Whistle While You Work…or Cook!

Well, the summer nights are over in Oklahoma and with the onset of freezing temperatures comes…work! Monday evening of this week hubby and I realized we had just a few short nights to finish completely cleaning out our garden. I think our conversation went something like this:

Mick: “I think it’s going to freeze Friday or Saturday night. Or both.”

Me: “That’s good. I’m ready for cooler weather. Wait…when? Wait…Holy Toledo, MICK, we need to clean out the garden!!”

Mick: “Okay, we can do that tomorrow.”

Me: “TOMORROW!?? We need to start now!”

Mick: “Okay, it’s already dark outside, and it’s 9:45 p.m., but if you want to get started go right ahead. Otherwise, I’ll help you tomorrow.”

Me: “Tomorrow sounds great.”

First came jalapeno evening where we picked, cleaned and processed a gallon of fresh jalapenos and 19 half-pints of pickled jalapenos while watching the last presidential debate.

Next came the tomatoes…

 

We experienced a “barely-freeze” two weeks ago and my tomato vines turned brown, but the actual tomatoes were fine! So we picked a couple of gallons of grape tomatoes and yellow cherry tomatoes. They’re still waiting to be processed in our nice cool garage.

I also found one carrot, we cut the pumpkin blossoms, and we found about fifty tiny basil plants that were coming up from seed. I potted about ten baby basil plants and brought them inside. Right now they look pretty happy. I’m not telling them about all their other siblings I sacrificed during last night’s freeze. I can hardly bear to think about it, much less tell their family. Cripes! Continue reading Whistle While You Work…or Cook!

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On the Horizon: Home in the Heartland

I work with a lot of soon to be college graduates, so I often find myself dispensing a fair amount of advice; none of it sage, but most of it time proven. One thing I find myself telling these students as they are about to embark on the great adventure of life is this: A lot of places can be home.

Here in Oklahoma we live in a culture that puts a lot of value on land; having our own spread, broken fence and all. Which may be the reason we are a little late in the urban living game.

It is remarkable the renaissance downtown Oklahoma City has experienced in the last decade. A place that was a virtual ghost town after 5 p.m. in the early 90’s is bustling these days 24/7; restaurants, movie theaters, sports teams, and a growing number of residences. People who are trading in their wide open spaces for an apartment up in the sky. In this week’s video blog, I look at the trend of urban living in OKC and see how an eclectic group of Oklahomans are turning a business district into a mixed use neighborhood. Hope to see you this Sunday at 3pm on OETA when we examine where we live and why.
Rob McClendon

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Canning Peppers and Watching the Debate

Mick and I worked together on cleaning the peppers, prepping them for canning, and garnering all the jars and lids we could muster. It was going to be a big job tonight.

Obama and Romney said frequently during the debate tonight that, “We’re on the same page.” They also agreed that foreign policy is a complex task, garnering all the professionals and delegates they can muster. They looked like they had prepped for what was quite a big job tonight.

My peppers are beautiful. A grand mixture of red and green, crammed with salt, vinegar water and garlic cloves into glistening jars with shiny rings. They’re now rattling and rattling in the pressure cooker.

Obama and Romney look nice in their suits, their ties a grand mixture of red and blue. Their faces are covered with makeup and their shirts are starched. They’re now rattling and rattling in quite a pressure cooker.

In fifteen minutes, I’ll pull the first five of my eleven jars from the pressure cooker. I’ll be waiting for that glorious “ping” when I know the jars are sealed and ready to be packed away. I’m already looking forward to the first trip to the pantry when I can open a jar for some meal that needs a spicy, vinegary topping…a feast most of the men (and some women) in my family really enjoy.

In twenty minutes, the final debate of three presidential and one vice-presidential contests will be completed. The pundits will put their seal of approval, disapproval or neutrality on the event with a ping or a zinger. I’m already looking forward to the day when the debates are behind us, the election is over, and I can begin to think about our country in a way that I’m used to doing…with a new administration, trying to problem solve and implement policy the best they know how. Some of that policy might be a feast; most of it will probably be famine as we trim our budget and hack away the deficit. Some of it might be a very bitter pill to swallow. But my family will be with me, we’ll get through it, and I hope the whole nation will be better very soon for whatever it is that we need to take…or give.

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On the Horizon: Heart of the Community

For centuries, a community’s downtown has been the heart of the city. With unique shops and restaurants populating the area, downtown offers its citizens and visitors a taste of the community.

Studies show that if a downtown is prosperous so is the community. Growing up in a tiny community, I was able to see our town go from struggling to vibrant. The reason for the change was our community decided to focus on our main street area. Now people can find unique shops, restaurants and a lot of culture.
In today’s video blog, we take a look at how Stillwater, OK, is focusing on revitalizing its downtown area. From apartments above shops to one-of-a-kind restaurants, the downtown district is getting a makeover.
Andy Barth

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On the Horizon: Education Funding

I had the chance to sit in on a meeting with educators and legislators at the state capital and quite frankly, I learned quite a bit about our state’s education system.

Interim Sessions are held each Fall at the state capital and they are done in order to help legislators gain a deeper understanding of the issues that are facing Oklahoma. I didn’t realize there was concern between higher education and CareerTech centers and the problems their students are facing. Now that I have witnessed the discussion and have done my research I can see that a change needs to be made in order to give these students a more even playing field when entering into the workforce.

Take a look at this video blog to get a better understanding of the issue at hand.
Kela Kelln

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