Adventures in Dallas

The old homestead
Last week, Hubby and I made the three and one-half hour trek from OKC to Big D. Why? Simply to spend a couple nights away from home in one of our favorite places. Back in the 1970-1980s, when lived in a suburb near Dallas, our kids were in elementary and pre-school, we had several young couples as neighbors, and life was golden in that halcyonic way that one's mind remembers good times. In spite of my passion for Oklahoma, the lure of Dallas is still strong.

Of course we did a drive-by of the old house, and what shocked us more than anything was the size of the trees. In a former neighbor's yard, a tree that was 10 feet tall when we helped plant it is now 35-40 feet tall and nearly overwhelms the yard. And a former drainage ditch at the end of the street is now a lovely, park-like bayou with walking trails. Sadly, our old house was minus the loquat trees we placed in front, and other landscape details we established were missing.

Also on our agenda was a visit to a shooting range, where I discharged my new .22 for the first time. Learning to competently handle a gun is high on my to-do list this year. While I felt marginally comfortable shooting the .22, firing Hubby's .38 almost knocked me down. I fearlessly shot and destroyed the clip holding the target as well as a chunk of the ceiling. I feel certain that the gentlemen marksmen in nearby lanes feared for their lives. Hubby laughed bravely.


We purchased cupcakes at Sprinkles, attended a gun show in Mesquite, and wait, there's more--we shopped at a Kroger Signature grocery store, where we purchased gourmet goodies for a picnic dinner on our hotel bed. Oklahoma has no Kroger stores, and we keenly miss them.

Mostly we relaxed, ate what we wanted when we wanted to, took dorky self-photos, and enjoyed having no pressing plans. Good times in Dallas. But we were happy to go home to Okie-Land.

Good-Bye to My Big Bud

My beloved brother, Dan - 1939 - 2009

Shredded Wheat Bread

I will use almost any excuse to make bread. I have often used bread-worthy lefovers as my bread base--pancake or waffle batter, the remaining bits of granola, bits of fruit, and of course potatoes--all can be successfully incorporated into one's favorite bread recipe. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, but the process of invention is always fun. So yesterday, I had a few bite-sized frosted shredded wheats left in the bottom of the bag, and I got the brilliant idea to make bread from the crumbs.

First I pulverized the shredded wheat in the food processor, and then I added a cup of warm water to it, to soften it.


In the meantime, I added 2 teaspoons of yeast to a cup of warm water, then whisked in a cup of flour. After about 30 minutes, the yeast mixture was bubbly, and the shredded wheat had become a nice, fragrant "wheaty" mass.


Into the KitchenAid mixer bowl went the softened shredded wheat and the yeast mixture, along with 2 tablespoons of yogurt from Wagon Creek Creamery (an Oklahoma dairy), two teaspoons of salt, and enough flour (maybe another 3 cups) to make a slightly sticky dough. After a decent interval of mixing with the bread hook (God bless it), I let the dough rise for about an hour. I then turned it out onto a floured Silpat, gave a knead or two, and formed it into a Vienna-shaped loaf.

I had to run some errands, and when I returned, the loaf had risen to the size of a flattened whale; so I did not slash it for fear it would collapse. I baked it at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, and while it did not make a pretty loaf (think buff-colored whale) the finished product was delicious.


The texture was nice and moist and chewy, the shredded wheat lent an addictive nuttiness, and the crust was especially tasty toasted.

Useless Commentary

Random thoughts and mindless ramblings from my brain this week:

Yesterday I received an email ad for this new "vibrating" mascara. Not to disparage the Maybelline company or anyone who buys this product, but is this not the ultimate in laziness? Although I cannot put on my mascara at the rate of 7000 vibrations per stroke, I have never been rendered physically exhausted by the act of applying mascara. And with my klutz reputation, I am not keen about putting a vibrating wand within millimeters of my eyeball.

A major movie began production this week in Guthrie, Oklahoma, a pretty little town about 20 miles north of Edmond. The Killer Inside Me will star Jessica Alba, Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and my current favorite actor, Simon Baker, the Australian star of one of our favorite TV shows, The Mentalist. I have a crush on him I think he is hot I really like him and find him attractive because his eyes reflect kindness and humor. And I don't think he wears mascara.

We are having a new fence built in our backyard, which means our dogs, Buddy and Holly, are spending quality time in the house this week. Their boredom is evident in their frequent yawns and whines, and the week promises to be a trying time for all of us. Buddy sighs and stares forlornly out the window. Holly declined to have her picture taken, as she was napping at the time.

The weather is beautiful, but boring, as high pressure has set up over the state. I try not to complain, because the temperature is near-ideal, with low humidity, but it is May, I live in Tornado Alley, and I want thunderstorms. Here is a photo from a more exciting day last week.

I Love Weather

Living in the heart of Tornado Alley is definitely not boring, although I do find clear, sunny days a little dull.

If you think that all the weather-related links and posts on my blog indicate that weather is a major focus in my life, you are right. I have suffered from college degree-remorse for many years, having obtained a degree in mathematics instead of meteorology; so weather has become an avid hobby a freakish obsession instead of a vocation.

In March, I completed an evening of training to become a storm spotter for the National Weather Service. According to the Spotter page on the NWS website:

The training lasts about 2 1/2 hours and includes instruction on how to safely observe severe storms, how to identify important features, and how to make accurate and timely reports. In our area, storm spotters are a resource of each local community, and work with local emergency management officials to help protect their community from dangerous storms.

Very capably taught by Norman, Oklahoma NWS Office Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Rick Smith, the training was informative and fun. Such a diverse group was gathered, including newbies (like me) as well as people that had "spotted" for years. There is always something new to learn about weather. My favorite part of the evening was the discussion of how to differentiate between SLC, or Scary Looking Clouds, and a rotating wall cloud, which usually precedes a tornado.

Armed with my newly acquired spotter knowledge, a weather alert radio, an official rain gauge, and my camera, I can't wait to "spot" those storms.


This week is memorable for many Oklahomans, as Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. Incredibly, almost 60 tornadoes occurred that day, along with the highest recorded tornado wind speeds (300+ mph), during the mile-wide F5 tornado that hit Moore and Bridge Creek, southwest of Oklahoma City. Sadly, forty people lost their lives in the state that day and over 600 were injured. However, thousands more lives were saved due to warnings from media personnel such as Gary England, Chief Meteorologist for KWTV Channel 9, who continuously urged viewers and listeners to "get below ground now". Credit also goes to live video coverage by storm chasers, spotters, and helicopter pilots.

Here is the classic hook echo of the F5 tornado:



And here is a map showing the path of the tornadoes:



The reason for the difference in these two radars of the same storm is phenomenal:


The radar on the left is of the tornado on open land. In the radar on the right, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory,

The bright red colors at the tornado location represent not rain or hail -- but the aggregate signature of car parts, pieces of houses, shredded tree branches, dirt and other debris, hoisted thousands of feet skyward by the tornado vortex!

I highly recommend Storm Warning, a very readable account of that terrible day by Oklahoma native Nancy Mathis, not only for its riveting personal stories and interviews, but also for the scientific data on the devastating storm and a well-researched account of the evolution of storm prediction.

Oklahoma Spring in My Backyard - Part 2

Never discount the possibility of any kind of weather, any time of the year, in Oklahoma. Just when I thought it was safe to plan a weekend of deck lounging, a winter storm system moved out of Colorado, dumping two feet of snow on our neighbors in northwest Oklahoma and about an inch in my neighborhood in central Oklahoma.



Fortunately temperatures are supposed to warm up in a day or so; then we get to watch the skies for thunderstorms (YAY!)

See Oklahoma Spring in My Backyard - Part 1 for photos of the faux spring we experienced last week.

Oklahoma Spring in My Backyard - Part 1

Random photos from my backyard...

Hubby built a new railing for our deck and installed a wall-mounted fountain:




Hot air balloons on a Sunday evening...







Tomato seedlings (cue the song "At Last" and see My Seed Problem for more thorough explanation). Buddy guards the door as I transplant seedlings from the starter tray into styrofoam "pots".



I have high hopes...