Growing Up in Bandera
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As new homes continue to pop up around the area I still can see subtle indications of the simple life I had in earlier times. Nice landscaping is at the forefront of the modern additions and there are even a variety of swimming pools in some backyards. But if you look closely there are plenty of signs of the back in the day ways of life still around.
The sight of windmills in our area are pretty common and a few still exist in town. The most common among the still visible indicators of earlier times are the cedar post and wire fences. Many of them can be seen on the back end of city lots and are usually brush covered making them less visible. The fact that those types of fences used to completely enclose properties in town many years ago is a reminder of days when livestock was grazing freely in the area. I'll admit they did little to discourage me from taking a shortcut while walking to and from St. Joseph's Catholic School.
Our modern day struggle here in Bandera includes trying to fence out the native whitetail population. That requires more than the old standard cedar posts with field fencing and a couple strands of barbed wire at the top. I still smile to myself when talking to an oldtimer and he uses the term "bob wire". Then I try to recall at what age I quit saying it.
The six foot privacy fences are common around town as they provide some deterrent to wildlife as well as giving a measure of security and separation to the homeowners. Now the term "privacy fence" has a different meaning to different folks. Standing at six feet and two inches it doesn't ring as true to me as it might to my vertically challenged friends.
I don't recall ever seeing deer in town back when I was a kid. There were some corn fields around and gardens were pretty common. I don't recall anyone complaining about the deer eating their house plants. Knowing what I know about some earlier inhabitants of the area it could be the deer were scared to venture into town. Or maybe today's overabundance of native wildlife could be due to the conservation efforts in modern times.
As my Growing Up In Bandera has played out over the years it has provided a front row view of the changing times. The more modern and convenient world is taking over in leaps and bounds and the idea of a never changing Bandera is nothing more now than a fading pipe dream.