Tea With Dee

Tea With Dee is moving!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 02:06:00 +0000

I'm currently moving this site to www.lifewithdee.com. Please forgive any temporary errors on the site. Comments are also temporarily shut down while the site is being moved.

A love letter to New Orleans

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 15:17:00 +0000

Dear New Orleans,

The nation has turned its attention your way because ten years ago Hurricane Katrina tried to wipe you off the map. Presidents, current and former, visit and tour and speak amid reminders of the city's uneven recovery. Media outlets create splashy features. Everyone seems to have something to say.

I've written about you on many occasions but today I'm writing to you. My beloved New Orleans, how can I possibly express what you mean to me? From my first glimpse of you as a new bride I've been in love. Love is never entirely rational but there are many reasons to love a city like New Orleans.

Hurricane parties - We attended one on Bourbon Street the Saturday before Katrina. We had made what plans we could so what else was there to do but dance with new friends?
Mardi Gras - This annual celebration is anticipated each year with a fervor beyond reason. Your people never seriously considered skipping it that first year post-Katrina and it served as notice to the rest of the nation that New Orleans would rise again.
Courage - It takes courage to live in a place below sea level. And it took courage to come back to neighborhoods totally wiped out, rebuild and plant flowers when no one else was back yet.
Rhythm - Life in New Orleans ebbs and flows, with an occasional crescendo that will leave you breathless.
Louis Armstrong International Airport - You've just gotta love a city whose airport greets you with New Orleans jazz (sometimes live) and the smell of Lucky Dogs.
Costumes - Dressing up isn't just for children and Halloween. It's also for random Tuesdays.
Living in the moment - Life can be rather unpredictable in a city like New Orleans. Best enjoy each moment as it comes and not worry too much about the future. Sip cocktails with friends in a courtyard, watch the boats on the river, spend an afternoon listening to live music in a dark bar, stroll the Quarter with absolutely no plans or direction, say "yes". To everything.
Acceptance - Differences aren't just tolerated; they are embraced.
Food - Oh, my goodness! What can I possibly say about the food that hasn't been said a million times before? Let's just say that New Orleans has forever ruined me. Never again will I be happy with bland, poorly seasoned food.
Parades - Any day, any time, any reason. Or no reason at all.
25 cent martinis - At lunch.
Music - "Without music, life would be a mistake." New Orleans takes this Nietzsche quote to heart and the world is richer because of it.
People - You can't know New Orleans if you don't take the time to know her people. Friendly, generous, accepting and joyous. The people of New Orleans will call you darlin' and remind you that life is best lived in community with others.

So today, as the world remembers Katrina, I'll be thinking about you. You stole my heart so long ago but I've willingly given you my soul. Take a moment to remember but then shake it off. Sackcloth and ashes are not your style.

Love,

Deanna

Previous New Orleans posts:

One Year Ago Today

Two years...too long

Three Years Ago

Four Years Ago
Memory Lane Monday ~ New Orleans
Six Years Ago

Ten things I've learned from New Orleans

New Orleans is...

French Friday ~ Living the Good Life

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 02:15:00 +0000

I have no idea where my interest in France came from but I do know why I've maintained my passion for it. There's just something about the French way of life which speaks to my soul. I've read about it for years and finally experienced it for myself this past fall when we took our first trip to Paris. Notice how I said "first trip". I am determined it won't be my last.

Here are a few of the reasons I admire the French way of life:

Appearance - The French are known round the world for their personal style and this reputation is well-deserved. David and I spent many an hour sitting in cafés people watching. I've since heard David tell many friends that the Parisians are the most beautiful people he's ever seen - even the men. It's hard to explain just how they manage to look so stylish but I the stereotypical scarf is certainly part of it. Almost everyone we saw was wearing one. There is something adorable about a two-year-old with an expertly knotted scarf. And the elderly men managed to look quite debonair in their well-fitted clothes, a scarf casually tossed around the neck and perhaps a hat or fancy cane. No one looked overdressed or fussy...just casually attractive.
Appreciation for simple pleasures - A tiny cup of espresso sipped slowly at a sidewalk café, strolling through the Jardin du Luxembourg, watching the boats on the Seine, walking arm-in-arm with one's lover, three-hour lunches...these are things which make life pleasurable.
Conversation - I don't think I ever saw anyone staring at their phone in a Parisian restaurant. Rather, everyone seemed to be engaged in enthusiastic conversation. The French do seem to enjoy engaging discussions.
Priorities - Few of us can have everything, no matter where we live. The key to a life well-lived is to make deliberate choices. The French seem to have a knack for this. The average French person lives in a smaller home or apartment than the average American. They have fewer clothes and in general, less "stuff". But they tend to choose quality over quantity. The French also value time spent actually living. As a nation they have decided that fewer hours spent working each week and taking a month of vacation each year are important and they guard their rights with passion. And strikes.
Food and Wine - France is justifiably famous for their cuisine and wines. From the flaky breakfast croissant to the perfect potatoes served with dinner, everything we ate in Paris was delicious. And the bread! Oh, my goodness. It was sheer perfection. The wine was wonderful, too. A glass of table wine is cheaper than a soft drink and so much better. We indulged in a glass with each lunch and shared a bottle with our dinners. There is truly not much better than a three-course meal and a bottle of wine shared with the love of one's life in a Parisian restaurant.

I miss Paris almost every day but I'm working on bringing a bit of the French way of life into ours. And I'm dreaming of our next trip!

My birthday weekend get-away

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 02:03:00 +0000

My birthday isn't until Thursday but David and I did our usual "weekend at the Skirvin" celebration this past weekend. We went up Friday evening after David got off work, stopping in Norman for dinner at Panera Bread so we could also buy cherry danish pastries to take with us. Because...CHERRY DANISH PASTRY!

After we checked in to the hotel, we changed clothes and went to our favorite OKC hangout - the Red Piano Lounge in the Skirvin. We know most of the bartenders there and always have a good time chatting with them and people-watching. Mostly, we just tried to relax and decompress from the busy weeks we've both had recently.

We generally don't make any plans in advance when we take these little get-aways but this time I had a couple of things in mind. If you follow me on Facebook you probably know that David and I love to stargaze. A few weeks ago it occurred to me that there is a small planetarium at the OKC Science Museum. After lunch at The Garage Burgers and Beer (quite tasty, by the way) we headed to the museum. The planetarium is included in the general admission to the museum and since we had about a 40 minute wait until the next show we decided to walk around and check out the museum. It's a cool, hands-on place. We had taken our kids a few times but it's been YEARS since we'd been there. Yeah, it's kind of for kids but we still had fun.

The planetarium show was really interesting and the young woman who did it was quite humorous. We both really enjoyed it.

After the show we spent another 45 minutes or so checking out the rest of the museum. We especially enjoyed the train and space exhibits. David has always loved model trains and I love riding on real ones. I think we need to plan another train trip soon.

We stopped at a Sonic for a Butterfinger Blast (David) and root beer float (me) then headed back to the hotel. We relaxed a bit then got dressed up for dinner. One of the other things I wanted to do was to eat dinner by water. I've really been craving the ocean but since a trip to the coast isn't in our near future I figured the next best thing would be a large lake. I had read excellent reviews for Redrock Canyon Grill on Hefner Lake. We called for reservations but they don't take them. It was after 8 p.m. so we figured it probably wouldn't be that long a wait. We were wrong. They told us it would be a 70 minute wait! Ordinarily we would have gone somewhere else but it was a gorgeous night, we weren't very hungry yet (thanks to the late afternoon stop at Sonic) and the restaurant has an outdoor patio with a bar. They also had live music.

We spent a very contented hour listening to music, sipping our drinks and admiring this view:

It was totally worth the wait. I had the rotisserie chicken, glazed carrots and the best mashed potatoes I've ever had. This may very well be my favorite restaurant in OKC now.

Back at the hotel, we settled in at the bar which was pretty empty for a Saturday night. However, that didn't last long. There were four weddings that night and the place filled up quickly with a crowd that provided good people watching, to say the least. Over the course of the evening, there were at least seven glasses broken. The all-female team of bartenders and servers kicked it into high gear and it was like poetry in motion. Or, as I said to David, it was like watching a ballet behind the bar and a 4th grade playground on the other side. Truly entertaining.

We never seem to get up in time for breakfast at the hotel but this time we did. Well, it helped that they serve breakfast until 11 on Sundays. We had just about finished eating when a man with several guitars set up his gear right next to our table. Turns out this was Edgar Cruz, an amazing guitarist. (You can read more about him on my Well-Groomed Hippie blog.) We stayed and listened to a few songs and had a short chat with him about getting him a show here in Ada.

We checked out of the hotel and then went to the final destination on my list for the weekend - the OKC Museum of Art. I've been dying to see the Fabergé exhibit.

When we bought our tickets we found out that there would be a tour starting in about an hour. David wisely suggested we go look at the exhibit ourselves first which turned out to be an excellent plan. There must have been 100 people in the tour and it would have been impossible to get a good look at everything while in that crowd. The tour was absolutely fascinating and the exhibit items were stunning. Now I'm on the lookout for documentaries on the Romanov family and Fabergé.

We stopped in Norman on our way home so I could pick up some groceries at Natural Grocers. We got home late afternoon, ate an early dinner, unpacked and watched the final episode of Astronaut Wives Club. Oh, how sad I am that the show has ended! We then tried to work in a little stargazing before bed. It wasn't exactly cloudy but the moon was bright and there was so much humidity that we couldn't see many stars. After a few minutes of looking at pretty much nothing we decided to call it a night. We were both yawning by that time and David had to be up by 5:45 a.m. Today it was back to the rat race but oh, what a nice weekend we had!

Shooting stars and fried green tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 03:29:00 +0000

The older I get, the more I treasure those simple, yet special moments. Often, they don't sound like a big deal but if you truly focus on the experience they begin to weave the tapestry of a life well-lived.

Yesterday a dear friend drove from the city - an hour and a half away - simply to have lunch with me. We have a history of "lunch" turning into a four hour gab fest so I cleared the entire day in preparation. Good thing, too. We set a record...our personal best...clocking in at about six and a half hours.

We met at a local restaurant which has some of the best fried green tomatoes anywhere. We split a half order as our appetizer and both of us thoroughly enjoyed this Southern treat. A little over an hour later, our lunch finished but our conversation barely begun, I suggested we head over to a local coffee shop and continue our visit.

It was a surprisingly nice day coming on the heels of several excruciatingly hot ones. We sat on the shady patio and enjoyed the cool breeze as we caught up on one another's lives. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon.

Finally, we had to say goodbye so Roz could head for home. But not before we made tentative plans for a trip to San Francisco sometime in the next several months. A few years ago we took what we fondly refer to as our "Thelma and Louise road trip". It was such fun and we are both looking forward to another little trip together.

I made a quick stop at the grocery store for a few items and got to talk to my niece who works there and was excited to tell me about her new dog, then went home and quickly whipped up a nice little supper. By the way, if you'd like the recipe I made - Hawaiian Ham and Cheese, click here. I cut up a fresh pineapple to go with it and we watched the final episode of "The Daily Show" while we ate.

We had heard that it would likely be a good night to see the Perseids meteor shower so after we ate and cleaned up the kitchen we dragged our zero gravity chairs way out in our backyard. We reclined in our chairs, Shiloh between us, and began to scan the night sky. The temperature had dropped to the low 70s which felt almost chilly after days of highs reaching the high 90s and the occasional 100 degree day.

Sitting out there together, listening to the cicadas, chatting occasionally but mostly just watching...it's one of our favorite things to do. It's a quiet little respite in a sometimes too noisy world. And it's one of those little moments in our day which we have come to treasure. We saw perhaps 10 "shooting stars" during our time outside last night. Not quite as dramatic as we might have hoped but still pretty special.

And that's the way life can be if we live it intentionally and make a point to savor it. Time spent with people we love doing something simple makes life special. It's not so much the big, exciting events that lead to happiness. Family, friends, shooting stars and fried green tomatoes - these are the components of a life worth living.

A new website for me!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:54:00 +0000

I've got some rather exciting news. If you follow me on Facebook or receive my newsletter, you already know this but it occurred to me that I had not shared the news here. I am in the process of building a website which will be called:

Life With Dee

All of the content from this blog, as well as my food blog, "Dee's Kitchen" will be integrated into the new site. In addition to my usual Tea With Dee and Dee's Kitchen posts, the new site will include curated content on these topics:

home and garden
food (recipes, menus, guest posts, etc.)
French-inspired living
travel
New Orleans
music, film, books (including reviews)
fashion and style
green living
current events
TEA! (of course)

I have also lined up several passionate writers who will be doing feature posts and I am really excited about sharing their writings with you.

If you follow Tea With Dee and/or Dee's Kitchen on Facebook, here is the scoop over there. I have changed the name of the Tea With Dee Facebook page to "Life With Dee". I'm beginning to share my usual Dee's Kitchen posts there and will eventually shut down the Dee's Kitchen page. I'm trying to streamline things a bit. I'm also working on consistency across all social media platforms so if you follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, Flickr or Instagram you may notice some minor changes in name/avatar/website link.

Some of you subscribe to my Tea With Dee newsletter. I began writing it back in February of 2009 but allowed it to languish last year. I am reviving it but in a different format via Mail Chimp. It is currently still called "Tea With Dee" but I will be changing that to "Life With Dee" so it corresponds to the website. I haven't decided how often it will be sent - probably monthly at first but hopefully weekly at some point. You may sign up for it here:

*Note: If you read my other blog, The Well-Groomed Hippie and/or follow the corresponding Facebook page, there are going to be some changes. After I get the website up and running smoothly, I'm going to turn The Well-Groomed Hippie into a newsletter instead of a blog. The corresponding Facebook page will remain. I haven't been posting much except Music Monday posts in the past year or so but that will change. In addition to writing my own content, I have arranged for a well-respected history professor to write some features on social justice issues. I'm looking forward to this project but it's going to be a little farther down the road as I will be focusing on the new website first.

Happy birthday, Lucy!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 23:27:00 +0000

I've been a fan of the I Love Lucy show since I was a little girl. Over the years I have seen every single episode numerous times. I've been collecting and watching all the episodes on DVD, too. For me, it just never gets old.

Happy birthday, Lucille Ball!

Follow Deanna Piercy ~'s board I Love Lucy on Pinterest.

What I'm Into (July 2015 edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 03:31:00 +0000

I haven't done one of these in ages. Seems like a good time to get back in the habit. Since it's been so long, I'm going to include a bit from the last of June, too.

Celebrations

July, for our family, always begins with our daughter's birthday. Isn't she gorgeous?

We celebrated the 4th of July at the home of our niece, Leslie, and her boyfriend, Will.

Chris hosted a going away party for his friend, Eli, who is moving to Baton Rouge to attend LSU. We had about 25-30 people here for a campout, music and karoke.

The last weekend of June we attended a wedding in Tulsa then spent the weekend there celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary which was the weekend before.

Around My Home

We've been busy but still made time for several nights of stargazing. Last night we took the telescope outside and looked at the blue moon. Shiloh likes to join us for these quiet evenings under the stars.

Reading

The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story by Julia Reed

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

Watching - Movies and T.V.

T.V. -

I bought the first two seasons of The Donna Reed Show for a little old-fashioned entertainment for myself but it turns out that David loves the show, too. Just so long as he doesn't expect me to start wearing heels and pearls around the house!

We are also enjoying The Astronaut Wives Club. The history is interesting, of course, but I'm also loving the fashions and home decor.

Movies -

The kids took David to see the new Terminator movie to celebrate Father's Day. Absolutely not my thing so I watched Magic Mike XXL instead.

Last night we watched My Old Lady on Netflix. We both really enjoyed it.

Listening - Music and Podcasts

Our city has been hosting "Music in the Park" several Sunday evenings throughout the summer. I was asked to schedule the musicians. So far we've been able to attend two of these and really enjoyed them.

Food - Recipes, Restaurants and Grocery Hauls

While in Tulsa we looked for a sports bar where we could watch Women's World Cup. We found Fat Daddy's where I also had one of the best Reuben sandwiches I've ever had, as well as delicious onion rings.

I don't have any recipes or grocery hauls to share this time but I will next month. Promise!

Out and About - Trips and Events

While in Tulsa we enjoyed a show by Let's Zeppelin, a tribute band.

We saw Our Mother's Martyr perform in OKC:

We took a Trip to Idaho to visit David's mother.

Featured Blog Posts

Special Moments

I had the honor of meeting this Choctaw man:

Karoke in my backyard:

I think that about wraps things up for July. If you write "What I'm Into" posts I'd love for you to leave me a link in the comments so I can read yours. I'm linking up with What I'm Into on Leigh Kramer's site.

French Friday - some fun resources

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 23:38:00 +0000

I have recently discovered some delightful online resources with a French flair and would love to share them with you:

1. Tonya Leigh - blog posts, podcasts, live events, online "soirées", group coaching, and the wonderful "French Kiss Life Club"

Facebook page

The "French Kiss Life Club" group which is probably my favorite place on Facebook these days. You can join the club here (free!).

2. The Simply Luxurious Life - blog posts, podcasts, newsletter, recipes, French-inspired living

Facebook page

3. Tranquility Du Jour - blog posts, podcasts, books, events, coaching

Facebook page

I am thoroughly enjoying these resources and highly recommend checking them out. If you know of any similar sites/blogs/podcasts please leave me a comment!

A trip to Idaho

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 02:32:00 +0000

David's mother has had some health challenges recently so we decided to make a trip to Idaho to spend some time with her. We took her out for coffee, lunch, and a couple of dinners. We also went for long drives through the beautiful scenery in the Boise area.

It was good for David to get to spend time with his mom:

During our drives we saw some gorgeous scenery, including the Boise River:

One night we had dinner with David's mom, sister, two of his sister's adult children and five grandchildren. It was wonderful to get to spend some time together. Later that night our nephew, Shawn, met us at one of his favorite places and the three of us had a couple of hours to just chat.

On our last day we picked up David's mom, went to lunch, drove for a couple of hours and stopped for ice cream before taking her back to the assisted living center where she lives.

Fisherman on the Snake River

It wasn't a long trip but it was a good one. There are never any guarantees so I believe it's important to spend time with the ones we love while we can.

Sunset over Las Vegas

Leaving Vegas on our way home

Mother and Son

Tea Time - a documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 14:30:00 +0000

A new documentary that looks to be right up my alley, Tea Time:

Synopsis from PBS:

Ritual is often associated with powerful and impersonal institutions, but for five Chilean women, ritual centers on a monthly gathering that has sustained them through 60 years of personal and societal change. Tea Time is a charming and poignant look at how a seemingly mundane routine of tea and pastries has helped the well-heeled participants commemorate life's joys and cope with infidelity, illness and death. A celebration of the small things that help us endure, Tea Time, filmed over five years, illuminates a beautiful paradox: As familiar worlds slip away, friendships grow ever stronger and more profound.

It airs tonight, July 27, 2015 and will also be available online through August 25th.

Apollo 11 Moon Landing: Where were you?

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 03:33:00 +0000

Today is the 46th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. If you were alive back then do you remember watching it? I do. I was almost 7 years old and my family was vacationing in Sun Valley, Idaho along with my aunt, uncle and cousins. All five of us kids were outside playing when our parents called us in to watch it. I remember sitting on the floor with my cousins in front of what was most likely a black and white television set. I don't recall many details but I did understand that I was watching something important.

I suspect that at least on some level that experience played a role in my interest in astronomy. I recall doing a rather extensive report on the solar system in third grade. I wanted to take astronomy my first semester of college but was talked out of it by well-meaning advisors who warned me that there would be a lot of math in the course. I took zoology instead which was fine but I wish I had followed my own inclinations.

The past few years, David and I have spent a lot of nights sitting outside stargazing. I bought him a telescope a couple of Christmases ago, too. There is something both soothing and awe-inspiring about looking up at the stars and planets. It tends to put things in perspective. Our day-to-day problems and challenges seem so insignificant when you think about what a teeny, tiny speck we are in the universe. David and I have some really deep and interesting conversations lying back in our zero gravity chairs in the backyard watching the night sky.

By the way, have you been watching The Astronaut Wives Club? We are enjoying it so much for many reasons - the fashions, home decor, history of that time period and of course, the space program, astronauts and their wives. My daughter, Lisa, loves it, too. In fact she was the one who recommended it to me and she recently blogged about it: The Astronaut Wives Club, a Must-See Show. If you've seen it I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a comment. I'd also love to know if you remember watching the moon landing.

La Fête Nationale (aka Bastille Day)

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 22:25:00 +0000

Just another day of missing Paris...

8 things to know about Bastille Day

8 reasons why you should teach your children to speak French

Where's the Fire?

Fun times around here...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 01:49:00 +0000

Last week was busy and lots of fun. First up...we celebrated our daughter's birthday on Wednesday with dinner at a nice restaurant in a nearby town. David, Chris and I were there, along with our son-in-law, niece and her boyfriend. We had such a nice time together.

Our beautiful daughter

Thursday we went up to Oklahoma City to watch Our Mother's Martyr's show at the Blue Note. Shortly before we left I asked David if he thought there was any chance he would end up deciding that we should just get a hotel and spend the night. I had already made sure I had my meds in my purse but was considering throwing in some clothes, too. He thought about it a minute, realized we would be heading right back up there the next day and decided a hotel might be a good idea. I'm so smart. I threw some clothes and toiletries in a bag while he made a reservation. Turned out to be a very good idea because a pretty intense thunderstorm moved through and it would not have been fun to drive home in it.

Our Mother's Marty

The kids had decided that part of their Father's Day gift to David would be to take him out to lunch and to a movie. We slept in a bit Friday morning and then met them at Scratch in Norman for a delicious lunch. They were all planning to see Terminator...totally not my thing. I opted for Magic Mike XXL. I hadn't seen the first one and really didn't have high expectations. However, it was the only other movie playing in one of the nice theaters. I've been wanting to check out the Directors Suite for a long time. It was fabulous! Reclining seats and they serve you anything you want right to your seat. We had just had a big meal and I was stuffed so I just had a drink. Next time I will make sure we haven't eaten first. The menu is quite nice. And I was was pleasantly surprised by the movie. It was actually rather sweet in some ways.

The Moore Warren Theater

After the movies were out, David dropped me off in front of Ulta so I could pick up some perfume and then we went to an electronics store to pick up a CD player component for our stereo system.

Saturday was the 4th of July and our niece invited us over for a cookout and to watch fireworks. There were about 15 of us. In addition to the hamburgers, hotdogs, salad, and potato salad (my contribution), Leslie put out this beautiful spread:

We ate and hung out in their backyard enjoying the seasonably cool weather. They live just a block away from the park where the fireworks are set off so we all grabbed a chair or a blanket, walked over there and found the perfect spot to watch. It was such a fun night!

Sunday evening we had the guys from Our Mother's Martyr over. They brought pizza and the rough cut of their new album for us to listen to. It is spectacular! A little later, our niece and her boyfriend, Will, came out and he brought the band's music video which he had just finished editing. We had seen part of it the night before but the band hadn't seen it yet. It is truly impressive and we are all excited about what the future holds for these talented young men.

Shiloh loves to be right in the middle of things.

This week has been a lot quieter. I did volunteer about 5 hours on Tuesday at the local soup kitchen and David had a lengthy firefighter meeting Monday evening. One of his fellow firefighters came over Tuesday night and the three of us sat on the porch for a couple of hours chatting and enjoying the beautiful evening.

And speaking of beautiful:

Our sweet, sweet Shiloh

Love is All You Need...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 22:36:00 +0000

This past Friday was a great day for love. We went to Tulsa to attend the wedding of a young lady and her beloved. It was a beautiful church ceremony and a really fun reception at the Hard Rock hotel.

Our son, Chris, was one of the ushers. This is him with a dear friend:

They had a photo booth set up at the reception so this happened:

Our 34th anniversary was last weekend but since we were going to be in Tulsa anyway, we decided to celebrate this weekend instead. Saturday we slept in after a rather late night. We decided we'd like to see the Women's World Cup game so we found a sports bar/restaurant - Fat Daddy's. I had read some reviews, one of which highly recommended the Reuben sandwich. I decided to go with that, along with onion rings. Both were absolutely delicious:

We ate and hung out for awhile watching the game. It wasn't the most exciting game we've ever seen and since we were a little sleepy we decided to go back to the hotel for a little nap since we would up late again that night.

After a nice nap we went to Charleston's for a light dinner (soup and salad) before heading to Shrine, a music venue where we had tickets to see "Let's Zeppelin", a Led Zeppelin tribute band. We had no idea if they'd be any good but the tickets were only $8 each so it was certainly worth a shot. They were surprisingly good and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. They were also really nice guys and we ended up chatting with them for awhile afterwards.

A friend of ours manages a food truck and it happened to be set up across the street from Shrine. After the show we went over to visit with her. It was well after midnight and we were a little hungry so we got some food from the food truck. It was exceptionally good and really hit the spot.

I think it was almost 3 a.m. before we turned in for the night so we didn't get out of the room until a little after noon Sunday. Our food truck friend had recommended the Dilly Diner for brunch/lunch so we decided to give it a try. I love chicken and waffles so when I saw that on the menu that's what I had to order. The food was really good and I love the fact that much of their food is locally sourced and all made from scratch.

After lunch we checked out a record store but didn't find anything we couldn't live without. We decided to head on home after that.

It was a nice little getaway and a fun way to celebrate 34 years of marriage.

Grocery Haul ~ June 16, 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 21:46:00 +0000

Lisa (my daughter who blogs at Retro Housewife Goes Green) and I usually do a major grocery shopping trip once a month but for various reasons we hadn't done one since February. We finally found a day that worked for both of us and that's what we did yesterday. Good thing, too, because today we are getting what is forecast to be a ridiculous amount of rain.

We made it out of town at a pretty decent hour so I had time to stop at the mall for the dreaded swimsuit shopping (I did find two so I should be good for another 15 years - ha!). We then met up with Lisa's friend, Audrey for a lovely two-hour lunch.

As always, we had a great day together. It's so nice to have a daughter who is also a friend.

Sprouts:

apricots
artichokes
meyer lemons
tomatoes
apples
green grapes
green beans
orange bell peppers
russet potatoes
strawberries
blackberries
raspberries
bananas
onions
yellow squash
cereal x4 boxes
chocolate syrup
Herbs de Provence
ground black pepper
whole peppercorns
cumin
parsley
tomato paste
chicken broth
black tea
coconut milk creamer
muenster cheese
sliced cheddar
deli roast beef
boneless pork chops
chicken and apple sausage links
pork sausage links
baguettes
frozen french fries
essential oil
root concealer

$190.34

Natural Grocers:

prunes
cheese slices
shredded parmesan
cheese x3
gourmet mayonnaise
gourmet ketchup
yogurt x3
butter
red leaf lettuce
new potatoes
dishwasher detergent
corn on the cob

$63.97

Dodson's:

toilet bowl cleaner
bbq chips
blood pressure tea
Sun Cups x2
red grapes

$22.96

Braum's:

head of lettuce
1/2 gallon milk
chocolate chip ice cream
half and half
cream

$13.58

Oklahoma Food Coop (will pick up tomorrow):

all natural chicken breasts

goat's milk patchouli soap (3 bars)

tomato plants (yeah, finally going to plant some!)

$48.99

Total: $339.84

You may notice that my grocery hauls can vary a lot and may seem to be missing some items. For instance, this time there is no pasta, rice or beans. I happen to be well-stocked on those right now. Most of this shopping trip focused on fresh produce. I love this time of year when so many yummy things are in season. During the summer we eat a lot of meals which feature mostly vegetables.

I bought several spices this trip because I recently sorted through my spice cabinet, noting things I was running low on. We don't eat a lot of meat and I do happen to have three packages of ground beef, some bulk sausage, bacon and a few other items in the freezer. And speaking of the freezer, I MUST make a concerted effort to use up some of what's crammed in there in order to make room to freeze peaches when they come into season - which should be soon.

I quit designating which items are organic. The majority of what I buy is organic and I just got tired of writing that by everything. If you are curious about specific brands or anything I do or don't buy, feel free to ask in the comments. Also, if you are interested in what I actually do with what I buy, you can check out my weekly menu which is usually posted on Mondays on Dee's Kitchen. If you do grocery haul posts I would love to read yours. For some reason I find it fascinating. Yeah, I may be a little weird.

Tea, Tissues and I Love Lucy

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 21:11:00 +0000

This is what my week has consisted of:

I thought I had successfully fought off the virus which kept taunting me last week but then it pulled a fast one and clobbered me Sunday night. I've spent the past few days blowing my nose, coughing, drinking tea and watching I Love Lucy. So far I think I have watched 33 episodes this week. I'm feeling better except for the lingering asthma symptoms and the back pain from all the violent coughing.

The worst part? We had to postpone our appointment to get satellite internet installed. If you are wondering why it's been a month since my last blog post, it's because we have the crappiest internet provider on the planet and our service has been down way more than it's been up. I'll spare you the details...mainly because talking about it raises my blood pressure. I know there can be issues with satellite internet - and frankly, that does scare me - but we reached a point where we decided it was worth at least trying something else. When you live in the boonies your options are minimal.

Hopefully by the middle of next week I will have a reasonably consistent internet connection and then there will likely be an avalanche of posts and pictures and giddy expressions of glee. Until then I'll just go watch some more episodes of I Love Lucy.

Tornadoes and flooding and tigers...oh, my!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 12 May 2015 02:09:00 +0000

Oklahoma is one heck of a place in the springtime. One minute you can be driving along the highway admiring the dense carpet of wildflowers and the next you are in a deluge dodging tornadoes.

Last Wednesday we went to Oklahoma City for the Clutch/Mastodon concert. We were supposed to meet up with musician friends who had bought tickets for us and we were really looking forward to a fun night together. David needed to take a couple of his employees to the city to pick up their trucks which had been repaired so we left early in the day. After dropping them off we had some time time to kill and then were going to meet our friends for an early dinner. We arrived at the restaurant about 30-45 minutes early, figuring we'd each work on some things via our phones until the others arrived.

We were sitting in the parking lot facing North where the skies looked pretty clear when we got a call from our friends who were visiting someone in the hospital. They were being told that they shouldn't leave the hospital because of the weather. I turned around and saw rather threatening skies South of us. You see, we were just barely North of Moore, Oklahoma which seems to be a tornado magnet. David decided we needed to get out of there. The concert didn't start until 7 p.m. so he decided we would go to the Skirvin Hotel, let them valet park the car in their covered parking garage and we would hang out in the bar until the storm passed. It's a very old (and beautiful) hotel in downtown OKC with lots of other tall buildings around it which makes it safer in a storm.

There were only about half a dozen of us in the bar at that early hour. We were all watching the weather on the television and talking about our plans. The bartender (who, it turns out, grew up in Ada - the little town we live in) told us that if there was a tornado warning for our location we would all evacuate to the basement of the hotel. I asked if we could take our drinks with us and everyone in the bar - all men - chuckled. The bartender said yes. See? You never know unless you ask.

Gradually the bar started filling up. We discovered that quite a number of people who live nearby routinely come to the Skirvin during tornado watches/warnings. We kept a close eye on weather reports while chatting with others in the bar. We always meet the most interesting people in that bar. I was sitting next to a man who is an artist and works for the Choctaws, which happens to be the tribe I belong to. He told us about the new concert venue the tribe had just built and the next thing I know David has bought tickets to see Boston there on my birthday in August. And I have a new Facebook friend.

At one point we were evacuated to the basement but almost as soon as we got there they gave us the all clear and we returned to the bar. Later in the evening we made a second trip down there - that time for perhaps 15 minutes or so. It was all very orderly and civilized. They had cases of bottled water down there for anyone who wanted it, although most of us brought our own beverages. We chatted with a guy we have seen at the Skirvin quite often. He lives in the neighborhood and apparently hangs out there all the time. As soon as were told to go to the basement he bought three beers, had them open two, and calmly proceeded down the stairs where he promptly downed the two that were open. David opened the third for him with a key - and thereby taught the guy a new skill.

At some point it became apparent the we were not going to the concert. The venue is little more than a metal building in an open field. Not exactly where one wants to be in a tornado. We tried to dissuade our young friends from going but without success. They saw the warmup band but then the power went out. Because a tornado hit a block away!!! We were worried sick about them. When the rest of the concert was cancelled they headed for home which took them a very, very long time because of the torrential rains and flooding.

Oh, did I not mention the flooding? Yes, while California is drying up and is about to blow away, Oklahoma has been issuing emergency flood warnings. They even closed the airport which got over 7 inches of rain that night.

David decided that we shouldn't try to drive home so he went to the front desk to see about getting a room. The regular rates were crazy high that night but he's a Diamond Club member with Hilton and asked what sort of rate he could get under the circumstances. They knocked $100 off the rate and gave us a suite. Sweet! As they say, membership has its privileges.

So, with a room for the night secured and after knowing that our friends were safely on their way home and away from the dangerous storms, we settled in to enjoy the rest of the evening. There had been a couple of earthquakes in the state earlier in the day, plus the tornadoes and flooding. One would think that would be enough for one day. But one would be wrong. Reports started coming in that an exotic animal park had been damaged and there were wild animals roaming the streets of Tuttle, Oklahoma. Soon my Facebook and Twitter feeds were filled with references to "Tigernado" and some clever person quickly started the "Tornado Tiger" Twitter account. It was later determined that, while the exotic animal park did sustain major damage, all the animals were accounted for. Still, it was rather surreal to think that on top of the crazy storm, tornadoes and flooding there might be tigers roaming the streets. Or maybe swimming in them:

After things settled down we went to our room. Of course, we hadn't planned on spending the night so we had no luggage. We asked for toothbrushes at the front desk and they gave us a nice little selection of toiletries - toothbrushes (really nice ones), toothpaste, comb, deodorant (one for each of us). Fortunately I carry a couple of days' worth of my asthma and blood pressure meds with me and enough makeup that I can at least look reasonably decent.

We carried our last drinks with us to our room and then ordered some poutine from room service. We had split a burger at the bar early in the evening when we still thought we would be going to the concert and then doing the usual post-concert IHOP thing. As we sat in bed eating and watching Jimmy Fallon, I was very grateful that we were safe in the nicest tornado shelter ever.

We slept well and got up early the next morning because David needed to go to work. One thing about having to be up early is that we actually got to partake of the free breakfast the hotel offers its Diamond Members. We've never been up early enough to do that before. They have a very nice breakfast buffet. Maybe we will have to drag ourselves out of bed in time to do that again next time we stay there. Or maybe not.

So, while our night didn't quite go according to plan, and sadly, there was much property damage, several injuries and one death, we were lucky. Oklahoma is beautiful in the springtime but it can be one wild and weird place.

Sometimes people even find a stray camel in their backyard:

This camel and his 4 cow friends went for a stroll when their fence was knocked down in the storm.

Word spread quickly on Facebook and they were soon back where they belong.

It continued to rain pretty consistently the next several days and the flooding has been rather serious. It almost never floods in our town but we've had flash flood warnings several times in the past few days. All I can say is, so far the locusts haven't been unleashed.

Back from New Orleans, still recovering...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 21:34:00 +0000

We got back from New Orleans late last Tuesday. We just couldn't tear ourselves away and ended up staying rather late Monday night. We only went as far as Baton Rouge that night so Tuesday was a fairly long day. I then drove to the city Wednesday because my dad was having a procedure done up there. David flew out on business Thursday and returned Saturday afternoon. We then attended a local event that evening. Yesterday I did some volunteer work. This morning I took my daughter to get a wisdom tooth removed. I have a meeting in just a little while, another tomorrow night and probably one on Thursday. In fact, I have something on my calendar almost every day for the next few weeks. David leaves tomorrow for yet another business trip. And so it goes...

Our internet was down when we got home and we just got it back this morning. I have lots of pictures from our trip to share, as well as some hilarious videos of pirates "singing", dancing and being silly. I'll try to get those posted over the next few days so stay tuned.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we do still love New Orleans.

Happy Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 03:44:00 +0000

Good Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 04:09:00 +0000

As we were leaving the Good Friday service last night I glanced back and saw this:

No such thing as too many books

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 19:31:00 +0000

Not long ago I cleared enough space in our library bookshelves to accommodate our new stereo system and vinyl collection. Remember?

I gave a stack of books to a friend (more like family) for her store's upcoming event, Notes and Letters: Music and Books. That means I "needed" more books, right? Well, maybe not, but I can't resist a library book sale. I attended our public library's used book sale last week and I'm pretty proud of myself. This is all I bought:

But then my mom gave me three boxes of my grandfather's cookbooks:

Looks like I'll need to so some rearranging and make space for more cookbooks in my kitchen. Never fear - I WILL prevail.

Are you a book collector? If so, leave me a comment and tell me your favorite type(s) of books to collect. I'm partial to old fiction, classics in older bindings, and certain types of travel stories.

Eiffel Tower Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 19:40:00 +0000

photo by Deanna Piercy

Today is the 126th anniversary of the public opening of the Eiffel Tower. This iconic symbol of Paris wasn't always beloved by the French, however. Read this:

When did the Eiffel Tower open, and why was it 'a truly tragic street lamp'?

And did you know that the Eiffel Tower now has its own wind turbines? On our trip to Paris last fall I was so impressed with the steps France has taken to be environmentally friendly and this is just another example of their efforts.

The Eiffel Tower has new wind turbines, and they're beautiful

Joyeux Anniversaire!

A perfect Sunday evening

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 20:08:00 +0000

Photo by Jen Payne

Oklahoma weather is fickle and one never knows how long these gorgeous Spring days will last. Before we know it we may be sweltering in 90+ degree heat. But for now, the days are lovely and the evenings are utter perfection.

Last night we took advantage the perfect temperatures and hosted our Sunday Family Dinner outdoors. In addition to my kids, niece and her boyfriend, we also invited my parents and one of Chris' longtime friends, Jennifer, to join us for dinner. I made layered salad (I'll put the recipe below), my mom brought her delicious potato salad, David grilled hot dogs and we had chips and dip and pitchers of iced tea. We set up tables on the patio and enjoyed a wonderful meal together.

When it got dark, David lit a fire in our fire pit and we all sat around it chatting, telling stories, and laughing. Oh, so much laughter! Chris had also made a special playlist so we had a soundtrack for the evening, as well.

Last year we allowed ourselves to get too busy for leisurely evenings around a fire or stargazing. We are not going to make that mistake again. We have already eaten outdoors and sat around the fire several nights this Spring and I intend to do it as often as possible while the weather is so nice. Life is too short not to make time for these special moments.

Photo by Jen Payne

Layered Salad

Ingredients:

one head iceberg lettuce (washed, dried, torn in bite-sized pieces)
one bell pepper (diced)
three ribs celery (diced)
3-4 green onions (sliced)
6 hard boiled eggs (chopped)
6 slices cooked bacon crumbled)
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
seasoning to taste

Directions:

In 9x13 glass baking dish layer in this order:

lettuce
bell pepper
celery
green onion
eggs

Mix mayonnaise, sugar and desired seasoning (I use Creole seasoning). Carefully spread over vegetables, making sure everything is covered all the way to the edges of the dish. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the mayonnaise then sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving.

*You can also include a cup or two of frozen peas in with the vegetables.

Earth Hour 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 03:57:00 +0000

We were busy around the house and didn't eat dinner until rather late so we observed Earth Hour on California time. David grilled chicken and we ate by candlelight on our patio. Afterwards he got a fire started in the fire pit while I cleaned up the kitchen...again by candlelight. Then we relaxed by the fire sipping wine and enjoying this beautiful Spring night. Not much of a sacrifice, I must admit.

Tea With Dee

Tea With Dee is moving!

A love letter to New Orleans

French Friday ~ Living the Good Life

My birthday weekend get-away

Shooting stars and fried green tomatoes

A new website for me!

Subscribe to our mailing list

Happy birthday, Lucy!

What I'm Into (July 2015 edition)

French Friday - some fun resources

A trip to Idaho

Tea Time - a documentary

Apollo 11 Moon Landing: Where were you?

La Fête Nationale (aka Bastille Day)

Fun times around here...

Love is All You Need...

Grocery Haul ~ June 16, 2015

Tea, Tissues and I Love Lucy

Tornadoes and flooding and tigers...oh, my!

Back from New Orleans, still recovering...

Happy Easter

Good Friday

No such thing as too many books

Eiffel Tower Anniversary

A perfect Sunday evening

Earth Hour 2015