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Homestead

Blog posts or photos that have to do with homesteading in the rural Ozarks of northwest Arkansas.

Our water tank floweth over.

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 few days I check the few watering holes left to make sure the horses have …

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Shallots from my stonework garden.

Stonework is Also Artwork

These are the bulbs of green onions, or shallots. My original start of them came from my grandfather’s garden. He was getting rid of them because he didn’t like the wide leaves and preferred green onions with narrow leaves.

When Life Throws a Curveball

Little things crop up unexpectedly from time to time, like a hailstorm in late May or squirrels eating all of the pears when they’re almost ripe. Sometimes life throws a big curveball, though. Such an event happened here at Wild Ozark late Monday evening. Rob and I have been working to get his first row …

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A western fence lizard on a sandstone in the garden of an Ozark nature artist.

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 an Ozark nature artist to get out and enjoy some nature.

Dealing with encroachment by nature on our driveway.

Encroachment Goes Both Ways | Striking a Balance

Encroachment goes both ways. Sometimes humans go too far into nature, but there are times when nature invades too much on humans, too! Click through to find out what I’ve been working on toward striking that balance.

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. But this afternoon my water at the kitchen faucet surprised me with only a very thin stream. Not even enough to rinse out my coffee cup. After a hike up the mountain to see where the problem was, I found that we don’t have a frozen water issue. We have a bear issue.

I wish I would have remembered to leave the water on last night.

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.

The creeks are nearly dry.

Nearly Dry

We’ve had some rain lately, but not enough. The creek that runs through our land is nearly dry now. Thankfully, there are still a few constantly refilling pools here and there, or else I’d have to carry water to the horses. Even the spring puddles on the way to the back gate are completely dry. …

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Lousewort, Bumblebee Food and Medicinal Herb

Lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis) is an interesting plant. It’s a medicinal herb said to be effective at muscular pain relief. The bumblebees love it! An interesting find In May of 2014, I noticed an interesting plant. Well, I’m *always* noticing interesting plants, so it wasn’t the first time to notice an interesting plant, but the first …

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Elderberry blossom

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 help you make allies of them, enabling you to build your herbal armory. All-Heal Beebalm Echinacea …

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Perhaps not so stylish a way to wear my shawl, but it is very warm!

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 takes up little space in a glove compartment in your car. Keep one in your …

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