Cracked Cauldron Spillings

There were 59 people at the picnic. Most of them enjoyed the bread rolls.

Several complained that the Cracked Cauldron wasn't open yet, because they'd become addicted to the King's Cookies.

I brought 12 dozen of the cookies, and carried home only 5 of them - no doubt those would have been eaten, too, had I informed anyone ahead of time we were leaving right then.

It was unseasonably cool, the temperature never reached 90º - and we're talking Oklahoma! Our usual low temperature is higher than the high temperature was on Saturday. By 8:00 p.m., it had become uncomfortably cool, so we took the few left over rolls and cookies, said our good-byes to a few people and our hostess, and left.

We were served a tender pot roast, steaks, slices of barbecued brisket with barbecue sauce made from the Limousin cattle raised on the ranch, beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. Our rolls and storebought whole wheat sandwich loaves were the bread choices. Dessert consisted of freshly made pistachio or chocolate mint ice-cream, brownies, King's Cookies, and no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.

We met the cattle on the ranch, and checked out the facilities, were introduced to the farm dogs and chickens. Limousins are a good beef.

When we get closer to opening, meat from these cattle will be make very tasty stews and meat pies.

Now, to investigate the pig farm and the poultry farm, then check out the dairy. With that mushroom farmer in Tulsa, and the herb farms in Piedmont, Newalla, and Shawnee, that should carry us through for a while. It looks like most of the vegetables and fruits will have to be trucked in...fortunately, there are localish sources for most of this.

The Marketing Plan should be finished shortly (and "shortly" is a relative term). I know the product, I know the industry, I know local and regional competitors, I know our strengths and weaknesses, I know the market (and have narrowed it down some - OK, considerably), I'm waiting on some quotes from various media to finish up.

I have some catchy ideas that range from classy to kitschy, depending on where we're targeting the marketing and advertising.

Our heaviest marketing will be to the local hotels (comforting, entertaining, local color) and business offices (quick, convenient, and classy) in the immediate area, followed by targeted marketing to the local colleges and call centers (where we can get punny and kitschy and quirky), and then to the drive-home people (ear-catching and emphasizing quick and convenient). Delicious, they'll discover on their own, and they'll like it better for making that discovery.