Oakie's Heartland Clippings

Vol. 75, No. 22, Thursday, May 6, 1999

Inch By Inch
(Bless These Seeds...)

Let my column and newsletter be the fertile ground. let my friends be the warmth and rain that bless these seeds i sow.

"Inch by inch - Row by tow. I am going to make this garden grow - Some one bless these seeds I sow - 'Til the rain come tumbling down." the Garden Song - words by David Marlett.

Happy May Day, my friends! The flowery seeds of May should really be blooming now with all those April showers that we've been having lately. I've been traveling the backroads between OKC and NW and Western Oklahoma enjoying the spring countryside in all it's beauty.

I really love the drive thru the small towns such as Dacoma, Hopeton, Fair Valley, Freedom, Waynoka, Chester, Seiling, Watonga, etc...Highway 183 down to Clinton from Seiling is a great driave. It has those small, rolling little hills of grass pastures, wheat fields with the tree lined creeks and rivers running through them. It also has picturesque little towns dotting the landscape between here and there.

I'm wondering what it must have been like when my ancestors walked upon this land of ours. The small, rural towns with their unique little grocery stores that had everything in the world right there at your beck and call. They are still operating in the center of the small communities. Those ma and pa grocery stores were the Wal-Marts for their time and more. You know what I mean? During the winter months everyone would gather around a pot belly stove and catch up on everyone's gossip and family situations.

I remember the grocery store in Hopeton, Oklahoma, that we used to run to with anticipation when we visited our grandmother and granfather Paris on the holidays. It was a real treat to go in there and get a stick of candy, gum, a 10 cent comic book or just to run an errand for grandma. AND...everyone knew everyone else in the town. The owner of the store made you fell like you were the most important little person in there, cause he know your name and your grandparents by their first names. BUT...More about that in another story I'm working on for later.

Anyway, I love driving between here and there and seeing all the things in between. Sometimes stopping at unique little spots out of the way. I enjoy finding beauty in every kind of scenery in Oklahoma or wherever I travel. Each part of Oklahoma has it's own kind of beauty, especially this time of the season. It's like people...They all have their own distinctive, different characteristics and should be admired and RESPECTED for their own individuality, strengths, beauty and talents.

I was talking the other night with a friend and he says, "...These little ma and pa towns have just as much history as OKC, Tulsa, Lawton, and the bigger towns. And what I am doing, and ANYBODY on the internet can do. The just have to have the "want-to" to do it, to preserve some history.

Most of the little towns still have a Ma and Pa grocery store. Down the street there might be a small building dedicated as a rural Post Office and mailboxes. There usually is a quaint little bank and museum. AND...If you are lucky...YES! There is an old fashion saloon, cigar store and/or a cafe where the locals might hang out.

The farmers and ranchers in these areas are struggling to get decent prices for their cattle and crops to make their bankers, happy and barely making ends meet. AND...That isn't just Oklahoma. It's all over.

I've talked long enough and used up way too much of your work time. Someone in Oklahoma cares about you, my friend, and is thinking about you. Here is one last quote to think on...

"Truth and true love is forever. Spend your precious time and energy in positive, productive, creative activity. Life exacts a price as each moment passes by. What you get in reutrn is up to you. May you be granted all you need. May your health be the best and your life to match." Dr. Paul

Thanks! Go out and make a Great day for yourself, family and friends!

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Latest Revision - Monday, November 19, 2001 9:16 PM