EPOTM: Lima, OK ~ (The Biggest Stone Up There)

source

go here

source url Derrick Jackson held a small pit bull puppy close to his chest as he pointed south, north, “over there,” “by the school,” and “down the road.”  As I listened to him patiently laying out the dividing lines between Lima and New Lima, the thought of him spending 15 years in a maximum security prison for second degree murder didn’t make sense. Continue reading EPOTM: Lima, OK ~ (The Biggest Stone Up There)

Comments

go comments

EPOTM: Cashion, OK (He IS The Job)

https://www.brigantesenglishwalks.com/ujyvljhe

see The Cashion PD interior was screaming for an HGTV renovation.  Informational messages spewed over the radio system, violently punching an otherwise quiet rural setting.  And Joshua Farrety, Assistant Chief of Police, was preparing for our conversation by finding just the right angle on his chair: far enough back to provide relief from the bullet proof vest he sported, and forward enough to balance his frame.

https://geolatinas.org/9c2n1k9 _DSC0265

source site Five minutes earlier, Farrety had been on the phone with his Chief who had encouraged him to speak with us.

follow site “She said the experience would do me good,” he retorted.

Tramadol To Buy Uk His put-off tone was counterbalanced with a subtle grin that gave away his enjoyment about the opportunity to represent the agency.  Assistant Chief Farrety was asked to speak on behalf of the department, and he wasn’t going to let them down.

https://alldayelectrician.com/6crjfr0 The City of Cashion was the fifth stop on a six-town, one-day run, so by late in the afternoon Rachel and I were more than a little jocular (read: adolescent).  Try as we may, however, Farrety stayed mostly on message.  Even when we chided him about his “lady friend” buying the groceries he remained fairly regulated.

https://dcinematools.com/rdei1x5qh6x I’m not sure if speaking with a rural Oklahoma policeman was the impetus for “the adolescent” in us, but when I watched our video this past week, my respect for Farrety strengthened.  He was the job.

https://paradiseperformingartscenter.com/x8i87fenx He was the job…whether it was to:

  • serve up their mission statement,
  • volunteer for the local fire department in any spare time he mustered,
  • or give it up to the reserve police officers across the state who enable towns like Cashion to stay covered when their budgets don’t meet the warm body demand it takes to keep their area safe.

source link _DSC0260

Tramadol Hexal 100Mg Online When I think about the shoestring budgetary funding of local fire and police operations, I’m at the same time impressed in how they made ends meet, and infuriated at the salary levels provided to those who risk their lives every day.

https://danivoiceovers.com/u71xn74p2b I left our discussion that evening with a few thoughts running through my head.  In no particular order, they are:

  • I would imagine the Cashion PD doesn’t give a damn about their level of office decor;
  • If I was ever in trouble, I’d feel just fine knowing Farrety was involved in some kind of police action to keep me safe; and,
  • I’m incredibly sheltered in my job at the university.

source url Thanks, Farrety and company, for pulling over the man high on pot so he didn’t kill someone while driving. Thanks, specifically to Josh, for putting up with our interrogatory nature. And thanks, Chief Veronica Thomas, for letting him handle the discussion.

Tramadol Mastercard He was the job, and he did just fine.

http://www.mscnantes.org/y4n3grxkip ***

https://www.mreavoice.org/ghxjfpnjv Video clips from our conversation with Josh below. For more on our project, visit the “About” page on this website. The video ending was extended without visuals to highlight our featured artist, Sherree Chamberlain’s song: San Fran, from her album New Skin.

https://penielenv.com/mg56057fz Cashion, Oklahoma is a small town on the boarder of Kingfisher and Logan counties.

Order Tramadol Next Day Delivery _DSC0259

Comments

see comments

EPTOM: Schoolton, OK (Letter to Robert)

Can You Order Tramadol Online

https://geolatinas.org/sgywgzeeqp3 Dear Robert,

https://paradiseperformingartscenter.com/dxwdc5f3o53 When we parked in your driveway, the first thing I noticed was a medium-sized cluster of tomato plants growing under an eastern window.  The gardner in me instinctively checked out the ripeness of your harvest, and wondered what breed you were growing.

https://www.marineetstamp.com/bdig6q5r6 The second thing I noticed was a Duck Dynasty poster attached to the siding outside your home, as if you were making a statement to those who visited.  I never asked you about it, but after speaking with you for more than an hour, I’ll bet a story exists we just didn’t get around to discussing.

https://www.yolascafe.com/0ggoj5xew _DSC0005

https://getdarker.com/editorial/articles/zr6mqxak4fe The third thing I noticed wasn’t about the environment in which you lived; it was about you.  Your willingness to sit and talk with us for a while was gracious, and the patience you provided us as we set up our equipment, jerry-rigged with hair bands, cotton balls, and no tripod for Rachel’s large format camera, was humbling.

https://lpgventures.com/5jiijkcbkk We were both embarrassed for having set out on a two-day journey with essential elements left behind in Oklahoma City. Your easy spirit buffered our anxiety; it was you who helped along our work, not us.

https://www.elevators.com/r11g6qeaj1j _DSC0002

https://onlineconferenceformusictherapy.com/2025/02/22/9ymbh62 From that point forward, I don’t recall sequential memories of our stop at your Schoolton home.  I remember pockets of information I’m now writing because our microphone wasn’t plugged in all the way.

https://www.mbtn.net/?p=3f8xpthsk Our time with you, and the fact that we don’t have audio documenting our conversation, is probably the deepest regret I have of our Every Point work to date.  So, I’m going to do my best to share with those who read these words, insights about who you are and why we appreciated our time with you so much:

https://alldayelectrician.com/u1oew3qbk4 Robert, I admire you deeply.  You raised your sister’s six children because she was in jail.  Then, you raised your daughter’s two children due to her cycle of jail and rehabilitation.  You take them on camping trips, manage a blow up swimming pool for them during the hot summer months, and have friends who will watch them for you during your trips to the doctor or other errands.

_DSC0007

You hold up your Creek Nation heritage with honor in so many ways.  From sharing their newspaper and Creek Language CD with us, to the stories you shared about your land, your home built by your people, and the funerals. You even attended an Indian school in far northeast Oklahoma.  

All the information you shared with me was new.  I didn’t know your tribe provided $250 for food when a member died.  I didn’t know that funeral times with families last for a few days, or that gifts like blankets are given to the family.  

_DSC0012

_DSC0008

I didn’t know that you could have your own family cemetery on the land where you lived – and how beautiful, to walk out your front door each day, to be able to glance over at your wife’s and other family members’ headstones on your two-acre patch of earth.

Your perseverance in so many areas of your life struck me deeply.  In 1979 you were in a car accident that gave you a serious knee injury, and took you to the Muscogee hospital year after year.  Providence must have had His hand on you, because during your appointment when the doctor was to give you the news that you would be undergoing an amputation, your knee began to heal. 

Your humor was good medicine for Rachel and I.  Thank you for the story that she posted on our Instagram account about the local sheriff:

"Robert lives on res land in Schoolton and is Turtle clan of the Creek Nation. One of the few times he chuckled while he was speaking with us was when telling a story about how only Lighthorsemen can come on his land and he had a stand off with a local Sheriff who would park his car across the street and wanted to give him some random traffic ticket, and Robert would just sit on his porch and wave, knowing the sheriff 'couldn't do sh*%.' It was hilarious."

_DSC0020

I’m glad your friend Tiny is so close, and so honest, and so funny.  It was great seeing you two interact with each other.  I loved it when Tiny said, “Oh yeah, we talk all the time.  We just sit out here and solve everyone’s problem’s but our own…just like two heifers!”  It was fun to see you laugh at Tiny’s jokes. And, I love it that Tiny willingly watches your grandchildren if need be.

_DSC0023

Can I Get Tramadol Online I really struggled when you answered  a question in a way I didn’t expect.  I asked what you had hope for, or had learned along the way….and you paused, thought for a moment, and then said, “I don’t know…I just feel…bored.”  

https://onlineconferenceformusictherapy.com/2025/02/22/g2wop7c7g8 I wondered if that was your way of telling me to you have lived your life raising the children of the women in your family, and that you’ve not ever really done something completely for you.  I don’t know what you meant by that, but I feel like I want to go back to your house and hear the rest of what you didn’t say.  And if you couldn’t come up with an answer, maybe your friend Tiny could tell us.

_DSC0018

Robert, I want to tell you that you might feel “bored” sometimes, but you are FAR from boring.  You have a cool braid, cool glasses, and a beautiful Water Bird tattoo on your arm. You take time for your grandchildren and I can tell you really care about them. You are great to sit and talk with on a Saturday morning, and share cool stories about the Creeks.

And, you put up with us.

_DSC0017

That’s it, Robert.  That’s all I can remember because I didn’t write too many notes that day.  I thought we had all our discussion on video when we headed down the road to our next stop.  But instead, we have you in our minds, and our hearts, and we hope you are doing well.

All my best,

Kelly

_DSC0021

Comments

comments

EPOTM: Crescent, OK (Parallel Processes)

Kay Whitfield’s neatly shaped white hair shone against her bright blue eyes, pink shirt and Oklahoma-weathered skin. Rocking casually in the light streaming through her sunroom’s windows, she shared stories about her life, her family, and her passions.

_DSC0117
A calm energy served as the foundation for her resolved personality.  Kay was someone who has taken stock in what the world has to offer, and staked her claim in the Crescent, Oklahoma earth at a spot where balance, ideals, hard work and hope intersect. Where reflections about her husband bring tender descriptions of his patience with children, and where reflections of her teaching days bring tearful descriptions about “touching the future,” now that she’s retired.

In many ways, Kay embodies what I imagine a case study on “core traits of Oklahoma women” might reveal: problem solvers, resilient, and determined.

Shortly after her first husband completed his time in the Oklahoma legislature, “the war came” (a divorce) and rather than resigning herself to a life of scrapping together what she could muster financially, she fulfilled a two-year teaching contract for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) in Germany. Returning to Oklahoma so her youngest son could complete his senior year at his hometown high school, Kay was ready to restart her teaching career locally.  And ready to begin her “post-war” life in Crescent once again.

She finished a “war” by spending time working for the DOD.

This was the first in many parallel processes I noticed in our discussion with Kay.  Indeed, she even has strikingly similar physical characteristics to her mom who had just died that year, even though she describes her personality as much closer to her father’s.

IMG_0904
A photo of Kay’s mother, chosen by family members, exudes an outdoor and adventurous spirit.

The home we were visiting had originally been a hotel built during Crescent’s boomtown days.  Kay had purchased it at an auction for $10,000 dollars and restored it to a beauty that reflected not only the original aesthetic, but in many ways reflected the owner.  The walls were simple, the furniture period-appropriate but comfortable, the art on the wall reflecting various artists perspectives.

IMG_0903

_DSC0127
The Whitfield home on the day we visited.

Similarly, her son had returned to Crescent after a career-changing journey brought him home, and he ended up purchasing a building in downtown Crescent for $4,000.  He and his family restored that building, and now he serves as mayor of the town.

See what I mean?

She told tales of her mother’s family, crossing the Arbuckle Mountains in a wagon where they were traveling to the next paying job their father could find.  As a child, her mother chalked the horse-drawn wagon wheels with stones so it wouldn’t roll down the inclined earth where they rested.  I thought about Kay, shoring up the structure of her home, piece by piece, room by room, so it wouldn’t “decline” as she progressed in her own life.

Kay lives in a historical building, now her home for many years, and taught history at Crescent public schools.  She currently partners with the local museum, gathering historical facts about their area to assist with documents they produce. She taught history, lives history, and supports historical documentation.

Kay married a former University of Oklahoma wrestler, and I thought about how pieces of her life she shared resembled wrestling matches: decisions along her way, or with plans to set forth the best historical trip for students and parents…and eventually family members.

On a wall in her front dining room, another artist had drawn the old home from her own perspective.  This artist was Kay’s granddaughter, Taryn.

IMG_0902

As Kay talked about her plans to save photography or needlework for the times in her life when she can’t move around quite so freely, I thought about Taryn’s interpretation of her grandmother in the artwork above.  She had drawn Kay looking out the front door of her home with a smile on her face saying, “Hi!”

Perspective from Kay's front room, looking our her front door.
Perspective from Kay’s front room, looking our her front door.

I have no doubt that someone in Kay’s family, quite possibly Taryn, will continue the Oklahoma history Kay’s mother and her own family started so long ago.  Someday, that might be Taryn in the doorway, drawn by her own granddaughter.

However their story turns out, one thing is clear.  Families like Kay’s are made better because members like her honor the full experience of their own histories.  And, because she takes care of her stories, her home, and her family, she is – without any doubt whatsoever – fulfilling her own hope of “touching the future.”

_DSC0087 _DSC0088 _DSC0099 _DSC0098 _DSC0113 _DSC0125 _DSC0109

_DSC0105

Comments

comments

33 Down. 561 To Go. Happy First Anniversary, EPTOM!


It’s been 18 months the since Every Point on the Map began to take shape, 15 months since we began planning our first trip, and as of today, it’s been exactly one year since our pilot run to Carney.

Today, we’re sharing a meaningful conversation with https://www.mreavoice.org/wpqp2tp5 each other. Sitting together in the outdoor section of RJs Supper Club and Lounge, Rachel and reflect on various aspects of our first year.

To those of you who have begun to join us by reading or sharing our journeys, we are grateful.

And year two, we can’t wait to meet ya.

https://mocicc.org/agricultura/vovcy0ksxn Kelly, Rachel…and now April, too.

Comments

comments

Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.