The View from Here

Foggy, with a chance of understanding...

When I looked at this photo yesterday it seemed like a fitting symbol for the way I feel about things lately. As I get closer and closer to seventy I find myself turning off the news, avoiding a few situations, and spending more time with nature. I shy away from people that I know who are prone to anger and confrontation.

When I was a teenager, I envisioned some drastic changes in the future. I grew up with the Jetson’s and Star Trek. I could see myself wearing a gold uniform and whizzing from task to task on some sort of personal transport device. I would embrace self-cleaning houses and freeze-dried food.

Most of the changes I dreamed about were good and positive and focused on unity and cooperation and peace. We would all work together to build a wonderful world!

What we’ve done instead is fulfill the Biblical warning of “wars and rumors of wars”. We live in a world filled with danger, crime, and violence. We are becoming more divided, more alienated, more separated by politics and selfish ambitions. We tolerate a leader whose mantra seems to be “Make America Hate Again!”

I understand that you may not agree with me. What I don’t understand is why that should make me good or bad. I don’t understand why my opinion about one thing should outweigh the other ten things we might agree upon. I don’t understand why disagreeing about how a project or program or law should be enacted seems to so often result in nothing being done.

Of course the Bible also says not to panic. So…I will not.

There are still people quietly going about doing good. They may not get a lot of news coverage, but the results of their efforts are all around us if we pay attention.

I know also, that I have my own path to follow. I am constantly reminded that God has things for me to do. My daily prayer is “help me to be useful”.

I may not be in control of anything newsworthy, but I can vote. I can pray. And I can work on understanding our not-so-wonderful world.

Making the Most of the Day

The death yesterday of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and friends is a tragic reminder that each day is precious and we should never take our lives for granted. The rich and famous, the poor and unknown meet the same end. Since my father died in his sleep in 2014, I’ve been much more aware that just waking up in the morning is a blessing. Living through the day in a world filled with violence, disease, and danger is another blessing. Making the most of the day, being my best self, making myself useful to others, seems like a privilege and a responsibility.

I hope that no matter what your challenges or circumstances today, you will feel blessed to be alive and will make the most of your day.

Beauty Close to Home

Today was proof that we don't always need to "go somewhere" to appreciate the beauty of nature. I was making some hot tea when I looked out the kitchen window and saw this hawk. Another landed within a few moments, but I could never get a clear shot of it.

Later this afternoon the bluebirds started exploring the boxes hanging on the fence. Early planning I suppose. Last year we had two pairs nesting. 

I'm thankful each day that when we needed to move from the country to town God chose the perfect place for us. Five minutes from Walmart, neighbors across the street, and beauty in our back yard. 

Holiday

One of the blessings of being retired is that my husband and I can change most of our plans in moments. Monday we were watching the weather forecast and it seemed that Monday would be a more pleasant day than Tuesday, so we decided to pack up and go to the refuge. I'm so glad that we did! The weather was perfect and the water was like glass. Great for photographs! (I took the first two; Gary took the others.)

 

Free to be me...

Today, as we honor the life and work of Martin Luther King, I have a slightly altered perspective of my life and freedom.

For the past few months I’ve been doing research on woman’s suffrage for a local group involved in educating the public about the passage of the 19^th amendment. Reading about the limitations placed on the lives of pioneer women in our state has been a reminder that sex and skin color have historically created privileges and prohibitions for segments of our population. When Oklahoma became a state, one of the first things the new government did was specifically restrict the rights of many of its citizens. Black and white children could not sit in the same classroom or travel in the same train car. In 1908 a person “of African descent” could be fined up to $500 or serve up to five years in prison for marrying a person not of African descent. Women in the new state could not vote. Many were denied property rights and prevented from joining organizations.  And it would be decades before women were allowed to serve on a jury.

The Caddo Herald

January 17, 1919

Women Can’t Serve on Oklahoma Juries

Oklahoma City, Ok. Jan. 12- Following the constitutional provision on the subject, Attorney General Freeling has ruled that women cannot legally sit upon a jury in any court in the state. A statue on the subject specifies that juries must be composed of “male” persons. It is agreed that another legislative act could change this, but a legislative act could not permit women to be members of a jury because of the constitutional provision that cannot be changed except by a vote of the people.

 

This past week I’ve been focusing my research efforts on specific women who were leaders in the suffrage movement. I’ve read about their lives and their struggles. Many were imprisoned for their actions. A few died for the cause. Today I’m thankful to all of them, and to Rev. King, for giving me the freedom to be me, and to live a life of privilege and possibilities.

Offline...

In the seventies my husband and I hiked all over the Sierras, the Owens Valley, and the White Mountains of California. We were young and in relatively good condition. We packed food and supplies with us. We carried water and usually knew where to find more.  We always told someone where we were going and when we expected to return, but we had no way to communicate in the meantime. No cell phones. Once we were gone four days and never saw another person. Like most everyone else of our generation, we gave little thought to the “what ifs” of our situation. I worried a bit about our children, but they were always left with capable people that I trusted to act responsibly in an emergency. And I was smart enough to sign papers giving permission for medical care.

In 1979 I drove our car from California to Oklahoma, pulling a trailer, accompanied by my three children, two cats, and a Doberman. Gary had to stay behind to complete the last two weeks of his job assignment, but I went on ahead so the children would not miss two weeks of school. Along the way we stayed one night in a campground and another in a motel. We experienced most of the usual problems that can occur between siblings and we made a lot of accommodations because of the animals. We also had a flat and had to have the trailer repaired. Again…no cell phone.

I could cite more situations that seemed so normal at the time and so dangerous today. Safety is the primary reason parents give phones to their young children.  Safety is the reason I carry my phone with me even when I’m only going outside to feed the birds.  However, I have a VERY basic, VERY old phone. I suppose I’m blessed that it even works! Most of my friends have “fancy phones” with apps and functions I wouldn’t even know how to use, but I have a phone only for the most basic tasks and for safety. I’ve called 9-1-1 about four times in the last decade. I use my computer to communicate with family and friends through daily emails and FB posts.

Which brings me to this week. Since our satellite failed to recover from the storm last week and could not be reset remotely, I have been forced to find other ways to communicate with the world. Yes, I have the option to read and answer email on my phone. However, my tiny screen makes the “answering” part almost impossible. I’m lucky when I can text a confirmation of my doctor’s appointment. An actual message is tedious and time consuming and frustrating. So this week I’ve visited the local library and our genealogy library to do a little research, blogging, and posting on FB. I’ve answered emails and sent messages about our situation to friends and family. And every moment that I’ve spent away from my home computer has made me aware of how dependent I am on it, and how very grateful I am that I have other options. It’s also made me aware that, after eight years, I probably need to upgrade my phone.

Note: A small connector between the cable and the dish was “fried” and took about ten minutes to replace.

Offline...

Yes, I'm still here, and grateful for those readers who have noticed that I have not been posting. 

Our weather has been crazy of late. We've had wind and rain and snow and sleet, and during all that excitement our satellite suffered some sort of problem. I spent an hour on the phone with a truly wonderful technician who tried to correct the problem remotely, but was unable to do so. Now we wait for a local guy to visit in person and diagnose the situation. Unfortunately there is more rain due tomorrow and Friday...so we may have to wait until Monday. 

In the meantime I've caught up on house cleaning, laundry, filing, shopping, and some gardening chores. I repotted six of my house plants and created a new succulent garden in a dish I've had for almost a year. I've been able to answer some emails and post here today because of internet access at the library, but obviously there are limitations to what I can do without my own files and photos that are stored on it. 

Just wanted to let you know that I'm alive and well, and will be back to a regular schedule (if there is such a thing) as soon as possible. I pray that your year is off to a good start and that you are safe and well. 

 

Prepared for the worst...

As I type this, I can hear the television in the next room. Our weatherman is telling us again to be prepared for some harsh weather conditions today. He’s been warning of damaging winds, heavy rains, and the possibility of snow (tomorrow) since the beginning of the week.

It’s a widespread belief that no one can really predict the weather in Oklahoma, especially in our area where the prairie winds and the “lake effect” often change the course of storm fronts, leaving us with dry, sunny weather when our northern neighbors are suffering floods or snow storms. However, our weather forecast is still accurate enough, often enough, for us to pay attention to major warnings like this one.

This morning I’m feeling blessed that I’ve had the week to prepare for today. I filled up the gas tank, bought groceries, stocked up on birdseed, checked flashlights, etc. I also made sure we have a variety of foods we can eat without electricity. Our city has a reputation for brief power outages. (A couple of years ago we stayed in a hotel on the other side of town for two nights.) We completed a couple of errands we had previously planned for today. Now we don’t have to go anywhere today or tomorrow.

As a local historian, I’ve read countless articles about past weather disasters. My ancestors were here when part of Caddo was destroyed by a tornado. They survived some major ice and snow storms. In fact, my father was born at home, without the assistance of a doctor, because the weather was so bad that the doctor arrived after my father did.

I have to wonder how people prepared when they had only a general idea of the weather they might encounter. Winter or “tornado season” or droughts were certainly events that occurred regularly, but did my ancestors prepare on a weekly basis for the possible consequences of the weather? Did they adjust their work schedules, buy more supplies, make sure they had enough fire wood?

When we lived in Iowa one of Gary’s older cousins told me she nearly died the first winter she was married because she was so unprepared for the winter snow storm that trapped them on their farm for several days. She was so traumatized by that experience that she spent the rest of her life being as prepared for disaster as anyone possibly can be. She became almost totally self-sufficient, requiring only the most basic supplies from town. She grew everything else and kept massive amounts of food in several pantries, four refrigerators, and two freezers. Some other disaster might befall her, but she made sure starvation would never threaten her again.

I’m not sure I would ever feel the need to be that prepared, but I’m thankful this morning that we can sit by our lantern and eat peanut butter sandwiches if necessary.

 

Right Time, Right Place

I have a plant that someone gave me a little over three years ago. I may have already mentioned my frustration when it lost three leaves and sat in its pot for two years with only two leaves. It didn’t grow or die. Just sat. I moved it to various locations. No growth.

We moved from the country to a house in town and I tried several locations in that house. No change.

A little over a year ago we moved here. I put the plant in the new kitchen and it grew a leaf. Then it sat for another month before producing another one. I was encouraged, but when two plants in the “spare” room began growing rapidly I decided that perhaps my stubborn little plant might do even better in there.

The plant you see here is the result.

I’m not sure if it was a matter of timing, lighting, maturity, or all three that produced these results. I don’t really care. I’m just happy to have a healthy plant. And I’m reminded once again that sometimes we have to be very patient before we see growth and change…in our plants or in ourselves. We need the right time and the right place to yield the best results.  

 

Great Memories

My lovely Aunt Betty died November 14, 2019. Her life and death are still fresh in my mind, so when I looked out my window today and saw these neighbors, I had to wander out and take some pictures.

Betty owned a llama for many years. I loved to see him and hear stories about him. Today I enjoyed some great memories...

Of course Betty's llama was better looking! 

Luey