Make No Plans/Do Nothing Day

After many days of working every single day, today just seemed like a good day to make no plans, give no promises and if we wanted to, DO NOTHING. 

So Ken and I started off the day by listening to Sommer debut her first radio interview.   Then we hopped into the Hot Tub with a cup of coffee and bubbled for a while.  Ken decided since I did not have to go to work we might 'chill out around town.'

We talked about breakfast or brunch, hopped in the car and just started driving -- who knows where.  Ended up in Brookside at the Cafe Ole'.  Oh my, the salsa was the best, so much flavor and not too much heat with my favorite ingredient, cilantro.  We ate enough for breakfast and lunch.   Ken talked about the Mecca Coffee and Tea Spice shop which he remember downtown many years ago and is now in Brookside so we played around in the shop, drooling over pretty things we really do not need or really want. 

From there Ken just began to drive around older places in town.....looking at the older houses in midtown Tulsa and remembering times of the past.  We passed a house where we bought a dog once.   From downtown we started west on Charles Page Boulevard toward Sand Springs.   There is this little neighborhood store which has gotten published several times for it's uniqueness which Ken has always wanted to stop at.

I kid you not, there was almost NOTHING on the shelves.....few canned goods, rice noodles, newspapers...   They boasted that they had a special coffee machine and Ken opted for a cup of coffee to go.  I think it made a cup at a time and took the acid out according to the store man.

With coffee in hand, we were off to downtown Sand Springs.  We took in some antique shops, viewed old buildings and Ken talked with several store owners.       For a DO NOTHING DAY by that time, I felt like I had done enough.....so we drove home.

 

   

Right now, my do nothing day does not seem like I've don't nothing -- just nothing MAGNIFICIENT!    

There is a pot of Mexican Chile Verde in the slow cooker.   The ingredients have been  sauted and are set to cook for the next three hours or until the pork is falling apart.   I'm not sure it will be eaten today.   It is certainly green at the moment.  I have a feeling it will not be this green after three hours of simmering.  And now that I am looking at the photo, I realize I forgot the masa.  I'm gonna go add it right now.

http://aspicyperspective.com/2011/02/new-mexican-chile-verde.html
We have church tonight.  Think I'll go lay down for a few minutes on my do nothing day.  ----time passing --    later -----   9:00 pm.  Came home from church and ate a cup of the Chile Verde.   Yummmmm....it is very good and not too spicy at all.   Never ate green chile before.    So much for my do nothing day It is time to go to bed soon....think I will go upstairs and read for a little while.   Good Night to my Make No Plans Day..  Perhaps tomorrow will be another Do Nothing Day.

Ridiculous Rendition of I Got You Babe

Somehow, old people wearing glasses just don't cut it in this dance.  But it is a great try.   Enjoy.

A Valentine Outing

Ken and I went out on an 'early' Valentine's Day outing to see the Four Freshmen last night, Thursday, Feb 10.  We had seen them in person a couple years ago at the Broken Arrow High School auditorium and really enjoyed their fun, yet warm musical presentation. Their tight, close harmony is delightful.   Their demeanour is friendly and inviting.  And their songs bring back happy memories of our youth.      In contrast to much of today's music, they do not SCREAM their songs, they sing on pitch, harmony is delightful and I actually can  understand the words.  What a marvel for me!  An added treat was last night they sang with  Tulsa's Signature Symphony.  I so love the strings, the colors, the texture and tones of symphonic  music.

 

This original musical group was birthed in 1948 at Butler University with Bob Flanigan, Don Barbour, Ross Barbour and Hal Kratzsch of which Bob and Ross are still actively involved with the present Four Freshmen.  This group boasts of being the longest running vocal harmony group in history.    This first matter that I  noticed is that the entire audience (which I might add was a sell out) consisted of wrinkled skin, gray-haired enthusiasts.   Where were the young people?    Could not be that it was too expensive?    No, our youth have grown up on what I consider to be low/minimal talent artest who can scream, wiggle and jive more than harmonize.   What a tremendous generational gap in music.  (Oh wow, listen to myself, so cynical.)  I often wonder what is wrong with me.  When the drums and bass are so loud that my heart flutters to an off-rhythm beat and the musicians themselves wear ear plugs yet, are still loosing their hearing.... I don't get it.  The music of the world today is full of negativity and this 40's music consist of simple love songs.  My old-fashioned brain even observes that some of the  loud modern praise and worship music of today allows for stone faced singers and jivers who do not convey joy for our Savior.  Oh, of course  not all are that way, this is just my simple observation of a modern day  phenomena.

OK perhaps old people are more simplistic, more romantic, what is it......our brains are wired differently perhaps.  It is difficult for me to appreciate darkness mixed with loudness.... Yes oh Yes, I am looking at myself, when did I grow old and set in my ways?  God help me bend....  Help my brain, my soul and my heart rhythm to learn to appreciate and accept some of today's music.  And in the meantime, thank you God for the short breaks when someone comes to town who sings smoothly, on pitch and perhaps sings gently, and thank you God that there are times when I can understand the words.  It does offer a nice breath of fresh air.

I Never Learned Football

I remember when Ken and I were  young, I would go to the TU games with him.  I would ask questions about what was happening.  He would talk to me loud enough explaining the game that people turned around and stared at the 'nut' who did not understand the simplest moves on the field.  So I quit asking and soon I quit going.....    So I never learned to appreciate football.  But when it comes to Superbowl, I like the food and the party.      Last year it was Kevin's family.   This year it was April's family.   I worked at the Call Center today and when I got home, they had brought over Chili and all the fixens.  It was great.  I actually sat and watched the game......     ssshhhhh -- don't tell anyone that toward the end, I almost fell asleep.  And Dave's team -- he is from Wisconsin actually -- WON!   Yeah for the Green Cheese.   (I learned that term from a Deaf person talking to her mother.  I was the interpreter.   She signed green cheese and the mother said, Oh, you are supporting the Green Bay Packers.  "Yes, yes, the green cheese my support.")

Joel Sent Picture Of Dallas' Blizzard

First they had an ice storm which closed things down and then they had snow in Dallas Texas.  Hummmmm..... Global Warming?

Life With 14 Inches of Snow

The last few days of January the weather man began to predict a big snow blowing in on Monday night January 31st. Weathermen are better at predictions now days than they were 30 years ago. But I still hoped they were wrong. They were not. I worked Monday at the Call Center until 10:00 pm...came home and went to bed to wake up hearing sleeting rain on our windows....less than an inch. And then the snow began---it was heavy blowing snow that left huge drifts. By the time the snow ended on Tuesday, Tulsa had 14 inches -- a record. Surrounding communities had up to 20 inches. Jobs, doctor appointments, schools, churches,  the shopping malls, everything pretty much closed down. Even the snow plow trucks and emergency vehicles were getting stuck. We did not even try to get out for two days and I did not mind.

People reported that the grocery shelves were empty.  Kevin who works the night shift at WalMart reported people pouring into WalMart to stock up.  And when the night was done, over 100 shopping carts with groceries were left stranded in the store.  Apparently, people panicked that they could not get home with their groceries and abandoned them and left the store.  

Kevin's car made it half way home, stuck on Mingo--after several hours sitting in the car, he took out walking home in tennis shoes and  zero degree temperatures.  No one could come to help him.

Well, we were cozy, warm and so I began to cook.  First day I made tomato bisque as well as blueberry coffee cake.    We were running out of eggs.... normally we don't use a lot of eggs so I never thought about getting more.   The second day I made Banana/Apple/Nut bread and Split Pea Soup with Ham.    The third day I started on the Lemon Curd Thumb Print cookies.   Then I realized, we need to do more than eat when one is snowed in.
By Thursday, February 3rd, Ken snuck out and began to shovel snow from the driveway. This is something I totally had forbidden him to do. (I might insert that he was scheduled that very morning for a heart stress test but the lab of course was closed plus he could not get there.) Men with heart conditions die shoveling snow all the time. But Ken was getting cabin fever and did it without my noticing. smile. I did look out and at the curb saw someone shoveling our drive and began to call him to tell him.....no answer. He was at the other end working and a neighbor had come over to help. So they cleared a path just wide enough for the Honda to back out. With so much white outside, we still had warmth and color inside...our Christmas Poinsettia.

Once the drive was clear, Ken left to help Kevin get his car off of Mingo. On the news they were announcing that cars would be impounded and fined if they were in the way of clearing the roads. Ken went to WalMart and bought a pull chain, then picks up Kevin and Devin (Devin was gone with Momma) So once again, Ken begins to help Kevin dig his car out. Later more help arrived and after the car was dug out, a man in a pickup truck drove by and offered to pull the car out. Ken let him, gave him all the money he had in his pocket and all were very thankful. After Ken makes sure Kevin was safely home with his car, he sees another man shoveling his driveway. He stops and helps him finish. Can you believe that this almost 73 year old man of mine, scheduled for a heart stress test that very day, takes his stress test by shoveling two driveways that have 14 inches of snow on them plus dig out a buried car from the snow. I think he passed the test. This Nana was not too happy with him but he said he was careful, paced himself and did it the right way. And I am happy he succeeded.
When I decided that I could make it to the Call Center after all, Ken insisted on driving me there.  So he and the Babe were happy chauffeurs.

Ken found the carton's of 'Quick Eggs' at Braums -- the 90% egg whites.  So he was a happy man to have eggs and chorizo for breakfast on Friday morning.   But that still was not good enough.....a call came in that Reasor's had eggs.

So off to Reasor's just to find the 'eggs in a shell'.  Now we are fully stocked again and there can be big he-man breakfast for the Papa of the house.

The garage is so cold that the banana trees and hibiscus are very unhappy.   They may be fine in the spring.

And my beloved herb garden out on the deck is asleep for the winter.

Now still snuggled in the warm house, it is snowing again outside.  Ken insists he has to drive me to the Call Center today because it "gives me a sense of worth"  he says.    What a man!

Oklahoma Blizzard of 2011

The deepest snow we have had in Oklahoma recorded history.  Right now at 13.2 inches it is still coming down. Here is our beautiful summer time back deck with snow up to the bottom of the lounge chairs and the opening of the chiminea.   Guess won't be getting in the hot tub for a few days----the cover is buried.

Little birds are happy.

No artistic photos at this time.  I am just not willing to get out in it yet.  The wind is fierce and I don't like cold.  Plus, I don't have any snow boots high enough to walk out there.   The drifts are 3 and 4 feet.  Here is my little angel girl buried up to her neck.  That is her to the left of the hanging star.

Chickadee found some seeds. 

So Tulsa is stuck at home.  Ambulances, tow trucks, road plow trucks and 4-wheel drivers all getting stuck when they go out to help.    Kevin worked overnight at WalMart and tried to get home--made it half way.  AAA or police or no one could help him.   After several hours in the car, he walked a mile home in tennis shoes.   Burrrrrr.   Ken took all these photos from inside the house.  He does not like it outside either.

And Babe is saying, I don't care how much fun the birds and possums are having, I am not using the bathroom out there unless you shovel me a path.  Fast out and fast back today.  I think we better watch her closely in the house today.