Old Oak Tree
About this journal entry
I’m not sure this tree is a Post Oak, but she is old and her name is Gloria. Gloria graces our front yard and she has been there for probably 200 years. …
Blog
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Things I’ve Heard but Never Seen- Spring Peepers
How many things have you heard but never seen? One that confounds me every year is a little frog.
Today was a very windy and warm day, warm enough to make it easy to work up a sweat while helping …
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A Green Dragon Drawing
I’ve been working on a Green Dragon drawing for the cover of NANPS’s summer issue of Blazing Star. There will be another of the spathe and spadix to do next. That one will be used in the article.
Here’s the …
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Guest Post: Climate Change. Just My Thoughts and Observations
A note from Madison: Just to clear up some confusion – This is a guest post. It’s not my article. My own opinion on things is a lot more woo-woo and probably a lot less “scientific”, in spite of my …
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What Does a Nature Farm Produce?
Today I took a little hike after feeding the horses. I was on a mission to collect moss and lichen-covered branches. These are just some of the things the Wild Ozark Nature Farm produces.
And that’s how a nature farm …
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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 …
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An Exploration of our Wild Ozark Bluff
Yesterday we took the day off from our usual daily work and hiked around Ozark bluff that follows our driveway. Every time we travel to and from the house, we look at it and comment that we’d like to get …
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Hiking to the Wild Ozark Corner Bluff
A while back, I posted about our exploration of the bluffs along the driveway. This time we went hiking to what I call the “Corner Bluff”.
It’s not far away, either, but takes a bit of effort. Getting to …
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Freezing Fingers for Nature Art – Photos, Bringing Hay to Horses on an Icy Morning
It was 12* F as the sun came up over the mountain yesterday morning. I headed outside to feed the animals, and freezing fingers were in the forecast. When I fed the horses, I walked across the creek to check …
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Product Review: Rada Kitchen Knives and Cutlery
The best thing about Rada knives – well, I can’t say that. ONE of the best things about these knives is that they’re made in the U.S.A. The other best thing is that they’re terrific. Read on to find out …
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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
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Guest Post: A Nature Enthusiast’s Guide to Southwest Missouri
A note from Madison: I get many requests by content providers to do guests posts here on the Wild Ozark blog. Most of the time, the subject matter isn’t closely related enough to nature or any of the site topics. …
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Endings and Hopeful for New Beginnings
Sometimes it takes a thing ending to spark renewed efforts to find new beginnings.
Endings
One of our little shops in town closed its doors abruptly this weekend. The owner has tried to make a successful business of it, but …
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Build your Herbal Armory!
Useful plants grow all around us. It’s time to start building your herbal armory of plant allies now.
My book, 10 Common Plants worth Knowing in a Long-term Survival Situation, will introduce you to ten at a time. I’ll …
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Simple Survival Skills: The Multipurpose Pashmina Shawl #survivalhack #homesteading
A scarf by itself might not be enough to keep you from freezing to death in extreme temperatures. But a large scarf, known as a shawl, can serve multiple functions aside from keeping your neck warm like a scarf. It …
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Product Review: A Quiet Computer Mouse by Mossy Oak
My old mouse recently died and I had to get another. The next time we went to Walmart I picked up one of the least expensive ones I could find. It was around $10 and I thought that’s not too …
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Simple Survival Skills: Limited Water Washing
I forget, until I have to use them, how many simple survival skills I’ve used since moving to this remote and rural Ozarks life. Washing dishes with limited water is one of the most useful things to know.
Simple Survival
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RIP Bobbie Sue. You were a good Farm Dog.
Bobbie Sue was a dog we got as a pound puppy from a shelter in Harrison, Arkansas during our first year here at Wild Ozark. She had probably been abused or severely neglected before she went to the rescue. She …
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Day 9: Nature Journal Series
Grapevine & Insect Observation
Nature Journal entry from Day 9.
About this journal entry
On Day 9 of my daily journaling stint, I didn’t feel like getting off of the porch and I wondered if I could find something nearby …
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Day 8: Nature Journal Series
Acorn on Weathered Stick
Nature Journal entry from Day 8.
About this journal entry
On Day 8 of my daily journaling stint, I couldn’t help reflecting on the sounds of trees dying in the distance. Chainsaws and crashing …
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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 …
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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. Using a spring for water requires more effort than relying on tap water. Sometimes, just because you turn on the …
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How Ginseng Stewardship Also Benefits the Landowner
Someone asked me yesterday about how ginseng stewardship benefits the landowner. It stumped me at first, because I’d never considered it from that angle.
What is Stewardship?
To steward something is to manage or take care of something. The short …
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A Couple of Photos from Today: Mossy Oak Limbs and Our Dirt Road
I find certain trees are just as beautiful in winter as they are the rest of the year. This old tree with her mossy oak limbs is one of my favorite photo subjects.
Mossy Oak Limbs
Our Dirt Road
Here’s …
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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 …
