Blog 8

The Annual Norman Farmers Market has made its way back into town. Shoppers looking to purchase locally grown produce are now able to visit the market again after it was closed for the winter. The market has been a Norman staple every summer since 1980, according to the Cleveland County website. The once only indoor market has now grown into an indoor and outdoor shopping event that happens every Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Each seller has decals amongst their produce that tell buyers where the plants or vegetables came from, making it easier to find local goods. The fresh produce stalls are set up on the Cleveland County Fairgrounds and will be available for business until October. 

Blog 7

Lead-in: Kaylin Despain and other members of the local Mormon Church help Sarah Capshaw clear the debris from her home after the tornado, in Norman, Okla. on Saturday, April 14, 2012. 

Men and women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) came out Saturday morning to help Norman residents clean up the destruction left behind from Friday’s tornado. 

Kaylin Despain was amongst the helpers cutting down multiple trees at a house across the street from Andrew’s Park. Almost every tree in the front and backyard of the home was uprooted or had sustained serious damage by the tornado. The tornado was rated as an EF-2, according to the National Weather Service. 

According to Sarah Capshaw, a renter at the property, very little damage was done to the house. Most of the damage occurred to the yard and the cars. Three trees in the front yard were uprooted, falling across Capshaw’s car and blocking the front door. 

“When the storm was over you couldn’t even see the house because the trees were blocking it. We had to crawl over one and under the other to get to the front door,” Capshaw said. 

The volunteers from the LDS church described the house as one of the worst houses in the area, so they stopped to lend a hand. Ropes, ladders, chainsaws and tethers were all put to use to help clear the trees from the front and back yards. 

“So far we have cleared two trees and are working on the third, which is laying on the roof,” said Despain.

Members of the LDS Church didn’t stop at Capshaw’s home, but scoured the neighborhood helping multiple families clean the debris from their yards. 

Despite the effort to clear the front of the house, Capshaw and her roommate cannot live in the home just yet. The power was still disconnected and a window, which was shattered by the high-speed winds, still needed to be repaired. 

Blog 6

With spring in full bloom, The University of Oklahoma’s landscaping team has been hard at work filling the flower beds. Angel Mejia has worked as a landscaper for the university for 24 years. Mejia works to cultivate most of the flower beds on campus. 

“My main job is feeding the flowers,” Mejia said while fertilizing the beds near the Bizzell Library. 

Meija expects the flowers to spread out and fill in the empty spaces. According to Meija the flowers planted are relatively the same each year. 

Many plants and flowers this year are blooming a month earlier than normal, according to the National Gardening Association (NGA). Due to spring coming early the crews had to get to work that much faster. 

“Right now it is the time of the year things are picking up. We are getting ready for graduation and everything has to be done at once,” Meija said. 

Kayla Senn has been working in the landscaping department for almost a year. This spring her main job has been replanting flowers in the South Oval beds. 

“My favorite flower bed is by the library where the flowers make an OU,” Senn said. 

With graduation fast approaching and campus tours in full swing, the beds are continually cared for. 

The landscaping on campus is what made Lauren Young decide to attend The University of Oklahoma. Young said that during her campus tour she loved how the campus looked. 

“I think it’s a great way to get students to come to this school,” Young said. 

The flower beds on campus are updated regularly and the South Oval is home to multiple new trees. Graduation is four weeks away and the landscaping crews will continue to work until the flower beds reach perfection.