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December 13, 2022
Growing Up In Bandera
By Glenn Clark
The Bandera Prophet
One thing has remained consistent throughout my lifetime of 75 years and that is things are constantly changing and becoming more difficult. I always assumed that we would be getting things figured out and life would therefore become simpler. As it turns out, not so much.
As a youngster I guess I thought I would always know everyone I ran into while going into the post office. In earlier times there was no reason to think otherwise. How could I have known what the future held for Bandera?
It's strange to have neighbors within a couple blocks now that I don't even know by name. They move in fast and then I only see them occasionally driving by in their golf cart. They are friendly enough waving as they pass by but it's not like the old days where a stop and chat was normal.
As a kid walking or riding my bike down one of our gravel backstreets if I encountered another person it required a short visit to get caught up on the latest happenings around town. Even the smallest event in our little corner of the world had to be shared. The truly big stories would travel like wildfire over the party lines and after Sunday church service greetings. In case you missed it there were still weeks of multiple versions and opinions being passed across the table of knowledge in the OST. By the time the weekly paper came out everything was old news.
Back in the day our law enforcement consisted of a sheriff and a few deputies. It seemed adequate at the time. I don't recall any of my teenage friends getting a traffic ticket. Now I do recall a couple one on one talks with Sheriff Miller about my driving habits and how my dad would get a call if things didn't improve.
Trips to the doctors office during my childhood years were fewer than what are deemed necessary in these modern times. If bones weren't sticking out or if the bleeding appeared to be letting up then it could be addressed by my mom at home. She was well equipped with old time home remedies passed down through generations and guaranteed to make you feel like going to school the next day.
Vicks Vaporub, a spoonful of sugar with a couple drops of coal oil or a dab of "monkey blood" fix and we were good to go. Here I am today still Growing Up In Bandera as living proof that they worked. As I visualize my three great grandkids and try to think of them in a similar situation I know that things ain't what they used to be around here.
#356 2022
As a youngster I guess I thought I would always know everyone I ran into while going into the post office. In earlier times there was no reason to think otherwise. How could I have known what the future held for Bandera?
It's strange to have neighbors within a couple blocks now that I don't even know by name. They move in fast and then I only see them occasionally driving by in their golf cart. They are friendly enough waving as they pass by but it's not like the old days where a stop and chat was normal.
As a kid walking or riding my bike down one of our gravel backstreets if I encountered another person it required a short visit to get caught up on the latest happenings around town. Even the smallest event in our little corner of the world had to be shared. The truly big stories would travel like wildfire over the party lines and after Sunday church service greetings. In case you missed it there were still weeks of multiple versions and opinions being passed across the table of knowledge in the OST. By the time the weekly paper came out everything was old news.
Back in the day our law enforcement consisted of a sheriff and a few deputies. It seemed adequate at the time. I don't recall any of my teenage friends getting a traffic ticket. Now I do recall a couple one on one talks with Sheriff Miller about my driving habits and how my dad would get a call if things didn't improve.
Trips to the doctors office during my childhood years were fewer than what are deemed necessary in these modern times. If bones weren't sticking out or if the bleeding appeared to be letting up then it could be addressed by my mom at home. She was well equipped with old time home remedies passed down through generations and guaranteed to make you feel like going to school the next day.
Vicks Vaporub, a spoonful of sugar with a couple drops of coal oil or a dab of "monkey blood" fix and we were good to go. Here I am today still Growing Up In Bandera as living proof that they worked. As I visualize my three great grandkids and try to think of them in a similar situation I know that things ain't what they used to be around here.
#356 2022