Good Living 123

Joining the Union in 1836, Arkansas became the 35^th State. The name Arkansas came from the Quapaw Indians, whom the French called the “Arkansaw.” In truth, the first people to live there arrived around 11,650 BC.

Much later (around 650 AD) a group called the Plum Bayou built mysterious mounds of dirt that can still be seen at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park. The Rock House Cave in Petit Jean State Park contains well-preserved rock drawings created more than 500 years ago.

The population is about 3 million. And food specialties do not go unnoticed. Arkansas is known for such delights as Southern hush puppies, fried catfish, chicken fried steak, Arkansas Possum Pie, and southern biscuits with chocolate gravy (oh, yeah… breakfast made beauteous)!

1957 photo by Burt Glinn / Magnum Photos

Arkansas made history in 1957 when 9 African American students were escorted by Army troops into the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School.

2007 photo by Doug Wertman

But the state is known for more than its role in the Civil Rights Movement. For example, Arkansas is the world’s largest producer of bromine, and it’s the only state that actively mines diamonds. In fact, the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro is the only diamond-producing site in the world that is open to the public. A 37.5-acre plowed field is where visitors can hunt for real diamonds.

Yup. Finders Keepers. The site ranks as the world’s 8^th largest diamond-bearing volcanic crater.

With its nickname “The Natural State” it comes as no surprise to find beautiful lakes, rivers, mountains, and wildlife.

Among the abundant wildlife species, you will find elk, the Eastern spotted skunk, and the indigo bunting.

The highest point in Arkansas comes in at 2,753 feet. Magazine Mountain is flat-topped with steep cliffs.

Photo by Brandon Rush

Plenty of water flows through and around Arkansas, which is home to the 2^nd smallest national park in the US. With just 8.6 square miles, the waters of Hot Springs National Park can reach 143°F.

Photo by Patrick Hodskins

Another “don’t miss” site is Mammoth Spring State Park, which sees 9 million gallons of water flow through every hour.

When we see an eagle soaring through the sky, we tend to stop whatever we were doing and just watch.

One of my most memorable moments came as stood in my own backyard in New Hampshire. With our land abutting a wetland, I had been able to watch an annual eagle nest. Just once I happened outside in time to observe an eagle teaching its eaglet to ride a thermal updraft. The little one would catch it and go up and around, but then, whoops… out it slipped, drifted back down and caught it again. On its third attempt, the eaglet “got it.” Then I watched as they both gracefully drifted up, up, up and away out of sight. It was glorious.

So, on January 10^th, National Save the Eagles Day, I like to pause and thank those who have worked hard to protect eagles from extinction. Since 1787 the bald eagle has been our national symbol.

Though there are some 60 eagle species, only the bald and golden eagle are found in the U.S. Here, the eagle is a symbol of freedom, and we all know far too well how deeply freedoms are endangered around the world.

Threatened by extinction, the bald eagle began receiving special protection in 1972. By 2007 the bald eagle population had rebounded enough to be removed from the endangered species list. May freedom for everyone be so fortunate. Just like the eaglet, we must never give up.

Many music icons were gone too young, and Elvis Presley was one of them. He was born into a poor family in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. His twin was delivered 35 minutes before him, stillborn. In 1946 for his 11^th birthday, his parents gave Elvis his first guitar. At age 13, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he received a “C” in music class in high school. His teacher told Elvis that he just didn’t have an aptitude for singing. So, he brought in his guitar and sang a song that had just been released by Fairly Holden and His Six Cold Papas… “Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Me.” The teacher agreed that Elvis was right. She didn’t appreciate his kind of singing.

Elvis Presley could not read music, but he played and sang by ear. If he heard a song that he liked, he could make it his own. In 1954, at the age of 19, Elvis and his group performed their first live show and he signed his first contract with RCA records at age 20. In Nashville, Tennessee, in 1956, Elvis recorded his first album, which included the hit single “Heartbreak Hotel.” His stardom grew rapidly, even while he served in the U.S. Army from 1958 – 1960. Elvis continued recording music and making movies until his sudden passing in 1977 at his home in Graceland in Memphis at just 42 years of age.

The singer and actor still reigns as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20^th century. He holds many records to this day, including the most certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart, and the most number one singles by ANY act on the UK Singles Chart. In 1971 the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences recognized Elvis Presley with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Today marks what would have been the 88^th birthday of Elvis Presley. Fans have been celebrating at Graceland with 4 days of live music and special tours.

For National Bird Day, I thought we’d consider some favorites. I have always loved the long plumes of the peacock. (And, as a child trying to snag one of the loose and dangling tail feathers, I got scolded by attendants more than once for chasing the peacocks at the York Wild Animal Kingdom in Maine.)

As an adult, I love the songs of the mockingbird. We have some amazingly talented ones at our home in the North Carolina mountains. They can trill on and on for up to an hour, with seemingly no repeats. (I was sorely disappointed when I returned to Lake Winnipesaukee last summer to find the mockingbirds favoring the calls of the crows and seagulls.)

The hummingbirds, goldfinch, and cardinals are all lovely.

But I feel especially blessed by the plethora of bluebirds around our ranch. They are gorgeous.

Then there are the big birds… and we have plenty of hawks, owls, great blue heron, and even the occasional eagle.

They all make me so happy I could chirp!