Howdy from Lincoln County, OK

[woodeye]

I'd like to introduce myself to the forum today, I've been thinking about joining for awhile and have decided that now is the time. I have enjoyed reading the posts and have already learned a few things before I joined. I live about 45 miles east of OKC. Retired and enjoying it. Well enjoying most of it, but see note about deer below. 

I have several hobbies, one of which is gardening of course, but I enjoy woodworking and photography too. It's sort of a down time for woodworking right now, too hot in the shop, but this fall and winter I'll get back to it because it helps me forget about the cold weather when nothing will grow and there's nothing to mow. I snap photos daily of my backyard garden, I like doing that. And I would have snapped photos daily of my Heavy Hitter Okra and Top Pick Purple Hull peas, but again see note about deer below. 

I don't watch the news on TV or read it on the internet. Whatever happens, happens. If something major happens, my little brother or sister will text me about it. If communications are down and they can't notify me, then it's too late anyway. Same for Sports, I don't watch that anymore, and I will not take a knee. I cut the cable 2 years ago and don't regret it one bit. I'd much rather sit out in the yard and watch tomato plants or squash plants, or okra stalks. Here is the note referenced in the above 2 paragraphs: ->>However, I do not want to sit out there and watch the deer play, but that's another story that I will clarify at a later time when the pain they have caused me goes away. If that is possible. Okay, okay, it's possible.

But on a brighter note, I look forward to being part of the forum.
Thank You...

[hmoosek]

Welcome woodeye! We are glad to have you join us!

[macmex]

So glad you have decided to join us and participate! We're all richer for it. There are literally hundreds of people "lurking," but for whatever reason don't participate. That's fine, but it's special when someone actually joins the community! I stopped watching TV decades ago too. Got tired of being manipulated and assaulted with stupidity.

[rdback]

Welcome to GCSS woodeye . I live in Virginia, but I did go to first grade in Norman, so there's that lol. Pull up a keyboard and stay a while! I think you'll like it here.

[june]

Welcome, Woodeye.  I am not too far from you--just south of the I-40/240 triangle (on S. Anderson Rd. SE OKC)

The pain from deer damage in your garden never goes away.  Last year was the worst garden I have ever had (because of deer).  Last fall, I had a herd of 10+ deer that frequented my garden daily.  I put up a 4-strand electric fence for a protected area.  So far, no damage inside the fence, but they keep my planters of sweet potato on patio picked bare--also my rose bushes are history.

Happy you have joined us.

[heavyhitterokra]

Welcome to the forum, Woodeye. I'm sure you'll like it here. I know we'll all enjoy your posts.

[woodeye]

Thanks to each and every one of you for welcoming to the forum, I appreciate it. 

hmoosek, I'm thrilled to be here.

macmex, I shall not lurk. Well, not here on the forum anyway.

rdback, Cool. I hope you did better in 1st grade than I did, I almost got to go twice. But back then there wasn't such a thing as kindergarten at my school, so I guess my first attempt at the 1st grade would have filled the role.

june, that's true, we live relatively close. I live on Highway 177, south of highway 66. The Reynard Raceway adjoins my property, which is on property that my dad sold to KWTV back in the 80's. Gary England was behind their plan to use that 5 acres for a state-of-the-art weather station. They bought the 5 acres from my dad because it is the highest point in Lincoln County. Well to make a very long story exceedingly shorter, the weather station lasted a year or so if that. But at least I got to meet Gary England before the venture went bust. I think after that he started making movies, not sure. I'm hoping that the pain from deer damage will subside slightly, but I feel like you are right, the pain won't ever go away.

bon, I'll make time to post pictures. Right now I have a lot of woodworking pictures, some backyard garden pictures, and so forth. I'll work at getting it all figured out soon. My avatar is a picture I took of a cane I carved for my dad about 30 years ago. I haven't given up carving completely, but the cane is made of red cedar and the red cedar dust caused major skin irritations, so I'll have to carve other woods if I ever start making canes again.

heavyhitterokra, I'm 100% sure that I will like it here. 

[chrysanthemum]

Welcome, Woodeye.

I garden way down south of you in Texas Hill Country near San Antonio. You all contend with heat like ours in the height of summer, though, so we have a lot in common. My winters aren’t as harsh, though.

We’ve got a lot of cedar on our property. Thankfully I haven’t (yet) had reactions to the wood because we chip it up and use it for garden mulch, and we cut it for firewood. The pollen is horrible, though, and every January I’m not sure I’ll manage to survive it.

We do love pictures around here. I’ll look forward to seeing more of yours.

[woodeye]

chrysanthemum, agreed, I'm sure out summers are similar. I'd sure enjoy the warmer winters you have, although last winter here wasn't as bad as the year before. That winter was a disaster.


The reason I had to deal with so much cedar dust was that I did all the sanding on the canes on a cushion contour sander. I didn't breathe in the dust, I used a respirator, but even with fans blowing the dust away from me it still really inflicted damage on my arms and hands.


Thank You for the welcome, I'm happy to be here on the forum...

[heavyhitterokra]

I used to make walking sticks and rolling pins from sassafras sprouts, but since we moved here, away from sassafras country, sassafras wood has been hard to come by. Back home all I had to do was cut the top out of one sassafras tree and the sprouts from it would pop up everywhere like weeds. When they got about 8' feet tall, I'd whack them for walking stick material.

I never had any problem with sassafras, but I'm allergic to red cedar.

[june]

Heavyhitter, I love sassafras 'tea'...haven't thought about it in years.  I grew up in far SE Missouri (bootheel) and we used to dig the roots in the springtime to make 'tea'...tastes like rootbeer.

[june]

Woodeye, my house is surrounded by big walnut trees.  When we get a big storm, I sometimes have nice wood for woodworking...I used to give it to a woodworker out in Beaver named 'Mike', but he passed away, so I started burning it in the fireplace--seems a shame to burn beautiful wood.  Next time I get a walnut tree down, I'll give the wood to you if you want it.

[woodeye]

Deal!! Thank You, June. Yes I will take it off your hands if you ever have one that blows down. 

Buying Walnut lumber is scary nowadays. It's even more expensive than some of the exotic woods...

[heavyhitterokra]

I burned three ricks of walnut one winter, back in the '80S because NSU had the grounds crew cut it up into firewood, rather than logs for lumber. It was on Grand Avenue, right as you make the last turn, heading to Muskogee Avenue. Someone had come flying down Grand Avenue one night and they didn't make the sharp turn, hitting the giant tree and killing the driver. After that, they cut the tree down and left it laying in the ditch where the Net building is now located.

It wasn't very good firewood. Walnut leaves poor coals. At the time, I didn't know any woodworkers. I saved several of the bigger pieces for several years before they finally dry rotted from old age. I always thought that was a shame.

[john]

Welcome Woodeye!