Paying honors to dirt roads

Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to another Cecil’s World in Print. How many of you grew up on a dirt road? More than likely if you grew up in the country, you lived on a dirt road.
I was not that lucky. I was a city slicker and we had very few dirt roads in the city. I can remember visiting some of my friends who lived on dirt roads. I thought it was cool and the roads had character. In the middle of the summer when it was real dry, you could always tell when someone was coming down the road in a car because you could see the dust for a long way. I do remember one friend of mine who lived on a dirt road. Her parents’ car was always covered with dirt and then mud when it rained from traveling the dirt road.
I started thinking about the good old days after reading an article about dirt roads. At the age of 14, when I first started driving, my grandfather used to always tell me, “Remember: life is like a bumpy road; it is not always a smooth ride.” I really think he meant for me to slow down and be careful. When my grandfather was young, there were a lot of dirt roads and I think his saying originated from the era.
Here is an item attributed to Lee Pitts and broadcast by radio commentator Paul Harvey that makes me think about the way things were. Before reading it, close your eyes for a moment and think about a dirt road:
“What’s mainly wrong with society today is that too many dirt roads have been paved.
“There’s not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency, that wouldn’t be remedied if we just had more dirt roads, because dirt roads give character.
“People that live at the end of dirt roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.
“That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it’s worth it if at the end, there’s home, a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.
“We wouldn’t have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a dirt road with other kids from whom they learn how to get along.
“There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.
“Criminals didn’t walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they’d be welcomed by five barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.
“And there were no drive-by shootings.
“Our values were better when our roads were worse!
“People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous. They didn’t tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust and bust your windshield with rocks.
“Dirt roads taught patience.
“Dirt roads were environmentally friendly. You didn’t hop in your car for a quart of milk, you walked to the barn for your milk.
“For your mail, you walked to the mailbox.
“What if it rained and the dirt road got washed out? That was the best part! Then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy’s shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.
“At the end of dirt roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.
“Most paved roads lead to trouble, but dirt roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.
“At the end of a dirt road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn’t, some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.
“At the end of a dirt road, there was always extra springtime income from when city dudes would get stuck and you’d have to hitch up a team and pull them out.
“Usually you got a dollar, always you got a new friend, at the end of a dirt road!”
Now that takes me back to the good old days. After reading that, I had a desire to ride down a dirt road and do some old-time reminiscing but guess what? The nearest dirt road from where I live at the beach is six miles away. Oh, well, I’ll just close my eyes and picture it like it used to be.
See you next week, right here in the Morning News and on the tube.

— Cecil Chandler is a veteran reporter at WBTW News13. His column appears Mondays in the Morning News.