Man of Few Words

Doesn't everyone know why God gave us two ears and one mouth by now?

Ask anyone in Acorn Hill and they will tell you that Pastor Eli Hemlock is a man of few words - make that two words. "Look at!" says Hemlock, when in the morning he delights in the romping of a squirrel, the swift landing of a cardinal and sometimes rain. Residents do "look at" and long to find as much joy as he does in the simple things that we take for granted. "Pastor Hemlock is a great teacher," said Main House President Dad.

In recent days Hemlock adds a point of the finger to better define what to "look at."

Egg Cartons Bloom in Main House

Flipping through a magazine, Main House First Lady smiled inside when she found a craft that the citizens could do the next day. She had all of the supplies and was eager to get everyone involved.

Cardboard egg cartons, pipe cleaners and paint were all it took to get Mayor Asher Ply Wood and Autumn Fern eager to create their beautiful flowers. First Mom cut up the egg cartons. She left Ply Wood and Fern alone to paint the blooms. Then Mom poked holes in the bottom of each bloom. Mom admits that she should have poked the holes through before they were painted. The hole is where she put the pipe cleaner, or stem, through in her example. Ply Wood and Fern made the rest of the stems. Some stems were trimmed. With the excess they made leaves that they attached to the stems.

"We always have an empty egg carton or two, paint and pipe cleaners. We will be able to enjoy spring flowers year round," said Mom.

Barn Loft Victorious in Big-Fish Battle

It was a little like showing up for a gunfight with a knife. Nathaniel Barn Loft's trout net, while nicely suited for the "stocker size" trout in a typical North Georgia stream, would barely wrap around the big brightly colored rainbow that he was battling with an ultra-light rod and reel.

Main House President Dad was across the creek, with no waders, so Barn Loft was on his own. He had to work the rainbow close enough to the net to capture the fish before his barbless hook slipped out or his 4-pound-test line broke.

After several tense minutes, Barn Loft successfully netted the trout, and then he gleefully scurried across the creek for a few quick photos before releasing the trout for some other angler to enjoy catching.

Barn Loft's rainbow had a thick body and a pronounced "hook jaw," a feature of mature male trout that somehow makes them greater trophies in the minds of most trout fishermen. Dad estimated the fish to weigh between 7 and 8 pounds.

Barn Loft was fishing quite a distance from Acorn Hill, in Arkansas' Dry Run Creek, when he caught the big rainbow trout.

Acorn Hill Celebrates 15 Years of Daffodil

No, it wasn't quite Sarah Daffodil's birthday last Saturday. It was time to celebrate none the less.

Fifteen years ago on March 11 Daffodil grew and blossomed in Acorn Hill. All citizens know and love Daffodil. "She puts sparkle in the city," said Main House First Lady Mom. "Without her how would we know anything about making homemade biscuits or cornhusk sheep, vacuum sealing, hearts a burstin' or anything about Les Miserables?"

Citizens celebrated with fruit pizza, streamers and balloons and several gifts.

11-year-old Teaches Dulcimer Class

Old Joe Clark got new life when young Nathaniel Barn Loft taught a mountain dulcimer class to 25 students.

Organizers of the Ohio Valley Gathering were glad to make room in the schedule for Barn Loft to teach. For a couple of weeks, Barn Loft gave his class to Acorn Hill residents before going abroad to teach. He took a favorite song of dulcimer players and taught several variations to add more interest to it. "He really taught them. They were learning," said Main House President Dad. To Barn Loft's surprise, he finished the bulk of his material about a half hour early. He then ad-libbed by teaching his students more variations, which involved making their dulcimers sound like mandolins.

"I was sitting there in class waiting and waiting for the teacher, and I wondered why that boy was sitting up there in the front," said a student. Barn Loft received positive feedback. He was the youngest teacher at the OVG.