The Old Tire Swing

37 Replies

The first house I can remember was up in Clear Lake. I don’t remember very much just a few snippets of my life then. I do remember the tire swing that was tied to tall tree at the front of the house by long ropes. It wasn’t just an old hard rubber circle but the rubber had been cut from a large balloon tire. The swing was more like a bucket style. I have a memory of my older brother pushing me in that swing higher and higher and up over the roof of the house. My parents were upset to see through the back picture window my feet popping out over the roof.

I get tired of all the hyperbole and contention when we have a presidential election year in this country. The debates, debates and more debates. I know it is important for our democracy to have an exchange of ideas but my make up is such that I do not like arguments and confrontation. It’s not that I can’t get on my own soapbox but these debates are uncomfortable to watch with all the gotcha stuff from the candidates and the press. I am not convinced debates helps us really know what the candidates are about. They just show us who can score more points in a debate by embarrassing his/her opponent.

During the Dust Bowl days and the great migration of the people from the dust bowl states to California there were many people from Oklahoma coming to our state of California. They were called Okies by many people here. The Grapes of Wrath describes what it was like for people then. I have an early memory of these country people living up the road from us in Clear Lake. I went up to their house with my mother and all these men were sitting on the front porch, dressed in black suits with somber looks. Holding shotguns with blood hounds laying at their feet. I remember feeling a bit frightened of them as we stepped up on the porch to visit the woman of the house. I don’t know why we went there that day. Maybe to say hello or bring her something. Sometimes the woman would visit my mother. My mother said the woman would say she had to get home to make dinner. My mother said she knew she was just going home to make potatoes.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. Our word for today is “tire.” Featured Image is “End of the Road” by Don Graham on Flickr. I want to include his caption here:

“One of the remaining stretches of Old Route 66 runs from Kingman, AZ to Wiliams, AZ. About midway between is the almost gone town of Hackberry. Just outside of town, a man in restoring what used to be a popular stop along the route. There is a gas station and general store. Nearby lies a broken down ruin of an old travel court. Often, when the Okies were following the Mother Road to their promised land in California, their old car would break down. Not having the money to fix it, they would park it and trade the gas station owner for a few nights in a cabin. That is what this scene reminds me of.”  (Don Graham)

I want to participate in Love Is In Da Blog Stream of Consciousness as well and contribute my post to Bee Halton’s site Just Fooling Around With Bee. I want you all to know that I do LOVE stream of consciousness writing. I find it does free up my creativity and I can take it where it wants to go. And you never know where you will end up. I am often pleasantly surprised and I hope you are too.

 

 

SoCS badge 2015WP_20150130_009

37 thoughts on “The Old Tire Swing”

  1. luckyjc007

    I agree about the debates…the candidates are so busy cutting each other down, we do not get to learn exactly how each candidate would go about running the country. I want to know what their policies and plans would be and not just what they would do, but how they would do it. Anyone can say I’m going to do this, this, and this….question is How?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  4. summerstommy2

    Hi Deborah, I really enjoyed reading the history you described here. I was fascinated by the story and I well understand the fear you felt by the men with their guns.
    It seems to me the election circus you all engage in is a fact of life for you folk.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      I think the debate scene has gotten worse. But when I read about what went on at the beginning of the country, people then would really slander others. I think I was afraid of their stern manner and maybe the big dogs too. I was so little then. Thank you for reading and your comment. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
  6. LindaGHill

    Thanks for sharing your memories, Deborah. Guns scare me in general, but then I think I’ve only ever seen one on the belt of a police officer.
    I prefer the way politicians used to run their campaigns – by saying what they would do for the country if elected rather than focusing on how much worse the other guy will do. It’s so negative. They’ve started doing it here in Canada too…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      Well I think it was a strange scene for me as a child. But they probably used the guns for hunting. I think all the candidates should be allowed to have their say and then they could ask each other questions. I think if we want to know more about the candidates nowadays we must do a lot of research about what they have stood for and said. Not just these debates.

      Like

      Reply ↓
  7. Bee Halton

    Thanks for sharing this. It is amazing how often humans are forced to leave their homes due to different reasons. I did because I wanted to. I feel more at home in GB than in Germany. Always have. But if you are forced to that is really bad. Thanks for linking with #LoIsInDaBl

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      Thank You, Jacqueline. The Clear Lake I am referring to is in Northern California but I am sure there are many other lakes called Clear Lake. I guess some people love all the political battling but I am with you. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
  9. Denise Covey

    Deborah, I, too, love stream of consciousness writing and love teaching it to my students. So many great examples in the classics. Love Grapes of Wrath. I wish that type of writing was still revered today. Even in Australia we are sick of the US elections. We only have to endure 6 weeks of campaigning and that is too long. I grieve for the millions of dollars the US elections must cost which would be better served feeding the homeless and raising wages. Hmm.

    Thank you for a charming post. You do SOC very well.

    Denise 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      Thank You very much, Denise. I did not realize that Australia had to suffer viewing our election season. The money spent on elections is pretty crazy. Many people here feel the same way. We need to take the money out of it. xo

      Like

      Reply ↓
    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      Maybe the voters have to do a better job as well and be willing to do their homework. I feel I need to read more about the candidates and not just rely on debates. I think now their will be a big battle starting even more so because of the opening on the Supreme Court and they could be more openings coming during the next Presidency.

      Like

      Reply ↓
      1. John Holton

        That’s the biggest and scariest change: people are voting for someone solely on the basis of party label, without knowing anything about the candidate or where they stand on anything. People aren’t voting with their minds and actually knowing what they’re voting for or against.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Deborah Drucker Post author

        For some people that is true. I think it would be unusual for a Republican to vote for a Democrat. But Democrats have voted for Republicans like Ronald Reagan. People who are very conservative would not be voting for Bernie Sanders. I think people do vote with their values. And this year there are many people who are angry and we have some Populist style candidates. I do not know if they can actually win the election. I think someone who is more moderate may win.

        Like

  13. Lori Carlson

    Beautiful post, Deborah! There was a tire swing at my aunt’s house that I would visit often as a child. I loved it… I am tired of the endless debates too. Don’t see much good that comes of them… enjoyed the information about the Okies in California.. wonderful history lesson there 🙂 Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      Thank You, Lori. Yes the memory of the people that lived up the road from us pops up when I recall those distant memories. I wondered later in life about them. They might have been poor country people, not positive about the Oklahoma connection. But the story of the people who came to California from Oklahoma was quite a story as well. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

Comments

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.