On This Day

Oct. 11, 2025

On this day, a t-shirt in Arkansas read, "Don't doubt the snout." There were early fall leaves in the Ozarks, but most of the woods were still green. A riverbed was dry, and spring peepers peeped from the trees.

Two friends, both named Jack, told about living in the valley. Their families came in wagons from Tennessee in the 1830's, searching for land of their own. One Jack showed pictures of his brother, an actor who has played nine aliens in Star Trek. The other Jack is a fifth-generation farmer and told about the barn his family built in 1945. They used to have a dairy and milked their own cows, but small farmers like them got out of the dairy business a long time ago. Jack said farming has used him up, but he keeps going because this is his retirement. He called this year a "good lick" because he got a higher price for his cows. He bought the new hay baler he needed and mended more fences, making it easier for him to keep up his farm as he gets older.

Mary Lou used to own a store in the small town, but now she works in the deli at the nearby gas station. She talked about driving across the old swinging bridge, using telephone party lines, and a grandmother who didn't get electricity until the 1970s.

There was also a proposal. Adam stood on a mountain ridge and waited, keeping an eye on the trail. He had been planning to propose to Ellyson since February. Her friends helped plan this surprise, pretending to be hiking to the overlook for sunset pictures. Ellyson laughed when she saw Adam and ran over to hug him. Adam got on one knee, asking Ellyson to marry him. She said yes.

All on this day.