The Okie Legacy

Smokey Oakie's Rise From the Ashes

Like the ancestor's coat of arms with the Phoenix rising from the firey flames to survive and become even stronger, Smokey Oakie has risen from the clouds of Smoke and Ashes.

Smokey Oakie's rise from the Smoke and Ashes happened approximately somewhere between the hours of midnight and one O'clock AM, CDT, 14 April 1998.

Oakie, like the Phoenix, has risen once again to survive even stronger than before with an enrichment and enlightenment of what she can endure.

Easter Sunday had just ended and Dave had gone to bed early to get up for work the next day. Oakie had been working on the computer and webpages and checking up on friends around the world.

Around 11:00PM Oakie had turned off the computer and had gone downstairs to watch "Old Star Trek Movies". As usual, Oakie found herself dozin' off and on while watching the movies on the TV.

She groagily arose sometime after midnight (not sure of the time cause she didn't look at the clock). Laying there on the sofa Oakie finally got up and walked to the dining table where she had placed her car keys earlier. She had just remembered that she had left the window rolled down in her pickup. Now why she thought of that at that time of night is beyond me.

The blurry eyed, sleepy Oakie picked up her car keys from the table and continued to the front door with no expectation of what would eventually take over the rest of the sleepless night.

After she had reached the door and switched on the porch light, she had barely gotten the front door opened only to be greeted by the flashing red lights of a Fire Truck (whose sirens had been blaring in the distance earlier). It was parked sideways in the parking lot.

A wisp of smoke blowing in a northernly breeze crossed her path and a neighbor running up to her and shouting, "You need to get out. There is a fire in the apartment two doors down. Is anyone else still in there?"

Oakie's eyes were suddenly widened and her senses were awaken with a feeling of stunned shock as she nods yes to her neighbor and thinks to herself, "Is this a dream or is this really happening to me?"

Oakie looked up towards the stairs leading to the bedroom and shouted to Dave, "Dave! Dave! Are you up? We need to get out of here. There's a fire."

It seemed like forever before she finally heard a response from Dave, but it was only within a few seconds that he replied back, "OK! I'll be right behind you."

Oakie was relieved to finally hear him answer back! She turned and reached down to grab her Dachund, Rosie, with one hand while strapping her purse across her shoulder with the other. Not an easy task to do, but in certain circumstances and certain conditions a person has been known to do just about anything.

As Oakie now looks back at that night on that Smoke filled Easter night, she wonders why she grabbed her purse. it is hard to rationalize and explain her reasons, but there is a reason for everything and some things you just need to accept and shouldn't spend valuable time trying to figure them out. The purse and the dog just happened to be right there in close proximity to each other. Maybe the purse on one shoulder helped balance the dog in the other arm. *LOL and scratching head*

Barefooted and craddling Rosie to her bosom, Oakie rushed outside after hearing Dave's reply and knowing in her heart that he would be behind her (there was no doubt in her mind). She was met again with a cloud of smokey haze that envoked and overtook the area down wind of the fire.

She strolled rapidly past firemen and trying to keep out of their way as they stretched their hoses from the two fire trucks to the fire hydrants (located at the other end of the parking lot).

She continued to wonder through the crowd of tenants and onlookers who had been awaken by the sirens and the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles. All the time she kept looking back to see if Dave was coming behind her.

Oakie was taking in all the sounds going on around her, but not really making any sense of what they were saying (if that makes sense to anyone out there). Tensions were high with people searching the crowds for a certain friend, family member, and familar faces.

By this time Oakie had made it to the other end of the parking lot while glancing about for a familar face of her own. All the while keeping an eye focused on the dancing, threatening flames coming through the roof of the apartment two doors up-wind from her own townhome.

At one point she saw the outreaching tip of the flames almost stretch their disasterous grasp towards the edge of her townhome roof at the other end of the complex. She held her breathe; grasped her dog closer to her chest; and looked to the heaven and stars in prayer. Don't we all do that at some time when faced with adversity?

Oakie prayed for the other tenants as well as for the irreplaciable memorabilia and memories that she had gathered around her concerning her ancestors memories that were stored throughout. It should also be known that she selfishly prayed for a "Stay of Execution" for her trusty Cyber Medium (Ms. 'Puter) that gave her access to her family and friends that stretched around the world.

It seemed like forever to Oakie, but a few seconds can last forever when you are faced with something that could destroy those things that can't be replaced with any monetary value.

The firey flames finally pulled back their grasp when the firemen working quickly and precisely to get the fire contained to that one unit without it spreading to the other units and complexes to the north.

Sighing with relief, Oakie's prayers were answered as she saw the flames pulling back their reaching arm of possible distruction. She kept glancing from the flaming inferno to the faces of onlookers and searching intently the whole time for that familar face of her husband. Still clutching her dog to her chest the whole time.

It seemed like forever, but finally her eyes focused across the parking lot to the south where she saw Dave standing. Oakie quickly made her way through the obstacle courses of hoses and other tenants to be beside his friendly familar face. Another sigh of relief and a feeling of blessed luck steadied the pounding of her heart again.

It took but a short time for the firemen to apply their knowledge and experience in getting the flaming inferno under control. They were cutting holes through the roof and had their multiple hoses squelching the rising flames from spreading their threat of distruction.

Oakie's eyes wandered throughout the crowd with relief that everyone had gotten out safely. Individual groups were gathered in small clumps here and there clutching their most precious possessions (family and friend's).

Like the Phoenix rising from the flame, Oakie found out that she to can arise from whatever adversities that get put before her as a test to become an even stronger surviver or a victim. Oakie is a surviver!

One man's carelessness...

One youngman's carelessness turned a once peaceful day into a frustrating night and tiresome evening for many.

It seems that this young college student had the urge to burn some sort of wax insense in his oven after midnight. He alledgely opened the oven door only to be greeted by a burst of flames that jumped outward. He tried to pour water on it to extinquish it, which only made the situation worse.

After it got out of control the young man alledgely went to the sliding glass door in the back of the house and opened it (creating a back draft, or whatever that is called) so that he could jump off of his second story apartment. You can only imagine how that burst of air fed the flames and pulled them throughout the rest of the apartment.

Oakie wonders to this day, "What was he trying to do at midnight burning a wax insense in the oven. Was he trying to cover-up something?" It is still very puzzling to this day.

The last few days following have been spent cleaning and packing up possessions for a relocation to a newly remodeled townhome in the next few days. The stench of the smoke and the tiredness of the feet and back can get to you after awhile. That's when I take a break and get connected to many of my friends and family around the world.

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