Changes

Lake Thunderbird

Some changes are good, like from winter to spring. Others are not so good.

Every time we have to go into Norman, the city is bigger noisier and the traffic is heavier. It seems like hundreds of acres of farm land become cookie cutter housing and huge apartment complexes every week. That's not just my imagination, others see it too.

And every trip into town, I notice more businesses shutting down. Not that that's always a bad thing. Long John Silvers, Arby's and Wendy's locations have been boarded up.

The Mexican Food Store is gone, and that probably isn't a good thing, since the International food store has been gone for awhile.

The highway out here has become four-lane for about half the way and that has led to more traffic. It's also the time of year when campers, boaters and fisherman flock to Thunderbird, which means we no longer have the lake to ourselves.

We also no longer have the big box garden centers to ourselves. I already have most of my seeds, but I can't afford to buy all of my plant food and potting soil in advance, so I have to make trips to get is as I need it. That means squeezing down aisles and waiting in line at the checkout.

One of the biggest changes that will effect us in the future is closer to home. Our beloved Country Boy grocery store has been bought out by the Harps chain. On the plus side, they will now be employee owned, but on the negative side, we've already seen increases in prices. The first big change I noticed was that they immediately quit carrying garden seeds--something rather shocking out here in the country. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't get rid of their plumbing and chainsaw supplies in the near future.

I looked Harps up on Wikipedia and discovered they combine groceries and sporting goods in one store. That will be a strange change.

Stephen P.