Saturday, April 20, 2024
Sam Houston
FROM MY FRONT PORCH
Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.
The soil in the area immediately north of Oklahoma City is primarily red clay. When the Oklahoma sun beats down, the ground hardens like pottery and when a truck drives down one of those red clay dirt roads, it produces a “dirt cloud” that covers everything in its path.
During the summers of college, I went to work in the oil field and had my first experience with “Oklahoma Red Clay” and had no idea of its unique properties. If it rained a half inch in the morning, by lunch time a guy could drive down most dirt roads without fear of getting stuck, and many times would leave a dust trail because the ground would have dried so fast!
What I didn’t know was when a big rain fell after a long dry spell, everything that had been dropped in the road would “float” to the surface, resulting in a much greater chance for picking up a nail or a piece of glass in a tire. It was a lesson I learned the hard way.
One day a week my job was to change the flow chart on more than 125 gas wells. The flow charts were the “cash register” for the wells as they measured the output and from their data, the gas company would know how what must be paid to royalty and working interest owners. This job entailed driving nearly 100 miles and I would be opening a great many gates, getting in and out of my pickup, and then driving on to my next location.
On one of my first days changing charts, it had rained hard the evening before. That morning when I started to make my rounds, I was pleased the wind had dried the roads and I felt comfortable I could make my way down the dirt back roads and into well sites without getting stuck in a mudhole.
It wasn’t but an hour into my round, when I had an uncomfortable feeling. Dang! I had managed to acquire a flat time! I was miles from town and the tire with the problem had lost pressure suddenly and was completely flat. I had no choice but to jack up the truck, pull the tire and utilize the spare. It was hot and humid and while the chore did not take but maybe 20 minutes, my shirt was soaking wet when I got done. I thought about driving the 10 miles to town to get the tire fixed, but told myself, “Heck, it can wait until when I go to town for lunch.”
I proceeded on my rounds and about an hour later, I got a very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had another flat! I had already used the spare. This was long before cell phones existed and I had to walk a mile to a farmhouse, ask them to call the office where I worked and have them send someone out to bring me a tire or take me to get the tire fixed.
About 30 minutes later, a truck pulled up and my grizzled oilfield associate began giving me a hard time for taking him away from his work to bail me out of trouble. “Dang it kid, don’t you know when it rains on these roads, every nail and piece of wire in the country floats to the top and will give you a flat. Don’t ever be driving out here without a spare.”
The field hand took me and both the flat tires in to be fixed, brought me back and let me out. He did not stay to help me put a tire back on, he simply muttered something about me being a “dang college kid who did not know the difference between “come here” and “sic ‘em.” I changed the flat and then proceeded to make my next stop. I was behind on getting my route done and was anxious to get back on schedule.
It wasn’t an hour later when my left-front tire went down. Yes, I had managed to get a third flat in one morning! If my mother could have heard the words that came out of me, she would have washed my mouth out with soap. I changed the tire and then had a decision to make; do I drive to town and fix the flat so I would have a spare, or do I go ahead and try and finish my job. I reflected and decided NOBODY ever had four flats in one day. Surely, I would be OK to try and finish my route.
I skipped lunch, wanting to make up for lost time when what I never thought could happen, happened. I had my fourth flat. I beat the steering wheel, cursed out loud, and shook my head. The worst part was having to walk to find another phone and call the office to have someone come take me to get the tires fixed.
The same hand came the second time as had come the first. He started out with saying, “You are just not too bright, are you?” I did not have the gumption to respond. I had been told and warned about the hazards in front of me, and instead utilized my judgement. I had no one to blame but myself, and that is the part that hurt the worst.
Maybe changing 4 truck tires in one day was a good punishment and suited the crime of ignoring those who know better. What I learned is when a man has more experience that you and he tells you something about that experience, you better listen. Learning a lesson is a lot harder that being taught one!
Thought for the day: Judgment comes from experience and experience comes from exercising bad judgment.
Until next time…
sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260
