Local UFO (Update for Oklahomans) Sighting!

Dear Okies,

Have you ever noodled like a true Okie?

No, I haven’t either, but my mother says my grandpa did when he was a boy.

For the uninitiated who don’t know what noodling is, I’d highly recommend Bradley Beasley’s Okie Noodling movies as an introduction to the sport. By the time you’re done with the films, you’ll be itching to stick your hands into a hole in the bank of a river and see if you can pull out a catfish of your own. Okay, so maybe you won’t, but you’ll at least be in awe of those Okies who do choose to go fishing with their bare hands.

The movies led to the creation of an annual noodling competition based out of Paul’s Valley, and the 12th Annual Okie Noodling Tournament is schedule for this weekend. We attended the event last year, and it’s quite an experience.

Grab a cooler full of cold drinks and give noodling a try this weekend...Just watch to make sure you don’t end up a finger or two short!

~Kristin

Scenes from last year's tournament

Splish Splash

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Are you as tired of the heat and drought as I am? When we’re on track to break the record for the most days over 100 degrees in a summer, you know things aren’t looking good.

I can’t figure out how I ever played outside in Oklahoma summers as a child. I even spent a few weeks living in cabins without air conditioning each year when I went to camp! I have to laugh when I compare that to the summer I spent in New England during college. I was working as a camp counselor that year, and they shut down all camp activities and required everyone to spend the afternoon in the pool on the few days the temperature reached 90. We’d never have time for our toes to unwrinkle if we tried that strategy in Oklahoma!

Well, in addition to us feeling the stress of this hard summer, our lawns are also suffering. In an effort to keep your lawn and landscaping alive through these long hot months without breaking the bank on your water bill, there are a few basic rules to keep in mind about watering.

According to information from KOCO News, the bermudagrass most of us have in our yards in Oklahoma has roots that are down six inches deep, and the bottom of the root is where most of the water is absorbed. That means frequent short watering sessions may not even reach the root system before evaporating. Watering less frequently but for longer periods of time will work to ensure water penetrates deep enough to benefit the plant. It will also make the root system hardier as the plant learns to develop deeper, stronger roots to make the most of long watering sessions.

And the best time to water? Experts agree it’s in the morning. Your plants need watering in the morning so they’ll be prepared to endure the stress of the afternoon heat. If you’re hand watering, that will be the most comfortable time for you anyway, so it works out well for everyone.

Trying to maintain a container garden? I’ve heard local garden gurus say it’s not worth trying to keep plants hydrated and alive in containers smaller than 16 inches across the top. I’m not saying I haven’t attempted smaller containers myself, but I have to admit my live plant success rates probably prove their point.

For more information about how much water your lawn really needs on a daily basis, check out this cool site provided by the Oklahoma Mesonet. Based on local conditions, it shows you exactly how much water the grass in your area needs. It even predicts water requirements three days ahead of time and gives you the tools to calculate your water usage charges.

You might also consider attending the informational session offered by OKC Parks & Rec on Friday. Their gardening experts will be presenting the program “Water Saving Landscapes” at the Will Roger’s Garden Center at 9:30AM. Call 943-0827 for more information or to make reservations.

Stay cool and hydrated!

~Kristin 

Local UFO (Update for Oklahomans) Sighting!

Dear Animal Lover,

Have you considered adding a cat to your family? Well, today's the day!

The Central Oklahoma Humane Society has waived all fees for adult cats (six months and older) at their Adoption Center through the end of the day today. The fee waiver comes courtesy of a grant from the ASPCA and Fresh Step Litter.

Kittens are cute and all, but adult cats have so much love to give. We recently adopted a one year old cat from OK Humane and can't imagine our life without him at this point. I personally prefer adopting adult cats because they're past the crazy kitten stage and you can get a true picture of their personalities. Also, adult cats are more in need because there are so many of them patiently waiting for a family to love.

You can view all of OK Humane’s adoptable cats by going to their web site. Please consider adopting one today!

~Kristin

We first met Winston as a stray when we found him living in a feral cat colony we were working to TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return). We fostered him for OK Humane's adoption program and quickly realized he wasn't going anywhere. We officially adopted him earlier this year.

Shimmer & Sparkle

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Do you have a favorite type of firework? I find the kinds that explode into shapes to be very interesting, but I swoon over the shimmery ones that look like glitter across the sky.

I admit it, I’m a bit of a firework junkie. I attempt to enjoy as many fireworks as I can each Fourth of July...I lay out a schedule and make it to as many different shows as possible in the days leading up to the holiday. Yes, I might have a problem, and this year I’m going to share my problem with you by pulling together a list of all major fireworks shows in the metro area.

One interesting fireworks experience I will mention but not officially include on the list is “Beyond City Limits” shows. There’s nothing like driving down Waterloo (or other borderline streets) and watching a solid line of fireworks exploding from individual celebrations. If you choose to take in some of these shows up close, my only word of caution would be to not drive your nicest car. While some of the shows are in people’s backyards, other shows are put on by individuals who drive just across the city line and then start setting off fireworks in the middle of the street—Beware of flying rockets headed your way!

There is one annual fireworks display I will not encourage you to join. Each year (burn ban or no burn ban) one family who lives in the neighborhood behind our house enjoys their own illegal fireworks display. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a backyard sparkler or two, but we’re talking full size mortars here! There’s nothing like arriving home the evening before Independence Day to find fire trucks lining your property after your neighbors have started a grassfire in your yard. Always ones to persevere, that incident doesn't deter the family from continuing to have their annual fireworks display feet away from our brown grass each summer.

But, on to the legal shows!

July 3rd

OKC: Red, White, & Boom will be held on July 3rd this year and will include a free concert from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. The concert starts at 8:30PM in Bricktown and concludes with a huge fireworks display.

July 4th

Edmond: LibertyFest is the place to be if you live in Edmond. The fireworks show originates from the UCO campus and begins at 10:00PM. This display is the biggest in the metro area and has been named one of the top ten shows by CNN and USA Today.

Yukon: The city’s Freedom Fest gives you another chance to listen to free music from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. The live concert will held at the Chisholm Trail Park and will culminate with fireworks.

Bethany: The 53rd annual Freedom Festival will be held at Eldon Lyon Park and includes fireworks at 9:55PM.

Midwest City: The fireworks display for Midwest City will be held at Joe B. Barnes Regional Park and is scheduled to begin shortly after 10:00PM

Other Shows

Frontier City will be shooting off fireworks on July 2nd, 3rd, & 4th as soon as it’s dark enough to enjoy the show, and don’t forget to check with your local neighborhood to see if they’re hosting a private show for you and your neighbors!

Enjoy all of the shimmer and sparkle that fills the Independence Day sky this year, and stay safe!

~Kristin

PS: Chris, if you’re reading this, one day I would really enjoy celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with a huge fireworks display. Okay?

Local UFO (Update for Oklahomans) Sighting!

Dear Oklahoma Gardeners,

Don’t forget to stop by TLC Nursery's Moonlight Madness sale this weekend! They usually have some great deals, and you don’t even have to go at midnight like you did when they first started running the sale and called it Midnight Madness! It will be held Saturday and Sunday, although I normally don’t go until Sunday so the lines are shorter.

Happy Gardening!

~Kristin

Give Up!

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Have you ever failed at a DIY home project? I mean REALLY failed...to the tune of around $1,000 and approximately three years down the drain. Now that is a true home project failure.

I’ve never been very good at accepting failure. I usually just keep muddling through things, even when it’s clear they aren’t going anywhere. Somehow in my mind, continuing to tilt at windmills means you don’t have to acknowledge failure. That said, I think I’m finally ready to admit I have a huge failure on my hands!

My good china and crystal (you know, the stuff you pull out for the holidays) has been stored in my grandmother’s hutch since I bought my first house. I was so honored to put my belongings in the beautiful hutch I had admired as a young girl. That worked out fine, until Chris and I moved to a new house a few years back and the guys moving our furniture actually made me promise not to hold them liable for any damage to the hutch during the move. Apparently the wooden legs were so old they were no longer sturdy enough to support the weight of the piece anymore. I finally realized the lovely furniture I had admired for so long was probably no longer up for storing Waterford.

The once beautiful hutch was relegated to holding books and knickknacks, and my search for new furniture began! Because of the placement of the doors and windows in our current living room, it made more sense to me to get two medium size pieces of furniture rather than one large hutch. Apparently, that doesn’t make sense to furniture manufacturers. I looked far and wide for the perfect pieces, and we finally resorted to a trip down I-35 to DFW to continue the search.

Always up for a challenge, and with complete confidence he can transform a bubble gum wrapper into a rocking chair, Chris suggested we visit Ikea. We ultimately decided on two matching cabinets, with the plan to paint them and dress them up to perfection for the living room.

From there, this is what happened...

I spent weeks deciding on my color scheme in the room. I finally decided on the perfect color, and of course it was only available in the expensive paint brand. Then we spent weeks painting several coats of paint on the shelves, and we even designed and bought new backings for the cabinets. They of course had to be in a different color of expensive paint! Just when we thought we were almost done, we realized the paint was peeling. We should have primed each piece before we started but hadn’t bothered. Then we had the joy of peeling off all of the paint completely so we could put Kilz on every piece and start over. Next, we repainted both of the cabinets again. Or at least we started to repaint them.

Three years into this project, and countless cans of paint later, we finally admitted to each other we were actually getting a little burnt out on the stupid cabinet project. Yet there they sat in our sunroom, and my crystal was still sitting carefully packed in boxes. And then in a sudden epiphany a few weeks ago, I realized maybe it was okay to not finish those cabinets. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to just leave them permanently in the sunroom! It had finally occurred to me that we could probably use some extra storage in that room anyway, and with as much work as I could accomplish in one afternoon, they’d be good enough for the casual look of the sunroom.

Honestly, it’s been a huge weight off my shoulders since I decided to let myself fail on those cabinets. My biggest lesson here is that sometimes you have to allow yourself to fail, and in certain circumstances, the sooner the better. This failure would have been of less magnitude if I had resigned myself to it a couple years and about eight paint cans earlier!

We’re driving to Ikea one day this week to buy new cabinets. They recently starting carrying a new design that looks perfect as is for our living room. I think I’ll give them a try.

Good luck with your own DIY home projects! I wish you success, or at least the wisdom to figure out when to give up.

~Kristin

When a Snake Crashes the Sale

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Do you ever get the feeling “stuff” is taking over your life?

Periodically, I start itching to reduce the amount of stuff we have. The last time we bought a new house I had a garage sale before we moved so I wouldn’t have to transport anything I didn’t need anymore, and we also had a garage sale after we moved for items we realized didn’t have a proper spot in our new house. After every garage sale I host, the same debate rages in my head...Was it really worth it to sit out there for hours on end to make a few bucks, when I could just as easily have donated the items to a charitable organization?

We tried a garage sale again this past weekend. After getting burnt to a crisp sitting in the blazing sun for hours on Friday and Saturday, I can definitively say the trickle of people brave enough to venture into the heat did not buy enough to make the whole endeavor worth the effort!

I should have learned my lesson and thought better of having a garage sale after the incident we had last year. I’m not sure we’ve lived that down in our neighborhood yet. It all started when I asked my mother if she’d mind holding down the fort while I took a short break from the sale to water the flowers.

Several birds were having a squabble in a nearby crape myrtle tree. Being an animal lover, I cringe when I hear animals fighting, but I’ve finally accepted that sometimes nature has to sort itself out. When I’ve tried to break up bird fights in the past, they usually just go back to fighting as soon as I’ve gone inside anyway.

My resolve to let things be finally broke down after listening to the repeated squawks for a full five minutes. What I found when I went to investigate further shocked me...A snake (not just any snake, but the biggest snake I’d ever seen outside of a zoo) had slithered his way up the crepe myrtle tree and was snacking on the contents of a bird’s nest. The scene was a little less horrifying due to the fact I knew the eggs had not hatched yet. Nonetheless, I was not a fan of that large creature hanging out in my front landscaping!

When I found Chris working in his home office, I think my attempt at calm was probably worse than if I had come in screaming. After breathlessly repeating a few times that everyone was alright, I eventually made it clear he needed to remove the snake immediately.

So in the middle of the sale, Chris came running out the garage door welding a machete knife yelling, “Where is he?” at the top of his voice. And yes, we did have neighbors and strangers walking up to the sale at just that moment.

It would have been the end of the snake, but we both stopped a minute to ask ourselves if this was just one more part of the wildlife we love at this house...And a snake has to eat breakfast too, doesn’t he? I quickly resolved that no snake that size had any business being anywhere near my house, but the moment of hesitation had allowed him to escape. The next twenty minutes were spent with Chris waving the large knife around and randomly hacking at imagined snake movements. Through it all, people continued to walk up the driveway, tried to disguise their concern, and pleasantly wished us a good day as they hustled back to their cars. I’m surprised the police didn’t show up.

Our garage sale was a little less eventful this year. We may not have sold as much as I had hoped, but at least I’ve sorted through some things and have a big pile of items to donate. More than anything, I’m just glad we haven’t had any more large snakes hanging around our house. One family in Idaho hasn’t been as lucky with snakes. A friend sent me this story about a house that has a hard time staying sold because of its snake infestation! Our one slithering visitor doesn’t seem so bad after you hear this story. Enjoy!

~Kristin

Out with the Old & In with the New

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Do you like the new look?

We felt it was time for me to have my own blog to make it clear who was writing each entry. So, instead of Chris and I sharing one blog, we each have our own now! You can find his blog here: http://www.okcrealestatepro.blogspot.com/. He’s just getting started at this point, but check back soon to see his progress.

I’ve never used Blogspot before, so I’m going to keep things simple for the time being. Once I’m more familiar with this site I’ll try to dress things up a bit and make them fancier.

Please bookmark the site and consider Following me so you’ll know when I add posts...And it will give me more confidence someone’s actually reading what I’m writing!

Thanks!

~Kristin

June Special!

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

We’re offering a special during the month of June. This is unlike anything we’ve done before, and we’re announcing it here first!

Here’s the scoop: List a house with Chris anytime during the month of June, and he’ll reduce his commission fee by half a percentage point.

Each real estate agent has the discretion to set their own commission rate, and Chris usually charges three percent. For any listing agreement he signs during the month of June, he’ll set his fee at two and a half percent of the sales price. Half a percentage point may not sound like much...until you do the math: It’s a savings of $500 on a $100,000 house; a savings of $1,250 on a $250,000; a savings of $2,500 on a $500,000 house.

This is one of the busiest times of the year for home sales, and we want you to partner with Chris Smith to sell your house. Please help us spread the word about this special by telling your friends and family.

Thanks for your continued support.

~Kristin

There's No Place Like Home

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those effected by the tornadoes today. Oklahomans are tough by nature, but it’s been a rough day across the state.

Today’s weather has made me think about houses a little differently. Normally, I think in terms of the total square footage of a house, whether it is a Ranch or Bungalow style, or if the fixtures have been updated recently. Today, the main function of many homes in Oklahoma was simply to provide shelter.

Being a native Oklahoman, spending a Spring evening in the hallway was something I casually grew up thinking was normal. It wasn’t until a rare Winter tornado came through Edmond a couple years ago that I finally learned to respect the power of nature. Chris was at a closing in south OKC when the sirens began to sound. I huddled at the end of the hallway with our animals and listened to the tornado hit our next door neighbor's house and then head to the house across the street from us. We were spared from a direct hit ourselves, but I would never take tornado warnings lightly again.

With serious talk of severe weather all day today, it gave me plenty of time to prepare for the late afternoon storms. I found it interesting to consider what things I felt worthy of taking with me into our “safe spot” at the end of our hallway. Chris planned to stay home for the afternoon, so of course we needed space for both of us to hunker down. We also got the carriers ready for the animals...Even the turtle has his own shoebox for just such an occasion. We placed basic bad weather supplies (weather radio, flashlights, etc.) in our storm shelter area next.

Beyond the essentials, I had to make some tough decisions about what we should protect. Chris and I both made sure we were wearing our wedding bands, and I also put on a wooden ring he carved for me out of our oak tree and a brooch that belonged to my grandmother. I collected my purse and phone, our laptops, the camera (with a full picture card), and my flute. I recently discovered my long lost passport, so I figured I’d throw that in my “go” bag to be sure I didn’t lose track of it again. Interestingly enough, I remembered our cat’s daily breathing inhaler, but I forgot to grab the medicines both Chris and I needed. I used to pull together pictures as well, but with so many of them online at this point I save the time and space for other valuables. We grabbed a few other things, but those were the most important items in my mind.

I couldn’t help but wonder what items other people secured in their safe spots. With a house full of “stuff”, it’s remarkable how few things I truly choose to shelter in the lead up to the storm. Days like today are good reminders that the façade of our house isn’t nearly as important as the roof over our head and the walls that protect us and our loved ones. Somehow I love the walls of my house more today than I did yesterday. As Dorothy is famous for saying, “There’s no place like home”.

Hoping all our readers are safe and sound this evening.

~Kristin

Consider Yourself Updated

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Due to a severe lack of sleep, this week’s entry will be a short and sweet update on previous posts—More on the lack of sleep in a minute!

The Sunnier Side of Tax Day

The Metro area came within a hare’s hair of a freeze the first week in May...But the Tax Day rule won out, and my new plants are finally beginning to establish themselves in the garden!

The Flavor of Local Food

I have NOT joined the OKC Food Co-op yet, but I feel there’s still plenty of time this spring and summer for co-op food. I am currently enjoying the wonderful local food available at the Edmond Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and am looking forward to the addition of a Wednesday market week after next.

Everyone Needs a Home

This is the exciting news I’ve been waiting to share...The baby birds all learned to fly last week! After two very stressful days (stressful for the baby birds, the momma and papa birds, and ME), they finally figured out how to fly in and out of the nest on their own. My blood pressure spiked as I watched them struggle time after time to make it all the way back up to their nest.

And just like that, they were all gone to lead their young adult bird lives!

Hunting for a Good Deal on Furniture

While I haven’t gotten my settee reupholstered yet, I have collected a list of recommended professionals to help with the job. I’ll let you know if I find anyone worth mentioning once the work is complete.

Midnight Woofness

And NOW we get to the lack of sleep! The Midnight Woofness: Under the Big Top event was a huge success. It took almost 48 hours around the clock, but we found homes for 565 cats and dogs! That is 565 animals all snuggled up with new loving families this week. Although these events are always fun, my droopy eyes are glad the next one isn’t scheduled until October...and that it will be located at the Edmond PetSmart, which will be much closer to home.

And now Chris and I are presented with an even bigger task...We are both members of OK Humane’s Follow Up Team. Each family who took home an animal last weekend will get a call from someone on our team to see how things are going. And one of those calls will be placed to the lucky family who adopted our sweet foster girl, BamBam! I can’t wait to hear how she’s fitting in with her new family.

Have a good week!

~Kristin

P.S. Apparently I’m not very good at short and sweet.

Midnight Woofness!

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Have you considered adding a furry member to your family? Well, now’s the time!

Starting at 12:01 AM on Saturday, May 14th, the Central Oklahoma Humane Society will be hosting a mega-adoption event! Working in partnership with PetSmart Charities, the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter and many other local animal rescue organizations, OK Humane’s around-the-clock tent event will strive to find homes for 500 animals in less than 48 hours.

Those of you who know our family were probably wondering how long it would take for me to do a post on animal adoption, and this is the week! OK Humane’s semi-annual mega-adoption events have proven to be highly successful, and we’re looking forward to the third incarnation of this fun event, named Midnight Woofness. The craziness starts just after midnight and includes face painting, clowns, fun, plenty of doggie kisses, and animals, animals, and more animals! Every cat and dog is spayed or neutered, up to date on shots, and many have been microchipped...And adoption fees are as low as they go!

The theme this time around is “Midnight Woofness: Under the Big Top”, and Chris and I have been working to pull together the “Midway” section. This family friendly area will include games (like Toss the Collar on the Animal and the Dog Food Can Knockdown), cotton candy, popcorn, face painting, and more! So even if you’re not in the market for a new animal this spring, you should stop by and check it out. The kickoff will even include a fire breather!

The event will be held at the PetSmart located at 6327 SW 3rd St. If that’s not in your neck of the woods or you’d prefer a calmer setting for picking out a new family member, consider stopping by OK Humane’s Adoption Center on N. Western this spring. They always have loving cats and dogs who are looking for homes. For tips on moving with animals and a list of other area rescue groups, check out our tip sheet here.

Hope to see you at Midnight Woofness!

~Kristin

If our sweet foster puppy, BamBam, doesn’t get adopted this week, she’ll be available at the event this weekend! She’s a three month old lab/basset hound mix and is a big goofball.

Hunting for a Good Deal on Furniture

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

So you’ve just upgraded your home...Congratulations!

As you look around your brand new house, the extra rooms and the additional space are so exciting...until you realize you need to fill them! Argh! After purchasing a new home, upgrading those window treatments you couldn’t stand, and repainting the pink bedroom your son was refusing to sleep in, there simply isn’t a lot of money left over for new furniture. Here’s an idea: Have you considered estate sales?

You’ve probably tried Craig’s List and antique stores, but why not give estate sales a try. Admittedly, Chris and I have been to our fair share of duds when it comes to estate sales, but we’ve also walked into a number of treasure troves and made some incredible finds!

Here are my tips for successful estate sale shopping:

-Start by looking in the classifieds. After you’re a more “established” shopper, you’ll get the inside track to the good sales. That really just means you gave someone your email address at the check out table the last time you went to a sale. The benefit of being on mailing lists is you’ll be able to preview sales online ahead of time to decide if they’re worth attending.

-Hold out for Sunday! Most sales run Saturday to Sunday, with items being half-price on the second day.

-If you go on Saturday and find an item you simply must have, put in a bid. Bid winners are called Saturday night, and you can generally bid on anything over $100. Plus, the winning bid is often only a few dollars over half-price.

-Know how much the item in question should really cost. Some sellers don’t seem to realize the item is “used” and the price should reflect that! If the table you’ve had your eye on at Pottery Barn is $1,500, don’t compromise and purchase the estate sale table for $1,200. You can find a better deal elsewhere...or maybe you should decide to splurge for the one you want at Pottery Barn.

-Bring your checkbook. If you’re like me and generally live on plastic, this can be an important one to remember. While some of the more established companies will allow you to use a credit card, many estate sales are paper only.

-Befriend a couple of big burly men (preferably ones who own a truck) before you buy larger items. When the sign says, “You buy it as is, where is”, they mean it! Chris and I bought a large item at a sale last week. While he handily lifted his side, I struggled to pick up my end. Meanwhile, one of the men working the sale stood by and watched. For real.

-Appreciate the fact that someone may have very loving used that oversized stock pot you just bought while feeding a couple generations of children. What an honor you now have to make it part of your own family’s meals!

Happy Hunting!

~Kristin

Chris and I are working to redo one of the rooms in our house and need some new furniture. We found this sofa/bench at a sale this weekend. It’s going to entail a complete redo (the fabric and stuffing is literally falling out), but I think I’m in love. Chris says it reminds him of the furniture in an old hotel in the French Quarter. I’m not totally sure yet if it’s one of the coolest things we’ve ever found at an estate sale  or if it’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever bought. I’ll let you know once we have it refurbished.

Everyone Needs a Home

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

There was a flurry of activity around our house last week. We mailed over a thousand marketing mailers to homeowners in some of our busiest neighborhoods. That meant the home office was overflowing with piles of postcards, and stamps seemed to be stuck to everything! We were so distracted we almost didn’t notice the activity occurring outside our house.

The text on our mailer said, “Springtime is here! The best time to buy or sell a house is just around the corner. Are you ready?”. Under the words was a picture of a spring songbird. If I was in my ninth grade English class, Mr. Surbeck would have pointed out how that bird foreshadowed my week. Apparently, it was time for a pair of birds to find a new home as well, and our front porch light was just the spot!

I first heard them while I was planting flowers on the front porch. It was the desperate cry of baby birds who don’t want to be ignored. As I peeked into our light fixture, I saw four beaks swing open at the same time, clearly hoping I was bringing a cricket snack for lunch. Since that moment, those four little birds seem to have taken over our lives. We try not to linger on the porch for fear we might disturb the bird family, and we check to make sure we’re not interrupting a feeding when we come and go through the front door. We’ve also taken to using flashlights to get in and out of the house after dark, since turning on the porch lights might disturb the nest. And that’s not to mention the tizzy into which our cats have been thrown by the whole situation. They spend endless hours gazing out the window as the bird parents troop back and forth from the nest.

Despite the slight inconvenience, we enjoy having baby birds on our porch. We also enjoy all of the other wildlife that shares our neighborhood. Since we’ve lived here, we’ve seen all sorts of animals—rabbits, foxes, deer, wild turkeys, turtles, hawks, and opossums, just to name a few. That’s part of the reason we moved so far north a few years ago.

I watch the new neighborhoods being built in this area with mixed feelings. I’m a nature lover at heart and dislike encroachment on wild habitats; it makes me sad to hear builders literally working in our backyard on new houses. But I’m also a realist and a believer in progress. Much of the area north of Oklahoma City was used as farm land for generations, yet it hasn’t been plowed in years. It’s time for it to be repurposed to support Oklahoma’s growth. I’m always pulling for Oklahoma City to be successful, and the hammers I hear on my way to and from our house mean the economy is picking up and the city is expanding.

While I’m glad Chris and I are able to assist buyers in finding their ideal home this Spring, we’re also glad we’re able to offer a brood of baby birds a safe and comfortable home while they grow and learn how to fly. Chris has learned that in real estate repeat customers are some of the best people to do business with, and maybe in another year or two these baby birds will come back and build a nest of their own in our light fixture.

~Kristin

The Flavor of Local Food

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

Are you a canvas bag toting connoisseur of locally grown food? If so, you’re in the right place! The Oklahoma City area is lucky enough to offer a variety of excellent farmer’s markets, and now is the season to start exploring them. The Edmond Farmers Market started up again last Saturday. I was there, were you?

I’ll admit I haven’t always been into farmers markets. There was a time I considered people who enjoyed sustainable shopping practices to be fringe hippies. For Chris and me our ‘Aha moment’ came after watching the academy award nominated movie, “Food, Inc.”. Suddenly we had a new perspective on the impact of our diet and shopping habits, both on our own bodies and on the world around us. I’ll admit it, I buy Michael Pollan’s books as quickly as he publishes them now.

I guess I’d say we began buying local and organic food because I was tired of feeding my family food full of preservatives and pesticides, I wanted to support small local growers, and I believed in humane treatment of the animals that nourish us. I’ve stayed with it because I LOVE how much better real food tastes! Our neighbors raise chickens, and the eggs their daughters sell us taste like an entirely different food than anything I’ve ever bought at a grocery store. And yes, owning chickens is completely against our HOA rules. I love the fresh eggs, though, so please don’t mention it to anyone on the board.

All of that said, I’m not going to pretend we don’t run to Wal-Mart at 11 PM when I realize I’m supposed to bring snacks to the meeting tomorrow. I do have a friend who only uses cash when she shops at Wal-Mart because she says that way no can ever prove she really shopped there. I admit it; I shop at Wal-Mart. There may not be much that is local or sustainable about the retailer, but sometimes the convenience and thriftiness of shopping at Wal-Mart wins out. And I still buy a lot of things at Crest because much like everything in life, it’s all about balance. We have to balance our limited time, money, and resources. And at least Crest is locally owned, so maybe that’s worth something.

I know the sort of consumer I’d like to be. While I may not always be that person, I am always striving to find ways to fit a trip to the farmers market into our hectic schedule. And maybe I’ll even get around to joining the Oklahoma Food Co-op this spring! I remember my parents used to belong to a food co-op back in the 70’s. I guess it’s true that trends are cyclical and we do all eventually turn into our parents.

~Kristin

For more resources on local food sources, check out our tip sheet here.

The Sunnier Side of Tax Day

Dear Fearless Homeowner,

When you feel spring in the air do you begin to dream about what new flower varieties you’re going to experiment with this year?

For me, landscaping is one of the more exciting parts of owning a home. I love looking at the blank canvas and deciding where a redbud could be added, which places are sunny enough for irises, and where I could add another bed of daises. You can never have enough daises as far as I’m concerned. Our current house has a couple acres of land, and I was excited to find a good online resource for buying wildflower daisy seeds by the pound this year!

I’m a fourth generation Oklahoma farmer/gardener, and the itch to plant in the spring is in my blood. With that said, you’d think some gardening wisdom would have also been passed down to me. Somehow, I often struggle to handle the challenging weather Oklahoma gives it’s gardeners.

I remember the first year I was eagerly awaiting spring planting. I was in graduate school in Norman and had upgraded from the typical small college apartment to a larger duplex. The highlight of the new housing arrangement as far as I was concerned was the front porch, which had endless potential for container gardening!  I had grown up wandering through the rows of my grandfather’s garden, and I was looking forward to finally flexing my own green thumb!

As I carefully watched the weather for a trend of sunny days, I was thrilled to see how nice it was in Oklahoma for the beginning of March. I was sure the time had come to plant, and I quickly ran out to the store to buy my first round of flowers. I am now convinced stores only put out spring flowers early to tempt us to make the novice mistake I made that year by planting way too early. 

As I was cheerfully playing in the dirt and planting away on the front porch, an older gentleman  strode past me on the street. He made a comment about admiring my optimism. I didn’t entirely get it at the time, but I thanked him nonetheless. A week later, in typical Oklahoma fashion, a hard freeze struck the state. In all fairness, it didn’t kill ALL of my newly planted flowers. The pansies I had painstakingly picked out remained alive, but the rest of the tender annuals shriveled up and died.

So with weather the way it is in Oklahoma, when do you decide it’s safe to put out new flowers? Well, according to local gardening expert, Leigh Howell Love, the general rule of thumb in Oklahoma is Tax Day, April 15th. So when you’re done tallying up the totals for Uncle Sam, reward yourself with a trip to the garden store! Rest assured your flowers will thank you for not putting them out too early in this crazy Oklahoma weather. And with the tax deadline being pushed back to the 18th this year, you could spend all day Friday happily gardening. I think I will!

~Kristin

For more Oklahoma gardening resources, check out our tip sheet here.

If you’d rather just look at your pretty flowers instead of planting them yourself, be sure to check out Leigh’s landscaping company! She helps many residents in north OKC and Edmond design and maintain their gorgeous gardens.