Oklahoma Summer
I know many of my friend are wondering what crazy things I’m up to down here in Oklahoma, so here is a little update for all of you. The opportunity to work here was a completely unforeseen blessing that was offered me last minute as I was finishing my final semester over in Austria this past Spring.
The opportunity came from some old family friends, the Lawlesses, that we met in our home school group when I used to live in San Diego. They moved here to Clear Creek, Oklahoma almost two years ago. They have about 220 acres of rolling pastures and woods, creeks and ponds. I’m staying in a little pop-up trailer right next to their house. They have a great family full of energy and enthusiasm. They are always ready for adventure as is evident in their bold move from a somewhat regular life outside San Diego to a full immersion in country life.
My decision to come down here was somewhat of a leap in the dark. I am admittedly not a country boy by background. After all my philosophy in school I began to become a little antsy to get out of academia (at least for awhile) and get some work experience in the “real world”. I was not a very “handy” guy and until coming here didn’t even know how to change a flat tire. While I’m still not quite Bob Villa, I have come a long way in the two months since coming here. I’ve milked goats, herded cattle, slaughter chickens, felled trees, built things, etc. I have to say, I love it too. It sure beats office work (by a lot).
So what exactly is my position out here? Without going into the nitty-gritty details it is a employee/apprentice type arrangement. My main “job” is working on the saw mill and the whole process that that entails. So it starts with going in the woods with chain saws and cutting fairly sizable trees down. Once down you need to get all the limbs off. Once the log is all clean then you need to transport (or “skid”) it over to the saw mill. There you mill it into usable dimensions. So that’s my main area of work. However, that’s not all I do around here. Right now we (meaning Mr. Lawless, David and Joey, and myself) are in the process of building a little cabin for myself. We will build it out of the wood that we mill ourselves. It’s a pretty sweet setup if I do say so myself. =)
The other big thing about here (and one of the main draws to this particular area of Oklahoma of all places) is that there is an awesome Benedictine monastery just a couple miles away. This particular group of Benedictines comes from France and they did not make any major changes during the whole liturgical upheaval after Vatican II. So every morning starts with the Tridentine “low” Mass at around 6:45 am. Usually I will walk to low Mass with some of the Lawlesses at around 5:45 am. Watching the sun rise on your way to Mass is always a great way to begin the day.
So what are my plans for the future? Don’t quite know myself. He knows though. Life is so good. I miss all of you my good friends and family.
The opportunity came from some old family friends, the Lawlesses, that we met in our home school group when I used to live in San Diego. They moved here to Clear Creek, Oklahoma almost two years ago. They have about 220 acres of rolling pastures and woods, creeks and ponds. I’m staying in a little pop-up trailer right next to their house. They have a great family full of energy and enthusiasm. They are always ready for adventure as is evident in their bold move from a somewhat regular life outside San Diego to a full immersion in country life.
My decision to come down here was somewhat of a leap in the dark. I am admittedly not a country boy by background. After all my philosophy in school I began to become a little antsy to get out of academia (at least for awhile) and get some work experience in the “real world”. I was not a very “handy” guy and until coming here didn’t even know how to change a flat tire. While I’m still not quite Bob Villa, I have come a long way in the two months since coming here. I’ve milked goats, herded cattle, slaughter chickens, felled trees, built things, etc. I have to say, I love it too. It sure beats office work (by a lot).
So what exactly is my position out here? Without going into the nitty-gritty details it is a employee/apprentice type arrangement. My main “job” is working on the saw mill and the whole process that that entails. So it starts with going in the woods with chain saws and cutting fairly sizable trees down. Once down you need to get all the limbs off. Once the log is all clean then you need to transport (or “skid”) it over to the saw mill. There you mill it into usable dimensions. So that’s my main area of work. However, that’s not all I do around here. Right now we (meaning Mr. Lawless, David and Joey, and myself) are in the process of building a little cabin for myself. We will build it out of the wood that we mill ourselves. It’s a pretty sweet setup if I do say so myself. =)
The other big thing about here (and one of the main draws to this particular area of Oklahoma of all places) is that there is an awesome Benedictine monastery just a couple miles away. This particular group of Benedictines comes from France and they did not make any major changes during the whole liturgical upheaval after Vatican II. So every morning starts with the Tridentine “low” Mass at around 6:45 am. Usually I will walk to low Mass with some of the Lawlesses at around 5:45 am. Watching the sun rise on your way to Mass is always a great way to begin the day.
So what are my plans for the future? Don’t quite know myself. He knows though. Life is so good. I miss all of you my good friends and family.
posted by Matthew at 8:28 PM
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