Oklahoma Roads and Coutry Living

Oklahoma roads and country living go together. There is a difference in having a home in the country, and country living. Having a home in the country, means that you have a home in the country. Country living, means that you have an obligation to making the country your home.

 As I departed from the Oklahoma City Metro area, the traffic began to thin, and the grassy real estate became thicker. Oklahoma lots were dropping from $20,000 for .22 acres to 20 acres for $20,000.

As I past through the outskirts of the smaller towns south of Oklahoma City, I saw some very nice gated additions near Blanchard OK.  There were a lot of new homes for sale with golf courses near by.  I remember several years ago that these areas were in demand, but then the gas prices went up, and City commuters chose to stay in the city closer to their work place. 5 year later, gas prices are about the same, if not a little less than they were. There are still lots of new homes on the county side out here for sale.  There is a couple of additions with gates and only one home complete.

Although lots may be a lot less expensive in the country, there are other costs to consider.  Water wells, septic systems, driveway construction, and electricity.  The pros are you can get a lot more land and more privacy for your dollar.

Of course there are properties available that may already have water, septic, driveways, and even outdoor buildings already existing, just waiting for you to breath life into them.

Oklahoma Real Estate in site by:

Rick Jackson

Oklahoma Real Estate

Oklahoma Cottonwood Trees

Oklahoma Cottonwood trees are doing their thing.  It looks like little angels floating down from heaven in the sunlight, but they are the devil when your air conditioner's condenser gets plugged up with them.  I'm talking about the fluffy little parachutes that drop the seed down from the eastern cottonwood tree which is also known as the Populus deltoides. 

Every year, I try to wait until they have fallen to clean up our condensers so that the fluffy little buggers won't stop them back up.  A lot of the time, it's very hot when it's time to complete the preventive maintenance.  But even if you have home warranty, it will not cover a plugged condenser.  Usually they can be rinsed out of the condensing unit by a professional or someone who knows what they are doing.

Some years they are very sparse and hardly noticed.  Other years they come down like a blizzard and pile up everywhere.  Some people probably experience allergies from them.  It makes my nose itch just thinking about them.  They remind me of the little fluffy things in Avatar when I saw it in 3D.

The cottonwood is the Nebraska State tree.  Oklahoma is fortunate to have the red bud tree for their state symbol.  A lot of people don't know this, but as a small child, I was shown that you could cut a small branch of a cottonwood tree at the rigid joint and you can see a small star in the middle.  

The cottonwood typically lives for 70 to 100 years, but can live up to 400 years with the right genetics and proper environment. They can grow up to 100 feet to the top of the canopy and have a trunk as big as 5 - 6 feet wide.  The female trees produce the cottony seed.  This of course means the males are not messy.

More about life in Oklahoma by:

Dreams Do Come True

Digging it in Oklahoma

Digging it in Oklahoma this weekend, we had started a remodel on the back yard.  The bushes and vines had been neglected way too long and the removal process brought about a trip to the country to recycle the organic overgrowth. 

It took several hours to drag the plant life around to the front and slowly compact it into the truck.  It was a great opportunity to get some sun and start to develop a tan for the summer.  The weather was great with the Oklahoma sunshine beaming down, yet it was still cool enough that it wasn't uncomfortable. 

 

Upon leaving Warr Acres, we decided to stop and and have lunch at Ann's Chicken Fry on Route 66.  If you have not had the pleasure of eating a chicken fried steak at Ann's, you might want to check into it.

  As we pulled into Ann's just west of Maxey's Cycles we noticed the dealer had a band playing, and what appeared to be some of the girls from a local restaurant chain outside to help entertain customers and passers by.  I carefully snapped a shot or two as we left the restaurant thinking about sticking around a little while and watching the band. 

But we were on a mission to get the truck emptied and to have an early Mothers Day with my mom.  We proceeded down Hefner Parkway south and made our way through Tri-City,Newcastle, Blanchard, and past Middleburg. 

Finally upon arrival at the farm, we were met by what appeared to be bull headed pet.  He was basking in the sunlight just outside the house.

We spent several hours at the farm and started our way back home.  We saw many small additions south of Blanchard, with only a few houses.  We saw a pasture full of Oklahoma buffalo, and lots of other things as we cruised down the Oklahoma Highway.

As we got back to Warr Acres, we couldn't help but take a picture of the duck family as they waddled down the street.  The little ducklings are growing fast, and will soon be on their own.  Just like many of the Oklahoma High School Graduates that are finishing their last year in high school this month.

It was a very good day.  What started out about work, turned into a vacation trip.  Seeing a lot of interesting places and things in Oklahoma, and leaving me with lots of thoughts and ideas about the future.  It had been a great Saturday in Oklahoma.  Just doing what Oklahoma does.  That's why we are Digging it in Oklahoma.

  Bringing you good news about Oklahoma,

Rick  Jackson 

Dreams Do Come True

Company work ethics are amazing

Company work ethics are amazing.  Not because of the average performance of employees in the United States, but because of my observations of the employees in the local work force.

With immigration being a big topic these days, and the unemployment rate being at an all time high, I would want to be a valued employee.  After all, there are lines of people looking for jobs.

But I see so many employees that don't seem to have any initiative to sustain their positions at the workplace.  I notice it in the local markets when I go shopping.  It appears to be worse in the larger companies and Federal and State agency's.  I see a lot of (it's not my job).  I hear a lot of (I don't know).  I see employees surfing the Internet and chatting in general with other employees.  Often it is very difficult to get good customer service.

When the Oklahoma Real Estate market began to slow down, I took a job as a Service Manager for a company the sells and services ice machines in Oklahoma.  I was fortunate to have the qualifications to get a job due to my experience at another company of similar services. 

I had started on the ground floor and learned everything I could about the previous company.  I worked hard at getting my designated job complete so that I could dabble in other areas of the company. I never felt that it wasn't my job to pick up trash or help a customer that was waiting.  As positions opened up above me, I found myself qualified to fill the spot. I had became versatile and flexible.

It's beyond my comprehension that employees complain about their wages, expect more out of life, while they cheat the company they work for out of time and quality labor.

It's no wonder there is such a political struggle with people from other countries wanting to come to America to make money and American Companies wanting good employees that will work for less.

I take a lot of pride in my work ethics at my day job, and as being an Oklahoma Realtor.  To me, it's about putting your company first when your on their time.  It's about putting your client first when you are working for them.

I hope our future generation learns from what our country is going through now.  There is a new group of Americans graduating every year.  I hope they have the work ethics our country needs.

Good Luck America
From:
Dreams Do Come True