46 degrees this morning.
Thank goodness I can finally write "Spring 2014"! This has to be the worst, longest Winter since we moved to Lakeland. I was going to write last night after it officially became "Spring", but other priorities (such as Kali and Katherine, eating and March Madness) got in the way.
We did a "tuit" yesterday, after 12 years, we visited Oxford, Mississippi and "the Square". It was actually everything we expected and more, a lot of fun. Kali and Katherine enjoyed it, with Katherine stating she "wanted to live there!". We walked around the Square and ate at the "City Grocery", probably the closet to the concept of Southern Manners and elegance in dining that we will experience, at least for lunch. We also saw the famous "Square Books" along Square Jr. (children) and "Off Square Books".
I almost always take off my hat when I eat, more as a matter of my own preference, since other men rarely do. The City Grocery hostess asked me to remove mine, which is rather embarrassing , but she was correct. (I usually remove it when I sit down and she reminded me before I sat dow). They do have a sign asking everyone to quiet their cell phones and "Gentlemen remove your hats". We throughly enjoyed eating there. They didn't have a lot of the vegan in our group, but other than that the food was excellent and I said the heck with carbs and at the candied sweet potatoes. They also had their own specially blended coffee, which was excellent.
Our next Tuit is to go to the Shiloh Civil War Battlefield. I have lived probably about 40 miles from it for 12 years and have never gone. We did go by the Parker Crossing battlefield one time (at Tennessee exit 108 on I-40) which was interesting.
My cousin, Ken, provided me with a perfect solution to my dilemna of "too much stuff", especially things related to memories. He suggested I take a digital picture, which is the perfect solution. Sometimes the solution to a problem is right there! When he suggested this, I had an "ah ha" moment of "why didn't I think of that!". (I can even take pictures of my clothing I have grown attached to also, inc addition to the event t-shirts etc. But, not the Hot Wheels. They are staying!
The trip to Oxford was by back roads (which is about the only way to get there unless you go way out of your way, at least from Lakeland). That trip, combined with the detours to avoid I-40 constructed in Arkansas reminded me of my "Elk Mountain Rendezvous". The Wichita Mountains are wonderful part of southwest Oklahoma. One day a friend and I decided to visit the Wichita Mountains and hike. We visited Medicine Park (don't miss this former resort town), saw "Mount Scott" (I believe about 6,000 feet height, it looks like a thumb rising out of the ground), then on to the trails
We hiked up Elk Mountain. On the way up, a buffalo was blocking the trail. For some reason I proceeded on the trail. The buffalo raised its "(MASSIVE) head and looked at me. I said "Good Morning Mr. Buffalo". The next thing I remember was thinking "I'm wrestling a buffalo, why am I wrestling a buffalo? The buffalo had charged me, or at least ran towards me. When something like this happens, it seems to happen in a slow time frame. I remember my thoughts, and I remember looking behind me and seeing the shocked look on the faces of my friend and two other hikers who had just rounded the corner.
I don't think it hit me until later how dangerous it could have been. It made a good story for speeches! I hiked the Elk Mountain one more time, but I stayed away from the buffalo.
That's it for now.
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