®
GAZE
October 2016 DoSouthMagazine.com
CONTENTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / OWNER Catherine Frederick CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Scott Frederick MANAGING EDITOR Marla Cantrell CONTRIBUTING WRITERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS Marla Cantrell Kellie Cobb Catherine Frederick Nancy Hartney John Post Rachel Putman Addi McNeel Jessica Sowards James Steufix GRAPHIC DESIGNER Artifex 323 - Jessica Mays
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PROOFREADER Charity Chambers PUBLISHER Read Chair Publishing, LLC
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INSIDE
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FINN Finnie Wigglebutt has come a long way since he was found abandoned in the woods, with little hope of surviving. Meet the women who saved him, and how he’s returning the love tenfold.
NO TRICKS, JUST TREATS
ADVERTISING INFORMATION Catherine Frederick - 479.782.1500 Catherine@DoSouthMagazine.com
EDITORIAL INFORMATION Marla Cantrell - 479.831.9116 Marla@DoSouthMagazine.com
A mummy, a jack-o-lantern, and Frankenstein take on new roles as yummy mini-cakes in mason jars. Frightfully delicious and easy-peasy to make!
©2016 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
STUFFED
Cover Image: Karuka
You'll never see baby pumpkins the same way again. We've stuffed them with grains and shrimp along with Andouille sausage for a meal that will have you praising autumn's bounty.
ARKTOBER Oh, Arkansas, how we love you in the fall. Soft breezes, bright leaves, and so many fall festivals we could celebrate every single weekend. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
FOLLOW US Annual subscriptions are $30 (12 months), within the contiguous United States. Subscribe at DoSouthMagazine.com or mail check to 7030 Taylor Avenue, Suite 5, Fort Smith, AR, 72916. Single issues are available upon request for $7. Inquiries or address changes, call 479.782.1500.
letter from the editor
F
Falling for fall. It’s what I do
paint murals and create sculptures in the downtown area, and
every year. As much as I love
an additional mural in Fayetteville. If you haven't seen them yet,
summer, I adore everything
please make plans to do so.
about this season. From the crisp, cool mornings to the
It wouldn't be Do South® without those heart-tugging stories
sun snuggling low on the
we love so much. You won't find a better one than the tale
horizon early in the evenings.
of Finnie Wigglebutt, a stray lost in the woods and rescued by
It means football and fire
the volunteers of the Charleston Dog Shelter. Today, Finnie has
pits, layers of warmth on my
been adopted by a woman who says he changed her life, and
bed, a kaleidoscope of leaves
he's giving back, visiting the young and old alike, bringing joy
outside my windows, and the crunch of the frost-covered
everywhere he goes.
ground beneath my boots. It also means the start of fall festivals and soul-warming foods bubbling in the oven, creating
And while you have your tissues out, read Jessica Sowards'
tempting scents, as thick as a blanket, wafting through the air.
powerful essay on women and friendship and why it matters. Then, read our article about natural remedies to get you ready
We were thinking of all these things as we put together this
for the upcoming cold and flu season in the hopes you won’t
issue. We started by gathering sixteen festivals that showcase
need those tissues as much!
what's unique about Arkansas, from cornbread and outhouse races to arts and crafts shows, and of course lots of great music.
As always, Marla Cantrell has written a short story that connects us to the South. Read "The State Bird of Arkansas," about a
From there, we found a recipe you're going to love that starts
math-challenged woman, the job that nearly did her in, the
with baby pumpkins! Oh my goodness, it's so delicious. And then
stranger she met who gave her back her confidence.
I stepped in to make two fun and easy crafts for Halloween. I don't know which is my favorite, the planter/vase made from a jack-o-
All this, plus a great book recommendation, and an entire special
lantern treat bucket or the Frankenstein cake made in a mason jar.
section devoted to our women readers. Learn about the busi-
So cute! Try them both and let me know what you think!
nesses, products, and services that can make your life better!
In October, hiking is an epic pastime in Arkansas, and we
Now that our October issue is on the stands, I'm already looking
talked to Jim Warnock, the principal at Alma Intermediate
forward to Thanksgiving. Time passes so quickly, so I'd like to
School and a wonderful writer, whose hiking book on the
encourage you to savor every moment. I plan to do the same,
Ozarks is being released in just a few days.
loving every day of fall, and treasuring the beauty of Arkansas.
Around Fort Smith, everyone's talking about The Unexpected Project that brought international artists to town once again to
~Catherine
Follow Do South® Magazine
To reserve this free space for your charitable non-profit organization, email: Editors@DoSouthMagazine.com
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UPCLOSE&PERSONAL
&
UP CLOSE PERSONAL
Wendy Dean D&D Floor Covering 1323 Main Street Van Buren, Arkansas 479.474.0533 DDFloorCovering.com
ABOUT D&D FLOOR COVERING D&D Floor Covering is a complete home design center selling and professionally installing all types of floor coverings and custom window treatments. We are designers and decorators who can help our clients create kitchens, baths, whole houses, and commercial businesses that will function beautifully and look extraordinary. Our large showroom is a treat to visit with lots to see. We're known for our exceptional service and help in making the process of change fun and easy.
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UPCLOSE&PERSONAL
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
"Kill them with kindness."
MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT I
trout fish.
3 PRODUCTS WENDY CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:
Lip gloss, snacks, the Word.
WHEN I WAS A KID, I WANTED TO GROW UP TO BE
a teacher. I NEVER MET
THE MOST UNUSUAL THING IN MY FRIDGE IS
sourdough starter.
I WAS BORN IN
a kid I didn't like. MY WORST HABIT IS
Harrison, Arkansas. I LIVE IN
Van Buren.
The last time I did something that scared me was when I learned to scuba dive.
that I try to finish my husband's sentences. MY BEST HABIT IS
that I love to cook.
I'M INSPIRED BY
my family and friends.
IF I COULD CHOOSE AN ACTOR TO PLAY MY LIFE, IT WOULD BE
THE BEST THING ABOUT MY JOB IS
Sandra Bullock.
helping people make their dream home come to life.
MY FIRST CAR WAS A
1964 Chevy Nova with a 327 engine. MY FIRST JOB WAS
I never leave home without lip gloss.
as an assistant coach for a summer baseball program. IF CALORIES DIDN'T COUNT,
I'd eat potato chips and dip every day.
My favorite fashion trend is scarves.
MY BEST FRIENDS DESCRIBE ME AS MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT ARKANSAS IS
the four distinct seasons. MY SUPERPOWER IS
kind-hearted.
IF I COULD TAKE A YEAR OFF FROM MY JOB,
I'd visit all the national parks.
MY BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME EVER WAS
Snow White.
God.
DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
MY GRANDDAUGHTER
always makes me smile.
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poetry
Front THE
Porch LINEs Kellie Cobb
In Summer it's bugs and webs and such. In Fall it's acorns and leaves. I really don’t mind it all that much Except when it makes me sneeze. Which would, of course, be in the Spring When the whole dang porch is yellow, And dragging a broom through that miserable stuff Makes me a miserable fellow. So give me webs and acorns and leaves Fall comes and goes without warning. Here in the South you know it’s Fall When the day is as cool as the morning.
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calendar
OCTOBER 7
TH
Submit your events to editors@dosouthmagazine.com
Family fun, great shopping, live music, a kids' carnival, lots of food, and helicopter rides, all on Main Street in downtown Van Buren. Free to attend, see website for details.
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Survivors' Challenge and Over the Edge Fort Smith reynoldscancersupporthouse.org
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Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, 8pm Fort Smith itickets.com
The Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House is hosting the Survivors’ Challenge with a 10K Grand Prix, 5K Run/Walk, Celebration Walk and wheelchair race. Also, fundraisers will be rappelling down First National Bank on Garrison Avenue. See website for details.
Musical comedy group Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, known for their "bro country" sound, will perform at the ArcBest Performing Arts Center in Fort Smith. See website for pricing.
7-9
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Read, Write, Share Fort Smith writingourworldpress.com
Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Fair Van Buren oldtownvanburen.com
TH
This one-day writers' workshop is for anyone interested in writing memoir and personal stories and is hosted by author Janis Kearney. Published authors will share their work. See website for pricing and enrollment.
DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
21, 22, 28, 29, 31T H Murder and Mayhem Haunted Trolley Tour Fort Smith fortsmithmuseum.org Take a ride through downtown Fort Smith, the Belle Grove District, and nearby areas to hear eerie local legends. Enjoy Halloween treats, drinks, and ghost stories along with the haunted areas of the Fort Smith Museum of History. 21 & over, reservations required. See website for pricing and details.
calendar
THETOPTENTHETOPTEN 22
ND
Taste of Fort Smith Fort Smith Find them on Facebook Head to the Fort Smith Convention Center to sample food and drinks from area restaurants. Tickets are $15 per person, per meal. Five local charities benefit from the proceeds. Tickets at the door, or in advance at the Fort Smith Chamber. See Facebook for details.
Oktoberfest Fort Smith downtownfs.com The fun starts at the downtown Fort Smith Farmer's Market with pony rides beginning at 9am. A pumpkin carving contest begins at 10am. Live music, an art walk, a car show, and even a haunted house! See website for details.
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Girls Shelter Pasta Dinner/Silent Auction Fort Smith girlsshelterfs.org A great pasta dinner, a silent auction, and all proceeds benefit the Girls Shelter. Curbside pickup is also available. This event is in memory of Brenda Stovall and is being held at Westark Church of Christ Family Center. See website for pricing and details.
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29, 30 T H 40/29 & The Arkansas CW Women's Living Expo Fort Smith
Cause for Paws Dinner and Awards Fort Smith
womenslivingexpo.com/FortSmith2016
Kay Rodgers Park Expo Center is the place to be for a night of music, dinner, a live and silent auction, and an awards presentation, all to benefit the animals at the Sebastian County Humane Society. Tickets available at the shelter. See website for pricing and details.
Fashion shows, cooking classes, costume contests, and tons of shopping at the Fort Smith Convention Center. More than 200 exhibitors, special events and experts in health, fitness, families, finance, career, home, food, entertaining, and more. See website for pricing and details.
sebastiancountyhumanesociety.org
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community
THE
Strikes Again images courtesy Mike Bell, Bryan Alexis, and Raymesh Cintro’n
For the second year in a row, The Unexpected, an arts and culture initiative curated by JUSTKIDS, struck downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas. In their wake, they left behind representations from cultures around the globe and vibrant reminders of why art matters.
For a map featuring artists and addresses for each project, visit 646downtown.com, or download The Unexpected FS App from the App Store or Google Play.
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community
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entertainment
Half Wild by Robin MacArthur Ecco and imprint of Harper Collins | 207 pages | $24.99 review Marla Cantrell
I was once told that you should treat every word in a short story
him to come home, she reflects on her life before Vermont, when
as if it was on trial for its life. In short stories, there's no room for
she lived unremarkably in Ohio. She thinks about the day she gave
long descriptions or time to meander inside the mind of a char-
her son a book of poetry when he graduated from high school,
acter. You put your characters to work from the first sentence,
hoping his life would be easier than hers. One night, as her neigh-
and you follow them on their epic journeys, which is why I love
bors throw a Christmas party, she watches as they dance inside
short stories so much.
their big, bright house. And when her doorbell rings later, she fears someone's come with bad news about her boy. But the visit
So, when I found Robin MacArthur's debut book, Half Wild, I felt
brings her hope, which she sees as a Christmas miracle.
a wave of anticipation. The book is a collection of eleven intertwined short stories, all set in rural Vermont, all told by those
My favorite story was "Love Bird" which chronicles the last days
who live there, who have an unbreakable bond with the place
of a man named Tub, who charmed women and horses, and his
they call home.
wife, Vi. As they travel the roads they know so well, they look back on their life together, the unending love they have, and the
This book, however, doesn't show a picture-perfect postcard of
place they call home. At the local cemetery, they read the names
Vermont. Winters are bitter. Two of the characters live in a house
on the stones, Constance, Ezekial, Zipporah, Desire. The dates
that's nothing more than a collection of tarpaper rooms, built
go all the way back to 1790, and many are ancestors of Tub's.
one after the other like a maze. Others live in trailers or ancient farmhouses in need of repair. But there is also beauty, views of
When Vi talks about meeting Tub for the first time, she says, "He
the mountains, places where you can see all the way to New
was charmed by me, too. Sixteen in a truck, pretty as any of these
Hampshire, fields that hold a kind of glory.
young back-to-the-land women are, but I knew how to rope a horse and build a shed and strip the bark off a tree. Now I've been
In "Maggie in the Trees," Pete falls in love with his best friend's
weathered by sun and wind, and I know I'm missing one front
wife, and the fact wrenches his heart. When Maggie goes
tooth, but it's okay. Tub loves me just the same. That I know."
missing, Pete and Maggie's husband search for her, looking in the deep woods near her home, staying up nights searching for
That love, constant, unending, is the star of this brilliant book. Half
any sign of life.
Wild will make you consider the value of home, the people you let into your life, and the importance of living where you do.
In "The Long Road Turns to Joy," Apple is a single mom who's only son is fighting the war in Afghanistan. While she prays for
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entertainment
Louis Sachar
TRUE LIT
True Lit 2015
Words Nancy Hartney image courtesy Fayetteville Public Library
E
Each October, the Fayetteville Public Library celebrates the world
Fayetteville Public Schools, Fayetteville Education Foundation,
of writing. The literary event is called True Lit, its name a play
Fayetteville Montessori School, the University of Arkansas Program
on True Grit, the famous book and subsequent movie written by
in Creative Writing and Translation, and the Walton Arts Center
renowned Arkansas author, Charles Portis.
co-sponsor the festival.
Putting together the festival takes hard work and lots of planning,
This year's True Lit Festival begins October 18 with Linda Williams
and each year the staff at the library is amazed by the response
Palmer’s evening discussion and presentation of her original
they get from those who attend. As for this year's line-up, Lolly
sketches, Champion Trees of Arkansas: An Artist’s Journey, which
Greenwood, the Fayetteville Director of Youth and Outreach
captures the beauty of our Arkansas hills and plains.
Services and True Lit Coordinating Chair, says she couldn't be more excited. And that excitement starts with the keynote speaker.
Linda Leavell, the author of Holding On Upside Down: The Life
“Author Louis Sachar, winner of the National Book Award and
and Work of Marianne Moore, presents a hands-on workshop,
Newbery Medal, writes children's books," Lolly says. "Although
“Narrative Nonfiction: Turning Facts into Story.” Winner of the
best known for the Wayside School series and Holes, he’s also
PEN Award and Plutarch Award for 2013, the book was also a
written There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom, Fuzzy Mud, and Small
finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Steps. This is our fourth year in a row that we have featured a Newbery Award-winning author as our keynote.”
With more than forty books to his credit, William Bernhardt leads writers in the “Fundamentals of Fiction.” He’s best known for
Lolly says the Fayetteville Literary Festival became a reality when
his blockbuster Ben Kincaid mystery series and the Red Sneakers
“the partners realized that individually we were all promoting
how-to books on writing. By the way, he can beat you at Scrabble
the same goal of literature, literacy and the love of reading. We
and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.
realized we could offer more collectively than as individuals.” DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
entertainment
There will be a workshop designed for poets led by UA's Geof-
Claudia Rankine, the author of five poetry collections, two plays,
frey Brock called “Generating Poetry Imitations.” This workshop
and editor of several anthologies, appears as the University of
offers an introduction to poetic imitation, the process of creating
Arkansas Program in Creative Writing and Translation Distin-
new poems by using existing poems as models. They will examine
guished Reader on the following Thursday, October 27. She is best
several famous instances of poetic imitation by poets such as
known for Citizen: An American Lyric.
W.B. Yeats, Donald Justice, and Anne Carson, and participants will write an imitation of their own as an in-class exercise.
It's an exciting line-up, and Lolly says there's something at True Lit for every age. “Our event has grown from one day into a multi-
By Saturday, authors, and writers, craft tools firmly in hand,
day extravaganza for teens, adults, and children with author talks,
will have an opportunity for a one-on-one session with book
live music, art, writing workshop, and reading suggestions. We
publishers to pitch their work for publication. Graphic novelist
encourage all ages to read and tell their stories. I’m so proud of
Cole Closser and self-publication guru Darcy Pattison also appear.
our community and their support of literacy.”
On Sunday UA Press Spotlight Author Jerry McConnell presents
The festival is offered each October. Through the combined
The Improbable Life of the Arkansas Democrat, a non-fiction
efforts of co-sponsors and partnering organizations, The Fayette-
account of how a second-place paper overtook the oldest news-
ville Literary Festival has hosted such notables as Lois Lowry, Jack
paper west of the Mississippi and changed Arkansas journalism
Gantos, Jacqueline Woodson, Zadie Smith, Roy Reed, Donald
and Arkansas history.
Harington, Jericho Brown, Miller Williams, and Daniel Woodrell. The 2016 Festival may just be the best one yet.
True Lit 2016 Day-by-Day Schedule of Events
“Self-Publishing IS an Option” with writer Darcy Pattison Cole Closser with “Graphic Novels for Adults”
October 17 - “Three-day Youth Writing Camp” with Clayton Scott
October 23 - Jerry McConnell - UA Press Spotlight presentation: The Improbable Life of the Arkansas Democrat, music with harpist Beth Stockdell, and Small Hands Montessori Art Walk
October 18 - Champion Trees of Arkansas: An Artist’s Journey with Linda Williams Palmer
October 24 - “Writing Camp for Teens” with Clayton Scott October 19 - “Narrative Nonfiction: Turning Facts into Story” with biographer Linda Leavell October 20 - “Fundamentals of Fiction” with author William Bernhardt
October 25 - “The Great Reveal: Rare Books Up Close and Personal” with Valerie Sallis of Crystal Bridges October 26 - Open Public Presentation with Newbery Award winner and keynote guest author Louis Sachar
October 21 - “Generating Poetry Imitations” with Geoffrey Brock October 22, Various, Full-day Events Book publisher presentation followed by one-on-one pitch sessions; sign-up required Darcy Pattison reads from Nefertiti, the Spidernaut Cole Closser with “Graphic Novels for Teens”
October 27 - University of Arkansas Program in Creative Writing and Translation Distinguished Reader Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen: An American Lyric All events take place at the Fayetteville Public Library unless otherwise noted. For more information, call 479.856.7250 or visit TrueLitFest.com 2016
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shop
Make Fall Even Brighter - Shop Local! words Catherine Frederick imageS Catherine Frederick and vendors
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Baileys Pumpkin Spice and Crown Royal Vanilla Flavored Whiskey
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Shop local and come away with unique products that will get you ready for the changing season. An added bonus? You'll be supporting your community. We call that a win-win!
Fossil Handbag and Wallet, Corky's Zip-Up Booties
SUNSHINE SHOP AT MERCY FORT SMITH 479.314.6079
Sweet Dream Pendant, 1.15cts., 18kt. White Gold
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The Original Trader Vic’s Macadamia Nut Liqueur, Clear Creek Apple Brandy, Pearl Pumpkin Spice Vodka
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Wool Area Rugs
D&D FLOOR COVERING 479.474.0533
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pets
Lost and Found Adopt your furry soulmate!
F
F
F
M
Candace
Cassidy
M
Bogie
Kyra
F
Boomer Sooner
Vanna White
Charleston Dog Shelter Donations are always needed and greatly appreciated. Charleston Dog Shelter | Charleston, AR 72933 | 479.965.3591 | Find us on Petfinder™ |
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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people
THE AMAZING
Finnie Wigglebutt Words Marla Cantrell images courtesy Danielle Sewell
DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
people
I
In July, as the heat of summer spun out of control, Finnie
world because I don't think I can do it.' And she said, 'Mom,
(Finn) Wigglebutt struggled to survive. At ten weeks old, the
don't even talk like that.'"
part Australian shepherd, part Catahoula, weighed only nine pounds. Lost in the woods in Alma, Arkansas, he hunted for
In the time it took Janet to reach the clinic, Sophie decided things
food and water to keep him alive. Mange had taken almost all
would get better if the pup had a name. "Sophie was on her
his fur, and his skin, red and inflamed,
phone, looking at options. She said,
hurt as he walked. When he heard a
'We need a name that means warrior
distant howl or a hawk overhead, his
or survivor.' And as she searched those
head, which was perpetually bowed,
words, the name Finn came up."
dropped even lower. If Finn was good for anything, his demeanor seemed
Naming the puppy seemed to be a
to say, it was probably as a snack for
turning point. When they carried him
a predator as hungry as he was.
into the clinic, Finnie Wigglebutt was a puppy with a future, not an abandoned
In time, he made his way to the house
stray whose life was unbearable.
of a kind woman, who looked out her door and saw Finn. Just a few weeks
Dr. Holden had good news. He could
before, Finn's sister had shown up,
treat the pain, the parasites Finn had
and she'd treated her for mange. But
picked up, and the mange. And so
Finn's condition was so much worse,
Janet took him home. For days, he
and she knew he needed professional
slept on towels because his skin kept
help. She contacted every place she
peeling off, and his bedding needed
could think of. A call to Kitties and
to be changed often. Janet got up
Kanines Veterinarian Clinic in Fort Smith connected her to Janet Sewell,
through the night, checking on Finn, her hand softly touching the crown
Janet Sewell
a volunteer at the Charleston Dog
of his sweet head. She and her family
Shelter, which is about thirty-five
massaged him with coconut oil. They
miles from Alma.
hand-fed him. They carried him outside to go to the bathroom for the first two days. When it seemed as if his kidneys might
When Janet got the text message on July 11, her heart broke.
be shutting down, they gave him Pedialyte, a drink to combat
There on her phone was a photo of little Finn. He looked as if
dehydration, to pull him out of the crisis.
he'd been dipped in a pot of boiling water. Janet called Susan Hayes, another volunteer with the Charleston shelter. "I said, 'Susan, you may shoot me, but there's this pitiful little dog,' and Susan, without missing a beat, said, 'Go get the puppy!' If she had said the expense would have been too great because Finn was in such bad shape and it was highly likely he couldn't have been saved no matter how hard we tried, I would have
“Honestly, I fell for him the first time I saw him; there's something about his eyes." - Janet Sewell
understood, but that's what's so great about Susan." The following morning, Janet and her teenage daughter,
Three days after Janet brought Finn home, he stood up and ate.
Sophie, picked up Finn to take him to their vet. On the way to
The first week, he gained a pound a day. After he had mastered
Dr. Holden's office, Sophie held out great hope that Finn would
standing up, he walked, and then trotted, and by then, he'd
live. "But I had to tell her, 'You need to prepare yourself that he
stolen Janet's heart. "Honestly," she says, "I fell for him the first
may not come home with us. You can hold him as he leaves this
time I saw him; there's something about his eyes."
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people
Janet, who works at Charleston Schools, realized Finn's story
The money made a big difference to the Charleston Dog Shelter.
needed to be told. She started
They need about fifteen hundred
sharing his plight almost as soon as
dollars a month to operate, taking
she met him, on the shelter's Face-
care of approximately twenty-eight
book page. She's a great storyteller,
dogs. They don't receive municipal
and that gift along with the photos
monies, so their funding comes from
of Finn resonated across the nation.
donations and an occasional fifty
Soon, people from California and
dollar adoption fee.
Wisconsin and Illinois and New York and South Carolina were
Behind
commenting on the plight of this
growing closer and closer to Finn. As
incredible dog. And many of them
the days passed, his fur grew back,
were sending donations.
in tufts on his ears and tail, and the
the
scenes,
Janet
was
effect was like comic relief in a room When followers found out Finn
filled with tension. Janet knew she'd
could only eat scrambled eggs
have to give him up one day—she
and chicken, they donated fifty
has four rescue dogs of her own—
dozen eggs and eighty pounds of
but the idea caused her heart to
chicken, and since Finn couldn't
ache. Several people wanted Finn,
possibly eat it all, the dogs at the
and a few visited, but none seemed
shelter benefitted greatly. Then,
to make a connection the way that
Susan set up a Go Fund Me page
Jacky Fleming did.
Jacky Fleming
to help defer the high cost of treating Finn, and in three hours,
As for Jacky, she knew the first time
the one thousand dollar goal had been met, and not long
she held Finn, that her heart belonged to him. Since December
after, the number had risen to three thousand.
2015, she'd been unemployed. Jacky needed a purpose, and even though her husband assured her they'd be fine, she felt
DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
people
empty. "I needed a point to my days," Jacky says, "and I already
wipes her eyes, and Finn jumps down to go to her, nudging
loved him. I begged Janet to let me have him."
her hand with his soft head. He has found a world where people are kind, he is adored, and treats keep coming like it's
When Finn was six weeks old, Janet agreed. Taking Finn to Jacky
Christmas morning. And that is miracle enough for this happy
was too much for her, so Janet's husband drove him. Since that
little dog named Finn.
time, Jacky has found her purpose again. And this time, it's playing second fiddle to a dog whose popularity grows by the day. "He's a born healer," Jacky says. And so she takes him places, driving him to visit the elderly or kids who are in crisis. Finn seems to know what people need, his gentle heart the exact right medicine. In August, Finn was helping raise money for the Charleston Shelter at Pet Smart in Fort Smith, and fans of his came all the way from Little Rock just to meet him. These days, Jacky is filled with ideas. She thinks she'll have him certified as a therapy dog so that he can do even more good.
For more on the Charleston Dog Shelter, visit their Facebook page. Charleston Dog Shelter has been caring for our area's homeless, adoptable dogs since 1997. All-volunteer staff. No paid personnel. No outside funding of any kind. Donations and an occasional $50 adoption fee for a fully-vetted dog make up our operating fund.
"I know it's cheesy, but they say a rescue dog can rescue you, and that's what he's done for me. Finn's done way more for me than I have for him. Janet saved him; she trained him, she taught him love. I got the easy part." As Jacky says this, Finnie Wigglebutt shuttles between Jacky and Janet, his tail wagging. He jumps onto Janet's lap, and he
Community spay/neuter outreach program involving financial assistance to people in need who wish to spay/neuter their pets. The shelter thanks the City of Charleston for allowing them the use of city land, city water, and electricity.
is so big Janet has a hard time holding him. But she draws him closer anyway and brushes a tear from her eye. And then Jacky
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diy
NO TRICKS,
JUST TREATS words and image Catherine Frederick inspired by Pinterest
DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
diy
Stop what you’re doing! You must make these adorable and delicious Halloween treats right now. Super easy, and just the right size for the little creatures in your life!
MATERIALS
METHOD
•
6 half-pint mason jars
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare cake mix as directed
•
1 black Painter’s marker
on box. Divide batter evenly into 3 bowls. Use food
•
12 wiggly eyes
coloring to color 1 bowl green, 1 bowl orange and
•
Gauze, 2” width
leave 1 white.
•
Hot glue
•
Sprinkles
Fill jars halfway, a little less than ½ cup, (no more or
(black, green, white)
they will overflow). This makes 2 of each color. Place
•
1 box white cake mix
jars on baking sheet in center of oven. Bake 15-20
•
Food coloring
minutes. Check them beginning at the 15-minute mark
(green, orange) •
and remove before they begin to brown. Let cool.
1 can black icing
(I used Betty Crocker Decorating Cake Icing) •
1 tub buttercream icing
Decorate jars using marker, wiggly eyes, and gauze. Place icing into separate piping bags, 1 for each color.
(I used Duncan Hines Homestyle)
Swirl frosting on top of cakes, add sprinkles. These
3 piping bags with desired tips
make adorable gifts, just be sure to screw on the lid!
•
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diy
P
P u m a p t ki n n a l
words and image Catherine Frederick inspired by Pinterest
Looking for a quick and inexpensive way to dress up your front porch or kitchen table? Grab a plastic pumpkin treat bucket and some Rust-oleum Hammered spray paint. Spray exterior of pumpkin, let dry. Fill with your favorite fall flowers. VoilĂ ! Instant gratification. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
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Smith Creek Elise Falls
WHEN IN DOUBT words Marla Cantrell images courtesy Jim Warnock
"When in doubt, take a step." - Jim Warnock's mom
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J
Jim Warnock has worn down the soles of hiking shoes until
The blog started as a
they are as smooth as a pair of loafers. The erosion takes place
way to keep track of
over months, as he walks across hills, through valleys, beside
his adventures. He took
waterfalls that catch the sun's rays, throwing diamonds of light
photos that kept getting
across an already breathtaking landscape.
better, and he began to gain followers. A few
When he thinks about what it means to hike, it seems to him
years
that one of the great benefits is how it instills gratitude. Some-
writing occasional hiking
times, standing on a ledge overlooking an expanse of trees and
features for Do South®
water, he feels connected to earth and sky and all the animals
magazine. All this expe-
that inhabit them.
rience and a good dose
ago,
he
started
of natural talent caused As he traces his love for nature, he draws a straight line back
Menasha Ridge Press to
to his childhood in El Dorado, Arkansas, a town that now has
come calling, asking Jim to
approximately 19,000 residents. When he was seven years old,
write a trail guide for them.
Jim Warnock
his dad cleared a narrow path on their property that bordered a forest, and told Jim it was his trail. At seven years of age, the
Jim thought back to when he'd started hiking, and how nature
world can be anything you want, and a trail all your own can
photographer/writer Tim Ernst's guides opened doors for him.
be as miraculous as a moon rocket. Jim might have outgrown
On the trails, he'd consult his trail guide and marvel at Tim's
the glory of it, had his father not taken an interest in what it
ability to describe, in such vivid detail, what Jim was seeing as
meant to Jim. There on their land, his dad answered his ques-
he walked along.
tions about what he was seeing in the woods around him. Jim learned to identify trees by their leaves. He learned to listen to
So he said yes to the book. He initially felt a wave of trepidation,
the symphony that rises up in places that are far enough away
and then he remembered what his mother tells him. “When in
from cars and television sets and the rattle of everyday life.
doubt,” she says, “take a step.” And then he thought about the kids at Alma Intermediate, and what a gift it would be to
In those childhood years, he and his friends would sometimes
show them that dreams do come true and that learning new
camp in the woods, and he'd walk back to his home in the early
things lasts a lifetime.
morning hours to get fresh eggs from the chicken coop to fry for breakfast. He could stay away from home for a few hours at a time without causing concern, riding his bike, playing with friends, and looking back he sees that the freedom he took for granted doesn't exist in a child's world today. At school, when he heard his teachers read aloud, he was mystified. "I thought writing was magic," Jim says. So, the love of these two things, nature and storytelling, developed early in life. Sixteen years ago, Jim took over as principal at the intermediate school in Alma, Arkansas. Part of the allure of the new position was how close the town is to the Ozark Highlands Trail, which starts at Lake Fort Smith State Park. After he and his family had moved, he hit the trails. Hiking brought new friends, and eventually, Jim
Rocky Falls to Klepzig Mill
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In mid-October, Jim's book, Five-Star Trails: The Ozarks, debuts. Jim took the photos, hiked the featured trails at least twice, and carefully described every one of them. The book covers fortythree trails, split almost evenly between Arkansas and Missouri, and Jim can't pick a favorite. He is excited, though, to share the Smith Creek Trail with readers, a place that is not as widely known. "I heard about that trail at a restaurant in Jasper, and it's a little jewel on the Buffalo River." Lake Alma Trail is another exciting chapter for Jim since it's not been written up in any trail guide before. On the cover of the book, is Jim's dog, a black pup that adopted Alley Spring Mill
him while he and some friends were on the Ozark Highlands Trail. "This skin-and-bones dog came walking up on Mile 138," Jim says, "and we did not have any interest in that dog. But she curled up and slept nearby, and the next morning she followed us at a distance, and it was cold. The second night we started feeding her tuna and beef jerky. She followed us for four more days, about forty-two miles or so, even crossing a creek with us, and when we arrived at the visitors center, we thought we'd find someone who wanted to take her home. When we got there, though, the center was closed because of a burst pipe. "So I thought I'd bring her to Alma and give her away. When I came back home after hiking the OHT, my wife said, 'You got a dog,' and that kind of sealed things. And then I took her to the vet and she had two kinds of worms and had tick fever. She was about a year and a half old. She responded well to treat-
Devil's Den Yellow Rock
ment, and she went from forty pounds to seventy. I call her my personal trainer. There are days when I don't want to go around Lake Alma, but she'll want to go. I named her Hiker." Jim smiles when he talks about his newest four-legged hiking buddy. He adds Hiker to a growing list of what this pastime has brought him. The friends he's made are a joy. His health is good, and he's been able to hike at the Grand Canyon, and just this summer the 211-mile Jim Muir Trail that runs from the Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney, in California. Asked what scares him while he's off the beaten path and it's not what you’d think. He's only seen two black bears while hiking in Arkansas, and both were in quick retreat. His main concerns in his home state are dehydration and illnesses from
Elephant Rocks
ticks and mosquitoes. That's his short and workable list.
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As for what hiking has done for his spiritual life, it's made him mindful. "You think clearer on a hike, away from the hustlebustle. The things you're thankful for are significant, and you have time to think about them. I'm so thankful, even if I'm tired. I think some of my gratefulness might stem back to my teenage years when I had to have corrective heart surgery. I'll be climbing a steep incline at Lake Alma Trail, and I'll just say to myself, I'm so thankful I'm getting to do this. I'm sixty-one, and I feel good. And when you take a picture, and it turns out good, you feel another level of thankfulness because you've gotten to capture that moment." Yes, hiking has done a lot for Jim Warnock. One of the best things is that he gets to share what he loves with other
Smith Creek
people. When his book comes out, he can't wait to hear from readers who may find a new adventure because of the trails he's written about. He can't think of anything better, this man who embraces the untamed world and writes about it with the grace of a poet.
Best fall color hikes in our region of Arkansas: White Rock Mountain Rim Trail Redding Loop and Spy Rock Trail Mount Magazine For more visit Jim's blog, OzarkMountainHiker.com. Redding Loop view Spy Rock
Once it's released, Jim's book will be available at Chapters on Main in downtown Van Buren. He'll be signing books there on Thursday, November 10 from 5-8pm, and on Saturday, November 12 from 11am-3pm. You can also pre-order Five-Star Trails: The Ozarks at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
Pedestal Rocks Kings Bluff
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a s e o S n ... d l o C g n
Fig hti
34
Naturally words Addi McNeel
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lifestyle
Temperatures are dropping, and the leaves are
try incorporating yogurt into your breakfast several times a
beginning to fade, sure signs that fall is here, and
week. If yogurt isn’t your thing, try drinking kefir or kombucha,
winter is well on its way. Along with the colder
which are healthy drinks loaded with probiotics and support
weather, however, comes cold and flu season.
your immune defense. Probiotics are also available as supplements in powder form, liquid, tablets or capsules. They all work
According to the Centers for Disease Control
well, but look for a high number of live bacteria on the label
and Prevention (CDC), adults average about
and try to pick one that requires refrigeration when looking for
two or three colds per year, and with children,
the best source of probiotics.
the average is even higher. When colds strike, their effects can make you miserable. But before
Tea leaves: Try substituting tea for coffee this cold and flu season
you head to the pharmacy, you might consider
to help protect against viruses. If the idea of going coffee-free
herbal remedies, which can address the discom-
frightens you more than catching a cold, try substituting half
fort colds bring, while helping your body heal.
of the amount of coffee you drink on a daily basis for tea. In a
Flu, on the other hand, is serious business, and
Harvard study, those who drank five cups of black tea per day
a flu shot is recommended. If you do get the flu,
for two weeks had ten times more interferon (virus and bacteria-
however, you'll need to see your doctor. Even
fighting proteins) present in their blood than those who drank
so, there are herbal supplements and teas that
a placebo. The amino acid that is responsible for the immunity
can support you while you recover.
boost is also present in green and decaf tea.
Medicine aside, prevention is your best chance
Lemon and cayenne water: A cup of water with lemon juice,
at stopping the common cold or the flu in
mixed with a dash of cayenne pepper has been cited to have
its tracks. Other than washing your hands,
many health benefits, including liver detox and weight loss.
covering your mouth when you sneeze and
Also, a glass of this drink each morning keeps the immune
avoiding people who are already sick, there are
system strong and prepared for the day ahead. Lemons contain
a few other things you can do to reduce the
a high amount of vitamin C, which has long been a natural
number of colds you'll get this season. If the
immunity builder, and cayenne pepper contains an ingredient
cold or flu does get to you despite your best
called capsaicin, which also strengthens the immune system.
efforts, here are tips to help you heal faster and
Both lemon and cayenne pepper contain antibacterial proper-
get back to being the healthiest, best version of
ties, which can help prevent you from getting sick. However,
yourself in no time! Keep your pantry stocked
if illness strikes, the combination of these two ingredients can
with these herbs and foods, and you’ll be better
help heal you from the inside and work to reduce any symp-
equipped to take flu season head-on.
toms that may occur with an infection. Because the lemon is highly acidic, try drinking this concoction through a straw to protect your tooth enamel.
Prevention Probiotics: According to a recent study in the
Turmeric: Turmeric is sometimes considered a “superfood”
British Journal of Nutrition, probiotics may be
because of its extremely high anti-inflammatory and antioxi-
effective in helping prevent catching a cold
dant properties. The active ingredient in turmeric, known as
or the flu. Probiotics keep good bacteria in
curcumin, is antifungal and antiviral, which can really help in
your gut, which helps your digestive system
preventing the flu virus from getting you sick this season. A
to remain healthy and functioning while
great way to consume this superfood is by mixing the turmeric
improving overall health. Probiotics are espe-
with black pepper before adding it to food. The black pepper
cially important to take while on antibiotics, as
will significantly increase the body’s absorption of the turmeric
they replace the good bacteria that are being
and its preventative properties.
killed off along with the bad. This flu season, DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
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Echinacea: Your great-grandmother probably swore by this herb to prevent colds or the flu – and for good reason. According to the medical journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, the University of Connecticut conducted a study that determined echinacea reduces the chances of catching a cold by fifty-eight percent. The age-old herb was also discovered to help heal the body if a cold does strike. According to the study, echinacea can reduce the duration of a cold by nearly one-and-a-half days. One of the best ways to consume this plant is by drying the leaves, roots and stems to form a tea, or purchase the herbal tea from a local grocery or health food store. Ginger: The use of this ancient root as a natural remedy for colds and flu dates back thousands of years in Asia. In addition to several healing properties such as anti-inflammatory and immunity building, ginger has many
which induces sleep, and melatonin, which regulates the body’s
benefits to curbing several symptoms associated with the flu.
internal sleep cycle. A study from Louisiana State University found
Ginger is a powerful, natural painkiller with strength compa-
that adults who drank tart cherry juice twice a day slept ninety
rable to over-the-counter ibuprofen, a natural expectorant,
more minutes a night for two weeks versus drinking a placebo.
which expands the lungs and loosens up mucus or phlegm, and aids in curbing nausea.
If the Flu Strikes
Detox bath: Running a bath mixed with baking soda and Epsom
While taking care of your health, body and immune system
salt can help pull toxins out of your body, and forces you to
will significantly reduce the number of colds you catch during
sweat out a lot of them as well. It can also be a great way to
cold and flu season, sometimes colds or the flu strike despite
relax and ease body aches associated with the flu. In addition
your best efforts. If you get the flu, see your doctor, since flu
to drawing out toxins, Epsom salt can ease stress and improve
can cause serious problems. Take your doctor's advice and any
sleep, reduce inflammation, improve absorption of nutrients
treatment recommended, and continue to work on healing
and help prevent or ease migraine headaches. The baking soda
and nourishing your body while naturally alleviating the symp-
helps to neutralize chemicals in the tap water and increase
toms associated with the virus. This advice should make you
mineral absorption so that your body can take in the Epsom
breathe a little easier this fall and winter. If you have home
salt. The detox bath will cause you to sweat a lot, so make sure
remedies or other natural treatments you swear by, let us
you are drinking water to stay hydrated, as a dehydrated body
know. Just email editors@dosouthmagazine.com, or message
is the last thing you need while sick.
us on Facebook at Do South® Magazine.
Cherries: Cherries can aid in helping you fall asleep when tossing and turning all night long due to illness is not necessarily on your to-do list. Tart cherry juice contains tryptophan,
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Girlfriends
words Jessica Sowards images Mikela Sowards
Jessica and Jessica
I
I was never the kind of girl to have a lot of girlfriends. As a child,
In high school, I was overwhelmed by the stereotypical mean girl
I was a tomboy. While the girls in my class played with dolls and
drama and found sanctuary in friendship with guys. I loved the
painted their nails, I could be found in cut-off jean shorts and
simplicity of hanging out with them. I adored the quiet, and would
cowboy boots, catching frogs in the creek and playing baseball
have chosen an evening of watching movies and eating Hot Pockets
with the boys. Middle school brought me a few friends that were
with my best guy friend over dinner in heels with all the girls any day.
girls, but as I grew out of frog-catching, I began volunteering at the animal shelter and much preferred the company of dogs to
College brought a new dynamic. Sororities began recruiting
makeup and clothes shopping.
during my first semester, and I made every excuse to stay in the
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dorm reading books about farms and avoiding
It was one of those realizations for which there isn’t an imme-
the social awkwardness that would come if I
diate remedy. I just knew, at that moment, I was going to have
tried to have a conversation with a bunch of
to do things differently. I knew I was going to have to fight for
women. The problem appeared to be solved
connection instead of taking pride in independence. And I felt
for me when I got married young, settling in to
certain that if God wanted me to have close relationships with
do life with a husband seemed to be a reason-
women, he would send the women and I would just have to
able solution. He could be my friend, and all of
be intentional to love them and be the kind of friend He was
that girlfriend nonsense could be left behind
showing me to be.
me. But then I had babies, and I was catapulted into the world of playgroups and mom
About a year or so has passed since this revelation. I couldn’t
wars, immersed into forums where women
know then how intentional I would have to be. It’s hard to recog-
attacked each other over breastfeeding and
nize something in yourself that needs to be changed and then
car seat choices.
follow through with waging war against your habits and nature.
Don’t get me wrong; there were a few friends that I maintained a relationship with through all of this, but throughout my adult life, my very best friends were my cousin and my sister, two people I couldn’t really keep at a distance. I had women friends, but there remained a hard and unaddressed place in my heart that
...on that day, it hit me differently. And I realized God designed women to need each other.
I kept walled up. There was a part of me that kept women at arm’s length. I just felt like I was made that way. I realized the extent of the work God had been doing in me Through my twenties, my friendships were all
when my good friend Sandra approached me at church the
based around kids, or work, or ministry. They
other day and told me she was ready to talk about her daugh-
were based on what I did, not how I felt. I made
ter’s birth and NICU journey. Sandra gave birth in January, and
all the excuses. I’m introverted. I’m not girly. I
I was standing by her side when her daughter was born with
don’t like drama. And I believed them all. By the
no signs of life. As the minutes passed and time seemed to
time I closed in on my thirtieth birthday, I had
stand still, I was there with her and her husband Matt and their
accepted the fact that I just didn’t have a lot of
family. I was there because Sandra and I had been intentional
girlfriends, and I wore it like a badge of honor.
in our friendship, and we had the kind of relationship that takes
I would even dare to say that I took pride in the
you into a person’s birth room. And I was invested enough, that
fact that I was the kind of woman that didn’t do
when baby Abigail did not breathe minute after minute after
deep relationships with other women well.
minute, my whole heart was in the prayers I prayed alongside Sandra and her family. We prayed until Abigail came back, after
I was reading in the book of Matthew when God confronted me
eighteen minutes of being lifeless and unresponsive. And while
about that badge and made me question why I was wearing it.
she is now a completely healthy baby, the months following her
It was in the story of Mary hearing from the angel Gabriel that
birth included a lot more prayers and a lot of trial and testing.
she was carrying the Messiah that I saw, as bold as the black and white of the pages, that the first place Mary went with her news
It was such a testimony to the goodness of God that sweet
was to her cousin Elizabeth. Of course, I knew the story; I was
Abigail lived, it never even occurred to me to marvel at the
raised in church. But on that day, it hit me differently. And I real-
friendship that shone through the situation. Then Sandra told
ized God designed women to need each other.
me she was ready to talk and all of a sudden, I thought back DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
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to the months of praying and crying and standing by her side, and I realized, “Wow, this is what friendship looks like.” Of course, it’s not all so heavy
and
serious.
It’s
been a journey to learn to do everyday life with girlfriends as well. And it’s the everyday stuff that the heavy stuff can be built on. While I still am not the type to gush over wedding planning and I’m certainly not the person to call for advice about how you should fix your hair, I do have a handful of girlfriends that I talk to on a regular basis. My cousin Amy and my friend Jessica and I have a standing date
Jessica, Abigail, Sandra
to meet up and just spend time together. We talk about plans, and God and ideas, and our farms. I have friends
ok. I am not girly, and that’s ok. I do not want drama in my life,
that I have regular coffee dates with, friends that I can call for
and that is certainly ok. But it’s also saying, I need people who
advice and prayer, and mom-friends that I can hang out with
understand where I am. I need people to hold my hand in life’s
without any competition or criticism. It’s nice. Life feels more
most trying moments. I need women to be my friends, and I
rounded, and I’m not kidding when I tell you I simply was not
haven’t been intentional, and that’s not ok.
capable of that kind of relationship before. Then you become intentional. You become a friend. And one Throughout the year-long process of tearing down my care-
day it hits you that your life has become richer, and the depth
fully built walls, I’ve been surprised to find there are so many
of your relationships has become richer.
women out there with the same mindset I had. So many ladies have sworn off of meaningful, connected friendships with
Just be intentional, because I promise, the good girlfriends are
other women because of the way our culture sets women up
worth it. And God has some set aside just for you.
against each other. And so many women are lonely, missing out on the kind of support God truly designed for us to be for one another.
Follow Jessica on her blog @thehodgepodgedarling.blogspot.com
Of course, there’s no quick remedy. But I think the key is just coming to the realization. It’s saying, I’m introverted, and that’s
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The Real NCIS Words John Post, Director of Public Information, UAFS image Rachel Putman, Marketing Communications Photographer, UAFS
NCIS Agent Dustin Hubert and Justin Harris
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University of Arkansas – Fort Smith student Justin Harris may
Law enforcement, on the other hand, was an opportunity for
have never earned an internship with the Naval Criminal Inves-
Justin to make a positive impact and help dispel the negative
tigative Service (NCIS) had curiosity not struck him one night in
perceptions surrounding police officers. Growing up in Elkins,
2012 while watching the hit show based on the law enforce-
he saw police officers as role models, and he wanted to be a
ment agency.
positive influence in the same way for future generations.
“I wondered if there was an actual NCIS,” he said. “And I
While Harris believes many people have jaded views of police
looked it up and saw their website and all the careers that were
officers, he saw a love officers showed for their community that
possible. You’re still a civilian, but you get to experience aspects
was “seldom found elsewhere.”
of the military as well.” “Being in law enforcement would give me the opportunity That curiosity led to an opportunity for Harris to do more with
to serve my community and impact the lives of people each
his education by interning over the summer at the agency’s base
day,” he said.
in Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where nearly forty agents worked. It was an experience that allowed Justin to apply what
When he saw that the path to working with NCIS required
he'd learned in the university’s criminal justice program to a
a bachelor’s degree, he made plans to go back to school.
wide swath of duties within the agency.
His sister had recently graduated from UAFS and highly recommended it.
Justin wasn’t sure what to expect when he started the internship, but he found the agency was drastically different from what is depicted on television. “The show has a ‘Hollywood’ spin on it,” he said. “I encountered very few agents who have ever needed to use their firearm in the line of duty. The show primarily focuses on cases of homicide and terrorism, but that is a very small percentage of what NCIS deals with day to day.” Still, Justin said the agency was “far from boring.” He worked within many different units in the NCIS, including special operations, sexual crimes and counterintelligence. One day, he would accompany an agent searching the base for a stolen firearm. The next, he would watch an interrogation of a sexual assault
NCIS would be a very fitting place for me, but it’s a very competitive agency. It’s definitely a career I am pursuing, and I’m excited to keep building my experience and knowledge base at UAFS.
suspect. “Each day was different. I would be sitting in the office and agents would come up and ask for my help with whatever
When he got into the program, he found a diverse group of
they were working on.”
professors, many of whom possessed real-world experience in law enforcement and were able to guide him on his career
The opportunity was also a catalyst for Justin to begin his career
path. “All of them come specialized in different facets. I’m
in law enforcement. It was more than just curiosity that drove
able to take valuable information from pretty much every
his decision to research NCIS that night. After dropping out
class I’ve had here. Their knowledge base is so broad, and
of college in 2010, he began working as an HVAC technician,
they’re so personable. It doesn’t matter what professor
initially in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and then in Kansas.
you go up to, they’re going to have sound information and reasoning behind the advice they give you on how to pursue
While there was opportunity for advancement in the field,
a certain career.”
he didn’t feel passionate about his work. “Before I left, I got offered a higher paying position than I ever would have in law
For Justin, the career he wanted to pursue stayed the same: a
enforcement,” he said. “But I would’ve been miserable.”
job with NCIS or another federal law enforcement agency. The
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criminal justice professors recommend students work intern-
From here, Justin plans to work for a police department in
ships to have hands-on experience to apply to their classroom
northwest Arkansas for several years to gain the experience
learnings, so he researched internships and applied.
necessary to earn a job with a federal law enforcement agency.
After beginning his internship, he was surprised at the edge
“NCIS would be a very fitting place for me, but it’s a very
he had over other interns. When they arrived at the house of
competitive agency. It’s definitely a career I am pursuing, and
a soldier who tragically committed suicide, Justin immediately
I’m excited to keep building my experience and knowledge
knew what to do to process the scene. “We studied crime
base at UAFS.”
scene documentation in class, so I could see what needed to be done and where I could assist. I’ve realized that some other schools don’t offer the same hands-on learning as UAFS has, and it’s really played an important role in my internship.”
For more information on the UAFS Criminal Justice Program, visit www.uafs.edu or call 479.788.7433.
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taste
recipe and image James Steufix
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taste
Ingredients ° 4 Jack Be Little Pumpkins
° ½ cup onion, diced small
° 1 clove garlic, minced
(or similar sized pumpkins of your choosing)
° 6 oz. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
° ½ cup chicken stock
° ¾ cup farro, cooked
° ¼ cup white wine, dry
° ¾ cup white rice, cooked
° 1 sprig thyme, washed,
° ¼ pound andouille sausage,
° ½ cup dried cranberries
casings removed, diced small
de-stemmed, minced
Method
Cut the top quarter off the pumpkins. Scoop seeds and the loose insides out. Clean underside of pumpkin lid. Lightly season insides and lids with salt and pepper, and place in 350˚F oven for 20 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, scoop about half of the meat out, being careful not to break through the outside. Chop up scraped pumpkin and reserve for filling.
Sauté sausage in small amount of olive oil until slightly crispy. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes until lightly golden. Add onion and cook until translucent. Deglaze with wine, stirring bottom of pan, and cook until dry. Add farro, rice, cranberries, thyme, reserved pumpkin and stock and stir everything together well. Cook for 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut shrimp into small-sized bites. Fold into sausage mixture. Gently fill pumpkins with mixture until slightly overflowing. Return stuffed pumpkins to oven for 15-20 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through.
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taste
Wicked
Pumpkin
Apple Cider recipe inspired by cookingandbeer.com image James Stefiuk
Ingredients -
(makes 4) 9 oz. bourbon 9 oz. apple cider 3 oz. lemon juice 12 oz. pumpkin ale Cranberries & cinnamon sticks (garnish)
Method Mix bourbon, apple cider and lemon juice in a shaker. Pour mixture over ice. Top off each glass with pumpkin ale. Garnish with cinnamon stick and cranberries. Enjoy! Drink responsibly. Never drink and drive.
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lifestyle
The Importance of the Front Porch words Marla Cantrell images courtesy Conference on the Front Porch
M
Most of us have memories of lingering on a front porch. Often, we were doing nothing more than sitting on a wide swing, making it move back and forth by pushing our toes against the wooden floor. But in those moments, a great deal was going on. We were letting our minds fill with creative thoughts, connecting with the place we called home, and carrying on a deep tradition of the American South.
Speakers and Panelists
The front porch is such an important part of who we are that
R. Scott Cook: Author of The Cultural Significance of the
there is now a two-day meeting celebrating it. The Confer-
Front Porch
ence on the Front Porch will be held in Taylor, Mississippi, just minutes from Oxford, on October 21-22. Speakers will
Michael Dolan: Editor of American History magazine and
talk about the front porch from an architectural and social
author of The American Front Porch: An Informal History of an
perspective, discuss its origin, how the front porch became
Informal Place
popular and then declined in popularity, and how it's coming back in full force. There will even be explanations of how
Carter Wilkie: Historian and author of The Search for Community
porches influence communities, play roles in presidential poli-
in the Age of Urban Sprawl
tics, and the music that evolves there. Leah Kemp: Interim Director of The Carl Small Town Center Cost of admission includes six meals, lectures and panels, one
Group at The Mississippi State School of Architecture
evening porch concert and an evening porch play. If you love front porches, this is the conference for you.
Charles Reagan Wilson: Former head of The Center for The Study of Southern Culture and now Professor Emeritus Jay Watson: Howry Professor of Faulkner Studies at Ole Miss
For cost and additional information, visit theconferenceonthefrontporch.com.
Claude Stephens (aka Crow Hollister): Founder of The Professional Porch Sitters Union and a frequent commentator on NPR V. John Tee: Architect and frequent commentator on the stylistic evolution of the porch in the American South DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
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travel
Arktober
Celebrating October in Arkansas words Marla Cantrell images courtesy venues and Arkansas Dept. of Parks & Tourism
NIGHT FALLS EARLIER AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR AND TEMPERATURES ARE STEADILY DROPPING. OUTSIDE, THE LEAVES ARE TURNING SHADES OF ORANGE, RED AND YELLOW. IN ARKANSAS, OCTOBER IS THE PERFECT MONTH FOR FALL FESTIVALS. WE'VE GATHERED A GOOD SAMPLING OF WHAT OUR GREAT STATE HAS TO OFFER. TAKE A LOOK, MAKE YOUR PLANS, AND ENJOY A DAY IN THE BEAUTY OF THIS PLACE WE CALL HOME.
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travel
TURKEY TRACK BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
FALL FESTIVAL ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR
October 5th-8th
October 7th-9th
Waldron
Van Buren
See website for pricing | Find them on Facebook
Free to attend | oldtownvanburen.com
The Turkey Track Bluegrass Festival takes place on eighty acres
A kids' carnival, a karaoke contest, lots of live music with head-
near Waldron. It's the thirty-ninth year for the festival, and this
liner Camille Rae performing, and helicopter rides. All this plus,
year features a number of talented performers. Enjoy the music
art, antiques, collectibles, plenty of food, and arts and crafts.
and food. You can even camp at Turkey Track.
Van Buren's Fall Festival takes place on Main Street, and begins October 7th at 7pm, continues October 8th from 9am until 6pm, and runs through October 9th from 9am until 5pm.
KING BISCUIT BLUES FESTIVAL October 5th-8th
HOMEGROWN FESTIVAL
Helena-West Helena
October 8th
See website for pricing | kingbiscuitfestival.com
Siloam Springs Free to attend | mainstreetsiloam.org
The King Biscuit Blues Festival is one of the nation’s foremost showcases of blues music. Tens of thousands of music lovers come to
The Homegrown Festival runs from 10am until 5pm in downtown
downtown Helena for this one-of-a-kind event. This year's lineup
Siloam Springs and has live music, food trucks and great shopping.
features dozens of blues performers on several stages, including
You'll find original, one-of-a-kind, and limited-run items including
Sonny Landreth with special guest Roy Rogers, John Mayall, and
illustration, printmaking, music, jewelry and accessories, handmade
Charlie Musselwhite.
goods, salvaged and repurposed goods, and hand-picked vintage. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
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taste travel
Gps location: 8464 W. McNelly Rd. Bentonville. Hours, 8am until 5pm, except Sunday, which is 9am until 4pm.
ORIGINAL OZARK FOLK FESTIVAL October 13th-15th Eureka Springs Many free events, see website for details | ozarkfolkfestival.com
BELLA VISTA ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL October 13th-15th
The Original Ozark Folk Festival in Eureka Springs is America’s
Bella Vista
longest continuously running folk festival. Attend the Barefoot
Free to attend | bellavistafestival.org
Ball, listen to free music in Basin Park, watch the Folk Festival This juried festival in Bella Vista has been growing since it began
Parade, and marvel at the folk dancing.
in 1969. Gorgeous art, wonderful crafts, great food, and tons of fun. Nearly 300 artisans will be displaying their work. The festival is located just off Arkansas Highway 279, south of the intersection of Arkansas Highway 340, and is open from 8am until 5pm.
SPANKER CREEK FARM ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL
WAR EAGLE FAIR
October 12th-16th
October 13th-16th
Bentonville
Rogers
Free to attend | spankercreekfarm.com
Free to attend | wareaglefair.com
Spanker Creek Farm Arts, Crafts and More Festival is an extraordinary
The War Eagle Fair is a staple of fall in Arkansas. Professional
outdoor market for the whole family. Exhibitors will have a variety of
craftspeople offer original handmade work ranging from country
products that consist of handmade or unique arts, crafts, and other
decorative items to antique broken china jewelry. You can also
items as well as great fair foods.
explore the old mill and eat at the Bean Palace restaurant. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
travel taste
OKTOBERFEST October 22nd Downtown Fort Smith
HILLBERRY: THE HARVEST MOON FESTIVAL
See website for details | downtownfs.com
October 13th-16th Eureka Springs
Starts early, ends late! This first-ever Downtown Oktoberfest
See website for pricing | hillberryfestival.com
has something for everyone in the family. The fun starts at the Farmer's Market with pony rides beginning at 9am, a pumpkin
Hillberry is a four-day music and arts festival with an emphasis
carving contest at 10am, live music, a car show, an art walk, and
on bluegrass and roots music with a little bit of funk thrown in.
a haunted house. After dark, area bar and entertainment venues
Attendees can camp (included in the ticket price), and there is also
will offer commemorative cups, along with a variety of choices
a range of workshops for adults and children ranging from yoga to
for live music.
hula hooping and tie dying. Kids twelve and under are free.
OZARK REGIONAL ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIRS October 14th-16th
BULL SHOALS FALL FESTIVAL
Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers
October 22nd
Free Admission | nwacraftfairs.com
Bull Shoals Call for details | 870.445.3629
The largest indoor craft fair in the state is taking place October 14th16th in three locations: Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in
Nature programs, great trout fishing, lake and river cruises, a
Springdale, John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers, and Washington
campsite decorating contest, games, and arts and crafts! Bring
County Fairgrounds in Fayetteville. Fairgrounds ONLY open October
your lawn chair to the Trout Dock Amphitheater for a bonfire and
14th-16th; fairs at NW Arkansas Convention Center and John Q.
live music. Hear gospel, bluegrass, folk, and country music.
Hammons Convention Center are open October 14th-15th. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
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travel
CHOCTOBERFEST October 22nd
BEAN FEST AND OUTHOUSE RACES
Fayetteville
October 28th-29th
See website for pricing | jacksongraves.org
Mountain View
Live music, handcrafted chocolate, craft beers, sauerkraut, and
Free to attend | yourplaceinthemountains.com
brats—all locally sourced. The fun begins at 3pm and runs until 8pm. Proceeds benefit the Jackson Graves Foundation, which
Crafts and music on Friday. On Saturday, forty antique cast iron
supports area families with babies in intensive care units.
pots will hold 2,000 pounds of pinto beans. At noon, beans and cornbread are served for free. The parade of outhouses (that are built on wheels) starts at 1pm, followed by the outhouse races.
WIEDERKEHR VILLAGE WEINFEST
CORNBREAD FESTIVAL
October 22nd
October 29th
Wiederkehr Village
Little Rock
Free admission | wiederkehrwines.com
See website for pricing | arkansascornbreadfestival.com
Celebrate this year's harvest with wine, food, and music. Dance
Live music, food trucks, Arkansas art, crafts, jewelry and locally-
the Polka, stomp some grapes, enter the Stein Stemmen or Baum
produced food and gifts are all available at the Cornbread Festival
Stossen, tour the cellar and vineyard, enter your pet in the Annual
in Little Rock. Everyone attending will get to taste the cornbread
Dog Show, enjoy local arts & crafts vendors. Festival runs from
and side dishes, and vote for the best in two categories: amateur
8am until 10pm.
and professional. And did we mention‌ cornbread? Yum! DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM
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60
southern fiction
The State Bird of Arkansas FICTION Marla Cantrell
V
Violet can't do math. She gets by okay, but salespeople and con
"My poodle could do a better job than you," Violet's boss says,
artists could rob her blind, and she'd never know. The year she was
and Violet tells him what he can do with his dog.
supposed to learn long division and memorize her times tables, the school had decided to switch things up. The kids changed
The next day Violet's due back at three but she decides not to go
classes three times a day, something they'd never done before,
to work at all. Violet looks in her purse. She has a twenty-dollar
and each teacher covered two subjects, so Violet, along with every
bill, a credit card with a limit of five hundred dollars that she's
other third-grader, was taught math by their Arkansas History
never used, and a full tank of gas. She considers calling her mom,
teacher who had never taught anything else. Today, she can tell
to ask her advice, but her mom lives in Sedona now and wears a
you that the state bird is the mockingbird, adopted in 1929 and
lot of turquoise, and the last time Violet talked to her, she asked
that Thomas Jefferson had a pet mockingbird he named "Dick,"
Violet to call her by her first name and then told Violet a wildly
but she can't tell you the product of seven times nine.
inappropriate story about a man she was seeing.
Which is a problem for Violet, who's been asked, on this fourth
She grabs her purse and locks the door behind her. Violet slides
day of October, to be in charge of the cash drawer at the fruit
behind the steering wheel of her old Escape and heads north. She
market where she usually works sorting produce. At the end of
notices the leaves on her neighbor's sugar maple have already
the day, after checking out a steady influx of customers, she's
turned the color of cherries, and she feels the old excitement fall
twelve dollars and fourteen cents short, and she's in tears.
brings. On the other side of the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, the trees are starting to really show off. Violet imagines Heaven sometimes,
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southern fiction
and when she does, it's always autumn. If angels wore halos of
her. She'd tried to explain the feeling to her then-husband but
crimson maple leaves, she'd feel right at home.
he didn't get it. When he left, he said, "You're like one of those poems that doesn't rhyme. I've pretended to understand you all
In Fayetteville, she gets off the interstate. She drives by the Univer-
this time, but I never ever did."
sity of Arkansas. Violet had a boyfriend once named Todd who went there, and she'd come see him almost every weekend. If
Violet pulls her leather jacket from the backseat and slips it on.
Todd ever loved her, he hadn't said so. She hadn't loved him
The coat used to be her father's, and the leather is cracked at
either, but that seemed beside the point.
the elbows. When he died, she took the jacket that smelled like soap and motor oil and hay and slept with it for a full month. She
With the windows down, Violet's hair is blowing. She likes her
took his belt with the three holes that were stretched wider than
hair. It's still the blonde of childhood. All her other blonde friends
the others, three signs of her dad's growing waist over the years.
have gone brunette over the years, their hair and their moods
She took his Timex with its linked metal band you could twist like
darkening. Violet likes her legs and her cheekbones. She likes her
a pretzel. When she wore them all, it was like he was still there.
mood, mostly. Everything else she'd change if she could. There is a patch of grass near Whole Foods, and Violet takes the In Whole Foods, Violet buys cheese from the Netherlands with her
old blanket from the back of her car and heads that way. People
credit card. She buys crackers whose name she can't pronounce.
watch her–she can feel it–but she doesn't care. She spreads the
She eats an entire pizza while sitting on a bar stool with the heels
plaid blanket out and lies down, as inconspicuous as she can be
of her cowboy boots hooked across the rung.
on this busy thoroughfare, and puts her hands behind her head.
A little girl in purple rain boots smiles at her. A man with a hoop
At thirty, she should not have an ex-husband and a dead daddy.
earring and a tattoo of a buffalo on his forearm looks her up and
She sighs, crosses her legs at the ankle, touches her ring finger
down and winks and then blushes, a contradiction from head to
that still has an indention where her wedding band used to be.
toe. An older woman tells her she has pizza sauce on her chin, and Traffic hums along. Sometimes a horn blares, but mostly the sound
Violet blushes too.
is brakes, and tires on pavement and a radio turned up too loud. When she gets to her car, the sun is sinking. Violet has always
Above, night is crawling out of its bed. A star appears and then
loved this time of day. She leans against the Escape and
another. The moon, when it shows its face, is half of its whole self,
watches the sky. When she was a girl, her family lived on a farm
and that seems right to Violet.
that was loud with animals. The cows lowed. Horses whinnied. Roosters crowed. She loved the hens the best. They squawked
She hears footsteps that cause her to sit up. Above her, the man
and complained and bragged all day long. She named one
with the buffalo tattoo stands. "Hey," he says, and he rubs his
Velta. That old bird lived for ten years.
arms against the cold. "I saw you come this way, and I just wanted to make sure you're OK."
At this time of the day, at this time of the year, Violet would lay hidden in the fallow field, the tall grass of autumn as gold as the
Violet pulls the cuffs of her jacket over her fingers. "Yeah," she
straw Rumpelstiltskin had spun in his fairytale. At times, she could
says, "just, you know, taking in the night."
hear her parents, their voices like lamplight as they walked past her to the barn holding hands, never seeing her, talking about
"Mind if I sit?" the man says, and Violet scoots over, even though
the neighbors or the cost of feed. When she learned the word
she's not certain she should. He holds out his hand and says,
"clandestine" she knew that's how she felt on those perfect days.
"August Patton," and Violet takes it and says, "Violet Franklin."
What she loved, even more, was the way the wind sang across the
"It's a good night," August says, and then he points. "Stars."
top of the grass, how it moved the grass in waves but didn't touch
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southern fiction
"Moon," Violet says, and points even higher.
how I felt," she says, and she feels tears burn her eyes. "You think it's possible to feel that way again?"
"I saw three shooting stars last night," August says. "Within fifteen minutes."
August doesn't speak for a few moments. The traffic is dying down, and even in this city, there are cicadas singing. Bugs flock
August has blue eyes and black hair that's going gray at the
to the lights of the parking lot and the sound of them is like a choir
temples. When he smiles, he looks too young for gray hair.
humming. "I do," August finally says, and Violet feels something akin to electricity rocket through her.
"I quit my job today," Violet says. She wants to reach out and touch August but instead she says, "What did you do?"
"Arkansas' state tree is a pine," and August says, "You don't say."
"Stocked produce at a fruit stand. Tried to make change.
"The state mineral is quartz crystal, and the state bird is a mock-
Couldn't do it."
ingbird. A mockingbird can sound like anything it wants. A barking dog, a wet thumb squeaking across a window, even a frog," she
"I work at a call center. I talk to people about their credit scores."
says and this time, she reaches for August's hand.
"Does it make you happy?"
August's fingers intertwine with Violet's. "You're smart as a whip," he says.
"Not one bit," August says and picks a blade of grass that's halfway between green and brown and puts it between his teeth.
"My ex-husband thought I was a nut."
Violet lies back and looks again at the sky. "I thought I'd have life
"He sounds like a jerk. I could wreck his credit score if you
figured out by now."
wanted me to."
"I don't think it works like that."
Violet laughs. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a long time."
"Then how does it work?" August pulls his work ID from his shirt pocket. "I really could," he August shakes his head. "Like a jigsaw puzzle. You don't know
says. "I'd get fired if anyone found out, but what the heck."
how it turns out until the very end." The clouds shift again and new stars appear. A plane blinks across "Doesn't that drive you crazy?"
the sky. On the other side of College Avenue, a car lot's sign announces the best deals of the year. Violet wonders how good the
"No," August says, "I don't think I'd like to see too far ahead."
deals could be. Maybe the best deal of the year is right beside her.
A cloud crosses the moon. "I used to lie in the tall grass when I
August lets go of her hand and slips his arm underneath her
was a kid," Violet says. "I'd flatten out a space just big enough
shoulder. His body this close feels brand new and older than the
for me, and when I lay against the ground it would still be
earth beneath her. Nothing has ever felt this way before, and she
warm, and the wind would move the grass like a hula skirt, but
starts to say so. But instead she puts her hand on August's chest
never touch me."
just to feel his heart beat, and that seems like more than enough on a night like this.
August lies down. "I bet you felt as safe as if you were in a cradle," he says, and Violet turns on her side to face him. "That's exactly
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WOMEN'S GUIDE
THE WOMEN'S GUIDE
AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR EVERY WOMAN As a woman, you often put the needs of others before your own. You may be the last one to bed and the first one up in the morning. And all those hours in between, you're busy, making life for those around you the best it can be. We'd like you to relax for a few minutes. Browse through Do South's Women's Guide to find great local businesses and services that can make your life better.
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Take a little time for yourself and enjoy! We hope you find some surprises and learn more about these local businesses that are here to serve you.
WOMEN'S GUIDE
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WOMEN'S GUIDE
Basinger Aesthetics - Dr. Norma Basinger basingeraesthetics.com 479.484.7100
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Like all parts of the body, the vagina changes with age, but
Center for Hearing centerforhearing.net 479.785.3277
additional decline may be caused by other major events. Child-
Untreated hearing loss can impact our lives in many different
birth stretches the vaginal canal and surrounding tissue. For
ways. Dr. Kelley Linton and Dr. Lori Boyd understand the
many women, the tissue doesn’t return to the same pre-birth
struggles of keeping up with busy families as well as helping
state. This stretching damages the vaginal walls, perineum,
those with hearing loss enjoy their lives through better
and surrounding tissue. Decreased estrogen production caused
hearing. The newest hearing aid technology helps bring focus
by menopause, hysterectomy, chemotherapy, or activities like
to otherwise complex listening situations and ultimately helps
breastfeeding, leads to thinning, drying and inflammation of
us feel less fatigued. If you’re not hearing as well as you used
the vaginal walls. For many women, these events decrease
to, or if you just want to establish a baseline for your hearing,
healthy vaginal function. Call today and discover how you can
call for an appointment. Do it for your health, your happiness,
alleviate these symptoms with diVa!
and your relationships.
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Donaubauer Group of Raymond James & Associates thedonaubauergroup.com 479.494.3892
D&D Floor Covering ddwindowcovering.com 479.474.0533 In our Hunter Douglas showroom at D&D, you can see up close and in person the full line of beautiful, new window
Retirement is a stage we can’t fully understand until we’re in
covering options. Visit with one of our design experts to
it, but it’s also a stage we should do our best to prepare for. It
find the right features and look for your home, and get a
has a lot of moving parts, but with proper planning, it can be
free estimate! The most exciting trend in window fashions is
a time of freedom and new beginnings. Key aspects of retire-
PowerView Motorization! Hunter Douglas leads the industry
ment planning can include establishing goals, understanding
with a smart, wireless system for controlling your blinds with
income and expenses, creating a budget, and planning for
a smartphone, tablet or remote. We've got the solution to
longevity. Retirement isn’t static–it changes as you move
your window covering dilemmas!
through it–so your planning should reflect that.
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Retirement is an exciting time, but also poses some challenges.
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WOMEN'S GUIDE
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Cooper Clinic Bariatric and General Surgery - Darryl Eckes, M.D. cooperweightlosssurgery.com 479.274.3215 If you are considering weight loss surgery, the most important step is getting accurate information. Ultimately, your be life-changing, so when you ask a question, make sure you understand the answer. Do not hesitate to ask for a clearer explanation given in simple language. However, even before you schedule a physician consultation, I would urge you to attend one of our seminars to learn about the benefits and risks of each type of surgical procedure. Our next educational event is November 15.
Headaches can be caused by the way your teeth come together - it’s called your occlusion. Even teeth that are straight might be occluding in the wrong position causing strain in the muscles of your head and neck. It’s the leading cause of headaches in adults. By finding a new position for your teeth to occlude where your muscles are relaxed, we can eliminate the strain and reduce your headaches. Your jaws can be stabilized by placing a clear aligner, orthodontics, or even crowns and veneers. Call for a free TMJ consult!
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surgeon will be your best resource. Bariatric surgery can truly
Friddle Dentistry thefriddlesmile.com 479.452.8800
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Health screenings are vital to ensuring good health at any age. Below are recommendations that can help you stay on track, no matter your age. Everyone’s health is different, so be sure to talk with your doctor about your personal needs. AGES 20-29 Clinical breast exam every one to three years to check for breast cancer, starting at age 21 Liquid-based Pap test every three years to check for cervical cancer
AGES 30-39 Clinical breast exam every one to three years to check for breast cancer Liquid-based Pap test and HPV test every five years to check for cervical cancer and HPV
AGES 40-49 Mammogram and clinical breast exam every year to check for breast cancer Liquid-based Pap test and HPV test every five years to check for cervical cancer and HPV Cholesterol regularly if at risk, every three to five years if low risk Diabetes starting at age 45, then every three years
AGES 50-64
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Mammogram and clinical breast exam every year to check for breast cancer Liquid-based Pap test and HPV test every five years to check for cervical cancer and HPV (starting at age 65, speak with your doctor about whether you should continue screening) Cholesterol regularly if at risk, every three to five years if low risk Diabetes every two years Colonoscopy every ten years or virtual colonoscopy every five years to check for colorectal cancer
AGES 65+ Cholesterol regularly if at risk, every three years or ask doctor Diabetes every three years Colonoscopy every ten years or virtual colonoscopy every five years to check for colorectal cancer (if you’re age 76 to 85, your doctor can help you decide if you should continue screening)
Sources: MD Anderson and mpcp.com
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Fort Smith Radiation Oncology, Cancer Screening Clinic - Dr. Kris Gast fsro.net 479. 648.1800
Fort Smith Medical Center fortsmithmedicalcenter.com 479.434.3131
Many women are too busy to think about scheduling time
Our #1 product for keeping your summer glow through the
for a cancer screening visit and are unsure of what to expect
colder months is the Skin Pen and the physician-grade chemical
during a cancer screening. First, a complete history is taken
peel. The Skin Pen is the most advanced micro-needle system!
followed by a physical exam performed by Dr. Gast. This exam
Products we offer that can be used are TNS Essential Serum,
is tailored to the National Cancer Institute’s guidelines. Any
Lytera, HA5, and Total Defense and Repair. All of these prod-
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ucts vary in price and do everything from reducing wrinkles,
your insurance by our staff. Dr. Gast will review your individual
dark spots, improving skin texture, and even skin tones. Hydra-
results at a follow-up visit. A summary of your screening will
tion is key, so be sure to make moisturizing a priority!
also be sent to your primary care physician.
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WOMEN'S GUIDE
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Gallivanting Ladies Apparel gallivantingladiesapparel.com 479.646.7555
John Brown University – Fort Smith Center 479.646.0082 jbu.edu/fortsmith
Ankle pants with boots and flannel tops are trending this fall John Brown University provides Christ-centered education
about making you feel good and look your best. Feeling like
that prepares people to honor God and serve others by devel-
your clothes aren’t fitting right, or feel like you’re caught in a
oping their intellectual, spiritual and professional lives. JBU
rut with your current style? Come see us! We are locally owned
offers bachelor’s degree completion programs in business,
and offer trendy, unique apparel and accessories, such as
accounting, psychology, liberal arts and leadership, as well
Sympli, Tribal and Brighton. Exclusive styles, wonderful fabrics
as master’s degrees in business and counseling through its
and friendly service!
Fort Smith Center at 1401 Waldron Road. All programs are designed for working adults with classes held in the evening or online. In addition, the JBU CARE Clinic provides low-cost counseling services for the community.
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and both are must-haves! Gallivanting Ladies Apparel is all
WOMEN'S GUIDE
FUR-REAL HEALTH BENEFITS Did you know that pets can offer us amazing health benefits? Yes, that’s right, health benefits! More than fetching the remote, or barking to alert company, our pets are helping us in more ways than one.
Here's how: Release chemicals in your brain that are linked to happiness by spending just 30 minutes with a dog. Lower the level of cortisol in your blood, a hormone linked to stress, just by spending 5 minutes with a dog. Decrease loneliness and release oxytocin, a hormone associated with love, trust and empathy, by snuggling with your pet. Lower your heart rate and decrease blood pressure by watching fish swim in an aquarium or by petting a cat. Cat owners are less likely to die from heart disease. Dog owners are 9 times more likely to survive a year after a heart attack.
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Owning and caring for pets help children develop responsibility, empathy and a love for living creatures.
WOMEN'S GUIDE
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WOMEN'S GUIDE
John Mays Jewelers jonmaysjewelers.com 479.452.2150 We live in an ever-changing world, but some jewelry staples never falter. Diamond hoop and diamond stud earrings are timeless pieces that can be dressed up or down to fit any occasion. However, if you want a “wow” factor a diamond tennis bracelet, or a diamond choker necklace is unparalleled. The old saying, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” still stands true! Want a more casual look? Try layering necklaces and stacking bangles in white and yellow gold. Mixing and matching colors
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and styles has never been more popular than today.
Luminessence Med-Spa - Sumer Phillips, M.D. luminessenceonline.com 479.274.4200 If you’re starting to notice age spots and fine lines, we can help! It starts with a discussion of how you are currently taking care of your skin. We provide a wide range of results-oriented therapies for every budget ranging from HydraFacial to injectables and fillers to no-downtime laser resurfacing. But a good daily skin care regimen is vital and daily sunscreen a must. The sooner we can evaluate your skin and your regimen, the sooner we can get you on the path to healthier skin and keep you looking younger than you are.
WOMEN'S GUIDE
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WOMEN'S GUIDE
Methodist Village Senior Living 479.452.1611 methodistvillage.com Methodist Village provides skilled nursing services and
New Health Dental 479.478.6060 newhealthdental.com
physical, occupational and speech therapies to assist with recovering from surgery, illness, or in the treatment of
To give our patients healthy and confident smiles, we often
complex medical conditions. We also offer the largest selec-
perform what’s called “subtle cosmetic dentistry” at New Heath
tion of private rooms in the area, as well as semi-private rooms
Dental. This can include gum contouring, Invisalign, and porce-
and amenities such as cable, phone and wireless communica-
lain veneers which provide very natural and beautiful results. In
tion, massage therapy, staff chaplain, and daily recreational
just a few appointments, your smile can be transformed into
activities including worship services, exercises, music, and
one that makes you proud. Following a regular dental hygiene
parties. Future enhancements comprise a Life Plan Community
program is key in maintaining your beautiful smile. To us, there’s
($55-$65 million investment), including a 28-bed Assisted
nothing more beautiful than a confident smile!
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Living Center, and a 17-bed Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit.
WOMEN'S GUIDE
The Paint Store 479.474.4505 Find them on Facebook
Parade of Homes Greater Fort Smith Association of Home Builders 479.452.6213 fortsmithhomebuilders.com
Have a new home, or want to make changes to the color on Join us during our Annual Parade of Homes! Plan to visit a variety
fears! Give us a call to discuss your project. We can meet with
of beautiful and inspiring homes through a free self-guided tour
you at your home to get a feel for your style and furnishings.
over six days taking place October 21-23 & October 28-30.
If you are replacing flooring or countertops, we’ll consider that
Homes will be open daily from 1:00pm to 6:00pm, for your
too when making color recommendations. We’re here to help,
convenience. Come and browse the latest designs and trends,
and ready to share our 44 years of combined experience to
get ideas that will inspire you, visit with area builders, or shop
transform your house into your dream home.
for your new home. Admission to the Parade of Homes is free!
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your walls but feel a little fearful? Let our experience ease your
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Health for the Ages No matter your stage in life, there are many things you can do to care for your body as you age. Check out the tips below then commit to putting them into action!
20s 30s
• Be aware of what you’re putting in your body. Read labels, they matter. • Diet and low-cal drinks still contain calories which add up quickly. • Sunscreen. Wear it. Protect yourself against skin cancer and age gracefully. • Take care of your bones with a calcium supplement and exercise. • Boost your brain with high-intensity interval training (HIT), a proper diet, brain games, and adequate sleep. • Eliminate sugars, especially from desserts, coffee, and juices.
40s
• Make sure you include a large portion of leafy green vegetables with all meals– smoothies are a great way to include them for breakfast. • Master your metabolism with exercise. Get active with an activity you enjoy; think
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running, Pilates, hiking, or swimming.
50s 60s 70s
• Even if you’ve created bad habits in your 30s and 40s, you have time to make changes.
All Ages
• Make sure you have an established relationship with a primary care provider so they
• Discover a new activity, run a race, pick up a new hobby. • Know your body and stay on top of health screenings. • Stay active, both mentally and physically, doing some sort of exercise daily, whether it's a short walk or a morning swim. • Enjoy outdoor activities like the farmer’s market, walks in local parks and art exhibits. • Create a safe environment at home. Eliminate areas of concern that could lead to falls and possible bone fractures.
can care for you through all of life’s stages. • Be aware of and schedule healthcare screenings by age and state of life.
WOMEN'S GUIDE
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Passmore Plastic Surgery - Dr. Ann Passmore 479.274.6600 passmoreplasticsurgery.com
Valley Behavioral Health System 479.494.5700 valleybehavioral.com
Are you at or near your goal weight but can’t get rid of excess fat?
Our residential, inpatient, outpatient & day treatment programs
A new, non-surgical procedure, Vanquish Fat Reduction Therapy
for men, women, children & seniors provides a safe structure
may be just what you need. You’ve probably heard about it on
where people can focus on healing themselves and working
Dr. Oz and The View. It's an FDA-approved, non-surgical, non-
through their issues. Levels of care & treatment services are
invasive technique that delivers radio frequency energy into
under the medical direction of board-certified psychiatrists, with
targeted areas of fat on the hips, back (love handles), thighs,
each patient receiving personalized treatment by a multi-disci-
and abdomen, without damaging surrounding skin or muscle
plinary team of therapists, social workers, psychiatric nurses,
tissues. You can achieve a substantial reduction in excess fat
educational specialists, Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
buildup across your midsection over the course of 4 treatments.
and recreational specialists and a team of other caring mental health professionals. Our goal is to provide the tools and knowl-
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edge needed to live a happy, healthy life.
vegetables and fruit and low in sugared drinks, refined carbohydrates and fatty foods. Focus on eating lean proteins, such as fish or chicken breast, and moderate your
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Also, try to follow a diet that is high in
intake of red meat. Eating whole grains and choosing vegetable oils over animal fats is always a good plan. Third, keep physically active. Research indicates that physical activity – even when started later in life – reduces overall breast cancer risk by 10 to 30 percent. Even the addition of moderate exercise, such as a 30-minute walk five days a week, will go
PREVENTING BREAST CANCER 479.441.4100 or 479.471.4467 | SparksHealth.com
a long way toward keeping you on track.
Fourth, drink little or no alcohol and don’t smoke. Alcohol use and long-term smoking are associated with
The Women’s Center at Sparks and Sparks Medical Center – Van Buren offers a wide range of services for breast cancer detection and treatment. Both locations feature
an increased risk of breast cancer. Women should limit the intake of alcohol to no more than one drink per day and stop or stay away from smoking completely.
digital mammography, and The Women’s Center also offers genetic testing, ultrasound and breast biopsies with
Fifth, avoid hormone replacement therapy.
a radiologist on-site.
Menopausal hormone therapy also increases breast cancer risk. If hormone therapy is absolutely necessary to manage
CONSIDER THESE 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO PREVENTING BREAST CANCER:
menopausal symptoms, please consider avoiding those that contain progesterone and limit their use to three years or less. Additionally, avoid “bioidentical hormones”, as well
First, see your doctor.
as hormonal creams and gels, as they are not any safer than
With early detection and treatment being imperative, the
prescription hormones.
American Cancer Society offers these helpful guidelines:
• Obtain a regular mammogram starting at the age of 40.
For more information on mammography services in Fort Smith,
• Get annual clinical breast exams.
call (479) 441-4100; option 3 or call (479) 471-4467 to schedule
• Perform monthly breast self-exams.
your mammogram in Van Buren.
Second, eat healthy and avoid becoming overweight. Breast cancer is most likely to occur later in life – often times, after menopause. An unhealthy weight increases breast cancer risk. Throughout your lifetime, it’s best to avoid weight gain and work toward maintaining an ongoing body-mass index under 25.
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• Receive a risk assessment from your physician.
WOMEN'S GUIDE
Yard Yap The Women’s Center at Sparks and Sparks Medical Center sparkshealth.com 479.709-1913 Finding a lump in your breast can be alarming. The first thing you should do if you discover a lump is call your primary care physician to schedule an appointment. Your physician may do an exam in the clinic or order a mammogram. If you don’t have a primary care physician, call The Women’s Center at Sparks to make an appointment in the BreastCare Center to get a breast exam and mammogram with same-day results. In Fort Smith, call (479) 441-4100, option 3; or call (479) 471-4467 to
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schedule your mammogram in Van Buren.
Yard Yap 479.651.1933 Find them on Facebook Created by two local women, JeanAnn Sadler and Renee Carman, Yard Yap will get your yard yappin’! Celebrate special occasions with our colorful and unique yard signs. Perfect for all ages and any occasion. From newborns and birthdays, to weddings and anniversaries, we offer bright and funky numbers and specialty-themed signs. Choose from cakes, cupcakes, dinosaurs, race cars, trucks, champagne bottles, beer mugs, sailboats, storks, baby strollers, princess carriages and even sports! 3-day rentals include set-up and take-down. We look forward to serving Fort Smith and the River Valley.
Read Chair Publishing, LLC 7030 Taylor Avenue, Suite 5 Fort Smith, AR 72916