Worst 5 things about Oklahoma? (Norman, Ardmore: income, lease, jobs)

[clover10689]

Harry, yeah I guess I was just validating my concerns in a way. I was also wondering if there was some hidden terror in Oklahoma that is kept secret until you move there. And thank you. I like to think I don't come off as a teenager right away when I talk/post. I hope I'm welcomed in Oklahoma like I have been on the boards!

As of right now, the "Horror of Oklahoma" that I see is bugs. **shudders** in that respect, I am the typical teenage girl. Don't bring bugs around me! I don't know where my tornado fear has gone. I think it's the fact of the alarms and safety spots, that makes me feel ALOT safer. I think that in my mind, they used to be things that literally appeared out of nowhere and sucked up your car.

I used to hear alot about gangs too, but never from people IN Oklahoma. So I was kind of wondering if anyone would say that. (For example, if this was posted about Reno, Nevada, Gangs would be my number 1. Hard to avoid them. Then meth labs, also hard to avoid living near them, and it is no fun running into the users when you try to check your mail.) But from people who actually live in Oklahoma, it doesn't seem like you have gangs on every corner or anything like what people tried to tell me.

redbird, your post has me cracking up.
Except #3 poor horses and puppies.

I really can't wait to be there =)

[jessaka]

Clover, I didn't think you were negative either.

Redbird,

The pit bull is a problem here. I wish they were banned in spite of there being nice ones out there. And the dog dumping problem bothers me a lot, as does the stray kittens. I have rescued one dog, which I wrote about somewhere in Oklahoma section. And I just rescued another given to a vet that I kept. The other I gave away.

I remember when we lived in Creston, CA. There was an old rancher that we new that drove slow. It was a fifteen minute drive into town. We passed him going into town when we first started out. Then we stopped at the video store, got some movies, and then headed back out to our farm. And there he was just coming into town. Now that was slow.

After we had moved away a friend told us that he had finally gotten a ticket from the sheriff for driving too slow.

Your post was great.

[Harry_T]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

1 1/2: some poor cow standing in the middle of the dirt road staring me down just daring me to run her over!

This one just killed me. I can already see my wife now. Ever since I bought her a Dodge Durango back in 03', she has developed the "My truck can kick your truck's butt" attitude (funny as hell to watch).

This would be my wife: "Oh, hell no you don't...you best move or I will turn you into a Rib Eye steak!"

I better invest in a brush guard.

[redbird4848]

2 1/2: inability to use turn signals~ when leaving a two lane hwy and I am sitting there trying to get onto the two lane hwy, waiting for them, they NEVER use their turn signals! arrgh

2 3/4: This is not a pet peeve, just an interesting phenomena I'd like to share. Its called the "go get her" farmer. And there are a LOT of them.

It's men who take their wife to work in the mornings in their pickup with a bale of hay, barbed wire fence tools in back, then they drive to "Bobby's" and sit around and drink coffee all day with other farmers, then at 4:00 they have to "go get her" from work again.

Clover, you don't have to worry about nuthin at age 17 except what clothes to wear and what music to listen to. Enjoy it. You're only 17 once!

[clover10689]

redbird, the clothes issue is an entire other issue lol. To be honest, I look at clothes most girls my age wear and wonder why they haven't been arrested for indecent exposure.

As for music... if I hear the N word one more time, or hear a man singing about beating up a woman or any song about killing people, I think I'm going to break every radio in my house just to ensure I don't have to hear it anymore.

I never have fit in with other teenagers. I like adults so much more... lol

[jessaka]

redbird,

you are so funny.

Well, thing is Harry, they will move when you get up to them. She only has to bump them a little if they don't. I can see her with a brush guard. LOL.

I knew nothing about cattle when I moved onto a farm in Creston back in 88. I had just rented the farm house and one day I showed up and there were cattle everywhere. I slowly drove my VW bug onto the property and down to the house. Then I knew I had to get out, and even those they were females I was not sure how they would react or even how I was going to react. But I got out of my car and they moved aside. My house did not have a fence around it, and these cows were just there to eat the oats and leave. So next time I saw the realtor I told him about the cows and got a fence. I still had to drive in and have them move. That is when I learned that they are more afraid of me than I them. Now if your wife has a bull in front of the truck, I think I would back up and go the other way, depending on whether it is a friendly bull or a rodeo type bull.

[tjpierce]

You may encounter some moments that give you pause when . . .

you walk outside in August and fifteen seconds later your shirt is plastered to your back;

you're driving and wondering why the rural countryside is decorated with so many rusting, abandoned car bodies.

you're not sure if the road you're driving on is paved or just kinda gray;

you have to bang that outhouse seat down hard a couple of times to make sure the Fiddleback and/or Black Widow spiders and/or scorpions are dislodged (I'm assuming you're visiting a lake or state park here);

you're crossing a rural bridge and wondering if you missed the "CLOSED FOR REPAIRS" sign.

On the other hand, the sheer, unmitigated thrill of tornado chasing makes the whole deal WORTH IT! Hope this helps.

[tjpierce]

PS. As for the concerns about a "brain drain" and Oklahoma conservativism, I think the brains are about the reverse course, if my own experience is any indication, being as many of us Okie expatriots are sick of the creeping socialism, profligate government waste, and social dissipation in the states to which we migrated (talking about California here). Oklahoma's starting to look real attractive again.

[jessaka]

1. No Trader Joes
2. No Costco
3. You shake out your clothes before putting them on, and everytime you get into a box or cupboard you worry whether you are going to have contact with a brown recluse.
4. You never can trust what your dogs are going to bring indoors. When it is bark, you worry about what kind of bugs have entered. If it is a snake, what kind? If it is a big bug, is it alive? It would help if they didn't have doggie doors but while spoil their fun when you can always spoil your own?
5. Someone tells you were to buy the best hamburgers in town, and you find out that McDonald's taste better.

[Jammie]

1. OK has a state income tax.
2. OK DOES get some snow and it freezes down there.
3. Lack of palm trees, except the one in the pic by the bar.



That's the only negatives I know of so far.

Postives

1. The people are friendly and welcoming.
2. There is plenty of employment in the larger cities.
3. The cost of housing is LOW compared to most of the country.
4. Eastern OK has beautiful scenery.

Sorry I couldn't come up with five things in either category.