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We Arkansans like to tout our state as one of natural beauty. Some people from other places know about our home in that context, but most do not.
Often, it is bad news, such as the shooting death of Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney in 2008, or embarrassing remarks, such as the gay-bashing done by the idiot Midland School District board member in Pleasant Plains, that attracts national headlines.
But we’re back in the news because of falling red-winged blackbirds and dead fish. Scientists are baffled as to what killed the birds. They say they suffered some sort of physical trauma … lightning … other weather … they say they really don’t know.
The crazy preachers on the right always are blaming stuff on homosexuals or other constituencies often associated with liberals and progressives. So this time I’m going to get in on act.
For lack of a better answer, I’ll blame the birds falling from the sky on freshman Republican legislator-elect David Sanders of Little Rock, a former Stephens Media colleague. He has a bill ready for filing that calls for changing the state slogan from “The Natural State” to an old one, “The Land of Opportunity.”
On Facebook, I told him that I expected as much — him, a Republican, trying to turn the clock back several decades. Messing with the fates by trying to run from Arkansas’ reputation as being a state with natural beauty is as good a cosmic reason for the mysterious bird deaths as anything else.
We met two-thirds of our children, all of whom live in Texas, at the lake house owned by my wife and her siblings at Denby Point on Lake Ouachita for the Labor Day weekend.
Molly, 25, flew in Friday night. Megan, 22, and John Bucy drove up Saturday evening.
John is Molly’s boyfriend, but he and Megan work together at John’s business, the Texas Charter Schools Academic and Athletic Association, based in Austin. They had to get the group’s flag football season off to a good start at events in San Antonio and Dallas.
Our son, Patrick, soon to be 28, and his girlfriend, Sarah Riley, were scheduled to come up Friday, but he was involved in a weather-related traffic accident on Interstate 20, west of Fort Worth on Wednesday night, so his car was knocked out of commission.
Sunday was a busy day on the lake, but Nancy took the youngsters out for some tubing. They were all tired and sunburned by the end of the day, but we did manage a trip into the Shangri-La Resort marina to have lunch and some if their wonderful pie. I had lemon meringue, Nancy had pumpkin with Cool Whip and John and Molly split a piece of peanut butter. Megan settled for the crust. It’s a treat by itself, too.
The kids headed for the “games of skill” available at Oaklawn Park after we all had naps and supper, while we older folks stayed home and watched a movie (in between sessions like this out on the deck to watch the lake get calm and quiet after a busy day).
Monday morning meant early up and out for the kids heading back to Texas. Then I went back to bed while Nancy watched Bogie and Bacall in “Key largo.” She took in “To Have or Have Not” starring those two on Saturday.
We finally cleaned up and loaded the car at a leisurely pace in the afternoon while we listened to the St. Louis Caqrdinals come back against the Milwaukee Brewers, winning 8-6 behind the grand slam home run by catcher Yadier Molina.
It was a nice drive back from a great weekend, but as is often the case, we were glad to be home.
Mike Dougherty's Blog 