darkness envelops them

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

Three women, Marge, Kathy, and Charlene, were killed in an accident and went to Heaven. They were surprised to see ducks everywhere. St. Peter tells them that whatever they do, they are not to step on a duck. They tried very hard but finally Marge stepped on a duck. Here came St. Peter with the ugliest man she had ever seen and chained them side by side. St Peter says, "because you stepped on a duck you will be chained together for eternity." When Kathy saw this she tried even harder to not step on a duck but she eventually did. Here came St. Peter with just the ugliest man she'd ever seen and chained them together for eternity. Charlene really watched every step and as time went by she was so thrilled because she did not step on a duck. One day St. Peter brought this extremely handsome man and chained him with Charlene. He was so talll, strong, and just the most handsome man Charlene had ever seen. Charlene says to the handsome man-- "I don't know what I have done to deserve this,"The man says, "I don't know what you did but I stepped on a duck!"


Let me tell you a true story. When I wasa little girl I lied to my mother. I was afraid God would discover what I had done and I would be punished. I decided I would hide from God. We had an old dirt cellar that usually I was afraid to enter but decided that God couldn't find me there so I went into the dark cellar. But soon someone came along and opened the door of the cellar and the light came in. The wrong was discovered. .There are a lot of my friends in this Valley that are concerned about their children. It seems that darkness envelops them and there's no way out. But the light will finally come and dispel the darkness. So don't give up==keep working, keep believing and God will send the light.

I saw Brittany Powell at Rover last week. Her time was to be over in Iraq in a week's time. She will go back to Tech in the fall. I am so glad she's back with her little girl.

Kelly Virbel, Shaleah Sandberg and I went to Russellville last Thursday. It will be the last time I see Kelly until probably her Christmas break from Loma Linda medical school. We had a great time. Sometimes 8 year olds aren't very good companions in restaurants, beauty shops, etc. but Shaleah was delightful !Kelly was in the beauty shop for 2 hours so Shaleah and I entertained each other. She had brought 3 Curious George books and she read to me and then I read to her. We walked over to a Salvation Army store and spent time looking at their merchandise. Shaleah has the kind of shoes that you seem to skate with the backs of them .I enjoyed watchjing her do little tricks on the pavement in front of the beauty shop. Ruben Medina, the hairdresser said to me, "let me fix your hair while I wait for Kelly to color." Wow!! it looked good when he finished. We had a wonderful lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and then headed back to Ola. It was hard to tell Kelly goodbye.

My sister Kathy, husband Lacey, daughter Kathleen and her two boys Jaycob, and Cameron and a friend of Jaycob's went to Branson last Sunday and came back Thursday. Friday they took 15 month old Wyatt to the Little Rock zoo. I bet that was fun.

The Wagner sisters, Mamie Glover and Robbie Fickle are both having medical problems, as of this writing. Robbie is in a Ft. Smith hospital. Mamie will go back to her son's hoime in Benton the 27th and he will take Mamie to her specialist in Little Rock. We need to pray for them and their families

And in closing you know you are in Ar. in July when farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying boiled eggs.

I wanted my hair to look just like that

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to the customer. "This is the duimbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you." The barber puts a dollar;; in;; one hand and 2 quarters in the other hand. "Which do you want, son?" The boy takes the two quarters and leaves. "What did I tell you ?" said the barber,"That kid never learns." Later the customer leaves and he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. "Hey, son. could I ask you a question?Why do you take the quarters instead of the dollar?" The boy licked his icecream cone and replied,"Because the day I take the dollar, the game's over."


I congratulate Mary Fisher upon being elected to the Ar. Press Association Board of Directors.Since this association is involved in helping protect basic freedoms of press, speech, and the Freedom of Information Act, it is a very important Association.. Again congratulations to Ms. Fisher.

My cousin Ted Copeland was talking about high school at FV.He was in
Mrs. Lowe's class and she asked them how many had running water in their homes. Ted raised his hand and Mrs. Lowe said, "Ted I didn't know your family had running water."Ted says,"When Mama says "Water, I RUN to get it. "

I have a job for Bruce Lee's bull. I can hardly get to my little garden cause of the weeds and grass. The bull could eat all the weeds and tall grass. --but how do I teach him not to eat my squash, Okra, and cucumbers.?

Weston, the son of Alan Ray and Cynthia Austin mows my lawn. He does a great job. He weed eats too, and makes it so pretty. Weston told me he mows 9 lawns this summer. . I look at Weston and I see a wonderful young man that doesn't mind working to make money for school and fun things. What a wonderful Christian family !!Another young man I admire is Clay Beggs. I received a thank you note from Clay thanking me for his graduation gift. . He thaniked me for my gift but he said he also wanted to thank me for always coming to FV and watching him play basketball.He said he hoped I came to Ar. Tech next year and watched him play. You bet I will !!Clay's note meant a lot to me.

I visited with my Copeland cousins, Dortha Copeland Putman and Peggy Copeland Brothers, at Waldron Wednesday. Peggy had to work and Dortha and I went to Mena .We ate a steak at the "Chopping Block". It was very good. We shopped in Herods.I like that store. We also went to Atwoods and Wal-mart. Dortha and I both purchased flowers to plant in our flower
gardens. We came back to Waldron where I visited with both Peggy and
Dortha . Peggy's big Quaker bird died. She was very lonely so she purchased a Yorkie-Po little dog. Dortha has a new Yorkie and she is beautiful. Her name is Ellie Mae. The first time Peggy's little dog heard the TV she barked for 20 minutes--I guess she had never heard that noise
before. It wasa good day for all of us.

Billy Jack and Margaret Bogle's oldest granddaughter,Kristi Nicole . is in Washington D.C. working for the public defender's office this summer. She has just finished her first year of law school and this job is good experience.

Do you stop and tell people how much you appreciate them and how much they mean to you? I don't do that enough. I don't know what I would do without my brother in law, Lacey Minnie. .My TV just had mostly a dark picture and Lacey fixed that. I bought a portable phone and Lacey installed the phone . Kathy crawled to the top of my car and put a light bulb in my car port. .I drove up in their yard one day and Lacey says, "You have a flat."He took off the tire, repaired the hole in the tire, put it back on, aired it up and it is doing fine.I appreciate them so much.

My great niece, Ashly' has her little boy Wyatt, enrolled in the day care at Dardanelle where Ashly works Her brother' Cameron, told me a little girl in the day care kissed Wyatt a couple of days ago. See those girls start kissing on the boys as young as 15 months.

I met Sherry Crawford, a teacher at Plainview, in Janet's beauty shop at Plainview. She has known my sister Kathy ever since high school when they competed in playing basketball. Gee, her hair was beautiful when Janet finished and I said I wanted my hair to look just like that. Janet gently explained we didn't have the same type hair.

Evelyn Levesque hosted a "going away " party for my sweet friend, Kelly Virbel, Sunday after noon. Evelyn had a neat money tree for her.There were lots of people there and it was a good time. Joe Harrison told her goodbye for all of us and then Kelly told us goodbye. We had lots of good food and Evelyn's pool was lovely A couple of people swam and it looked so calm and refreshing. We all wish the best for Kelly.

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

$422 for shoes!!

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

A tourist from New York was hiking through the mtns. of N. Carolina when he came upon the smallest cabin he'd ever seen in his life. Intrigued, he went up and knocked on the door. "Anybody home?" he asked. "Yep" came a kids voice through the door. "Is your father there?" asked the tourist." Pa, nope he left afore Ma came in,"said the kid." Well, is your mother here?" "No, she left before I got here,said the kid. "But," protested the city slicker, "are you never together as a family?" "Sure, but not here, said the kid through the door."This is the outhouse!"


We had only one to come to our food pantry at Rover last Tuesday. But sometimes we have 8 or more, so we are there to serve any one in need.

Chuck McCool has gone on a mission trip to Brazil. He and the pastor's son of Plainview First Baptist Church and others of another church left today, the 11th. I think that is so exciting!! I look forward to talking to Chuck when he returns

I'm sorry to hear that AnnaJewell Fryar had a stroke last week. I talked to her brother Tom Sullivan of Russellville Friday and he says AnnaJewell is doing pretty well. She was in Chambers Hospital at Danville but has been transferred to the re-hab at Dardanelle. Tom says he and Maggie have eaten so many green vegetables from his garden , he expects the two of them to turn green any day now.

Kelly Virbel, her mother Diana Brown and I went to L.R. Wednesday. It was fun for me to watch the other two shop !! We were at Dillards in the shoe dept. and I picked up a shoe and looked at the price--$422 for shoes!! Gee, our Dillards in OKC doesn't have prices like that. In our shopping spree, I got Vanilla coffee from Dillards and a pair of earrings from The Limited!!I don't have to buy to enjoy the time spent with my beautiful friend Kelly and her lovely mother. Kelly picked up her Dad, Tony Brown from the airport. He had been in Ca. visiting friends and his mother for three weeks. Tony was glad to be back in Ar.

Please !! If you see a beautiful Siberian Husky dog walking along the highway or walking in your neighborhood in Ola or Plainview, please call 479-2345457. Ivan disappeared almost 3 weeks ago from Kelly's yard in Ola. You would make a dog and its owner so happy if you find him. There is a reward.

I was so glad Kelly and Anthony came to get me at Dardanelle Sunday and we travelled to a Russellville park's pavilion, where there was a surprise birthday party for Joe Harrison. When Joe and Janet drove upo to what Joe thought was just a get together for people in his church, he was met with the singing of Happy Birthday. The party was fun--fun. Lots and lots of food and a huge birthday cake. I was so glad to see my friend Jewelene Putman Benefield. My Aunt married Jewelene's Uncle and had 3 boys. So those boys were Jewelene's cousins and my cousins also but Jewelene and I were not related In my visiting at the party, I was thankful all over again that God brought these people into my life They would not have to love this S. Baptist that is sometimes very unlovely, but they do. They have brought me through many a sad and difficult time by their love and prayers. I appreciate them.

Remember---the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything.

T.V. Injun

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

If you can start the day without caffeine, --If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains---If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles-----If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it----If you can take criticism and blame without resentment----if you can conquer tension without medical help----If you can relax without adult beverages----If you can sleep without the aid of drugs------Then you are -probably----------The Family Dog !!

Recently John Meredith of Gravelly, had a friend, Dave Edwards from Ca. visit him. Dave stayed in John's house across the road from John. One day, Dave went fishing in John and Carolyn's pond and caught a snapping turtle. As he is trying to get it off his line, the turtle bites down on John's thumb. Dave could not get his thumb from the turtle's mouth but finally gets a knife from his pocket and cuts the line. Getting bit by a turtle, having to travel minles to get anywhere, your electricity going off every time it storms, Dave said Gravelly was just like living in the Twilight Zone. And here it is July 6th and my electricity was just off for 23 hours. Every time it thunders in Gravelly, the electricity goes off !! Surely Energy could do something about this !!Gee, it makes me want the outdoor tolilets back and a well where I could draw up my water !!!

My little garden is not doing very well. The only things that are doing well are my squash and cucumbers. Have you ever fried squash, potato, onion, and okra together ? Yummy !!Oh dear, is a diabetic supposed to eat that ? Maybe that is the reason my bloodsugar was 583 Tuesday night !

I finally chased Jim McCoy down in Plainview so I could pay my ticket by showing him my proof of insurance. You know I tease JIm about scaring everybody to where they are afraid to drive over 30mph in Plainview, but he is doing his job and doing it well. Jim makes me think of my Dad, Doc Oglesbee, when he became a game warden. He told his friends and family (my husband was one of them) they'd better not hunt out of season cause he intended to do his job and he would give a ticket when it was due. So I will always have my proof of insurance in my car now, and I WILL slow down.

A couple of weeks ago, Margaret Lowe Bogle had a meeting in Jackson, Miss. and Billy Jack went along to help with the driving. Billy Jack says it is so interesting to drive down through Delta Country, where the crops used to be primarily cotton they arenow mostly corn and soy beans. Just S. ofPine Bluff, Billy Jack found a farmer named Esau who hasquitea corn growing facility. Heisfamous for hissweet corn. YOucan't just drop by and pick up somecorn, you have to make a reservation for a sack ofcorn and then go back on the day you reserved it and pick up your corn. Bill reserved a sack for July 3rd and he e-mailed me after he went back to pick it up. Margaret fixed them some of the corn right away and Billy Jack said it was really good. They also bought peaches for Margaret to make peach ice cream. Billy Jack was so impressed with the honesty and good work ethic of Esau that he decided Esau would make a good President of the USA He says he is going to enter Esau as a "write in"candidate for President and e-mailed my Highfill cousins to see if he could depend on their vote..He asked me if I'd vote for Esau and I said it sounded like a good idea--so Esau for President !!

Sonny Woodruff passed away this week and there will be a memorial service Monday, the 7th, at Parks Cemetery at Nola.

Tommy Vanover is doing a good job of maintaining the Parks Cemetery. I was at the cemetery last week and observed how nice it looked.

Geez, Janet Smith in her Plainview beauty shop, cut this little boy's hair into a mohawk. I mean to tell yu that kid looked like a T.V. Injun !! I am convinced Janet can give you any style you want.

For the 4th of July I went to Mulberry Church where they had tables loaded with food and chairs ,outside. The food was delicious and it was good seeing a lot of friends. I came home before they shot the fireworks.

Matthew.9. says of angels---It's not easy to become an angel. First you die. Then you go to Heaven, then there's still the flight training to go through, And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes.