{"product_id":"light-and-variable-a-year-of-celebrations-holidays-recipes-and-emily-dickinson-9780806137889","title":"Light and Variable: A Year of Celebrations, Holidays, Recipes, and Emily Dickinson","description":"In \u003ci\u003eLight and Variable\u003c\/i\u003e, the reader is invited to join celebrated Oklahoma essayist and commentator Connie Cronley on a delightful romp through the calendar year. Honest, unpretentious, and laced with self-deprecating humor, the essays in this book revolve around special holidays or events, some of which you may never have heard of--Festival of Sleep Day, National Failures Day, and Blame Someone Else Day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Against a backdrop of celebrations and seasons, Cronley marvels at subjects close to her heart: siblings from outer space, small towns, champion whopper-telling ex-husbands, rascally cats, rescued dogs, deviled eggs, know-it-all hair dressers, church squabbles, books and authors, gardening efforts run aground, flocks of starlings, women's history, cowgirls, and her own Cherokee heritage. Woven throughout are fragments of Emily Dickinson's poetry; a few essays about food (not surprising from a former restaurant critic), including a history of celery in North America; a salute to rhubarb; and recipes from Frank Sinatra and Oprah Winfrey. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Who knew that Oklahoma was such a magical place? Cronley introduces us to Oklahoma celebrities: movie stars Jennifer Jones and Tony Randall, glamorous caf? society singer Lee Wiley, champion poker player Bobby Baldwin, and one of the state's legendary American Indian ballerinas (and the author's personal friend) Moscelyne Larkin. Grab your hat and step into Connie Cronley's special world, where the mood, like Oklahoma weather, is always light and variable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCronley, Connie:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eConnie Cronley\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of three books of essays--\u003ci\u003eSometimes a Wheel Falls Off\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLight and Variable\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e Poke a Stick at It--\u003c\/i\u003eand coauthor with the late Edward Perkins of \u003ci\u003eMr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace. \u003c\/i\u003eShe is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and lives in Tulsa. \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50413119209746,"sku":"9780806137889","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3e9bb25e-4134-4e50-a307-0078eb78a314.jpg?v=1729347715","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/light-and-variable-a-year-of-celebrations-holidays-recipes-and-emily-dickinson-9780806137889","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}