The wind came sweeping down the plain

The ceaseless wind is an unalterable part of life in Oklahoma. It's taken me a long time to adapt. A few years ago, I realized I'd finally adjusted to living with it: I was outside and the weather was pleasant enough, but something felt wrong. Off. Different. It took me a few minutes of quietly standing in one place before I noticed the wind wasn't blowing. Its absence was unsettling.

Yesterday morning, as I was watching the dogs romp in the yard, I texted Johnny about the fence on the north side of our yard: "I noticed one of the crepe myrtles pushing on that fence, which does not look like it can stand that for long." The house's previous owners were really into planting trees and shrubs as close to the fence lines as possible; last summer, our neighbor paid another neighbor to come trim the crepe myrtles pushing on his side of the fence. (That's another story; I fear the poor crepe myrtles will never recover.)

Yesterday evening, I caught sight of the north fence lying in the grass. Uh oh. I hoped (without much optimism) that it was only a small section of fence that had fallen. To my dismay, nearly the entire length of the fence had been blown over by yesterday's awful wind.

The fallen fence.

About 72 feet of fence is down. The dogs are unhappy about the loss of turnout time, and Buttons is extremely displeased at having to walk (and go to the bathroom) on a leash. The indignity.

The helpful woman from our homeowner's insurance agency explained that our plan has a deductible of $5,000 for damages incurring from wind; the pleasant man from the fencing company I called gave me a quote of $1,440 to repair it.

Johnny is enthusiastic about fixing it ourselves; I am wary. I've fixed and built fences before and know it's a time consuming and backbreaking process. But I figure if we fix it ourselves, we can at least salvage it for cross-country jumps.

Stephanie jumping Spike over a coop.

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You Don't Appreciate It Til It's Gone

I grew up in Tennessee and consider myself a Southerner, despite my innate dislike of sweet tea (I prefer unsweet with a big slice of lemon) and my inability to pull off a convincing accent for very long. Some people might argue that since I was born in New York, I'm still a damn Yankee. But I'd disagree. I love the South. It's where I grew up, where I went to school, where my heart will always stay.

To the untrained eye, Oklahoma might seem exactly like my beloved Tennessee. It's hot, mostly Republican, and one can certainly find a church on every corner. Everyone has a dog. Most people enjoy a cool sweet tea. Some folks say "y'all". But there are subtle differences, if you know where to look.

• People here in Oklahoma refer to soft drinks as "pop". Back home, it's always "coke", no matter the brand. 
• The lands of the South are varied, but generally consist of temperate forests across plains and hills. There's a bit of that in far eastern Oklahoma, but most of the state is distinctly part of the Great Plains. The difference between the lush green forests of Tennessee and the stark grassy plains of Oklahoma is immense and often depresses me.
• Oklahoma's history is rooted deeply in a Wild West, cowboys-and-Indians culture. Known as "Indian Territory" until it achieved statehood in 1907, this isn't surprising; however, it's vastly different from the South's heritage of early European settlement, slavery, and war. 
• The architecture of Tennessee is rooted in its antebellum period. Beautiful, columned Greek Revival-style plantations dot the landscape of not only Tennessee, but much of the South. That style is less popular out west; Tulsa has a particularly impressive collection of Art Deco buildings. Equally gorgeous, but definitely different.

A less subtle difference (for me, at least), is the people. In Tennessee it's perfectly natural for strangers to wave when they pass you on the road, or to give you a friendly nod and smile in the produce section of the grocery store. Waitresses will endeavor to have genuine conversations with customers. Gentlemen always hold the door open for others. Most people try to make a new person feel welcome in their town or university or organization. In Oklahoma, I've found it to be much, much different. People react like you're crazy if you smile at them or try to strike up a conversation at the grocery store. When they learn you've moved here from another state, they act like they can't believe it: "Why would you want to move here?" they ask, incredulous. Those in the hospitality industry are surly and barely polite. Very few people hold the door. Somehow, Okies can sense foreigners, and those foreigners are not welcome. Maybe it's because Oklahomans are fiercely protective of their culture and feel threatened by invaders. Maybe it's because they're all dreadfully mean. I don't know.

I miss the South and its quaint, relaxed ways. Will I ever make it back? I'm not sure; it depends on a lot of things. Will I ever feel at home in Oklahoma? I'm not sure, but it ain't looking good. 

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In Which the Local Paper is Terrible

I think my least favorite thing about living in Claremore (or any small town) is the local newspaper. I recognize its importance to many citizens; it's where people read about accomplishments of schoolchildren, achievements of local individuals, updates on city government goings-on. I understand those things are important and enjoyable reading material for many. I, however, am not one of those people.

To me, the local paper (Claremore Daily Progress, if you were wondering) is full of useless information about high school sports teams, the lunch menu at the elementary school, updates on church activities, and editorial rants about city council members. It's also littered with typos, misleading headlines, and poor design choices.

Let's examine some recent issues, shall we?

• "More legal claims targeting county" (April 17, 2011): "That includes $9,873 for a claim by Marion Gooding, a Tulsa man who was arrested for desecrating U.S. Fag, and $2,097 for Richard Fumi’s allegations that a Sheriff’s deputy injured him during an arrest." Desecrating a what? A US Fag, you say? Why is it capitalized? Where is the appropriate article before the noun?? (This typo was only in the print edition. Mercifully, the online edition reads "desecrating a U.S. flag".)
• "Meth lab found in garbage truck" (April 18, 2011): What image does this headline evoke? A scandal involving a rogue garbage truck driver cooking meth in a city vehicle, perhaps selling it on his rounds? You'd be wrong. Turns out someone deposited the remains of a meth lab into their trash can, and said contents eventually made it to a garbage truck. Is it really a meth lab when it's just a bunch of empty Claritin boxes??

And then there's the content itself. I won't slam the sports updates or the reports of spelling bee winners. Those things are important to most of the community, and I know if I had a kid playing baseball for the Zebras, I'd clip every one of those articles out, put them in a folder, and promptly forget where I placed it. My issues with the Progress are some of the idiotic drivel they publish under the pretense of "news". Take this column from last : September, written by special columnist Walt Thurn: "Christians, Muslims, and the Undecided". It's the first of a series focusing on differences between Christians and Muslims which seems to try to convert the undecided to Christianity under the guise of "explaining" the two religions. Here are some highlights:

• "Islam, on the other hand, subscribes very strongly to ‘Islamic Supremacism’ and believes that rejecters or infidels should be confronted immediately with some form of jihad." (There are three forms of jihad, two of which have nothing to do with warfare.)
• "Also to be considered in future weeks is the reality that this is America and this country was founded on Christian principles while allowing religious freedom." (In reality, the country was founded along pretty generous Deist principles.)
• "We have offered the freedom of religion to others, but the question is being raised whether we are giving up some basic freedoms in order to preserve the freedoms of those who may not agree with our constitution or wish to be assimilated into our way of life." (The author declines to outline which basic freedoms Americans are giving up.)

In subsequent columns, Thrun makes a number of incorrect statements on Islamic faith and continues to write with a condescending attitude towards those of the Islamic faith. I was surprised and deeply concerned that the local paper was willing to publish such an inflammatory column; I suppose in reality, I was the only one inflamed. After all, in a city of 75% white people deep in the Bible Belt, what can you expect?

I expect good reporting from my local media, that's what. Fair and balanced coverage on city, county, and state happenings. Real news- not dozens of human interest stories. I expect someone to proofread articles before they're published, and to edit articles and headlines when necessary. I expect a newspaper.

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