All posts by Red Dirt Kelly

Family, Man Cave, Oklahoma culture

BOOK REVIEW – Life Lessons for Dad: Tea Parties, Tutus, and All Things Pink

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photoReviewing a book about father-daughter relationships, in my own mind, introduces the potential for irony.

In a world where societal views about male and female roles are more than a little diverse, clarity and direction in this subject area is fuzzy at best.  Add a generational component into the mix, focus specifically on the relationship between fathers and daughters in the 21st century, and some might even feel downright muddled.

In fact, when thinking about this topic right now I can almost hear the thoughts of fatherhood echoing across the stratosphere:

How far do I push her in life, sports or school?

How do I be there emotionally for her in a way that honors my position as dad…and her position as a developing female?

When do I set rules? When do I break them?  And, how do I feel good about the parenting decisions I make day in and day out as her father?

There are far more questions, I’m sure, if we were to put our ear to that stratosphere that connects to the hearts and minds of fathers today.  But thank goodness, there are answers as well.  One resource with a great number of these type of answers is the book, “Life Lessons for Dad: Tea Parties, Tutus, and All Things Pink” by Michael Mitchell.

The birth of his first child influenced Mitchell to reconcile his own questions and answers, and then begin to share them through his “Life to Her Years” blog.  And, as most good things do, his project grew an audience (regular readers number in the tens of thousands, and some links have two-million+ shares) and then grew a book.  Now, that book is ready to read and share with whomever you think could benefit from the well-written and illustrated content.

I spoke with Mitchell today over an early breakfast.  His heart is full to the brim of passion for fathers of daughters, and I have no doubt we’ll be hearing more from him in the months to come.  “Life Lessons for Dad…” is a solid, well-balanced read and a book-gift worth giving.

I’m glad Oklahoma grows dads like Mitchell, and I’m greatly looking forward to hearing about how you and others respond to his first published work.  Order yours here: Via Amazon

[kelly]

Oklahoma culture

Fruit and Nut Trees Native to Oklahoma

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The reasons people choose to use our RDC Contact Form are vast.  Recipes…questions about relationships…companies asking us to review a product, etc.  Yesterday, however, we fielded a question about native Oklahoma fruit trees that led me to a phone conversation with my father.  I thought it might be helpful to pass the information along to others looking for the same information.

If you want to grow trees that have a good chance of survival and are native to our great state, here is a fairly comprehensive list created from using the “Forest Trees of Oklahoma” book by Dr. Elbert L. Little Jr.

List of Fruit and Nut Trees Native to Oklahoma

  • Persimmon   60 ft.
  • Paw Paw   10 – 30 ft.
  • Red Mulberry   50 ft.
  • Prairie Crab Apple   20 ft.
  • Plums (American, Hortulan, Mexican, wildgoose) all 20 ft.
  • Black Cherry   50 – 70 ft.
  • Choke Cherry   15 ft.
  • Pecan   70 ft.
  • Hickory (several varieties)   60 ft.
  • Black Walnut   50 ft.

You can also eat the berries from a Hackberry tree, but I’m not sure they are native to Oklahoma.  They definitely grow here!

There are several fruit trees that have been introduced into our forests and Oklahoma landscape, but are not native to Oklahoma.  An example of this would be a small, wild pear tree my Uncle found on his land in Clayton.  It appeared as a small, slightly roundish fruit with the texture close to an Asian pear.  It’s pretty cool to happen upon something like this, but isn’t “purist” if you want your trees to fit naturally with the original climate and environment.

There are quite a few grapes and a currant bush native to Oklahoma as well as several berries.  I don’t have an exhaustive list, but I can point you to a wildcrafting website that is educational.  The information on THIS PAGE isn’t delineated between native, and what simply grows naturally in our state because it was introduced.  You can, however, learn quite a bit by just scrolling through the info and photos.

Please make sure that you are well informed if you decide to go wildcrafting for fruit in Oklahoma.  There are many “look-alikes” across our landscapes and I want you to stay healthy!

Happy planting…and eating!

[kelly]

persimmon photo above by Rylee Roberts

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Preview of Dibble, Criner and Payne, OK

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As Rachel and I sat on a porch in Dibble, on another porch in Criner, and in the living room of a couple who had been married 65 years in Payne, we weren’t aware of something that had been happening.  Our brains had been filling up with stories of the Oklahomans with whom we were interacting.  They were filling up with the histories, and mysteries, of those we had just begun to know.

Throughout the night and into the next afternoon we continued to process all the information we had gathered on our Saturday trip to south-central Oklahoma.  Here is a sneak peak of that day, and a tiny glimpse of those conversations we’ll be sharing over the next couple of weeks.

Our hope is that we provide YOU with food for thought as well.  Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Next Steps for the Team

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Okay, so we completed our pilot run.  I mentioned we had a few hiccups.

That was probably an understatement.

Going into a project as a novice, I knew there would be corrections.  In order to be completely open about our learning curve, here’s the list:

  1. Problem #1: I ordered an HD camera I thought was a good deal.  The camera was high quality, but didn’t have the capacity to record directly onto a SD card.  It used tapes, and had to be converted to digital files.  This would have cost us a huge amount of time in transferring files.  So, we sent it back.  That mistake cost the project $70 is shipping penalties.  OUCH.
  2. The fix for #1: The first video was shot completely using an iPhone and a condenser mic.  We were actually pretty pleased with the quality, but we may also order a GoPro Hero 4.  I’m not ordering it until I make sure we can get the sound we want, because evidently they don’t have a portal for lapel mics and we’ll need to make sure our condenser mic will work as well as it did on the iPhone.  If we rule that out, we’re back to the drawing board on a larger Sony HD camera again.  I just found that it’s laborious setting up so much equipment, and timing is a key issue.  However, with larger cameras, you can set them on your shoulder and take video while walking without bounces.  You might notice several bounces in our first piece.
  3. Problem #2: Rachel’s first try at the large format film may not have worked.   Continue reading EPOTM: Next Steps for the Team →
Every Point on the Map, Man Cave

EPOTM: Carney, Oklahoma

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The learning curve was steep.  Our final cut isn’t where I’d like it to be.  But, our first documentation piece for Every Point on the Map has reached the “good enough” standard.  Now, we’re ready to share it with you.

We’re grateful to Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief Robbie Clark, and self-described “rookie” Micheal “June Bug” McCorkle for their time and thoughts.  And, we hope you enjoy this glimpse into the lives of two citizens of Carney, Oklahoma.

[kelly]

If you’d like to read more about Carney, check out THIS LINK written on Carney history from OSU.  To read demographics about the town, and other general information, here is the Wikipedia link.  And, here is a KOCO video of the tornado from last year.

For other Every Point on the Map posts, click here.

Every Point on the Map, Red Dirt Dives

Every Point OK Food: Ya-Ya’s in Carney, Oklahoma

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_DSC0015Julie Kennedy was wearing an orange and white Chevron print apron her grandmother had made her when she took our order for breakfast.  She welcomed us warmly, accommodated all our special requests, chatted about the restaurant and quickly went about her business.  It was Saturday morning, and Ya-Ya’s Place in Carney, Oklahoma was filling up fast.

It wasn’t long before our order came, and I must say, the food rivaled any breakfast cafe around the area.  The décor was managed with a sense of humor  The kitchen was clean, as was the bathroom.  And, we were checked on during our meal not too many times, and not too few.

_DSC0008

Julie’s husband and child were in one of the booths enjoying their own breakfast.  Her mother-in-law owns the business, and her sister-in-law was cooking that morning.  I think it’s safe to say the entire family is invested in making Ya-Ya’s succeed.  The locals appeared comfortable and were all cleaning their plates as the morning progressed. Continue reading Every Point OK Food: Ya-Ya’s in Carney, Oklahoma →

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Pilot Day

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly were all part of our pilot run to Carney, Oklahoma this past Saturday.

Rachel has some beautiful photos, we have some very special video footage, and we’re working diligently to honor the essence of our first “point” on the Oklahoma map.  While those pieces are being polished, however, we thought we’d share this little “behind the scenes” video about Pilot Day.  Enjoy!

[kelly] & Rachel Apple

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Doorbells Ringing; Mailboxes Bursting

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photo(1)As a family scientists, I’ve written for – and received, over 1.5 million dollars in federal funding to run theoretical or applied research.  Some scientists reach the hundreds of millions by the time they retire.  There are also, however, new scientists who are just starting their careers and dreaming of their first grant award…and that’s where I come in.

Standing in front of classrooms full of graduate students, I have painstakingly answered questions on what it takes to write a successful grant proposal.  And, during the budgeting information, I ALWAYS tell them this:  “Please…please for the love of all that you cherish, build in some breathing room.  No matter how detailed and accurately you think your budget has been prepared, you will run into surprises.  And, sometimes those surprises are costly.”

I had flashbacks to those classroom sessions when I opened our camera case this morning.  In the case was everything I had ordered and paid for.  One camera; some wires to connect to a computer; one battery.  Wait.  ONE battery?  Oh, this can’t be good…

A few minutes go by while I order a package of back-up batteries and a car charger.  We’re going to be miles from people and plug-ins.  We need a car charger.  I completed my order and went back to the camera case.

A tripod.  I need a tripod.  I KNEW I needed a tripod, but for some reason when I made my list of inventory and sat down to research prices and place all the orders, tripods just didn’t come up.  Cripes. Continue reading EPOTM: Doorbells Ringing; Mailboxes Bursting →

Every Point on the Map

EPTOM: Varuca Salt We’re Not, But Maybe We Are…

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veruca-salt-2The cyclothymic process of rolling out our “Every Point on the Map” project is wearing me down.

To begin, we followed the Kickstarter suggestions to the letter.  They suggested we run our campaign for no longer than 30 days so as not to wear down those who might support the project.

Okay, well…we probably DID wear our friends down, but we got it done.

But then, there was the matter of the fine print.  The fine print which eluded me.  The fine print which was evidently on one of the several pages…of the several agreements…wherein I clicked the “Yes, I agree!” box.

Oh, the limits of what a person will click know NO bounds when they want something good to happen.

So, somewhere embedded in that fine print was this message:  You don’t get your money until 16 business days after you’ve completed your Kickstarter campaign.

Meh.  I have begun to identify with Varuca Salt in the 1970s Willy Wonka movie:  “I want it NOW!” 

I want to order our equipment.  I want to roll out our pilot run.  I want to see what it’s going to be like for the next ten years.  I want to see how hard it is to approach a stranger and ask them to open up to someone they’ve never met.  I want to see Rachel’s photographs.  I want to hear the stories. And…

I want it NOW!

But, we’ll have to wait three more business days.  And THEN, we’ll begin making progress.

Love, kisses, and cyclothymic tendencies…

[kelly] & Rachel J. Apple

P.S.  We thought our pilot run would be this upcoming Saturday, March 1.  Evidently, it won’t.  It will most likely take place 1-2 weeks after that date that we wanted NOW.  However, we DO know that Carney, OK is our first stop.  We know that won’t change…right?

Every Point on the Map

EPTOM: What is a Sonic ID? Why do we care?

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rachel selfie sonic id storyFive minutes into our meeting with Rachel Hubbard of KOSU, I had almost finished my oatmeal.  I glanced at Rachel Apple sitting next to me, and she had barely started her flaxseed banana bar.  She was listening.

(see photo at left: Rachel Apple)

Rachel Apple, my daughter and partner in the “Every Point on the Map” (EPOTM) project, excels at listening.  Her large brown eyes fixate on the source of information, and there is no breaking that “listening-beam.”  At this moment, her listening beam was directed toward Hubbard talking about the art of sound gathering.  And, about “Sonic IDs.“

Sonic IDs are a format developed by Atlantic Public Media.  They are a derivative of the wildly popular Moth Radio Hour, only very very brief.  Generally, 60 seconds or less.

Public radio stations have begun to use them for small fillers between regular spots.  They’re stories told at “sonic” speed.  And, they were the initial thought Hubbard had when she considered how we might partner with KOSU once we begin our journeys.

We learned about particular microphones we might order and attach to our iPhones.  We learned that video files can be used for audio files if necessary.  We learned that the new KOSU studio on Historic Film Row in Oklahoma City has a cool vibe.  And, we learned that there might be something of value we could share on the radio from our project.

That’s what Sonic IDs are.  That’s why we care.  And here’s how you can help us raise our last $450 dollars in the next 62 hours to fund our project…so we can begin sound gathering.  And listening.

[kelly] and Rachel “Listening Beam” Apple