Letter to the Editor

Remember the good old days

Thursday, July 19, 2012

To the Editor,

I almost have to pinch myself to check if I am in South East Missouri or Saudi Arabia. This past month has been so much like Saudi!!. All though one thing that happened there that doesn't have here is the samiel. The wind comes up and picks up huge amounts of sand and slams it up against the house sounds just like sleet hitting the house. Can go on for hours.

The houses were not too well built. When the samiel started I would get sheets and thumb tack the sheets over the windows. If one didn't do that could almost have sand in your food.

Four months of the summer there was no rain ever. When the rains started, if not stormy I would go outside and just sit in the rain. The operators of the radio stations had hours and hours of recordings of rain falling. Would play that all day sometimes. Was very soothing. And could almost believe there was rain falling. Would interrupt that with news on the hour.

I have heard on the TV people saying this dry hot spell is as terrible as in the 30s. They are not remembering right!!! I was a very young child then. But no way as terrible as the 30s. If you lived in the country, no one had electricity. So no fans. No air conditioners. How does that grab you. And, of course no TV, no phones.

Many people think they cannot live without a TV or phones. I didn't have a TV or phone in any of the places I lived overseas. But always had electricity. Often had break downs. But I was one of the few Americans that did not fuss when the break downs happened . . . Doesn't everyone in the U. S. have electricity now? (If they pay their bill). I sure hope so.

The older I become, the more I appreciate all of the wonderful people who came before me. Like my son, Don, often shakes his head in wonder as to how did his Granddad Houts build this wonderful home in the 30s. With no electricity. About six pieces of tools. And kept farming and helping make a huge garden to keep everyone fed. No tractor either. I told Don, except for the yard, every foot of ground had to grow something to eat. Not weeds. There was only 10 of us. Oh yes Dad and Mother also purchased their first car and buried a beautiful daughter in those years.

I can remember Mother saying. "I patched, patches, on Earl's and the boys overalls more than once." Oh yes we should remember those "Good old days." With appreciation and much love.

Irma Houts Epps

Poplar Bluff, MO.