Ragtag Resilience

01/14/2025

Update: Did you know that oat milk has great benefits that don’t include drinking it? Oat milk is lactose free and a great treat (in moderation of course) for our fur friends. You can also pour oat milk in a hot tub of water for a great soothing bath. It’s great for the skin, soothes itching, and is also great for bathing our animal friends. I always want to give people a chance to use things before tossing it in the dumpster. There are tons of alternative uses!

We just sat out several boxes of oat milk behind the building. It is dated for December 30, 2024 but right now it’s still good. If you would like some and will use it quickly come and grab some. 

01/14/2025

Yes 🙌 to all of this! 💚

01/11/2025

“It’s okay to move at your own pace…” 💚 this.

01/10/2025

Happy Snow day from our Ragtag ⛄️ snowman & Sunny☀️ the VW! It finally feels like ❄️ Winter and it’s exactly what our 💚 needed to rest up and look ahead. We hope you all stay safe and warm and take the time to rest and play this season.

01/10/2025

01/07/2025

Day 1 Herbalism Vlog: Do what you can with what you have wherever you are at. Even if that means studying herbalism in a homeland parking lot. 🤣

As some of you already know I recently was awarded a scholarship to attend the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine’s Herbal Immersion Program. This is an intensive online training that I plan to complete in a year with goal of becoming a certified herbalist. Although I don’t know exactly what it will look like I do want to share this journey with you so we can help each other grow and cultivate a safe place for learning together.

I’ll be sharing field notes from what I learn through study but also what I put into practice through discovery and experimentation. I want to take you with me as I cultivate & forage medicinal & culinary herbs in Northeastern Oklahoma through this mini vlog series. 🌿

01/03/2025

The real reason we expanded our driveway 🤣

Here we have the components for making some great no till garden beds.

1. Wood chips are a free resource and byproduct from local tree trimmers. Bradley & Sons has been dropping chips in our driveway for about 7 years now and whenever we have trees to cut and mulch we are grateful to support another local family business. We use these untreated chips on all our pathways between beds and perennials to suppress w**ds and grasses, sink and store rain water and to break down and build more soil.

2. Top soil. This is a mix of sandy river bed bottom originally brought in to fill this large bed that we had filled with leaves, stumps and branches that have completely broken down and layers of compost that have been added annually for 7 years all mixed together. This soil will be used to fill the beds and any extra will be utilized to build up other parts of the garden.

3. Mushroom compost has been the cleanest and most cost effective form of compost we have found in our area. With zero grass, w**d seeds or off putting odors. And we don’t have to worry about plastic or glass debris as we have consistently found in many very expensive composts in our area. This is originally from JM Farms in Miami, OK, but was purchased and delivered locally from Overlees-Woods Lumber Company in Bartlesville. This was the easiest delivery especially for a “smallish” amount for those of us that do not own a truck or trailer. We will layer 1-2 inches of compost on top of all our market rows to add vitality. This includes the beds presently planted with garlic, new beds being made now and empty ones waiting for their spring sowing.

Our children’s memories may be measured in cubic yards and piles more than inches and door frames. 💚

12/31/2024

Bartlesville, OK free food alert

***UPDATE: EVERYTHING IS GONE***

We have potatoes, sweet potatoes, milk, and juice sitting behind the building. If you need some please come by and get what you need. We are closed until January 6 at 2pm.

12/31/2024

A 2024 tangent, peek into our Saturday and Part 1 of redoing this garden bed is bringing back so many memories of when we first built it. Years before .house we bought a truckload of river bottom soil dumped on top of a crazy mound of branches, sticks leaves and rounded by old untreated oil platform timbers to build a very large raised bed completely straddling the edge of our gracious then neighbors property. That was almost 7 years ago. Now the timbers have mostly decayed and we are leveling it out to layout market beds to match the rest of the front garden of our now property. Seeing the layers of soil from year after year of layering compost darken the humus.

I share all this on the cusp of a new year, because the little layers we build up in our lives do matter, they make us richer in so many ways as humans too. 7 years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of buying a second house or growing a hospitality business out of our love for gardening and community but here we are. Still inching along to transform another garden bed and dreaming of new crazy ways to create something beautiful and so much bigger than ourselves to share.

So I hope this is an encouragement to you. To do things you love. To never be embarrassed by how foolish or small they might appear to onlookers. With a book full of promises I think of all the silly hodgepodge things we’ve done to get here I can’t help but smile. I feel God smile at us too, two grown adults building dreams out of piles of dirt is worth a chuckle. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” - Zechariah 4:10.

12/29/2024

💗✅

Was this year hard for you?

There have been big things going on globally and at home. Some good, and some really hard. At the end of each year, I like to think of composting them all down to use them again, next year, in a different form. Last year's compost becomes the natural fertiliser for next year's fresh perspectives and new ways of moving forward.

The awesome thing about compost is that it takes all of the slug-eaten lettuces, the damaged branches from the peach tree, the corn stalks and coffee grinds, the manure, and it turns what would otherwise be a horrible pile of sludge into beautiful humus. We can use that humus to plant our hopes and dreams for a better world.

2024 has given us challenges, and while that process may have been difficult, it also creates opportunity for growth.

What will your compost nourish in 2025? What are you looking forward to, and what will you change?

12/28/2024

Just kidding I helped too. 💗

12/20/2024

Thanks for visiting 💚

12/19/2024

This morning we took soil samples out of all the growing beds to collect data for our nutrient management contract as we are transitioning to organic. We get to be the U.S. Department of Agriculture urban farmer guinea pig as we apply EQIP grant conservation practices on a micro farm scale. Getting to learn how to use their cool tool just made my day! 💚

12/16/2024

So many fun things to do this season, but we hope you’ll take some time to rest and reacharge too. 💚

Bartlesville has so many fun things to do this December! From festive tours and live music to ballet performances and New Year’s celebrations, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.🎄🎉

🎄 December 17–19 – Christmas Open House at the Frank Phillips Home
📍 Frank Phillips Home, 1107 Cherokee, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 6–9 PM
Enjoy a special evening tour of the historic Frank Phillips Home, beautifully decorated for the holidays. Admission is $5 per person, and the last tour begins at 8 PM.
Frank Phillips Home

🎤 December 19 – DreamersLIVE! Storytellers Christmas Edition
📍 Crossing 2nd, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 Live music: 4:30 PM | Storytellers Event: 6 PM
Enjoy Christmas tales, live music, festive cocktails, and seasonal small plates. Tickets are $15, with a special offer for first-timers.
Ann-Janette Webster Jay Webster

🌾 December 21 – Farmers Market (Third Saturday Market)
📍 222 SW Frank Phillips Blvd, Bartlesville, OK🕒 9–11 AM
Find baked goods, meat, cheese, and possibly even some winter veggies at this local market!
Bartlesville Farmers Market

🩰 December 21–22 – Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker
📍 The Center, 300 SE Adams, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 December 21: 7:30 PM | December 22: 2 PM
Experience the magic of this timeless ballet, featuring local dancers and Boston Ballet principal dancers. A perfect holiday treat for all ages.
Bartlesville Civic Ballet

🎅 December 23 – Santa at the Bartlesville Area History Museum
📍 401 S Johnstone, 5th Floor, Bartlesville, OK🕒 10–11 AM
Join Santa for storytime, crafts, coloring stations, refreshments, and candy canes. A perfect holiday activity for families!
Bartlesville Area History Museum

🎉 December 31 – Noon Year’s Eve Party
📍 Bartlesville Area History Museum, 401 S Johnstone, 5th Floor, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 12–2 PM
Ring in 2025 early with storytelling, crafts for kids aged 3–10, snacks, and an exploration of the museum’s exhibits. Free registration is required.
Bartlesville Area History Museum

🌍 December 31 – Global Explosion: Countdown to 2025
📍 Crossing 2nd, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 8 PM–1 AM
Celebrate the New Year across time zones with global music, food, dance, and activities. Tickets are $45, including a champagne toast and balloon drop.
Crossing 2nd

🎄 December 1, 2023 – January 2, 2024: Christmas in the Ville
📍 Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, 201 SW Keller, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 Varied Hours (see schedule)
Celebrate the holidays in Historic Downtown Bartlesville with ice skating, carriage rides, movies in the park, Santa sightings, and festive photo opportunities.
Public skating follows from 6 PM – 9 PM.
Ice Skating Admission: $12 per skater
For full hours, updates, and details, visit BartlesvilleChristmas.com.
Make the season merry and bright!

✨ November 20 – December 30, 2024: Fantasy Land of Lights
📍 Johnstone Park, 205 N. Cherokee, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 6 PM – 9 PM
Experience the magic of the holiday season at Fantasy Land of Lights, Bartlesville's annual drive-through Christmas light display. Hosted by Bartlesville Daybreak Rotary, this beloved tradition lights up Johnstone Park with dazzling displays that grow more enchanting each year, thanks to the generosity of donors and the dedication of local volunteers.
🎄 Admission: Free (Donations appreciated)
Proceeds help maintain and enhance displays and support educational scholarships for Washington County students.

🎄 November 29 – December 22, 2024: Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights
📍 Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve, 12 miles SW on Hwy 123 from US 60, Bartlesville, OK
🕒 5 PM – 9 PM (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays)
Step into a magical winter wonderland at Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve, where over 750,000 lights transform the historic ranch into a dazzling holiday spectacle. Stroll the illuminated grounds, visit Santa at the museum, and explore open facilities, including the 50,000 sq. ft. museum, animal barn, and historic lodge. Enjoy wagon rides, festive cookies, and hot cocoa by Clyde Lake's serene glow.
🎟️ Admission:
* $7 for adults
* $2 for children 12 and under
* Free for members and children 3 and under
(No advance tickets; pay at the gate. Gate closes at 8:30 PM.

12/12/2024

We got a super akward 👍 from the on our irrigation installation this morning .house where we grow all of our crops using regenerative agriculture techniques and permaculture principles. This is a part of the EQIP grant and transitioning to organic process as we document crop rotation, pest management, soil amendment and water management as a small scale urban farm.

There is a lot of back and forth paperwork, site visits and hoop jumping, but I am happy to say it’s worth it to operate with the utmost accountability, transparency and spirit of cooperation to better serve our communities food security needs. And on a side note there are 2,700 cloves of garlic planted in those perfect little rows which is pretty exciting to think about! 🧄👩‍🌾

12/11/2024

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