Things are happening in the world these days over which we have little control, and if my recent posts reflect my concern with all the goings on, well I have mixed thoughts – on the one hand I don’t want to depress readers with posts about things like our impending destruction, but on the other hand, I like to do my part to help to awaken folks as to some of the things the media doesn’t talk much about that’s actually going on. When I say what’s actually happening, of course it’s how I interpret world affairs, but I try to remind people that there’s a perfectly reasonable and believable course of action we can take to avoid getting caught up and losing our bearings and becoming lost on our life’s roadmap. Getting to know Jesus is the panacea for all the world’s ills.

Anyways, for those who are comfortable with their own direction in this world that’s going insane, I’m determined to try and use my love of God’s creation to write more about those things which prompted me to start this website, at least once in a while. For those who are tired of my total desecration of the practice of writing prose, I’d like to update y’all on our life out here in the Ozarks and the things we see and do that a lot of folks in other places might not get to experience. Oh, and I’m working on part II of the Duff Mill story, so if you’re interested in how it turns out, please be patient, Earl will finish his hunt (maybe).

This morning broke with a silent and beautiful dawn sky with singing birds out trying to convince each other that spring is just around the corner. A lot of them don’t sound so sure, but they’re tuning up their whistles just the same. I heard a ladder-backed woodpecker yesterday and the crows seem to make different noises this time of year – maybe they’re getting ready for some green out there, too.

One of my neighbors up the road is having a new fence put in, and in order to do it right, the contractor had to cut and doze a bunch of trees, so the neighbor invited me to help myself to all the firewood I need. Guess that means getting my old carcass back in shape a bit so I can do some wood. This part of the Ozarks is blessed with abundant hardwood forests, which in turn is blessed with animals that eat acorns and hickory and walnuts. The place is crawling with deer, squirrels, and turkeys. There are a few black bears about too, but most of them are still asleep here in February. We have groundhogs, raccoons, possums, chipmunks, and bobcats. There are mountain lions about too, but not very many. I heard one scream – well it was between a scream and a growl, but it was definitely a cougar – I got a game cam picture of it that was taken around that same day I heard it.

We had an ice storm a week or so back, and when the ground gets covered with snow and ice, our wild birds have a rough time finding enough to eat, so during ice and snow, I try and keep bird seed out for them. Seeing the numbers of those little critters gathering to feed, I think they sort of expect to find it around the house here. There are several pairs of cardinals that hang around – maybe humans could learn something about being faithful from them because they mate for life. When you see one, there’s always a mate close by. And like other birds, they always lift my spirit with their songs. I think that’s why God gave them to us.

When I first moved here five years ago, there were birds everywhere. Lots more than we have now. Blue birds, indigo buntings, and goldfinches, and many others, always flitting about and singing – it was amazing. Well there is an old pond basin out back that never did hold much water, but it was boggy and overgrown with briars, willow trees, and wild rose so that it was impossible to walk through. I decided to clear it out and spent a full summer working to make it accessible – for people. Now you’d think in 65 years a person would have learned something about ecosystems and animal habitat, and sure enough, not long after the clearing project, I began to notice there were fewer goldfinches, and it didn’t take too long for me to realize I had inadvertently evicted my beloved little feathered friends. To make a long story short, my pond basin is recovering now and I have a healthy start of briars and willow saplings again. Maybe this year we’ll see more finches and buntings – I really hope so. The pond basin has now become our environmental habitat recovery project I call “The Fen”. A unique Ozark protected game sanctuary.

Well, spring is indeed right around the corner and I so look forward to the annual dogwood show. Last year it wasn’t very showy, but the year before it was absolutely spectacular – the best dogwood bloom I’ve ever been blessed to behold. I really don’t expect to ever see that again, but who knows? God isn’t shy about showing us what He can do, He proved it again last fall with the colors. Look through some of the pages on my site for fall pictures. The maples! Wow! There can be a hundred trees in fall colors in a stand, but if there’s one maple in there, it steals the show – every time. But the hickories and black gum also take on some really pretty colors. And last year even the normally drab oaks put on an unusually colorful show.

Springtime also ushers in some nasty weather around here, so we have to keep an eye out for those late cold fronts.

All the same, y’all enjoy the spring and I’ll try to keep posting while I’m here. Vaya con Dios.