“Traditions strengthen your family and enrich your life “
c e hollis
In the spring we visit the azalea gardens in Muskogee and the Philbrook gardens in Tulsa to add some fresh beauty to the days. After Mother’s Day the butterfly house calls for a visit and a picnic lunch at our favorite spot a rock table beside the butterfly bushes at the garden in Muskogee. In summer we go back for more flowers and plants at the Myriad gardens in Oklahoma City.
In the fall we make a trip to the Tulsa State Fair and have our favorite foods and see the sights, enjoy the animals and the sights and ride the Ferris Wheel. These traditions stitch the days and years together and make us more secure. We see the quilts and canning. We like the photography display and all the animal competitions.
Thanksgiving is next with a big family dinner turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, dressing, hot rolls, and pecan and pumpkin pie plus Tim’s famous chocolate cake. We like to share our gratitude by writing on paper leaves the things we are thankful for. Dad reads from the Bible and says a special prayer.
We go to the Mountain Man Rendezvous out at the lake to meet the reinactors and hear their stories and peruse their wares for sale: blankets, knives, animal hides, furs and hats and coats, coffee pots, mocassins, beadwork, hatchets, etc. We watch them cook on their campfires and work their hand crafts, quilting, sewing, leathercrafting, and blacksmithing.
In December we go again to the Garden of Lights and carry along a thermos of hot chocolate and some candy canes. We go to Owasso to find the perfect Christmas tree at the Berry/ tree farm there. It was more fun when the children were with us. Now they cut their own trees and have decorating parties with cider and goodies. On Christmas Eve we host a party with punch and all the sweets of the season including pecan fudge. We always attend a local chili supper in town and see all our friends before the Parade of Lights in Okmulgee.
In the heat of summer we celebrate the Fourth of July with a picnic supper, watermelons and fireworks. The kids all love shooting fireworks and throwing firecrackers from the creek bridge. The little ones run with sparklers and light smoke bombs that look like little tanks. They tire and get hot and fuss but popsicles and ice cream cures a lot. The teens have a grand time and the old foggies sit and watch from their lawn chairs.
In the hotter summer months we like to visit the art galleries in Tulsa Philbrook and Sand Springs, Oklahoma City and see our favorite art, Chilully glass at Reynolds Art Center and The Fayetteville Gallery in Arkansas. These experiences enrich our minds and lift our spirits.
One tradition is going for a swim then sitting on the porch swing to enjoy the country evenings before we retreat inside. We hear the owls calling, the treefrogs singing after a rain and the cicadas throbbing and thrumming a chorus, the crickets chirping, a dog bark now and then and a truck or two passing.
At Easter besides a family dinner of ham and fixings we love a trip to the Muskogee gardens again to see the pink magnolias and the dogwood in bloom. The flowers tell the story of Christ’s purity and the cross with the center edge of each petal tinged with red and the green cluster in the center representing the crown of thorns Jesus wore.
Traditions can be special family recipes, trips to the ocean, favorite outings, family get togethers, beloved movies, prayers before meals, reading favorite books, holiday music, caroling, baking goodies to share, visits with cousins, sleeping on the screened porch, table board games, watching sport together. The key is found in that word—together!
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24: 3-4
What’s Good About Home! 
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