“Just Roll with It” Serving up Recipes and Humor
By Sheri Hopkins, Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! Summer is back in Arkansas—I love it, don’t hate me for that.
I’ve been thinking back to the olden days when life was simple and times were so different. You could trust people, and if someone told you they were going to do something or be somewhere at a certain time, they were there.
We weren’t afraid to let our children walk home from school or go to a friend’s house. I had a wonderful childhood. My sister and I were just talking about it last week. We didn’t have a care in the world—we played outside, rode bikes, made mud pies, played with baby dolls and Barbies, and smoked fake cigarettes every chance we got. We didn’t have a phone except the one attached to the wall in the house. Believe it or not, neither one of us has ever smoked. Now, I’ve taken in enough secondhand smoke to kill a cow—I think all parents smoked back in the day. At the age of five, I was even sent into Bill’s Market in Booneville to buy a pack of Raleigh Filter Kings for my daddy. Kids could do that back then.
I’ve also been thinking about some of the words and sayings my parents and grandparents used. I still use several clichés, and my kids think I’m crazy. For example:
- If someone was lazy, my mom would say, “They are just doless” (meaning they do less).
- My dad used to say, “They couldn’t find their butt with both hands.”
- I often say, “Handier than a pocket on a shirt.”
- Another favorite: “Crazier than a goose.”
- And, “Let sleeping dogs lie.”
- “Dumb as a rock.”
- “They looked at me like a rock with eyebrows” (meaning just staring right through me).
- My friend Joy always says, “What in tarnation?”
- I joke that I’m “old as dirt.”
- My nephew (you all know the one I’m talking about) says if someone is grinning real big in pictures, they’re “grinning like a fox eating yellow jackets.”
- A friend used to say, “If it ain’t one, it’s two.”
- My mom would describe a tall man and a short wife as “Mutt and Jeff.” (I had no idea who they were until I looked it up—a cartoon with a tall guy and a short guy.)
- My aunt always said, “Tighter than Dick’s hatband.” One time I asked her who Dick was, and in true Aunt Exie fashion, she “knew” him and claimed he wore his hatband way too tight.
I miss the good old days, and I miss loved ones who have gone on.
This week’s recipe is for no bake cookies, but it has a twist. You put coconut in it and I would also add a few chopped almonds.
NO BAKE COCONUT COOKIES
1 ¾ cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
½ cup milk
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups quick oats
1 cup coconut
optional chopped almonds
In a a large saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, oats, coconut and almonds (optional) and mix well. Drop by the spoonful onto parchment paper. Let it stand for one hour. Hope you enjoy these. Have a wonderful week and always count your blessings.
Keep a smile on your face and always count your blessings.
Local Historian to Participate in Bella Vista Civil War Round Table: General Joseph Shelby and the Battle of Haguewood
The Bella Vista Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce the October 2, program will be General Joseph Shelby and the Battle of Haguewood Prairie. It will be presented by Dr. Curtis Varnell. The program will be presented at 7 PM at the Bella Vista Historical Museum and is free of charge.
In September of 1863, Joseph Shelby and his iron brigade planned the Great Raid into Missouri. As they journeyed northward and prepared to cross the Arkansas river, they encountered eighty men of the First Arkansas Infantry. The Battle of Haguewood Prairie delves into the history of the resulting two-hour battle, describing the battle itself while telling the individual stories of the participants from both the union and confederate perspective. The Battle of Haguewood Prairie graphically demonstrates the political and economic divisions that resulted in the UNCIVIL War for control of Arkansas.
Dr. Varnell is a renowned Arkansas-based educator, author, and science specialist known for his expertise in environmental education and Arkansas history. Dr. Varnell holds a PhD in Hydrology, a master’s degree in education and studied Environmental Dynamics at the University of Arkansas. He attended Arkansas Technical University and Paris High School.
Dr. Varnell has been recognized for his contributions to education with the Arkansas Environmental Teacher of the Year Award, the Arkansas Council for the Social Studies (ACSS) Educator of the Year, the Fulbright Teaching Award, and the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Education Department at the University of the Ozarks.
Dr. Varnell has authored several books, including “In the Shadow of the Mountain,” “Roads Less Traveled: A Journey through the Culture, Geography, and History of Arkansas,” and “Roads Less Traveled: Student Edition.” He is a frequent contributor to Arkansas news publications like the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette where he shares his insights in Arkansas history, culture, and environmental topics.
The purpose of the Bella Vista CWRT is to educate and stimulate interest in the period of history of the United States known as “The Civil War,” and to promote historical, educational, and literary study and activities related to the Civil War, including events and circumstances related to the cause and effects of the War. The Round Table normally meets at 7 PM the first Thursday of each month at the Bella Vista Museum, 1885 Bella Vista Way in Bella Vista, AR.
The Museum is located at the intersection of Highway 71 and Kingsland Road. The program is free of charge, but donations are accepted to cover the travel costs of our speakers. For further information please contact Dale Phillips at [email protected] or through the Bella Vista Historical Museum at 479-855-2335.
State Capitol Week in Review from Senator Terry Rice
LITTLE ROCK – Earlier this year the legislature enacted broad measures to improve maternal health care in Arkansas, and progress is already being made.
Act 140 of 2025, also known as the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, makes maternal care more available for women of all ages and socio-economic categories.
Act 140 has an important provision known as “presumptive eligibility,” which means that whenever a woman is pregnant she automatically becomes eligible for Medicaid. That provision provides immediate prenatal care for women during an important period of their pregnancy, especially considering that it takes about 45 days for an ordinary Medicaid application to be processed.
The provision took effect on June 1 and since then more than 2,230 women have been classified as presumable eligible for Medicaid.
Another provision in Act 140 is called “global unbundling.” It reverses a Medicaid regulation that reimbursed physicians, clinics, hospitals and other medical providers under a so-called “global payment” system. The state Medicaid program would reimburse providers with a large check for a bundle of services provided.
Now, thanks to Act 140, Medicaid reimburses physicians with separate payments for prenatal care, postnatal visits and other services related to the healthy delivery of newborn babies. Pregnant women are covered for up to 14 prenatal and postnatal visits.
Global unbundling began July1, according to a report by the state Human Services Department presented to the Joint Senate and House Committees on Public Health.
Another change increases reimbursements by 70 percent to physicians who deliver babies and provide prenatal and postnatal care.
The increase is significant, considering that in some years, almost half of the births in Arkansas are covered by Medicaid. The rule change means that Arkansas Medicaid will spend an additional $38 million on maternal health care.
Act 140 will allow midwives, doulas and community health workers to be reimbursed by Medicaid, but those changes will not take effect until 2027.
Elected officials knew that changes were necessary, because Arkansas was consistently near the bottom in numerous rankings of maternal health and infant mortality.
It was proposed by the governor and originally introduced as Senate Bill 213. Its two Senate co-sponsors were the chair of the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor and the chair of the Senate Rules Committee. The governor and both Senate co-sponsors are women, although three of the five House co-sponsors are men.
Arkansas is also improving maternal health care through a program called the Maternal Life360 Home Program, in which the state contracts with hospitals to care for pregnant women with high medical risks. So far, four hospitals have signed up.
Since the first of August 114 women have received maternal health services through the Maternal Life360 program.
Arkansas is promoting a smart phone app, called Pregnancy +, for expectant mothers. It’s free and it has links to local health care sources, hundreds of articles with advice on motherhood and tools for keeping track of doctor appointments.
State Representative Candidates Address City Council
The Mansfield City Council met Thursday evening, September 11, 2025, at 6 p.m. in City Hall. Council members present were Glen Hurt, James Steele, Julie Thomas, Sheri Hopkins, and Beverly Lyons. Councilman Boyd Farmer was absent. Also attending were Mayor Buddy Black, City Clerk/Treasurer Joy Maly, and City Attorney Travis Plummer.
Following the invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the August minutes and financials, the council heard the monthly city services reports.
Mayor Black began by reading a letter from Fire Chief Michael Smith, announcing his retirement effective October 31, 2025. In the letter, Smith thanked the council for their support during his years of service and said he was stepping down to spend more time with his family. Council members expressed their gratitude for his decades of leadership and devotion to the city.
Smith then presented his departmental report, noting 44 calls during the month—seven fire and 37 EMS. He reported the department had taken delivery of a new skid unit, though it still needed lettering, lights, and a siren installed. He also noted continuing issues with the E-One pumper truck, which has been going into fail-safe mode.
Police Chief Wyatt McIntyre reported 25 traffic stops, five citations, and 12 warnings, along with two arrests, one DWI drug arrest, three warrants served, and multiple follow-up calls. His report included three accidents, 18 incidents, one fraud, one theft, one harassment, one breaking and entering, one disturbance, 11 public relations calls, 11 animal calls, six medical calls, three fire calls, three school calls, three welfare checks, one motorist assist, 126 security checks and 10 agency assists. The department also logged 128 training hours.
Public Works Director Derrick Pollard reported 97 service orders for the month, 17 one-call requests, one water leak repaired, and two water meters replaced. He also noted brush had been cleared from Marshall Avenue and a grease trap at the senior center was cleaned and returned to service.
City Attorney Plummer updated the council on Act 673, which would allow collection of fire dues from residents in unincorporated areas of the fire district billed to their personal property tax statement. He explained it could be pursued through a special election or petition, and that Chief Smith had expressed commitment to advancing the measure before his retirement.
In unfinished business, the council approved continuing to withhold $3,000 per month from the general and waste funds through the end of the year for deposit into the retirement fund. The council also approved Ordinance 2025-3, continuing the Scott County millage into 2026.
New business also included introductions from two Republican candidates for State Representative District 52. Brent Montgomery said his decision to run felt like a calling, noting the encouragement of his friend and legislator Mary Bentley. He highlighted his background as a Quorum Court member, business owner, and family man. Candidate Crystal Malloy spoke of her desire to give rural communities a stronger voice, stressing her commitment to supporting small businesses and drawing on her own experience as the owner of a wedding venue.
The council approved placing two out-of-service 2013 Dodge Chargers, formerly used as police vehicles, up for bid. Mayor Black noted that neither vehicle is operational and both need to be sold.
The discussion then shifted to the future of the Dixie Theater. Mayor Black shared that he has been in talks with Anita and Lance Mize about their idea of adding church pews to the building, hosting classic movie showings, and broadcasting away sporting events, with opportunities for local youth to assist. Councilwoman Lyons expressed concern about the building’s history of bat infestations, which Black said would need to be inspected before moving forward. A study session will be scheduled to further explore the theater’s potential use.
During public comment, Councilwoman Julie Thomas offered heartfelt thanks to Chief Smith for his years of service, while two members of the fire department raised concerns regarding training and staffing challenges.
With no additional business, the meeting was adjourned.
