Download & Print
January 26, 2021
Growing Up In Bandera
By Glenn Clark
The Bandera Prophet
What will my great grandkids think about my stories of growing up in these hills when they get to an age of better understanding? The looks I have gotten when telling tales of the past to my grandkids were sometimes a look of doubt or surprise that their old grandpa was such a clueless country bumpkin. They have no idea how great it was and why I take pride in having been a part of a simpler more carefree Bandera life before all the big city ways came creeping in.
Keeping up with the latest fads or being envious of things other people had wasn't a part of life for us back in the day. Of course we liked looking at ads in catalogs and the paper showing nice things but we had way too many daily distractions to dwell on such thoughts for long. I do recall being excited for my friends when they got a new baseball glove or bicycle. It was a time for everyone in our neighborhood gang to celebrate their good fortune. I miss that kind of feeling from those earlier times of my life.
I wonder if a modern day kid would consider it boring to spend a day alone on the river with no friends around? I always had a great time swimming, tubing or playing baseball with my buddies but I would spend a lot of time by myself on the river fishing. At that early stage in my life I don't recall any of my close friends having the fishing bug like me. Nanny and Honey Blackwell lit a fire in a very young me and it has burned for over 65 years.
I loved everything about being raised in this small country town. I really began to appreciate it later on after experiencing what the outside world had to offer. I do appreciate the job opportunities I had in the bigger cities which allowed me to provide a comfortable living for my family. But living here and commuting to work kept me close to my roots.
Having been a country boy working in the city for most of my adult life I understand why some city folks can never feel welcome after retiring to a small community. Some will say they felt they weren't welcomed by the natives but they failed to recognize it is a different culture. I have lots of good friends who made the city to country switch and they fit in nicely. They realize and accept the fact that it's a significantly different way of life and things don't need to be changed to accommodate their needs or habits. We like it that way so cherish your past but recognize our Growing Up In Bandera together is going to be different.
#266 2021
Keeping up with the latest fads or being envious of things other people had wasn't a part of life for us back in the day. Of course we liked looking at ads in catalogs and the paper showing nice things but we had way too many daily distractions to dwell on such thoughts for long. I do recall being excited for my friends when they got a new baseball glove or bicycle. It was a time for everyone in our neighborhood gang to celebrate their good fortune. I miss that kind of feeling from those earlier times of my life.
I wonder if a modern day kid would consider it boring to spend a day alone on the river with no friends around? I always had a great time swimming, tubing or playing baseball with my buddies but I would spend a lot of time by myself on the river fishing. At that early stage in my life I don't recall any of my close friends having the fishing bug like me. Nanny and Honey Blackwell lit a fire in a very young me and it has burned for over 65 years.
I loved everything about being raised in this small country town. I really began to appreciate it later on after experiencing what the outside world had to offer. I do appreciate the job opportunities I had in the bigger cities which allowed me to provide a comfortable living for my family. But living here and commuting to work kept me close to my roots.
Having been a country boy working in the city for most of my adult life I understand why some city folks can never feel welcome after retiring to a small community. Some will say they felt they weren't welcomed by the natives but they failed to recognize it is a different culture. I have lots of good friends who made the city to country switch and they fit in nicely. They realize and accept the fact that it's a significantly different way of life and things don't need to be changed to accommodate their needs or habits. We like it that way so cherish your past but recognize our Growing Up In Bandera together is going to be different.
#266 2021