Silent Sunday: Little Bird
Category Archives: Oklahoma culture
Tall Tales by Pistol Pete: “Trot-Line Fishing”
Trot-line Fishing
Once upon a time Fred, Rolla Goodnight and myself thought we would do a little fishing. So we made us a good boat about 14 foot long and four foot beam and also made a trailer to haul it on. Then loading up our trot-lines, tools and bedding we all started down on the river to fish. We put our boat in the water and it was in good shape and waterproof, then we started out to get some bait.
On the bank near us was a big cottonwood tree with a long straight limb sticking out and was about 15 feet long. It showed marks of being the roosting place for wild pigeons but there were none there at the time. Now trot-line fishing has its many difficulties and one of the worst is getting bait.
We scouted around not doing much good, for the Democrats had taken over and the jackrabbits were scarcer than hen’s teeth. Continue reading Tall Tales by Pistol Pete: “Trot-Line Fishing”
Sweet and “Cool” Summer A, B, C’s…Inexpensive, Fun and “In Real Life”
by Joey Rodman
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but we’re smack dab in the middle of an Oklahoma summer, complete with blistering heat and a dry spell that’s threatening life as we know it. Hey, at least it’s not humid right? Summer in Oklahoma can be a tough pill to swallow. For those of you who are barely holding on until fall, here are a few activities that can maybe help you enjoy the summer while it’s here. Get your friends and family together and try these out!
A. Home-made Ice cream.
What you need:IceRock saltQuart sized sandwich bagsGallon sized freezer bagsMilkVanillaSugarPatience
- Fill a gallon sized bag for each person about halfway with ice and rock salt, seal them up and put them somewhere cold.(like the freezer if you’re indoors or the ice chest if you’re outside)
- For each person put 1/2 cup of milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla in a quart size bag and seal it.
- Put the little bag into the big bag, make sure both are sealed well.
- Shake it up! It takes about 10 minutes for your “ice cream” to get to a consistency similar to soft serve. You can eat it right out of the bag. Make sure you shake it and mix it well or you’ll get pockets of sugar that are gritty. Continue reading Sweet and “Cool” Summer A, B, C’s…Inexpensive, Fun and “In Real Life”
Silent Sunday: Motes Farm, Stillwater, OK
On the Horizon: Rocket Man
A half century has passed since President Kennedy challenged our nation to do what most thought to be impossible: Land a man on the moon. Yet in just eight years, Neil Armstrong made that giant step for mankind…thanks in great part to the work of several Oklahomans.
Per capita, Oklahoma has more former astronauts than any other state and many were in attendance at an event to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the race into space. Former astronauts and NASA workers gathered at the Oklahoma History Center to commemorate the 50th anniversary of JFK’s challenge to Congress:
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.” – John F. Kennedy
Few people embody Oklahoma’s pioneering spirit more than General Thomas P. Stafford…a man whose mother came to the state in the back of a covered wagon, while he later rocketed into space. The same passion that took General Stafford to the moon is still evident today in his work to educate a new generation about science and technology.
This week in our video blog, we visit the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma to look into our country’s aerospace history, as well as, the life of an extraordinary Oklahoman.
~Rob
On the Horizon: Rocket Man from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.
Small Town: BIG Fun
Crickets. Do you hear them? That’s because I’m not at The Ranch. I headed back to my hometown of Chickasha, Oklahoma for a 30 year class reunion. A lot of times people head back to their childhood homes and think everything seems small. That was not the case for me this week.
You remember playing in the sprinker, don’t you? The 100 degree temperatures were trying to dry out the grass on the sod farm. I guess it just wasn’t going to happen today. I had to drive out to the motor and get a closer look at this. I think the neighborhood kids could be quite happy after lunch once this got turned on.
Wind mills were never a rare sight in Oklahoma, but since I’ve been away, several wind turbines have moved into my home state along Highway 81. The famous Oklahoma wind is going to be harnessed by these incredibly large “windmills” and turned into usable energy. These turbines are growing in popularity and come in a variety of sizes. The blades alone are about 116 feet long and are placed on top of a 212 foot tower. The three blades cover about an acre of air space as they turn. These two wind turbines in the photo to the left make the trees in the same photo look like shrubs.
Also in Minco located at the southwest corner of the stop light sits the Coffee Cup cafe. That location has been some kind of restaurant since I can remember. I stopped in to have a cup of coffee and a little breakfast one morning after checking out the wind farm. I ordered just one pancake and some bacon. When I spun around on the stool to face my plate, I was amazed! Continue reading Small Town: BIG Fun
Silent Sunday: Relay for Life at South Intermediate H.S., Broken Arrow, June 3, 2011
Thank you to Mark Rusling, Melissa Davis and Preston Power of the Tulsa Digital Photography Group, for sharing their work this morning. Our thoughts go out to all victims, survivors, families and friends of those affected by the vast number of cancers in the world. May your Race bring you the Cure you are seeking. All the best ~ The Red Dirt Chronicles Writing Team Continue reading Silent Sunday: Relay for Life at South Intermediate H.S., Broken Arrow, June 3, 2011
B.N.F.M.K.
I’ve spent a lifetime involved with educational systems, and I don’t just mean as a student. My dad was a school teacher and administrator for over 20 years, and I have worked in higher education administration for 13+ years. Suffice to say, I’ve seen some of what goes into trying to make it all work; making the sausage, you might say.
Few things are as important to a society as their educational systems. And yet, it is an area where American society does not always invest as much as might be optimal or even necessary. Good school systems or bad, it comes down to personal commitment and relationships.
Commitments at home.
Commitments at school.
Commitments to learning.
Commitments to discipline.
Commitments to the kids.
As constituents of our educational systems, we don’t always agree with decisions, directions, and disciplinary actions by the schools and their agents. Or, maybe we agree with many policies, actions, or individual decisions, BNFMK: “But not for my kids?”
Regardless, when the smoke clears and another school year is in the books, we should be thankful for those in the trenches with the scores of energetic and hormonal kids for a day, a week, a month, a year…or even 39 years (the Edmond years of service record, I believe). It is a higher calling. Commitment indeed.
So, thank you, teachers. Thank you, principals and administrators. Thank you, parents. And thank you, kids!
And now, school’s out for summer! Enjoy! The learning opportunities may be temporarily ending for some…, BNFMK(s):
Vicksburg, here they come!
Note from the Editor: We’re pleased to introduce Jeff Bingham, RDC’s newest contributor, to you. He’s a thoughtful numbers-cruncher and I’m sure will have lots to offer our community. Welcome, Jeff – it’s good to have you aboard. ~ RDK
Silent Sunday: Indian Taco Championship, Pawhuska, OK
Last weekend, my husband and I joined Mark and Cathy Hinderliter on a Northeastern Oklahoma roadtrip to Pawhuska. The Indian Taco National Championship festival was being held and we decided to check it out. These photos are shots of downtown Pawhuska, the festival activities, and the people around town. Have a peaceful Silent Sunday…enjoy! [kelly] Continue reading Silent Sunday: Indian Taco Championship, Pawhuska, OK
Barbershop Theology: Mortality, the Mortician, and Me
It was cold. I remember that.
I had just started my part of the closing routine in Caldwell’s Barber Shop, sweeping clumps of hair, filling the lather machine, and straightening up the magazine tables. I was at the barber shop following a day at school. Mainly, I was just killing time and hoping we could close promptly at 6:00. I was anxious to go home.
The barber shop door opened and I turned to see Mr. Crews entering. I figured he would sit and wait. He would be the final customer of the day.
Mr. Crews owned the funeral home in Apache, Oklahoma. In fact, these many years later, it’s still Crews Funeral Home located in the middle of town. I always thought Mr. Crews was a really nice guy. But the funeral director didn’t sit. He walked over to my dad and said something, Dad nodded his head. Mr. Crews left.
Dad finished the haircut, thanked his customer and said, “thank you, come back.” (He always said that.)
Then Dad unplugged his clippers and wrapped them in a fresh towel. He placed a pair of scissors in his breast pocket, turned off the lights and as I was already moving toward the door. I ran to jump in the pick-up truck. I started the vehicle since the keys were right there in the ignition.
I slid across to the passenger’s side as Dad climbed in behind the steering wheel. We drove all of a half a block and stopped at Crews’ Funeral Home.
“What are you going to do?” I asked, though I could have guessed.
“Just wait in the pick-up,” he said.
“Are you going to cut a dead guy’s hair?” Continue reading Barbershop Theology: Mortality, the Mortician, and Me
On the Horizon: Pawnee Bill
The year was 1888 and the Wild West was changing. Recognizing that fact, showman Gordan W Lillie, known today as Pawnee Bill, started a Wild West show that traveled the country and the world until 1913. But, the story does not end there.
In 1988, the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum hosted the first re-enactment of Pawnee Bill’s original Wild West Show. Every year since, they have continued the tradition the last three Saturdays in June.
Today in our video blog we head to Pawnee, Oklahoma, to learn more about the man who began it all, and the people who have kept his dream alive more than a century later.
Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.
Yukon, OK v. Los Angeles, CA: A Bona Fide Pork Rind Throw Down
This evening I stopped by my favorite quick stop, Covell Corner. Okay, it’s my ONLY area quick stop but they’re really great. I could write an entire post about the family who started that business, how nice their employees are, and how their deli pizza is scrump-deli-icious… but that’s not what I want to share with you. I wanted to let you know that I was in the store, wandering aimlessly because I couldn’t find Perrier or club soda, when I saw a full rack of El Sabroso Pork Cracklins beckoning me.
No, I don’t like pork rinds. Not really. But when I was a little girl, my mother would buy them as a special snack because SHE liked them. So a few weeks ago I purchased a local pork rind microwavable product at the Farmer’s Market because the owner of the company was a friend…AND I thought, “Give them to mom, she might like them.” My mother has made a lifetime habit of seeing some piece of clothing or other product while she’s out shopping, then thinking I might like it – purchases it and brings it to me at the next family get-together. It’s about time I turned the tables on her, don’t you think? Continue reading Yukon, OK v. Los Angeles, CA: A Bona Fide Pork Rind Throw Down
Pint Night: From McNellie’s The Abner in Norman
So, every Monday night at McNellie’s The Abner in Norman is Pint Night. Good golly gosh, I love Pint Night. The deal is, you go and buy the featured beer of the night, and you get to keep the glass that is made for that beer.
This first picture is of our kitchen cabinet:
The middle cabinet that is stacked and packed full of glasses is our beer glass shelf…and every single one of those glasses came from pint night. The next picture is a high up shelf where we keep the too-tall pint glasses, or the extra fancy ones that are more fragile (like a Warsteiner Dunkel special edition Christmas glass with a hand blown glass ornament at the bottom): Continue reading Pint Night: From McNellie’s The Abner in Norman
My Little Victory Garden: Strawberries, Chard, Al Fresco Dining…Ahhh.
Last week I left you with the tag line, “California strawberries are for shipping, Oklahoma strawberries are for eating.” I had at that point two very full quarts of Oklahoma strawberries from the Urban Agrarian sitting in my refrigerator and my family had been enjoying…berries with creme fraiche, strawberries with homemade pound cake, berries with whipped creme and cookies, berries with breakfast, and – well, you name it. It seemed that every time I walked by the kitchen my feet would take over my body searching for berries, my arms would shoot out from my sides to open the refrigerator, and my hands would grab a strawberry then hurl it toward my mouth. Bliss.
I just love Oklahoma strawberries.
Unfortunately, my shipment from the Food Coop this week came in damaged. They were already in a severe state of atrophy and I only saved about half from one container, less from the other. So I put them with some friends: my first rhubarb harvest this year. I whipped up a quick compote and my family ate it all on homemade buttermilk biscuits. So, THAT was a melt-in-your-mouth experience. Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: Strawberries, Chard, Al Fresco Dining…Ahhh.
Red Dirt Rambler: Eighty Years of Osage Wisdom in a Thirty Minute Encounter
I walked into the museum and was greeted by her. She sat at the desk, surrounded by busts of ancient Osage warriors, maps, artifacts and tribal dress displayed in glass cases. “Do you have any questions?” she asked. “No,” I replied. “Not yet.” I made my way to the corner case and began mentally walking through Osage history. The voices of other visitors began to seep through my mental fog and I adjusted my angle to take on a better view. I gathered that stories were being told and wanted to hear them.
I glanced at her again as she sat behind her desk. She watched quietly as two aging white men seated on benches in the middle of the room leaned in to hear stories from the middle-aged Osage they had met in the museum. The Osage was seated on a second bench near them and was carrying two pieces of lumber. One of the white men clutched a knotted piece of Cyprus wood that had been polished by man or by Time, while the other held two books on his lap. The Osage was saying, “In order for children to properly speak the language, their pallets have to be broken. I remember my grandmother reaching her thumb up into my mouth. It hurt, but the pressure of her grip helped me bear the pain.” Continue reading Red Dirt Rambler: Eighty Years of Osage Wisdom in a Thirty Minute Encounter
Three Laughs with the Wizard of Oz: A Profile of Bob Waldrop
Editor’s Note – Today across Oklahoma, thousands of citizens are picking up their Oklahoma Food Cooperative orders. They’ll be assisted by hundreds of volunteers to pick and check their orders from producers all over the state. We’re re-running this essay we posted last October as a reminder to consider joining this highly positive system of sustainability in Oklahoma. Later today, we’ll introduce you to a Storm Tracker and his life. Have a wonderful day ~ The Editor
I recently ran into someone who went to church where Bob Waldrop serves as the Director of Music. When his name came up they responded, “Oh, yeah…we know him. We call him the Great and Powerful Oz. That guy really is something else.” They laughed and I joined them. I joined them for the same reason that anyone would join in a joke: because it was true. I had never put my finger on a description that fit this man, but people within his congregation at the Church of the Epiphany had summed it up in one phrase.
“The Wizard of Oz” was a character who was revered, feared, was a mystery and who people thought might just have the answers or solutions to every problem they carried with them. However, the Wizard ended up being a down to earth human being who had done the best he could to build an idea from which hundreds and possibly thousands of people had benefited. He also, however, contained the notions and practicality of finding virtues in those who sought him out; he was able to pass along something of value to them so that they believed in themselves…and in something bigger than themselves. Yes, Bob was Oz. Continue reading Three Laughs with the Wizard of Oz: A Profile of Bob Waldrop
My Little Victory Garden: The Urban Agrarian and One Last Walk Through Grandpa’s Treasure House
I’ve been trying to visit the Urban Agrarian (UA) Sunday food market at N.W. 23rd & Hudson (located in the Cheever’s parking lot) for several weeks. Today, I finally made it…with five minutes to spare before they closed. Mick and I had left my grandmother’s farm about forty-five minutes earlier and we were driving our truck eastbound on N.W. 23rd Street, hitting every red light possible. I finally pulled out my cell phone and Tweeted:
“@UrbanAgrarian driving back from grandma’s farm in Tuttle. Getting there with maybe 5 min to shop! Eek!” In less than a minute, I got a notice about this reply to my message: “@RedDirtKelly no worries, we will be here.”
Here, why don’t you enjoy a short introductory video about the Urban Agrarian while I finish driving down 23rd St., okay? Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: The Urban Agrarian and One Last Walk Through Grandpa’s Treasure House
Silent Sunday – The Work of Rachel Apple: Maud, Oklahoma
Our photographer this week is not new to the Red Dirt Chronicles. When the site rolled out in August of last year, she put together a collection we featured in our header section for several months. She’s also served as a photographer for a few of our essays, and put this self-portrait together as a fun entry for our “RDC Best Red Dirt Inspired Photograph.” Rachel is a senior photography major at the University of Oklahoma School of Art and has completed her studies for an Art History Minor.
Are you searching for the perfect photographer to capture your senior portraits? Jen Pisani Photography dos senior portraits Kingwood, Texas. They specialize in creating stunning, personalized senior portraits that celebrate this significant milestone in your life.
During a recent course, she shot a landscape assignment by traveling to Maud and doing a series in black and white using a large format land camera on 4X5 film. We hope you enjoy your trip through Maud as seen by Rachel’s lens. Continue reading Silent Sunday – The Work of Rachel Apple: Maud, Oklahoma
Silent Sunday: Mother’s Day, 2011
- This wide angle shot is of my mother, my brother and I working in what appears to be a flower bed on the west side of our home, circa late 60s. Days like this probably encouraged me to like flowers. Thanks, mom. I do indeed like flowers.
- This is my first born when she was four or five years old. When she was born (May 3, 1987), her bilirubin tests were showing very high results so we had to take her back to the hospital every day to get a blood test. I felt helpless as I held her screaming little body while they drew blood from her tiny foot. The first day we DIDN’T have to go to the hospital? Mother’s Day of that year. What a gift! I chose this photo because my eldest listens and watches everything, and when I look at this shot it encapsulates those observational and analytical qualities she has.
My Little Victory Garden: Buttermilk Biscuit Throwdown, PLUS Cauliflower Isn’t Cabbage!
Oh the agony of it all.
I recently received my first delivery from the Oklahoma Food Cooperative system and now I have to think about how to use my food! In my mind the first thing I knew I had to investigate was the Buttermilk from Wagon Creek Creamery. I wanted to know if I could bake with it, and how the product would act in a recipe. My solution? Have a Buttermilk Biscuit Throwdown and ask my family to judge the results.
Here is the description from their listing on the Coop website:
Our buttermilk is the direct byproduct of our buttermaking process. This buttermilk is not cultured (so it isn’t as thick nor as sour as what you purchase at the supermarket.) We freeze it to keep it fresh. Just thaw and use in your favorite biscuit, pancake, fried chicken, etc. recipes! Packaged in a sealed 8 oz. container. Because it is a by product of the butter making process, it may contain a little salt. Ingredients: buttermilk, salt.
Although I have always been fine using Braum’s Buttermilk, a small voice inside my head said, “Do it. Order the buttermilk and see what it’s like.” So I did. I comes frozen in a plastic pouch. I set it in my refrigerator on ordering day and noticed the defrosting time was about 48 hours. This product sells for $1.99, so it’s clearly more expensive than the Braum’s counterpart.
Let’s look at the Braum’s product. Here is the description of their half-gallon from their website:
Braum’s Grade A Pasteurized Buttermilk is real old fashioned buttermilk! Made with low fat milk fresh from our dairy herd on the Braum Family Farm…you can’t get any fresher than that! Great by the glass or use it as an ingredient in your favorite recipe!
Now for the ingredients: Cultured Grade ‘A’ low fat milk, stabilizer blend (modified tapioca starch, carrageenan, locust bean gum), gelatin, salt. I’ll refrain from my commentary fighting to erupt out of my fingers right now. Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: Buttermilk Biscuit Throwdown, PLUS Cauliflower Isn’t Cabbage!