The new year has swallowed me up with chain sawing, stacking firewood and hauling ashes from our cabin woodstove. There’s nothing like wood heat to warm you. It makes me feel like snuggling up with a great book and getting inspired. This job takes incredible patience, a warm day and a decent beer. For 25 …
My friend Anne Carter Jacobson, now of Columbia MO, sent this story about our days in Phelps County long ago. Cathy and I lived there for almost 30 years and still visit whenever possible. Wonderful town w/ great folks!! One thing about Alex Stub Primm, is that he knows good food. He was a founding …
This town has come to symbolize the Ozarks for far too many. A recent visit focused my qualms for our country music mecca. Money dominates this view of the Land of a Thousand Smiles, as the community used to bill itself. Cathy and I landed a deal on an overnight stay at a new Bass …
I saw a great documentary recently about a young guy who climbs giant rock formations without ropes. Why would anyone take such risks? Having done a fair amount of rock climbing in Colorado during college, I watched ‘Free Solo’ with sweaty palms while hanging onto my seat and Cathy closely. The film of Alex Honnold’s …
Abortion is one of the most contentious issues in contemporary campaigns. Here’s my feelings from August ’18 door knocking, a demanding activity that can dramatically help candidates. Yesterday afternoon I had an unexpected conflicted moment. No one was hurt, not even any feelings. But I can’t sleep this muggy Missouri late summer morning. I try to …
Our foster grandson Tristen Russ died in an early morning one-car crash outside St. James, Missouri. No one will ever know what caused the accident on August 25, 2018. Soon to turn 17, he reportedly died instantly when a hitting a tree. Tristen several times visited Cathy, neighbors and I at the Greenwood Forest Land …
A month ago I was on one of the most spectacular cycling trips in the world, the Finnish Archipelago, some 20,000 islands stretching west toward southern Sweden across the Baltic Ocean. I never expected to be so knocked out by endless pine trees, sand dunes and herring three meals a day. Maybe it was just …
This story involves my growing up on the edge of the Ozarks. This may be the beginning of my roots in oral history projects. I think of ol’ Charlie all the time… Impressions staying the longest often involve rivers and dogs, or at least summer, when Charlie’s wife took off from working in a Kansas …
It’s a perfect summer day in western Connecticut, where Tom Zetterstrom still lives at the edge of an ideal town, Canaan. He’s the lord of nearby Rattlesnake Hill. We’ve been friends for 50+ years. Long ago I nearly landed a job on the Berkshire Eagle, one of the great newspapers still filled with in-depth local …
Hard to believe that it’s been six years since I’ve had a chance visit with folks in Ripley County. I’ve decided to post now this because Ray Joe is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. Whenever possible I stop by Doniphan, once known as ‘Railroad Tie Capital of The World’. History lurks everywhere …
I’d been warned twice about this place. Subtle warnings, but still I knew enough to avoid this end of the road. It came up quick. No place to turn around behind us, so I turned into the first place I could. Immediately my truck got stuck. Like up to the rear axle in deep river …
For two days I’ve been collecting catalpa worms from our bright green sapling. Her foliage has been shredded apparently by machine guns. Nope, it’s these bright green worms feasting away a lovely summer day! Let this be a warning to all you catalpa worms! Please don’t eat our little tree or you will become the …
This morning we completed renovation of Dunstedter Hall, a shed I built with a variety of expert help near our cabin in Greenwood Forest. Jim Ryan, a neighbor and expert carpenter, nailed up the final boards on the south side, which had an insulated window, gifted by David and Deb Dunstedter who also donated a …
Several years ago David Dunstedter and I produced an oral history CD using environmental sound and music with Ozark interviews. We still have copies available for those interested. Edna Staples was a native of Shannon County and spoke with great knowledge and memory. Not surprising because she was the president of the local historical society …
A sleepy morning after late night bourbon suddenly enlivens with musician friends, the 32 Bartenders band from the northern reaches of the Ozarks. They came to Springfield to play a contra dance which Cath and I unfortunately couldn’t attend due to a dinner date with gardener friends. It’s spring, salad celebration… I was still sleepy …
Sunday Sanctification with some Ozark Bartenders Read More »
Probably it was her daughter helping this elder with a metal walker. Slowly they rounded the barricades toward we 16 election judges squirming on hard seats. She didnt want any help voting. It could have been her neighbor. Several neighbors came together on Election Day. She shooed her helper away. Then she bent over the …
When struggling through teenage-hood I helped my family eek out a living in the gnarly wilds near the exclusive St. Louis Country Club. A group of my buddies and I fancied ourselves to be hillbillies. Rather than help our families grow crops or make moonshine, we mainly encouraged the growth of our parents grey hair …
Our friend Garland Owen became one of the first visitors to our sculptural landscape project. It’s turned into a real work of art in the last few days. Gar was on his way to entertain children of the Muslim student association at MSU just down the street. Impressed with the new plantings of prairie and …
Really looking forward to Loring’s graduation shindig out at a friend’s place. Cath assures me she has the address on her iPad. There’s a little blue dot that should be the place. Oops, that’s on 65, but his e-mail said it’s off 13. It’s dark, pitch black and spooky. The iPad has no Wi-Fi connection …
