Category: Self-Reliance
These are all of the posts that have to do with homesteading, self-reliance of any sort. Getting our home business up and thriving is part of our self-reliance plan, so some of the posts are related to products and projects toward this end.
If you’d like to be able to do without a grocery store or Walmart, these posts may interest you.
Our goal is to be able to get by just fine if none of the usual shopping haunts are available anymore. We are not at that point yet, far from it. I personally will suffer extreme internet withdrawal symptoms if the grid suddenly crashes, haha, but I’m sharing what I know and as we learn something useful, I’ll try to post it.
If you have links to share, please add them in a comment on a post that is similar in nature or email me at madison(at)wildozark(dot)com. I’d love to hear from you!
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Groundhog that lives under the shed
For several days lately I’ve been hearing a squeaky ‘weeee’ sound coming from under the shed. Today I also heard wood being gnawed. There’s a groundhog that lives under the shed, and I think she has babies. The old shed … Read the rest “Groundhog that lives under the shed”
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Yesterday was a Water Line Repair Day
If you read my previous post about the bath water stopping as I was filling the tub night before last, you might be curious to see what we found to be the problem. The entire day yesterday was a water … Read the rest “Yesterday was a Water Line Repair Day”
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No Relaxing Bath for Me
Running my bathwater, preparing to relax my tired body after a day of weed-eating. Trying to not think ahead to the several more days of weed-eating on my list of things to do. But… no relaxing bath for me. At … Read the rest “No Relaxing Bath for Me”
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Woven Willow – using one of Nature’s Renewable Resources
A while back I posted about the woven willow fence I was building as a retaining wall in my garden. Since then I have come to love willow branches. They’re one of my favorites of nature’s renewable resources now. After … Read the rest “Woven Willow – using one of Nature’s Renewable Resources”
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Wattle Fence: a Garden Project Spilling Over to Garden Art Project
I’m working on a project in my garden. It started with a wild hair to do something for free using local natural and abundant resources- a woven, or wattle fence. It’s an experiment as most things I do are. … Read the rest “Wattle Fence: a Garden Project Spilling Over to Garden Art Project”
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Looking back on 20 years of roughing it in the Ozarks – Happy Thanksgiving 2025
This is a gratitude story about surviving the hardships of making the leap from a suburban life to rural and remote. I wrote this post in 2015 to celebrate a decade out here at Wild Ozark, and these are all … Read the rest “Looking back on 20 years of roughing it in the Ozarks…
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Artful Use for Rocks: Building a raised stone path
I use the rocks here to make my paints, but I also use them in other practical ways – and it’s still artful use! I’m building a raised stone path in my garden. Rockwork in a way is like using … Read the rest “Artful Use for Rocks: Building a raised stone path”
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Herbal Care Gift Set 2024
Yesterday I made the decoction and infusion for the Winter Crud syrup that goes into my annual herbal care gift set that I make for each of my adult children’s households. The other items include a bottle of sting oil, … Read the rest “Herbal Care Gift Set 2024”
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Check the Spring Tank
When it’s a drought, we monitor our water usage more closely than when it isn’t so dry outside. When it gets like this, before I do anything that uses a lot of water, like washing clothes, I take a hike … Read the rest “Check the Spring Tank”
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My mind is on art, even while digging ditches, it seems
Even while doing sweat-inducing work totally unrelated to being creative, my mind is on art. Look at the color I found while I was digging a ditch 🙂 Needless to say, I had a pocket full of rocks by the … Read the rest “My mind is on art, even while digging ditches, it seems”
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Rural Life in the Ozarks | Winter
I love our rural life in the Ozarks, where everything urban is at least 45 minutes away, and there’s a long dirt road to get to pavement. The wildlife and scenery inspire me on a daily basis. But it has … Read the rest “Rural Life in the Ozarks | Winter”
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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 … Read the rest “Running Errands, Preparing for Bad Weather”
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Cutting Firewood, an Endless Homestead Task
Today is Christmas day and the family festivities are over. I had taken some pictures the other day with the intention to write a blog post about firewood, an endless homestead task. But time got away from me and so … Read the rest “Cutting Firewood, an Endless Homestead Task”
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An Herbal Remedy for Winter Crud featuring Mullein, Beebalm, and Echinacea
Here’s my 2023 recipe for an herbal remedy I use every year to combat what we’ve come to call “Winter Crud”. We also take it at the first sign of anything that feels like trouble coming on. This year’s formula … Read the rest “An Herbal Remedy for Winter Crud featuring Mullein, Beebalm, and Echinacea”
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Hiking up the Mountain
This morning I went hiking up the mountain to check on our water tank. It’s been very dry here for the whole summer, and the recent rains haven’t added anything to the creeks. The creeks are almost completely dry. Every … Read the rest “Hiking up the Mountain”
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Long Dirt Road: Why it Takes me an Hour to Drive 12 Miles
This is a post from a few years ago that I love, so I’m reposting it. We live down a long dirt road. This little facet of our lives is the main thing that makes or breaks most newcomers to … Read the rest “Long Dirt Road: Why it Takes me an Hour to Drive…
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Art Inspiration Moments on a Non-Art-Making Day
Even in a day full of non-art related tasks, there can be moments of art inspiration. Equine Escapees In the mornings after I get out of bed, I go outside on the porch to have my coffee and listen to … Read the rest “Art Inspiration Moments on a Non-Art-Making Day”
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Musings from an Ozark nature artist
I’m at an ‘in between’ time at the moment. Between rain showers and rainy days, between things scheduled on my calendar. And since I just finished a painting, I’m between paintings, too. But this is a great time for … Read the rest “Musings from an Ozark nature artist”
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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 … Read the rest “Ozark Winter Storm | Jan 24 2023”
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Pivot to Online Art | Stocking the shelves | Art Prints for Sale
I’ve been hard at work behind the scenes here at the website stocking my online art shop. Artists everywhere are trying to develop a way to market online art. Here’s the update on my own effort to stock the Wild … Read the rest “Pivot to Online Art | Stocking the shelves | Art Prints…
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The Bear Issue with Our Spring-fed Water Line
So I’ve done a good job of making sure the water is dripping on the cold nights and so far so good with not letting the lines freeze (since the first time I let it happen this year). But this … Read the rest “The Bear Issue with Our Spring-fed Water Line”
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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 … Read the rest “Leave the Water On”
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Lousewort, Bumblebee Food and Medicinal Herb
Herbalism, Herbs, Homestead, Native Medicinal Plants, Nature, Ozark Native Plants, Plants, Self-RelianceLousewort (Pedicularis canadensis) is an interesting plant. It’s a medicinal herb said to be effective at muscular pain relief. The bumblebees love it! Rosy colored variety of Pedicularis, with a bumble bee visiting. A pale yellow-colored lousewort. Some lousewort, showing … Read the rest “Lousewort, Bumblebee Food and Medicinal Herb”
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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 … Read the rest “Simple Survival Skills: The Multipurpose Pashmina Shawl #survivalhack #homesteading”
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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 … Read the rest “Simple Survival Skills: Limited Water Washing”
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