[Masthead] Fair ~ 55°F   High: 76°F ~ Low: 34°F Tuesday, Mar.
11, 2014   Wednesday, August 22, 2007  There isn't a lot of dirt
in Carroll County. I first realized that when I naively set out
to put up a fence and busted my posthole digger the minute it
stuck the earth. Out came a long iron bar and, two broken
shovels later, I had dug a half dozen real sorry little holes. I
believe I put up the crookedest, shortest fence in Arkansas
history. However, I did have an impressive pile of rocks,
probably enough to build a small cathedral or a large pony barn.
  Whizbangs at the University of Arkansas refer to where we live
as the Ozarks Plateau Province or the Ozarks Highland Eco-
Region. What's under our feet is limestone, dolomite, shale and
cherty leftovers. These are all sedimentary rocks and, according
to my Boy''s Book of Knowledge, date from the Lower Ordovician
to Pennsylvanian eras. I don't know what "cherty" means and I
will guess that the "Pennsylvanian era" was a really long time
ago. There are some limi