Shake, Rattle and Eat!!

At the end of this post is a great recipe for a simple-to-make-but-oh-so-delicious-to-eat-cake. If you would like to skip all the dribbledrabble in between here and the recipe, then cursor on down. There you will find the "EAT" portion of this post. If you want to continue, you'll find the "SHAKE AND RATTLE" portion of the post. Either way.....you will LOVE the cake!


Here in Oklahoma we pride ourselves on the resilience of the people.  Probably because of the (in)famous way the state was started. We had to be strong. We grew to be tough.

 Or it could also be our large Native American population and the fact the (unspeakable) Trail of Tears ended here in our state. We had to be strong. We grew to be compassionate.

 After the Oklahoma City bombing when people came from all over the world to help, the common thought of what the visiting helpers took away from Oklahoma was the friendliness and the hardiness of our people. We had to be strong. We grew to be friendly.

  The term "Okie" was dubbed on us in a very impudent way back in the Dust Bowl Days.

 Instead of wallowing in the ugly-termed-moniker forced upon us, we chose to use it in a positive way. Yes, we are proud to be Okies. We are strong. We are resilient. We deeply care about others. We had to be strong. We grew to be creative.

We are used to dramatic weather here. We endure droughts, floods, wildfires and ice storms with an all-too-often frequency.  We are so use to tornadoes that we often do not take heed and go to our basements or "fraidy holes".  This is not to make light of their devastation. It is just a simple fact that we count on tornadoes to disrupt our lives.  We recover. We rebuild. We restock. We restore.

In all these disasters, some man-made, some natural, we do what Oklahoma people do best. We pull ourselves up by our (literal!!) bootstraps and get on with getting on!


But yesterday was different.  We experienced two earthquakes and multiple aftershocks.  Now I know if you are from California or a few other places, you scoff at us  for being scared of the earthquakes. ........Kinda like we snicker when you all make tornadoes a big thing in your states. But in all honesty, it really was very scary. We Okies took to Facebook one after the other after the other after the other to describe, question, and commiserate about "THE earthquake".

 We have a little area of our state, just west of Tulsa and east of Oklahoma City that has had small earthquakes with a very regular consistency. Some people (in the past) have blamed it on our large number of oil drilling rigs that are rampant in our state. Naysayers though have said for the past few years that there is no way the drilling rigs could cause the small tremors.  I think the naysayers tasted victory yesterday. There is absolutley no way that any kind, or any amount of drilling rigs could cause what we experienced. The first earthquake hit at 2:15 in the morning (on Saturday morning). It was right at a 5 on the Richter scale. It woke many. It shook. It knocked things off for some. Some did not realize there had been an earthquake until they woke up. But there was still scuttlebutt nevetheless.

  But then last night at about 10:30 the second earthquake hit. It registered a 5.6 and is the strongest ever recorded in Oklahoma history. Not only that, it lasted over a minute. I happened to be in the room where my chandelier is and I watched it shake for that entire minute. The earthquake did sound very much like the tornadoes we are use to, but the constant shaking and rolling was a little unnerving.

They said it was in the Seminole (of course we use a Native American name to define things!) Fault line. Because the earthquake was only 3 miles deep, it was felt as far north as Nebraska, as far south as Dallas and as far east as Tennessee!  It was officially 46 miles from my home.  It was officially 21 miles from my nearest child. Scary!!



Notice one tower is gone on top and the other one is cracked. This is in the town where my son Fielding lives. He is a fireman. Yikes!

So...............to make a long story longer..................What do I do when I am a little nervous?  Why turn to food of course.  And with that, I share with you..............

                EARTHQUAKE CAKE.....

I promise. You will not go wrong with this.  You don't even have to endure an earthquake to enjoy it!

1 box German chocolate cake mix (and ingredients listed on package)

1 cup angel flake coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1 stick butter

1 pound powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese

1. Grease the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan. Sprinkle the coconut in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle the pecans.

2. Mix cake mix per package directions. Smooth on top of layers of coconut and pecans.

3. Mix together butter, powdered sugar and cream cheese. Drop by spoonfuls on top of cake mix. If you want, you can save a little batter back to drop dollups on top of the cream cheese goo. (Do you like my scientific words???) Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

4. Serve warm with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

My cousin tells me she has always called this the 'funeral cake' and made it many times. She always tells everyone to dump it upside down on their plate so they can see and enjoy the yuminess. I think that is all the more reason to name this the "EARTHQUAKE CAKE".  I mean, really, dumping it upside down? Very apropos!
Enjoy!!  ......Don't let all this nonsense I talked about keep you from visiting our great state. We'll give you a friendly Okie welcome anytime!

I have linked with Stone Gable's On the Menu Monday. You will LOVE her pictures.Also check out Designs by Gollum. YOu will love her recipes.

Oklahoma on my mind............

An overview of the Memorial

We come here to remember

those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever.

May all who leave here know the impact of violence.

May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

Field of Empty Chairs

Gates of Time

Survivor Tree

Survivor Wall

If you have never been to the Oklahoma City National Memorial I have included a link.

There are virtual tours of both the outside and the museum.

The place is filled with symbolism and hope.

I have also included a link to the post I wrote last year.

http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/index.php

http://abigstory.blogspot.com/2010/04/oklahoma-city-april-19and-oklahoma.html

Praying today for Oklahoma

for all the families and people affected

by the tragedy 16 years ago today.

Praying for America

that it will

never be

repeated.

Praying.



Oklahoma City, April 19........And the Oklahoma Standard

Fifteen years ago today, on a beautiful April morning with the sun shining brightly, people in downtown Oklahoma City were just starting their day.  

  A Ryder truck, filled with explosives and fertilizer-turned-homemade-bomb pulled up and parked in front of the Murrah Federal Building.  A young man got out of the truck and ran down the alley.  At 9:02 that Ryder truck exploded.  The devastation that followed would forever change thousands of lives.  It also forever changed Oklahoma City as well as the entire state of Oklahoma. 

 

  I do not want this post to focus in any way on the perpetrator of this horrific act of violence. There is though one story that is worth sharing about the man behind this massacre.  It is a story that reaffirms to anyone that had a doubt, there is a God that watches over us, even in the worst of times. 
Timothy McVeigh was the man that jumped from the Ryder truck and sprinted down the alley.  He knew the truck was getting ready to explode and he was getting as far away as fast as he could.  He had previously parked a getaway car in an alley several blocks away.  His goal was to get to that car before the blast. In fact, he did not make it to the car before the Ryder truck exploded.  McVeigh himself said the explosion was so strong that it lifted him off his feet as he was running down the alley several blocks away in his get-away.

  He finally managed to get to his get-away car and he headed north out of Oklahoma City on I-35.  While he was headed north, all police, highway patrol and emergency workers were headed into Oklahoma City. Without a doubt McVeigh had to meet law enforcement that were headed south as McVeigh headed north on the interstate.  About 60 miles north of Oklahoma City McVeigh was stopped by a highway patrolman because his car did not have a license tag.  To begin with, it is almost unbelievable that he would be stopped on that morning.  All law enforcement had been called in to Oklahoma City and the chances of getting stopped for a vehicle violation were slim to none.  .....And here is where the story takes an unbelievable turn.  When McVeigh had parked his get away car in the alley knowing what his plans were, the car had had a license tag. The blast from the deadly bomb blew the tag off of McVeigh's car.  McVeigh gets stopped because his car did not have a tag, by a patrolman that had not made it into Oklahoma City yet to help with rescue efforts.  As Patrolman Hanger was citing McVeigh he noticed that McVeigh had a gun under his jacket.  He arrested him on the spot.  And that is how McVeigh, in the midst of unbelievable chaos, was first stopped and put into a small-town jail.  It would be a few days before all the pieces were put together linking him to the bomb.  Yet every time I think of the story of how McVeigh was caught I still get goosebumps.  That license tag did not just 'happen' to come off.  God in Heaven made sure that car lost its tag.  God in Heaven made sure Patrolman Hanger was still doing his job on the Oklahoma interstate. Yes, God was still present in Oklahoma City that day.


The devastation from that bomb was unbelievable.  Many know about the large number of people that were killed, but few realize the true ramifications from that morning:
168 People Killed
3 women were pregnant
19 Children Killed
1 Rescuer Killed (Rebecca Anderson)
 
850 People Injured
85 Rescuers Suffered Minor Injuries
 
30 Children Orphaned
219 Children Lost at Least One Parent
 
462 People Left Homeless
 
7,000 People Left Without a Workplace
 
12,384 Volunteers and Rescue Workers Participated in Rescue, Recovery and Support
The Oklahoma Restaurant Association served over 20000 meals in a 10 day period. 
The Salvation Army and American Red Cross served over 100000 meals.
Food, water, lights, rain gear, knee pads and wheelbarrows poured in for rescue workers.


In addition:
Over 300 Buildings Were Damaged or Destroyed
Glass was destroyed in 258 nearby buildings
86 cars were destroyed, with the gas tanks from those cars causing additional fires

More Than 1000 People Survived

387,000 Estimated number of people in Oklahoma City who
knew someone killed or injured in the bombing (more than
a third of the population).
 
190,000 Estimated people in Oklahoma City who attended
funerals for bombing victims (19% of the population).

 What many people do not realize is that there were 5 deaths that did not occur in the Murrah building, but in surrounding buildings and outside, because of flying glass and other debris. In addition there were over 200 people that were injured, from the other buildings or that had been outside when the bomb went off. The bomb killed and injured both adults and children. No one was safe that morning. McVeigh's intent was to kill as many government workers as possible. It is unbelievable that more were not killed.   God was present in Oklahoma City that morning.

  When Rev. Billy Graham visited Oklahoma City soon after the bombing he spoke to the citizens of OKC.  He told the citizens of Oklahoma that we could do one of two things:

Either we could become hard and embittered and angry at God, or we could let our hearts become tender and open to trust and divine faith. We Oklahomans chose the latter. 

That is why I did not want McVeigh to become the focus of this story.  I mentioned him only to show the way God worked in Oklahoma that April morning. The story of the bombing became about the people of Oklahoma.

The people of Oklahoma showed their strength, compassion, love and courage.  People in Oklahoma came in droves to help.  They lined up at blood banks and hospitals to give, they took care of the needs of the hundreds of rescue workers, they pitched in to do anything that was needed.  

McVeigh showed the world the hatred of humanity.

Oklahoma showed the world the goodness and compassion of humanity. 

In Oklahoma we call it the Oklahoma Standard.  It is reaching out to our fellow man.  It is looking beyond any lines that divide us and instead reaching across all divides.

It is doing the right thing without expecting something in return.

 It is the story of miracles.  It is the story of survivors.  It is the story of people and a state forever changed.

  It is a story worth repeating.  By learning about the Oklahoma City bombing, by learning lessons from the Oklahoma City bombing, we can help the world.

The twin gates stand on each end where the Murrah building once stood.  The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment we were changed forever, and the hope that came from the horror in the moments and days following the bombing.

 

The 168 chairs represent the lives taken on April 19, 1995. They stand in nine rows to represent each floor of the building, and each chair bears the name of someone killed on that floor. Nineteen smaller chairs stand for the children. The field is located on the footprint of the Murrah Building.

The Survivor Tree, an American Elm, became the symbol of a new Oklahoma City. For years, the tree had served as a place to park under to avoid the hot Oklahoma sun. On the day of the bombing, the tree caught on fire and was filled with debris.  It was almost cut down immediately after the bombing in order to retrieve evidence that was tangled within its burned branches.  Weeks later the tree began to show signs of life.  It continued to grow, thrive and survive.  It was a metaphor for what was happening in Oklahoma. Years later, it continues to stand as a living symbol of resilience. Thousands of tree saplings are given away each year from the survivor tree and are planted across the United States. God was present in Oklahoma City that morning. 


Scars still remain in Oklahoma.  Some are physical and some are psychological.  But Oklahoma City has shown what it means to conquer evil.  That evil is overcome by the character of the Oklahoma people.


If you have not visited the Oklahoma National Memorial I urge you to make that trip.  If you are from Oklahoma it is a must.  If you are traveling through Oklahoma, go out of your way to make the visit.  There is an outdoor memorial as well as an indoor museum. The museum is located in the Journal Records building that was next to the Murrah building.  One of the rooms in the Journal Records building has been left exactly as it was on April 19, 1995 at 9:02 on a sunny morning. The devastation in that room, hundreds of yards from the Murrah building is unbelievable. You feel the terror that started at 9:02 that morning.

The Memorial has an excellent web site.  It is full of virtual tours, survivor accounts and education on terrorism. I urge everyone to visit.
http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/index.php

My sister, Kari Watkins, is the Executive Director of the Memorial.  Make the trip to Oklahoma City to see the Memorial.  Tell Kari you are my friend and I sent you.  She will give you the grand tour. She will fill you with insight and stories that will both break your heart and make you swell with pride at the generosity of Americans. 

The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.

We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.<sup>®


Pray today for the people victims, survivors, rescue workers and people of the state of Oklahoma.  Say a prayer for all victims of violence. Say a prayer for compassion.

God was in Oklahoma City that April morning.  God is still in Oklahoma City.  Thank you God.</sup> 

(some images taken from the Memorial website)