Peggy's Ponderings at the lake

  Back to school starts in most of our community next week. How did that happen? Summer flew by again! Teachers and staff go back on Monday, and so will I. I’ve already spent hours in my classroom just putting everything back where it should be after the summer cleaning and floor waxing. Being careful not to drag anything and scratch the floor, I keep forgetting I am retired! Yep, getting older is quite the adventure. Anyway, as I ponder what my school year will be like, I am still incredibly grateful and excited this opportunity dropped in my lap. It’s a different position. I'm not technically a teacher, but I have a classroom. My title is paraprofessional, but I feel like I am more than a TA or an admin. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least! I will have kids in my classroom working towards graduation, but I won’t be lecturing. They do their classwork online, and I am mostly there for supervision, help, support, and encouragement in our Alternative High School. Mahatma G...

Today I had the opportunity to speak at the ribbon-cutting and dedication of the Espo Center at Wolf Creek. It was a sunny, beautiful day and a well-attended event. This wasn't my first time speaking to a crowd or with dignitaries in attendance, but I was definitely a little bit nervous for this one. Here is my little take, but check out The Grove Sun and Sheila Stogsdill/KSN-KODE , plus other social media pages have lots of photos. Dana Able had the building set up for ideas of different types of events. The Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau is definitely who you need to talk to about more information. I'm still grinning from ear to ear! I had my speech in hand and practically memorized it too! I just wanted to make a point with this speech. I want more of our citizens to be happy. If a person takes the time to appreciate the Expo Center, they will come to realize how it's so much more than a place to hold an event. And as visitors continue to come, I hope they conti...

Barn on 7th Street Hello everyone! Have you been watching the forecast? Get ready for some SNOW! I love snow and can’t wait for it to come this weekend. Some of my favorite memories and pictures are from snowy days here, like the old barn down the street. It’s so peaceful and timeless. The barn is beautiful, and I need to thank them over and over again for saving it. I love what the owners have done to the old original house and property. But back to snow!   According to AI, Loving snow, a trait sometimes called being a chionophile, means finding joy, peace, or magic in winter landscapes, often linked to childlike fun, quiet beauty, or a chance to slow down from daily stress. It can represent purity, new beginnings, or the coziness of winter activities, activating a sense of wonder and nostalgia for simpler times, says Stylist and Time Magazine. Ok, fine. I am a chionophile. Joy and peace? Count me in! Dirt road in Grove covered in snow Snow is why I will always own a Je...

Hello again, my few but loyal readers, this is another happy to be in smalltown Grove. Happy, positive, feel good Pondering. Giving you a warning from the beginning. It's Grateful November after all so get ready for lots of greatefulness! Friday, my grandsons and I waited downtown for the parade of buses with football players and coaches, and the caravan leading and following them to their playoff game 4 hours away. Schools were closed. The streets were lined with people and kids, and the Cheerleaders were right in front of us! How much more traditional can this get? Talk about a Hallmark movie! Just as we all get excited as we hear the sirens from the many fire trucks and police cars in the parade, my phone rings. It’s my son calling from California. I answered the phone, and he asked what I was doing. When I told him he first said what? It’s a Friday. Don’t the boys have school? I said welcome to our small town honey! Our varsity football team is in the state playoffs! A...

Hello my few and loyal readers, Here is an old Pondering that didn't get posted... "I am so thrilled to have won the seat on Grove's City Council. I was sworn in last week and tomorrow is my first official meeting. Last night I read through the agenda and the over 100 pages that came with it. No on said this would be an easy job and that's ok. I am still excited for it. There are so many things happening." This draft has sat waiting to be published since April. I'm not sure what else to say. I am honored and blessed to say the least. Now it's November. We had a meeting last night and as I sat at the podium looking out into the audience I am still full of gratitude that citizens of Grove voted to put me there. I love all the excitement around the new buildings - the Fire Station, Police Station and the Event Center at Wolf Springs Park. And the excitment is building for the new 42 acre park with a ground breaking in January I think. It's a bike p...

It's 8:30 am on Friday December, 13th and the parkig lot at the Grove PAC is filling up quickly. There is already a line to get in for the third grade Christmmas performance. I love this town and how it supports the children. Their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, you name it, anyone that could come for the little half an hour performane got off work and came to watch the third graders sing their little hearts out! The same thing happened with the first graders. I don't have a second grader so I don't know for certain, but I'm assumming the same thing happened for them. It gave me tha Hallmark Movie kind of joy to see employers and businesses supporting the local community and allowing their employees, the time off to go support their children.

 I woke up early today thinking about our Lake House project.  It's been in the works for a couple of years and it's slowly coming together. View from a home at Grand Lake I recently toured. I have plans and pictures from magazines in a three-ring binder. I have a Pinterest Board for the Steed Lake House and recently, I got the go-ahead from my husband! Today I decided to give it a good name! Every memorable place I have stayed has a memorable name.  Since we bought the property from my husband Roman's mother, Phyllis, we usually refer to it as Mom's House. We could build off of that and make it homey and comfortable. I do plan to have a big open kitchen/family room/fireplace area with lots of windows and a casual dining area.  There's no need for formal dining because in a lake house there needs to be plenty of space for card games, puzzles, drawing and coloring. It also needs to be inviting enough to sit at and have conversations around. A place to put birthday ca...

When the  American Revolution   broke out in 1775, the colonists weren’t fighting united under a single flag. Instead, most regiments participating in the war for independence against the British fought under their own flags. In June of 1775, the  Second Continental Congress   met in Philadelphia to create the Continental Army—a unified colonial fighting force—with the hopes of more organized battle against its colonial oppressors. This led to the creation of what was, essentially, the first “American” flag, the Continental Colors . ( https://www.history.com/news/what-is-flag-day ) Does this sound familiar? There are many conflicts in our country right now. COVID 19 and how to deal with it, Trump vs Biden, Democrats vs Republican, racism, kneeling during the national anthem, and much more. It saddens me to think that today, as in 1775 we are back to fighting under our own flags and not united under one. We still are a country of the free and the brave. ...

I spent a lot of time in 2019 with my face in books or on the internet. Reflecting back on the year I feel fortunate for all that I learned. I figured out how to be a neater person by focusing on loving what I have. Taking care of what we have makes us more grateful.  Live the life you have now. Be in the present. Love what’s around you. The wants and wishes will fall into place when it’s time. It’s true. I’ve had clients back out of purchasing homes and others that fought hard to get a home. Everyone has a different situation and like the song says, Sometimes you cant get what you want, you get what you need. If it’s meant to be, it will happen. I think it’s because by loving what we have we stop worrying about what we don’t have and appreciate what we do have more. For example, if I clean the slobber off the sliding door, I shake my head at the grossness but still love our dog, Buddy. I then notice the birds in the cypress trees chasing each ot...

What do you want for Grove? Peggy's Ponderings from the Lake Local officials have asked the community to give input on what improvements they think would be best for Grove. Photo from Facebook I gave my input at the recent open house and visited with city council members and other city officials but then I decided to drive around and try to see what Grove ALREADY has to offer. Here are some of the ideas I came up with. Grove has a historic downtown and downtown is trying so hard to improve. The recently painted murals on Grand Lake Sports Center and the old-time signage across the street are wonderful. Plus the remodel and improvements to this building were a huge improvement. And who am I to judge what kind of business is there? I don't like sushi but would say the same thing if it was a sushi bar. And thank you Dominoes Pizza for the remodel and update to your corner. If there isn't any money to remodel, fake it!  Personally, I think we should have a m...

High water at Grand Lake reach the steps to this deck in Grove earlier this month. Fighting the Flood Flood-Friendly Improvements and Repairs for Your Grand Lake Home By Peggy Kiefer-Steed & Dezirea Burnett Water levels on Grand Lake have continued to go down in recent days, and finally past the 750 ft. mark. As of 10 am Friday morning, the lake level was 748.49, still 9.49 feet above full pool of 739. So far, the flooding has claimed dozens of properties, rendering some uninhabitable while others remain simply marred by debris. According to Markwayne Mullin’s website, 27 counties in Oklahoma have been designated for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance: Alfalfa, Canadian, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garfield, Kay, Kingfisher, Logan, Mayes, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, and Woods.              ...