A collection of doodles with a bit of commentary by RICK GREEN - your cartooning friend

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Boys of October


Just a doodle that I did a few years ago that I thought I would post now. October is close at hand and the baseball playoffs are just around the corner. I'm not big into baseball, but I like doing a doodle or duo (meaning "or two") about it.

In other news...

One of the joys of blogging is making new friends. While doing some blog surfing the other day I ran across the name of Reddirt Woman. I knew right away she had to be from Oklahoma. I've got some red dirt flowing in my viens too.

On her blog she had a photograph of the okra plants in her garden. I commented that the wife and I LOVE okra. We can never find fresh okra out here in Oregon. (If you don't know what I'm talking about you're not from the south.)

The next thing I knew I got an e-mail from Reddirt W., offering to mail me some. I couldn't believe it, but it was an offer that I could hardly refuse.

Offering to pay for the postage, the only thing she require was that I "pay it forward" to some other person in need. What a deal!!

I didn't tell my wife about the surprise coming in the mail - Dirt Lady mailed it last Saturday with two day postage, no less. It arrived this afternoon.

Our daughter brought the package in and I knew right away what was inside. When my wife step into the room I asked her, "Do you love me?" She looked at me and then that the box and asked what it was. I said something about, "You know how I connect with people through my blog...?" She said, "Oh no, what is it?"

I opened the package and showed her what was inside. She just laughed, and laughed. I told her the story about my Okie friend. She was amazed that someone would go to so much trouble, and spend so much money to send us some fresh okra. I was too.

We cooked them up right away. A little oil, corn meal in a frying pan and it tasted great. (Boiled okra? Slimy and YUCK! Fried okra - crispy and yummy! You've got to try it.)



Thank you Reddirt Woman for your terrific kindness to a stranger. We have been blessed by your generosity and I will not forget my debt to pass it forward.

Oh, and thank you for the fresh tomato too. Another lovely treat.

Why don't the rest of you give my friend the DirtRed Woman a visit on her blog and do a little electronic drool over her garden. (But I suggest that you just scroll past the photos of her doggie. Sorry RDW, I just had to add that.)

18 comments:

Unknown said...

My papa was from Arkansas, my gamma was from Oaklahoma...and we always enjoyed okra..anyway it was prepared by gammy...course ya gotsta serve it with iced tea with real sugar melted on the stove with 8 tea bags per gallon.

Got a doodle of a gammy dressed in her Sunday best apron, standing at the stove..with grand-children on the floor hanging on her skirt?

Gammy's name and fame was her quilts..she made one for each child, and all grand children which was a number above 40 something ... she had 11 kids and they each had average 3+

Love all your creations!

J-o-h-n-n-y said...

Life is a strange thing! I have lived in Oklahoma for many years......:_)

I like your artworks!

MaBunny said...

OH lucky you! I love fried okra, YUMMY!!! Glad you connected with the Okie:) I will have to check out her blog later today though since I'm getting ready to go to work.

Farmchick said...

Just stopping in to say hi and to thank you for visiting my blog! It is wonderful how many new and interesting friends one can make through blogging! Sounds like you enjoyed your okra!!! You are a great artist...I enjoyed looking through your blog. Stop back and visit me anytime!

Reddirt Woman said...

Hi Rick.. Glad you all got your okra and enjoyed it. I just felt like it was something I could do and, like I said, we've had a good season. While it is starting to cool, in the 80's this week, we still have okra coming on, but not for long. I think we will have enough for friends visiting from Mississippi this week end. It is a terrible thing to love okra and have to do without it, so I hope you enjoyed it.

SueSue gets her stitches out today!! Ball playing is back.

Have a good day.. (and thanks for the plug!)

Helen

curtisleefarmer said...

I am jealous! When Holly and I first moved here, I walked into a Fred Meyer produce section and asked the guy if they had okra. His exact quote was, "What's that?" Needless to say, it's a little difficult to find. There is a BBQ place in town that has good fried okra, but it's not like Grandma Farmer used to make! :)

Tonjia said...

awesome gift!! I can smell the okra from here. yummmmm

Becky Montoya Wright said...

The fried okra looked fantastic! Your art is great and your writing very enjoyable.

Kim VanDerHoek said...

What a sweet woman! I've never had okra, being a California native, it must have been a nice reminder of home for you and your wife.

Elizabeth said...

That is very cool...I'm not an okra fan myself, but cook some up most Sundays for the husband.

Lump said...

mmm fried Okra is so good! I grew up in Oklahoma and of course go back at least once a month to visit my family and friends.

The okra and fried chicken at Eischen's in Okarche is almost like heaven. ha!

Erika Jean said...

That is so sweet!

... however, I'm no okra fan. blah.

Unknown said...

I do love me some okra! I like it both fried and steamed(whole). I don't ever boil it. Makes it too slimy. My husband is from Utah(I'm from NC...God's country) and the first time he tried boiled okra he called it snotkra. I thought it was fitting.

raccoonlover1963/Lisa Myers said...

I'm jealous! We love fresh okra, but our garden didn't produce any this year for some reason. I even planted it twice. When we lived in Florida, we always bought it at a flea market. I can't find it anywhere around here. I'm not buying frozen okra. MEGA YUK!
Lisa

Lexie said...

rick that was my post for thursday, you aren't going blind as well as bald!

i wrote and predated one for this afternoon (friday) and added a little thing at the bottom of it, showing the drawing and saying how lexie loved it. the thursday post was just a quick little thing i through in. it wasnt planned.

Anonymous said...

oooooh!!! We miss us some okra!!! YUM YUM YUM!!!

Albert said...

I may just give okra another try, considering how you said to prepare it.

imbeingheldhostage said...

Hi Rick-- you're in, I'm linking you now. This is a wonderfully refreshing thank you post-- I love seeing how the bloggy world connects... maybe you'll snag some British chocolate to surprise your wife with too :-)