All posts by Red Dirt Kelly

My Little Victory Garden, Oklahoma culture

My Little Victory Garden: Peashoots, Rain and Tornadoes in Oklahoma

16 Comments

Pea shoots cut in the evening sun. Everything is so green...

We’ve been sent a mixed blessing from the weather gods here in Oklahoma.  On the one hand, we’ve received a wonderful Spring rainfall and our state is green. The vegetables in my garden are green.  The trees, the wheat and the landscape…all green.  It’s beautiful here.

But on top of all that green, at least in some locations across the state (notably Norman and Woodward…ESPECIALLY Woodward) is now a blanketing of debris strewn about by tornadoes.  And in a few cases, there are also grieving people who lost family members, including children.  The losses also go past the people, however. And even if we know and understand that people are what matters, businesses, homes and a large variety of property now has to be cleaned up, rebuilt and managed.

I felt strange today.  And lucky.  Although I slept through the night both Friday and Saturday, and felt assured that we had warning systems in place as well as a storm shelter buried into our garage floor, many Oklahomans didn’t.  People are tired, they’re sad, and they’re trying to help manage their lives as well as figure out how to help those in need.

I was thinking through these various thoughts as I went to one of two patches of peas I’m growing.  One I’ve grown simply to use the shoots and that’s what I’m going to share with you today.  The other, I’ll let grow to fruition and enjoy peas in a few weeks.

Pea shoots, cut early and properly, are an incredible addition to a healthy and balanced meal plan.  There are literally endless ways to eat this beautiful plant that tastes just like the mild side of English peas.  A Chinese graduate student was visiting our home Wednesday night and he said the people in his village ate them all the time, stir fried along with other vegetables.  But you can also use them fresh in salads, on sandwiches as a lettuce substitute, cream them into a beautiful coulis, or in so many other ways.

I urge you to check out this website for all you ever wanted to know about pea shoots, recipes, and beautiful photos of the possibilities.  And, if you’d like, you can grow them inside your home by a window like people grow bean sprouts or wheat grass.

Tonight I used them for a “local Okie” ingredient meal and I must say, this is one of my favorite Little Victory Garden creations to date: Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: Peashoots, Rain and Tornadoes in Oklahoma →

Reading Room

“Shadow Eyes” – Local Author Releases First Work

When Dusty Crabtree thought about writing, she generally gravitated toward short stories or essays. She is a high school English teacher here in the Oklahoma City area and has had plenty of opportunities to teach and edit the writing of others.  But time to write a complete work herself? Well…

But she had a friend and that friend gave her an encouraging nudge.  And before long, her ideas and characters about darkness, light, shadows, morals and choices every teen can relate to came to fruition.  “Shadow Eyes” was the resulting junior fiction novel and it is now for sale.  And, receiving great reviews.  Check out what’s being said thus far about the novel on Amazon:

“Such a great read! MAKE YOU[R] TEENAGE DAUGHTER READ THIS!!!! Help them understand it[‘s] okay not to give in to peer pressure!” ~musapublishing

“I am a mother of a young teenager and this is definitely a book I will encourage her to read as she hits high school age. I love the way that this book shows there are forces out there that can influence us in negative ways and that we have a choice to follow them or not.” ~Amazon

“Awesome book! Picked it up at 7 in the evening and didn’t put it back down til I finished reading at 2 am. The way the author introduces the characters draws you in from the beginning and never lets go. I would recommend this book to anyone.” ~Amazon

Crabtree feels that reading is a way of assisting students AND adults in building decision-making skills.  She writes:

“I intentionally wrote Shadow Eyes to be a moral-promoting book with life-changing lessons, while still being intriguing and appealing to teens as well as adults. I want to get Shadow Eyes into the hands of teens who desperately need positive role-models and media that will uplift them instead of teach them that being immoral is okay. Teens are my passion – I’m a high school teacher and youth sponsor at our church. Writing this book was just another avenue for me to pursue that passion.”

Let’s take a few glimpses into this work.  After all, you might want to know a little bit about the storyline, right?

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier. (language from the Shadow Eyes pages on Goodreads.com)

Curious?  How about a few quotes from the manuscript? Continue reading “Shadow Eyes” – Local Author Releases First Work →

My Little Victory Garden

My Little Victory Garden: Yellow and Green Tomato Pappardelle with Grilled Lamb Steaks

6 Comments

I think one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve experienced over the past few months is the discovery of genuinely good tasting produce coming from local hoop and green house operations.

Case in point: Crow’s family farm in Shawnee, Oklahoma.  They showed up at the OKC Farmer’s Market this past Saturday with large, “real-smelling” red, yellow and green tomatoes.  And while I appreciated the fact that they still had a few purple shelled peas, some pumpkin puree and a few other items, my brain was already dreaming up the week’s meals with plates covered in orange-yellow, low-acid tomatoes.

After a quick stop by the herb section to grab thyme (mine died in the drought last year), I then headed to the Urban Agrarian to think about my centers of the plate.  I wanted…Spring, earthy and “Easter-ish.”  My solution included some Cordero Farms Lamb Steaks and four ounces of fresh Della Terra fresh pappardelle pasta.  I bought a few other things like a nice package of Cacioavera and some purple asparagus just for good measure, then headed home to cook good things!

I thought through all kinds of possibilities in the car on the way home, but settled on this dinner for hubby and I: Grilled Herbed Lamb Steak with Green and Yellow Tomato Pappardelle.  

When making this meal, it is best to prep the lamb steaks at least 1 or 2 hours before grilling.  Refrigerating overnight could be even better.  Lamb steaks are tender cuts of meat and delicious choices for center of the plate.  They’re also a little less expensive than lamb chops but still pack a nice punch for a special dinner. You’ll even notice that there is a nice natural segmentation straight across the center within the muscle so if want to cut them in half and serve light portions to two people, it’s an easy task.

In the food processor mix:

1 tsp sea salt; 3 garlic cloves; 4 sage leaves; strip one 6″ sprig of rosemary; 6-8 mint leaves.  Pulse until well minced. Make sure and breathe deeply for a nice aroma-therapy session while you cook!  Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: Yellow and Green Tomato Pappardelle with Grilled Lamb Steaks →

My Little Victory Garden, Oklahoma culture

My Little Victory Garden: Local Raspberries and Blackberries Do Their Vines Proud

3 Comments

Note:  I didn’t write on Easter, but I did collect photos and cook on Saturday night.  I’ll have a NEW MLVG post up later today. I may write on my lunch hour since I’m excited to share the deliciousness of our local goodness very soon.  In the meantime, I’m sharing this “blackberry” post from last year.  I have a feeling our Oklahoma berry vines will be producing a little early this year, so it’s already time to think about how you might enjoy their goodness.  If you’ve not yet tried “pick your own” at Sorghum Mill, I definitely recommend them.  They have a lovely operation. Thanks, RDK

***

(Originally published May 31, 2011): Normally we Okies can anticipate berry season by thinking: Mother’s Day – strawberries; Memorial Day weekend – time for blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.  However, I mentioned last week that this year brought a cruel weather pattern. Berry farmers are still suffering the consequences of an extended Fall/Spring drought as well as three or four dips during the winter to temperatures at ten below zero.

The owner of Sorghum Mill Christmas Tree and Blackberry Farm particularly noted the cold weather for what they’re seeing now: the freeze may have damaged the ability for the normal flow of water and nutrients to feed their bushes.  The berries are simply not themselves this year.  Nor are the berries nearly as abundant.

I stopped by to check on Sorghum Mill Farms Memorial Day afternoon.  She and I talked a bit on the porch and she allowed me an early peek into the harvest, although she said they would be ready for the public in about two weeks.  She was right.  Normally, their berries are (seriously) approximately 1.5 to even 2″ long.  They’re monstrous.  But not this year.  And it appears that what berries they have are not only about half the normal size, but are much more sparse. Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: Local Raspberries and Blackberries Do Their Vines Proud →

Travel

Our Sister to the South Has the Prettiest Blue in April

5 Comments

The Oklahoma wheat is the deepest, most luscious green I have seen in years.

I met a funny goose in the parking lot yesterday whose sparkling white feathers were glistening in the sun.

In April, a rainbow of colors begins to show across the state. The red, red roses. The sunshine yellow daffodils. The pastel colors of Easter eggs.

But yesterday when my parents sent me this photo of the Texas bluebonnets they were gazing at during their annual southern trip, I had to give one up to the Lone Star state.  Their “Bluebonnet Blue” is heart stopping and worth a trip south in order to soak that color into your brains.

This Good Friday morning, Texas, I’m tipping my hat to you. Long live bluebonnets.  Long live our southern border friendship. And thank you, humongous state, for the beauty you share every year.

[kelly]

Oklahoma culture, Woman2Woman

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

18 Comments

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

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.

Relationships

Diagnosing Your Own “Communication Breakdown”

4 Comments

photo used by permission

In 1970, I began kindergarten in a small town in mid-southwest Oklahoma.  At the same time I was learning letters and running around in the aisle to avoid the swinging ping-pong paddle when our teacher got mad, Led Zeppelin released their now-classic hit, “Communication Breakdown.”  One of the more compelling lines in that song is: “Communication break-down….drives me in-sa-a-a-a-a-a-a-nnneeee!!!” Then cool riffs begin to play, and we’re rocking to the rhythm once again.

I have a love/hate relationship with that song.  I love the music.  The lyrics are way too real, however.  Every day I silently witness communication breakdowns and at times they really do drive the parties insane.

I heard a story on NPR yesterday over a gentleman who is trying desperately to instill some peace talks in the Middle East.  He said, “If the enemies can first agree on what is wrong, THEN we can begin making progress.”  That’s true, isn’t it?  If you are having a difficult time deciding exactly where you are struggling with communication, then you might feel lost in trying to improve things.

Therefore, I’ve decided to give you a bullet point list today…just a few things that tend to happen frequently when people have communication problems.  If you find yourself in this list, then perhaps you can find a way out: Continue reading Diagnosing Your Own “Communication Breakdown” →

RDC News & Updates

Spring Cleaning…Our Blog

(Note: I wrote this post a full two weeks ago but never posted it. Now, I actually AM cleaning up links, videos and other messy stuff.  However, you might be curious why there has been a little less activity on the RDC for the past few days…Well, wonder no more. Just read this post and you’ll understand.  Spring Cleaning is icky. ~ RDK)

I have been a bona fide blogger for approximately seventeen months. Between the time I set up my first “Blogger” site called “Red Dirt Kelly” through today I have grown the project through three different platforms and four different structures.

Further, I’ve deployed 1.997 posts per day since I began for a total of 910. That calculation doesn’t include the four sitting in the “draft” status on my queue. My plan with our current “online magazine” (I’m trying to decide whether I want to change to that language…it was used in the introduction for our recent TV appearance) was right at that reported level of content.

I knew that if all the contributors split up the work, then we would only have to write 1-2 times per week. THAT part of the plan hasn’t panned out as well as I thought, but a fully operational volunteer blog with twelve people who are willing to write on a volunteer basis is tough to muster. I think about advertising all the time.  I know that I personally would be more willing to write on a scheduled basis if I were being paid.

But aside from reflections about growing the RDC, I’ve been having thoughts about MAINTAINING the RDC.  What do I mean by that?

Well, take for example this illustration:  Yesterday I was perusing back through the content I’ve written and posted quite a while ago.  I smiled when I saw a post I that had included a funny song from YouTube.  That song was just so quirky to me I decided to rewatch the video.  I was surprised, but not shocked, when I got this message:

“The Singing Nuns …”
This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated due to multiple third-party notifications of copyright infringement from claimants including:

  • Web Sheriff
  • SOFA Entertainment
  • Web Sheriff
Sorry about that.
Oh, YouTube Sheriff, SOFA Entertainment and Web Sheriff Number Two, you’re not THAT sorry.  You’re just doing your job according to the law.
But now I’m torn.  Do I take that post down?  Do I leave it just as it is for a message to any potential readers that should they wish to hear the song they may need to purchase it? Or, do I modify the post and put in a note about the video no longer being available? Continue reading Spring Cleaning…Our Blog →
My Little Victory Garden

My Little Victory Garden: MUSHROOMS…An Opportunity for YOU?

Dear Friends of the RDC ~ I’m a great believer in the notion that sending information and helping each other strengthens everyone.  So in that spirit, I’m taking my normal Monday Morning Victory Garden Post space to share some information that you might not need. But perhaps someone you KNOW might need the info. Or, even someone you know that knows someone.  One of the very “best bets” I could always look forward to when stopping by the Urban Agrarian’s farmer’s market stands, or visiting their store, was the absolutely heavenly OM Gardens mushrooms. I truly do hope that a new entrepreneur takes over this operation, and look forward to hearing the good news when that happens.  So, without further ado, here is a post from the Urban Agrarian in its entirety about a local organic mushroom operation that needs an owner.  Thanks,

[kelly]

***

by Matthew Burch, Owner – Urban Agrarian

As many of you know, OM Gardens is shutting down.  They have been producing organic mushrooms in Norman, OK for nearly 4 years now and have certainly accumulated some serious infrastructure over the course of time.  Steve Morton, owner and operator, is now looking to sell off his equipment and begin a new chapter personally and for his business.  I went down this week to take an inventory of the assets and help spread the word…

Here are some simplified instructions on the mushroom production process as well as some amateur photos and video of their current setup.  All of this equipment is for sale, terms are negotiable, and it should be mentioned Steve is very willing to help the buyer setup, grow, consult, or participate in the process in many ways.

You could be the next (and at this point only) organic mushroom producer in the state of Oklahoma.  Let me show you what is available…

A shipping container mushroom farm:

2 fully equipped, wired, temperature controlled, humidity controlled 50-foot shipping containers sitting side by side with additional rooms built on to both ends.  Only 1 container has been finished completely, as you can see in the video at the end of our post.

Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: MUSHROOMS…An Opportunity for YOU? →

Politics

An All-In-One Post for the “All of the Above” Policy: Obama in Oklahoma

7 Comments

The morning sun peeked through the horizon and low-hanging clouds sent a mixed message for the weather outlook.  It was chilly and a gentle breeze blew as cars, trucks and vans headed from all directions to Cushing, Oklahoma, full of people with an agenda.  Some wanted to witness a presidential motorcade, others wanted to hold signs in support of his visit, and some wanted to hold signs in protest of his energy policies.  Regardless of the agenda, however, everyone who arrived at their various rally spots seemed to be in an upbeat and anticipatory mood.

Continue reading An All-In-One Post for the “All of the Above” Policy: Obama in Oklahoma →

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]

Relationships

The Sock Contract

2 Comments

Tyler Garcia had been gently occupying the edges of my youngest daughter’s friendship circle for quite some time before he asked her out on a date.  Evidently, he had been working up his nerve for a while.  I knew after the first date, however, that this young man was a possible candidate for a longer stay in our life.

I knew after their first anniversary that he might be a possible candidate for a much longer stay in our life.

And, I knew after three Christmases had passed that he might be a possible candidate for a permanent stay in our life.

I knew this because for his first Christmas as Rylee’s boyfriend, I got him a coffee cup with musical notes on it.  I told him that he “could keep it in the cabinet and use it when he was visiting.”  I did that because we were both musicians and thought it was a way to connect with him.  He took care of the cup, and over the years finally took it when he moved into his own apartment.

During their second Christmas together, he got me a coffee cup with musical notes on it.  As I opened it, I smiled because my daughter’s boyfriend had reached back to connect with me across our commonalities.  We both loved coffee and music, and he had said with his gift, “Hey, I’m glad we have this in common.  Now I’m returning the favor.”

After their third Christmas together, I was in the middle of the “Christmas gift-wrap chaos” and had been cleaning for several days.  I kept picking up a pair of really cool socks that I thought my eldest daughter, her husband, my youngest daughter or her boyfriend had forgotten.  By the fourth day the house was clean and things were mostly back into their post-Christmas place…except for the pair of mystery socks.

They were lying on the countertop next to the coffee pot.  I picked up my phone and called my youngest.  I had deduced that someone had gotten them for Tyler because they had black plastic hipster framed glasses on them.  So our conversation went something like this: Continue reading The Sock Contract →

Man Cave, Oklahoma culture

The “Board of Directors”

10 Comments

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” →

My Little Victory Garden

My Little Victory Garden: All Okie, All The Time

2 Comments

These morels were foraged in the Guthrie, OK area on 3-17-12.

Our early warming season is definitely moving things along in my own garden, AND in the local producer arena.  I take a few minutes to tend to my garden every day and have been delighted to see the speed of seed germinating, onion shoots climbing and the green of asparagus and rhubarb sending promises of wonderful meals for the very near future.  Our local producers who grow for part or all of their livelihood seem to usually be about three weeks ahead of me.  Either that, or they’ve got some great hoop and green houses because the produce is already rolling in.

This past Saturday at the OSU-OKC farmer’s market I purchased beautiful fresh dill, spinach, tender bib lettuce and rainbow chard.  Then I headed over to the Urban Agrarian and picked up tomatoes, carrots, Della Terra whole wheat spaghetti, pork bones for stock, cilantro and…mushrooms.  There were beautiful chantrelles waiting to be purchased in the front display and I was SO in the mood for mushrooms.

Why?  Well, it is morel season in Oklahoma and so far I’ve come up empty-handed on the two quick foraging runs I’ve taken.  However, my friends in Guthrie seem to be in the right place because they are now pulling in quite a few.

Armed with a refrigerator full of local food, I put my thinking hat on, and came up with this meal: blue cheese and veggie stuff tomatoes, chantrelle and bacon cream sauce for the spaghetti and a simple quartered bib lettuce head.  Here are the “how tos…” Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: All Okie, All The Time →

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.

Uncategorized

A New Lens and a Nor’easter

2 Comments

Note ~ it’s Friday morning during one of the most stressful semesters of my 48 year-old life.  So, today’s post represents three moments during the past 24 hours where I smiled and relaxed just a bit.  My logic in sharing them is that if it worked for me, perhaps it will work for you too.  Have a wonderful Friday, Red Dirt Kelly

My daughter got a new lens in the mail yesterday, and not being able to wait until she went on vacation to Kansas City or to a photography study tour in Death Valley to use it, she began experimenting on her cat. His name is Balrog. And, he's a cutie. ~ Photos by Rachel Apple.

I belong to a community of writers called “BlogHer.” Two of my friends were involved in a guest post for each other (one invited, the other wrote).  “Kraken” is a mother from New England who wrote about the mannerisms of being from that region of the U.S.  I want to thank both of them for the following content.  I enjoyed it immensely.  Here is the majority of the guest post, but I would refer you to the link above to visit the actual post or gather more information if you are interested.

Like Kristen, I lived in other parts of the country. We lived in the Pacific Northwest and California, and similar to Kristen, I missed my home region, New England, a lot. I never got used to chatty cashiers. Life in a Southern Town, got me thinking, what are some of my beloved New Englanders quirks and traits. What don’t you know about us? Continue reading A New Lens and a Nor’easter →

Homestead and Garden, Oklahoma culture

Waterloo Road: Smalltown, America

4 Comments

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

3 Comments

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 →

Relationships

Is “Falling Out of Love” The Deathblow to Your Marriage?

128 Comments

Editor’s Note – this post is read between 30 and 80 times each day. We’ve received four or five series’ of correspondence about the content, and others have quoted and posted it in various internet venues.  I’m reposting it because there might be something of value for you to pass along to others.  The topic is a timeless one, and we hope there are still people who can find the information useful. Thanks.

Just over a year ago, I was sitting in a meeting room in the Edmond Public Library. Across from me was a friend of a friend of a friend who had been referred to me for a class assignment. He had agreed to a one hour interview over the topic of his in-progress divorce proceedings and questions related to seeking help before he and his wife finalized the process.

I felt protective of him in some ways because all the walls of the room were glass and our activity was visible, although not audible, to the other people in the library. However, he seemed to be holding up pretty well emotionally, even as we worked through some of the more sensitive questions. His face began to change and contort, however, when he related “the ending discussion” with his wife. He recounted that every time she brought up a problem in their relationship and stated that ‘she wanted out’ he had countered with a way they could fix the problem.

But then she ‘brought the hammer down.’ She told him that she wasn’t in love with him anymore, and hadn’t been for a long, long time. “And when she said that,” he recalled quietly, “I knew there was nothing I could do. You can’t change someone’s feelings. It was over.” He paused and stared at the table for a few moments. I asked him if he needed a break. Continue reading Is “Falling Out of Love” The Deathblow to Your Marriage? →