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 …
Blog
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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 …
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Book a Forest Folk Workshop Near You!
Want a Workshop Close to You?
If you’d like to host, or know somewhere good to have a workshop, get in touch. I’m willing to travel within 50 miles of Kingston, AR for groups of at least 10. Cost …
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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 …
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New Tax Rule – Arkansas Sales Tax on Digital Products
This year there’s a new tax rule that will affect the people who buy digital goods from Wild Ozark. We have to pay retail sales tax on ebooks that I sell in our online shop as of January 1, 2018.…
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Day 7: Nature Journal Series
Christmas Fern
About this journal entry
On Day 7 of my daily journaling stint, I decided to draw the Christmas fern. These ferns are often present in good ginseng habitat. So it’s known as a companion plant, or indicator …
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Day 6: Nature Journal Series
Lobelia inflata in Late Summer
About this journal entry
Lobelia inflata is one of my most treasured wild-crafted herbs. It grows around us here like a “weed”, and most would never think it to be a useful plant. It’s …
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Day 5: Nature Journal Series
Little Orange Mushroom
About this journal entry
It’s amazing how quickly an hour flies by when you are trying unsuccessfully to figure out how to do something.
On another note, I’m finding that it is getting harder to focus …
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The Color of Cherry Leaves | Ozark Backroads Collection
These cherry leaves were such a brilliant golden yellow. They shined like a beacon in an otherwise bleak and dreary landscape.
Glad I brought the real camera along for the ride to town yesterday. I think this would …
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Day 4: Nature Journal Series
Ground Cherry
About this Entry
The inklings of trouble is starting to reveal itself already.
“This one will be much easier,” I thought as I settled on a subject for today’s entry. It is all mostly green, with hardly any …
