LIFE IN A FLYOVER STATE: Dwelling in the Land of Memories

Friday, February 4, 2011

Dwelling in the Land of Memories

(Source of picture)

Snowed in again today. If you are along in years, winter is definitely a time for remembering. Memories come unbidden as easily as snow seems to be coming to southwestern Oklahoma lately.

This morning, for unknown reasons, I was thinking of smudge pots. I told my husband I am glad smudge pots were still around when I was little. I remember coming home from my paternal grandparents' house at night time. There was an area on Portland in Oklahoma City that seemed to always need repairing.

My father would put the brakes on "Betsy," our Ford. Slowly we passed lighted smudge pots lining the road to show where the repairs were being made. No flashing lights or caution signs, just glimmering flames lining the road warning drivers away from the dangerous area.

I'm sure the smudge pots contributed to air pollution, but, still, I'm glad I was around at the same time they were.

1 comment:

ShawnaFebruary 4, 2011 at 11:32 AM
I have never heard of smudge pots. How neat!
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We can see the beautiful Wichita Mountains from our front yard. People make fun of the fact that we call them mountains, but they are one of the oldest ranges in the United States. The Wichitas are just lying on their collective side. Frankly, I would be lying down also if I were over 500 million years old. Time wears us all down eventually. Even granite!

There’s a lake one mile to the west of us, but it is best viewed from a distance. It is still the ugliest lake I’ve ever seen and though I am fond of this area, my opinion about that lake has not changed over the years.

When we moved here 30 years ago, there were not the neighborhoods just to the south of us that there are now. Our neighbor to the north -- and that neighbor is one-half mile away -- runs cattle on her pasture. The pasture across the road from us is owned by the school district. That land is rented out for farming and grazing. Deer still surprise us and an occasional bobcat or coyote grabs a chicken from our coop. Our Suffolk sheep walk up to our dining room windows and peer in every once in awhile, baaing.

There is a military post on the other side of the Wichitas. If we go out at certain times of the day, we can see rockets streaking across the sky. Also, we will hear booming cannons firing on the practice ranges. It’s especially loud in the winter time when the humidity is low and troops are training on the east range. Once five Chinook helicopters hauling Army tanks flew low over our pasture. The post is the only fort built during the Indian Wars that is still active today. It was staked out on January 8, 1869. Its history is a rich one.

We can walk the same stretch of road everyday of every year and always see something different. We have to pay attention some days to see the changes, but we have the time.