A Publication of Edmond Life & Leisure
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A PUBLICATION OF EDMOND LIFE & LEISURE
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At Home in Edmond Summer 2021
A Publication of Edmond Life & Leisure
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At Home in Edmond Summer 2021
Letter from the Publisher WELCOME TO SUMMER AT HOME IN EDMOND! We appreciate our Edmond community
The lock down of the last year has made me appreciate our Edmond community even more. It has also given me a special thankfulness for our medical community. Edmond is near and dear to my heart. I raised my children here and they were involved in many of the same programs that your children are taking part in as well. Even though we are starting to travel again on a limited basis, it is always great to return home. I know many of you share that same feeling. Edmond is where our memories are made with family and the ones we love. This last year has taught us the importance of our home base in our lives. The last year at home got us thinking about what we liked and what we might want to change about our home here in Edmond. What is so special about Edmond? Edmond offers great schools, a low crime rate, incredible parks, transparent city government, its own electric company, strict zoning, great retail options, low cost of living, quality builders and developers, sports programs and outstanding public art. Edmond is home to the state’s fourth largest school district, Edmond Public Schools. The district is also the state’s most honored public school district, with nationally recognized Blue-Ribbon Schools. Edmond also offers multiple private schools and a multitude of childcare options. Edmond is continually bringing new businesses to town and more business means more city tax income which all goes to maintaining great city services that Edmond residents have come to expect. Yet, we enjoy one of the lowest cost of living in the country.
PUBLISHER
Ray Hibbard
EDITOR
Deanne York
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rose Drebes Mallery Nagle
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Deanne York
ADVERTISING
Alexx Harms Advertising Director For information on advertising in At Home in Edmond, call 405-340-3311
READER SERVICES
Nobody wants to make a bad decision when investing in a home. That is why you should look to professionals in this area that are qualified to walk you through the tough decisions of financing, building, remodeling, or redecorating. Our At Home in Edmond magazine gives you just that opportunity to find trusted professionals in our community. They want you to make good decisions as well. We appreciate our advertisers in At Home who make it possible for us to share this important information with you.
107 South Broadway Edmond OK 73034 Phone 405-340-3311 Fax 405-340-3384
I want to thank our staff for their hard work on this section. It is tough when putting out a weekly newspaper to produce a glossy magazine the size of this one. They have done an excellent job once again. Our Summer At Home in Edmond magazine is just another way we enjoy delivering great information to our community. We are locally owned, locally operated and nobody can out “Edmond” our staff.
edmondlifeandleisure.com @edmondlifeandleisure
We have been publishing our At Home In Edmond for over 21 years and along with our weekly newspaper, it is by far the best information you will find on this community. Our staff and our advertisers love Edmond and hope you do as well. Best Regards,
Ray Hibbard Publisher Edmond Life & Leisure At Home in Edmond
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
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Contents
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12 4 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 8 MIRA BIRD 10 KEEPING GARDENS SAFE IN SUMMER 12 SHEBOATIN’ 14 HOW TO KEEP KIDS SAFE UNTIL THEY CAN BE VACCINATED
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16 THE DOS AND DON’TS OF FIRE PITS 19 SIGNS YOUR HVAC IS FADING 20 ENJOY STUFFED BURGERS THIS BARBECUE SEASON
22 ADVERTISER’S INDEX
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Mira Bird By Rose Drebes In Latin, Mira means wonderful, strange, remarkable, amazing, surprising, extraordinary. Christy Bruner is the owner of Mira Bird located at 3400 S. Bryant Suite 130 in Edmond. “I hope that’s what you find when you walk in the door. Something unique. Something wonderful. Something that inspires you,” she said. Bruner had been a graphic designer for 20 years. “After five states, two kiddos, a few pets in between, my husband and I found ourselves in Oklahoma City ready to put down some roots,” she said. “ … I really wanted a change, a different sort of creative outlet. “I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting behind a computer for much longer and really felt the
pull to build something that would change the trajectory of where I was headed.” She had also worked in retail off and on over the years. “ … I’ve always enjoyed the creativity, the connections you make and the people you meet from all walks of life,” she said. Thus, opening her own space seemed like a natural progression. “The opportunity presented itself, I signed a lease and jumped all in,” Bruner said. Mira Bird opened in September 2019 in Midtown and is “a thoughtfully curated blend of eclectic and artful goods.” “I aim for the space to be a breath of fresh air,” she said. Mira Bird stocks everything from home décor to kitchen and cocktail ware, books, apparel, beauty and wellness products, accessories
and paper products. And that’s not all, Bruner said. “We offer interior styling services and workshops that range from macrame to boards to floral arranging and anything in between.” Plans for expansion are still a little down the road, she said, as Mira Bird relocated to Edmond from Midtown in October 2020. “I hope you’re inspired by what you find here,” Bruner said. “(It’s) not just a shop, but a source for inspiration, for community and for the wonderful.” Mira Bird The store is open Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is closed on Sunday. Bruner also maintains an online store at mirabird.com.
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Keeping gardens safe in summer heat waves
Summer is a season to relax and enjoy the warm weather. Basking in the summer sun is a great way to relax, but only when the temperatures are safe. Summer heat waves can compromise the health of human beings as well as their pets. Gardening enthusiasts also may need to go the extra mile to keep their plants and gardens from wilting under harsh summer sun. Extreme heat stress can be very harmful to plants. The online gardening resource Gardening Know How notes that some plants can withstand summer heat waves better than others. For example, succulents conserve water in their leaves, helping them to withstand heat waves when the dog days of summer arrive. But succulents are unique, and many plants will require a little extra help to withstand a heat wave. • Take a proactive approach with mulch. Gardeners need not
wait until the heat arrives to protect their plants from searing summer heat. The sustainable living experts at Eartheasy recommend utilizing light-colored mulch during heat waves. Such mulch will reflect the sunlight and help to maintain cooler surface soil conditions. Eartheasy even notes that grass clippings, once they’ve turned from green to light brown, can make for the perfect mulch to protect plants from the heat. Clippings also are free, making them a cost-effective solution. • Water wisely. The horticultural experts at Yates Gardening note that water only helps plants withstand heat waves if it’s applied effectively. If water is only applied in short bursts and not long enough so it can penetrate all the way to the root zone, roots will then stay near the surface. In such instances, roots will dry out during a heat wave and plants won’t make it through the season. Timing also
is essential when watering. Eartheasy recommends watering in the morning to avoid heat scald and also ensure as little water is lost to evaporation as possible. When watering during a heat wave, do so by hand rather than through a sprinkler. Hand watering allows gardeners to direct all of the water onto the plants that need it most during a heat wave. • Let your plants pitch in. When planting new plants, it’s important that gardeners recognize it takes time for these plants to establish their roots so they’re strong enough to withstand heat waves. In the meantime, strategic planting can help them make it through their first heat waves unscathed. Eartheasy notes that planting by taller, more established plants can provide new plants with shade that can help them survive heat waves. Just make sure new plants can still get the sun they need to thrive.
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Sheboatin’
At Home in Edmond Summer 2021
By Mallery Nagle All aboard! “Captain” Chad Snyder invites you to cruise for fun on Arcadia Lake when you check out one of Edmond’s newest businesses, Sheboatin’ OKC. Sheboatin’ made its Edmond maiden voyage this spring. Snyder can take up to 10 passengers on his Pedal Tavern Boat for 100-minute party cruises on the lake. The cruises feature games such as trivia and corn hole, and swimming is allowed from the boat. Passengers bring their own food and beverages to complete the experience. “It’s been great,” said Snyder of his new business. “It’s been a lot of fun.” Snyder, who owns a Farmers Insurance agency by day and transforms into party boat host/driver evenings and weekends, devised the venture with business partner Justin Vinny in Sheboygan, WI, thus the name Sheboatin’. Vinny, an engineer, created the concept of the Pedal Boat Tavern and first
floated the vessel on Elkhart Lake, near Sheboygan. Snyder wrote the business plan for the company. It’s the passengers who actually propel the boat through the water, pedaling as one would a recumbent bicycle. “People sit in comfortable chairs and petal,” he said. The concept, Snyder explained, came from “bike bars” that people pedal through streets on dry land. A patent is pending on the boat design, and there are plans to construct one or two more of the specially-designed watercrafts. There is a motor on the boat, but it is only used in emergencies. “This is Oklahoma,” Snyder said, pointing to how quickly weather conditions can change and more than pedal power may be needed to get off the lake safely. Sheboatin’ has hosted an array of celebrations from a 16th birthday party to Father’s Day events, and Fourth of July weekend was “packed,” he said. Snyder pledges to continue the cruises as long as
weather permits in the fall. Snyder came from a military family and lived in Hawaii and in other coastal areas. “I grew up on the water, and this is a fun way to get everyone off their phones,” he said. “I really like Oklahoma. It’s special,” Snyder continued. “But people always say they wish there was more to do. This is something else to do. I’m loving it.” Passengers are picked up and dropped off at the 15th Street exit at the Arcadia boat dock. Week night cruises leave at 4 and 6 p.m., and weekend cruises begin at 10 a.m., noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. A party of 10 costs $380, and individuals can book a cruise for $45 per person. Discounts are offered for groups of eight or nine. Passengers may bring their own refreshments including beer and wine. Glass and hard liquor are not permitted. For more information or to book a cruise, visit https://sheboatin. wixsite.com/sheboatin
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How to keep kids safe until they can be vaccinated By mid-spring 2021, tens of millions of people in the United States and Canada had heeded recommendations from public health officials and gotten vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Public Health Agency of Canada noted that the likelihood for severe illness from COVID-19 was very low for fully vaccinated individuals, prompting many people over the age of 16 to get vaccinated and paving the way for them to return to something resembling normal life. But what about children under 16? In early May, the FDA was expected to approve the Pfizer vaccine for kids as young as 12. Though that’s welcome news for parents of children between the ages of 12 and 15, those with younger children may be wondering what they can do to keep their youngsters safe this summer. Like their parents, children are itching to get back to normal life, but no one knows when young children will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The American Academy
of Pediatrics notes that children are not little adults, so medical professionals cannot just assume vaccines will have the same effect on kids as they do on older people, including adolescents. Clinical trials on thousands of children are now underway to determine if the COVID-19 vaccines are safe for kids, but the AAP notes that those trials will need to be completed and researchers will need to determine if the shots are safe before kids can receive the vaccinations en masse. With no vaccine available to young children, parents will need to tiptoe through another summer balancing act as they try to keep kids engaged and happy but also safe. • Dine outside. The CDC notes that on-site outdoor dining where tables are spaced six feet apart is significantly less risky than dining indoors. When dining out this summer, visit restaurants with outdoor seating that meets the minimum distancing recommendations. • Resist the temptation to throw caution to the wind. As more adults and adolescents
become fully vaccinated, community transmission should go down. That should calm parents’ fears, but they must keep their guard up anyway. Kids should keep wearing their masks when they go to stores or even outdoor areas like playgrounds or ballgames. • Travel wisely. It’s important that parents keep their guard up on summer vacations as well. Traditional tourist attractions may not be wise when traveling with children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. When choosing a vacation destination, choose a locale you can drive to so contact with people from other households is minimized. As you shop for a place to stay, consider a private vacation rental instead of a hotel. Private rentals with their own fully equipped kitchens and barbecue areas can reduce reliance on dining out, which should also make it less likely that kids are exposed to the virus while traveling. Until all children can be vaccinated against COVID-19, parents must continue to be patient and vigilant. That means safety must once again be a big priority this summer.
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At Home in Edmond Summer 2021
The dos and don’ts of fire pits Many homeowners relish any opportunity to retreat to their back yards, where they can put up their feet and relax in the great outdoors. That retreat-like escape is made even more relaxing when sitting around a fire pit. Fire pits can be found in millions of suburban backyards across the globe. Fire pits have become so popular that a 2016 survey of landscape architects conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects revealed they were the most sought after outdoor design element. Fire pits remain wildly popular a half decade after that survey. Homeowners who are only now joining the fire pit revolution can keep these dos and don’ts in mind as they plan their summer s’mores sessions. DO keep the fire pit a safe distance away from the home. Fire pits should be located a safe distance from the home at all times, but especially when they’re in use. Home design experts recommend keeping fire pits a minimum of 10 to 20 feet away from a house or other structure, such as a shed or a detached garage. The further away the fire is from houses and other structures, the less likely those structures are to catch on fire. DON’T place the fire pit beneath trees or next to shrubs. Though fire pits should be kept safe distances away from a house and other structures, it’s important that they’re not placed beneath trees or next to shrubs. Shrubs and low hanging branches can easily catch embers and be lit ablaze, so make sure fire pits are not placed in locations that increase that risk. DO clean out seasonal debris. It can be tempting to let seasonal debris resting inside the fire pit burn away during the season’s first s’mores session. But burning debris poses a serious safety risk, as embers can easily be blown out of the fire pit and catch nearby trees or shrubs or even a home on fire. The National Fire Protection Association advises homeowners that
embers blowing from a backyard fire pose the same threat to homes as if they are from a wildfire. DON’T let fire pits burn near flammable materials. Store firewood piles a safe distance away from the fire pit while it’s in operation. It may be convenient to keep firewood right next to the fire pit while the fire is burning, but that increases the risk that embers will land on firewood and start a fire outside of the pit. DO check the weather report prior to starting the fire. Windy weather increases the risk of embers blowing around and potentially landing on the house, other structures around the property or trees. If the weather report is calling for gusting winds, burn a fire on another night. DON’T leave a fire pit fire burning. Unattended recreational fires are illegal and incredibly dangerous. Homeowners should never leave fire pit fires burning unattended or allow fires to slowly die out overnight. Always extinguish the fire before going inside and stop adding wood to the fire roughly one hour before you plan to go inside. Water or sand can be poured on ashes to extinguish the fire. Once homeowners are confident a fire has been extinguished, ashes can be spread around to ensure there are no hot spots still burning. If there are, start the extinguishing process over again.
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Signs your HVAC unit could be fading A day outdoors soaking up the sun’s rays is many people’s idea of the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon. On such days, a periodic retreat indoors into an air conditioned home can offer some much-needed relief from the heat. HVAC systems are worth their weight in gold during the dog days of summer. Of course, such systems must be replaced from time to time. Learning to recognize the signs of a fading HVAC system can help homeowners replace their units before they cease working, saving everyone the uncomfortable ordeal of being stuck at home without cool air on hot summer days. Weak air flow An HVAC unit operating at peak capacity produces a strong flow of air through the vents of a home. The experts at Select Home Warranty note that when the air flow from the vent is weak, this could be a warning sign of a damaged AC compressor or blocked or damaged vents. Damaged
vents might be replaceable, but issues with the AC unit might require a replacement. That’s especially so if the unit is old. Repairs might be possible, but it might be more cost-effective to replace an aging unit rather than commit to costly repairs. Excessive moisture around the unit Excessive moisture around the unit may indicate that its refrigerant is leaking. In addition, Home Select Warranty notes that large pools of water around the unit could contribute to mold growth and floor damage. Homeowners are urged to contact a qualified HVAC technician immediately if they notice any leakage or moisture issues around their units. Interior temperature If your home is not quite the respite from summer heat that it once was, despite the AC being on and running, then this could be indicative of a fading system that may need to be replaced. However, the home warranty firm American Home Shield®
notes that hot interior temperatures also may be indicative of clogged ductwork. Qualified HVAC technicians may be able to fix clogged ductwork without replacing the AC unit. If the issue persists even after ducts have been cleaned and unclogged, then a new unit might be homeowners’ best bet. Foul odor Sometimes the nose knows best when an AC unit needs to be replaced. Unusual odors emanating from the vents when the AC is on suggest that the unit is distributing mold or mildew throughout the home. The Florida-based heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical experts at Cool Today note that a moldy or mildew-like smell coming from the vents could indicate a host of issues, including a dirty evaporator coil, a clogged drain line or leaky air ducts. Each of these issues can be fixed, but homeowners must weigh the cost of fixing them versus the cost of replacing an aging unit.
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Enjoy stuffed burgers this barbecue season
Barbecues are a perfect summertime soiree, as they’re usually laid back affairs and make use of the pleasant weather. While it’s fun to expand your culinary horizons over the open flame of a grill, it’s important that you never forget the basics, especially when entertaining crowds who are no doubt looking forward to grilled burgers. Giving the masses what they want is good hosting, but you can still try your hand at a little experimentation when serving burgers at your next backyard barbecue. The following recipe for “Herb Cheese-Stuffed Garlic Burgers” from Andrew Schloss’ and David Joachim’s “Mastering the Grill” (Chronicle Books) provides the best of both worlds.
Herb Cheese-Stuffed Garlic Burgers Makes 6 servings 2 pounds ground beef chuck, 85% lean 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 tablespoons herbed garlic cream cheese, such as Boursin 6 hamburger buns, split Oil for coating grill grate The Grill Gas: Direct heat, medium-high 425 F to 450 F; clean, oiled grate Charcoal: Direct heat, light ash; 12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals); clean, oiled grate on lowest setting Wood: Direct heat, light ash; 12-by-12-inch bed, 3 - 4 inches deep; clean, oiled grate set 2 inches above the fire
1. Heat the grill as directed. 2. Using your hands, mix the beef, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl until well blended; do not overmix. Using a light touch, form into 12 patties no more than 1⁄2inch thick. 3. Put a portion (about 11⁄2 teaspoons) of cream cheese in the center of each of the 6 patties; top with the remaining patties and press together, taking care to seal the edges well. Refrigerate the burgers until the grill is ready. 4. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the burgers on the grill, cover and cook for 9 minutes, flipping after 5 minutes, for medium-done (150 F, slightly pink). Add a minute per side for well-done (160 F). 5. To toast the buns, put them cut-sides down directly over the fire for the last minute of cooking.
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Advertiser ‘s Index
Amini’s Galleria...............................................................3 Brent Gibson Classic Home Design.................................5 Citizens Bank of Edmond..............................................17 City of Edmond Water Conservation............................18 Don’s Floor Gallery.......................................................23 Edmond Electric............................................................24 Edmond Family Counseling...........................................20 Edmond Parks and Recreation.......................................22 Edmond Parks and Recreation Farmer’s Market..............7 Fillmore & Chambers Design Group.................................2 Gary Baccus - State Farm..................................................7 Integris Health Edmond...................................................11
Ken Chambers Design/Build...........................................21 Matthews Funeral Home..................................................7 Norwalk Furniture & Design............................................19 Reid Printing...................................................................20 Shop Edmond..................................................................13 Visit Edmond...................................................................15
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