You Might Be From Okeechobee If...
You aren't slack-jawed when driving past a drive-thru liquor store
35 miles round trip for milk doesn't sound ridiculous
You have ever thought to yourself or asked your better half "Do these boots match my tie?"
You have given your address over the phone and said "No seriously, that is how it is spelled!!"
If you take the time to explain to someone the proper way to spell and use the word 'y'all'
You might be in Okeechobee if someone tells you they came "from afar" and you smell smoke on their clothes.
If you call the county commissioners by their first names
If you call the building on State Road 70, where they gave out hurricane supplies, the aggravation center, instead of the agri-civic center
If you know why the historic Dessert Inn in YeeHaw Junction is famous, but haven't figured out a way to explain it in polite company
If you have ever made a bet on how long it will take the vultures to clean up a roadkill
If you forget to put your cell phone on vibrate and the ringer spooks your horse
You consider anything taller than 100 feet to be a mountain
You refer to the land fill, which can be seen 14 miles out on Hwy 70 half way to the coast, as Mount Rubble. Florida's only Mountain.
If you put on a sweater when the thermostat dips below 70 degrees
When someone refers to 'down south,' you assume they are talking about Key West
If you consider anything past Orlando to be 'the north'
If you know all three ways to spell Basinger correctly
If you don't take your cowboy hat off in public, because your tan line ends where the hat begins
If when someone ordered unsweetened ice tea, you are sure they must be a Godless heathen, or worse, a yankee
If you actually look forward to hurricane season because at least the traffic won't be so bad
If you were fifteen before you could spell the name of the town you lived in
If you carry a pocket knife and use it to cut your steak at the VFW dinner because the knives they give you aren't sharp enough
If you've ever ridden a horse through a 'drive thru'
If, when an alligator attacks a tourist, you worry about the welfare of the alligator ...
If you string lights on your horse so you can ride in the Christmas parade
If you've place a bet on how long the front of the junkyard will stay cleaned up THIS time around
If you can tell what kind of animals are in a barn by the smell of the manure
If you've ever gotten divorced and remarried in the same month
If you know all the words to "Redneck Woman" and proudly sing it in public
If the first part of the newspaper you read is the Speak Out column
If you've ever repaired your hurricane damaged roof with Duct tape
Last but by no means least...
You know you're from Okeechobee, if someone gives you directions, based on landmarks that no longer exist, and you understand what they are talking about. (Such as, the Free Fair in the field next to where the City water tower used to be or you refer to the "Lonesome Dove" to describe Dark Hammock Road, or you know the intersection of Berman Road & State Road 70 as "Posey's Corner".)
Things That Changed Around Here...
After The 2004 Hurricane Season
FEMA's phone number was added to the speed dial or the cards are now found on the fridge door
Keeping stocked up on C and D Cell batteries is very common. We also seems to buy alot more items that CAN run on battery as well as electric.
Its not uncommon to have more then 20 cans of Chef Boy R D or Spaghetti O's in the pantry.
Alot of people never removed all the plywood from the windows,AND as a plus have discovered that the rooms stay cooler that way.
When describibng your home to a prospective buyer, you say it has 3 bedrooms, two baths and one safe hallway.
Your on a first name basis with WW Lumber and Mid Florida Hardware here and Home Depot in Ft Pierce.
Owning more then 3 Large Coolers is no longer considered unusual.
You have 2 liter coke bottles and milk jugs filled with water in your freezer.
In August 2004 you couldnt hang a shower curtain rod...today though you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight.
Insurance policies are no longer a foreign language...in fact you spent about an hour explaining to a cousin in Minnesota what changes they should make to their policy to better protect themselves in the event of need there.
You keep 2 rolls of roofing paper, and a box of 1 1/4 inch roofing nails in the garage to dry in your roof if needed.
(roofing paper will hold up better then blue tarps)
You have dreams of a drive through fast food restraunt that serves "MRE'S" and bottles water.
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