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February 10, 2013

Night in the woods is a great experience

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Editor, The Transcript:

Obviously, if cedar trees used much water, they wouldn’t flourish in these drought-stricken areas. A person’s average bath or shower uses about 40 to 50 gallons.

The average American household of four uses about 400 gallons of water per day with up to 50 percent of that being outside watering (watering the lawn, maintaining swimming pools and washing the cars, driveways and sidewalks).

When I was a kid, my father would take me outside of town on winter nights and we would find a group of cedar trees. Gently, parting the limbs and peering into the inner branches, we would observe all of the beautiful sleeping birds.

I can recall being horrified to discover that some of them didn’t have heads. It turns out that many birds tuck their heads under their wings when they sleep ... I can still remember the sharp, cold night air and the smells of the night.

The strong pungent aroma from having my face in cedar trees and the scratches I would get from the jagged foliage would accompany me home and into my bed.

I have since taken my son and grandkids out with me so that they could view the sleeping beauties themselves. It was a great experience and my memories of it can’t be eradicated, but what can be eradicated is the opportunities for future generations to be able to be at peace with planet Earth, if only for a night.

Fresh air, exercise and beautiful things. Video games are one thing. This was much better.

ROY NEHER

Norman

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