What a priceless point in time was this day... last week,
Thursday, April 16th, 2009!
My Dad, Pop, gave me 6 hours
not working, not on vacation or at PK with family
just 6 hours with ME!
I learned so much!
"That's where I grew up Kate! I used to walk those sidewalks to school"
"See that front porch over there?... That's where your mom was having a slumber party with girlfriends... they all came out the door when I came to pick your mom up to go get our wedding rings in Abilene.... she was 17! She was beautiful" (and she still is!)
"See that little house over there... an onion came flying by my head one evening after your mom had just about all the teasing she could take...The neighbors were outside and laughed as Mom sailed an onion from her cooking right by my head after I'd run out the door from popping her!"
You can imagine the big grin on my mischievous Dad's face as he went back to that day!
"That old grocery store was moved... used to be back there where that church is now... your grandaddy had a grocery store here for a little while too while me and Aunt Bette were kids."
Right across the street from the place where Pop was born was the first oil well he and his Dad drilled.... there is was... pump jack still in placeHe'd just told me about carrying buckets of liquid nitro glycerin poured into cylinders and dropped into the wells to release the black gold.
He CARRIED the cylinders!!!! a teenager... HE CARRIED LIQUID NITRO!
He worked for the company that came up with the idea to Frac a well...
He and his dad were on the crew that did it the first time in Oklahoma.
I didn't know that!
The old Ray schoolhouse in BurkettA landmark in Aunt Bette's memory...
This was not the entrance for the children then..
This was the arch that was the entrance over 78 years ago....Once again her feet walked through that door with the little brother that never attended
this one of eleven schools his older sister attended.
We traveled within a 20 mile area, and oh the places we went...
How could it have been 11 schools I asked????
"I don't know... you'd have to ask your grandad?"
This was the 1st and 2nd grader's room!A fireplace still stood in the corner of a building that still had a slate
chalkboard in place.
"Kate, does Elly still have the wild plum tree I pulled up for her?NO?... well, let's get another one"
Still the little boy who took from the wild things to bring into
his domains... at least this was not a fawn, or a skunk...
this one was not breathing, yet it was wild and would tie the past to the present.
Why was it that every house we passed one or the other would say something like"isn't that where your girlfriend ___ or boyfriend___ lived?"
Guess country kids just loved everybody!
Then.... I see a different sort of look come across their faces and a silence that had not been
the norm on this day....
"See those big oaks over there? well...you just wouldn't believe Kate.... You just wouldn't believe" and I understood that
"they just wouldn't go into that 'gate' again"... they just looked over and beyond into past
places they'd choose to forget.
Then we saw big catfish heads...
trophies with which my Dad identified...
"There's big catfish in that creek Kate"... and I knew HE KNEW from experience.
He'd told me about "tickling the fish" and
catching them by the gills...
Truly Tom Sawyer was walking with me today.
Then we saw big catfish heads...trophies with which my Dad identified...
"There's big catfish in that creek Kate"... and I knew HE KNEW from experience.
He'd told me about "tickling the fish" and
catching them by the gills...
Truly Tom Sawyer was walking with me today.
How proud he is that once again there will be those who will play and fish in this place.It gives continuance... it gives rebirth.... and it gives him joy!
for me too... as I see his heart!
"See that bridge over there Kate?
we used to climb up there while the carnival was going on
and drop paper bags of water on the people who walked around."
Once again, I saw the sprightly joy of a little boy who loved surprises!
I even got to see the place where they would wait under the little rock
bridges with a hammer or purse on a fishing line.
When people would stop to pick it up... they'd reel in the line and
watch their prank fulfilled.
"See that old stick frame over there???
well that was the old brush arbor where our church held revivals"
I could almost hear the piano they rolled into the arbor for the meeting.
Oh my.... still standing were the outhouses with the "thrones" still holding the
square wooden seats.
This was my Dad's first school, The Burkett schoolhouse was now
the Burkett Community Center... doors all locked.
I could imagine those sweaty little boys coming in from recess getting drinks from
and drop paper bags of water on the people who walked around."
Once again, I saw the sprightly joy of a little boy who loved surprises!
I even got to see the place where they would wait under the little rock
bridges with a hammer or purse on a fishing line.
When people would stop to pick it up... they'd reel in the line and
watch their prank fulfilled.
"See that old stick frame over there???well that was the old brush arbor where our church held revivals"
I could almost hear the piano they rolled into the arbor for the meeting.
Oh my.... still standing were the outhouses with the "thrones" still holding thesquare wooden seats.
This was my Dad's first school, The Burkett schoolhouse was now
the Burkett Community Center... doors all locked.
I could imagine those sweaty little boys coming in from recess getting drinks from
this "watering hole"
I could see my Dad remember the halls and just exactly which placed housed the
principal that TRIED to keep this wild child in line.
"Guess he knew who put that skunk 'sac' on the bus of the opposing team...
but really all I'd done was get the 'sac'.. it was my friends who put it on the bus!"
Again, the grin.... the boy was there in fr0nt of me.
"That's the tree where we buried it until the bus got here...
yes, that HAD to be the tree... under the big oak!"
"How many times did I run around that wall there?"
I wonder if kids around here still do?
And then it was time to finish... it had begun to rain, and Aunt Bette wanted to "find"
Granny, Thursa Jane, our namesake... or at least hers.
we looked and looked
Aunt Bette kept saying
"I KNOW she's here somewhere... I've just gotta find her"
I thought.... "I don't think she's going anywhere...
I could see my Dad remember the halls and just exactly which placed housed theprincipal that TRIED to keep this wild child in line.
"Guess he knew who put that skunk 'sac' on the bus of the opposing team...but really all I'd done was get the 'sac'.. it was my friends who put it on the bus!"
Again, the grin.... the boy was there in fr0nt of me.
"That's the tree where we buried it until the bus got here...
yes, that HAD to be the tree... under the big oak!"
"How many times did I run around that wall there?"I wonder if kids around here still do?
And then it was time to finish... it had begun to rain, and Aunt Bette wanted to "find"Granny, Thursa Jane, our namesake... or at least hers.
we looked and looked
Aunt Bette kept saying
"I KNOW she's here somewhere... I've just gotta find her"
I thought.... "I don't think she's going anywhere...
maybe we can come back to find her later"
BUT...82 years brings great perseverance,
and it wasn't until the rain came down in earnest that she decided....
"Guess we'll have to do this again.... I know she's here somewhere...
Do you think we could make another day of it and do this some more?"
WAS SHE KIDDING?
ABSOLUTELY.... these moments are priceless to me
not just about heritage and memories.... but
about time!
About who we are... and about .... well....I suppose you hear my heart here!
BUT...82 years brings great perseverance,
and it wasn't until the rain came down in earnest that she decided....
"Guess we'll have to do this again.... I know she's here somewhere...Do you think we could make another day of it and do this some more?"
WAS SHE KIDDING?
ABSOLUTELY.... these moments are priceless to me
not just about heritage and memories.... but
about time!
About who we are... and about .... well....I suppose you hear my heart here!
Priceless.... absolutely, priceless
Time is a gift you can only give once on any particular day!
I understood the gift I received! Thank you Dad and Aunt Bette!
I understood the gift I received! Thank you Dad and Aunt Bette!
