Faith, Man Cave

Staring Fear in the Face

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I am not a risk taker.

I am Conservative Guy.  I am Mr. Play it Safe.

It’s to the point that I won’t even try new foods.  The other night someone offered me some asparagus.  I have no idea if I’ve ever had asparagus and I promise you I couldn’t tell you what asparagus tastes like.  I said, “No thanks, I don’t like asparagus.”

Not true.  To dislike something you have to try it first.

When I go to the grocery store I buy the same products every single time.  I even have my routine down.  It begins with the soap and contact lens cleaner, moves on to bread, frozen dinner section, cereal aisle, produce, beverages, meat, see you later.  There is never a variation.

Okay, sometimes I do it backwards, but that’s only if I’m feeling dangerous.

Food is only one example.  Growing up, all I ever wanted was to become a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.  I watched my ‘Boys every Sunday and dreamed of someday catching passes on the Texas Stadium turf.

My first chance to play real football came in seventh grade.  The gear was sweet.  I had never worn actual shoulder pads or buttoned up the chinstrap on my own helmet.  I took it all home, put on the uniform and went straight to the mirror.

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Man Cave

Real Men and Oak Trees

A comment exchange from a previous post got me thinking about an idea I first read in a book by Gordon MacDonald. I don’t remember the exact book and I really don’t even remember if it is, in fact, a quote by him. Nonetheless, the concept obviously stuck with me even if I don’t remember who actually said it.

A real man is, in many ways, a lot like an oak tree.

The wood of an oak tree is more dense than that of just about any other tree in the forest. This quality makes the oak tree one of the strongest and most hardy of all trees. Because oak wood is also high in tannin, it is extremely resistant to insect and fungus attacks as well. Without getting too deep into the science of tree hardiness, the gist of the matter is that oak trees are the mountain men of the tree world.

In its full glory, an oak tree is one of the most impressive looking trees in existence. It provides shade from the sun, shelter from storms, and it’s acorns are not only a great source of food for squirrels but they grow up to be mighty oak trees themselves.

The roots of an oak tree are extremely deep and extensive. A mature oak tree can draw up to 50 gallons of water per day out of the soil around it.

Because of the strength of its wood, the oak tree is one of the most useful types of timber known to man. Since the middle ages, people have been building impressive structures out of oak: palaces, naval ships, fine furniture, treasure chests… just to name a few.

However, despite the great strength of the oak tree and its hardy resistance to attacks from external pests, when an oak tree does fall, it is often sudden and without warning.

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Relationships, Woman2Woman

Everything I Know About Kindness I Learned From Four Inch Blue Creatures

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It all started with a plastic Smurfs purse.

On my 7th or 8th birthday, a sweet little girl named Amy giggled with excitement as my mom announced that it was time for the birthday girl to open gifts.  Everyone gathered, tired from what seemed like hours of pony rides across my dad’s farm land, but Amy eagerly planted herself at the front of the pack and requested that I open her gift first.  What I wouldn’t know until later was that she had already told my mother all about the gift, and my mother’s anxiety was growing by the second.  You see, I already had this particular Smurfs purse, which was carefully tucked away in my dresser at home.  Although it was my favorite new treasure, my mom was anticipating a less than stellar reaction to receiving a duplicate.  This feeling was tempered only by her hope that I would pull through the awkward moment with a gracious response.

Just for fun, let’s turn this into a multiple choice question.  How do you think I responded?

a.)    I smiled, thanked Amy for such a thoughtful gift and later discussed exchange options with my mom.

b.)    I congratulated Amy on her great taste since I had recently picked out the very same purse.

c.)    I absently said, “I already have this” and moved on to the next gift unaware that my friend, deflated, had moved to the back of the pack.

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Oklahoma culture

What’s For Dinner, President Henry?

Stilwell Strawberries

About one week before Thanksgiving, I spent some time with Oklahoma City University President Robert H. Henry.  The Henry family has deep roots in Oklahoma and his résumé in particular is as long as the Chisolm Trail.  That interview will be shared later in the weeks to come, but today we have an appetizer of sorts.  I noticed when we were talking that he had a love for gardening and cooking, and wondered out loud what he might “cook up” if he were to go home that evening and find a perfect made (or grown) in Oklahoma meal on his dinner table.  Here is his answer but I’m providing it with a caveat – do not read ahead if you are hungry.  You might be left with no choice but to leave what you are doing and seek out sustenance:

“If I could have anything I wanted, I would have tomatoes from my garden with smoked salt…Chardonnay Oak smoked salt, on a bed of fresh basil leaves with some sliced avocado and some vermouth or late harvest Riesling wine vinegar, and a little fresh ground pepper.  And olive oil…that would be the salad.

If I wanted to have a soup, I would have Ratatouille made from eggplant, zucchini, peppers…and again, some basil and really good olive oil.  [And] some grated Parmesan cheese.

For the main course I would have new potatoes, oven roasted with rosemary from the garden…and garlic.  Then I would have, probably a brined bone-in chicken breast that was charcoal-grilled.  And, for dessert I would have…I would have it be June, so I could have Oklahoma strawberries with either crème glacée, or a real homemade shortcake that looks like a biscuit; warm, with butter, piled high with strawberries and real whipped cream.

That would be it.  In a younger day, I would have substituted really great fried chicken…maybe from Juniors, or from my own kitchen cooked in a real frying pan and, and double fried.  Once ‘till it’s slightly golden, then cooled and then fried again.  Real French frying is frying twice…[and I would add] some pan gravy with that.  My age and my lowered metabolism causes me to go with the grilled chicken.”

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Homestead and Garden

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: I’m Thinking Disney… Ranch

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When I found out I would be visiting Disney World for a work conference, I was happy but not really excited about the trip.  It wasn’t until my second or third day (I’m a hard sell) that I really embraced all that was magical about Disney World.  Some people are “dreaming of a white Christmas.”  I can’t get the World of Disney off my mind.  What would it take for my ranch to be more like this magical land?

D-IVERSITY:  While at Disney World, I was able to sample all kinds of cuisine that I couldn’t sample any place else. I also interacted with people from all over the United States with differing viewpoints.  We have one Mexican restaurant, a Subway, a diner, and a barbeque restaurant in my town.    Dogs, cats, horses, goats and people live on my land. Is that diverse enough for Mr. Disney?

I-NTELLIGENCE:  The people in charge of various departments need to be skilled so that they appear intelligent at least in that one department.  There is no chance that my dog is going to learn to clean out a horse stall. She expresses no interest whatsoever and doesn’t even try to pick up a shovel.  That’s going to be my job forever.  I’m going to be the best “horse-stall-cleaner-outer” that I can be.  My dog can continue wagging her tail continually. She’s really good at that.  Mr. Disney likes this.

trashcan
Doesn't this just want to make you throw trash away? I think I can build something like this for the ranch.

S-POTLESS:  Disney World is the cleanest place on earth.  One afternoon on the Board Walk, I walked past a tiny piece of paper on the ground.  I was scared to turn around and look back fearing the street would open up and engulf the small item.  Very creepy.  The overall absence of trash encourages visitors to throw away theirs.  It can’t hurt that all of the trashcans are decorated with flowers.  Have you ever seen a plastic bag trapped against a fence in the country?  That drives me crazy!  I make sure every piece of trash is picked up out here.  It would be easier if our visitors would stop throwing their trash out the window.  I’ll work on trashcans with flowers at the top.

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.