Category Archives: All Posts

Green Up
These are time times we all yearn to be shed of winter — man and beast! My feeling on the subject is already known. But, consider these cattle on the pasture across the river. They too yearn for green. Look closely and you can see the beginnings of green grass. Very soon “green up” will arrive in these hills. Already you …
On the Coast of Wales
She finds scraps of wood on the beach.  At home she converts them into whimsical miniature paintings of scenes of her adopted home in Wales.  They are visually pleasing and seem to me to be coaxing our presence into the scene.  They harken to a way of life that contrasts with our own. I include them …
Stickney, Once a One-Room Store, Now Long Gone
It is still on some maps. It was gone before I was a boy (and I ain’t no youngster). A horse and wagon trip to Dixon would take all day and maybe then some. But lots of hill folks walked to Stickney. I am sure you could buy coal oil for your lamps. And the …
The Rock Point at Indian House Bluff
It is not far.  Just down an ancient path leading from the cottage.  Following the narrow, winding path through the trees, footsteps lead out onto a level rock point jutting over the Gasconade river valley. It has been an important location for centuries.  It is where many of my boyhood memories were inscribed.  Many years …
Dirt, Blooms, and Such
It is something primal.  In spring we surrender to the feel of common dirt, the sacredness growing things. So much happens when spring finally arrives.  At once the world blooms forth, demanding walks in the woods, inspection of tiny leaves and the pushing forth of life. I won’t say that we are accomplished gardeners at …
Clifty Creek Natural Area
Beautiful, wild Clifty Hollow has been a revered fixture in these parts since well before I was a boy.  I can tell stories!  Ask me some time…. It is near Rock Eddy Bluff.  In fact,  the hollow can easily be seen from either Rock Eddy Bluff or the cottage at Indian House Bluff.  In winter, the lack of foliage almost …