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Dirt roads

L

leanin' H

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Joined
Nov 8, 2007
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Location
Western Utah Desert
Thought a lot of folks on here would like this and I hope ya'll haven't watched it already!
http://famguardian.org/Subjects/FamilyIssues/Articles/DirtRoads/DirtRoads.htm
 
Ranchero said:
I live in that place that Mr. Harvey is talking about.
Click to expand...

We live real close to there, too. :wink:

Listening to the radio yesterday, it seems that most people never get to look up at the stars at night because the city lights make it impossible. That seems to not be a problem at all on this outfit. :roll: :-)
 
Good post.


I strive for my children to know the fun things in life brought to them by living in the country. Being content making ranch trucks and forts, not needing Xbox and all the other video games to be busy.
 
Where we run our cows on summer range and have our private ground that was settled by my great great grandfather, is fifty miles from the nearest town. That town is Delta, Utah with a population of under 4000. What i'm babbling about is it is an amazing sight to look up on a clear summer night and feel like ya could taste the milkyway! Rural folks see and experience things daily that city folks witness only a few times in a lifetime and they usually end up paying to do it. Thank You Grandpa and Grandma Ekker for your sacrifice and stubborness in building a ranch and a legacy for me and my family to enjoy and live! I'll bet ya'll feel the same way about your real-estate and the roots you've put down.
 
I most certainly do Leanin' H. We're a little closer to town than you, but we've got about 4500 acres of family land all in a block with no crossroads. Man am I thankful for that. Just game trails, cow trails, the odd truck trail, lots of bush and springs that run year 'round. Wouldn't be possible if those that came before us didn't stick it out through the good and the bad, in sickness and in health. In peace may they rest. :wink:
 
That was a very nice tribute to your ancestors BC and PC.

I do want to point out that "Dirt Roads" was NOT written by Paul Harvey.
Lee Pitts wrote it and Paul Harvey read it on his radio program, and some have given him credit for it.

Lee Pitts has a book "People who live at the end of dirt roads". It is a wonderful, fast read. If you liked "Dirt Roads" I suggest you get this book.
It's small, glossy cover, not a hardback book--costs $12.95 the last time I looked.

I also have Essays from God's Country and Back Door People, both written by Lee Pitts. They are good, but "People who live at the end of dirt roads" is a classic.

I looked to see if he has a website, and apparently he doesn't.
I did find this however:

These Things I Wish, by Lee Pitts
These Things I Wish, by Lee Pitts is actually a letter that was originally read on Paul Harvey News. It speaks of the old values that were inculcated into children years ago...the value of conservation by the use of hand-me-downs, the value of work from chores, the value time well spent. He decries the loss of virtue in the present generation stemming from over-scheduled lives and a predilection for video games. This book definitely hits a chord, or perhaps a nerve, depending on your perspective. A very thought provoking work.
Lee Pitts has written several other books including "Back Door People", "Essays from God's Country", "People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads", and "A Collection of Characters". He also has a radio program.

"These things I wish for you":

Cherish the values of an earlier time, when household chores and simple pleasures -- not the latest video game or a new car at sixteen -- helped children to develop their character

When Paul Harvey read Lee Pitts's essay "These Things I Wish" on his nationally syndicated radio show, Paul Harvey News and Comment, listeners everywhere loved it, and it's become a classic that's been passed from parent to child, from friend to friend. Here, for the first time, Pitts's moving text is presented opposite beautiful illustrations in a book that is the perfect gift for parents and children of all ages.

Pitts writes that present-day parents have tried hard to make life better for their children -- but instead they've made it worse. What today's young people need are the things that Pitts wishes for them: hand-me-down clothes, leftover meatloaf, having to mow the lawn and do the dishes, punishment when they've done something wrong. . . . He also wishes that they may know the beauty of a mountain range, and the value of hard work and an education.

In plain yet beautiful language, Pitts helps us to envision a simpler time, when children weren't so overscheduled and spoiled with every consumer delight they could ever want. Self-sufficiency, humility, quiet wisdom, personal strength -- these are the virtues that are learned through challenge and adversity. These Things I Wish celebrates values from the past that are so necessary for our future -- the values we yearn for in our busy lives.
 
My thoughts exactly. It's so frustrating seeing my cousins and their kids hooked up to a video game while others are trying to visit - even with them. Our Baylee lives with her Momma and step-Dad, and she has one or 2 of everything. When she's here on weekends, our kids ask her what she means by "X-Box". They've never seen one. I plan to keep it that way. Thanks for posting FH, and clarifying the origins of these fine piece of readin'.
 
Unfortunately no dirt roads here anymore. A city of a million has grown to within 20 minutes of here. The farm and the ranch are 50 miles apart. There is only 5 miles of gravel left. Living beside the fast lane doesn't stop us from living in the slow lane though. 20 years is the projected time when the city eats us up. I think I would like to move near PC or Soap. Both of those places appeal to me.
 
If you're thinkin' of movin', you might not want to wait 20yrs Per. Land's jumping up in price here somethin' fierce. Neighbor just bought a 1/2 section of native grass from an older gent for $340,000. Fences are poor, water's OK at best, but a developer who's recently bought out 2 ranches offered him that for it. So the old guy came to the younger neighbor and said $340K or it's gone to the developer. Younger guy didn't have much choice, as this 1/2 section is right off of his door step. I could see it if we had good heavy land, but not our Battle River Blowsand. Sad part is, I know it's going to keep going up. Those who want to stick it out are buying land at whatever price, because they know they'll never see it come up for sale at these prices again.

But, on a positive note, there's no city within 60 miles of here. :lol: Lots of room to expand!
 
Price is relative PC. There is a quarter for sale near our ranch not on the river, no buildings, poor fences etc... for 1.9 million. Just goes to show how little our money is worth.
 
I kind of like it here. Some of this has been in the family since 1883. There are some upsides to being 20 minutes from the city. :D
 
we're the only folks down our road...and it doesn't go anywhere from here.2 miles to the secondary oil...55 to the city...

If I could only figure out how to get rid of that yellow glow on the horizon at night,I'd have er made...
 

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