Best Story Out Of The Bakken This Month -- Oilfield Wives; Pride

The Dickinson Press is reporting:

There are the military wives of wartime and the astronaut wives of the Space Age. Now, North Dakota is seeing a generation of oilfield wives.

Groups like Real Oilfield Wives have popped up online in recent years, their popularity signaling to the niche the groups fill for women facing circumstances that few outside their situations understand.

The Real Oilfield Wives Facebook page is a place for the women to seek advice and dump worries — about their husbands’ safety, raising kids, finding housing and dealing with the uncertainty of the lifestyle. At a recent gathering of Bismarck-area oilfield wives, the women described being misunderstood, and how the group has helped them meet other women who just “get it.”

This story is huge. Really huge. 

Thirty years plus one day in the USAF taught me a lot about military spouses (mostly wives, but some husbands). 

Do a word search at the linked article for "pride." It's not there. The one thing every oilfield spouse and every military spouse has in common, I would think, is the pride they should have being part of one of most important endeavors for their country. For the oilfield spouses: being part of one of the biggest revolutions ever to occur in their lifetimes and they are part of it. And a very, very important revolution: providing energy for the nation.

Earlier this week, while watching the "Avatar" cartoon series (highly recommended by the way for elementary, middle schoolers, and their parents), our 7-year-old granddaughter asked what "utopia" meant. After giving her the definition, she said that would be awful: "you have to have problems in life or it would be boring."

That incredible insight came from our 7-year-old; I have no idea where she heard that. I can't believe it was unlearned or unheard. As soon as she heard the definition of utopia she replied. She didn't even have to think about it. Life without problems would be boring. Wow.

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A Note To The Granddaughters

At this moment in time, there is only place I miss: San Antonio.

Chingon - Malagueña Salerosa, Robert Rodriguez
This, of course, does not include the special moments with three beautiful women: a) a Boston apartment rooftop, Beacon Street; b) classified; c) Military Avenue, west Los Angeles.

The best time, perhaps, in my life: either flying back-seat in F-15s over the Mediterranean, off and on for two years, for the excitement; or the two years we spent in eastern Turkey, Incirlik Air Base, for the camaraderie. 

I miss the Boston area, but I don't have any regrets leaving. We did about all we could do the four years you were there.

That is the same with Charleston, South Carolina: I enjoyed it, but I do not regret having to leave.

Eight years in Germany was one long European vacation but I do not miss it. It was fun while it lasted. It was a happy moment, as the Russians say.

But last night while watching Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume 2 (for the umpteenth time), I realize now how much I miss San Antonio. I was not born in Texas but I got here as fast I could, like the bumper sticker says. I am Texan through and through. I say I'm from North Dakota but my heart is in Texas. And having moved to the Dallas-Ft Worth area, I have discovered that more specifically my heart is in San Antonio. I think we lived there for 13 years; if so, that was the longest we lived anywhere; only Williston where I grew up (age 2 to 17) was a longer time period, but several of those years hardly count (years 2 through 4, for example, and perhaps the year I was 13 years old).

I don't regret any life decisions, so I don't regret leaving San Antonio. But I do regret not getting my fill of mariachi music to get it out of my system. San Antonio is a very special city. How can one not get energized listening/watching the video above?

The only thing missing, of course, is an accordion but that's because Robert Rodriguez turned it into a rock song.