The first few weeks in Oklahoma in the summer of 1960 , were weeks of adjustment...after the first days of realizing that we ( me and the cousins ) were linked by some sort of family bond , that included a unwritten code of being nice to each other ...we started the " testing" period.This means that we started to size each other up ...when it came to all things academic I easily had the upper hand. But in the important summer categories of farming, wrestling, colorful speech, and overall physical endurance I was a distant last. The rest of the summer was a chess match ( or checkers) where each of us tried to find the best and easiest way to excel. It was a classic battle the city kid vs the country kids. When it was all over I'm not sure who won , I do know I left with a much greater appreciation of their life and lifestyle.
Looking back I realize that those summer days were filled with creative play, with participating not observing ..none of my relatives had TV's , and they didn't feel bad about not having them ...The most important news was discussed in the barber shop and the town store. The best entertainment was on the front porch every evening as guitars and banjo's and harmonicas were paraded out. WSM radio and the Grand ole Opry was a popular diversion ..but it usually turned into a sing along. Gospel and Country music were the standards. Sweet Iced tea was the evening staple and on special nights we would have lemonade , and fresh made Ice Cream..with the smell of the rock salt and vanilla hanging heavy in the air.
The Baby boomer generation on the porch , seemed to live each moment to its utmost , there was very little talk of the future , of plans for work or school , if there were plans it was for where to go fishing in the morning.
There was much less fear in the Countryside...Where I lived we were practicing Air Raid drills and being warned about the communist Menace ... In Oklahoma people kept watch on the weather and worried about the rainfall.
Looking back I realize ( Much latter ) that this is what I missed the most after leaving Oklahoman and returning to Oregon...I missed living each moment , I missed not living each day in fear of being separated from my family if the Bomb was dropped...None of the circumstances of life in the 1960's were different , but in Oklahoma we didn't hear a constant drumbeat of fear from the televisions and news ... The enemies they faced in Oklahoma were tangible , tornado, hail , drought even poverty . But these dangers came with a deep abiding faith and an understanding of a word that we seem to have lost from our modern day vocabulary. Providence. There was no courting of entitlements in the hill country of Oklahoma , living with Tornado's taught you that " there but for the grace of God " ..when good fortune fell on some it was shared and when misfortune fell it was likewise shared. There was a strong sense of family and community ...Yes it was a hard time
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