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. …
Gun Show-Train Show Smack Down
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 …
Driving Advice from the Pros
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 …
Forest Fires, Naked Rainbows & a New Book
In a murky thicket I’m finishing final edits and additions to Ozark Voices, my oral history book. Several chapters deal with the U.S. Forest Service. The head of this huge agency was …
Birdwatching from Madison, MN, to Subiaco, AR
Has our poet of overgrown fields flown the coop to become some exotic creature? Maybe a crow? Lots of critters inhabit Robert Bly. Can his work have wings into the …
First Killing Frost
Trouble sleeping. After sunset I walk in the woods where stars sparkle above soaring oak and hickories. What’s that noise? An armadillo, bear or ghost? I’m nervous in the dark …
Unmasking the Paranormal Circus: Meditation on the Dark Side
What drew us here, to this scruffy parking lot in a mid-American shopping mall on one of the last nights of summer warmth? Was it the magnificent tent? The luminary …
Earth Day at the Homeless Shelter
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 …
Whippoorwill Morning
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, …
Trial by Water
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 …
Spring Construction: With Sister Tabitha Babbit & Kent Brown
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 …
Reflections at Roaring River
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 …
The Coldest Night at the Overflow Shelter
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 …
Homes & Heavens
Our neighborhood rouses amazing holiday decorations inspiring hope in this crazy time. Helpful when the craziest President ever endangers our future. What inspires people to string lights around their houses? …
Hauling Ties in an Early Ozark Blizzard
This story was told to me by the man who lived it, Darrow Doyle Faubus, named for the famous attorney Clarence Darrow. During his retirement Doyle became a singer and …
Not Having a Truck
I just sold my truck. For the first time in roughly a half century I have no way to haul bikes or boards, boats or barrels of beer; snakes, smart-ass …
Alford Forest: New Lease on Life
How to escape a pandemic, urban stress or summer’s heat? A river offers a safe, forever cool retreat. Ozark streams present recreation constantly renewed by huge springs, some of the …
Brinktown Picnic and Beyond
While soaring with uplifting music my mind floats back to Maries County, one of the smallest, sweetest bailiwicks in the Ozarks. To the south of the Missouri Rhineland, Cathy’s mother …