May we always remember the long 17 days we just endured. It may not have been as entertaining as the winter of ’48 but so far it sure has my attention. It has been a time of something just getting worse. And yes it could have been worse. For many others it was. For me it started out on the 5^th. I took Pat to the doctor up in Tulsa that day. It was rainy and cold and when we arrived it was slick, icy and 23 degrees F. But we made it home okay only to watch our weather just grow colder and colder.

Unlike the bad winter spells I have lived through in my 86 years, this one caught me being something called “elderly.” You know that as such a thing that sneaks up on the best of us but not without warning. The cold and ice precipitated more than snow for my wife and me. We received warnings and we received help. Surprising in that I wondered why this could happen to a happy young fellow like me.

My well-intentioned daughter forbid me to even go outside while this weather is like this. “You go out there and you’ll fall and break a hip.” I told her my hip felt just fine and that I have good bones. But she took my post office keys anyway saying she would be getting my mail. Also be getting my groceries and stuff. Not wanting to hurt her feelings I stayed in. In fact, I have not started a car or pickup since then. But I expect to take Pat back to the doctor in the morning and, since the ice is gone and she did not take my car keys, I guess I will just do that.

In the past good snowstorms and cold weather brought me a lot of playtime and joy. Plus, you know how the snow covers up the ugly parts of our landscape and brings us an awesome view of pristine Oklahoma. In the winter of 1948, we had a cold snap that went on too long. Like this one it had its inconveniences, but our electric power stayed on as I recall. The gas? Not so lucky there. The gas lines into Stonewall came out of the local “Fitts Field” and many of the supply lines were above ground. The gas was of a poor quality but cheap. The lines often collected too much moisture and while the gas would just go ahead and bubble through, in times of severe cold the invasive moisture would freeze up.

Usually, during bad cold spells the gas would stay on, but its pressure would go down. Places like our school would just chill down. But as long as D. D. Duke (Superintendent) could see some heat, and the classrooms stayed above 55ºF we just “scrunched” up and stayed. In 1948 there was not enough pressure to do that nor keep our home’s hot water tank pilot light going. So, there was that. And sure enough, Mr. Duke gave up and turned school out for several days.

In 1948 we had a freezing rain then a heavy sleet storm. Then, before we got over that, it snowed awhile. Then back to some more rain and well, that is the way I remember it. My dad ran a movie show called The Main Theatre over in Stonewall. Like all the businesses of that day and time we never missed a show or being opened at our scheduled times. One night as we got ready to go and open the theatre, I remember mom saying, “O Cecil, please don’t walk down there tonight—there won’t be one soul down there in this weather to sit in your cold movie house. The gas is off you will all freeze.” But dad prevailed. And we only sold 25 of those 35 cent admission tickets and several bags of that 10-cent popcorn. Then we walked home. Could not drive. Boy was it cold.

That cold spell finally ended as did this one. Seemed to last forever finally ending with a final cold front. But not as cold as this one here in February in Allen. There were other bad storms in my life, but this was my first one as an elderly old man snowed in with an old woman named Pat. But we did OK.

Now that we are all out again, let us repair all those broken pipes and next time they warn us let us do a better job of being ready let us do that. And maybe we should all act like we are a little bit elderly.

Do not forget to go to church Sunday.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

cwaynebullard@gmail.com