Category: Homestead
Blog posts or photos that have to do with homesteading in the rural Ozarks of northwest Arkansas.
-
Sunrise Sounds at Wild Ozark
In the mornings, we don’t hear highway noise of people rushing to get to work on time. Our sunrise sounds belong to nature. Sunrise Sounds Remodeling We’ve been particularly busy lately here. Rob’s remodeling the bathroom. We thought it might … Read the rest “Sunrise Sounds at Wild Ozark”
Written by
-
Compost Sifter
Rocks are everywhere here at Wild Ozark. Even when I rake leaves or clean out the chicken house I get rocks mixed in. A compost sifter would help when I’m trying to separate rocks and weeds out of the pile.… Read the rest “Compost Sifter”
Written by
-
Starting Seeds and Straightening Tines
Yesterday I decided it was time to get busy starting seeds for our garden. Hauled the seed vault out and began the painful process of picking which of the very many seeds I have saved that I want to start … Read the rest “Starting Seeds and Straightening Tines”
Written by
-
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 … Read the rest “Bringing Hay to Horses in Snow”
Written by
-
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.… Read the rest “Can’t see the Trees for the Forest, or rather, Snowflakes for the…
Written by
-
How to Identify Plants in the Wild, How to Search and Find Clues
Earlier this year I surveyed my newsletter members for their top questions. Here’s one about how to identify plants found in the outdoors. Top Questions It’s more of a comment than a question, but I’m creating this post in response to … Read the rest “How to Identify Plants in the Wild, How to Search and…
Written by
-
Product Review: STABILicers Ice Cleats make Slippery Slopes a Cinch!
When it gets icy here, just walking down the back steps is a feat, but making my rounds to feed the critters is the whole circus. Ice cleats to the rescue. Biding time to try out the ice cleats So … Read the rest “Product Review: STABILicers Ice Cleats make Slippery Slopes a Cinch!”
Written by
-
Keeping up the Juggling Act
It’s the holiday season, so it stands to reason that lots of folks are juggling lots of things in their lives these days. Juggling and Not Too Successfully I’ve been dropping a few balls lately. Right now the ones on … Read the rest “Keeping up the Juggling Act”
Written by
-
Get in Shape with Nature- Starting out the Day Hot & Sweaty
This morning kicked off my first effort at returning to a daily walk/jog routine. It’s time to get in shape after 6 months of trying to take it easy. Get in Shape I can’t *really* jog yet. My knee is … Read the rest “Get in Shape with Nature- Starting out the Day Hot &…
Written by
-
Homestead: Getting the Chainsaw Stuck … and Unstuck
Today was an outdoor work day, at least until the storm blew in. Feeding critters, excluding chickens, and getting the chainsaw stuck, and unstuck. Feeding Critters I did the usual thing first – fed the critters. It was a foggy … Read the rest “Homestead: Getting the Chainsaw Stuck … and Unstuck”
Written by
-
Installing a Culvert Retaining Wall was Today’s Homestead Project
Today I built a culvert retaining wall for the culvert on the shop driveway to keep it from washing out around the sides. I was grateful for the overcast and dreary day so I could do this work without getting … Read the rest “Installing a Culvert Retaining Wall was Today’s Homestead Project”
Written by
-
No Water
This morning I turned on the faucet to put some water on my toothbrush. Nothing but a few drops came out. Then, nothing. No water. No Water My thoughts immediately led to the question in my mind, which was “Where … Read the rest “No Water”
Written by
-
Homestead Work
We’ve been busy doing a lot of outdoor homestead work since we came home from our gold panning trip to Colorado. That’s why there’s been no recent posts from me. The weather has been atrociously hot and I’m just too … Read the rest “Homestead Work”
Written by
-
Avoiding Burnout: Fun Days at Wild Ozark
Avoiding Burnout Anyone who has ever tried to build a homesteading life will know it’s a tremendous amount of work. So we also work at avoiding burnout. The list of things on the “to do” list is so long, our … Read the rest “Avoiding Burnout: Fun Days at Wild Ozark”
Written by
-
Busy Burning Coffee Days at Wild Ozark
My efforts at multitasking yesterday ended with flames, billowing smoke and the awful scent of burnt coffee beans. Surprisingly, I did not stop to get a picture of this event to document it for this post. At first there weren’t … Read the rest “Busy Burning Coffee Days at Wild Ozark”
Written by
-
Photos of Plants – Medicinal & Useful plants down the Wild Ozark Driveway
I’m still mostly stuck in the house because of my knee (dislocated it a little over a week ago) but I took the four-wheeler and camera down the driveway to get a few photos of plants unfurling or coming into … Read the rest “Photos of Plants – Medicinal & Useful plants down the Wild…
Written by
-
How to move a round bale without a hay spike by using the front-end loader instead.
I’ve been using a chain with the tractor and front end loader to move round bales to the horses. We don’t have a hay spike or fork attachment. This how-to assumes you have a tractor with a front end loader … Read the rest “How to move a round bale without a hay spike by…
Written by
-
Coyotes at Midnight
I had trouble getting to sleep last night. Then there were coyotes at midnight, just as the drift of dreams was beginning to take hold. It went on for so long I had time to turn on the audio recorder … Read the rest “Coyotes at Midnight”
Written by
-
Repairing Our Wild Ozark Spring Water Line
Today I repaired our Wild Ozark spring water line Since I’ve learned how to do this myself, I figured I’d do it while Mr. Wild Ozark was at work. Later this summer we have plans to change out the entire … Read the rest “Repairing Our Wild Ozark Spring Water Line”
Written by
-
A Muck Boot and Pj Kind of Day
I didn’t feel like getting out of bed this morning. It was cold in the room when I woke and I just felt lazy. But the hens clucked louder as the minutes ticked past. I knew the dogs and horses … Read the rest “A Muck Boot and Pj Kind of Day”
Written by
-
A problem in our gravity feed spring water system
What is a gravity feed water system? We are fortunate to have our very own spring fed water source that runs all year long. It is a spring that pumps out enough water, without fail, to serve our household with … Read the rest “A problem in our gravity feed spring water system”
Written by
-
Warm Egg on a Cold Day
There is something quite satisfying about finding a warm egg in the henhouse on a blustery 15*F morning. I tried something new to help me wake up a little earlier this morning. It wasn’t until 5 a.m. when the strange … Read the rest “Warm Egg on a Cold Day”
Written by
-
Exercising in Nature – or – Why it takes me an hour to walk to the mailbox and back
Exercising in nature is as easy as taking a walk to check the mail. It helps if you have a long driveway. One of my resolutions for the new year and the rest of my life is to get into … Read the rest “Exercising in Nature – or – Why it takes me an…
Written by
-
Did you know Osage Oranges evolved with wooly mammoths?
Osage Maclura pomifera, also known as Osage Orange, Bois d’Arc, Hedge-apple, or Horse-apple, the osage tree is native to our area. Even so, there aren’t very many of them in our particular neck of the woods. A bedraggled osage tree. … Read the rest “Did you know Osage Oranges evolved with wooly mammoths?”
Written by
-
Killing Pretty Roosters
First I tried selling pretty roosters. Then I tried gifting pretty roosters. Yesterday we killed pretty roosters. It was my chore to pick which ones. I felt a bit like Kali (Goddess who is both giver of life and bringer … Read the rest “Killing Pretty Roosters”
Written by