John C. McCornack
Yukon, Oklahoma

Red Dirt Mountain It was daybreak one morning When I saw my mountain high So beautiful it was That it nearly made me cry The red was deep as crimson Like the color of my ground Nothing else compares to it This special place I've found It taunted and it called to me So I walked over to its base Huge it was and awesome It took up a daunting space I could hear the coyotes calling It was a mournful kind of sound It cut the silence sharply There was no one else around There is nothing quite as peaceful Neither a lake nor splashing fountain Not a single thing can compare to My beautiful Red Dirt Mountain! Marilyn Lott © 2007- 50

The Shadow Knows It was in the early morning...I went out to my hill. That Red dirt mounain hill that was my home... I knew that I could start my day with peace within my heart In the early autumn morning as the golden day break shone In the quiet of the morning when I hear the earth awake.. And the sounds of nature calling to my soul Will this sun that's peeping over yonder sky beyond that hill Give me one more day of memories to store Is it morning or the twilight when I share this glorious view Will others find the peace their hearts can know Will they hear the melodious singing of the birds within the air Is it dawn or is it twilight...only the shadow knows In the distance I see heaven with its shores so beauty bright I feel peace and deep contentment at my hill... Why do I feel the love and peace within that air so still Only the lovely shadow knows just what gives me a thrill Is it morning or the twilight when I share this glorious view Will others find the peace their hearts can know Will they hear the melodious singing of the birds within the air Or the night sounds of the valley...only the shadow knows ImAuthor4U

Red Dirt Mountain It is my opinion that the Red Dirt Mountain area is the most beautiful area in Oklahoma.  I have traveled around the world and never found an area that brought me so much peace and tranquility.  This secluded, little known area is about 40 miles east of my original Cloud Chief home and about 40 miles southwest of my current Yukon home. ~ John

Cool trees

Yesteryears Oh take me back to the yesteryears, When the sight of the flag brought forth real tears. When Old Ma Perkins, on the radio, Depicted life and filled the soul. Before we knew sunshine was bad, And good times were the ones we had. There were no Nikes for us to wear, As most of the time our feet were bare. We always ate our meals at home, And few of us, even had a phone. Saturday nights were for a trip to town, Where friends and neighbors all gathered around In the general store with it’s potbellied stove, That bore witness to the tales that were told. Life was simple, but we didn’t care, We were happiest, when we could share. (c) 2002 Loree (Mason) O’Neil

My Shadow When I go out walking in the early fields of dew Capturing the beauty of my dreams I take along my camera to get a different view For each time I go there....the view seems to change Yesterday I looked upon it...with eyes of a child The little boy who loved to climb those hills. I even made that red dirt rock my mountain so high My wonderment and love for God follows my heart still When I became a young man I would go there to dream To figure out just what my life could yield My mom and dad gave me the solid rock on which to build The rock within my soul....not the rock within that field Today I am a grown man and I know just where I stand That red dirt rock still means the world to me I captured my own shadow...was such a sight to see My soul and shadow welded to that rock amongst the trees ImAuthor4U

2 Red car

Red Beauty

I love to be out of doors when I can Mountains are such a lot of fun Whether climbing up to see the sunrise Or watching the coyotes in the winter sun. M. I. Lusby 6-20-11

Memories of the good times at Cloud Chief
My High School Basketball Team
My number is 00

Another Red Dirt poem by John Love to touch a fence post and feel the red dirt Ice Memories In Oklahoma where hot reigns supreme It’s strange to see ice covering our fields This brings much moxie and excitement To those who see life through windshields From long ago abandoned family homes To a steer in the field, we view with pride Computers now filled with ice memories That will serve new pioneers as a guide

Learn to know Debbie 1. Hearing about the Living Longer Better challenge helped us affirm the time was right to do something. 2. Getting help was also no problem, as the University of Central Oklahoma Nursing Department (UCO) and Oklahoma State Department of Health were quick to respond. 3. The Senior Fitness Test was chosen because it assesses physical characteristics needed for older adults to stay functionally mobile, independent and thus live longer better. Moreover, the Senior Fitness Test allows individual and group comparisons to a national database for seven specific tests covering five key indicators for successful aging: • Strength • Balance • Agility • Endurance • Flexibility 4. Our team added an eighth question to examine cognitive functioning. 5. Assessments were conducted over a two-day period with UCO's help. 6. Eight stations were set up. 7. Each station was attended by one nursing student who recorded results. 8. Additionally, an intake station collected participant demographic and anthropometric measures including height, weight and blood pressure. 9. "Results from the 115 participants showed [they] were indeed better than the average senior for most of the indicators," said Miller. 10. "However, it was also eye-opening to see specific areas we should be addressing. 11. Areas of weakness varied by group. 12. We had some below average and slightly above average in BMI (body mass index). 13. We also noted flexibility issues with many participants."

Historical Photo by John John

A Spanish Cove special memory Jere giving Marvin a trim, Ivan, Johnny at a meeting of The Literary Preservation Society (2015)

Scenes around Spanish Cove Johnny, Clarence