MERCY me!

I've been exploring around the innernets for a bit visiting new and old favorites alike.

New-ish to me and HIGHLY recommended is Confessions of a Pioneer Woman She is the real deal Oklahoma rancher's wife and cook (not chef, cook) extraordinaire. She has a personal blog at "Confessions" and a companion cooking blog (linked on the right side of the "Confessions."

From her personal blog I've learned all I want to know about chaps and chinks -- although I think I'll be taking a refresher course and look over the material MANY MANY MANY more times. (Check it out and tell me how much you agree, ladies.) I've learned prolly way more than I wanted to about calf fries. And I've just fallen so very head over heels in love with her love story called "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels." Check out her ongoing series from the beginning and then let me know how many times you've caught yourself fanning yourself! Yum!!

My other favorites (that are public blogs) include Kuky Ideas. It is SO MUCH FUN to go to Kuky's and see her drawings and her pictures and stories about Isabelle, her 2-year-old gorgeous and crazy daughter.

Special treats: Kuky's drawings are da bomb. (How outdated is that expression? Really?) There are occasional videos of Isabelle doing the sweetest little girl things. And Kuky is a crafty lady who loves to sew spectacular things and knit and well, all manner of creative things. Plus they do a monthly family photo that I wait for every. single. month. because they do the same pose and yet it's an amazing way of seeing how time passes and changes everyone. Kuky, I just love your place!

One other daily "can't miss!" read for me is Posie Gets Cozy . Alicia is another beautiful craftswoman. She lives in Portland, Ore., and has a new corgi puppy named Clover. She also is living the life I want to steal. She is married to Andy, who is an R.N. and quite an extraordinary man, besides being cute as cute can be.

Going to visit "Posie" brings me an incredible sense of peace and centering. Alicia appreciates and creates beauty in the middle of everyday life. Her incredible color sense is something I wish could be bottled and sold at pharmacies nationwide because of the "all is right with the world" feeling I get from it. Reminds me of the feelings I got in my days on Pondamin 10 years ago right before the FDA pulled it off the market. Please, Alicia, if the FDA comes looking for you, grab Clover and Andy and HIDE! QUICK!

Go see "Posie" today -- they are at Multnomah Falls, one of the most BEAUTIFUL places on earth. I want to go back with a PASSION. If Clover ever needs a baby-sitter, call me and I'll move to Portland by morning, Alicia!

I hope y'all enjoy today's trip around blogland. Of course I continue to visit my longtime blogging buddies every single day too, but now and then I venture into new worlds. Mostly on those days when my longtime blogging buddies don't post, or they have ignored me too many days in a row. See, this is how I have to cope. It's paid off.

Finally, take a peek

This weekend I was finally able to finish putting just a bit of order to my living room. It has been a thorn in my side since I moved into this house in August. If you remember, the problem was compounded by a heavy downpour one day, when we got 3.5 inches of rain. I had to move a bunch of boxes off of my screened porch in a hurry.

So, in order to earn more reading time, I really have been making an effort the past few weeks.

I'm going to do this backwards, with the "after" photos first. It's still not as nice as I would like, and I've done more polishing up since I took these, but certainly better than the "before" photos which will be last.







And now, the "before" horror photos:
(Please don't judge me. I haven't had any time at home since I've moved here.)







There. I have bared my soul and revealed the ugly truth. At least now I can walk through the room safely!

Well, that was anticlimactic

I did some good work today. I broke a story about a major illegal dump near our municipal airport today. The owners have been fined $10,000 and are near the end of their 30-day Administrative Compliance Order to clean it up. One of the owners only answered a couple of questions before deciding he didn't want to talk any more. I pulled together information about the family corporation that owns the site, the Department of Environmental Quality's case status, and even had an aerial photograph of the property showing all the waste.

This is a big deal because it's adjacent to a road that will become a city bypass in the next year, as well as the industrial park which is expanding immediately to the south. These owners will never be able to clean up the site; they are in their 80s and can't afford the $10,000 fine, much less the cost of cleanup. We could be looking at a future Superfund site here.

This was a pure "steak" story: meaty and one to sink your teeth into.

The publisher's reaction? (See previous post about "holiday"). Any comment about this story? Nary a one.

Native American Heritage Week

Last week, in addition to being Oklahoma's Centennial, was Native American Heritage Week. Here are some photos of the events that took place at several of our schools.
There were mini-powwows at the schools with explanations of the costumes and dances of the Ponca tribe.

Here is a jingle dancer. The Jingle Dance is a medicine dance. A man was very ill once upon a time, and had a vision of this style of dress and a particular dance. He believed that if his daughter wore such a dress while doing the dance, he would be healed.



This is a grass dancer. The name for this dance comes from his job at the beginning of a powwow to tramp down the tall prairie grass for the other dancers. He's also called this because his costume mimics the movement of the grass. This young man is a middle school student who absolutely made the girls in his school swoon when he danced.

This young man is a fancy dancer -- symbolized by the bustles on his back and on his shoulders. He is a world champion dancer and is still in elementary school. By the end of the day I think he was probably in a euphoria caused by the frenzied dance. His school was the last stop of the day and he really, really poured his heart into it.

Three young women who do Southern Plains dancing taking a break before their last dance. They are all sixth-graders, if you can believe it.

Guess who stirred a controversy?

Yeah, me.
Why? What about?
I took a photo of the city crews putting up wreaths on the light poles downtown.
Simple enough right?
I said, in the cutline, "holiday wreaths".
Man, oh man. There is a bitter woman who will NOT stop calling the office to complain. "They are CHRISTMAS wreaths! Not HOLIDAY wreaths!" she spews.
She's called the mayor. She's called the publisher, at home.
I can't wait until she sees tomorrow's paper where we announce the "Community Tree Lighting." The children will be singing holiday songs.
And one of the story tellers in town will read "Twas the Night Before Christmas."
I bet you not even that makes her happy.

11-11: Veterans Day

In memory of Derek Alan Calhoun, American Hero.

Today is Veterans Day, the day we honor veterans of all wars.
The history of Veterans Day goes back to World War I -- known at the time as “The Great War.”

World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

If only it were so. But still we remember veterans of all the wars since Armistice Day.
World War II. Korea. Vietnam. And so many others, including the present unpleasantries.

Boys die.

Men die.

Women die.

Civilians die.

Families grieve.

Many suffer.

And yet we remember the veterans, with honor, for their sacrifices made on our behalf.

Yesterday was our Veterans Day Parade. And we remember.

Whadaya Know!

Time Change Cures Cold
I woke up feeling fine this morning with the beautiful sunshine in my eyes. I got a good long sleep, enjoying our extra hour to the fullest.
This morning I was up early enough to enjoy a breakfast run to McDonald's for a eggamuffin. Even though I still count the carbs, Sundays are feast days and I let myself have a treat or two through the day.

I'm looking forward to playing the bells this morning and having communion.

I'm also looking forward to coming back home and having a chill afternoon. And by "chill," I mean cleaning and feathering my nest some more. I will have some horrifying photos for you that shows the "before," "during," and "after" of The Great Clean Up of '07. Even Tech will understand why I have had to delay reading "Murder by Dewey Decimal" in order to tackle the mess.

It's a glorious morning. I can see some good color on the trees across the highway that is behind my house. And this is the perfect moment of the day to see it, with the morning sun bouncing off the golds and greens and settling in to warm up the reds.

Oh that reminds me. I have to trim the branches of the junk trees growing along the alley or the city will fine me. This is life in a small town. We have alleys where we put our trash cans, but for people like me it also means a lot more unintended gardening chores. I wish I could take pride in having the tidiest stretch of alley on the block, but it just doesn't do it for me. However, the fine is motivating, so I'll have to do that anyway. Grumble.

Off to get ready for church now. May your spirits soar today!

Ugh

I think I'm sick. I had to work today, even thought it was *supposed* to be my Saturday off. Grumble. I got off about 5 and then made myself dinner and crashed for a while. I woke up shivering and groggy -- that awful "where am I?" feeling, accompanied by sneezing and congestion. It's been more than an hour now and I'm still feeling the same way, so I think I'll just set the clocks back an hour and go on to bed early.

If tomorrow weren't communion Sunday and if the bells weren't playing, I wouldn't even bother to set the alarm. But I have to be there, so I bid all y'all a good night.

Enjoy your extra hour!