Sticking Together

I'm beginning to understand why immigrants through the ages have lived in communities.

The job site had a rain out yesterday, my man came home early and we drove over to Minot for a little change of scenery.  No trip to the "city" is complete without a stroll through Scheels.  Scheels is the sporting goods store up North.  My "wishing he was hunting" man calls it 'Academy on steroids". 

While shopping in the ladies winter clothes section, I couldn't keep my eyes and ears off a little family shopping there.  The mama was wearing a knit hat with ear flaps, chin ties, pom pom on top and rabbit fur lining.  She was outrageously cute in it and I wish I had her picture.  The daddy told her "no - no way am I buying that for you".  Then MY man spots the hats and brings one to me to try on.  He is sure I need one.  So the mama and I meet face to face and exchange compliments on our hats.

Now, this family was not speaking North Dakotan - so I inquired as to their origin.  Low and behold - they are from the great state of TEXAS!!  Five hundred miles from my hometown - but it's still Texas!  While we were having our home state reunion, another Texan joined us.  You should have seen and heard the seven of us, filling the aisle talkin' Texan!

We were throwing ya'll's around with reckless abandon! 

As we exchanged stories, we learned that the daddy was also here working in the oilfield, but unlike most men, he had brought his family with him.  They got to Minot just as the flood plain was being evacuated.  Their rented house has had some basement water to deal with, but they were able to move in within a few weeks. 


The other man was a disaster recovery relief contractor working for the government.  He had left the tornado devastation in Joplin Missouri to help remove the temporary dirt dikes that had been built in streets and parking lots here  before the flood.

We compared notes, talked about North Dakota food, black-eyed peas, and okra! 

It kind of make me wish we lived in a little Texas compound.  We could all fly our lone star flags, eat fajitas, pinto beans, cornbread, and barbecue.  Instead of Chinatown or Little Italy - they would call it....well the options are endless.

And we could say "Y'ALL".