Category: Musings

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

  • The cost of doing (DVD) business with Amazon

    The cost of doing (DVD) business with Amazon

    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% …

  • Raising the Bar at Wild Ozark

    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 …

  • Snow and Ice in the Ozarks

    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 …

  • Random Nature Connection: Liminal Spaces

    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 …

  • Random Nature Connection – Old Things and A Force to Be Reckoned

    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!

    old ford tractor

    I won’t have an essay today, just a few thoughts about this photo and the …

  • 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 …

  • Tending our Wild Ozark Water

    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 …

  • Random Nature Connection – Do Animals Plan Ahead?

    2nd Friday after Winter Solstice

    This essay on whether animals plan ahead is the second of my Random Nature Connection posts. Read more about this meme here and consider joining me if you love nature, philosophical debate, and blog about …

  • An Ode to Nature

    ode to nature - a poem by madison woods about nature


    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.…

  • First Thoughts

    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 …

  • My Results from the Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test™

    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 …

  • Hunt Food, Gather Firewood

    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 …

  • Photos of a misty day in the Ozarks

    beech tree at wild ozark

    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 …

  • How Far Removed – Predator and Prey

    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.

    snake eating squirrel

    Predator and Prey

    Coyotes are plentiful. The …

  • The Ent Trees of Wild Ozark

    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 …

  • Where do Writers get Ideas? My Ideas Come from the Gaps

    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

  • Winter is Here in the Ozarks

    First it was the frost flowers. They showed up last week during our first really cold spell.
     frost flower frost flower
    Then yesterday as we were on our way home from grocery shopping the first sleet began. Soon after the plinking sounds of tiny …

  • Welcome to the all-new Wild Ozark™ website!

    logo

    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 …