It was a very warm week in central Oklahoma until today. We broke some high temperature records this week but the cold winds returned today. I’m so excited to see the stores already putting the seeds out. I bought a few packs from Walmart and Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree has increased the price of the seeds again this year from 4/$1.25 to 3/$1.50. I had great luck with the Dollar Tree seeds last year and they are still more affordable than other options. I will probably order more seeds online next week that I can’t get locally. I am going to order from Free Heirloom Seeds because I also had good results with their seeds last year. I am also considering ordering some seeds from a company called Fellabees that seems to have good prices. It is a good idea to start early with some plants so I am already thinking about my plan for the spring garden. My boyfriend gave me some sunflower seeds and some wildflower seeds this week. He also gave me a large set of Marie’s hot wing sauces because I love spicy chicken. I bought a bunch of chicken wings and tried out the different flavors. The sauces were pretty good although they were not super spicy. The ghost pepper hot sauce and the Japanese barbecue sauce were my favorites. The garlic parmesan flavor did not taste like garlic or parmesan, in my opinion. I went to my local Vietnamese market to buy some banh mi and I also checked out the fruits. I saw something I haven’t tried, cherimoya. I hope to try it in the future although I am waiting to see if the price goes down. They are fourteen dollars a pound, quite high for fruit. They had some cute dishes and silverware for a low price. On the way home, I saw some pretty pansies and a tree growing in another tree. I also saw a very nice deodar cedar with gold coloring. I would like to get one of those for the farm in the future. I saw more great tailed grackles this week. I have been a little obsessed with them lately and really want to draw one soon. I did go to the farm tonight to feed the cat and the opossum. Both are doing well. It was dark and very cold outside so I didn’t get get good photos of either of them. I did some drawing this week and started a sketch of the book my sister gave me. I think it needs more work before I color it. My friend really liked the miniatures I painted for him and is going to mail me some more to paint soon. The new year is coming and I have a day off. I’m going to make black eyed peas on New Year’s Day. I got a good deal on some fresh ones this week. Happy New Year’s 2026!
Lisa Ledbetter 