Wild Ozark™

~ Nature Artist in Kingston, Arkansas ~ Sharing my experience with Nature through art & writing about my life in the Ozarks

Category: Homestead

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

The Business ‘Circle of Life’ at Wild Ozark

An older post, but still representative. Eventually I’ll update it but for now, I’ll leave it alone:

This is the second year since making Wild Ozark my full-time endeavor. Over the past year, I’ve noticed a life-cycle of sorts. It’s … Read the rest “The Business ‘Circle of Life’ at Wild Ozark”

13 September 2015
Gathering Lobelia inflata Seeds

Looking for Lobelia

Today I donned a surgical mask to go out and gather the seed pods of Lobelia inflata. Why the mask?

Well, it’s the time of year when ragweed tries to assault me when I go outside. I’m … Read the rest “Gathering Lobelia inflata Seeds”

4 September 2015
An Herbal Hoof Poultice for a Horse

Both of our horses foundered recently and I’m not sure what caused it. I suspect there was a large fruit drop from the persimmon and plum trees after the big flood in June.

The problems caused by eating something … Read the rest “An Herbal Hoof Poultice for a Horse”

31 August 2015
Death from Above – Wasp vs Mantis

There are lots of videos at YouTube about wasp vs mantis, but they always show the mantis winning. Today I saw a wasp carrying the head of a praying mantis. I saw one yesterday, too.

I’ve found lots of info … Read the rest “Death from Above – Wasp vs Mantis”

25 July 2015
A Homesteading Hermit Self-Reliant Writer’s To-Do List

I’m a self-reliant writer for the most part. I’m also a homesteader and close to being a hermit (hermitress) these days. It would take a lot more money than I make at it to delegate any of the tasks, homesteaderly … Read the rest “A Homesteading Hermit Self-Reliant Writer’s To-Do List”

22 July 2015
Spider Stick

Anyone who has ever ridden, or rather, *driven* a four-wheeler on a tree-lined path will know exactly why this four-wheeler is sporting a lovely branch of wilted leaves.

It’s a “spider stick”. And it’s the person in front, if you’re … Read the rest “Spider Stick”

19 July 2015
My First Sheet of Handmade Paper

So, with all the rain here, and now with the truck being broken which means until the road mud dries up some I can’t go out anywhere, I’m doing some of the other things on my creative bucket list. I … Read the rest “My First Sheet of Handmade Paper”

8 July 2015
Do Your Dogs Sing with the Chickens?

Badger howling at coyotes.

We have singing dogs. Every morning at sunrise when the rooster crows and the hens wake, and during the day when the chickens get all a-cluck over an egg laying, the dogs break into song with … Read the rest “Do Your Dogs Sing with the Chickens?”

28 June 2015
Rattlesnakes and Dogs don’t Mix – Snakebit dog

A WildOzark Timber Rattlesnake

They’re not aggressive. Really.

This one just wanted to be left alone. It’s the second one I’d encountered that week, and both were relatively calm. Badger even stepped on the first one and didn’t notice until after … Read the rest “Rattlesnakes and Dogs don’t Mix – Snakebit dog”

26 June 2015
The Slow Descent of an Ozark Mountain Landslide

I’ve been observing and recording our slowly descending Ozark landslide. Leaning trees and driveway encroachment, photographed day by day.

Since the flood last Monday I haven’t done a whole lot of cleanup. The main reason for that is the landslide.… Read the rest “The Slow Descent of an Ozark Mountain Landslide”

23 June 2015
Egg-napping Marans

I have two black marans setting eggs.

Each hen was in a separate box, sitting on her own clutch of eggs. There are other boxes for the other hens to lay eggs in, too.

I haven’t been finding eggs in … Read the rest “Egg-napping Marans”

21 June 2015
The Impermanence of Things

We’ve had a lot of rain in the last days here in the Ozark Highlands. 7 inches in a few hours Monday night. That’s too much rain for our little creeks and hollers.

Lots of folks have lost homes, cattle, … Read the rest “The Impermanence of Things”

17 June 2015
Rattlesnake at the Gate

Gnats have made it nearly impossible for me to stand being outside at my potting bench for very long.

Yesterday I did the little bit of work I needed to do at it while trying not to breathe so the … Read the rest “Rattlesnake at the Gate”

12 June 2015
Unripe Fruit

I have a hard time believing I have no pictures – at all – of ripe elderberry fruit. After digging through file after unfruitful file, I thought it might be faster to just go get a new photo.

Not quite.… Read the rest “Unripe Fruit”

10 June 2015
Water Over the Bridge-Videos

When you can hear the roar of the wet-weather waterfall from the house, you know the water’s up. If you can see the waterfall from the front porch, it’s a fair bet the creek is way over the bridge.

When … Read the rest “Water Over the Bridge-Videos”

25 May 2015
Dragons Hatching, Clematis Blooming, and Feeding Horses in the Rain

Dragons Hatching!

Last fall I collected seeds from a large Green Dragon. I put the berries directly into pots and kept them overwinter in the ginseng nursery. The other morning I noticed they were hatching – er, sprouting! The … Read the rest “Dragons Hatching, Clematis Blooming, and Feeding Horses in the Rain”

8 May 2015
Unwelcome Guest – Snake in the Hen-house

Apparently there’s a snake in the hen-house. Looks like the hens had some stealthy company yesterday. The unwelcome guest left a bit of evidence behind for me to find this morning.

I searched under all of the nexts and behind the … Read the rest “Unwelcome Guest – Snake in the Hen-house”

3 May 2015
Arnold’s First Rooster Crow

Arnold is a Fall chicken. He hatched from an egg, along with his three nestlings way back in October (I think). The clutch of eggs that had hatched shortly before his fell prey to a large black rat snake. You … Read the rest “Arnold’s First Rooster Crow”

23 March 2015
Raising the Bar at Wild Ozark

Today we were gifted with more snow. Yesterday when I got out of bed, the sun shown brightly with promises of warmth at least from direct sunlight. So I let the horses out to scrounge around for what little grass … Read the rest “Raising the Bar at Wild Ozark”

28 February 2015
Snowy Day in the Ozarks

It’s our first snowy day for the season. First it sleeted about an inch or so, then it snowed. It’s still snowing today. Not too much but enough to make everything look pretty. It’s about 20*F, so no danger of … Read the rest “Snowy Day in the Ozarks”

16 February 2015
Ever Heard of Herbalism for Plants?

Is herbalism exclusively for animals and people? Why not herbalism for plants?

I’ve never heard of anyone else using herbs to treat plants. There’s lots of information about how to use plants to treat people (and animals), but not for … Read the rest “Ever Heard of Herbalism for Plants?”

28 January 2015
Recover an Apple Tree

We have an Arkansas Black apple tree overgrown by brush and saplings. Is it possible to recover an apple tree after it’s gotten overgrown?

Pruning it has been on my list of things to do for a few years now. … Read the rest “Recover an Apple Tree”

27 January 2015
It’s A Good Day to Plant Seeds in Winter
Yesterday I took a break from figuring taxes (yes, I’m still working on taxes) and went outside to enjoy the warm-ish winter’s day and plant seeds. On the seed list today:
- American ginseng
- Echinacea purpurea
- Echinacea tennesseensis
- Comfrey (officinale)
- Poppies
… Read the rest “It’s A Good Day to Plant Seeds in Winter”
22 January 2015
Life in the Dead of Winter

I enjoy seeing signs of life in the dead of winter. This week hasn’t been the typical dead of winter. Today was a beautiful day, sunny and nearly 70*F, and I became tired of figuring taxes. Time to go outside … Read the rest “Life in the Dead of Winter”

20 January 2015
The Nature of Still Water

We’re holding our breath here this morning at Wild Ozark, waiting to see what happens when the lines on the mountain thaw.

See, we’d insulated all the lines under the house and figured, hey, it shouldn’t freeze now under there … Read the rest “The Nature of Still Water”

16 January 2015