An Introduction
Where I’m from, we say you don’t rush roots.
Roots take time. They take listening. They take seasons of showing up, watching how things grow, and learning when to be still. That’s something I was raised to understand, and it’s how I approach my work here in Cass County.
While I may not have been born here, this area has been part of my life for more than sixteen years. I first came as a resident of Queen City, Texas, and later made my home just across the state line in Doddridge, Arkansas. Over the years, I’ve come to know this region not just by its roads and towns, but by its people, its land, and its steady rhythms.
This column, Rooted in Cass, begins from that place. I am a wellness humanitarian and servant by calling, and my work centers on helping communities strengthen their relationship with land, food, and one another. Here in Cass County, that work is unfolding through garden literacy, community gardens, and the preservation of seed stories, the memories, traditions, and knowledge tied to what we grow and how we grow it.
This is not about bringing something in from the outside. It’s about recognizing what’s already here, giving it room to breathe, and helping it last for generations.
Why Seeds? Why Stories?
Seeds have a way of teaching us, if we pay attention.
They remind us that growth doesn’t happen overnight. That care matters. That what we plant today feeds someone else tomorrow. Seeds also carry memory, what families grew to get by, what elders remember from childhood, what foods gathered people around the table year after year.
And stories? Stories are seeds too. When elders remember what once grew near their homes… When young people imagine gardens that don’t yet exist… When families recall a tree, a dish, or a season that meant something… All of that becomes part of the soil of a place.
Through Rooted in Cass, I’ll be gathering and sharing those stories, not as someone speaking over the community, but as a steward helping to listen, organize, and pass them forward.
What This Column Will Do
This column will follow the seasons, because the land always knows what time it is, even when we forget.
• Spring will be about planting—seeds, ideas, imagination, and preparation.
• Summer will focus on tending—care, stewardship, learning, and nourishment.
• Fall will honor harvest—gratitude, reflection, recognition, and legacy.
• Winter will allow space for rest—story preservation, visioning, and renewal.
Along the way, you’ll find:
• Seed stories from residents, past and present
• Reflections on wellness rooted in land and food
• Youth voices and creative imagination
• Conversations with growers, food stewards, and neighbors
• Invitations to take part in seasonal activities tied to gardens and literacy Over time, these writings will become part of a Garden Literacy Library, a living collection meant to educate, inspire, and endure.
Wellness, the Way It’s Always Been
Sometimes when people hear the word “wellness,” they think of trends. But real wellness is older than that.
It’s knowing where your food comes from. It’s having a rhythm to your days. It’s neighbors looking out for one another. It’s land that’s cared for and people who are fed.
In rural communities especially, wellness has always been practiced, often quietly, often without a name. This work is about strengthening those foundations, not replacing them.
An Invitation
I approach this work with respect for the wisdom already present in Cass County. My role is not to lead from above, but to walk alongside, listening, learning, and helping build systems that last.
So consider this column an open invitation.
If you have a memory of something that once grew here… If you remember a garden, a tree, or a meal that meant something… If you’re young and imagining what could be planted next… If you grow food, tend land, or carry knowledge worth preserving… There’s room for you here.
Looking Ahead
Rooted in Cass will grow slowly and intentionally, just like a good garden should. Over time, these seasonal chapters will form anthologies, youth collections, and shared records of what this county has planted, protected, and passed forward.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute in this way, and I look forward to walking through the seasons with you, listening, learning, and planting what will serve generations to come.
Because when we’re rooted well, everything else has a chance to grow.
Niccqueta Varmall is a wellness humanitarian, a servant whose work centers on land-based wellness, garden literacy, and intergenerational stewardship. She has lived in the greater Cass County region for more than 16 years, beginning in Queen City, Texas, and later in Doddridge, Arkansas. Through her weekly column Rooted in Cass, she explores seed sovereignty, local stories, and seasonal practices that strengthen community well-being and preserve knowledge for generations.