Growing Up in Bandera

As I am sitting in front of my computer this evening I am warm and comfortable here in my home as a cold norther is blowing hard outside. I can hear the wind in the trees and the sound of something out in the yard bumping against the side of the house. With three great grandkids in our family now who love being outside there are always plenty of toys and things scattered about. I’m thinking I will wait until I start getting “those looks” from my wife before I go out to investigate.

I think back to earlier times when the temperatures would drop causing the freeze proofing activities to kick in around our home back in the day. Faucets were left dripping and sometimes the radiator on the old truck had to be drained. The old dirt floor garage was built with cypress boards and tin and it was more like a walk-in cooler than a shelter from the frigid temperatures. The part of the garage building that was the old smoke house served as a doghouse too during cold spells.

While attending classes at St. Joseph’s Catholic School the north wind was at my back in the morning and in my face in the afternoon for the walk home. That was reversed when I started high school in the 9th grade. The walk was the same distance of three blocks as before but that morning facing a norther was sometimes brutal. No, it wasn’t uphill both ways!

Anyone who is familiar with early Bandera history will know why so many of the older structures around town were made from cypress boards. An outhouse like the one at my Granddaddy Kindla’s house made from that material provided little protection from the elements. It was not a pleasant place to be when the cold winds were blowing. Now in the summertime it was considered a blessing to have a draft bringing some relief from the heat and associated smells.

For brother Eddie and I the first sign of cooler weather was a signal to get the tarp rolled down on the screened end of the back porch which served as our bedroom. There was no sign of the modern world out there. No heat or electricity of any kind other than a wire hanging from the ceiling with a single light bulb. We had plenty of heavy blankets to keep us warm. Luckily the single bathroom with a gas heater which my mom lit early in the morning was connected to the porch and was just a few steps away from our bed.

As the wind continues to blow outside tonight and the bumping noises continue it takes me back to the those Growing Up In Bandera cold nights when I was sleeping on that back porch under all those heavy quilts. Even the noise outside is a reminder of the popping noise that tarp made as it fought to keep us safe from the cold wind. Now suddenly I am being consumed by an old familiar warm feeling.