This morning, after a leisurely morning with my aunt and uncle, we drove back from Tulsa to our home in Allen. We saw many hawks nestled in the bare trees, and a good number of huge buzzards flying far aloft. We passed by Choctaw casinos, pro-life billboards in front of Pentecostal churches, and endless hills of forests dotted with tall if sparse trees. I tried to make mental notes of state parks I wish to return and explore. All told, it proved to be 480 miles from my wife's dad's house to our home. The town names were often exotic and intriguing native American names--Talala, Atoka, Caddo, and Kiowa. When we passed through Talala, a very small town south of Tulsa, the sign proclaimed it to be the home of "art sculptress Sandra Van Zandt". I love the internet, because I could look up www.sandravanzandt.com and get the full back story. Of course, I suppose if we had stopped in Talala, anyone would have been glad to fill me in. So much of Oklahoma is so pretty--it really is an interesting place through which to drive.
When we got home, we immediately went for a walk in the neighborhood, to try to begin to shake off the caloric dust that so much rich food has caused. I carried with me a gift I'd received of a set of portable binoculars. When we passed the Boyle Farm, we saw a bird hovering in mid-air in a wind draft. When the bird landed on a bare tree after several moments, we saw through the binoculars that he was a cute sparrow hawk. His feathers were a rich almost yellow brown, and he was so tiny.
I had almost mistaken him for a large swift.
This was a good Christmas, and we only need to work for another week before we get a six day vacation. But I'm still tired, and tomorrow will still be a working Monday. This was a good holiday, though. Now I've got to figure out which of the great book recommendations I'll use my certificate to buy.
