Missy Hancock said “Yes. Of course. I’d love to,” immediately without hesitation.
An image of what it must feel to be involved in a post-game Gatorade bath flooded over me. In my mind, electrolyte-filled orange liquid pressed down over my head, hit my chest, ran down my arms and torso. Success, on our first “ask” in Guthrie!
Continue reading EPOTM: Guthrie, OK (She Doused Us In Validation)
Technology news is full of information about self-tracking apps helping to “quantify” yourself. Fitbits track your sleep and exercise. Apps like Mint help you track your spending habits. And…no, let’s just stop right there. Apps like Mint track your spending patterns and help you see how out of control your coffee drinking habits are.
Okay, let’s stop again. Mint tracked my “Coffee Shop” budget for six months and slapped me into reality. And now, I’m better. Here’s what happened…
A conversation sometime last year:
Me: I’m setting up our monthly budgets in Mint. How much do you spend for golf every month.
Mick: I don’t know, I don’t keep track.
Me: Well, my one “luxury” every month is going to the coffee shop, relaxing with a latte, and reading. I’m budgeting $120 per month for me. That’s my luxury item. How about you? What’s your average golf expenditures?
Mick’s golf budget is not part of this story. But, the idea that I was using social exchange theory is. In one sense, quite honestly, I was trying to justify my coffee spending habits by externalizing Mick’s golf activity spending habits. Fair for you; fair for me…
In another way, however, I was trying to find a “number” that fit with how much we were each going to allow ourselves on luxury items per month we had already been spending, but needed to acknowledge. This “budget line item” allowance we gave ourselves worked like a charm. For six months or so, we kept a silent tally in our heads of “approximately THAT number” for “our THING.”
But at some point, however, my number began to slip. I quit paying attention to my “Coffee Shop” line item. And, it gently creeped upward. Until April of 2014. April was big month. A full month. Cram packed with activities, late nights, extra projects, and…extra stops at Starbucks. I met colleagues at Starbucks to go over goals for research. It was legislative session, so I had planning sessions at Starbucks followed by phone meetings at Starbucks. All of the sudden, my $120 Starbucks habit had turned into…wait, WHAT? TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN DOLLARS??? Continue reading How Billie Holiday, Hoboken Coffee and The Pioneer Woman Talked Me Down from my Starbucks Addiction
My drive from the Oklahoma State (OSU) v. Baylor game this afternoon to Guthrie provided the best hour of my week. You KNOW that’s saying a great deal since I’m such a huge OSU fan – and we beat the pants off Baylor today. Mick and I had driven to the game separately because I had an early appointment this morning, and then I left after the third quarter because I tend to get antsy when I sit still for a very long period of time. He stayed ’till the glorious end of that fine, fine game.
Don’t doubt my team loyalties, though…I DID listen to the game on the radio through the very last play.
I was on a mission. Pick up a bucket of chlorine treatment tablets for our aerobic septic system. We have to buy one about every eighteen months. No one carries the product within a 50 square mile area of our house except the Ace Hardware in Guthrie. I would not fail; I would accomplish my goal and meet my hubby back at home.
But then I got sidetracked. I saw another hay truck and it was broken down on the side of the interstate. I had to go take pictures! The driver and his daughter were from Apache and she had brought tools to the site so he could make repairs. I just wanted to get close to the load on that truck and smell the hay! They good-naturedly agreed. So, stop one in Logan county…broken down hay truck. I REALLY wish I could provide you with the scent of that beautiful cut hay aroma filling my lungs while I snapped away.
I thanked the driver and his daughter, turned around, and saw some cows in a pen I thought might need their family portraits taken. So I provided that service, free of charge.
I headed down the highway, got off on Highway 33, and drove into Guthrie. Before reaching the hardware store, I stopped to walk around a bit. I noticed two things on my stroll. 1) There are lots of American flags hanging from the homes and businesses there; and, 2) if it weren’t for the cars, the calendar could easily have been somewhere between November, 1880 and 1950.
Next stop, Ace Hardware (OHC Supply). I appreciate this place for all the reasons you’re getting ready to see. I love the Tractor Supply Store in Edmond, but I think I love this place almost as much.
Okay, time to leave the store. On my way out I cleaned off my lens because I thought there might be a few shots left of something I’d like to share with you from my journey through Logan County. There was.
On my way home I took Waterloo Road (the county line between Oklahoma and Logan counties) on a back-road route because I really needed some farm raised eggs. We were down to one, and if I eat one more runny store-purchased egg I’m going to throw a fit. Unfortunately, the egg sign was down. That’s country talk for, “None right now. Check with me later.” So, I drove the last few miles home.
But then I stopped again. I saw Ferdinand sitting under his cork tree. Okay, it wasn’t Ferdinand the Spanish Bull from the well-known children’s book, he didn’t have long horns and it wasn’t a cork tree. But it was a black Angus and he was looking pretty majestic under his beautiful tree this afternoon.
Well, you’ve seen about 25 of the 100+ shots I took…all reasons why I love Logan County. I hope next time you’ll see a photo of me buying fresh eggs and celebrating because the chlorine tablets are no longer $56.00 per bucket. Either way, I also hope you enjoy your own drive through this area sometime. And if you do, please send us a photo and tell us about the treasures you found.
Take care…RDK
