A Personal View of Regional Renewable Energy Projects It’s the last full moon in August, 2023. A blue moon and a super moon. Is this why I’m not sleeping? As I toss and turn, all kinds of people wander through my restless night. Are these ghosts? Historic figures come out of the night to haunt …
Ozark ‘Tenore Assoluto’: From Mansfield, Missouri, to Montpellier, France. Opera has been a reach for many, especially us hillbillies. Seeing a world-class star in one of the great opera houses of Europe might just cause you goosebumps. An Ozark ‘baritenor’, as he calls himself, did that to a full house in southern France on …
The Saturday morning market along the Dordogne River in western France inspires me. It’s Pentecost weekend, lots of festivals nearby. In this ancient town enthusiastic crowds around the square in front of city hall meander, buy, eat, visit, hug, and kiss their friends. Booths spread into the narrow streets. Cathy and I have little trouble …
No, not my sisters, nieces and nephews, cousins or godchildren. It’s actually a real live squirrel! On our sixth-floor balcony! She must have taken up residence over the winter. I had no idea. Sometimes this squirrel would take naps on top of the trellis by the planter. No clue why. Now I know why. Cleaning …
In early March I took an exhilarating yet exhausting drive across the Ozarks. Though Springfield and Salem lie nearly on the same latitude in Missouri, they’re about 75+ miles apart. The preferred routes on divided highways chosen by Google clocked in at about two and a half hours. The southern route followed US 60 to …
Do you ever have trouble sleeping at night? Judging from ads on TV, this must be a common problem. Ambling toward the far side of seventy I occasional wake up and can’t fall back into the arms of Morpheus. Generally it’s not a problem thanks to a few meditations and prayers that usually bring calm. …
What I remember from a local train show yesterday was the fleam. I hadn’t seen once since running the Ozark Agriculture Museum. It’s a simple device. They were used to induce bleeding in belief bad blood could be eliminated and health restored. The procedure almost cost the life of our first President. Luckily medicine has …
I got to know Joan at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. To me and a lot of others, especially on the East coast, she’s one of the best playwrights around. More theaters need to produce her plays. Everyone, look for her work! I was never a theater goer until my …
Later Cameron Powers did well as a highway construction contractor, but his real love was playing music. He and his partner Kristina Sophia traveled in a big RV for several years sharing with various groups Middle Eastern music they’d learned on the road in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and elsewhere. “The secret is limiting stops for …
Best burger on the road: Kewpee Drive-inn, Lima, Ohio. A giant angelic baby stands atop the roof of the historic eatery. More dolls on the inside and a sign proclaiming, “Your grandparents probably ate here,” which may be true, as they were all frisky in the 1930s. This was near the end of our trip, …
Selected Scenes from a Delta-Variant Summer Road Trip Read More »
This day of remembrance recalls twelve years ago when the Ozarks suffered a derecho. This squally system with dozens of tornadoes toppled millions of trees, smashed property, totaled our car and destroyed our solar collectors but thankfully took just one human life. In my forthcoming Ozark Voices: Oral Histories from the Heartland I write about …
OHA has an active webpage and blog that’s steadily updated. I try to keep up with news in the field, but good intentions often take me elsewhere. Nevertheless, I was honored the group chose a part of one chapter from my upcoming book, Ozark Voices: Oral History from the Heartland, to be their blog post for the …
A freak blizzard early this week has meant snowmen coexisting with redbud trees in full bloom. The cold front probably nipped Ozark fruit and spring soirees. This photo is a neighbors house, with red buds to the rear. An inch of snow set back Cathy and my travel plans. Fun to be pissed off at …
One of these mysterious bird sings downhill at 5 a.m. The world’s going to be new once again. Warm enough to leave windows cracked, love ballads from doves, owl warnings, frogs’ splashing, nuthatches prowling and eventually my neighbor Timothy whistling an aria as he walks down the gravel road eventually spur Cath and I to …
It began with a bang. Starting up water service in our cabin, immediately the plastic filter fell to the floor. The tank flooded the basement. Luckily thinking fast, I shut off the supply line. We had turned off the water for winter. Who left the filter off? I picked up the quart-sized plastic vase that …
Has anyone else wept for the blooming jonquils or the ten people shot in Colorado a few days ago? They take my breath away as I drive into Arkansas: random patches of blooms out in pastures where once a family homesteaded. Or the eight killed in Georgia last week? Someone planted these lovely yellow flowers …
Today I fastened down the top part of my new trellis. This has been a month-long project done with the help of Kent Brown, including pine provided by David Haenke from the sustainable Alford Forest near Rockbridge, Missouri. My plan is growing pole bean in two boxes. We live in an apartment now with no …
Spring Construction: With Sister Tabitha Babbit & Kent Brown Read More »
We’ve reached a great turning point, the Opening of Trout Season, March 1st. A week ago it iced all the way to Texas. Snow plows and cinder trucks growled. A pipe froze in our Springfield apartment. Saturday, the 6th, offered the opposite. Beginning with a 6 a.m. alarm, I wanted to get to Roaring River …
This has been a winter to remember. The text message came about 3 p.m. A man who signed up to work at a nearby church taking in homeless can’t make it. “Can you come in?” A week ago I signed up as a back-up in case a volunteer had a problem. This was a big …
