Category: Winter

These are the posts that show nature in the Ozarks during winter.

  • Our Little Driveway Glacier

    At the lowest point on our driveway, there is a spring that seeps. During winters, the seep still flows. And as it does, our little driveway glacier grows. The water spreads out over the driveway and freezes into a large …

  • Frozen Fingers on a Beautiful, Brutally Cold Morning

    Frozen Fingers on a Beautiful, Brutally Cold Morning

    It’s another beautifully brutally cold morning here at Wild Ozark. After bundling up to go out and feed the horses and chickens, I glanced at the package of Hot Hands and decided, nah, I’ll only be a few minutes. Twenty …

  • Snow Days at Wild Ozark

    Snow Days at Wild Ozark

    The past two days have been declared Snow Days at Wild Ozark. It’s been brutally cold, but today the temperatures have warmed up to 46*F so far and it is bright and sunny outside.

    I haven’t been outside much because …

  • Nature is Both Brutal and Beautiful

    Beautiful brutality are two words that seem at odds with each other, right? But that’s exactly what the natural world really is – Nature is both brutal AND beautiful.

    Even the parts most people would consider ugly is still beautiful …

  • It feels like winter

    Well, sooner or later ever year there comes a point where it feels like winter has arrived. This week here at Wild Ozark marked that point. It’s been 19*F some mornings, but this morning was 24*F and that is plenty …

  • Running Errands, Preparing for Bad Weather

    The approaching weekend and the week after has foreboding forecasts, so today I spent the day running errands. And preparing for bad weather. That usually means COLD weather out here. The only other thing we get during warmer months is …

  • Ozark Winter Storm | Jan 24 2023

    Ozark Winter Storm | Jan 24 2023

    Progress on my painting of Kings River in winter came to a grinding halt a few days ago when we got our first Ozark winter storm of the season. We’ve had some freezes, and a little snow, but those little …

  • Kings River in Winter | Ozark pigments in oil

    Kings River in Winter | Ozark pigments in oil

    The new year of 2023 kicked off the first oil paintings in my Kings River Four Seasons series. The one I chose to start with first is the winter scene. I’ll rotate through them to work on one while layers …

  • 2022 Yule Tidings | Solstice Review

    2022 Yule Tidings | Solstice Review

    Happy Solstice Day! It’s that time of year again, when the longest night of the year is upon us. Which in turn means that today is the shortest day of the year. After this, the days will incrementally grow a …

  • It’s not really raining | Sporadic Musings

    It’s not really raining | Sporadic Musings

    As the sun rises over the ridge-top to our east the frost on our metal roof quickly responds. It sounds like rain as the melted drops fall onto the lower roof. But it’s not really raining. The sun is shining …

  • Leave the Water On

    Leave the Water On

    You’d think by now I’d remember to do that when the first true cold snap arrives. But no, I always forget, just like I forgot last night. And now, of course, there’s no water running from my faucet when I …

  • Winter Solstice 2018, New Year, and the Color Black

    Winter Solstice 2018, New Year, and the Color Black

    Full Moon and Meteor Shower at Winter Solstice 2018

    Winter solstice 2018 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 4:23 PM on Friday, December 21. This is the longest night of the year, and although I typically think of it as …

  • An End of Year Post: Things going on at Wild Ozark

    It’s been a busy past few months at Wild Ozark. I haven’t posted as often as I normally do, and when the blog goes silent, it’s usually because there’s just too many other things on my plate. Just in case …

  • Day 13: Nature Journal Series

    Signs of Life

    Day 13-Signs of Life

    About this journal entry

    The signs of life during the coldest parts of winter always intrigue me. I love seeing the green grass shoots found under a layer of snow or peeking out from the shelter of …

  • Frozen Fog in the Distance

    Frozen Fog in the Distance

    We’re not getting snow this winter, but we’ve gotten a few glimpses of frozen fog, or hoar frost, at least.…

  • Things I’ve Learned (Since Moving to the Country)

    Things I’ve Learned (Since Moving to the Country)

    These are the things I’ve learned since moving out here to Wild Ozark.

    I used to think I lived in “the country”, before we moved out here. That was thirteen years ago and I quickly realized once we burnt the …

  • Black and White Cloudscape #nowordsneeded

     


    #nowordsneeded and the title of the photo are all I put on these posts. If you’d like to participate in this Twitter and Blogging meme, use the hashtag in your title and leave a comment with a link to
  • The Last Snow of 2017

    This morning I woke to the sparkly glitz of snow flurries. We’ve hardly had any snow at all this winter so far. Just a bare dusting a week or two ago, and that’s it.

    When the sun came out, the …

  • Using a Spring for Water – Winter Issues

    When you rely on a spring for water, you need a tank. This is our 1500 gallon water collection tank.
    When you rely on a spring for water, you need a tank. This is our 1500 gallon water collection tank.

    Using a spring for water requires more effort than relying on tap water. Sometimes, just because you turn on the …

  • Sun Sparkles

    Sun Sparkles

    On this day in 2015, we had snow and sun sparkles. So far this year it’s been unseasonably warm and no snow so far. That could change this weekend, though – snow is in the forecast!

    Since we haven’t had …

  • Through Ice and Mud We Go – Bringing Hay to Horses

    Through Ice and Mud

    Whether through ice and mud, or snow, or rain or wind, kind of like the postman’s creed to deliver mail, we must deliver hay to the horses.

    It’s easy to stay in touch with the wheel

  • Bringing Hay to Horses in Snow

    After yesterday’s post where I reveled in the fact that we’d actually had a decent snowfall, we went out in the cold to bring hay to horses. The temperature was about 15*F with a windchill factor of I don’t know …

  • Can’t see the Trees for the Forest, or rather, Snowflakes for the Snow

    Yesterday we only had a little bit of snow and each little snowflake was easy to see and photograph. Now it is like not being able to see the trees for the forest. Can’t see the snowflakes for the snow.…

  • Special Little Snowflakes

    First Snowfall 2017

    A couple of snowflakes flurried around the other day, but today is the day I’m counting as Wild Ozark’s first official snowfall of 2017.

    Snow on the Garden Rocks

  • Rewind: Between Autumn and Winter: A Liminal Space

    We’re in a holding pattern at Wild Ozark right now, which is in its own way a sort of liminal space. Rob has two hernias and we’re waiting for the surgeon’s office to call with his appointment day/time.

    So while …