Today I went to the Madison County Sheriff’s office to get fingerprinted. I expected to have black finger tips all day, but they don’t do it with ink pads anymore. They use something like a scanner instead, so that was interesting. I’ve never spent that much time so close to jail cells before. Of course, all of this has to be done with my real name, Roxann Riedel.
Background Check, Fingerprinted
No worries! I’m not in trouble. Ha. I’m just getting ready to take my real estate exam, and before I can do that I have to pass the background check. Getting fingerprinted was part of that.
They need to make sure I’m not a fugitive criminal, I guess. Or a past offender. All should be good, but a person can’t help but have a little background worry that there might be something even I don’t know about in my history. For all I know, someone stole my identity and has committed crimes. It’s happened to my husband before, while he was still serving in the military. But I think it’ll all be fine.
Real Name Reveal
I can’t sell real estate with my pseudonym, so here’s my real name. It’s Roxann! Roxann Riedel. Many of you already knew this. But when I first moved up here, I started using ‘Madison Woods’ as a business name. Everyone new that I met through Wild Ozark and related business activity just assumed that was my name, and since I actually liked the name, I just went with it for my online persona and my author/artist name.
However, I’ll need to start building a presence online with my real name now, too. So when I refer to ‘Roxann’, you will now understand that it’s just a different version of me. The real me, I guess you could say. Though Madison has become a real version of me, too, over the years.
This could get tricky, lol. To help with the tricky business, I’ve updated my bio page to include the real name, too.
Want your own slice of the Wild Ozark Life?
I’m not licensed yet, so I can’t list, show, sell, or in any way deal in real estate yet. BUT. If you’d like to be on my mailing list whenever I DO start sharing what’s available out here in my area, email me. (my email address is the same)
And if you are planning to sell anything in the Madison, Newton, Carroll, Boone, or Clark counties – wait for me, please! I’ll be ready hopefully by end of January 2024, maybe earlier. I’d love to be your listing or buyer’s agent 🙂
Sustainability at Wild Ozark
One of the things we’re working towards here on our own land is sustainability. To that end, we’re installing a solar array that will power our house whether we have commercial power or not. We’d like the option to use commercial, but want to be set up so that we can do without it if necessary, too.
Wild Food Availability
We rely on wildlife like the deer for our meat supply, rather than store-bought beef. My daughter raises cattle and pigs, so we buy from her as needed, too. Now that the feral pigs have invaded our space, we’ll harvest those from here at Wild Ozark, too.
All of the grandkids who live here in the area also hunt with their parents once they’re old enough to do so. This year was Chloe’s first time to get a deer:
I personally am not much of a meat-eater, but I like to know which plants I can eat and which herbs that grow wild here can be used for our herbal medicine chest. We have a lot of useful plants growing wild here. But not everything is foraged. I grow some things near the house.
Garden
This year my garden was a little better than last year. I’m hoping next year’s will be even better still. Building the soil is time consuming but important for the foundation of being able to grow vegetables.
I used rocks that are an abundant resource here to create my raised beds and pavers for the walk paths. Rock-stacking is an art form that I enjoy, and that’s a good thing. Because there is no space here without rocks. It’s one of the things about the Ozarks that a person has to learn to live with.
Partnership with the Land
Whether I’m wearing my real name hat, or I’m wearing my artist hat, everything I love about living out here has to do with my partnership with the land. It provides enjoyment, nourishment, soul-connection, raw materials and inspiration. So it doesn’t matter if you’re calling me Roxann Riedel, or Madison Woods. They’re both me. I just have to sign my name differently depending on the medium – contracts or creative works like art each have their own place in my life out here at Wild Ozark. But I’ll answer to either!