This is an index of posts that fall into my “Musings” category. Usually it’s on a topic that has no other defined focus, but sometimes these are also my philosophical-type posts. Subscribe to Wild Ozark™ » Musings by Email
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 pesky little buggers wouldn’t go up my nose. I pretty much needed to close my …
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. The berries aren’t ripe yet here at Wild Ozark. But maybe they are on top …
It’s been raining off and on here since last night. It seems like it’s been raining every day since I can’t remember when. I’m tired of it and will be glad when the ground is dry and the creeks are passable again, but in the meantime I’ve been writing. When I’m writing ficiton, it’s hard …
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 link in the first sentence will take you to a page about the plant. It’s also …
Dragons Hatching, Clematis Blooming, and Feeding Horses in the Rain Read More »
“What’s that plant good for?” A curious thing I’m noticing by selling plants at the market is that people almost always have the same question, phrased in various ways. It’s often the first thing they ask, in general about any of the plants, when they first walk into the booth. It seems to be a …
Show and Tell I took my little assembly of show and tell items, and a small entourage consisting of three Green Ambassadors on the road yesterday. We, or at least *I*, had been invited to speak to the Olli Group at Bordino’s on Dickson St. in Fayetteville. At the time, they didn’t know about the ambassadors that …
Ever wondered how much an author makes per book or product through Amazon? Royalties aren’t bad for books and e-books. I get 70% on the ones that are listed exclusively through Amazon if the price is over $2.99, and 35% for those I want to be available anywhere else. So, for example, Sustainable Ginseng is …
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 might be popping up from beneath melted snow from last week. We decided to go …
Snow and ice are a common winter-time theme of my photos out here in the wild Ozarks. I like the balance of movement and stasis and implied potential in this photo of the snow capped rocks. The creek continues to flow no matter how cold or frozen the surface becomes, even if it must do …
Thimbleweed grows often at the forest edge, where it could have full sun or partial shade or deep shade. It is one of those plants that like the liminal spaces. This post is about liminal spaces. If you want to read more about the plant and see more photos of it, click here. Liminal Spaces …
Is Nature a force to be reckoned with and hopefully conquered? This post is a prompt to think about our relationship with nature. Join us! I won’t have an essay today, just a few thoughts about this photo and the connection it represents to me. I’d love to hear your thoughts, too. If you blog, …
Random Nature Connection – Old Things and A Force to Be Reckoned Read More »
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 tonight – let’s see what happens. Well, we forgot about the nature of still water …
When I see the ice lifting tiny rocks and forming into shards and columns in this way, it reminds me of the rune Isa and causes me to reflect on how resistant all of nature is to change. This is a Random Nature Connection post If you’d like to join in and blog an essay …
Springs at Wild Ozark I’ve written before about how we are dependent on our wild Ozark water. This is a post from last year around this time of year and it’s one of my favorites. This activity of inspecting the tank and lines is one that occurs at least annually here and usually more often than that. …
2nd Friday after Winter Solstice This is the second of my weekly #RandomNatureConnection posts. Read more about this meme here and consider joining us if you love nature and blog about it. Here’s a short Tweet you can use to invite others: Join us for #RandomNatureConnection! The other Random Nature Connection posts: 1rst Friday– Water …
Random Nature Connection – Do Animals Plan Ahead? Read More »
I don’t often get in the mood to write poetry, but this time of year it sometimes happens. Not sure what it is, perhaps the approach of mid-winter, perhaps the shifted angles of light.
What is the first thought that enters your mind on waking? Are you savoring vestiges of pleasant dreams, or do you wake up already planning the day…or is there a sense of ‘oh no, not again” ? Sometimes the first thing I do is glance to see if the sun is up yet. Depending on …
The Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test™ was a fun, free little online test, sort of like the Myers-Briggs test to determine personality types: https://www.humanmetrics.com/index.htm#intro. After you’re done and when you click on the “Career Choices” info button, it gives some details about the kinds of careers that would be most satisfying for your type. I found …
My Results from the Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test™ Read More »
This year we’ve been proactive about a stocked freezer and our supply of firewood. Last year and the years since we’ve moved up here, we’ve always had a steady supply of venison, but we seem to always need firewood at the worst times. Last year, I remember waiting impatiently for the temperature to get above freezing …
For you from Wild Ozark™ 🙂 Grab a cuppa & enjoy! A Misty Day in the Ozarks One of my favorite kinds of trees, the beech, keeps leaves long after the others have disrobed and gone into winter’s sleep. Almost all of the beeches I see are very young. This one is older than most. …
Out here we have a healthy balance between predator and prey. Squirrels crowd the treetops, mice are at home in sheds and even in our house if we aren’t diligent. Snakes lurk everywhere. Predator and Prey Coyotes are plentiful. The dogs break into a discordant chorus when they hear their wild cousins yapping on the …
Special Trees Two special trees grace the dirt road where I live. There are more trees like this here and there on our own acreage, tree-beings, or trees that appear and do more than trees appear to normally do. Of course, the knowing that these trees “do” anything other than normal tree “being” is what …
Where do Writers get Ideas? People often ask me where I get ideas for my stories. I’d never really paid attention to it much, because I’ve always had a fairly active imagination and it comes naturally to think of the things I write. Where do writers get ideas? But I did notice something the other …
Where do Writers get Ideas? My Ideas Come from the Gaps Read More »
First it was the frost flowers. They showed up last week during our first really cold spell. Then yesterday as we were on our way home from grocery shopping the first sleet began. Soon after the plinking sounds of tiny ice balls on the windshield gave way to the silent brush of snowflakes. Winter …
Today’s my birthday and it’s the coldest one I can ever remember having! Temps have barely gotten above freezing today and snow clouds are building overhead. I’ve been working hard since I got up this morning to bring this new site online before the end of the day. It might not happen today though, because …
