What happened to the Oklahoma I used to know? The people were tough, resourceful, resilient. They worked tirelessly to do the right thing even when it was hard.
They lived through the Depression, the Dust Bowl, Prohibition and the Tulsa riots. There have been multiple boom and bust cycles and repeated droughts. But we (notice I have changed to include myself as an Oklahoman by choice now) survived, dug in, held on and even found a way to thrive.
In case no one has noticed, winter weather has been getting progressively worse for at least 10 years that I can recall off the top of my head. While so far this winter hasn’t matched October 2020, it has come darned close.
But I am sick to death of hearing the sky is falling, that it is the end of the world as we know it. It is time – probably past time – that we as a state and as citizens of this state get used to it and adjust. We can no longer accept everything is going to be shut down whenever a winter storm rolls in and dumps precipitation on us, no matter what the Oklahoma City television news wants us to believe.
All it takes to take winter weather in stride is recognize it’s going to happen sooner or later, and be ready for it. Other states have been doing it for centuries with very good results.
How does one get ready for winter? Most of it is free or cheap. Store a few empty juice jugs of water in an out of the way cabinet or closet. That will at least allow flushing the john if the system goes out. If you can store more than a few, there is drinking and cooking water. And it’s free.
Buy three extra cans of beenie weenies to have around. Or tuna. Or peanut butter. If you can’t afford that, ask at the food bank or your church. We are talking about less than $10 here. Not a doomsday bunker, a storm cabinet.
Make it a point to gather up and keep some extra blankets around. Remember the tales grandpa told about being so weighed down with quilts in the winter it was impossible to roll over in bed? There was a reason for that, and there still is.
Get some heavy waterresistant clothing and shoes or boots. Again, look around at yard sales or resale shops to find them reasonably. They don’t have to be fashionable. You can’t be cool when it is cold. Don’t forget a way to cover your head.
For the love of Oklahoma, learn to drive in foul weather. Sooner or later, it will be necessary. Take a class or look up tips online. Stock your car with warm extra clothes, some water, a little food, a candle and a shovel. Toss in a bag of cat litter.
When you have to drive in snow or ice, first, don’t unless you have to. That means to the hospital, to pick up medicine or to seek shelter elsewhere. Then if you still must drive, slow down. Stopping power is greatly reduced. Leave more room between you and the next car. The bigger the other vehicle, the more room. If you are creeping along at 35 miles an hour, and have 60 feet between you and the semi ahead of you, if either one slews sideways, chances to avoid a collision are improved. And wear your seatbelt. Keep your phone charged. Don’t wear shorts and a t-shirt, because even if it is warm when the car is running, it won’t be if you slide off the road and get stuck in the ditch.
It is mostly common sense, something Okies are famed for, and thinking ahead a little.
Suck it up and adjust. For whatever reason, be it El Nino or climate change or the bad weather fairies, it looks like nasty winter weather is going to be our lot for the next however many years. Like everything else life has thrown at the Sooner State, it is time to show our tough, resourceful side again.