The Day The Prairie Cried

The old Chevy feed truck squeaked and groaned under the weight of 1,000 pounds of grain and the 1,000 pound hay bale dangling from the forks on the back.  The ground was uneven next to the feed troughs and the frame of the truck whined in protest as it approached with its full ton load.  Right foot still on the brake, she swung the door open and reached around to let the arm of the cake feeder down.

The phone was buzzing in the seat next to her.  In her haste, she wedged it between her shoulder and ear and strained to hear over the sounds of the diesel engine, the motor releasing feed into the troughs, and the sputtering sound it made as it hit the metal trough bottoms and scuttled in either direction.

"He's gone," came the quivering voice on the other end of the line.

She threw the truck into park for the first time since starting it, released the trigger on the cake feeder, and slid out of the truck until her boots hit the hard dirt below.  Thirty thousand pounds of cattle crowded around her, snorting and butting each other out of the way, battling for what little grain had already been released.  "He's what?!"

"He's gone," the soft voice replied.

"Oh, no," was all she could muster.

She dropped the phone on the hard dirt and collapsed in the empty trough behind her, stunned and momentarily dumbfounded.  She reached blindly for the phone, undaunted by the hooves of the 30 steers that clomped around it.

Numbly, she raised it to her ear.  "What are we going to do?"

Mustang Sally

Sometimes hidden gems lie waiting to be discovered in unexpected places if we are willing to take the time to uncover them.  Concerts in the park on a warm summer evening are the stuff that dreams are made of.

These hidden gems are the subject of many Hollywood productions.  The series "Gilmore Girls" often showcases live music on the town square highlighted in an ethereal glow of patrons in lawn chairs on a backdrop of green grass.


Such things truly do exist in real life - complete with blankets and lawn chairs and patrons toting picnic baskets on a backdrop of green grass with remnants of the twilight sun setting in the background. 




It's hard to imagine that all of this exists within the big city limits. This is not a charming small town with a quaint square like the fictional realm of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.  This is suburban Oklahoma City, but from the surroundings you wouldn't know it.

Nestled in one of Edmond's most beautiful city parks, this is one of the most delightful Thursday night summer traditions imaginable.  People of all ages sang along to some of the greatest hits from decades past.  The little ones who didn't know the words to "Mustang Sally" just danced along instead.

It just goes to show that you never know what you'll find if you just take the time to look.

Dining In Is Not For the Faint of Heart

The Dairy Queen at noon on a weekday in our small town is bustling.  Almost every table is full and folks are sitting outside on the covered patio eating their burgers and fries in the Oklahoma summer heat.  As we wait in line to order, I notice that the place has literally not been updated since the 1980's.  The tables are all uneven and wobbly and the booths and walls are dingy with age.  No one seems to care.  The food is good and it is the busiest place in town at lunch time.

We snap up a newly vacant table and as we wait for our food.  I hear two men greet each other behind me.  "Hello, Dick." says the first.  "Well, hello, there, Kirk." replies the other.  I turn slightly to see the pair.  I know both Dick and Kirk by first and last name.  I know their children's names and a good share of their family history that, I'm sure, they wish no one knew. 

As we eat our food, I listen to the chatter and banter around me.  Everyone here knows everyone else.  It is not individual tables talking quietly among themselves, like you find in larger cities.  It is patrons carrying on conversations across tables and across the restaurant itself. 

All of this chaos is justified under the premise of enjoying the best burger in town and walking away full and satisfied for the bargain price of $5.


When we leave, I weave around the tables in two different directions to avoid lengthy conversations with people I haven't seen in a long time. 

Climbing into the car, I breathe a sigh of relief.  Small town noon hour dining is not for the introvert or the faint of heart. 
That's what the "drive-thru" is for. 

Old Architecture As Art

I think it would suffice to say that I have a "thing" for old architectural pieces... and this shabby five panel door is no exception.

Working hinges still intact means that this door will have great functionality as a cabinet front eventually.

I've found that you don't always have to refurbish something or even re-purpose it to enjoy it.  This door has found a place in my dining room as a free-standing piece of art... or you could say that I just leaned it against the wall to take a good look at it and just decided to leave it there.

I actually have plans to turn it into a storage unit with shelving, but for now it's charm as art is perfect where it is.

As you can see, the back side of the door still has a little more color to it.

After reeling it in at the bargain price of $1.00, I'm feeling pretty good about whatever the final destination of this piece might be.

Making Summer Magic

I don't know how many people can say this... but I am so thankful to say that I had an amazing childhood - especially in the summer time.  To her credit, my mother literally made summer magic.  I don't ever remember being bored.

Vintage summer under the sun circa 1989.

Now that I'm the mom, I struggle to keep the tradition alive and have run into a couple of obstacles.  First, I want to do simple things that don't cost a ton of money and don't leave us feeling overwhelmed and over-scheduled.  Second, we live in a rural area, so the "places to go and things to do" list is a short one.

With the inclination of today's children to veg out in front of the TV and play video games, I know each summer that it is going to take more than a little effort to make summer magic.

My attempt at a modern recipe for my mom's vintage summer magic looks a little like this...

We make stuff and get messy... we might sidewalk chalk the entire driveway or paint a picture... I keep an array of dollar store art supplies on hand at all times.

We take twilight walks down the dirt road and enjoy the sun set while getting out that last little bit of pent up energy.  The kids can run or walk or throw dirt clods at each other... I let them get dirty!


One of the best investments I ever made was a medium sized above ground pool for around $250.  It is on its second summer.  I let them swim a couple of times a day.  It keeps them cool and we all get some sun!

Going to the park and splashing in creeks, trying to catch tadpoles has made a great pass time.  I will admit that I'm not quite as "into it" as the boys, but they never want to leave, so I know it's worth it.

We played baseball the first part of the summer and it was the perfect amount of time - not so much that it consumed our whole summer, but enough to keep the boys busy.  Sports can be a huge summer burden if your family takes on too much!

I'm not opposed to pulling old movies out of the vault.  After spending an ample amount of energy playing outside, everyone enjoys sitting quietly in the cool of the living room watching movies.  I've introduced them to some of our all time favorites this summer: The Gnome Mobile, The Parent Trap, the old version of C.S. Lewis' The Loin, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Gus, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and of course Summer Magic.  If you've never heard of some of these, they're old - Google them. You won't be disappointed.  You can also find a comprehensive list of Disney movies since the dawn of time here.



The public library is a great source of free activities throughout the summer.  For our age group, they offer a movie day and an arts and crafts hour, not to mention a guest appearance from Mad Science!  The reading incentive program has helped keep them reading over the summer.  Every time they read 10 books, they can enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire.

The specific ingredients seem to change year after year, but I have come to the conclusion that the recipe for summer magic lies in making the effort to spend time with your family away from the television - finding the fun little activities that pop up in our area in the summer, while stirring in the occasional opportunity to go on a family vacation or to the big amusement park or water park.

Even though it's been a few years, here is a snippet of what I personally remember about my own childhood summers: swimming, girl scout camp, the zoo, frozen grapes, snow cones, First Baptist Church Vacation Bible School, Disney movies, family get-togethers, fireworks, the old Sulphur Springs Public Library, building tree houses, jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath, trips to Red River, parades, hours of fun at the park, Canton Trade Days and blanket tents.... to name a few.  Thanks, Mom!

My hope is that when my own children look back, they will remember summer time as pure magic.  What will your kids remember?