Category Archives: Oklahoma culture

Oklahoma culture, Woman2Woman

The Art of Standing in Line: Pioneer Woman Book Signing at the Full Circle

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On March 31st, 2012 the lower floor of 50 Penn Place was packed with people.  The chairs were packed.  The walls were packed. A group of people stood behind the designated seating area around the elevators, and there were even people behind the stage who were looking for a vantage point.  After being delayed in traffic due to a wreck on I-35, Ree Drummond (better known as The Pioneer Woman) was ready to begin her book signing event at OKC’s beloved Full Circle Book Store.  The event doubled as a fundraiser for the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter, and by the crowd, it looked to be a good day to help out the provision of those important services.

Drummond mentioned she “gets nervous speaking,” so she used a Powerpoint presentation.  The crowd was interactive as she went through her slides covering the history and development of her online blogging, cooking and TV projects highlighting life on the central NW Oklahoma cattle ranch where she, her husband and their four children reside.  The attendees’ smiles turned to laughter as she finished her presentation by singing “Endless Love” to her Basset Hound, Charlie.

One key to a good audience connection is an open and one-down position.  Drummond interspersed her presentation with many of these moments, including one instance where she had backed up until she ran into a plant behind her.  As she played with the plant fronds bouncing around her head she commented, “I’m so nervous I’ve backed into the plant!”  Continue reading The Art of Standing in Line: Pioneer Woman Book Signing at the Full Circle →

Oklahoma culture, Oklahoma Outdoors

The Easter Pageant

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Photo by Darren White, all rights reserved.

“John Delgado of Los Angeles, California, would you please meet James at the Lighted Cross?  Mary Mayernik of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, would you please meet Martha at the Lighted Cross?”

Ruth and I looked at each other in awe, then we asked our parents, “would someone REALLY come that far just to see the Easter Pageant?” Typical responses ranged from “Anything’s possible with God,” from our mother, and from Papa, “Oh probably just someone stationed at Altus Air Force Base or Fort Sill.”

It was hard for me at age seven to fathom that an Easter Pageant held outdoors in a wildlife refuge in Southwestern Oklahoma could possibly outshine anything the East or West Coast had to offer, but it did.  Perhaps it was the location, with the permanent buildings built in the 1930s that gave the Pageant the authentic look of the Holy City.

I am thankful for Christian parents, who, even when money was tight, still took us to the Easter Pageant every year.  Preparation for this annual event began early on Saturday, the day before Easter.  Papa would gather the sleeping bags, extra blankets and a tarp or two.  We would add our pillows to the pile.  Mama would get out the picnic basket and ice chest.  She would spend the morning making chicken salad sandwiches and other goodies for a picnic supper.  By late afternoon, we were packed and ready to go.  The pageant didn’t start for another 10 hours, but Papa insisted on getting there early.  He wanted to make sure we had the perfect spot for viewing the pageant from the mountain side where the audience sat.

The drive over on Old US 62* seemed to go on forever, but a mere 45-50 minutes later we arrived, parked and unloaded the car for the short trek to our viewing spot for the night. Once we set up our viewing area, we headed off to walk thru the Holy City.  Strolling thru the various replicas of buildings from the life and times of Jesus left us in a sense of awe, as though we were really were in the Upper Room, or the manger in Bethlehem. My favorite was the chapel.  Built to resemble Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, where President George Washington worshipped, once inside you truly felt like you had walked into Jerusalem via the murals painted by artist Irene Malcolm.

At sunset, we gathered on our sleeping bags for a picnic supper served by Mama.  The Lighted Cross began to glow behind us as darkness crept over the mountainside, now packed with thousands of people.  Before settling in for a long nap, Ruth and I would walk up to the cross, just to see who was paging whom.  Snuggling into our sleeping bags, we eventually drifted off to sleep amid the hushed conversations of the families around us.

Promptly at midnight, church choirs and music groups from around the area would began singing gospel music.  They entertained the gathering until a few moments before the official 2 a.m. start time.  The final notes of the music faded as did all light on the pageant side of the mountain. A hush fell over the crowd that quickly escalated into ooohs and aaaahs as the life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth unfolded before us.  Papa and Mama always stayed awake for the entire pageant.  Ruth and I sometimes fell back asleep.  No one however, slept thru the final scene. Continue reading The Easter Pageant →

Oklahoma culture

Gloriously Memorial-ous: Victorious OSU Cowgirls Win NIT B-Ball Tourney

Honestly, I can’t even write this post without a shaky feeling overtaking my gut while my eyes begin to mist.

It’s been a hell of a year.  And yet, somehow the Oklahoma State University (OSU) women’s basketball team just completed what can only be described as a feature film finish.

In spite of losing their lead coach and their mentor assistant coach in a plane crash ten years after the OSU men’s team experienced their own plane crash, the women’s team won the NIT championship against James Madison University (JMU) in a 75-68 gloriously memorial-ous contest on Saturday.

And, everyone in the community did everything they could to pack that house for the team.

Case in point?  OSU men’s basketball coach Travis Ward announced on Thursday before the game that he had purchased $2000 worth of $5 tickets for any student to attend the game who couldn’t afford to go.  Hours later, another donor added another 30% to that number, inspired by Ward’s leadership.

The efforts of everyone who made up the record attendance for the year were not in vain.

When the game was over and victorious shock worked itself through the entire stadium, the game’s emotional climax came to an apex when the now-deceased head coach Budke’s widow, Shelley, was invited to be the last up the ladder to cut down the net.

Okay, now I’m crying.  I swear to Pistol Pete’s six-shooter, I can’t write about this incident without feeling grateful, sad, elated and undone.  And if a clinical instructor feels that way, then what in world do the players and their now head coach Jim Littell now feel?

All I can imagine is: Amazing. Weirded out. Sad. Ecstatic.

And maybe…satisfied.  They gave an honorable gift back to a hurting community, and to themselves.

You go, OSU Cowgirls BBall team.  You did it…and I thank you.  We all do.

Oklahoma culture

Chickasaw Country…

I’ve been talking with the folks at Chickasaw Country and the Chickasaw.TV folks and just want you to know they’ve been working especially hard on making sure you know about all the possibilities for travel, entertainment and culture around the central, south and southeast areas of Oklahoma.

Check out their website and explore all the amazing opportunities right here in our beautiful state.

And finally (well, for now anyway…), I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine.  Her name is Brooke Clay and her job is to write about all the unique opportunities within the scope of what she does in and around Chickasaw Country.  Brooke will be creating entries periodically about all things Chickasaw and I would encourage you to check in from time to time and see what she’s been up to…or eating, or listening to…or something!  Thanks, too, to Lauren Keeley with Chickasaw TV for all the effort she and other team members have made in creating these beautiful pieces.  They’re the folks who featured the Chincie Ross piece we covered a few weeks ago.

Have a great Thursday,

[kelly]

Man Cave, Oklahoma culture

The “Board of Directors”

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They were humorously mentioned as “the spit and whittle club” in The Imaginary Family Project story on “Gary Ireland.”

As I child I fastidiously avoided them in the Tuttle “Save-a-Stop” as they drank coffee every morning and discussed the local, state and national current events. For some reason, any grown man in farm clothes and boots who wasn’t part of my family scared me.  Perhaps that’s normal?

Yet as an adult writer trekking across Oklahoma, I now depend upon them when needing information about a local community point of interest.  I merely need to ensure these three factors, and can almost guarantee I’ll find them:

1) It needs to be early in the morning, preferably before 9 or 10 a.m.

2)  Cruise the entire street in any small Oklahoma town and scope out the quick stop or diner with the most farm trucks parked in the lot.

3) And then simply walk in, look around, make eye contact with the group and say, “I need help!”

This process has never…I mean NEVER failed me.  There they will be, a group of local men seated around a table or in a booth or perhaps occupying two or three tables and booths, discussing the morning’s business before heading out to begin the rest of their day.

I was reminded of this this small-town Oklahoma phenomenon while out on the “phase 1 section” of the Base Vines & Cattle schoolhouse deck two days ago.  It was 55 degrees, the wind had finally laid, and on a perfectly still and dark evening a few farmers, a distributor and a consumer had gotten together to chat.  The subject of the “Oklahoma Table” had come up by way of the delightfully caring female farmer among the group and then someone said something about “the group of men who gather in the mornings for coffee.”

“Oh, yeah…we call them The Board of Directors,” said Aaron Base with a chuckle.  And immediately, everyone knew what he meant.

They are the experts in the community.  They are men who know the town narrative and probably created it.  They are the group who has seen people move in, and people move on.  And, they take whatever activity goes on within their community to heart. Continue reading The “Board of Directors” →

Oklahoma Outdoors

Terrifically-Horrific Supercell

Supercell photo by Alan Broerse, Storm Tracker and morning weather producer for News 9. This photo was captured southwest of Retrop, OK. I applied highlight separating filters so you could see the shape of the activity a little better. ~ RDK

I only get one Twitter-feed directly texted to my phone, and that’s from Gary England.  Therefore, when I hear a little whistle coming from my smartphone, it’s either a text from one of my family members or a weather alert.  Both are important.  Yesterday evening, it was weather alerts.

Throughout the afternoon, an intermittent message came through that activity was possible.  But as the 7:00 pm then 8:00 pm hour rolled around, realtime activity was being tracked within the Oklahoma borders, with more coming northward from Texas.

Alan Broerse, News 9 stormtracker, watched three tornadoes drop from this particular supercell and reports that it was “an awesome storm to be on…”  Well, I suppose that statement is a matter of perspective, but from someone highly trained to do this kind of thing, I’m sure it was.

It’s THAT time of the years, isn’t it?  I’m sure we’ll see much more of Alan’s work, Gary England, Val’s team, Rick Mitchell, Emily Sutton, Mike Morgan…and more. Hopefully, just not TOO much.

Read more about the work of Alan Broerse and the life of a Storm Tracker here.

Homestead and Garden, Oklahoma culture

Waterloo Road: Smalltown, America

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These past few weeks have been early garden planting season.  I’ve been looking for a place closer to home because I’ve normally traveled down to NE OKC, or to Classen and NW Expressway for my seeds and bulbs.  I think there’s something more to be gained, however, from the experience of visiting small business feed stores, lumber yards and farm equipment niches.  I’m just fascinated with all the supplies an owner can cram into one of those stores, and I like being one of the only people shopping.  No crowds = happy me.

Enter Waterloo Road.  We were coming back from the vet a couple of weeks ago when I noticed a sign outside what appeared to be some sort of hardware store advertising onions and potatoes.

Well, of COURSE I targeted that place as my garden shopping site, and I’m so glad I did.

“The Korner” Hardware and Home Center was all I had hoped it would be, complete with a single, retirement-aged employee who had plenty of stories for the two customers in the store.

They had fresh eggs…AND hay or straw for sale. Continue reading Waterloo Road: Smalltown, America →

Oklahoma culture

Fido and the Hitching Post

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I had just pulled into a parking space at the Walgreen’s in Stillwater when I saw her.  A middle-aged woman in light blue scrubs was approaching the store entrance, coming from the opposite direction.  A gentle, ongoing conversation with her canine companion who walked easily by her side was in progress.

As she passed the entrance, the automatic doors slid open and the dog stole a brief look inside the store.  She encouraged him, however, to continue down the sidewalk a few more feet.  Her companion followed her bid easily, without straining against the leash or pulling toward the entrance.  His body language sent this message: “I’m here, just show me where we’re going.”

The dog’s owner approached the wooden bench outside the store, asked the dog to “sit,” looped his leash around a black iron leg, and patted his head.  The medium-sized white tail began to wag furiously, a pink tongue licked his owner, and with both of her hands on his face, the owner told him she would “be back very soon.”

 

Swish, swish, swish.  The medium-sized tail wagged against the brick wall as the dog watched his owner walk into the store.  Once she was completely out of sight, he relaxed a bit and began to watch the street scene before him.

I turned off my car which was still idling due to my frequent affliction: “observer distraction syndrome.” Grabbing my purse, I headed into the store as well.  I told the doggie he was “very good” as I walked by and smiled as the tail wagging began again.  I believe that the tail of a dog is somewhat like a mood indicator, in reverse.  A dog’s tail wags and immediately my mood is lifted.  So, perhaps, a mood influencer? Continue reading Fido and the Hitching Post →

Oklahoma culture

Meandering Thru March Madness

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Wildfire laps at the edge of Southwest Baptist Campground

The madness of the month of March has arrived!  My mother used to predict the weather for March 31 by what it was like on March 1. “In like a lion, out like a lamb; in like a lamb, out like a lion!”,  Mama would say every March 1.  According to my sources on the ground in Oklahoma – March 1 was a beautiful day this year. Here’s your advanced storm warning – be prepared on March 31!

The lion and lamb analogy can be aptly applied to other areas of March life.  Take for instance my nephew, Adam, and the love of his life, Mary.  Their first day of March roared in like a lion on the waves of labor pains.  The pains brought forth a precious little red haired princess, Virginia.  Something tells me that other than cries of hunger or wet diapers, their March 31 will ease out like a lamb for Princess Virginia, her sister Elinor and their parents.  I wish I could say that Virginia arrived in the land of red dirt but alas, she arrived in the bayou area of southeast Texas.  Someday when she is old enough to understand, her paternal grandmother, Clara, will entertain her with stories of the five generations of her family that equated red dirt with home.

Meandering around the madness of March memories of lions and lambs, several favorites have popped up to the top.  Youth retreats, spring revivals, and school breaks all bring to mind events that began like lambs but ended like roaring lions.  One of my favorite youth retreat destinations is nestled in the Quartz Mountains, across Highway 44 from Lake Altus.  The Southwest Baptist Assembly Grounds (SBAG) harbor many fond memories, including such firsts as my first week at church camp, embarrassment at my lack of knowledge of Donnie Osmond (he was the Justin Beiber of my day), first time as a camp counselor and numerous retreats as a teenager.

If ever there was a doubt that God can still use this place to His glory, one need only look at the lion of a wildfire of Summer 2011 that roared around the mountains surrounding the campground. The fire necessitated the evacuation of both SBAG and the Quartz Mountain Christian Camp located a mile north.  God protected both sites with His hands – one over each campground.  A tour of the area a few days afterward showed that the fires literally stopped at the edge of the campgrounds, within a few feet of some of the cabins.  God also protected the firefighters that day.  No serious injuries were reported as the fireproofed water bearers fought the flames while enduring temps in excess of 100◦F.

What does the lion and lamb analogy have in common with speeding tickets, sectional snow, “Hoosiers” and “Believe in Me”?  March Madness, of course!  Did you really think I could make it thru a blog titled “March Madness” without a mention of the basketball, that great orange orb that draws the attention of most of the nation for the month of March? Continue reading Meandering Thru March Madness →

Oklahoma culture

Bud Manning, the “Wood Chip” Man

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When Mick pulled into the garage on Saturday afternoon, the whole space immediately filled up with the beautiful smell of freshly chipped cedar mulch.  It was slightly damp, which was making the aroma stronger.  I think I walked into the garage three or four times that evening just to sniff the air.  Mick had made three trips to pick up free mulch that day, and had evidently talked to “the mulch guy” during each trip.

We don't think the sign has changed since we first saw it: "FREE WOOD CHIPS 341-9120"

We built our house in the cross-timbers of far NE Edmond about eight years ago.  The territory out here is more spread out; a former farming community taken over by suburbanism.  But a few farms remain among the housing developments and one of them belongs to Bud Manning.  He lives on the NE corner of Sorghum Mill and Midwest Boulevard, just north of the Christmas Tree and Blackberry Farm.

According to Bud, “a few years back, some company was out here buildin’ or somethin’ and they were grindin’ trees on the properties.  They wanted a place to dump the wood chips Continue reading Bud Manning, the “Wood Chip” Man →

Oklahoma Outdoors

Hypnotique

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How strong is the power of the Western Sky? Powerful enough to make my eyes check all the mirrors, then my speed, then the shoulder…until they find a safe place.  A place where I can let go of my responsibilities as a driver, and accept the freedom of Sun Worship once again.

Worshiping a God who gives me this image upon which to gaze is the only choice my psyche has; it is hypnotic-esque. The horizon woos my spirit into a slumber by showing me the soft grey blanket of cloudy mist she is slipping over the End of the Day. She tugs at the blanket, creating fingers stretched so that they almost touch together the top and bottom of my view.

“I’m tucking in the Day,” she whispers.  “Are you safe?  Nice and tight in within the loving force of the Life you lived today?  Are you ready to bid my Sun farewell and welcome Twilight?”

It’s not really a series of questions from the Horizon to me as it is the Final Call.  “Last round of the daylight, soak it in while you can!”

The Horizon’s voice is gentle, soothing, reassuring.

Hypnotic.

Grateful once again…no, grateful forever…I breathed out the last breaths of day, and inhaled the first breaths of twilight.  Then I got back into my car and drove home through the twilights mists until I reached my driveway.  By the time my tires turned toward the house, Twilight was in full force and the Horizon was sleeping.  Dreaming.  Dreaming as she rotated around Mother Earth until she met Oklahoma once again on Sunday morning.

[kelly]

Oklahoma culture, Politics

Ron Paul Rally 2012, OK State Capitol: Generation Y Photo and Written Essays

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Photos by Rachel Apple, written essay by Drew Apple

I have admired Ron Paul since I was about 16 and first discovered what it truly meant to believe in individual freedom. He has always been a great example of integrity in his convictions.

I draw a large amount of inspiration from hearing him speak about the pervasiveness and universal appeal of liberty. However, the thought of a pseudo-personal interaction with this man that I admire had never really crossed my mind. Continue reading Ron Paul Rally 2012, OK State Capitol: Generation Y Photo and Written Essays →

Oklahoma culture

Funkalicious Crazy Beautiful Weather

Su-POS-sedly, it was our Oklahoma Native son, Will Rogers, who coined the phrase:

If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, just wait a minute.

Monday afternoon, Gary England, our renowned meteorologist who was made quasi-famous by his background broadcast of the tornadic activity in the blockbuster movie, “Twister,” began sending tweets back-to-back-to-back.  I won’t belabor the details, but they basically happened in a sequence like this: Oklahoma is getting stormy. Now it’s turning into weirdness. Okay, now it’s hail. Oklahoma City and Edmond now receiving a blanket of pea-sized hail. Okay, we’re all clear again.

Evidently, Blake Brown was driving across Oklahoma City midtown just as the storm was breaking up.  He captured this beautiful image of the storm dissipating over the city just as quickly as it had come:

 

Oh, sci-fi movies…your special effects don’t have anything on reality.

[kelly]

Oklahoma culture, Relationships

On Marriage – by Alice Woodrome

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Editor’s Note:  As we wrap up our week of relationship posts, I thought it might be appropriate to share an essay by someone who is past her fortieth wedding anniversary.  Someone who self-describes her marriage much like a dear researcher I know who says, “I’ve been married to seven different men over my lifetime, and they’re all the same person.”  A retrospective and thoughtful view can be especially helpful when we’re stuck in the moment.  I thank Alice for sharing her perspective.

“On Marriage”

Written on our Fortieth Anniversary

I’ve been married for forty years. That doesn’t make me an expert on long-time romance any more than a man who lives to be 100 is an expert on health and longevity. Sometimes people ask a centenarian what the secret of his long life is, and he may give a pretty good answer, but I’ve heard some lame answers to that question, as well. I even heard one old guy say it was “a cigar a day and a pint of brew.”

Nevertheless, for what they are worth, I have some opinions on long-term relationships to share. If you were to ask me what the secret of a lasting marriage is, the short answer would be “don’t leave – it gets better.”

Of course, that is a simplistic answer for something as complicated as the blending of two personalities. It presupposes that both parties want the union and are willing to learn how to make it work better. If both are committed to making it work, instead of bolting when things go sour, there is a good chance that their first choice of a life partner is the best choice they could have made. It certainly is less complicated than going from relationship to relationship when the going gets rough.

And anyone with a little experience knows, the going does get rough. The euphoria at the beginning of a romance does not last. That head over heels stage where we overlook our partner’s faults eventually fades as the realities of living together set in. Then our spouse’s inadequacies loom large. Differences in interest, perspectives, personality and habits can appear insurmountable, and we seriously question whether we made a wise decision. It happens to most couples, and if more people knew that it was coming and that there is something good beyond it, they might stick it out long enough to learn to communicate – long enough to learn ways to resolve conflicts.

What keeps some couples together through those times when other couples split? It is not love, but commitment, that is the real glue holding them together. I suspect most people who have been married a very long time have fallen in and out of love with their spouses several times. I know I have. It is tempting, especially when we are young, to cut and run during the times when we can’t feel the love. Continue reading On Marriage – by Alice Woodrome →

Oklahoma culture, The Stage

RDC Says “Hello” to Oklahoma LIVE

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On Monday of this week, two members of our contributor team for the Red Dirt Chronicles (RDC) spent some time with the KSBI TV crew introducing the RDC to Oklahoma. Dallas Caldwell, our Faith contributor, and I spent about 5-7 minutes with Lyn Hester on “Oklahoma LIVE,” a daily live show that highlights events and points of interest around the state.

This is a photo of us in the lobby after finishing our segment.  Our hostess was very gracious and asked us back, “any time.”  KSBI employs a kind, engaging and welcoming crew and I appreciated the opportunity to get the exposure for all the good work our authors create.

Feel free to check out our segment by watching this video clip of our discussion.

I suppose if there was a lesson I learned today, it was this – don’t be scared of TV…it’s okay.  And, it may be helpful to promote your work.  Take care. And, if you get a chance to make a local TV appearance, please let us know about it.  We always love to know what our readers are doing, and would love to share your work with others as well.

***

 [kelly]

Oklahoma culture

Silent Sunday 2/12/12: Birdnest in the Barn

Yesterday I was walking through the house I grew up in with my daughter.  She was recording memories I have of the various rooms within our home, and taking photos based upon that perspective.  Her completed project will include the same process with my brother, my mother and my father.

As we were walking through the barn, I was telling her a story about the electric fence barrier across the barn entrance.  We laughed, turned to head back to the house and saw this image shown in the photo above.  A small birds nest had been built in bottle racks used to hold the bottles when feeding baby calves.  A tiny feather on the nest fluttered in the wind as the racks gently swayed back and forth.  We had an exchange about the coolness of the image, she took this photo, and we went on our way.

Sweet “*Silent Sunday,” everyone.  Have a wonderful day.

Peace,

[kelly]

*”Silent Sunday” is the term the contributors to the RDC use to describe our disengagement with social media on Sundays.  We don’t post Facebook messages or information, send tweets over our Twitter account, or deploy blog posts.  This one was constructed Saturday night, and scheduled to be released early Sunday morning.   Take care.

Oklahoma culture, Relationships

Who Are Your Sweethearts?

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Papa and Sara, 1963

I Corinthians 13:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited,
5 does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs.

6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8A Love never ends.
13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.”

 (said Aibiline Clark, the maid, to little Mae Mobley Leefolt) 

February has found us all ready!  February, the shortest month of the year, is filled to the brim with special days.  Black History Month, American Heart Month, and Library Month, Groundhog’s Day, The Super Bowl, Presidents’ Day and Presidential birthdays, Spunky Old Broads’ Day, National Visit A Shut-in Day, Leap Day, Freelance Writers’ Appreciation Week, International Friendship Week, along with many others special days all share their glory in the month of February.  My favorite day of the month falls in the middle on the 14th – yes, Valentine’s Day. A little Googling or chacha-ing* will lead you to the story of St. Valentine.  Here is a quick link:   http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

I confess, that in my youth, if there was no one to shower me flowers, chocolates and sweet nothings, I would mope around with a long face each year around St. Valentine’s Day.  That all changed in college, with the help of an intermittent job. Continue reading Who Are Your Sweethearts? →

Oklahoma Outdoors

Big Sky = Big Medicine. Really Big Medicine.

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The morning passed with fury. Meetings in Oklahoma City were followed by a drive to my campus 65 miles from point A toward…meetings in Stillwater, point B.  Concerns and mid-semester blusters stirred the pot of our academic soup du jour; the odor wafting from this churning fare was neither inviting to the students nor the faculty. “It’s what we’ll eat, because we must,” They collectively agreed through classes commencing and adjourning, research haltingly progressing, activities completed for reasons no one easily articulates.

The day progressed, the halls grew quieter, the chatter in the air sputtered and eventually silenced, punctuated with only an occasional interjection as my building cleared and light switches were pushed into the downward position. The College breathed a sigh of relief as those with beating hearts left their work for another day; its windows watched as the academics filed into the parking lot, engaged their various modes of transportation and headed toward the next segment of Life.

My one-hour drive home was not yet halfway complete when I realized the pain coming from my hands was due to my death grip on the steering wheel.  My white knuckles shined like eight surrender flags to my bloodshot eyes, sending a signal that had taken twenty-four miles to reach my brain.  The channels between my hands and brain were too clogged with traffic jams of Outlook calendars, publications, advisees and search committees to become aware of the beacons being sent over and over: “Stop. Stop. Please. Stop. Stop. Please. I mean it. I said Please.”

My myopic, rigid and focused view of the road ahead of me slowly dilated until it reached the width of my windshield.  Once expanded, my view shifted toward more of what lie ahead of me than simply the speeding asphalt and yellow or white lines.  There was, in front of me, a fragment remaining of the Day.  A remnant of what I almost missed was there for the taking because my subconscious took over my knuckles and screamed, “Hurt her. She’s not hearing my gentle voice.  Shake her. Please. I mean it.”

Beyond the windshield, through the shatterproof glass, past the pale of the Way Home lie a Holy Place.  I pulled my car over, compelled to find it.  The shoulder wasn’t far enough from the Way Home.  I pulled off the road until all four wheels rested on the dead grass and damp earth, pushed the gearshift toward Park, breathed out and turned off the ignition.  I heard…nothing.  I felt…tension. I needed…space.

I exited my car, white knuckles helping the death grip of my keys remain secure.  I headed toward a hill adjacent to a pastureland which was adjacent to my Space.  Black high heeled boots and soft earth wrestled during my ascent but I didn’t know it.  My brain was focused on the need for space.  The need for…this:

 

Cresting the hill, my body sunk into the ground, my knees taking a crossed position under my rayon plum suit.  The course dead grass stabbed through the rayon and my skin fought back. Continue reading Big Sky = Big Medicine. Really Big Medicine. →

Oklahoma culture, Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Oklahoma’s Native Son

He remains one of America’s favorite people. Years after his death, Will Rogers is still living strong in spirit. The town of Claremore remembers this brilliant man with a museum, a college, and even a street named Will Roger’s Blvd.

In this week’s video blog, we tour the Will Roger’s Memorial and Museum and discover all things Will Rogers.
~Courtenay Dehoff

Oklahoma culture

If the eastern redcedar Were a Disease, the CDC Would Quarantine Oklahoma

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I had been talking with John Weir, range management and prescribed burn specialist of Oklahoma State University for a while when I asked this question:

“So, what exactly is the proper way to spell Eastern Redcedar?  Do I capitalize both words or what?”

He answered in a way I hadn’t expected:

“No. Neither.  You capitalize neither word.  We in the forestry and range ecology areas don’t give it the respect of capital letters.”

I laughed, but then confirmed with him that indeed, you really DON’T capitalize the tree’s name.  Although his answer was delivered in a dryly humorous way, he was also serious.  To capitalize the species name would mean that there would be some hierarchical value placed in the invasive juniper species (Juniperus virginiana) in Oklahoma.  But by and large, right now it’s just a problem.

How bad is this problem we see along the fence lines of every thoroughfare in the state?  Well, pretty bad.  Quite possibly, epidemic.

In 2002 the OK Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry established the “Redcedar Task Force,” charged with exploring issues surrounding the species and “developing a long-term strategy to deal with the problems created by the juniper infestation, estimated to be expanding at 762 acres per day.”  After the initial meeting, the task force concluded that “the negative impacts of juniper encroachment on our natural resources, native wildlife populations, the health of our citizens and our economic potential are unacceptable.”

The report is 32 pages long and is a fairly easy and straightforward read.  The USDA Natural Resources Conversation Service (NRCS) estimates that eight million acres in Oklahoma are currently infested with at least 50 juniper trees per acre.  The encroachment is increasing at an estimated rate of 300,000 acres per year.  Finally, (and remember, this was in 2002) they estimated that $157 million was needed to address current conservation treatments.

Wow.

Even worse? They estimated that in order to RESTORE lands already suffering from encroachment, as well as to maintain lands free of further problems, landowners will need to aggressively treat 2 to 4 million acres per year.  Economic losses from not managing juniper encroachment were projected to be $447 million by 2013.  That’s next year, right?

So, what are the facts and the urban legends surrounding this problematic juniper, and what can we do about it? Continue reading If the eastern redcedar Were a Disease, the CDC Would Quarantine Oklahoma →