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Our World – Getting Read for Christmas

On Sunday, while participating in cleanup effort at Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness I found a Christmas tree in the park. I consider it a form of graffiti. Not that it is bad but that is kind of what it is. I kind of like it actually.

I also found a couple bird houses that look like they have been there for some time.

A couple week ago I found another Christmas on the mountain.

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This is what the tree looked like last year. There is at least one other tree based on what I see on my instagram feed.

I also found a nandina shrub. Nandina is of course not native to Oklahoma. Turkey Mountain back in the day had farms, ranches, homes, lots of oil wells, illegal liquor stills and a bunch of outlaws. There are a few places where one can see remnants of its past.

The cleanup was successful. About 45 people showed and picked up a ton of trash, trimmed trails, and picked up the remnants of at least two abandoned homeless camps. One of which had been occupied off and on since the 1980’s. This was the first cleanup we had since February. We took pains to ensure a covid safe situation. A local news station came out and covered the event. I can’t embed their report but you can check the link here.

In other news, my brother Bob is continuing from his illness that started over a year ago. He is transitioning from Long Term Care to Assisted Living. I’m really proud of him. He has worked hard. This former marathon runner is starting to walk and insists he is going to race again one day.

At the house, our cats are really into the Christmas Spirit. LJ loves napping in the sun.

Lizzie loves the bed spread.

My wife has put here snowmen out.

And other things.

We have a lot to be grateful for. We had a little scare. One of our painters came down with Covid and so we had to go get tested and we are all clear. Pending getting a test and then the results, we quarantined probably for a total of sixty hours. Drove me flat crazy I have to say. We sure didn’t want to expose anybody else though.

I hope everybody is enjoying the Christmas season. In these darker times one has to look for the joy maybe a little harder.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday.

Saturday’s Critters – Squirrels and a Cat

Squirrel 02 NIK

Bitterly cold windy day today, this guy was guarding our bird feeder from the hungry birds. What a bully!!

Squirrel 03 NIK

From earlier in the week, I don’t know if its the same one or not but he was calmer.

LJ is chilling out. I don’t know what happened but the vet said he doesn’t need insulin any longer!! Yea!! I wish he’d of told me before I bought a new bottle of the stuff for him.

I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters, come join the fun.

Shadow Shot Sunday – Saint Francis Edition

Our Health Club is part of Saint Francis Hospital here in Tulsa. The hospital has tons and tons of Francis imagery everywhere including going into the gym. I keep wanting to get a photo of him with Dallas Cowboys cap but I don’t want to trample the garden to get to him and my wife works there so I don’t to do any CLMs on her behalf (“Career Limiting Moves”)

Nothing makes better shadows than wrought iron. This example is at Woodward Park.

Oklahoma has lots of cool stories. In my opinion, one of the coolest is of the Five Moons. Five Indian Ballerinas from Oklahoma who achieved international acclaim for their dancing. Read more about them here. Above is Moscelyne Larkin.

So that is my Shadowy doings today. Check out Shadow Shot Sunday 2

“Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey

Cover Image - Greenlights by Matthew McConaughy

Matthew McConaughey is one cool guy in my opinion. At least he is in the the roles he plays in movies. Kind of a smart alecky, engaging, bright, laid back guy who somehow always gets what he wants and somehow you don’t mind. He’s wrote a memoir and maybe he is that kind of guy.

He talks about the difference between liars and bullshitters. Liars just lie, Bullshitters also tell untruth but you know they are lying and they know that you know, so shame on you if you believe them. And then he says he is a bullshitter.

So I don’t know what is truth and what is bullshit but he spins some great yarns and I think many of them might be true. His dad was in the oilfield supply business in west Texas and then in the late 70’s in east Texas. So I was in east Texas about 30 miles away. I knew a bunch of guys like him. Texas and Oklahoma has always been full of big hearted, generous spirited, hard working guys who loved to have a good time and breaking the rules while loving their mothers and fearing their fathers. That is Matthew. His stories of growing up ring very true to me.

He lived life large and worked hard. He went to the University of Texas and found himself in the almost hippieville there. He started out wanting to be an attorney and then decided he wanted to make films and his Dad gave him his blessing.

My favorite quote from the book is: “I have a lot of proof that the world is a conspiracy to make me happy.” I have to confess, that I believe the same things about me. I have lived a charmed life. Sure I have had a lot of bad things happen to me and the people I love that have made me feel really bad but somehow I stay pretty happy almost all the time. Generally things go my way, not that I could be considered a big success or anything.

Anyway, this book is like his movies. A smooth easy read. Much of it might be true. I recommend Greenlights very highly.

Adventure Lab Geocaching at Tulsa’s Woodward Park

Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I am into geocaching where I search for hidden “caches” hidden by other people (and I have hidden a bunch also.) It’s a worldwide game with millions of caches in almost ever country. (Check out geocaching.com for more information.) An essential feature is that there is a container that is hidden. Well, that is not appropriate in a lot of places. Geocaching.com has added a new twist to the game that doesn’t require a hidden physical object to find.

I love Fall color and fallen leaves.

They have started something called “Adventure Labs” where one goes to particular places learns something about the place and answers a question. It is on a smartphone app that uses the GPS functionality of the phone to make sure that you are at the right place. Learn more Adventure Labs by clicking the hyperlink.

Dappled Sunlight is the Bomb

There are several Adventure Lab geocaches in Tulsa right now. The first one I attempted was at Woodward Park. A very old and very beautiful park in mid-Town Tulsa loaded with features such as gardens, ponds, a rose garden, Tulsa Garden Center, and so on. There are five steps to completing the cache. None of which are shown here lest I spoil someone’s experience. Attempting the lab cache I got to see all these sights though.

Woodward Park was built back in the 20’s I love the stone steps. I am sure that each violate hundreds of safety rules. I will tell you when they are wet they are as slippery as ice.

It took about an hour to complete the five steps. I could have done it quicker but it’s not a race, and I was in it for the experience. You have to be within a certain distance before it will let you see what the question is for a given area and your answer has to be exact. It was fun. I already knew the answers to most of the question and I learned some new stuff as well. There are conventional caches and this Adventure Lab cache both at the park now.

Last Blooms at the Tulsa Garden Center

So this is my nerd finding for the week. I was just glad to get out of the house after baby sitting contractors for two weeks!!

I am linking up with Our World Tuesday.

Skywatch Friday – Through the Canopy

Harvest Moon - October 2020

We had a big bright full Harvest Moon last week during a clear night. We are going to have another full moon on October 31st. It will be a Blue Moon since it is the second full moon of the month.

My Skywatch photos this week are through trees. We have had some beautiful weather lately. Warm days, cool nights and the skies have been very clear. I went on a couple hikes in the woods this week and I loved the sun shining through through the trees. Nothing better than dappled shade and blue skies peaking through the limbs.

Couple that with a lot of the brush dying back already and it made for some great forest views.

I came out of my dentist’s office on Wednesday and saw this scene. I enhanced with the my new favorite app, Art Card.

I went geocaching in the afternoon and found this huge cottonwood tree just beginning to turn its colors against a very blue sky.

I am thankful for the great weather that we are having lately here in Oklahoma. Typically our Autumn lasts a good long time. I think I have mentioned before we have had several Thanksgiving meals outside.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

October – Out and About

My first pumpkin photo of the season at Lowe’s Hardware of all places.

This is a phone booth that has been in downtown Tulsa for years. There is no phone in it but there is a sign that says it came from Liverpool, England and that likely one of the Beatles may have used it. Yep, sure. There is a geocache in it though.

I went to Tulsa’s Woodward Park to walk around a little. I found this vantage point looking up some stone steps to a long forgotten memorial to William Shakespeare.

I walked up there and saw three blooms laying on the ground so I put them up and took a photo with a Polaroid App on my phone. Here’s to you William!!

Downtown I saw this cool sign, with sign language. I love the explosion of murals in Tulsa and elsewhere.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday and Ruby Tuesday.