After a absolutely astonishing weekend of Cowboy Football it is easy to say that we are the best School in the state. After many years of trial and error we have a solid football team to be proud of. Not since '88 has a Cowboy football season been met with this much anticipation. Our boys showed up, and they delivered.

I strongly encourage you to read this article by a Georgia Fan. This article fills me with pride in the way that we are treating our opponents. But also fills me with concern at some of the comments that follow by fellow OSU fans.

As proud as I am to be a cowboy I cannot allow this pride to detract from OU. As a Oklahoman I was worried for Sam Bradford in his injured state. He is after all a Oklahoman and we should be proud of him. I for one would like to see OSU take on OU with both teams at their best. I wish both of OU's players a speedy recovery.

The rivalry between OSU and OU is one of the deeper intrastate college rivalries I am aware of. Truth be told I was commonly heard saying "my two favorite teams are OSU and who ever the hell is playing OU". Today this is not true. Now please understand you will not see me trading in my Orange and Black for Crimson and Cream but I have found a way to live with and even cheer for OU.

Most of my friends are OU fans. They have come to the house to watch OSU take on Texas (the only thing a OU fan hates more than OSU is Texas). There will always be ribbing in Oklahoma between OSU and OU fans, but please understand both Schools have some bad apples. Our job is to not let them spoil the bunch.

Out rivalry is just that between two Schools. To me we keep that in Oklahoma. Once we are out of the state we are ALL Oklahoma. How we represent one school or the other is how the world perceives this state. Can't the OSU / OU rivalry stay just that. A fun good matured rivalry between to Great Oklahoma Schools.

Somewhere far away from here

If you haven't been paying attention or just plain know nothing about Oklahoma weather, is is balls hot here these days. Humidity in the summer here is just silly high, and with the heat is is plain stifling. This week we are getting a much needed reprieve from the triple digits and only maxing out at 95 or 96, this time of year this settles for a cold front.

Why anyone knowing this would plan a out door event on black top for this time of year is beyond me. None the less D-Fest is quickly approaching. As the mercury rises I find my self to be more and more reluctant to spend 4 days giving my self heat stress.

We took advantage of the lower temps (87F) this weekend by helping clean out my parents creek. Tractor tires have now been removed, god were they heavy. Afterwards the cats got a bath, and I took some time for myself to enjoy the hammock. So peaceful, so needed.

Harvest time is kicking in Porter peaches abound. The Cherokee purples are ripe for the picking - it is officially summer I have had 2 Bacon Tomato sandwiches with home grown tomatoes.. yummy. The food in the summer I swear is the only reason to stay for the summer - definitely not the weather.

Last week Grant managed to collect another concussion - for those of you at home keeping count this makes 5. The doctors checked him out, all is good there. Now it is off to the cardiologist to at last do something about this blood pressure issue.

Otherwise things are going well with us. Working, cooking, helping Grandma, and trying to stay cool while doing all of the above. Typical Oklahoma summer. I for one cannot wait for the fall.

Ahh the title of the song I sang and danced to in the musical OKLAHOMA my senior year. I have always considered myself from the cowman camp. But this year we are trying something new.

Grant and I are farmers, ok not farmers. Gardner's and that is gardner's with a little 'g'. Looks like this year at our house we will have 4 tomatoes (Cherokee Purple, Brandy wine, Chocolate Cherry, and Early Girl) and at least one Habenaro (chocolate habanero). And I am giving it a shot with the topsy turvy planter. Now since I have planted all heirloom tomatoes they must be planted 10' apart, best solution I could come up with was hanging them on the death trap that doubles as a fort in our back yard.

Last year I gardened (also with a little 'g') but it was only a beef steak and grape tomato. Both of which I planted in the shade. Grant wanted nothing to do with my tomatoes last year. He promptly declared I was going to kill them and that this was a bad idea. I only got about 10 tomatoes total off the both of them. Hopefully that will work out better this year!

This year in addition to the small gardening we are doing at our house mom has put in a large Garden at her house. Notice Garden with a big 'G'. She has onions, peas, tomatoes, lettuce, squash, okra, green beans, water melon, and peppers. I am sure I will do most of the looking after of her Garden as well.

If you are gardening as well I would love to hear about it. I believe more people are gardening this year than ever before in my lifetime. But for now I will leave you with some Aunt Eller wisdom.

I don't say I'm better than anybody else,
But I'll be danged if I ain't just as good!
-Aunt Eller

It's a twister! It's a twister!
- Zeke
The Wizard of Oz

Morris, Oklahoma. My hometown. A place of fond child hood memories involving big band music, ice cream socials, and cake walks. And yes this was in the 1980's. Morris was a place sheltered from the world. Doors were left unlocked. Stopping by the neighbors for tea or lemonade was normal. Directions were given in terms of go to the four way turn right and then turn at so - and - so's house and you are there. Every adult looked out for every kid. When you hear older generations talking about needing to behave in public or risk as paddling at every house on the way home, this is the world I grew up in. Simply put a slower pace.

1984

April 24 - My Great Grandma Reynolds had just come home from the hospital after suffering from a stroke, her tulips were in bloom. We went down to see her then Granddad Reynolds took us out to the garden to see the tulips, bright colors of red, yellow, and a red/orange were every where. It was beautiful. The local news paper editor saw us out there and took photos for the paper.

April 26 - I was 3 years and 34 days old. In less than one hour Morris changed. A F3 comprised of 3 sisters (three tornadoes twisting around each other) hit the center of town (I have heard talk from meteorologists stating that under the EF scale what we saw may have been a EF5). My parents were in OKC that night and I was staying at my Grandma's in neighboring Okmulgee. Okmulgee is a city on a hill - we watched the tornado from the front porch. Since that night it is like my memory is on hyper drive. I remember the bulldozers demolishing the remains of the city. The tulips in ruin. Playing on pieces of linoleum lying recklessly in the yard that had been our family home - the house my Granddad (Pap) had been raised in, the house I came home to after I was born, the hose that fell victim to the tornado while my Uncle and his dog Boots were inside. My parents home survived - only thanks to the many native pecan trees that towered over it sheltering it from the storm. I remember the feeling of the town after being placed under Martial law.

Exactly one year later a second tornado hit Morris during a candle light vigil at the high school parking lot.

In Morris we only have two time frames - before the tornado, and after.

In elementary school students only drew and painted tornadoes. Mine were always the same - a dark black wall cloud, a funnel, and tulips of red, yellow, and a red/orange.

After the town was never quite the same. Families did not return and rebuild. All the shops and stores left, save one. My Great Uncle's business "Reynolds Lumber and Hardware". Sadly the ice cream socials dwindled as did the big band nights, now they are no more. By the late 1980's drugs had begun to take hold of this broken town.

It has been 25 years. And yet to each who lived it is yesterday.

It is days like today that I am happy to be in Oklahoma, the weather is 71F - a slight breeze out of the north at 10mph - and beautiful and bright day for the sun on your back to warm you.

Today is the first day I can sense fall approaching.

Fall is bar none my favorite season. Oh how I have missed it. We moved home in time for the Ice Bomb last year - but we missed fall.

I love how the leaves smell when they crunch underfoot. I love the sound of leaves falling. I love so many more things that I just cannot package into words to describe the crisp, familiar feeling this weather brings on.

But this I must say - I am at peace in this time of year - I am happy.

Forget Doppler, just follow your nose






By SARAH HART World Staff Writer
3/31/2008


It's that time of year again.

No, not March Madness, though it's nice to have that in full swing, taking people's minds off their pesky jobs.

It's not even Mayfest time yet. Though Mayfest will, undoubtedly, be affected by the time of year I'm about to discuss most: thunderstorm season.

Poor Mayfest. It just can't catch a break. Maybe the organizers should change it to Junefest or even Septemberfest because, let's face it, the weather will not cooperate.

I've lived in Oklahoma all my life, barring an eight-month period when I thought I wanted to be a Texan. One day, while sitting in gridlock traffic in Dallas, I heard David Frizzell and Shelly West's classic, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma." I could barely drive through blinding tears of homesickness, and I moved back home less than a month later.

I consider myself an authority on a lot of Oklahoma stuff. I've been around long enough to know that if you plan an event in May in Oklahoma, the day will start out gorgeous but a tornado will be skating down the Turner Turnpike within an hour.

Now, without taking away from the excellent work that our state's meteorologists do, it doesn't take 15 Vipir radars nor a dozen Dopplers to figure out a storm is a-comin'.

A lot of Oklahomans are part-American Indian. Even more are part-amateur meteorologist. It's in our blood. Our noses' olfactory senses can smell rain, and we have a special hair follicle that stands up when hail's on the horizon.

I remember when I told my mom the first time that I smelled a storm coming. She beamed like I'd just won the spelling bee.

But honestly, storms are our thing. We Okies aren't as good at predicting snow. After that ice storm, the storm chasers were so trigger-happy that if it got below 30 degrees outside we were all stocking up on groceries, flashlights and generators.

Which makes me happy it's thunderstorm season. I'm back in my element. I know that if the temperature is above 75 before noon, and the wind is just a little odd, my TV shows will be interrupted by weather reports.

If it seems just the slightest bit muggy -- but you still feel a cool breeze -- batten down the hatches. It'll be a big one.

We had a taste of storms earlier in March. It was a nice warm-up. We all got to practice our weather vocabulary: Squall line, gust front and its by-product "the gustnado," the scary-sounding hook echo pattern, wall cloud -- it just flows off the tongues of Oklahomans. We brush up on the basics and can again laugh at those who don't know the difference between tornado watches and warnings. Fools!

We're so smart we know that if it's just a storm watch, we might as well be on the golf course.

Some folks from other states don't understand why we live in Tornado Alley. I say, because it adds life to our everyday routines. You can tell the weather reporters are ready for it -- that intense look in their eyes, the controlled glee on their faces when they know they are leading off the nightly newscast.

And we hang on their words.

I am not making this up: My mother decided once to take a nursing job in Fayetteville, Ark. She moved home because she missed Travis Meyer.

So I say, let's welcome storm season back. Don't grouse about TV show break-ins. These guys are just trying to help. Embrace the storms and the season, but follow your nose. It's an Okie's best weather tool.

So, power went out here in BA late Sunday Night. Grant and I were in bed already. Thru the night we heard loud cracks as branches gave way to the ice. The night was illuminated in bright flashes of blue as transformers blew all around. The next morning we awoke to nearly a inch of ice encrusting trees, pavement, and cars. I took a walk down to my parents house to snap some photos of the storm. All the photos were taken in less than a block. In spite of all this Oklahomans continued on their way. To the stores we went, power was out but most stores elected to open for business. Employees were escorting the customers thru the store by flash light to find the things needed to brave the storm. For us that meant C cell batteries and AA to power flash lights and weather radios. The days that followed were interesting to say the least. Every dish and utensil in the house is dirty. I did my best to maintain 60F in the house by running the gas burners on the stove in rotation. All the while the elements were working against me. I don't think we hit 40F out doors during this time. Each night we went to sleep at 10PM and did not awake until 10AM. The bed was buried in 10 blankets and flannel sheets. Were it not for the hot showers offered by our shower I do believe we might be human Popsicle's by now. Our power was restored at 9PM today. What a relief. I cannot tell you how good it feels to not wear boots and thermals. My feet and bladder are very grateful. Grant spent the evening cleaning all the ruined food out of the fridge/freezer. It all had to go, and made quite the mess. Now we are being told to brace for snow on Friday. Hopefully we will have power on for everyone in time to face that. I wish I could tell all the power crew's just how grateful we are. The days have been long and cold. People came from all around to help us. Oklahoma will not forget. We will be there to help in some way. Things like this give me faith in humanity.

Going off line on Thursday. This is assuming I cant find some wi-fi to jack till Saturday.

It is getting a little crazy around here. I simply cannot believe that In 11 days I will once again be a Oklahoma resident. Crazy. Reality just is not setting in!

If you need to reach me cell phone is the ONLY option.

First let me say, WE HAVE A HOUSE! SO folks this means I will once again be a BA resident! It is pretty much everything we wanted in a house. 1300 sq ft. 3 bed, 2 bath. Fenced in yard, nice big patio, and what seems to be a cool landlord, who might let us rent to own.Down sides are as follows, it is like 12 houses from my mother, and it has headboard.Anyone have an idea on how to hide it? Rules are I cant paint it and I cant take it out.Send me any and all suggestions! Also does anyone out there like water gardens? I dont but the house comes with one. And I guess I am going to have to maintain it to prevent mosquitoes breeding in it.

Next step is Grant finding a job. He has applied for many but had no call back as of yet. It has only been 2 weeks, but it does feel like an eternity. But we are trying to wait patiently, but you know what they say, a watched pot never boils.

Good Points about BA:
*A recent national crime survey found Broken Arrow to be the 20th safest city in the nation and the safest city in Oklahoma.
*Broken Arrow was listed as #66 in the CNN Money list of the 100 best places to live.
*The Police Department has won several national awards for their work in reducing the crime rate.
*Broken Arrow has been listed as a "Tree City USA" for over 6 years in a row.
*Broken Arrow was listed as one of the "Top 25 Affordable Suburbs in the South" by Business Week Magazine in 2007.

It is crazy to think I will be living in a house I walked past every day from school.

So I got this bullitin from a friend from back in high school, she lives in AZ now with her puppy Lilly... Did I mention I am jealous and more home sick than I have been in a long long time.

I drove from Flag to Tulsa and I'm headed to Grand Lake tonight. I've been hanging out with some friends and family already. It's so pretty here. As I was driving, I had a lot of time to think. Lily, not being talkative, slept for the entire duration of the trip, including through the night, when we crashed in the Tahoe, during a great thunderstorm in Amarillo.

As I got out of the Land of Not Much Enchanchment and tried not to speed across NE Texas, the grass started to get more green. With every mile, the troubles felt further behind me. Life starts to look pretty good under blue skies with endless green pastures. I was out at the parent's old place, which is being basically gutted right now, beautiful. They're new house is sick. At the old farm, the big oaks were hanging their branches low. There were cats in the barn that I don't know, and my horse, Charlie, was put down while I was away... I still looked for him. There's little changes. Mostly the trees and the town have grown.

I was looking at the trees that i grew up climbing, thinking about people I know who know me, but don't know this side of me, this great love I have for this place. It was so gorgeous. For my friends in Arizona, I post this, becasue you've never seen such a lush place. For my friends who are from here and are scattered, you know that early May in NE Oklahoma is just the most beautiful place. It's very green, and everything is in bloom. I was sucking honeysuckle last night. It tasted like my childhood in Talequah, when we'd stop and grab a few to nibble on the way down to our creek.

I'm about to go meet my grandpa at his office & then head to the lake.
It is so gorgeous here that I just want to be outside staring at all the grass and tress that I missed. I'm happy to be home and all is well.

Can I come home yet?

Well Folks, now that we have been home from Tulsa for a little over a week we are finally getting our ass in gear to get our life back in order.

The trip was a whirl wind of friends, old and new. On occasion (as you can see) we even happened to remember that we had a camera with us. I suspect if we happened to LIKE our camera it would have received more use.

We got a chance to do things we have not done in years, like go 4 wheeling and just hang out with friends... each day was a mad dash... I saw WAY more people than we normally do but as a result we were constantly on the run. We did a ritual tour of the malls and hit every QT at least twice a day. Trips were made both to the Jenks Aquarium and the Tulsa Zoo. We hit some old spots like Caz's and the Bowery as well as a few new ones Like the Mercury Lounge, Tsunami, and Delesandro's. Not to mention the time spent at Beth and Wade's drinking their Beer.. (BTW after we move back you are welcome any time!

Rounds were made to all our favorite restraunts:
Knotty Pine
Rons Hamburgers and Chilli
Taco Bueno
Kribys
Shogun
Cookies Tai Cafe
Braums

When you get right down to it this trip was an experiment to see how happy we would be living back in the Tulsa area, bottom line... we think nothing could make us happier! So, the count down begins... Jan 2008... we are coming home!

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So, after we arrive on the East Coast it is nearly 11PM. The flight Flew into Baltimore. Time to start the drive to VA Beach... I made it all the way to Richmond before I demanded that Grant drive... GO ME! Upon arrival home (at 4 AM) we find two Italian's on our living room floor... that's ok, they were susposed to be there. They were watching the house. Crashed, burned and then went to work... BLAH.

____________

Over the week we caught some kind of bug, you know the kind where you cough up green shit. FUN STUFF! So we make Chilli.... From my Uncle RA's peppers... we will call it EXLAX Chilli... it was pure FIRE... Thank god for beer, It put the fire out... well I am exhausted, and uber drowsy... I will try to pick up here next time.