As the water flows

I heard on the radio that a very large percentage of American cities are located either on rivers or Great Lakes. That got my attention. Perhaps more so since I am currently reading William Hagan’s biography of Charles Goodnight, Charles Goodnight: Father of the Texas Panhandle.

Water or the absence thereof is a frequent topic in this book. There just isn’t a ton of free-flowing water in the Texas Panhandle. I recently read two books on Lewis and Clark and the water routes taken and sought by the Corps of Discovery.

As our Declaration of Independence states there are certain self-evident truths. Our founding fathers viewed a continent bound together by flowing water. Lewis and Clark exposed the dramatic distance between the headwaters of the Missouri River and those of the Columbia River.

Me? I explored Snake Creek from its headwaters to its mouth. My base camp was beneath the bridge where Highway 9 passed over Snake Creek. I fished this narrow muddy stream for summer days upon end. On the hotest days, I would jump in for a swim. Always above the treatment plant. Now that I think about it there were a couple of nice holes of water between the plant and the mouth of the creek.

Not all water ways that were hubs of economic development were mighty streams. James Michener chose the South Platte River as the setting for his classic historical novel Centennial. Michener called it “a sad bewildered nothing of a river.”. Yet, he acknowledges its role as a highway of economic expansion.

For whatever reason, a favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quote leaped to mind. She said, “A woman is like a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” It does seem that over our history, water has a way of exposing our strengths and weaknesses.

Morality. Norman MacLean in his novella, A River Runs Through It, set a family tragedy among a love affair with fly fishing and the Big Blackfoot River of Montana. His father was a minister who taught fly fishing and morality to his sons. Sparkling clear waters wash over us but the best of lessons are not always learned.

Morality. Spring has arrived and my back porch is once again available for comfortable occupancy. It is Master’s week so an Arnold Palmer (1/3 Trader Joe’s Lemonade and 2/3’s Billie’s ice tea with lots of ice) seemed appropriate. Squirrels have made the winter and are frolicking in the yard. They seem to be still getting along. I wonder if the squirrels make treaties with each other.

Wonder if they say anything like “As long as the rivers flow”.

Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect men. – Stewart Udall

Hal McBride writes a column, Just Thinkin’, published each week.