A Trip to the Sooner State

Last weekend I traveled to Tulsa for the wedding of my third grandson. What can I say? Beautiful bride, handsome groom, meaningful service for two young people eager to establish a Christian home. True for all my grandsons’ weddings.

But here I want to talk about Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain … through the neighborhoods and around the city skyscrapers.  Under the right conditions, the Oklahoma wind can turn an umbrella inside out, put the trampoline on the deck and make a pop fly into an over the fence home run.  This is the norm.

After the ceremony, we stepped out of the church into the sun. It was not yet 7:00 p.m. and still very hot. A slight breeze was stirring and felt good as we stood there dressed to the nines. A second later a gust of wind swooped down and then up,  gaining strength and velocity. My hairdo lifted, stood on end for a bit then settled about my face. Another wedding guest did a great imitation of Marilyn Monroe standing on the air vent, as her skirt blew up and around her waist despite her efforts to hold it in place.

In a moment it was over. We looked around to see if anyone had observed our embarrassment …  our less-than-coolness. Apparently not. Those native to the state accept the crazy wind as part of the life and charm of Oklahoma.  They tie down lawn furniture, put bricks on their garbage can lids and hold on to their hats … and skirts.

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Stimulating the Economy

I have to admit that in previous years, when I received a stimulus check  from the government, I knew what I was supposed to do with it. The patriotic thing was to go out and spend it … to stimulate the economy. I confess I usually gave it to VISA to pay for previous stimulation. Kind of a stimulate now, pay later system I had developed.

A few weeks ago, when I realized my bank account was fatter by $250, I considered what I might do with that “free money.” This time, it wasn’t absolutely necessary for me to give it to VISA. I might just put it in my savings account and let the interest pile up.

However, before the transfer was made from checking to savings, the need arose to purchase a new starter for my van, thus stimulating the economy for the local mechanic, who would then stimulate sales for the parts dealer, who would stimulate the economy for the car parts maker.

Now I understand how it works and I’m just glad to do my part.

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I’m Walkin’ Yessirree

Often, I walk first thing … well, second thing in the morning. This is a practice I have tried, from time to time, to incorporate into my life.  Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances keep me from this discipline: it’s raining, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, I slept too long, I need to read/write…  The list goes on, and finally I have to admit that I just don’t like walking. Well, I like it better than not being able to walk and I know that the only way to continue to be able to do something is to continue to do it.

But, when I walk, I am usually reminded of an acquaintance who always walked looking down. She claimed that nearly every stroll she took, she found money. Many pennies, but larger coins and even bills, she had spied lying in the grass or along the walkway. She boasted she had over $1500 in a savings account she had opened just for the money she found.

I say, she has gained $1500 but lost a lot of beauty.  On my occasional walks I have discovered how green Arkansas is year round, how many different kinds of birds live here in this small town, how many squirrels and flowers and how many dogs would be nipping at my ankles were it not for the strict leash law we have here.

So, I’m not too crazy about walking every day. It’s a discipline and I like discipline in my life (finally) so I will soldier on. Why don’t you join me? See you about 6:30.  That’s a.m.

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The Tony Awards (Six Days Past)

I watched the Tony Awards last weekend from the ten minute (!) opening to the closing number by host Neil Patrick Harris. (These can be seen on YouTube) There were a few technical difficulties but, hey. My first TV set showed nothing but live broadcasts.  We learned to overlook the occasional shadow of a boom mic on a leading lady’s face or the now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t stagehand retreating from the set as the camera panned.  But I digress.

For me, the highlight of the show was Angela Lansbury’s win for Blithe Spirit. This great actress has been on stage, big screen and small screen for seven decades accumulating an impressive body of work.  Watch her on Murder She Wrote,  on Hallmark Channel, or check out Netflix for more than 60 titles.

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When Shared, A Challenge Can Be Fun

The AntennaEvery happening in life, be it defeat or victory, a challenge or a walk in the park, reaches a whole new dynamic when other people get involved. This is the blessing/curse of growing up in a large family, and the benefit of having a host of friends. Thus the party atmosphere the day we installed an antenna on the roof of our house in Denison, Texas in the spring of 1951.

The house we bought during the post war housing shortage was somewhat small for our family of eight to occupy. Originally it had only two bedrooms and one bath. As soon as feasible, Dad remodeled it to accommodate a master bedroom, boys’ dorm and girls’ dorm. We were lots of people living in a diminutive house, but that didn’t stop friends of all ages from dropping by regularly to see if anything fun was going on.

One weekend, my dad brought home a used 13-inch television set. If we liked it and if it got good reception, he told my mother, it would soon pay for itself with money saved from movie tickets and popcorn.

We placed the television set in a central spot in the living room and turned it on. Snow. Dad adjusted the contrast and fiddled with the vertical and horizontal hold buttons. Was the shadow that moved across the screen a person? A horse? Or ghosts?

Much of the problem was that we lived in a town near the Red River, half way between Dallas and Oklahoma City. The FCC, in its wisdom, had licensed stations in each city to broadcast on Channel 4. Often the feed from WKY-TV in Oklahoma City would interfere with reception from KRLD-TV in Dallas.

“The signal is too weak,” Dad declared. “We need an antenna.”

The next Saturday a delivery man deposited a large metal contraption, along with an array of poles and wires, in our back yard. The plan was to install a 25-foot latticed tower on top of the roof and run a lead-in wire down the rod and through the window to the back of the television set. Guy-wires attached to the apparatus would hold it steady. The antenna should allow us to receive a clear, strong picture. Bring on “Mr. Peepers” and Milton Berle!

Brothers, friends, boyfriends, and fiances all gathered to be a part of the activity. Curious neighbors soon joined the crowd. A television set was still a bit of a curiosity in our town. A few homes featured a small antenna fastened to the eaves. The ambitious effort involved in setting a large arrangement of metal rods on the roof would be a sight to see. Females were sent inside to the safety of the house and the he-men set to their task.

Once during the process, the workers on the housetop lost control of the pole and it came crashing down into the middle of the back yard, striking fear into the hearts of stouthearted men on the ground. This was repeated at least once. Finally, before any lives were lost, Dad announced Plan B. The workers stuck the latticed pole into the ground, wired it to the gutter, and secured the antenna. This whole arrangement was only slightly taller than the one attached to the neighbor’s eaves.

Ah, but the task was not complete. The antenna must be oriented to the channel we most wanted to receive. This was accomplished by stationing one of the boys on the edge of the roof to manually turn the antenna. Likewise, persons were posted in the yard, at the back door, and in the living room in front of the television set. Through a series of echoing instructions, the wire structure was finally pointed to bring in the best picture possible – for a receiver seventy miles from the TV station and in the flight pattern of a nearby Air Force Base.

Whether Dad’s promise of the set paying for itself ever happened, I couldn’t say. I suppose the teens and tweens that gathered enjoyed the novelty of the small box that poured forth comedy and drama. But according to general consensus, the most fun had been installing the antenna.

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