Decemberb12, 2012

The Turning of the Year
     In the early years of Man the turning of the Seasons were mystical and fearful times.  Since they were more attuned to the changes in the natural world they would see that the days were beginning to shorten and the nights were growing progressively longer.  They would set groups of people to sit watch and make sure that no harm came unannounced. 
     This is the time when storytelling was born.  As night came on preparations by the adults would require that young children be left to themselves.  In order to keep them calm and distracted from the bustle and tension in the nearby adults; an elder, usually, someone who could no longer keep watch or provide for a family, would begin by telling them simple stories of the people they knew.  They would embellish the good qualities of their leaders and wise men and work in the mores and rules of their society as well.
     This Season of long nights, may you find Joy in new and old stories. May you find Wonder in the eyes of a Child.  May you find Cheer in Friends and Family and if you are feeling alone and frightened through these long winter nights, take Heart, find a storyteller or be one.  Visit a Senior citizen's home, a homeless shelter, a Church, or other religious congregation.  Don't self isolate or take that step into darkness that you can't retract.  Reach out of the Dark and find another person. 

May God Bless you all and keep you in the palm of His Hand.

What we leave behind

November 26, 2012

     Thanksgiving has brought out some of my darker ghosts.  I have a very long love/hate relation with the Holiday Season.  I wont go into that right now though.  I've had a lot of time to think about the legacies we all leave behind.  All of us want to be remembered with love and kindness for as many years as we possibly can.  This is why we as a species aspire to greatness and/or infamy.  This is why human beings have children and strive to live long and financially productive lives.   This is why genealogists strive to stitch together the past.

     History, however, is all about the long run.  Human life isn't yet a second on the watch face of time and yet with great hubris we believe we will somehow become the defining event of this space/time scale.  Wow!  Give us a few more hundred years and we will manage to wipe our own small blemish, nothing remaining but tombstones, dead cities and lots of places where nothing grows. 

     What will the headstones of that future say?  Died trying to create cold fusion?  Cured Cancer only to be killed by Diabetes.  Here lies Bill Gates Bazillionaire? 

     I think I like some of the old monuments better.  The Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.  It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Memory of his Third Wife Mumtaz Muhal who died in child birth.   He apparently loved her very much.  The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, may it one day become and remain vacant. Others that I would like to see to pay my respects are the Silent Chairs in Oklahoma City and Ground Zero in New York, I would also like to see Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and the Sites where so many people lost there lives to so called  ethnic cleansing.  Isn't it time we learned that we all bleed the same blood and have the same hopes and dreams no matter what our religious beliefs may be.

     All I leave behind is this: these words written on an ever changing communication medium that I am fairly sure no one will ever read.  My books, clothes, possessions, my hopes and thoughts on life and death and what really matters, and unfortunately a body to be dealt with.  My chosen disposal method: Cremation, hold the embalming, no viewing, no funeral service, no memorial service (except for family if they want to hold one; make it a party) Bury my ashes with my Soul Mate John.

Cold Dry Days

November 18, 2012

Where did the first two weeks of November go?  It seems like yesterday that I was wondering why we didn't have any Trick or Treaters.  I remember as a kid we would go treating for blocks! There wasn't a neighborhood or a house we couldn't go to, except of course, the haunted one!  Then there was the family that was so into Halloween that they would dress up and scare the stuffing out of you when they answered the door! (HaHa!)  Those were good times.  There were rumors of bad things that happened but it never happened in your town.  Now you take your kids to a parking lot where either a church or some community group puts on a Trick or Trunk event and your kid can't be dressed up as anything remotely weird or bloody. Hey we tried "Accident Victim" and "Funeral Director" and they told me to take the kids home. What a crock!  And, worse yet, the kids are a Chinese Pug, and a French Bulldog!  Anyway, I should have kept them inside they just barked and ran around causing pandemonium. 

Now it's almost time for Thanksgiving and I have been running through Static Guard like it's going out of style.  I've been a little afraid to use the computer for fear I'll zap it to death.  The temperature has finally settled down to where it should be this time of year, but the wind has dried everything to an extreme. 

Sallekhana

I was watching a program on the National Geographic Channel today. It was about Taboo burial and death customs. The first segment was about the Jainists of India. They are vegetarians who don't eat root vegetables and only eat during daylight hours. At the point in their lives where they feel that they have acheived all that thay can toward enlightenment; they begin to practice the rite called Sallekhana which is slow fasting unto death. It may be several years before they enter the last phase. However, they have no illusions about it. In India, this practice is protected by their Constitution. It is a Religious Right.

October 25th (Part II)

There are several cemeteries near Perryton.  Ochiltree Cemetery was plotted in 1902 by Jim McLarty and J. V. Stump.  It is located 9 miles south of town on State Highway 70.  According to the information available Jim was thrown from a horse not long after they finished the job and became the first interred at the age of 21.  When Ochiltree picked up and moved they left the cemetery and a few scattered families and buildings.  The only building that remains standing at this date is the schoolhouse visible from the highway just north of the cemetery.  During the Great Depression  an entry gate was built by the WPA.  The cemetery encompasses 90 acres that include a semi seasonal stream and sometimes a small pond.  The Infant's section is first viewed entering the cemetery along its winding lane followed by the Family section which has three paved lanes seperating sections and an outer surrounding loop.  It even has trees; which for this area of the plains is saying something.  Living donations made by the families of the deceased have added beauty to this windswept oasis.  It is tidy and well maintained.  As far as I am aware there have been very few events of vandalism and it takes only a phone call to have someone come out and fix a tilted headstone or the occasional intrusion of an animal burrow.  I know that before the advent of the organised cemetery burials often took place somewhere on the family's "Home Place".  Before the area was settled you were most likely buried where you lay or left to the elements.  

Other cemeteries that are nearby are: Bethany, Bethel, Blue Mound, Black, Heart, and Kirby.  I will find more information about these for future articles. 

If you are interested in the early days of Ochiltee County please vist the Perryton Chamber of Commerce or the Museum of the Plains websites.

October 25, 2012

As I've grown older I've realized that High School was so much less than what some people would like you to think.  I can't remember half of the people in my class; and,  I'm sure they've forgotten me as well.  I know that the schools in Texas put too much emphasis on sports and not enough on the arts and sciences.  I felt that way as a student and I feel that way now.  Our world view is really out of wack.  My Husband and I have a favorite discussion about what things would be like if we had our way.  I wont go into that here my soapbox wont fit; but, I've done my bit for the effort today, I voted.  Now I have the right to complain without remorse if my guy doesn't win.

Introduction

I don't know when I first started visiting with the deceased. I'm sure it had to be in my teen years, most likely after I got my driver's permit or license. I was a socially inept kid and I knew that I didn't fit in with my classmates. I was merely tolerated at best and often tormented for laughs at worst. In our Senior Yearbook I was voted most likely to become a Hermit. I took it as a compliment.

Anyway, while everyone else would "Drag Main" street, I drove everywhere else. I lost myself in the roads around town, and eventually found my way to the local cemetery. I found solace; while there I didn't have to worry about belonging or even being found. Who would look there? Who was to judge me; the mostly unseen animals (Rabbits, skunks, lizards, antelope, prairie dogs, and snakes) or the stone cenotaphs? I found a peace there that fed my soul, if not my yearning to be a normal kid. I also found acceptance; I had a right to be there on any day and usually at any time. I didn't have to explain; and, I could think things through there. Time seemed to stop once I entered the gate; and, I was seldom interrupted without time to collect myself. I always left feeling better about things and calmer. Seeing the wildlife was and is a bonus. Like a wink from the creator. After graduation, I made a point of visiting while coming home for the Holidays, term end or even just a weekend spent at home.

I haven't visited the cemeteries any of other places that I've lived. The ones near my home town are where I feel most comfortable; and there are several. I have kin buried here. My Grand Parents on both Maternal and Paternal sides are here, in different cemeteries but, still nearby. My Father is also resting here awaiting the Resurrection. I've also discovered other relatives as I explore my family history.

Funny thing, I thought I was the only Graveyard Rabbit. You've probably seen one yourself.  They quietly sit just watching and listening in the hush and murmur of a Funeral service or on the HoIidays when you place flowers for your loved ones. I hope to become a registered member soon.  It's nice to know that there are others. I hope to update this blog on a regular basis with information about the area, the burial practices, interesting facts and other hopefully entertaining stuff. I don't know how regular that will be but we will see.