What a treat to spend a few hours on the porch of Hillbilly’s in the sun yesterday staring at arguably, the second prettiest tree in the city. As expected, the Bloody Mary Lou is wonderful and comes with its own fried oyster crucified onto a large tree of celery.

Every new year means making promises to yourself that you won’t keep because you’ll be able to do it all again next year. Unless you’re a felon trying to make a new start. Ask any one of the nine ladies who graduated from the TEEM OKC Culinary Arts Program last week and you’ll find that New Year’s resolutions hold a much greater weight. For them, a new start isn’t cheap; it’s a second chance to become the person you want to be.