Welcome to our Thanksgiving issue of our paper. I want to consolidate my Editor’s notes to one location for our readers.
Out front we have the story of Walter Montgomery. We usually try to include a little something in this issue for folks who have come back to Blaine County for the holidays. I know Fay is not in Blaine County – I’m not sure about Oakwood – but we’ll claim them. And hopefully there are readers who recall Montgomery and his storied basketball abilities.
Another note on that story – he called SWOSU Southwestern Oklahoma State College. That might have been the correct name back in the day, but I changed it to SWOSU for continuity and clarity.
If you take nothing away from the turkey tips story, please do one thingsecure your items or handbag where the little ones can’t get to it. Some of us carry firearms and if you are not around kids frequently it is easy to forget basic safety rules. The other thing that’s easy to forget is medication, whether over the counter or prescription. Our family will always remember the year two nieces helped themselves to Grandma’s candy, only for their parents to discover they had eaten an entire box of choclated Ex-lax. In a two bathroom home full of a holiday crowd. No bueno.
And some of you are probably wondering why there are ‘foreign’ stories instead of our usual homegrown news.
For the first time in a long time, I am going back to Florida for Thanksgiving and by using these good stories written by others, I can leave early enough to get there on time, driving.
The Stranger is staying behind to care for our animals and do some hunting.
I am going to see my remaining brother who is in hospice care. We don’t know what his prognosis is, whether he will rally and be around many more years or if he can even hold on until the holiday.
That’s the thing about family, and holidays, and life. You never know when that day is coming. You might be given a big head’s up or it might come as a phone call that wakes you in the middle of a good night’s sleep. It might be expected or sudden.
Because you never know, we should be prepared. The Stranger and his best friend developed an annoying – at the time – habit of ending each phone call with ‘Love you.’
Probably because it annoyed me so much – I mean, they talked multiple times a day and it seemed a little much – I also picked up the habit of ringing off with ‘Love you’ in spite of myself.
I rang off a phone call with my mother by saying something like ‘Ok, love you, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’
Instead, by midnight she had passed away. Because of that annoying habit, the last thing I told her was I loved her. I have never been so grateful for an annoyance in my life. Except maybe a seat belt, but that is another column.
My point is, please, please make the time this holiday season to tell people that you love them. Heal old wounds, patch old arguments. Don’t let that last conversation be a fight.
You never know when that someone is going to be snatched away, or even wander slowly to the other side. Don’t let this season be one of regret.