Saturday, May 24, 2008

Oklahoma Today - Bone Dust Cowgirls and My Backyard


Red geranium like Georgia paints but I still don't miss Santa Fe (yet)


A walk to the Paseo Arts Festival - resident art in a back apartment window. Were is the Bone Dust Cowgirl? A legend in the making.


Front view of Oak leaf Hydrangea I planted last fall.

Side view of Oak leaf Hydrangea - watch out cousin!!!


My dog Cimarron on perpetual squirrel watch
(Cimarron 1 - Squirrel 0)
She's named for the river of the same color that runs through Oklahoma in the west.

In my backyard grows an Indian Blanket, a native for sure, Oklahoma's state flower. Gallardia is the fancy name given to it ...and a millionaire suburb with suvs instead of trees.

A good year for downys - lots of hungry little ones. Yesterday so many protesting over my head and an empty feeder. I ran to the store and they mobbed the newly filled feeder. What kind of parent have I become? Pressures on.

Leftovers. Kids, the FDA recommends three servings of fruit a day. Clear your plate.

Shy cardinal on the fly - grab and go, no time to stay.

Lorene is in the backyard. That Bone Dust Cowgirl has nothing on her. She is an Oklahoma original and all woman. This bright, sassy one will not conform -- totally authentic and an inspiration on every level. A quiet hero with a big heart.

The quintessential BFF, Lorene and I went to the same high school, graduated from the same university, both majored in journalism, moved away after graduation and survived Dallas and Dayton. Now we live like strange artists -- trying to paint this red state blue. One brush at a time.

Returning home a year apart - after so many miles and years away -- what is this geographical pull too great to ingore? We wonder as we sit in backyards on warm summer nights and drink bad 3.2 Oklahoma beer, lament the local politics, and love this place that will always be home.
Happier than ever.


Some days I think there is no reason to ever leave the backyard!
(Except for art festivals and Bone Dust Cowgirls)

15 comments:

George Zabawa said...

Thanks for the nice comment on the Oklahoma Wildflower Blog. You also have a wonderful blog and photos. You're lucky to have been able to travel the world as you have. There are some great places in Oklahoma if yo know where to look. Keep on birding and blogging.
George

K8 said...

Welcome home! Love following your travels---all is beautiful! xo

K8

Mary said...

Tim,

It's nice to see you at home!!! The birds appreciate you, too.

Cimarron is a working dog? She must miss you a great deal, or, does she travel well? She's very pretty.

I love the dramatic color in this post and the way you skipped rope through it with, saving the best for last. Lorene. It's unusual to keep a friend for so long as time and distance makes it almost impossible to maintain a close bond. Wonderful. Doesn't matter if the beer is bad :o)

Mary

Bonnie Story said...

Great pictures TR! I love the birds and that Indian Blanket is stunning.

Anonymous said...

Him Tim,
Thanks for stopping by. And good that you did - I thoroughly enjoyed checking your blog out. And feel sorry for you having to endure the 3.2 approximation to beer.
I'll be back!
Cheers, Klaus

Stacey Olson said...

T.R. Thanks so much for you kind words on my blog... Much appreciated. I have never seen an indian blanket, we have what they call indiam paitbrush.. same vibrant red but much different flower.. Love the intensity on your dogs face.. as a pet owner I have seen that look many time.. Have a wonderful Memorial day..~

Texas Travelers said...

Great post neighbor.
Thanks for the visit.
Go Cimarron.

Troy and Martha

Anonymous said...

great series and very interesting use of color

nina at Nature Remains. said...

So glad you can be with friends and HOME.
And, yes--so true. No matter how far and wide we wander, there's something we can never find--the wonderful feeling of having the familiar around us, and finding the beauty right there.

Anonymous said...

I want a Bone Dust Cowgirls T-shirt and a dog like yours. Has anyone ever told you the colours in your world are magnificent? I am in awe.

Anonymous said...

indeed Milos is a fantastic island.I have many photos from there but unfortunately only in hardcopy. i will try to scan some of them. thank you for your kind comments

Lana Gramlich said...

I love the Indian blanket! How lovely! Cimarron is welcome to come monitor our yard, as it's an eternal battle to keep the squirrels (& increasingly, the raccoons,) out of the birdseed.

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

You have a wonderful blog! I enjoyed looking at your pictures here, and at some of your previous posts, too. I'm very far behind in visiting blogs, but want to thank you for stopping by my blog the other day.

Suzi-k said...

no place like home huh?

Crayons said...

Hi Tim
This is the most exciting post I've seen! Your home, your flowers, the birds, your dogFriend. I mean, the other places are dazzling, but home has a very special and quiet value. I like the image of your dash to the store in search of birdfeed.

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