It did not really gross me out before, but the little things poking up out of the water look like slimy fingers. And with that, I am officially grossed out. Sunday, May 25, 2008
Can you identify this pond scum?
We currently have some well, crud, covering certain areas of our pond, and we need to get rid of it. Joshua and I have been joking that we need to get some asexual carp to eat this crud. Dad is going to take the pictures to the OSU-Extension office. Preston's dad suggested throwing some sheet rock into the pond. Apparently, the lime helps kill the crud. We are open to any suggestions. Frankly, I blame the turtles.
It did not really gross me out before, but the little things poking up out of the water look like slimy fingers. And with that, I am officially grossed out.
It did not really gross me out before, but the little things poking up out of the water look like slimy fingers. And with that, I am officially grossed out. 
Turtle Sniper
As the weather warms in Bristow, the highways have become littered with adventurous turtles, braving the warm asphalt in the hopes of exploring what can only be the surreal just on the other side. It is almost like an obstacle course, weaving through the turtles and inwardly rooting for the awkward animals to survive without being squished by some 18-wheeler. I am, however, not so romantic about the snapping turtles living in the pond, eating our catfish and literally peaking above the surface of the water to locate our bobber so they can grab onto our hooks. Removing the turtle from the hook is just the cherry on top after you discover that it was not a large-mouth bass you ensnared, but rather, an obnoxious turtle. I remember once my cousin, Travis, covertly left his baited pole in the water at the catfish pond, and we returned to find a turtle on the line the next morning. Grandad was little upset, but I remember all of the cousins watching in sick fascination as he immediately beheaded the turtle with his pocket knife.
After our fishing trip, Joshua conducted a little campaign of turtle and snake population control with his 30-30. I was officially the spotter, and part of me felt a little compelled to yell “Pull!” every time I spotted a little head peak above the surface (undoubtedly looking for an orange bobber). Here is the death toll:
Turtles Sniped: 6
Turtles Escaped (Possibly injured): 1
Cottonmouths Obliterated: 1
This is not an actual shot of the Cottonmouth he killed although it is very similar. I mainly just posted this to creep Joshua out.
He seems a little exasperated that I am taking his picture for his blog before his big hunt. Obviously, I am unnecessarily delaying the inevitable onslaught for such womanly pursuits as picture-taking and blog-writing. The previous picture is penance for picture-taking grumpiness.
After our fishing trip, Joshua conducted a little campaign of turtle and snake population control with his 30-30. I was officially the spotter, and part of me felt a little compelled to yell “Pull!” every time I spotted a little head peak above the surface (undoubtedly looking for an orange bobber). Here is the death toll:
Turtles Sniped: 6
Turtles Escaped (Possibly injured): 1
Cottonmouths Obliterated: 1
This is not an actual shot of the Cottonmouth he killed although it is very similar. I mainly just posted this to creep Joshua out.
He seems a little exasperated that I am taking his picture for his blog before his big hunt. Obviously, I am unnecessarily delaying the inevitable onslaught for such womanly pursuits as picture-taking and blog-writing. The previous picture is penance for picture-taking grumpiness.Perch, Perch, Perch, Another Perch, Perch, Perch....
Determined to overcome our previous miserable fishing failure, we returned to Aunt June and Uncle Gary’s pond equipped night-crawlers, ready to apparently feed every tiny perch in the pond. Fishing in this pond is absolutely never boring: I remember fishing this pond with Emily and our cousins, John Robert and Travis, and there were times where Grandad literally did not do anything but throw back our catch and re-bait our hooks. You always catch fish at this pond! Perhaps that is why last week’s no-catch episode seemed so insulting. We tossed in our lines and proceeded to reel in literally perch after perch. It seemed the longer we fished, the smaller the perches became! If only we could catch one of those big bass! Joshua had one on the line, pulled it out of the water, and watched as it wiggled off the hook and splashed loudly back into the water. After about ten perch between us, Joshua finally caught his bass, and well, you will simply have to look at the picture...
We think it must have hatched last week.
We think it must have hatched last week.Family Mow Down
This past weekend, the family, armed with our fancy new brush hog for the new MF, set out to mow down the Farm. With Dad and Joshua managing the MF, Mom, Emily, and I waged war with the riding lawn mower, the gas-powered and electric weed eater, the edger, and the blower (Joshua calls it the “Yuppy Broom”). With five helping hands, our beautiful yard revealed itself in very little time. If our other respective professions fizzle out, I believe I can confidently say we may have found a family calling in landscaping.
We finished the day with a little trespassing. We fished in Aunt June and Uncle Gary’s pond, albeit with fake worms, and discovered that the Farm fish are apparently a little snobby. The girls picked wild flowers and made a pretty floral centerpiece for the dinner table. While Joshua grilled hamburgers, Mom and Emily kicked up their feet in the front yard while Dad and I worked on our jump shots. As simple as it sounds, these family farm days warm my heart and refresh my spirit for the week of work. This fellowship improves my outlook about my job and the thousands of trivial things that clutter my calendar. At the end of the day, I always feel the absence, standing under the stars in the driveway in my socks and watching the tail lights disappear down the hill in front of our house.
Hamburgers!
Look at the pretty flowers we pilfered from Aunt June's property....Come on, Aunt June, don't they make you want to come back to Oklahoma?!?
Notice the covered parking now available for Dad's new Ford Taurus...We are still taking applications for a name for his new car. In honor of one of my favorite TV shows, I think we should call it "Dwight."
Notice Mom's John Deere T-Shirt. The guy at the Massey-Ferguson dealership told us he could get us some red t-shirts with "MF" on them. I am somewhat uneasy about this....MF? Really? It just seems moderately profane.
Emily posed for this action shot because, clearly, we did not catch any fish on plastic worms. Even if we had used live bait, Emily spent more time casting than actually fishing.
This was Mom's view from the pond while we were fishing....
My boys...in their straw hats and work boots.
Emliy and Joshua grin for the camera. My cue was "Act Like You Like Each Other." So natural.
Emily took this picture because I think she was afraid to pick up the turtle. Very National Geographic.
We found several budding fruit trees and vines on the property after we cut the grass around them. We think this one is a plum tree, and it has some fruit on it. Next year, we will need to do some spraying and fertilizing to ensure a better crop!
Our peach tree!
Our apple tree!
We trimmed back the vines, and we already have grapes growing. We plan on making some delicious grape jelly.
The girls pull off dead grape vines from the fence.
Dad using his gas-powered weed eater. Notice the grape vines along the fence. Many of the vines around the corner are coming back with full leaves and baby grapes...
Joshua doing his very favorite Farm thing....
We finished the day with a little trespassing. We fished in Aunt June and Uncle Gary’s pond, albeit with fake worms, and discovered that the Farm fish are apparently a little snobby. The girls picked wild flowers and made a pretty floral centerpiece for the dinner table. While Joshua grilled hamburgers, Mom and Emily kicked up their feet in the front yard while Dad and I worked on our jump shots. As simple as it sounds, these family farm days warm my heart and refresh my spirit for the week of work. This fellowship improves my outlook about my job and the thousands of trivial things that clutter my calendar. At the end of the day, I always feel the absence, standing under the stars in the driveway in my socks and watching the tail lights disappear down the hill in front of our house.
Hamburgers!
Look at the pretty flowers we pilfered from Aunt June's property....Come on, Aunt June, don't they make you want to come back to Oklahoma?!?
Notice the covered parking now available for Dad's new Ford Taurus...We are still taking applications for a name for his new car. In honor of one of my favorite TV shows, I think we should call it "Dwight."
Notice Mom's John Deere T-Shirt. The guy at the Massey-Ferguson dealership told us he could get us some red t-shirts with "MF" on them. I am somewhat uneasy about this....MF? Really? It just seems moderately profane.
Emily posed for this action shot because, clearly, we did not catch any fish on plastic worms. Even if we had used live bait, Emily spent more time casting than actually fishing.
This was Mom's view from the pond while we were fishing....
My boys...in their straw hats and work boots.
Emliy and Joshua grin for the camera. My cue was "Act Like You Like Each Other." So natural.
Emily took this picture because I think she was afraid to pick up the turtle. Very National Geographic.
We found several budding fruit trees and vines on the property after we cut the grass around them. We think this one is a plum tree, and it has some fruit on it. Next year, we will need to do some spraying and fertilizing to ensure a better crop!
Our peach tree!
Our apple tree!
We trimmed back the vines, and we already have grapes growing. We plan on making some delicious grape jelly.
The girls pull off dead grape vines from the fence.
Dad using his gas-powered weed eater. Notice the grape vines along the fence. Many of the vines around the corner are coming back with full leaves and baby grapes...
Joshua doing his very favorite Farm thing....Our First Farm Toy!
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to the latest addition to our Farm family? A Massey-Ferguson 2615! For the past few warm weeks, the grass around our house grew so significantly we started to joke that it looked as if a certain and quite unsavory former occupant still lived here. Armed with just a riding lawn mower, there was simply no way we were going to be able to tackle this farm task. Joshua and I hired a friend to mow things right around the house, but with so much grass around our farm house and in the pastures, it became immediately apparent that it would cost a few hundred dollars every couple of weeks simply to manage this growing fire hazard. We started pricing tractors, thinking that we might find a junker to cover the season, but we soon learned that tractors hold their value far better than automobiles. In the tractor business, even old junkers do not come cheaply, and if they do, you always have to wonder about the safety issue, particularly when Dad and Joshua may be way off in the pasture working by themselves while the girls are off on their adventures.
After looking around at tractors of all shapes, sizes, and colors (John Deere, New Holland, Kubota, and Massey Ferguson), we found a wonderful deal at our brand new local Massey-Ferguson dealer. The dealership is located at the corner of Highway 48 and Highway 33, making it only four miles or so from the Farm. They handle all service repairs and stock all parts for the tractor, and with the cost of gasoline, the proximity means that pick-up and delivery for parts, warranty work, and repairs will not be any added expense. Equipped with a front-end loader, our tractor is a fifty horsepower (enough power to hold a hay bale on the front and back), two-wheel drive red beauty. Enjoy our pictures!
Even the girls have to learn to drive!
Dad mastering the front-end loader...
Fueling up before our first ride...
We are legitimate farmers now!
After looking around at tractors of all shapes, sizes, and colors (John Deere, New Holland, Kubota, and Massey Ferguson), we found a wonderful deal at our brand new local Massey-Ferguson dealer. The dealership is located at the corner of Highway 48 and Highway 33, making it only four miles or so from the Farm. They handle all service repairs and stock all parts for the tractor, and with the cost of gasoline, the proximity means that pick-up and delivery for parts, warranty work, and repairs will not be any added expense. Equipped with a front-end loader, our tractor is a fifty horsepower (enough power to hold a hay bale on the front and back), two-wheel drive red beauty. Enjoy our pictures!
Even the girls have to learn to drive!
Dad mastering the front-end loader...
Fueling up before our first ride...
We are legitimate farmers now!Emily's Graduation
On the weekend of May 10, 2008, my little sister, Emily Kristen Lester, graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Social Work. Joshua and I loaded up the green pick-up truck, now affectionately labeled “Wyatt” as in Earp, and headed for Norman, Oklahoma. Since every hotel room in Norman has been booked for likely the past four years of her college education, we stayed at the United States Postal Training Center. The training center is actually a Marriott creation but everything is somewhat more “government-issued” than say, Courtyard by Marriott. Albeit a little small, the room was comfortable and served its purpose; Joshua and I, however, are still puzzled by a bizarre substance we found smeared on the wall in our room. After we came home, we saw one those “scan your hotel room with a black light” segments on the local news. Feeling the bile rise, we both fondly remembered our christened room at the Postal Training Center. Forgive me, I digress….
On Friday night, the entire crew went to the University of Oklahoma Commencement Ceremony. Packed in like sardines, we were so thankful for the cool weather and light breeze. After a hardly abbreviated ceremony during which Joshua, Mom, and I enjoyed seeing Sooners like Won Hung Low earn his doctorate in sociology, we enjoyed a rousing rendition of Oklahoma during the crimson and cream fireworks. I think I can confidently say, even as a proud graduate of the University of Tulsa, that more than any other school in this state, the University of Oklahoma knows how to properly celebrate its tradition and alumni! The next day, we attended the College of Arts and Sciences Convocation and watched as the announcer officially proclaimed Emily K. Lester a proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma. All silliness aside, we are so proud of Emily’s accomplishments, and we look forward to celebrating again with her in another year as she earns her Masters in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. So, as an adopted Sooner, I suppose I should end this entry only one way: Boomer!
Beautiful Sooner girls...
Joshua and I with the new college grad!
My favorite OU alumni
Our precious Meme and Papa with Emily on Graduation Day!
On Friday night, the entire crew went to the University of Oklahoma Commencement Ceremony. Packed in like sardines, we were so thankful for the cool weather and light breeze. After a hardly abbreviated ceremony during which Joshua, Mom, and I enjoyed seeing Sooners like Won Hung Low earn his doctorate in sociology, we enjoyed a rousing rendition of Oklahoma during the crimson and cream fireworks. I think I can confidently say, even as a proud graduate of the University of Tulsa, that more than any other school in this state, the University of Oklahoma knows how to properly celebrate its tradition and alumni! The next day, we attended the College of Arts and Sciences Convocation and watched as the announcer officially proclaimed Emily K. Lester a proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma. All silliness aside, we are so proud of Emily’s accomplishments, and we look forward to celebrating again with her in another year as she earns her Masters in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. So, as an adopted Sooner, I suppose I should end this entry only one way: Boomer!
Beautiful Sooner girls...
Joshua and I with the new college grad! 
My favorite OU alumni
Our precious Meme and Papa with Emily on Graduation Day!Sunday, May 4, 2008
Farm Fun...with Emily!
On Saturday, our family did a little hunting for farm equipment, watched the Kentucky Derby, and played Wii. Emily joined us for farm fun as she is spending a few days at home before her big graduation from the University of Oklahoma on May 10, 2008! Enjoy a few silly pictures and stay tuned for a major farm announcement coming this week!
Mom playing a little Guitar Hero III....A very intense rendition of Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot on Easy Level. Mom Rocks!
Emily and Joshua searching the Internet for her next laptop. The facial expressions say it all! Emily's top computer priority: "Cuteness." Joshua's top computer priority: "Functionality." Dad's top computer priority: "Cheap." So, once we find the cutest most functional computer at a very low cost, all three should be sufficiently dissatisfied.
Emily doing her Wii Fitness Age. Results: Emily is a highly coordinated 37 year-old.
My family laying on my bed watching the Kentucky Derby in High Defintion on our new TV. Notice Emily's excitement. It was somewhat tempered when one of the horses was euthanized on the track approximately ten minutes after this picture was taken. Seriously! Can you believe that? Emily's significant other was at the Derby and bet on the horse that died which normally would be sort of a bad omen, but the dead horse did come in second. Hope he betted on her to place!
Look how pleasant they look....except my grouchy sister.
Mom playing a little Guitar Hero III....A very intense rendition of Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot on Easy Level. Mom Rocks!
Emily and Joshua searching the Internet for her next laptop. The facial expressions say it all! Emily's top computer priority: "Cuteness." Joshua's top computer priority: "Functionality." Dad's top computer priority: "Cheap." So, once we find the cutest most functional computer at a very low cost, all three should be sufficiently dissatisfied.
Emily doing her Wii Fitness Age. Results: Emily is a highly coordinated 37 year-old. 
My family laying on my bed watching the Kentucky Derby in High Defintion on our new TV. Notice Emily's excitement. It was somewhat tempered when one of the horses was euthanized on the track approximately ten minutes after this picture was taken. Seriously! Can you believe that? Emily's significant other was at the Derby and bet on the horse that died which normally would be sort of a bad omen, but the dead horse did come in second. Hope he betted on her to place! 
Look how pleasant they look....except my grouchy sister.
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