It's weird here

Even after just over 2 years here, there are still some things that I am not used to.

Yesterday, it was 74 degrees in Oklahoma City.

Today, it's 37.

And an ice cream truck just went down our street.

And there's a flock of robins in my back yard. By this time back home, the robins have all gone. Seemingly, to Oklahoma.

And people PLANT PANSIES at this time of year. Pansies are what we give to our mothers on mothers' day in Chicagoland.
Down here, the poor things can't take the heat by mothers' day, but we can plant them for Thanksgiving!!!

Men in cowboy hats and boots- with spurs- walk around at the home improvement stores. And are in line in front of you at the bank, and the grocery store.

I am also still not used to cars caked in years' worth of dirt, like it's just normal to never wash your car.

Or replace the bumper when it falls off, because there are still an inordinately large number of vehicles (that's VEE HICK uls) around here that are missing their front bumpers. I guess that the bad roads make the bumpers fall off?

Oh, and don't get me started on the driving habits. Most of the people here appear to have learned how to drive on the family farm, because they regularly ignore red lights, and stop signs, and the rules of the road simply do not apply to them, ESPECIALLY if they are driving a big ass pick up truck...and MOST of them ARE driving a big ass pick up truck. Something I have seen with more frequency than you can imagine down here: those drivers in their big trucks will turn RIGHT from the LEFT TURN LANE on a RED LIGHT (or variations on that theme) if you don't get in their way first!

And Gods help you if you get in their way, because YOU are the one in the wrong, and they will ride you and flip you off, and scream out their window at you!

And then, there are the speech patterns that cause my brain to go into an endless feedback loop of "what did that person just say out loud?" in disbelief.

The other day, a co worker, who also works part time at one of the MANY buffet restaurants down here, said "We eat vet'rans fer free awn vet'ran's day! Yeah, they make em a line that goes all the way to the wawl mart!"

And she speaks like this as a matter of course, yet is gainfully employed and makes more money than I do!

Now, I do have to say that my mother and grandmother used some speech patterns that I have heard down here, such as saying "Get you a fork," or "Make you a copy of that." But they didn't use the rampant double negatives, or the heinous grammar that I hear from my co workers EVERY DAY.

We EAT veterans for free???

Sigh....anyway....

Maybe there are things that I will never get used to in the culture down here. Maybe that's a good thing.

OR maybe it's just weird down here!