop.

(I collect old tablecloths but rarely use them, due to their age. This one—robin blue with a red flower and raspberry design is currently the centerpiece of my dining table.)

The center houses a free museum with tons of interactive displays that kids were loving. Many were having their photo taken in front of a backdrop showing Duke, the famous Bush’s® mascot. Photos are printed on site and sent home with the bean enthusiast. Several kids were being weighed on a scale that calculates weight in beans instead of pounds, and still more were walking through the giant Bush’s® Baked Bean can that shows the journey of the beans from beginning to end.

In the theater, a group was watching the film that tells the history of the Bush family. Included is a collection of the popular commercials featuring Duke, back when he was conspiring to sell the secret family recipe. It also showed the workings of the nearby processing plant. A lot of water is used to clean and cook the beans, and after DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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its use inside the plant, it’s diverted to the hills and pastures where the cows now roam happily.

Finally, I made my way to the Bush’s ® Family Café, where I ordered locally-sourced barbecue, beans (of course!), and sweet potato fries. Before I finished, Manager Max Fultz brought out their Pinto Bean Pie. I was reluctant to taste it; however, Max convinced me to dig in. The pie was surprisingly good and tasted a lot like pecan pie.

Want to try it yourself? Then you’re in luck! Here’s the recipe, just for you.

Ingredients >> >> >> >> >>

1 pie crust, unbaked

heated and lightly mashed

>> >>

½ cup pecans, finely chopped

1 cup sugar ¾ cup margarine, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup Bush’s® Pinto Beans,

2 eggs, well beaten

Method Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients and pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Center of pie will be slightly unset.

This pie will certainly be a conversation starter! If you make this, we’d love to see your photos. Email us at editors@dosouthmagazine.com.

Bush’s ® Bean Visitor Center 3901 U.S. Highway 411 Dandridge, Tennessee 865.509.3077 For more information, visit bushbeans.com.

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QUALITY QUAFFS words Dwain Hebda images courtesy Dwain Hebda, Crossbound Marketing and Flyway Brewery

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Like a lot of people, my introduction to beer was inauspicious as far as the quality of suds was concerned. I can still remember my grandfather splitting a can of plain-label beer with me. To illustrate how lowball that drink was, I don't remember the beverage having any intoxicating effect at all. I came away wondering what all the fuss was about.

My, how times have changed.

Earlier this year, Men's Journal boldly proclaimed the present era as beer's new golden age in America. Having for decades played second fiddle to the staid and somber breweries in Europe, this was big news and was due largely to the initiative of the craft beer industry, whose quality and inventiveness of product has catapulted the U.S. to the top of the brew chain.

Breweries of various sizes and persuasions have been popping up all over the place in the Natural State. Central Arkansas alone has more than a dozen of them which, with only a couple of exceptions, weren't even a twinkle in their brewmaster's eye a decade ago.

With growing interest from locals and visitors alike, it didn’t take long for the industry to come up with ways to effectively market itself. Northwest Arkansas struck first with its awardwinning Fayetteville Ale Trail tour of local breweries. Not to be outdone, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau unveiled Locally Labeled, which ups the ante by including a couple of area wineries and Little Rock's Rocktown Distillery to the collection of ten breweries.

The Locally Labeled roster is, safe to say, more than most adults of legal drinking age can or should accommodate in one outing. It also goes without mentioning (but we will anyway) that the tour should be enjoyed in moderation. Most of the stops serve food, and it’s a good idea to have something to eat as you go along, as well as watching your beer intake. Even those little glasses (called tasters; several tasters make a flight) can add up, so pace yourself.

The following gives a sip of each participating brewery to help you get a well-rounded pour of the beer scene for your next visit to the heart of Arkansas.

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THE STALWARTS

DIAMOND BEAR BREWING COMPANY While not as old as Vino's, Diamond Bear drew the blueprint

VINO'S BREWPUB

for many local breweries to follow, from how to manage The granddaddy of breweries in Little Rock, Vino's is a funky little

growth to thinking big on distribution to setting the standard

corner pizzeria that hosts lots of live music, and they've been

for quality food to go with award-winning beers. A few years

brewing beer here since before it was cool. Be specific about

ago, the operation relocated to North Little Rock and opened

how you order your flights or the help is likely to bring out one

its restaurant/tasting room, Arkansas Ale House.

of everything, which equals up to a dozen.

Your flight should include: Pale Ale, Presidential IPA, Honey Your flight should include: Lazy Boy Stout, Pinnacle IPA

Weiss (seasonal)

You should try: The calzones, they're killer.

You should try: A side of the house mac and cheese with your entrĂŠe or sandwich. You won't regret it.

DAMGOODE PIES BREWPUB Many consider Damgoode's the best pizza in Little Rock and their beers don't fail to live up to that billing, either. Brewery operations are located in their huge Rivermarket location, but any of the company's laid-back spots offer the same great food and drink.

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Your flight should include: Arkansas Amber, Damgoode Pale Ale

THE NEW KIDS

You should try: The hand-tossed Damgoode Pepperoni; simple and classic.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD JOINTS

REBEL KETTLE BREWING One of the newer entrants into Little Rock's beer scene, Rebel Kettle matches a slick look with a big menu and constantly rotating beer selection. Free popcorn is a nice touch, and the merchandise is cool.

Your flight should include: Dirtbag Double Brown Ale, Easy Roller STONE'S THROW BREWING

American IPA

Stone's Throw is a grown-up's clubhouse. Small, intimate and

You should try: One of three po'boys on the menu; made even

very friendly, it is as close to a corner pub as any brewery on this

better in nice weather, when you can eat out on the deck.

list gets. How else to describe a place that was crowdfunded into existence and that shows its appreciation with a knock-down birthday block party every summer?

Your flight should include: Deadwood Amber Ale, Amadeus Vienna Lager, Shamus Stout You should try: Getting some culture at the Arkansas Arts Center; it's right across the street.

REFINED ALES BREWING It doesn't get more hands-on than at Refined Ales, the first blackowned brewery in Arkansas. Tucked into a small corner space in a

FLYWAY BREWING COMPANY

south-central Little Rock neighborhood, it's set apart both in location and in the style of beer they make. Owner-operator Windell

Located in the up-and-coming Argenta District of North Little

Gray learned the art of distilling from his grandfather and now

Rock, Flyway prides itself on being as authentically Arkansan

produces four beers and a malt liquor. Sold in bottles only.

as possible, from sourcing ingredients from in-state growers to crafting its menu selections to reflect the Natural State.

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Your flight should include: Bluewing Berry Wheat

Your flight should include: Buffalo Root Beer. You've had enough, pal.

You should try: Broadening your food horizons – order the wild boar meatball sliders or duck bratwurst already.

You should try: Brewing your own; Water Buffalo offers free beermaking classes.

BLUE CANOE BREWING Blue Canoe started with an intimate (read "tiny") space within

THE JUGGERNAUT

walking distance of some of the newer hotels abutting the Rivermarket neighborhood. That's still open, but if you brought a crowd, try their sprawling 20,000-square-foot warehouse space in the East Village District. It can handle you and all your rowdy friends.

Your flight should include: 4x4 Pale Ale You should try: Cheese dip, the de facto state appetizer of Arkansas.

THE IMPORT LOST FORTY BREWING CORE PUBLIC HOUSE In three years, Lost Forty has gone from not existing to the largestWell-known Springdale brewer Core invaded central Arkansas a

volume Arkansas brewery, thanks to approachable-but-interesting

few years back, selecting for itself a choice spot on North Little

beers, chef-inspired food, and relentless marketing. The taproom

Rock's old Main Street, in the heart of Argenta. Their timing

has an eclectic bierhall-meets-logging-camp vibe you have to see

could not have been better as major neighborhood develop-

to appreciate with a brand bent on world domination.

ments promise big things for the cozy, relaxed taproom.

Your flight should include: Love Honey Bock, Crystal State RockYour flight should include: Arkansas Red Ale, Toasted Coconut

hound IPA, The Hunter Oktoberfest (seasonal)

Brown Ale, Leghound Lager You should try: Sunday brunch.

You should try: People-watching out the big front windows.

THE CURATOR

FOR MORE DETAILS AND BREWERY INFORMATION Locally Labeled

BUFFALO BREWING COMPANY

c/o Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau 101 S. Spring Street

Starting out as The Water Buffalo, a retail brewer's supply store,

Little Rock, AR 72201

Buffalo Brewing Company finally decided to get in on the fun,

501.376.4781

turning part of the retail store over to a taproom. In addition to its

Email: info@littlerock.com

own creations, the rotating selections offer a collection of the best

Web: littlerock.com/food-drink/locally-labeled-beverages

the state's brewers have to offer. If you only have time for one stop, come here and taste what's going on all across Arkansas.

Drink responsibly. Never drink and drive.

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words Marla Cantrell images courtesy Tennessee Department of Tourism with special photo credit to Greta Hollar, Andrew Saucier, Hunter Lawrence, Maple Hall Bowling, and The Tennessean by Rachel Ryan

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Knoxville, Tennessee is one of those great Southern cities

I spent several nights in The Tennessean, a new, locally owned,

that has the amenities of a big town while maintaining the

eighty-two room luxury hotel in the heart of downtown. The

charm of a much smaller one. Home of the University of

floors of the hotel are named after nearby waterways, and the

Tennessee, and gateway to the Smoky Mountain National

suites feature topographical maps of places like the nearby

Park, it draws lots of attention. Bristol Motor Speedway, less

Clinch River, which have been turned into artwork. Even the

than two hours away, brings in NASCAR fans in droves, and

carpets mimic the pattern of the rivers. The accent tables are

Dollywood, less than an hour away, continues to be a go-to

metal sculptures that resemble the trees that grow along the

destination for family fun. Even HGTV has gotten the Knox-

river bank. Add to that the large tiled showers, plush towels

ville bug, locating their 2017 Urban Oasis Sweepstakes home

and bathrobes, boutique toiletries, and in-room espresso bar,

in one of the city’s picturesque neighborhoods.

and you’ll see how The Tennessean caters to your every need.

Be sure to stop by The Drawing Room for creative cocktails, or

If you’re still getting to know Knoxville, here are some fun

a dish like the Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread.

facts. Fifty percent of the nation is within a day’s drive of the city. The 1982 World’s Fair was held there, and the Suns-

From the hotel, you can see the Knoxville Museum of Art,

phere, a magnificent structure that looks a lot like a textural

which is free to the public, and celebrates the artists of East

Tootsie Roll pop, remains a landmark. The city is intersected

Tennessee. Catherine Wiley’s work is particularly stunning.

by the Tennessee River, and the area boasts seven lakes and more than 3,000 miles of shoreline, and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame has its home in the city.

NEARBY

I recently visited as a guest of the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development, and learned a great deal about this beautiful state that can help you on your next trip to Eastern Tennessee.

SETTLE IN

Market Square District knoxvillemarketsquare.com Not far from The Tennessean is Market Square, a kid friendly, pet friendly, bustling section of downtown with public art, unique shops, music and theater venues, and local eateries serving fresh, locally sourced food. Hop on one of the free The Tennessean

trolleys and explore!

531 Henley Street thetennesseanhotel.com DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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Maple Hall Bowling 414 Gay Street, Knoxville maplehallknox.com Heads up, guys, while you were busy making a living, bowling got seriously cool. And there’s no cooler bowling alley than Maple Hall Bowling, which is housed in an historic J.C. Penney building, circa 1890s. There’s a full bar, eleven lanes, great food—try the East Tennessee Cuban sandwich—and even a two-lane VIP private lounge.

Knoxville Visitors Center/ WDVX Blue Plate Special 301 South Gay Street, Knoxville visitknoxville.com Plan your day around a noon visit to the Knoxville Visitors Center. Here’s why. Inside the Visitors Center is the radio station WDVX, and Monday through Saturday they host the Blue Plate Special, a live music show that’s free to attend.

Locals and tourists show up with a sack lunch and settle in for an hour of entertainment.

On my visit, I listened to Jesse Terry, a phenomenal singer/songwriter, and Miller and the Other Sinners, a Southern Soul band that rocked the house that day. One of my favorite parts of my trip.

French Market Crêperie 412 Clinch Avenue, Knoxville thefrenchmarketknoxville.com

Bistro at the Bijou 807 South Gay St, Knoxville thebistroatthebijou.com Southern food at its best abounds in Knoxville. Have breakfast at the French Market Crêperie, where you’ll fall in love with the Parisian Ham and Cheese Crêpe with a fried egg on top.

For dinner, try the Bistro at the Bijou. Chef and owner Martha Boggs uses vegetables from her home garden to create some of the best dishes you’ll ever taste. Her Brussels Sprouts Panzanella Salad is exquisite.

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While you’re in the area, check out the Navitat Canopy TreeTop Adventures and the Ijams Crag, the city’s only outdoor rock climbing site, with a cliff line that has moderate grades, solid rock, and reliable access.

VENTURE OUT

Museum of Appalachia 2819 Andersonville Highway, Clinton museumofappalachia.org Just sixteen miles north of Knoxville sits the living history Museum of Appalachia. This sixty-five-acre site includes thirtysix buildings, including the Mark Twain Family Cabin, from Possum Trot, Tennessee.

The museum’s more than 250,000 artifacts were gathered by retired school superintendent John Rice Irwin, whose desire to preserve this region started as a young boy. He knew even then that the quotidian items of our lives would become treaKnoxville’s Urban Wilderness

sures as years passed.

outdoorknoxville.com One of the best parts of walking through the Appalachian Hall Just three miles from downtown, you’ll find the only urban

of Fame is seeing the photographs and tools of the people

wilderness in the world. Enjoy the 1,000 acres with more than

who settled this area. Jim Rice Irwin hand lettered many of the

fifty miles of hiking and biking trails. Be sure to visit the Ijams

signs that describe the displays.

Nature Center, a 275-acre wildlife sanctuary located on the banks of the Tennessee River, which includes two reclaimed

Before you stroll through the grounds where peacocks and

marble quarries and ten miles of hiking and biking trails. The

chickens roam, and donkeys, horses, mules, and sheep abide,

park is open 365 days a year.

take time to eat lunch at the Museum Café, which has some of the best Southern food being made today. The chicken pot pie is divine.

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detail proved critical, as did their ability to take direction. It was a pivotal time for these young women. While they didn’t know exactly what they were doing, they did understand how important it was to their country.

While I was there, I met Laura Lee Birdwell, who was visiting the site with her husband. Laura Lee’s mother, Ruby Curtis, worked as a secretary at Oak Lawn. Rudy had grown up on a farm in Tennessee, and her family, like many at that time, were desperately poor. Rudy had aspirations for a bigger life, and she enrolled in Draughon's Business College in Nashville.

Her future looked as bright as a new penny. While she was studying there, however, she was recruited to work as a secreOak Ridge

tary at Oak Ridge, and because money was especially good,

1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge

she took the job.

exploreoakridge.com or nps.gov/mapr As Laura Lee is telling this story, tears fill her eyes. Taking the Less than thirty minutes from Knoxville is Oak Ridge, Tennessee,

job meant that Ruby stopped school, and that long-held dream

where the Manhattan Project National Historic Park sprawls

ended. Laura Lee says her mother didn’t share a lot of details

across acres and acres. When I arrived, I made my way to

about that time in her life. What Laura Lee does remember is

the American Museum of Science and Energy, which tells the

her mother telling her stories about how muddy the site was,

story of this city’s role in World War II. If you are as unaware

in part because the land was continually being turned over to

as I was, this area was chosen as the site of a uranium enrich-

construct new buildings. Laura Lee laughs, “She talked a lot

ment program, a critical part of the atomic bomb. (Want a

about her shoes being dirty,” she says.

more detailed initiation? Take a bus tour of the site in March through November, which runs from 11:30am-2:30pm.)

Today, you can learn about women like Ruby, and about the toll working in this “secret city” took on those who made it

In 1942, the government took over seventeen miles in the

their home. The site is run by the National Park Service and the

Clinch River Valley, moving 1,000 families off the verdant

U.S. Department of the Interior.

farmland. After the relocation ended, construction began, the workers building an entire city, which included the

Finally, you can’t visit this part of Tennessee without visiting

world’s biggest building, which was a factory standing four

the Bush’s Beans Visitor Center, which is a delight, especially

stories tall and covering forty-four acres. Eventually, Oak

for kids. Also, check out the waterways, and consider a fishing

Ridge grew to a population of 75,000. Only a select few

trip. If you’re looking for the perfect time to go this spring, the

knew what was actually going on at the heavily-guarded site.

International Biscuit Festival is May 19 in Knoxville.

Thousands were brought in to work, doing everything from construction, janitorial work, and of course working in the plants that were critical in enriching the uranium. At its peak, Oak Ridge was consuming more electricity on a daily basis

For more information, visit tn.gov/tourism.

than New York City.

Many of those working were young women who turned out to be some of the best employees possible. Their attention to

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southern fiction

A THOUSAND FLOATING CRANES FICTION Marla Cantrell

The Arkansas River, at least where Liddie lives, is not the world’s

brown. Bruce. Twenty-one when he died. She can still see him

most beautiful waterway, but she still goes to the grounds of

copying her answers in their sophomore science class. In all living

the National Historic Site in Fort Smith to see it when the weath-

things, the basic unit of life is the ____.

er’s nice. There’s a spot where you can sit and watch the water churning below, where you can see the power of the river, the

The answer is cell. Just one and you don’t have much. Take

power of anything that bands together the way this water does,

thirty-seven trillion and you could make a person.

millions of drops gathered in this one place.

The road takes her to Van Buren, and she heads downtown.

Today is cold, the sky burdened with clouds. Christmas was just

There’s a bookshop across from the depot she adores. Chapters

three weeks ago, with its sugar cookies and spiked punch, and

on Main. They sell the best coffee. She steps inside, orders her

Liddie took as much as she could of it, knowing January was

drink, browses the shelves.

headed her way.

At the end of Main Street, the Arkansas River shows up again.

She has friends born in January. All of them are headstrong and

She used to go there as a kid and stand on the dock. A school of

beautiful. All of them seem to know the right thing to do, all the

carp hung near the shore, waited for bread crumbs and crackers

time. Not Liddie. She’s rarely sure. All she knows today is that she

that visitors brought as often as the sun came up. She remembers

doesn’t want to go home.

the fishes’ smart silvery bodies, jumping from the water to grab the food. Maybe school is not the right word. She smiles at her

So she drives instead. She scoots through Barling, then takes

cleverness. A university of carp, she thinks. That’s more accurate.

her SUV across the River Bottoms where the road curves, a belly dancer covered in blacktop. She crosses the bridge, notices this

Once, when she was eleven, she snatched communion wafers

section of the Arkansas River that slaps against the lock and

from her church’s pantry to feed the fish. She’s never gotten over

dam. She had a high school friend drown not far from there,

it. That awful theft. That sacrilege. “Well,” she says aloud. “You

fifteen years ago. She can still see his face, his hair more red than

can’t go back.”

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southern fiction

There’s a woman browsing the shelves nearby. She is easily

“My,” CJ says, “such a lovely trinket.”

seventy years old. She is dressed in a long denim skirt, thick brown socks, fur-lined boots. She has more rings than fingers.

“Right. I mean about it being a trinket. Anyway, he’s not the

She has silver hair that tumbles across her shoulders. She wears

same. He wears this new cologne that has undertones of black

red lipstick and fake eyelashes and turquoise beads.

pepper, I’m not even kidding, and I think, Who bought you that?”

The woman steps closer, puts two fingers behind her ear.

“Excuse me?”

“But he came home to you, Liddie.”

Liddie, startled, says, “Sorry! Just talking to myself.”

“I know, and I should feel like I won a prize, right?” Liddie looks around and then leans in. “But I don’t.”

The woman holds out her hand, “CJ,” she says, as a form of introduction. “Nice to meet you. And no worries about talking

CJ wraps her fingers around her cup. “My ex-husband’s name is

to yourself. All the best people do.”

Robert, but I called him Robbie. My rightful name is Clara Jane, but he called me CJ. We lived in a two-story house in the Historic

The two women talk books. They both love Joan Didion, Eliza-

District in Fort Smith.” She shakes her head. “The work those old

beth Berg, Liane Moriarty, Barbara Kingsolver. They disagree on

houses take. But we loved it, every sloping floor and every rattling

David Sedaris and John Grisham.

pipe. We poured our money into it, like cream into coffee.

When Liddie’s coffee is ready, the women sit together at one of

“It wore us down after a while. And then it tore us down.

the tables. A sound system pumps in smooth jazz, the smell of

Robbie lives in Muskogee now, in a modern house that doesn’t

coffee a shawl around them.

demand a thing from him, with a woman who, as I understand it, demands everything.”

“I’ve never met anyone who reads that I didn’t like,” CJ says.

“They seem to be able to describe what they’re feeling, which is

“And your old house?”

a highly unrated skill.”

CJ laughs. “It’s a lawyer’s office now. A divorce attorney!”

When Liddie was a senior in high school, she went to hear a poet read. Her voice was like CJ’s, all bells and flutes and enunciated

The front door opens, a little bell ringing when it does. A youngish

words. Liddie fell under her spell. When the reading was over,

woman, not too much older than Liddie, walks in with three little

she couldn’t tell you one line the poet recited, yet she felt as if

ones tagging behind her. The youngest child, a girl in a red velvet

she understood every stanza.

coat, wipes her nose with her white mitten.

She considers CJ’s comment about feelings. “I’ve been feeling

“Where do you live now?” Liddie asks, and CJ tells her she has

like I don’t want to go home,” Liddie says.

an apartment a few blocks away.

“Why is that?”

CJ’s face brightens, and she claps her hands. “Come see it!” she says.

Liddie looks at her coffee. “My husband left me the first week of

CJ’s apartment smells like patchouli and just-baked bread. Silk

October. And then he came back at Christmas.”

scarves drape the lamps in the small living room, and bookshelves line the walls. There is a sign above the kitchen table that reads,

Liddie holds up her right hand and shows the diamond ring that

“Earth’s Crammed with Heaven – Elizabeth Barrett Browning.”

sparkles on her finger. “He bought me this,” she says.

And in the china hutch, tiny origami cranes rest, made from bits of wrapping paper, so many it’s impossible to count.

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52

southern fiction

“What’s the deal with the cranes?” Liddie asks, and CJ tells her

The Arkansas is only a few blocks from where they are now.

the Japanese legend. How you fold a thousand for yourself or

They gather the cranes in grocery sacks and head out. Liddie

someone in need. “They make wishes come true,” she says, her

holds CJ’s arm when they get near the water, leading her down

chin raised, as if she’s expecting Liddie to refute the claim.

the slope to the soggy bank. A light mist is falling, and the sun is nowhere in sight.

Liddie looks at the older woman’s knobby fingers, wondering how she makes those intricate folds, over and over again.

Liddie kneels on the wet ground. She takes a handful of the cranes, some glossy pink, some made of Christmas paper, some

“What’s your wish?” Liddie asks, and CJ says, “These aren’t for

a small violet print, and drops them in the water. They bob on

me. I’ve been waiting for the right person to give them to. And

the surface, they float and float, as Liddie scoops up more of the

today I decided. These are yours. All you have to do is tell me

birds and lets them fall.

what you want.”

They look like little flowers on the surface of the water. Liddie Before Liddie can say a word, CJ goes to the kitchen to make

thinks about the night her husband left, how she blocked the

lunch. There’s something healing about having someone cook

bedroom door and wailed as he moved her aside and walked

for you, and Liddie sits in the velvet chair in the living room,

past her. Her cheeks burn at the thought.

listening to CJ work.

And then she thinks of her old friend Bruce. The last day she saw After the grilled cheese sandwiches are ready, Liddie learns

him, she’d been working at the Sonic, just yards from where she

that the cranes take CJ about five minutes each to make. Liddie

is now. When she’d taken him his food, he’d told her he’d just

thinks, Five minutes times a thousand. Such a lot of time.

gotten a job at the Housing Authority, patching up empty apartments. He said, “I freaking love my life.”

CJ breaks Liddie’s concentration. “So,” she says, “what’s your wish?”

Liddie wants to love her life. Wants to wake up eager to see Liddie realizes that her husband hasn’t asked her that question in

what the day will bring. She stands up straighter, watches the

a long time. Not when he moved out, and not when he moved

thousand cranes ride the choppy river.

back in. “I don’t know. A say in how my own life turns out, maybe. A little bit of control over my future.”

CJ has made her way to Liddie’s side, and she slips her arm around Liddie’s waist. The grocery bags are empty now, and the

CJ listens, mentioning three books that might help. And then she

cranes are now beginning to sink. “My university of cranes,”

says, “Sorry about the recommendations. Kind of a habit. You

Liddie says.

read so much, you think you can solve all the world’s problems.

But this is about you and the cranes. If you want to take your life

“Your university of cranes,” CJ repeats. “Oh, how I love that.”

back, then that’s your wish.”

In the weeks to come, Liddie will move her husband into the Liddie’s pulse quickens. “What happens now?”

guest bedroom. She will take a hammer to his bottle of cologne, and he will never ask where it went. She will change her hair, her

CJ says, “Well, you could take the cranes home, spread them

diet, her daily routine. She will start a book club with CJ. She will

across your house. Or, you could release them. Some people let

start taking yoga, will start reading books about meditation. Will

them float away in a stream or lake.”

start folding cranes.

“Or a river?”

Her husband will feel the churning of a man suddenly unsure of his life. By spring, he will realize that he wants to stand in Liddie's

“Sure,” CJ says. “Why not?”

wonder for as long as he can. He just hopes that she’ll let him.

He’ll do anything if she’ll only let him.

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS

HEALTH & WELLNESS DO SOUTH® MAGAZINE

All those Christmas parties, with their rich foods and sugar y desserts.

All those late nights catching up with friends and family when we should have been in bed. If you’re like us, the holidays got you again.

Take heart! Now that it ’s a new year, you have time to focus on your wellbeing. And Do South® can help you get started. In the following pages, you’ll hear from local professionals who can help you look better, eat better, and take care of any health concerns you may have. So take a breath, 2018 could be your best year ever!

8500 South 36th Terrace, Fort Smith 479.648.1800 beautythroughhealth.com All of us have gone through spells of illness. Some of us have felt "bad" for years. We've been worn down by the harsh environment. You've been "ill" for years and your skin, your largest organ, shows it. At Beauty through Health, my goal is to help patients heal from the inside out. I've found Beauty is Health, and it starts from within. We provide, not only our cancer patients, but all our patients with nutritional support, lymphatic therapy, massage, Thermi systems and our newest, EmSella. Make 2018 your healthiest year ever. You deserve it!

4300 Rogers Ave., Ste. #15, Fort Smith 479.785.3277 centerforhearing.net

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Beauty through Health

New Year’s resolutions to "eat better and exercise more" are worthwhile in many ways. Research shows that making corrections in these areas can help guard against developing diabetes. It also shows that adults with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss than those without. In fact, 70% of diabetics between the ages 50-69 have high-frequency hearing loss. Some ways diabetics can lower their risk of hearing loss: exercise regularly and eat nutritious foods, avoid tobacco use, which compounds the risk for hearing loss and have yearly hearing exams to monitor any changes that might occur.

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS

2401 South Waldron Road, Fort Smith 479.452.2020 stileseyegroup.com

3811 Rogers Avenue, Suite A, Fort Smith 479.434.3131 fortsmithmedicalcenter.com.com Tonya Beineman, APN, has been serving citizens of the River Valley since the age of 18. She began her career at the

As we age, the skin around our eyes loses its natural elas-

former St. Edwards Hospital working in the ER as an LPN and

ticity, causing the eyelids to droop and sag. You can erase

continued with her education while providing Primary Health

the signs of aging with Lids By Design, eyelid correcting

Care to all ages in the River Valley. She also owns and operates

strips! They’ll give you an instant eyelift without surgery.

Beineman Aesthetics, which offers Botox & Dermal Fillers. Fort

The medical grade, precision-cut correcting strips invisibly lift

Smith Medical Center services include: Primary Care, Wellness

sagging eyelid skin for a younger, more vibrant appearance.

and Prevention, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Weight Loss,

Lids By Design is a safe, non-surgical solution that’s afford-

Women's Health, High Cholesterol, Hypertension, Diabetes, and

able and easy to use, for both women and men. This product

Heart Health. Tonya and her experienced staff offer aesthetic

is hypoallergenic, latex-free and can be worn comfortably

services at extremely competitive rates. Aesthetic consultations

all day. Contact Dr. Steven Stiles Eye Group at 2401 South

are free! Services include Facials, Microdermabrasion, Back

Waldron Road, 479-452-2020.

Facials, Eyelash Lift, Fills and Extensions, Chemical Peels, Brow Shapes and Tints, Spray Tans, Makeup Application, as well as

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Face and Body Waxing.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

M &M GRASSFED FARMS 1401 South J Street, Fort Smith 479.785.3300 healthsouthfortsmith.com

1414 Fayetteville Road, Van Buren 479.474.4505 Go beyond organic – Go for Animal Welfare Approved - Certified Grass-fed Beef. At M&M Farms in Rudy, we raise the cattle from birth to processing. They stay on our farm for their entire

Hospital of Fort Smith can help you or a loved one get back

life. We provide an all forage-based diet for them. Farm to

home—safer, stronger, and sooner. In fact, the average

Table from M&M Farms ensures high-quality nutrition at the

stay at HealthSouth is 14 days, with discharge back to the

table. A complete selection of M&M Farms Certified Grass-fed

community. Regain your independence in record time. Call

beef products, recipes, and helpful hints are available daily

for more information.

at The Paint Store, 1414 Fayetteville Road in Van Buren: call 479.474.4505. Go beyond organic – Go Certified Grassfed Beef. Stop by for a visit, get to know your farmer!

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After an accident or illness, HealthSouth Rehabilitation

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS

fiber and lean meats, eggs or cheese for protein, Metcalf says your body won’t feel as deprived when you begin to limit fat and carbohydrates. He suggests a minimum of 25 grams of fiber a day.

Another smart way to stick to your resolution (and enjoy it) is to plan your meals ahead of time.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

By eating things like leafy greens, fresh fruit and beans for

“If you know its ‘pizza night’ with your family or friends, make

Blake Metcalf

smart choices early in the day,” he said. “That could mean having a 200-calorie protein shake for breakfast, followed by something that’s light, but high in fiber and protein, like a salad with grilled chicken and fruit for lunch.”

And finally, Metcalf says it’s important to separate your

REALISTIC RESOLUTIONS FOR A HEALTHY WEIGHT

weight loss goals from your exercise goals. While it has proven health benefits, exercise alone typically doesn’t promote weight loss.

Alicia Agent/Sparks Health System “With any diet or fitness regime, it’s important to weigh the From Ketogenic to Paleo, your news feed is likely filled with

risks versus the reward and consult a physician or dietitian if

dozens of diet trends as Americans resolve to lose weight

you have any concerns,” Metcalf said.

and get healthy (again) in 2018. But before we start trading in our bread for bacon, we sat down with Blake Metcalf, MS,

Dietitians, such as those at the Sparks Nutrition Counseling

RD, LD, BC-ADM, CDE, Clinical Nutrition Manager at Sparks

Center on Lexington Avenue, offer a wide-range of services

Nutrition Counseling Center to discuss realistic ways to

not only for those wanting to lose weight, but for those living

keep your weight loss resolution.

with diabetes, renal failure, cancer, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, anemia, eating disorders, and other

“There’s a reason why you never see a reunion episode of

medical conditions. Sparks’ team of registered dietitians and

those weight loss shows,” Metcalf said. “That’s not their real

a nutrition education coordinator can provide individualized

life. If a diet doesn’t fit into your lifestyle, it’s not going to

analyses and nutrition plans. The center also hosts

work in the long term.”

6-week weight loss seminars throughout the year where participants get access to not only the nutrition experts, but

Metcalf says while some of the diet trends work and are

a professional chef and trainer.

most lifestyles. He suggests making realistic changes,

For more information on services offered by the center or

such as adding protein and fiber to your diet, in an effort

how you can enroll in the next 6-week weight loss program,

to eat healthier.

call (479) 441-4183.

“Our body has one goal and that’s to survive to see the next day, it doesn’t care what it looks like in a bikini, so when you cut your calories severely to lose weight, your body will try to get back to its ‘comfortable’ weight,” Metcalf said.

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a great way to get started, they aren’t easy to sustain in

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Sparks Regional Medical Center 1001 Towson Ave., Fort Smith 479.709.DOCS sparkshealth.com

Jeanna Lee, MS, CPT wellonyourwayllc.com coach@wellonyourwayllc.com

Sparks Health System has been a trusted part of your commu-

Are you seeking guidance, support, and accountability on your

nity since we became Arkansas’ first hospital in 1887. Our

journey to a healthy lifestyle? Well On Your Way, LLC, offers

system includes Sparks Regional Medical Center, Sparks Medical

individualized online wellness coaching designed to fit your

Center – Van Buren, Sparks Clinic, Sparks PremierCare and

schedule, goals, abilities, and physiology. Jeanna Lee, coach

the fully hospital-integrated Marvin Altman Fitness Center. At

and author of Well on Your Way with God, holds a Master

Sparks, we skillfully combine advanced technology, expert care,

of Exercise Science and Health Promotion Degree and is a

clinical research and a commitment to patient safety to keep

Certified Personal Trainer. She works with you personally to

our patients in excellent health. With one of the busiest emer-

address all aspects of your health and wellness. Learn to make

gency departments in the state and numerous clinics serving an

lasting changes to achieve living a healthy lifestyle, instead of

11-county area, we are committed to being a leader in health-

making temporary resolutions.

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care. For more information visit SparksHealth.com.

Read Chair Publishing, LLC 4300 Rogers Avenue, Suite 20-110 Fort Smith, AR 72903