Due to the economy hitting me hard below the belt (in the wallet, specifically), I haven't been keeping my finger on the pulse of what's been going on around here socially or culturally, even. In fact, I haven't really left the house much.

However, one thing that I'm learning that anyone can do in her own back yard is plant a garden. And growing ones own vegetables is a good way to beat rising grocery prices, AND get healthy. It's also a fun and meditative activity. I've also bonded with some old friends via facebook in our discussions about gardening.

Another plus, it's the one physical activity that gets my mother off the couch (I think she's depressed a lot). It's good exercise, and soon my fella and I are going to prepare a garden space for his mother so she can get some sunshine and physical activity.

Here are two Oklahoma web sites on gardening that I really like. I've been known to become intimidated by the lights, tools, supplies, frames, edging etc. gardeners use, as I have very little to spend on my garden. I don't let that stop me, though: if gardening wasn't easy enough for anyone, our species wouldn't have survived this long.

Wisdom of the Trowel
http://wisdom-of-the-trowel.blogspot.com/

Oklavore
http://oklavore.com/


Personally, I'm discovering that my aversion to food as a young adult was really just an aversion to salt, meat and grease. I found that I love dishes with interesting flavor combinations. I never thought I could cook, until I bought my house. Now I'm in my sunny kitchen all the time, sampling, smelling, testing, drying or freezing. This is another reason why I can't wait to have my own vegetable garden...all the freshness and taste combinations.

Also, a cookbook that I really like is called The New Laurel's Kitchen: a Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition. It's organized by vegetable, and not only lists recipes, but also says how you can cook a vegetable to best retain its nutrients, as well as naming the vegetable's nutrients.

Another new thing for me is making a compost bin. Since I use a lot of vegetables, grains and tea in my in diet, I have a lot of good stuff left over that I don't want to just throw in the trash. I got this $15 32 gallon trash can with lid at Home Depot. I drilled holes in the sides and the bottom. I filled it halfway with alternating layers of cheap gardening soil, dry crushed leaves from the lawn and organic refuse from the kitchen. I have a little spatula next to the compost pile so when I add stuff, I can stir the mixture around. When it's done, I'll have some nice rich soil for gardening that my veggies and flowers will love!

God Hates Bigoted Cult Members

We had a little excitement in OKC last week. Fred Phelp's crazies came to see us. They protested outside of the Capitol building because the state senate had the audacity to allow a gay man, a state representative, to read a prayer. The horror. Thank Gawd we have these holy warriors to come and spread their own special brand of irrational hatred. Chutah and I came up with a fun little 'shop of their picture that appeared in the local news.



This was a direct result of an email exchange wondering what kind of life that little boy in the center of the picture is living, and if it isn't enough for him to be removed from that kind of horrifying existence.

My favorite part of their visit, though, is that the Westboro "Church" randomly chose Moore High School for a second protest in the region. They had posted on their web page that Moore High was full of "violent brats" and "sluts." As far as I know, these kids aren't any more violent or slutty than any other high school in the region or state. The really awesome thing about this portion of the protest is that local bikers reached out to other bikers and they formed a counter-protest. These bad ass bikers situated themselves across from the Jesus-freakery to protect the students and community from the notorious faggotry of Westboro. In addition to the bikers, veterans came out to protest, and high school students stood up for their school and their classmates. Throughout the city, churches held prayer vigils to remind their faithful and everyone else that religion is not all extremist and cultish.

I would have preferred the local religious community made their presence known at the counter-protest, but the fact that all different segments of the community pulled together to oppose the nutjobs gave me the warm fuzzies. With the attention given to these extreme groups, it's easy to forget that most people are decent and are willing to stand up for what's right and rational.

Oklahoma's State Rock Song

Today the Flaming Lips' song "Do You Realize" became Oklahoma's official state rock song. The promotion was done with a collaboration between the Oklahoma Film and Music Office and the Oklahoma History Center. And actually, it looks like there will be an exhibit opening at the Oklahoma History Center about the history of Rock and Roll in Oklahoma in May 2009. Go here to learn more: www.anotherhotoklahomanight.org

When I got home from work today, I saw a few of my friends on facebook put up new pictures of them with the 'Lips. In the spirit of the day, I put on my favorite Flaming Lips album At War with the Mystics.

My appreciation for Wayne Coyne grows exponentially as I get older. Despite his world fame, he still stays in Oklahoma, and continues his active roll in leading the next generation into creative, energetic and optimistic community leadership. Listening to At War with the Mystics tonight, in honor of their new official status, made me feel hopeful that it's a reflection that things are going to get better in our state. It makes me proud to be a part of that change, and gives me some resiliance against the critics who weren't able to make changes because they were shot down in the past.

It's important to be aware of the inspiration that keeps us moving. We're all in this together, and we want to make our state a great place to live for EVERYONE!