our weekend of diems that were fully carpe’d

Hello and happy Monday!! Handsome and I are still thrumming from a weekend packed with good stuff. The “carpe diem” lifestyle has been happening, and it suits us just fine.

Starting with Friday night, we filled the farm with a variety of friends and family to swim and watch “Deep Blue Sea” outside under the stars. It was Shark Week, after all. I love how all of our people mix beautifully with each other. Really nice. And that movie! One of our all time favorites. I had forgotten how many lines from it we quote on a regular basis. Especially from LL Cool J. Hilarious.

After many hours of that fun we left the kitchen messy (a rare indulgence), crashed hard, and slept until an unheard of 7 am Saturday morning. Haha, that’s quite late for us. We enjoyed our leisurely morning routines, fed the critters, then set out for a little drive through small towns and back roads. That adventure took us to Tecumseh, where we explored antique rooms and ate an early and memorable lunch at The Farmer’s Daughter. Delicious! I’d been hearing lots about this cafe and am happy to report that it’s even better than expected.

My meal was a salmon salad with all the delicious trimmings and exactly one bob bon, pecan-coconut covered in chocolate. Perfect. My guy had ribs with exactly his favorite kind of macaroni and cheese. We were both pretty proud of our selections.

After that we drove more, looking for garage sales, but came home with limited treasure. I did snag a few potted plants from a greenhouse tucked away on the side of a state highway. Also a stack of hardback books for 27 cents total, but that purchase cost us about 20 minutes standing in line. Why?? Haha Still, happy to have the books.

Late Saturday night, after some swimming and playing with the animals, Handsome got brave and anted-up for yoga. The outdoor movie screen was still in place, so we used it to follow a Tara Stiles “relaxing” sequence, haha, but let’s just say it was a rage-filled half hour!! So much fun though. He cracks me up. We might try Adrienne next time, as she is much more mellow and low key.

Sunday mid-morning I laced up for 7 miles of pure bliss, an hour very well spent. My body is really getting comfortable again, and the weather was magical. I bumped into two sets of friends at the park where I ran, and those conversations were icing on the cake!

While I ran, Handsome worked on his Cadillac restoration. He’s undecided and enjoying the creative process, but for now the previously pink beauty is a sleek and sexy black. Her name is Marilyn.

We swam more and did a few other projects around the farm.

Late Sunday afternoon we threw on some clean clothes and drove to the city for something we rarely seek out unless we are in New Orleans: Live music!

Our friend Lynn has fallen madly in love with (and secretly married!!) an exceptionally talented musician whose band is all rockabilly, both vintage and original, which is straight up our musical alley.

The band is called “Jimmy Dale and the Beltline,” and if you ever get a chance to see them live, jump on it!! We had so much fun. I promise to tell you more about this unique couple soon. Besides being adorable and loving, they nurture a joint creative force that makes Oklahoma pretty special.

Whew! As I hit “publish” on these weekend memories, Handsome and I are still happily thrumming from it all. We are also coming down off some incredible Monday energy. You know that exhausted-but-accomplished feeling you earn after setting yourself up for a really excellent work week, and you probably want chicken and dumplins for dinner, and maybe a foot rub? That and more. So good.

Thanks for checking in, friends! See you tomorrow for Monday stories, a recipe, and more.

“I got a black car!”
~Jimmy Dale
XOXOXOXO