On the Horizon: Breaking the Mold

More and more women are being seen in positions that are typically performed by men, as opposed to earlier days, when women were to stay at home and take care of the house and children. Women in the work place is very common these days as a duel income between spouses to support a family is almost mandatory in most situations because of the high demand of our society and our nation’s economy.

What isn’t necessarily common is females working in positions that are stereotypically deemed strictly a “mans” job. In this week’s video blog, we get to know four young females who are changing the way we view men’s work; making us realize that if a woman can perform a job then there is no need to worry about gender.
Kela Kelln

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Patriotric Musings

 

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly . . .”*

 

I woke up on the morning of Flag Day and several things dawned on me:

  1. It’s Flag Day – where did I stash my flags?
  2. Only two months until school resumes
  3. It has been over a month since my last blog
  4.  That blog was going to be written and submitted before Memorial Day.

A couple of “little” things got in the way though.  Two Saturdays, two weeks apart in May, my family celebrated two graduations.  First was my oldest daughter’s college graduation on Mother’s Day Weekend. Who could ask for a better Mother’s Day present than to see your firstborn walk the stage as she received her Bachelor’s of Science degree?  Second was watching my #3 child graduate from high school.

Even though I am a few weeks behind, I do wish to write about the topic I had in mind, only expanded slightly.  Several weeks ago, I realized those raised after the Baby Boomers may not be familiar with Decoration Day and/or the origins of Memorial Day.  Since the six weeks from mid-May to Independence Day are packed with multiple flag-waving occasions, let’s take a peek at each one.

Armed Forces Day, celebrated on the third Saturday of May each year, honors the military folks currently serving in any of the five branches of the US Military.  If you are fortunate enough to live near a military installation, you may be invited to attend an open house and tour the facilities.  Southwestern Oklahoma is blessed with two full-time installations, and several National Guard posts.  Raise your hand if you ever had the thrill of touring a C-5A or B, C-17, KC-135 (all air force planes), or maybe even crawling around on or in a tank or two.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, had its humble beginnings on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line during the War Between the States. Southern and Northern mothers and sisters realized the soldiers who gave all on the battlefield had no family nearby to tend their graves.  One by one, they slipped out to the battlefield burial sites to clean and mark each grave. Now celebrated on the last Monday in May, it was originally designated by the federal government to be held each year on May 30.  Decoration Day in some areas, particularly the South is still observed on various dates in May.  I will share a personal experience of this special day at the end of the blog.

One of the major turning points of World War II happened on June 6, 1944, when the Allied Forces came ashore at Normandy to take back Europe from Hitler’s Army. Over 2,000 Americans gave their lives that day to preserve the freedom not only of the USA, but of much of Europe, too.  Though not an official holiday, many still choose to honor this significant day in our history.

Old Glory was first approved as our nation’s flag on June 14, 1777.  From its humble beginnings in the sketch drawn by President George Washington to the 50 Stars and Bars that wave proudly from many a flagpole today, take time to reflect on what it represents the next time you see it displayed.  Another major historical event is also celebrated on June 14 – the birthday of the U.S. Army.  The Army first came together two years before the flag – in 1775.  Wonder who had the pleasure of blowing out the 237 candles on the Army’s birthday cake this year?

Last but certainly not least of the flag-waving days of late spring and early summer is of course our nation’s birthday.  We recognize the birthday as July 4, 1776, and call it Independence Day, but the question remains:  is that the date we truly gained our independence from England?  Your homework assignment, should you decide to accept it, is to do the research yourself on this one.

Growing up in the best part of the greatest state of the USA taught me a lot about life and what is important.  For many folks, Memorial Day weekend represents the first big 3-day weekend of the summer.  In their rush to get out of town and away from work, they forget the real reasons behind this holiday.  Papa and Mama would never let us forget, though.

Our typical Memorial Day weekend began Saturday morning with a trip to the Francis Cemetery near Humphreys, in Jackson County.  Aunts, uncles, cousins and friends would join us for the day as we weeded, cleaned, and mowed the cemetery.  For us kids, the cemetery also held adventure, great food, and the occasional learning experience.  Adventures included chasing and catching jack rabbits, horned toads and other critters, and checking out the unusual engravings on some of the tombstones.

Around noon, the “tail-gate” party would begin.  Of course this was before tail-gaiting was a popular activity prior to sporting events.  Most everyone had brought one or more covered dishes for lunch.  The men would put together a couple of tables, while the women spread out the food.  Papa or one of the other men would say a prayer of thanks. Tailgates were dropped on all available pickups to provide the seating for this covered-dish dinner.  Once our tummies were full, the women cleaned up the dinner table, while the men and kids returned to the tasks at hand.

Learning experiences were plentiful in this old country cemetery.  Things like:

  • Don’t mess with the toppled tombstones.  They are heavy, and make great hiding places for snakes and scorpions.
  • Cactus plants have long sharp needles, and lots of pesky little needles.  Both are painful to remove, especially if you lay down in a patch of them to catch a bunny.
  • Some learning was slow in coming.

Inspired by the map my mother started in the late 1980s, and also bit by the genealogy bug, I decided the map needed more than just names and dates.  Pictures would help bring it to life for those searching for their roots.  After piecing together information for my own family, I realized that four generations of my family are buried there.  I also learned that numerous veterans are buried there, including several from the Civil War.

Though we no longer gather on the last Saturday in May to clean and decorate, this cemetery remains well-cared for thanks to a handful of volunteers that secure donations for the Francis Cemetery Association to pay for regular mowing.  Ruth Ann Hoover and Tommy Sadler manage the association, while Ricky Crouch keeps the grounds weeded and mowed.

Thank you for joining me in this flag-waving patriotic blog.  For more information on the holidays mentioned above – please check out these resources:

http://www.defense.gov/afd/history.aspx

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html#1

http://www.history.com/topics/d-day

http://www.usflag.org/flag.day.html

http://www.army.mil/article/81666/Army_Birthday_week_keeps_rolling_along_at_Twilight_Tattoo/

See you next time in Southwest Oklahoma!

Southwest Sara

*Opening lines from the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, 1915.

 

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On the Horizon: If you build it, they will become it

Every year the Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance puts on a summit to showcase aerospace in Oklahoma. As part of that summit, they have an educator’s day to bring together local educators, industry, and government to create the aerospace workforce of tomorrow. They want to make Oklahoma the global aerospace destination of the world. This year they did things a little differently and I believe it just might work.

They brought the teachers in and gave them hands-on instruction on how to teach students and peak their interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It was definitely a fun-filled day. While there, I saw teachers laughing, crying out in amazement, discussing new ways of teaching, and really enjoying the learning process themselves. Many can’t wait to take what they learned back to their classrooms to see just how much their students will enjoy learning this way too.

I wished I could have had this type of instruction when I was growing up. Who knows, I might have gone into engineering or maybe science (math was definitely out because I simply don’t do very well other than basic math). Technology is as close as I come currently to anything in the STEM fields but I might have given other areas a harder look if I’d know just how much fun they could be.

In this week’s video blog, see how local teachers are spending their Summer break in the hopes of bringing new ways of teaching to the classroom and maybe getting students interested in aerospace once again.
Alisa Hines

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On the Horizon: Bring Home the Cattle

The cows are starting to come home in Southwestern Oklahoma. But high prices are slowing down the process. When I traveled to the Southwest corner of the state last year, I found crunchy ground, long trailer lines at the sale yards, and people rationing their water. It was site I prayed I would never have to see again.

As this spring rolled around, the rains poured across North Central Oklahoma where I live. But I wondered what was happening with our friends to the Southwest of us. I was very pleased to find that they had gotten 14 inches of rain by the month of June! Things were definitely turning around for them and I knew I had to get back down there and tell the other half of their story.

In this week’s video blog, we take a look at how the citizens of Caddo County survived the drought and how they are bouncing back and reclaiming their livelihoods.
Andy Barth
 

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Exposed: Thunder Fan Reveals Internal Dialogue During the Western Conference Finals

Tuesday, 8:35 a.m., she opens her e-mail and reads that, “…tomorrow, June 6, 2012 [is] INTEGRIS Thunder Spirit Day!” She notices her place of employment used not one, but TWO exclamation marks in an official “wear Thunder clothes to work tomorrow” message. She’s now certain that a good portion of her brain will be completely preoccupied by the impending Oklahoma City Thunder-San Antonio Spurs GAME 6 for every remaining second of the day.

11:30 p.m. that evening, she rolls over to stare at the alarm clock and groans. “Uhhhnnnnnhhh!” she thinks to herself, “I was right! C’mon brain, shut it off. You’ve got to rest up and save your energy for TOMORROW, the real and actual bona fide game day. Ugh.” Five minutes later, she starts thinking over again the problem of which “Thunder Wear” she’ll don for work tomorrow. Would it be her official NBA Kevin Durant Jersey? Or should she go casual and wear her “Thunder U” tee? She rolls over to stare at the alarm clock again and it’s 11:48. The last cognition she can recall had all periods between the words: “Must. Stop. Thinking….Cripes.”

Wednesday morning, 9:40 a.m. She has already explained to two people what “Thunder U” means and why her t-shirt IS indeed an appropriate choice for the day. As she whisks into her office to grab her massive “Thunder Power Flowers” she stops dead in her tracks, her gaze focusing on the weather outside her large picture window. Was that….thunder she heard? What!? Rain was pouring down the windows and the question in her head was answered with a second roll of thunder, louder this time and immediately influencing a ridiculously large smile across her face. Yes. It was an omen.

Wednesday afternoon, she strolls the halls to find someone, anyone, who will prognosticate about tonight’s game. She finds at least three people who help relieve her anxiety for a full four minutes.

Wednesday evening, 5:15 p.m. she calls her husband to carefully plan the food they will consume during the game. She pulls into Ted’s Cafe Escondido parking lot thirty minutes later to pick up a “set up” (salsa, cheese dip, chips and tortillas) to accompany the chicken fajitas and guacamole her husband was preparing at home. She was third in line at the “To Go” counter and realized her idea was also replicated by no fewer than the two others in line, one person calling in an order on the phone, and three people sitting in chairs staring menacingly at those who had actually planned to call ahead. Ted’s Set Ups were going like hot cakes…it seemed as if the whole world needed Mexican food to survive the game – now only two hours and fifteen minutes away. As she left the restaurant, she decided not to ruin the good karma for the Thunder by smiling triumphantly and holding up HER set up in front of those still waiting on theirs.

6:30 p.m. She and her husband are still in the kitchen, running around as if they were just learning to cook. They’re beyond distracted with the pre-game shows, the tension building up in their guts, and the fact that they had to have everything completely perfect so that every single brain cell could focus on the game once it started. They COULD NOT leave something undone in the food, pet care, plant watering and general chores department….it would be impossible to perform these tasks during the commercials. If someone had peeked in the window to observe, there might very well have been little blurs of people appearing to be moving in “fast forward” mode. GAME TIME was almost here!

8:00 p.m. Her bottom is sitting squarely in her cordovan, nailhead-detailed armchair. Continue reading Exposed: Thunder Fan Reveals Internal Dialogue During the Western Conference Finals

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.