Quiet Weekend Turns Memorable

Last weekend after my niece's graduation, Chief and I had planned to spend the weekend in the City.  We wanted to do some things we hadn't done before, go places we hadn't been, eat at new places -- the only plans we had were for a nice dinner one night, and the Thunder playoff game the next night. I got the name of a funky new place in midtown from a friend, and started filling up our time.  The Ambassador Hotel is a quaint little Art Deco place, unassuming and only open for the last two months.  It had a great view and atmosphere in the top floor restaurant and bar.  It was perfectly placed to some of my favorite eateries, and we found a couple of new ones, too.

It has been said that I am the Mistress of Google.  I found so many cool things going on during Memorial Day weekend, and I think we did everything we wanted to do, and then some...  First stop was the Paseo Arts Festival held each year in the Historic Paseo Arts District between Dewey and Walker.  I've always wanted to go, and this was our first.  We knew we would find local artist, Kristy Patterson, and we bought some awesome salsas on our search for her.  

Found her and her daughter busy, busy.  I borrowed this picture from her Facebook page, and her booth was much more loaded when we were there.  She is really doing well with her dream.  Turns out she was also able to celebrate her anniversary over the weekend.  Check out her blog and webpage.  

Google also told me about the Big XII baseball tournament.  We chose a great game to go to, although the ultimate finish of the tourney was not what we had hoped.  TCU showed up in our conference this year to show everyone they were here to compete.  I was unaware.  Our team was the runner-up, but we sure were hoping to add to our 51 national championships.  Oh well, number 4 in national championships overall in the NCAA is certainly above acceptable.

Always on the hunt for the best steak ever, we just may have found it.  Again, on a suggestion from a friend, we ended up at The Ranch on Britton Road.  I normally don't order steak away from home, but this was the bomb of a steak.  Chief ordered a wine we hadn't had in several years.  It just isn't available in our area.  Oh.  My.  ZD.  Visited the winery about 20 years ago, and we had forgotten how smooth and perfect it was with beef.  What a treat!  And there was dessert.  We never do that.

Up and at 'em the next morning, we found a breakfast place with a line out the door.  We always consider that a good sign.  Delish waffles, and I was on my way to see my cousin.  She just finished beauty school, and after seeing that on Facebook, I scheduled a blow-out during our time there.  You can't visit the City without a tiny bit of shopping, so we grabbed a bite and then dropped by our fave mall before getting organized to hit the basketball game.  

It was great to have Ibaka back for this big game.  Seemed to make all the difference.

And yes, I realize he is not in this picture.

I hope we can make 7 games out of this series.  Looks like we are going to need it.

 As we left town on Monday, Memorial Day, we decided to stop by the OKC Murrah Building memorial.  A cloudy, dreary day, it was every bit as moving as I remember last time I saw it.  If you have never seen it at night, that is worth a special trip.  

After reading the updates on the culprits of this act of terrorism, neither of us remembered that two other individuals were implicated in this crime.  After 12 years in a federal prison, which in my opinion is somewhat of a day camp, one has been released into the Witness Protection Program.  We didn't understand where the other one was.  But really?  In return for his testimony, he is now free somewhere?  Unbelievable.  And scary.

Speaking of scary.  Not kidding.  When we parked here to go into the memorial, we were the only car on the street.  This was freaky to come out and see a U-Haul parked behind us.  Really?  I know the guilty one was a Ryder, but seriously, who drives their U-Haul up to visit the OKC Murrah Federal Building Memorial?  Who does that?  If I was driving a rental truck, I would no doubt park 4-6 blocks away.  Good grief.  This was 20 feet away from the entrance.

We took it as a sign that it was definitely time to go.  We headed home, and made it here just in time to play a quick nine holes of golf.  I believe we crammed every sport of the season into this weekend. It was wonderful.  Did I mention it was our 30th anniversary?

Quiet Weekend Turns Memorable

Big Weekend

We stuffed a lot of action into last weekend.  It was a celebration in so many ways.  

We started off in Stillwater at my awesome niece's high school graduation.  It's always fun to go back to your old stompin grounds, add in nice weather and fun people, 

and you can't go wrong.  

Before the graduation, we had dinner at my brother's house.  He must be standing off the porch, because he is easily as tall as Chief.  My folks were on a pre-planned European trip, so we were reppin our family.  A lot of Gerri's family was able to be there.  I thought this picture of the families  turned out so great.  It was taken by Scott's next door neighbor, who happened to be in his own backyard while we were shooting pictures.  After a couple of questions and chit chat, turns out he is related to Chief.  Before we know it, he has flashed over to his house and returns with all kinds of family records.  I mean, how many people run into relatives they have never met with roots in the giant town of Freedom, Oklahoma?

We attended the graduation, intelligently planned at an indoor location, 

because of course, it rained.

I am inept at placing an arrow on a picture I have already edited and uploaded.   But cute niece, Cat, is on right side, center aisle edge (left), second row from front.  In the program, she had lots of symbols, which represented honors, after her name... may not have been all of these, but there were enough to make us proud.

Our family has history here.  My paternal grandfather graduated from this same high school in 1924, exactly 90 years ago.  He then graduated with a B.S. in Engineering from Oklahoma A & M, which I believe was pretty unusual for anyone to get a college degree during that generation and time.  Another interesting fact was that his sister, my great aunt, was the first female to graduate from the College of Agriculture at Oklahoma A & M.  My parents both went to college there, right as the name changed to Oklahoma State University.  Chief's dad went to college there, Chief and I both went to college there, our kids both went there, as well as their wives, and my brother and my sister both went to college there.  And most people know that my brother was named Pistol Pete, the mascot for every sport at OSU, during two of his years in college there.

The grad and her proud parents.  Apparently, she missed the polka dot memo.

She will be attending Clemson in the fall.  It is time to re-evaluate my opinions about ESPN and their SEC bias.  I can overcome it.  I am forgiving like that.  (Except I am having to correct this, because it was duly noted that Clemson is in the ACC.  Thank you to my Facebook friend, John, from high school for correcting me.  I want to be accurate.)  

We had a great weekend, and this was only Friday.

More to follow...

Big Weekend

It WAS Yesterday

Seems like yesterday.  Our boys grew up so fast, and our oldest was celebrating his 3rd wedding anniversary yesterday.  

Luckily, we were in town long enough to get to keep baby O last night.  

Here's a little trip down memory lane. 

This was the night before the wedding.  Actually, it was my and Chief's anniversary.  They got married on the beach in southern California -- the same place that the proposal took place.  It was charming, and we were delighted to have so many great places to choose from to host a rehearsal dinner.  Have I ever told you that I usually don't eat steak when I am near an ocean?  Just doesn't make sense.  Same reason I usually don't eat fish in Oklahoma.  Fresh is the name of the game.  Good gracious, we had some wonderful fresh fish!

They looked beautiful and handsome.  It was far from hot.  The minister was really good, although a bit long winded.  Since they had practically thrown a dart to find someone, he was a very pleasant and personable guy.

This was one of my favorite pictures of the day.  All of the family and couple of friends that had come to celebrate and participate in the wedding - I had specifically asked for this picture to be taken.  I love it!

I just happen to think these two are quite photogenic.  No bias.  I love them.

Now, this one?  She has stolen our hearts.  We are those grandparents that now forget to greet the parents when they come in carrying the car seat carrier.  

"Where is that little punkin?"

I must be a phenomenal photographer *sarcasm, if you didn't recognize it* -- to get this picture of her smiling.  Clearly, she loves her Lily and Chief.

What a blessing!

It WAS Yesterday

Planting Corn

With spring, comes the planting of corn out at the farm.  For those of you that may not know, a farm is where crops grow, and a ranch is where there is usually grassland and/or livestock of any kind -- horses, cattle, whatever.  Some people are farmers.  Some people are ranchers.  And some people are farmers and ranchers.  They will let you know.  Our family has farm and ranch operations.  

At my family's farm, we grow field corn.  This corn is planted, grown and harvested for feeding to livestock.  We have beef cattle in the ranch operation.  In a perfect world, you might be able to grow your own corn to be fed to your own livestock.  In a semi-perfect world, you might be able to grow corn to be fed to your own livestock once they enter a feedlot that purchases some of your corn.

When planting a large crop, it is important to wait until the soil is warm enough.  Opinions vary, but I've heard everything from 62 degrees Fahrenheit at 3 inches depth, to when you see the volunteer corn emerging. 

Corn takes a lot of water.  We happen to live in a very dry area of the country, so any corn that is grown around here is irrigated.  In this day and time, irrigation here means pivot sprinklers.  These sprinklers can be set to go on and off at any desired time, they can apply as much or as little water as possible, and they can be set to any section (as in the degrees of a circle) that you want to water.  This is not our farm, but it is an interesting example of how pivot sprinklers can overlap, or only be used partially, and they can be any size.

This image is courtesy of Sky Schemer on flickr.

Below, this isn't our farm, either, but it is a good representation of the area where we live.  We have straight county road lines.  Normally, we are not inundated with rain or moisture, so the outlying areas are not bright green.  It is clear that the same crop isn't being grown everywhere at the same time.  Pivot sprinklers come in all sizes.  Most are close to a quarter-section, or a half by a half of a mile.  Some are ginormous and can be one and a half mile from one end at zero degrees to the other side at one hundred eighty degrees -- at least that's the biggest one I've ever heard about.

This image is courtesy of Soil Science on flickr.

 

Since a lot of water is required to raise this crop, it is important to rotate crops like corn and not plant them back to back every year.  Root worms are a common problem if you try to plant corn in the same place time after time.  Animal predators are unwelcome when your crop is mature, and we've had problems with raccoons, antelope and deer.  Diseases are constantly being battled by seed growers developing hybrids that make the corn we plant more resistant to the common diseases of the moment.

 

This image is courtesy of brewbooks on flickr.

 Here is a close up look of the end of a sprinkler.  You can imagine that as the corn crop gets to be 2 to 4 to 6 feet or taller, the water just sprays right down into the ground without blowing or evaporating at all.  It's an extremely effective way of watering a moisture-needy plant like corn.  Back in the day, Chief used to irrigate with aluminum pipe.  It had to be moved every 12-24 hours, you had to shut off the motor to change it, you had to load the pipe on a trailer and move it to another location that needed water.  Whew!  That was back when he got bit by the rattlesnake.  (Another story for another day.)

Here's the seed after it sprouts about ten days after planting.  The seed is red because it is treated to protect it while it is in the ground before it sprouts.  Chief uses a pocket knife to dig up a seed and see if it is starting to grow.  He might do this in several areas around a field.

Here is a picture of a field that was strip tilled.  The purpose of strip tilling a field is so that the top soil won't blow away during the time that the last crop is harvested and the new crop is planted.  Corn has been planted here, and it is being "watered up."

This is just the way we do it.    Usually there is more than one way to skin a cat.  Next year we may be doing things differently.

Planting Corn

Chief Ignores His Birthday

This is nothing unusual.  "It's just another day."  I've heard it for over 30 years.  Okay, maybe 35.  And when you reverse 35, that's what he is celebrating.  I have figured out to let him have his way.  After all, it is his birthday; why shouldn't he do what he wants.  Here's what he wants.  To work.  I may have said it before, but I'll say it again.  The guy loves to work.  He can't sit still.  Except for this picture.

In a pinch, I was unable to locate the "cattle working" pictures from years past.  This is an event that is scheduled months in advance.  That's what is happening at the ranch this weekend.  The baby calves are processed and immunized -- I probably better be vague in case PETA, or their friends, read my blog.  

This is one of my favorite pictures of his everyday boots and spurs.  

He has had a fun year.  I have begged him to travel, and he has... some of the time.  Crazy things have happened.  We've been to Kansas City a couple of times, and one trip we ran into my college roommate walking down the street!  She was the Maid of Honor at our wedding.  She doesn't live in Kansas City; she lives in our state, too.  

Very coincidental to run into her on an out of town trip.

It wasn't hard to convince him to leave town with one of his best friends.

When we visited the kids in the Netherlands over Christmas, Chief took off on a bike ride to check out the city.  His internal compass was the only map he had.  That, and he said he always kept his eye on the big church in the middle of the town square.  He left in broad daylight, a phone, but not all that helpful without the kids' digits... and he didn't come back for almost 3 hours, and it was nearly dark.  

He said he had a great time.  

I have to let this guy do his own thing.

 Wherever he vacations, he strategically picks what hats to take.  Reppin the Ramey Seed Company in the islands.  Who needs corn seed over there?  

Doesn't matter -- it's always an ice breaker.

Sometimes you have to throw a picture in just because the background matches what you are wearing.  I am so obnoxious with a camera.

Cheers to you, Cowboy!  Hope your birthday is great!

Chief Ignores His Birthday

Daughters-In-Love

As I mentioned a few days ago, I have been remarkably blessed by the women my sons have chosen to be their wives.  After raising boys - I claim to have raised three, when you include Chief - it seemed I never received much support in the cultural development department.  When I would mention a Broadway musical or play, it was usually poo-poohed.  Museums, MAYBE... if they had dinosaurs.  The ballet -- not even maybe.  I suppose I could have forced the issue, but it only takes once of taking a bunch of pouting boys somewhere they don't want to be, and I threw up my hands.  Fine.  Someday you'll wish you had tried it.  As they got older, I forced a couple of big deal things on them, and they were impressed.  If you haven't ever seen the Broadway production of The Lion King, give it a try.  They loved it way more than they admitted.

But I am not here to rag on the boys, I want to talk about the D.I.L.'s.  The bonuses I had no idea I was going to get.  It has been so fun having females around to talk about makeup, and do girly things that weren't part of my life before now.  

And oh, my, goodness, do we love our makeup!

Somehow the conversation always comes around to cosmetics.  We have our favorite products, we have long-wearing tips for all day makeup lasting power, and things are always changing!

S was the first person to tell me about how she always hits her eyelash curler with the blow dryer to heat it up before curling her lashes.  The curl stays longer that way.  Brilliant!

This is her favorite mascara.  Yves Saint Laurent Shocking Mascara.  I like it, too.  We find it at Sephora or almost any department store.  Mascara seems to be an ongoing dialogue because they all vary in so many ways.  Some don't stay all day.  Some flake too much.  We all agree that it is important to let an application of mascara completely dry before adding another one.  It also prevents clumping.

Now with L in Europe, she has had the opportunity to try many different kinds of cosmetics.  She still tends to come back to her home faves.  Right now, she says this one is her favorite.

It's called, They're Real by Benefit.  I like this one, too.  In fact, my favorite way to apply mascaras is to apply one, let it dry, then apply another totally different brand.  She has so many different drugstore-type choices over there.  Many of our department store brands are also available across the pond.  No real bargains there.  Kind of surprising.

S found this kind of surprising looking foundation brush at Sephora.  She loves it!  It is called an Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation brush, and it's by Tarte.  I have never used a foundation brush in this shape, so I am going to have to search this one out.  Makes sense that it would give you a different coverage than the old standard foundation brush that most brands push, which is much flatter.  It sure made me curious.

L loves Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Under Eraser Dark Circle Concealer for under the eyes.  And of course, that's one of those non-EU available items.  No doubt she has tried many different ones over there.  There is a drugstore on every corner.  Cool ones.  Which is where I find trouble.  
My weakness is lip balms.  Just regular, plain, no color, lip balms.  Don't give me any fruity, sweet stuff -- I just want a clean, plain balm.  And I don't want to apply it with my fingers.  My hands might not be clean, or I may have recently touched a door or grocery cart.

This is my all-time favorite lip balm.  I am embarrassed to tell you, because it is stupid expensive.  You can click the link on the picture if you must know, but I'm telling you, it is the most unbelievable treat you can give your lips.  I keep lots of Avon 99-cent ones in all my purses, and Rituals has a great one, as does L'Occitane.  Please know that I am an equal-opportunity lip balm experimentalist.  I am pretty sure there is one or more in every drawer in my house.  Every room.  Not even kidding.

The cosmetic story is far from over.  We all have a lot to say, and we are always learning.  We'll share.

Daughters-In-Love

Mothers, Mothers, Mothers

Surely you know this was my first Mother's Day as a Lily.  I used to just be a mom to these two handsome boys.

Circa 1994?  Oh, yes, guys, you are welcome.

To this day, I contend that being their mother was fun at every phase.  They were fun when they were babies, they were fun when they were toddlers, as grade schoolers, teenagers, college kids -- I can't think of a stage I didn't enjoy.  

They were pretty easy on me.  

Then I was fortunate enough for them to both make fabulous selections for wives to share their lives with...  Does that make me lucky or blessed?

We did get to iChat with the youngin' and his beautiful wife yesterday in Haarlem.  It is hard for the four of us to all coordinate a time we can all get together online, and when we do, the conversation is all over the place.  Our son is working on a thesis-type project, as well as a thesis, and he has a lot going on right now.  They have U.S. visitors coming to see them this week after the project presentation, so that is going to be somewhat of a relief for him when that is behind him, as he is looking forward to the company and relaxation.  We got into a funny conversation about men that are good-looking.  He disagreed with my choices of handsome celebrities, therefore, he had some suggestions of men whom I should admire.  I am flexible, and he had great observations.  lol.  He and Chief had to discuss the most attractive women.  Ho hum.  So -- not being able to see them on Mother's Day, I pulled out a picture from our trip to see them at Christmas.  Not sure if any of us have a serious bone in our bodies.

We are their parents, and they treat us like their friends.  We are so blessed.

And then we got the bonus of seeing older brother and his beautiful, precious wife a couple of days this weekend.  They live close to us, and by bringing the precious 

Baby O to see Lily and Chief, it was a great couple of days.  

I can't type the words that this picture makes me feel.  Seeing your child as a parent?  There are no words.

How blessed are we that our sons selected and are loved by such unbelievable women?  And the bonus, Baby O!  I have a hard time writing about Baby O, because the words don't seem like enough.  I don't feel like I can adequately describe the emotions that come with this.  She is just such a little dumplin.  Perfection.  It feels redundant for me to say anything about being a grandparent, because I feel like those that are grandparents already know how it feels.  It is still very new to me.  Awesome.  I love the addition of girls to our family.  This blog post is going to be followed by another one focusing on the D.I.L.'s, and how great they are!

Additionally, we were fortunate to have my folks over for part of the day.  It is great to be able to wish your mother a Happy Mother's Day in person.  I am confident I will never be half the woman she is.  She wins in the "example setting" department.

I think this is all I did this weekend.  Hold her.  And she held me.  Except when I had to share.  After you have parented, you know how fast they grow.  I love just sitting still and holding her.  Her mother and I had a funny conversation about how we talk to her and want to sing to her.  I started telling her an old familiar story, and I got no further than the first line, when I couldn't remember what came next.  It was the Three Little Pigs.  Baby O's mom just died laughing, because she said the same thing has happened to her.  She said, "I want to sing or something to her, but after I start, I realize, I don't really know any reasonable lullaby-type songs!"  To which I replied, "I have done the same thing!"  We truly are newbies.  I just started singing my favorite songs.  Might be Billy Joel, might be Taylor Swift, might be a Christmas carol, just whatever I can think of the words to sing... am I failing at this already?  I just knew I could figure it out.  

And I suppose I will.

Mothers, Mothers, Mothers

A Bad Habit

Not sure why, but I dislike the sound of alarm clocks.  My phone makes a cricket sound, and I prefer that to any loud buzzing sound.  Thank you.

You may or may not know about my miscellaneous jobs.  My days can consist of anything from spending hours on the phone dealing with an insurance company, to doing book and record keeping for family farm and ranch entities, maybe working at my dad's law office, or maybe just returning phone calls I missed while doing any of the above duties.  I am not an accountant, (although I sometimes pretend to be), but without adequate training, I prefer to not shoulder the responsibility.

But there is this one thing I constantly do, and I have got to break this habit.  When I get up in the morning, I always do the same thing.  I pour myself a giant glass of iced tea.  That's not the bad habit part.  Usually, I am comfortable shuffling around the house in my pajamas and house slippers with my tea, and I find myself checking email or reading news at the desk (in the office at home).  What typically happens is that I begin answering emails, completing tasks asked of me in those emails, paying bills, preparing reports, and -- I swear, this happens nearly every day that I work at home -- I realize it is 11:15 A.M., and I am still wearing my pajamas.  This does not set a great tone for the rest of the day.

Many times I find myself putting on makeup and getting dressed at 11:30 A.M.  That is really embarrassing.  Think about how I feel when the Fed Ex guy shows up at the door at 10:30 A.M. with a box.  Yep, pretty mature.  Lookin' not so fine... 

I've decided it's all part of my year of rebellion.  Best year ever.  Lots of fun new grand baby stuff, lots of travel, new hobbies.  I like being the boss of me.  I think that's why I wear my pajamas as long as possible.

A Bad Habit

How I Waste Time

I love my iPod.  I mean I LOVE it and want it kept up to date with the hottest, latest, and my very favorite songs.  Generally this needs to be done on a day when there are multiple other things pressing, but I tell myself, that if I can update my iPod and listen while I do those things I dread, it will be so much easier.  Who am I kidding?  Do I overanalyze?

Yesterday I got this song in my head, and I sang it over and over all day.  Usually, it is heard at Christmas, but I see it as an 'anytime' song.  "Mary, Did You Know?" -- It is one of my all time favorites.  It's one of those songs that I like hearing in lots of different styles.  Give me some acapella, maybe a version with strings, I like a big, strong, low voice, many women have them, but usually men.  Traditional, love that,

 but I also like a young pop star belting it out, too.

In picking a kind or type of music that I like, I'm all over the place.  Give me those Celtic women, sometimes I like a bit of Lady Gaga, Billy Joel-any day of the week, Celine Dion, Latin guys, Ballad guys, Christian groups, Maroon 5, Train, David Guetta, One Direction... hang on, if I haven't offended you yet, I will... Jason Mraz, Passenger, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Michael Buble` -- and anything from the 70's and 80's.  Oh my, and Ed Sheeran!

Recently I found Lindsey Stirling, a classically-trained violinist.  She writes most of her own music, but it is enhanced electronically, so there are a lot of different sounds in her many songs.  I didn't know she was voted off of America's Got Talent about 4 years ago, but it looks to me like the best thing that could have happened for her.  I can't get enough of her pop spin on a traditional instrument and classic sounds. 

Well, I got my new faves added to my playlists and

 back I go to the Pioneer Days preparations.    :)

How I Waste Time