The Clouds Roll In

Driving back home the clouds are heavy and the wind is blowing.


INDIAN SUMMER

Cool air carries a gentle sweetness.
Grass lies dark under gray skies heavy with rain.
The hot dry days of summer
have given way to that break in the weather
that signals the beginning of Autumn.
There may be a few more hot days
but the season has changed.

For awhile the rains will come
to fill the ponds and refresh the gardens.
Then it will clear and begin
what in Oklahoma is called Indian Summer.
Day after day of bright warm days and cool crisp nights.
Days that call for football, and long quiet walks,
and cookouts under the Oak trees.

(tg)

Back to Maryland

As soon as Susan returned the baby decided to come. Sue was visiting her mother when her daughter-in-law Beth called. Beth told me between gasps that she was having contractions 5 minutes apart. Now Sue is flying back to look after little Autumn.

Ah well, she was home for a nice birthday dinner and one restful night. Smokey will have to look after me for another week.

Mike is Twenty-Nine

Today is Mike's birthday so we invited him and his wife Amber over for dinner. Little Gavin stayed with his grandmother so we were able to have some nice conversation. Mike and my youngest son played soccer together and have been friends since they were 7 years old in the 2nd grade. Mike spent a lot of time at our house when he was growing up and was a regular at our mealtime table.

Now that Mike has his own family he lives nearby and is faithful to mow our grass and help with many things around the house. He is like another son to me. Tonight I grilled some very nice rib eye steaks, baked some sweet potatoes and had a nice green salad. Very delicious, and a little Boston Creme Cake for desert. We lit the candles and sang Happy Birthday to Mike. It was a very nice evening.

Susan Is Home

Sue's flight landed in pouring rain and crashing thunder. Daughter-in-law Beth's doctor has reset the baby's due date to October 27. Sue will go back when the baby gets serious. We stopped at the Blue Dome Diner for a late breakfast. Smokey and I are pleased to have her home.

The Leaves are Turning

Summer is past and nights are turning cooler. We are beginning to see some fall color but we need a touch of frost to get the full show. It is nice when the outer leaves turn color while the inside leaves are still green.

This is Indian Summer and I love this time of year. The days are warm and dry, the nights are cool and crisp. It is time for long walks and football games.

Korean Garden

I was tired of making sandwiches for lunch so I decided to treat myself to my favorite Korean restaurant. This is Ohsam Bulgogi, marianated calimari and pork served sizzling hot. Delicious!

Halloween Costumes

The Halloween aisle at the Walmart Supercenter is full of kids looking for just the right costume. You can tell that Halloween is drawing near because the garden area has been replaced with Christmas decorations.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma

I borrowed this photo from the PSO website. Click on it to see it better. The red letters read "Electricity", the white letters "PUBLIC SERVICE CO. OF OKLA."

Public Service Company of Oklahoma

Here is the same view at night. The plant has been in PSO's generation fleet since 1922. The illuminated sign has been a Tulsa landmark since the early 1950s. It has more than 3,200 red and clear light bulbs. I have to admit that my iPhone camera is not quite adequate for this lighting situation.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma

Since I live a block from the Arkansas River I drive up or down Riverside Drive every day. Tulsa was built on the curve of the river as it swings from East to South. Riverside Drive runs down the East side of the river from the center of town South for about 10 miles.

The area between the road and the river is the River Park. There is a running path which runs the length of it. At various locations are rest areas, playgrounds, several Frisbee golf courses, a rugby field, and places to fish. The city is in the process of making a lot of improvements to the park which explains the dirt work.

Actually the subject of this photo is on the opposite side of the riverat about 31st Street. This is one of the gas fired electrical generating plants that supply Tulsa with power.

Arkansas River Early Morning

Looking South from near 66th street.

(No new grandbabies)

Beth, Great With Child

Three year old Autumn is about to be pushed out of the nest by the new chick. Although she is accustomed to getting all of the attention, she will surely enjoy being a big sister.

Beth, Great With Child

Susan emailed a couple of pictures to me from our daughter-in-law Beth out in Maryland. Her usual model's figure has expanded somewhat now that she is 9 months and 15 minutes from having the new grandchild. Everyone is ready for the big event except the baby who is dawdling. Beth has a visit with the doctor today and they may decide to hurry things along. In the meantime, Smokey and I are bachelors.

Third and Presidential Debate

Sen. Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain participate in the third and final presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

My Crazy Cardinal

This video clip is not from my iPhone but I wanted to share it with you.

The back of our house is a long garden room with wall to wall windows. Probably you have seen it in some of my pictures. I have a number of bird feeders hanging outside the windows and pretty sun catchers on the inside. It is a pleasant room that looks over the flowers in out back garden. As a result, we have a lot of birds to watch.

Beginning last February a handsome male Cardinal moved in and decided that our back garden was his private sanctuary. He doesn't bother the other birds but he allows no other male cardinal into his territory. He and his sweetheart have nested in one of our maple trees and raised a nice family.

None of this is particularly noteworthy except that he regards his own reflection in our many windows as a rival and attacks the glass. He does this every day from dawn to dusk. We assumed that he would get over it eventually but here it is in mid October and he is still at it. If he had any brains he would have bashed them out by now. We really don't notice the constant pecking noise anymore. He doesn't seem to mind our coming and going but I do hesitate to go out in the back garden wearing red.

Smokey Gets a Bath

Nevertheless, Smokey looks and smells very nice, and always gets a new neckerchief. It doesn't show up well in the photo but this one has a Halloween pumpkin design. He is very proud.

About once a month I take Smokey to "Love on a Leash" for a bath and toe nail trim. He likes the groomers but is not crazy about the water. You might say he has mixed emotions. He is good tempered about it. They are at 2913 S Harvard Ave.

Southwood Nursery

One of the nice things about Southwood is that the people who work there know a lot about the plants they sell, how to plant them and care for them. Their expertise is part of the product they sell.

Southwood Nursery

When I moved into my little house in Tulsa's Brookside area it was completely bare of any trees or shrubs. Over the past 15 years it has been transformed into a nicely landcaped garden. We found a lot of things at Southwood. They seem to have everything.

A Quiet Sunday

These hardy chrysanthemums bloom somewhat in the spring then grow rank over the summer to put on a very nice display in the fall. They all come from a single potted mum I bought at plant nursery years ago and tossed aside when the frost nipped it.

To my surprise they emerged again in the spring so I dug a hole and gave them a spot. Over the years I have spread them out and let them take over the bed.

They coexist nicely with the day lilies, dwarf crepe myrtle, and climbing roses on the porch posts. The idea is that something is blooming all the time with practically no effort on my part.

A Quiet Sunday

The chrysanthemums in the front flowerbed of our little house are beginning to put on their annual show.

Susan left very early this morning to fly to Eastern Maryland to visit her daughter-in-law Beth. Sue will look after Beth's 3 year old daughter Autumn while Beth gives birth to our new grandson. Beth can deal with the newborn, it is the fractious Autumn who requires the services of her grandmother.

Sue's son Paul is a Navy officer and has recently been shipped to a new assignment in South Korea, leaving Beth temporarily without her helper.

At the present time sue and I have 8 grandchildren between us, 7 girls and 1 boy. This new one is expected to be a boy which makes him even more special, if possible. Susan is very excited. I will miss her company, but it is for a good cause.