May 20, 2008

• MARCH 30,2008

  It is 9am and we should be a my daughters by 11am. There are a couple toll roads between here and the place we turn off. We placed a call to my son-in-law to get last minute directions. We get off at exit __ and then you go thru the town of _____ Right in the middle of town, you make a right turn. If you go past the store front you’ve gone too far. (Anyone would think when you get into a town you would go past several store fronts) but I must remember I’m in Oklahoma, and I must think like the people in OK if I’m going to be in OK. After going a few miles we came to a church across from the church on the right was a tumbled sort of looking building and yes one would say at one time there was a store front, (but, were we really in town yet?) Up ahead there was nothing, so we went a ways looking for the town. We couldn’t find a town so we turned around and went back and turned at the store front and, it turned out to be right

  In a couple of miles we came to their mailbox. Last fall we turned 90 feet on the other side of their mail box, but this spring we were told they had a new drive so we were supposed to turn 40 feet before their drive way. We drove slowly as to not miss the new drive. We turned in. Now folks we’re not talking about a paved driveway or even a gravel one, but a dirt path (wide enough for a car) out through the woods or field. We turned in and before long it looked like the same drive we took last fall, so we backed out and took one that crossed a field. Down thru a wooded area and soon things looked familiar. We spied the house down thru the trees. As we drove up the family came out to meet us. It was sooo good to see Gwen (my daughter) and family again.

  Now in order to picture these next 2 days, one must go back to about 1930. You picked out a piece of land and settled on it (they paid for this land) you cleared the land and built on it and lived off the land.

  O, I guess we should mix the 30’s with today.

  The house is a pole building about 16 x 40 foot long with a loft at each end. The kitchen at one end and the master(?) bedroom at the other end. They have 9 boys and 1 girl so the only rooms that are walled off are their bedroom and the little girl’s bedroom. The rest of it is open. It is kept neat and tidy. The kitchen counter and dishes are all stainless steel. And they’re table is one that one of the boys made. It would go well in any modern lodge or log cabin.

  Let me describe the little girls (Gracie) bedroom. It is a room about 5x5 feet. Along the one end is an upper bunk bed. She has a head board for her books and little girl trinkets. She is 7 or 8 years old. And under the bed is a closet for her dresses. The rest of the floor space is a complete playhouse. The bedroom has an outside window for light also a window into the rest of the house so her Mommy can watch her any time she wants. It would be a dream bedroom for any little girl that loved to play house, and Gracie is quite tickled with it. And shows it off quite delightfully.

  In the house is a wood stove that sits close to the loft over the kitchen. There is a hot water heater up in the loft and when they fire up the stove there is pipe running up to the water heater and another pipe that runs down to the kitchen, so the hot water is gravity flow.

  Along the back of the house is porch that runs the length of the building, over the porch is a roof. And on the porch is the sink for washing after chores. And tubs for laundry time. Also on the porch are 2 washing machines. The one is a new modern $600.00 front loading machine, the other a wringer washer that has the motor taken out and is ran by bike pedals. You guessed it, she uses the pedal machine.

  On the hill above the house they have moved in a mobile home. Hopefully one of their boys will bring a new bride to the canyon one of these days. They have also built a large shop, in which to build mini barns. They are working other jobs as of now, but they hope to have their own business after awhile.

  One last thing. There is a beautiful stream running about 70 foot from the house. The stream is fed from up above from other sources but it also has a year around fresh water spring. Its water stays at 58 degrees winter and summer. The creek is full of watercress. It tastes kind of like turnips.

  I won’t make this post as long as I did the last. My computer wasn’t working right and I don’t think I was either. Anyhow I think I took the prize for the longest post in the blog world. I divided it into two posts and then Pop’s birthday popped up in the middle making a very confusing post.

  Now that you have a picture in your mind of what the place looks like. I’ll tell you tomorrow what we did there for 2 days.

  “I will give you one heart and a new spirit; I will take from you your hearts of stone and give you tender hearts of love for God. Ezekiel 11:19 TLB

  Cheerfulness will open a door when other keys fail (unknown)

  Someone has said; Forgivness is…. Setting the prisoner free - and discovering it was you.

  • 11:04 pm
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