Driver's Education and Oklahoma History

One of my favorite classes was with Coach Smith not playing basketball or Oklahoma History but driver's education.  First off you did not have to go to class indoors and second everyone I knew who was about to turn 16 already had been driving for years.

Neal feeding while the truck is driving itself

When I was still too young and too short (some folks say I was never short to be explained later) Dad would feed the cattle and I would drive the pickup while he kicked off the hay from the pickup.  If you look at Neal in the picture you see he has an auto feeder and on the back of the pickup and  there are two spikes sticking up for carrying hay.  In the "good old days" we had to have someone in the back opening gunny sacks of cattle cake or cutting string on hay bales and throwing off the hay to the cattle like the one in the picture.

62 Chevy 

Back to driver's ed.  There was not a single farm and ranch kid that did not already drive and for the most part everyone of us already had a vehicle.  Now at my house the rule was that if you wanted a vehicle you paid for it with your money and you paid for the tires and gas.  I will tell you there were some exceptions on the gas but the emphasis was I had to work to get either free gas or the right to buy gas.  In fact one of the great things about farming is there was a fuel tank at every farm so you had your own filling station.  Now the 62 Chevy pictured is not mine but it looks just like the first car I bought from Don Kelsey and mine was red as well.  OK, the fact is I lived 16 miles from school and I played sports so up until I was 15 1/2 I either drove to school or road with my sister Debbie.  What I thought was strange is that my folks insisted I did not drive by myself after 15 1/2 because if I got a ticket I would be delayed in getting my drivers license.

I have always been amazed at how folks from the city think there is nothing to do in the small towns and the country.  What I would say is there is more to do than living in the city.  Think about it, if you live in the city you grow up playing video games, watching TV, mow the yard in some cases and make your bed.  There is definitely a lot more to do in the country.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• Driving is a privilege 
• A privilege is something you earn, that means work for
• Nothing is free, everything cost somebody something
• Give your kids money and they will eat today, Teach your kids to work and they will eat for life.

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com