Ozark Hills & Hollows June • July

C E L E B R AT I N G H E R I TA G E , FA R M A N D H E A LT H Y L I V I N G I N T H E H E A R T O F A M E R I C A

Ozark

Hills Hollows JUNE • JULY 2015

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Beyond the Frosty Mug

Celebrating over 100 years of fizz, floats and root beer!

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Panhandle Troubadour

Spinning songs with a show-me state twist FREE MAGAZINE

32

Carving a Deeper Path Life’s long road leads to leather

June • July 2015 | 1

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EC O-F R I EN D LY C ERT I F I ED D EAL ER

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Hills&Hollows See Subaru Added Security Maintenance Plan for intervals, coverages, and limitations. Customer must take delivery before 12-31-2015 and reside within the promotional area.

OZARK

Providing Quality Service for Over 50 Years.

Your Locally-Owned Cooperative

®

Barry Electric Cooperative

North Business Highway 37 | Cassville, Missouri | 417-847-2131

June • July 2015 | 3

Quality furniture coupled with decor that will intrigue and inspire.

Well made furniture brings warmth to your home. The rich colors and natural, exposed wood grains bridge the gap between furniture and art.

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Quality Rustic Furn

Complimentary lighting, distinctive decor and finishing touches help you create the ambiance you’ve dreamed of.

Local craftsman, Matt Hudgins, along with his wife, Heather, invite you to visit their store in Cassville. You will find Matt’s creative style blended perfectly with his skilled attention to detail. Matt only uses the finest reclaimed and milled wood. Unique Cross Grains furniture is crafted using superior hardware and the most durable finishes for quality that will last for years to come.

Furniture, Lighting and Decor

www.mh-customwoodworks.com 805 Main Street Cassville, Missouri 417-847-7658June • July 2015 |

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Hills Hollows

CELEBRATING HERITAGE, FARM AND HEALTHY LIVING IN THE HEART OF AMERICA

Our hope is to provide a window into the lifestyle, passions and beauty of the people and activities that are going on all around the Ozark communities we live in.

Our publication is widely available for FREE throughout southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas.

Please enjoy our June • July issue -- and if you want to support us, please do so by advertising!

Our readers are your customers!

Please call 417-652-3083 or email ozarkhillsandhollows@gmail.com for advertising information.

Ozark

Hills Hollows Celebrating Heritage, Farm and Healthy Living in the Heart of America PUBLISHER Rob Lotufo ozarkhillsandhollows@gmail.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sherry Leverich ozarkhheditor@gmail.com DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Veronica Zucca ozarkhhart@gmail.com

WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTORS Katrina Hine Jerry Dean Kim Mobley Nahshon Bishop Amanda Reese Stan Fine Layne Sleeth Jennifer Conner PROOF EDITOR Barbara Warren ADVERTISING ozarkhillsandhollows@gmail.com 417-652-3083

FACEBOOK Ozark Hills and Hollows Magazine TWITTER @ozarkhillhollow INSTAGRAM ozarkhillsandhollowsmagazine ONLINE www.issuu.com/ozarkhillsandhollows

www.ozarkhillsandhollows.com

Ozark Hills and Hollows is published bi-monthly by Exeter Press. In the pages of Ozark Hills and Hollows magazine, we hope to capture the spirit of country living in our beautiful region. Please feel free to contact any of our staff with comments and questions, and pass along any story subjects or ideas to our editor at ozarkhheditor@gmail.com. Exeter Press, P.O. Box 214, Exeter, MO 65647 6 |

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Inside:

JUNE • JULY 2015

FEATURES: 22

Panhandle Troubadour Spinning songs with a Show-Me State twist

26

Buying Your Groceries Why you and local farmers benefit from keeping it local

32

Carving a Deeper Path Life’s long road leads to leather

45

Rolling and Strolling Crystal Bridges hiking and biking trails

PLUS: 16

Grampus and Smallies Subhead

20

Beyond the Frosty Mug Celebrating over 100 years of fizz, floats and fun!

31

H2O: 101 Happy and hydrated animals

42

Among the Wildflowers Cardinal Flower

43

Benefits of a Backyard Pond Relax with a water garden

48

That Enduring Pioneer Spirit A journey to the Ozark frontier

IN EVERY ISSUE: 10

From the Ground Up This is haying season

12

A Horsewoman’s Journey First they’ve got to lead

14

Gear & Gadgets Mountain biking essentials

18

4 Lures For the Ozark fisherman

COVER: There is nothing like the serenity of a Ozark summer landscape. No one can deny the beauty we behold with every evening sunset. Jerry Dean photographed this rustic barn scene during one of those summer evenings near Purdy, Missouri.

19

Talk To Me Plain Once upon a time with a snake

36

Good For You Bucket full of goodness

38

Backroads & Byways Angie Paxton wasn’t anybody’s fool

40

Repurposing Revolution Rock-solid ways to recycle June • July 2015 | 7

About Our Contributors: Amanda Reese has spent most of her life training and teaching with horses.

She has also studied journalism and is currently working on two books centered around her love of horses and God. When she is not riding or writing, Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters on their farm.

Jennifer Conner is a mother, farmer, writer and outdoor enthusiast. She has a degree in conservation and wildlife management and is passionate about sharing her knowledge of the natural world. Jennifer loves embarking on outdoor adventures with her husband Mark and 2-year-old daughter, Aarilyn.

Katrina Hine is originally a flat-lander from Kansas who has come to love the charm of the Ozarks. After high school she worked on two different ranches in Colorado, and then came back to Kansas to work on a commercial dairy. She married a Kansas farmboy who was in the Air Force and moved to New Mexico.

Upon returning back to Kansas she completed her degree in Gerontology and worked for many years coordinating and advocating for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Now in Missouri, she and her husband, Randall, have two daughters and one son – who currently serves in the USAF. They have five grandchildren and expect number six in June.

Sherry Leverich is a native Ozarkian.

Born in northwest Arkansas and raised in southwest Missouri, Sherry grew up on a dairy farm where she developed a love for agriculture and all things outdoors. She writes, farms and gardens on a small homestead with her husband and three sons, and raises produce for a local farmers market with her mom.

Veronica Zucca has been an Ozarks resident for 10 years, moving from the sandy city of Virginia Beach, Va. She and her husband raise their two children in a quiet hollow in Southwest Missouri.

When she’s not working as a freelance graphic designer, she enjoys time with her family -- taking in everything the beautiful Ozarks has to offer.

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Nahshon Bishop grew up in southwest Missouri around small family farms. Since the age of nine he has been working for Bishop’s Lawn Care and Landscaping, overseeing both residential and commercial landscape designs and implementation around the southwest Missouri region.

In 2011 Shon graduated from College of the Ozarks with a degree in Horticultural. Mr. Bishop has been working for Lincoln University Cooperative Extension in the Southwest Region of Missouri since 2011 under the 2501 Initiative (Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers). Currently, he is the Small Farm Specialist for the Innovative Small Farmers Outreach Program (ISFOP) which serves Barry, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Jasper, and Greene counties. Shon also owns and operates Bishop Gardens L.L.C with his wife Heather, which sells early season tomatoes and strawberries, as well as cut flowers to the public.

Jerry Dean grew up on a 160-acre farm in the Ozarks near Mt. Vernon.

He studied Agriculture and Wildlife Conservation specializing in fisheries at the University of Missouri. He retired as Hatchery Manager at Roaring River near Cassville in 2010. Since then, photography has become a passion. He loves to photograph natural scenes and his three grandkids who he adores.

Jesse Woodrow lives on a small farm in southwest Missouri, where he enjoys building things, gardening and spending time outdoors. He chronicles his miniadventures in hunting, fishing and self-sufficient living through writing and photography. He loves to cook, eat and visit with friends. His current passions include establishing a Boer goat herd, training a couple of nutty Beagle pups and renovating a forty acre cattle ranch and home.

Kim McCully-Mobley is a local educator, writer, self-described gypsy and storyteller with a home-based project dubbed The Ozarkian Spirit.

The essence of this project is anchored in keeping the stories, legends, lore and history of the Ozarks region alive for the generations to come. She makes her home in Barry County on the Mobley Chicken Ranch with her husband, Al. She is always looking for that next adventure on the backroads and byways.

The Enkindled Spring D. H. Lawrence 1885 – 1930 This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green, Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes, Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.

I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration, Faces of people streaming across my gaze.

And I, what fountain of fire am I among This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed About like a shadow buffeted in the throng Of flames, a shadow that’s gone astray, and is lost.

A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

T

he late spring rains have come. Rumblings of storms have woken us up a time or two. The late night coyote chorus has been accompanied by spring peepers, bullfrogs and whipporwills.

The asparagus bed has about peaked, so have the hoop house strawberries.

Tomatoes are setting on in there, the neighbors are bragging about the size of their potato plants. We are barely through with the cold nights of spring, and already the chicks are growing fast, and our ducklings are anxious to start swimming in the pond. Our cows can hardly keep the pasture in check, the grass is waist high. We’ve been blessed with plenty of rain, a mild winter and a gentle spring.

We feel blessed with the wonderful response we have gotten for our Ozark Hills and Hollows magazine. We hope to see it grow and blossom into something we can continue to be very proud of. We welcome any comments, feedback or suggestions from you, our readers. We hope we can inspire you to step outside, plant something, go fishing, hear some live local music, go hiking, biking, or just soak up some sunshine after a long winter. May your gardens grow and be bountiful, your memories be plentiful, and most of all, may you enjoy your time in the beautiful Ozarks we call home.

Robert Lotufo Publisher, Exeter Press

If you’re in Barry County, I’m for you.

Chad Yarnall (417) 847-3399

June • July 2015 | 9

groundUP From the

A GARDEN COLUMN BY SHERRY LEVERICH

This is haying season.

It’s the time of year when the hay fields are full of grasses and clovers at the right stage of maturity to make perfect, cured hay. This forage will nourish and fill the bellies of cattle all winter long. Hay making has streamlined to large round hay bales picked up and loaded by large tractors onto big, heavy-duty trailers. Now, all but a small percentage of hay is put into large bales.

Some farmers still make square bales out of alfalfa, clovers, orchard grass and straw for small livestock farmers. I remember a time not too long ago of nothing but square bales.

When I was young, summertime on our family operated dairy farm was dominated by hay season and gardening.

Hay always took priority over everything else until it was completed. Having the hay necessary to get the cattle through the winter was very important. It is definitely easier now to procure hay from a variety of sources, or even have a crew come to your farm to cut, rake and bale your own pasture. This just wasn’t done in those days, at least not economically. My dad was completely self-sufficient and I could never imagine him buying hay.

Making good hay is an art, just like most farm tasks. I knew it was a good crop of hay if the fescue was thick and high and bits of hop, red and ladino clover were interspersed throughout. It’s ready to cut when the fescue is almost mature, but hasn’t bloomed, and the clover hasn’t bloomed too much, because the bloomed heads will just shatter and not stay with the hay. It’s nice to get it cut at the perfect time; but with farming comes many unpredictable factors such as equipment breakdowns and weather. Before hay cutting would start, Dad would get the equipment out and start prepping it. All the sickles on the mower were sharpened and everything got greased before every use. I don’t know all that he did, but I knew it was important in the process of getting it done right.

After the hay is cut, it is cured for a couple of days, depending on the weather.

Cured hay smells so good – it has a sweet, green smell and is achieved by simply letting the cut hay dry and age. This is a very important process to be done before 10 |

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baling. If the hay is not cured and has too much moisture in it when baled, it can mold or even cause combustion (after being tightly stacked in the barn). The rows of cured hay are then raked into windrows that are forked into the baler to compact into a bale. My dad (and others from that “Grapes of Wrath” generation) was a special breed of man that had the patience and knowledge to figure out and make any machine do its intention.

I remember him having to tweak the hay baler every year, and often throughout the season. Especially to make the bales tight and keep the knotting mechanism working correctly for the baling twine that ties around the bale to keep it together.

I remember long, hot afternoons of sitting in the cab of the pickup truck going down and around the rows of square bales when I was little. When I was a bit bigger I would roll the bales closer to the pickup so that they would be easier for my brothers to pick up and put in the truck. My brothers worked hard to “buck” and stack the bales in the pickup. I don’t know how my mom and dad were able to do all that when my brothers and I were very young, but they did. I was fortunate to be the baby sister with two strong big brothers; so not as much was expected from me, but I did what I could to help until I was big enough to actually pick up and move a bale, or to be the truck driver.

The hay field can be a hot, dusty place on those sunny June days. Mom always had good refreshments, though. She would have ice water for us to drink after every load,

and I remember cans of cold soda pop that never tasted so good. Ice cream sandwiches and twin pops really hit the spot! The days are long in the hay field, only interrupted by chores and milking-time.

I know it must have been a great feeling of completion for my parents when the big hay barn was finally full of hay. I can remember hot still evenings, glits of fireflies and buzzing critters and bringing in the last load of hay. In my mind I can still see my dad and oldest brother hanging onto the outside ladder of the hay barn waiting for those last bales to climb up the elevator so they could cram them into the peak of the barn.

As we grew up we started seeing round bales emerge. By the time my brothers were out of school my dad found a smaller round baler that he liked. It was good timing and he and mom were able to adapt the way they did hay and store the round bales in the barns. It also made winter feeding easier, as the bales could be spiked with the tractor and sat into a hay ring or rolled out.

Sometimes it is hard to see things change because of technology. But, adaptation is good when it saves time and labor, and is also economical without negative side effects. Balking at change, just for the sake of tradition is never productive. At the same time, plunging into great technological changes without considering all the effects would be foolish.

It is hard to navigate all these ideas, to make sure that emotions are not stifling you, yet making sure that handy skills are carried over into new horizons.

Those hay season memories will last all my lifetime. When I see a pasture full of square bales, I wonder to myself if they will find anyone to haul it in that knows how to stack it in the barn as well as my dad and brothers could. Maybe that is just one of those skills that someday no one will even know existed.

Chicken and Chile Burgers

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BY FORESTER FARMER’S MARKET

Forester Farmer’s Market® is butcher-shop quality chicken – a healthy, wholesome chicken that is rare in today’s marketplace.

Our nutritious, hometown quality will take you back to a time when chicken was chicken.

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NO ADDED HORMONES OR STEROIDS CAGE-FREE

1 Yellow Onion Peeled & quartered 4 Forester Farmer’s Market chicken breast 2 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and halved 2 fresh hot red chilies, seeded 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper 1 Tbsp. all purpose flour 1 large egg

PREPARATION:10 MINUTES, PLUS 30 MINUTES CHILLING SERVES: 4 NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION, PER SERVING: 299 calories; 10 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 5 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugars; 46 g protein

Put the onion, chicken, garlic, chilies and cilantro in the food processor and season with sea salt and pepper. Pulse until combined. (Do not over mix, you do not want a paste.) Pour mixture in to a bowl, stir in the flour and egg. Using your hands, roll 1/4 mixture in to a ball, flatten in to a burger. Repeat until all the mix is rolled out and formed. Chill burgers for 30 minuntes, or until firm. Grill burgers for 8-10 minutes over medium heat and cooked through. Internal temp must be 170°.

Serve on bun and garnish with your favorite toppings.

Find more great recipes at www.foresterfarmersmarket.com

My goal is to provide your family the same quality chic ken that Ma cooked for Dad. Trea t your family to chicken that’s chic ken.

Dr. Ed Fryar, Foun der

foresterfarmersmarket.com June • July 2015 | 11

A Horsewoman’s Journey “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” Romans 8:14

First They’ve Got to Lead

WALK BESIDE ME In the beginning stages of leading, I allow horses to follow behind me. But as the training progresses, I teach each horse to lead beside me, not in front of me, not behind me, not walking on top of me, not running away from me – but beside me.

Where I lead, the horse should go. If I stop, I want the horse to stop. If I back up, I want the horse to back up. If I speed up, I want the horse to speed up. If I turn, I want the horse to turn with me. I guide the horse.

BY AMANDA REESE

I

enjoy leading a horse when it eagerly follows and eventually leads beside me with a light feel. However when horses resist, pulls back or drags along slowly – leading becomes drudgework.

Last issue’s article highlighted working a horse in the round pen. The final result was a horse willingly approaching the handler and then following without a lead. By choosing to come to the handler and follow, the horse communicates, “I want to be with you, and I want to follow you.” This is a great precursor for preparing a horse to lead lightly with a halter and lead line.

Teaching a horse to lead well is practical and necessary. It’s much easier to lead a horse where it needs to go, verses trying to pick the horse up and carry it.

Physically, I am not strong enough to carry a horse. Yet to care for, train and haul a horse to events, each horse must lead easily to important points such as the arena, the barn and into the horse trailer.

THE WEANLING Often, I begin teaching weanlings to lead in a stall or small pen. Using a halter and lead rope, or a soft rope with a loop around the weanling’s neck, I step to either side of the young horse. I put light pressure on the lead rope and ask the weanling to take a step. As soon as the horse gives to pressure and makes the slightest move toward me, I quickly release the pressure. A quick release is imperative, in order to teach leading quickly and efficiently. Poor timing on the handler’s part can confuse the horse and slow the training process.

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round pen basics are taught and the horse chooses to come to me and follow, teaching leading becomes much easier. With a halter and lead rope on the horse, I begin leading in circles and then move into straight lines.

If the horse resists following me, I put slight pressure on the lead rope. When the horse responds by moving toward me, I release the pressure immediately.

Once the weanling easily leads to the side, I’ll begin adding steps until I am eventually leading the young horse in a circle. After good circles with slack in the lead line are established, I work on straight lines. Although a horse can be taught to walk in a straight line first, I have experienced tug-a-war matches with young horses when beginning the first lesson in leading from directly in front of the horse.

THE YEARLING AND UP When teaching an older horse to lead, most often I begin in the round pen. After

PERSONAL APPLICATION The training and lessons involved in teaching a horse to lead well, remind me of deeper spiritual lessons. We are called to come to Jesus Christ and follow Him. Mankind is lost and in a sin state. Only through coming to Jesus Christ can we find forgiveness and redemption. Then through following Him, we are led into a life of fellowship, provision, teaching and purpose.

When a horse willingly allows me to guide it, the horse is displaying trust in me. At one point in my life, I trusted myself more than God. Later, I learned how imperfect I am, and how perfect God is. God is completely trustworthy. He leads His people to the places they need to go in this life and prepares them for eternity with Him in the next.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”

With every horse I train, I plan to build a relationship, care for it, teach it right ways and help it to achieve its personal best through obedience to me.

Similarly, but on a much greater scale, God wants to bless you, care for you, teach you and lead you into the great plans He has prepared for your life. Will you come to Him? Will you be led by Him?

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June • July 2015 | 13

877-847-2137 • Junction Hwy 37 & 76 • Cassville, MO

GEAR&GADGETS

: g n i k i B n i a t n GRAVEL ROAD ESSENTIALS MDIRTouAND

BY JESSE WOODROW

GEAR

Every rider should put together a “must-have list.”

Although opinions vary, here is some gear you probably shouldn’t leave home without. It also might be a great start to a gift list for the biker who doesn’t have everything, yet.

FIRST AID KIT Keeping a bike-specific first-aid kit in a waterproof package, enables you to be at least somewhat prepared for the unexpected.

Bandages, gauze, disinfecting wipes, and tweezers are all items to include in your kit. Keeping a stick of lip balm (preferably with an SPF rating) in your pack is a good idea when riding in dry environments. Long days of summer mean long rides, but also mean more exposure. Pack a small bottle of sunscreen (SPF 30 or greater) and reapply when needed.

TIRE PUMP A mini-pump is light and small enough to fit in your pack. I would recommend buying one that has the pressure gauge built in so that you can be absolutely sure that your tire is inflated correctly. Blackburn Airstik 2 Stage Pump is very small and lightweight, but still powerful enough that it won’t tire you out just pumping up your tube.

HEADLIGHT If there’s a chance you won’t make it home before nightfall, a small light, just bright enough to illuminate your path, will lead you safely home. A headlamp or handlebar light is good to throw in the pack. If money is no object, the best of the best is NiteRider Pro 3600 at $699. Off-road and blacktop riders alike will appreciate its small size and weight, which come at no sacrifice to durability and performance. Ideal for MTB and road-riders or helmet mounting.

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SPARE TUBES OR A PATCH KIT Even if you’ve gone tubeless, I always have at least one tube and patch kit in my pack on a long ride. It’s a little quicker and easier to replace a tube than patching a tube on the trail. If the popped tube is worth salvaging, I’ll patch it up later when I get home from the ride.

Carrying two spare tubes is a must for long mountain bike rides. Patch kits take up very little room in your pack and are a necessity when you’ve used your last tube. Glueless patches are much faster to apply but don’t have the longevity of patches that use a vulcanizing agent.

TOOL KIT You can assemble your own, or pick up a pre-assembled kit. It should include Allen wrenches and a chain tool...and speaking of chains – a few links of chain and a quick-link should be in your bag. Changing out a flat is much easier with the aid of some good tire levers. Never leave home without a good bike-specific multi-tool. It should have a T25 Torx, flathead and Philips screwdrivers, and at least 2.5 3,4,5,6 and 8 mm Allen keys, and the most common spoke tool sizes. One that also has a built in pair of pliers and wire cutters is even better.

2 SUPER CHEAP GEAR HACKS ZIP-TIES Comes in handy in a number of ways. They can be used to wrangle errant cables, replace a broken or missing chain ring bolt (just long enough to limp home), and keep your shoe tight if a buckle breaks. Zip-ties are at the top of the list when it comes to bike gear hacks – they are small, lightweight, and can be used to fix all kinds of things like busted derailleur hangers, flapping fenders, and broken shoelaces well enough to get you down from the mountain.

DUCT TAPE If a zip-tie can’t fix it, duct tape probably can, from sticking things onto your bike, to bracing or splinting injured body parts like wrists or ankles.

There’s no need to weigh down your pack with a huge 60-yard roll, just wind 10-15 feet around a golf pencil or small stick and throw it in with the rest of your gear.

CLOTHING

I could write a whole article about helmet selection, so I’ll save that for another time. The same goes for cycling gloves, don’t leave home without them.

EXTRA LAYER OR JACKET There is nothing as unpredictable as the weather – a long-sleeve jersey or a light cycling jacket with a bit of weather defense is a good choice.

Depending on where you ride, you may opt for more or less wind or water protection.

SOCKS Wet socks can ruin your trip. Carry an extra pair just in case.

GLASSES Even if it’s not a sunny day, glasses with clear or light-colored lenses are essential protection, coming in handy when you roll through a cloud of gnats or are banging through an overgrown trail. Non-slip nosepads and grippy temples on sunglasses are very helpful so you can worry about the path instead of your glasses bouncing off.

NUTRITION

Bringing your gear up to speed is important.

But if your body runs out of fuel on the trail and bumps, you’re in real trouble. Remember to always keep hydrated, and pack enough carbs to keep your energy level at it’s peak.

HYDRATION PACK There are several companies on the market that offer hydration packs. The most common is probably CamelBak. Most packs these days range around 70 to 100 ounce with the 100 ounce models being most popular because of their versatility. If you already have a regular pack and aren’t looking to get a new one, you can purchase a hydration bladder separately.

DRINK MIXES To go all day, it’s good to have more than just water. An extra water bottle with some go-go juice in it will keep you replenished and less fatigued until the end of the trail (at least 6 ounces for every 2 hours).

FOOD Aside from packing a sandwich for lunch,energy and granola bars are good to throw in the pack. Protein bars and energy gels will also keep you pedaling.

June • July 2015 | 15

Grampus and Smallies I

BY JESSE WOODROW

crossed the ridge at about 7:30 a.m., heading down into the river valley dotted with limestone outcroppings and squatty cedar trees. I’d been on the road over three hours already, and I hoped they had not left without me. I had a fishing day planned with an old friend, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Larry and his wife Geraldine had agreed to take me smallmouth fishing down on the shoals, and the water was looking good. Cold, clear and not too high, that is. I had never been to Larrys “camping spot” as he called it, but I had heard the tales.

Limits of fish, huge bass and brim, and relentless light tackle action were almost guaranteed. I weaved through the pig trail of a country road, counting country churches as I went, following Larry’s directions, since there were no road names, and no cell reception in this little piece of land between the mountains.

Then I crossed the last bridge, and I saw it, a little strip of grassy land on the river, with a couple of campers parked, and a man riding on a mini-tractor working a belly mower. A pang of fear rushed through me – no men, no women, no cook fire, no cars.

Where had they gone? Had they left without me?

“They left without you!” shouted Shorty, or Possun, depending on your relation. “Serious?” I shouted back. As I walked towards the tractor, Shorty killed the motor. “How long are they gone?” I asked. “About a half a hour” said Shorty.

“Dang! They was supposed to wait on me,” I said, remorsefully.

“Reckon Larry couldn’t wait,” he responded, “All five of them.”

That’d be Larry and Geraldine, his brother Caroll, his wife Mary(pronounced “Murry”) and Ennis. Caroll was a traveling preacher, and had some great stories. He had nine brothers and two sisters, which turned out to be good for the two kidney donations he has needed in the past three years. The first one didn’t take, but the second one seemed to be settling in pretty good.

“Can you carry me down river, so I can catch up with them?”

I asked. “I can drive you down a piece, but there’s no put ins after that, till you get to the Wire Bridge, and that’s where they’ll take out tonight.” It was an 8 to 10 hour day of fishing, and I didn’t want to miss out, especially since I’d come this far already.

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I rounded up my gear, and hopped in the front seat of Shorty’s pickup. I wedged in, amongst the gas cans, newspapers, spit cups, cigarette packs and Hardees bags. This was an experiment in simultaneous combustion ready to happen. Shorty took me probably 500 yards down the road, to an old farm house with a beautiful green lawn and no fence. “Last put-in, be careful, he don’t like people coming across his property,” he warned. I could see the rambling river, just 75 yards or so below me, there was the lawn, then a steep rocky bank that looked like a snake haven if I’d ever seen one. I thanked Possun for his help, then took off across the lawn, then slid and stumbled down the bank, then into the chilly river.

Now I have waded in just about every kind of gear, from chest high Neoprenes to cut off jeans, but I try to try to blend with the locals. In this case I had on lace-up Cordura boots, jeans and a T-shirt. Waist high in that moving water, it was brisk. I had a five-and-a-half-foot light spinning rig, with 6-pound test. I had a tin band aid box in my pocket with a couple of rooster tails, a 1/8-ounce gold panther martin, and 4 critter spins. The critter spin mini-frog in speckled honey color was my secret weapon for redeye bass back home on the creek. I liked to toss it right up against the rock bank and let it tumble to the bottom, sure enough, pretty often a redeye would dart out from crevice, and whack it.

I didn’t have a clue where my fishing buddies were, except that they were down river. I had left my cell phone in the car, since I’d be wet wading all day, so you might say I was running on faith that we’d catch up before too awful long. I hadn’t seen any snakes yet, which was nice. Maybe because the water was so dang cold!

After about an hour and a half, no fish caught, and some questioning of my own judgment, I heard rapids downstream. I got excited – I was not sure why. Then I smelled Pall Malls, that was a good sign (Pall Malls are the cheap smokes that still had some dignity amongst good people like Larry and Geraldine).

Sure enough, I rounded the bend and there they were. Mary and Geraldine were sitting on lawn chairs in a jon boat that was tethered to a tree. Larry, Caroll and Ennis were working a seine net in the riffle just downstream. The way this setup works is, two men hold the poles of the seine, spanning the main wash of

the current. This can be a pretty stout task, depending on the water flow. When the net billows out in the current, there’s a lot of drag on it. Then the most energetic of the three does the rock lifting.

Upstream of the net holders, this man (Larry in this case) lifts a big flat rock, and scrubs it in the rushing water, sending any critters like scuds, nymphs, minnows, leaches, crawdads and grampus downstream to be caught in the seine net. Then he shuffles his feet to dislodge any bottom clingers.

These guys are all about the grampus. If the crawdad is the mainstay of the small mouth bass’s diet (some say two-thirds or more) – I’d say like a chicken nugget – the grampus must be the lobster tail on the menu.

A grampus, or hellgrammite is the nymph stage of the Dobson fly. It’s ugly, prehistoric looking, and it has pincers that hurt when they bite your finger.

But it has a tough hide, stays on the hook, and will last through several fish catchings.

Larry showed me how to fish these little monsters, hooked through the tail on a #4 gold Aberdeen hook, with or without a one-thirty-second ounce split-shot weight. No float, no indicator, 6-pound test. Just pick a likely lie, a felled tree, eddy or rocky bluff, lob your bait out to it and let it sink. If there is a smallie within 20 yards, he will charge it. Set your hook lightly, but firmly, and hang on, keeping constant pressure. Keeping your angry bronzeback from getting snagged in submerged brush, trees or rocks is a major concern.

I never did ask them why they left without me, grampus fever, I reckon. We fished, and dragged that jon boat with the girls and the coolers over shallow water shoals and though rapids. And we fished some more, and the girls made us baloney and sliced tomato sandwiches, and got us cold Coca-Colas. Larry caught five times as many fish as I did, or any of the rest of us for that matter. I think he must have hoarded all the best grampus.

We reached the bridge at dusk, and there was my new friend, Shorty, with his truck and a friend, to take us back to Larry’s. It was a great day of fishing and fellowship. Looking back, I’m sure glad I found them. It would have sure been a long day, and a longer walk home.

June • July 2015 | 17

4 LURES for the Ozark Fisherman

PUMPKINSEED GITZIT Lures that represent crawfish are always a high-percentage bait choice. Tube jigs, Gitzits, Hair jigs, Jig ‘n pigs, Jig ‘n grubs, in a variety of colors can be successful. For my money, a Pumpkinseed Gitzit, curly or twin tail grub with a 1/8 ounce leadhead jig is a great all around choice.

BY JESSE WOODROW

T

he rivers and river-fed Lakes of the Ozarks are prime habitat for smallmouth bass. They prefer clear cool water with plenty of rocky cover. In their favored environments, two-thirds or more of their diet can come from crawfish. minnows, tadpoles, frogs and insects can also be included in a smallie’s daily menu. Late spring and early summer months are prime fishing season for these spunky Bronzebacks.

BUZZBAIT Just for fun sometime, tie on a Buzzbait. I cant explain it – call it a crazy frog on steroids, a distressed baby bird that can’t take off, or a hopped-up shad in a hurry. On a good day, it just makes the bass mad, and all they can do is bust it. Hooking up can be a trick, and I’ve jerked one out of many a smallie’s mouth, but they can draw explosive strikes, and sometimes that’s worth the price of admission in itself. Here’s a mean looking Buzzer, toss it out over big water, start that blade spinning real slow, and hang on!

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SAMMY 85 Dying or wounded minnows are a great attractor bait.

“Walking the Dog” with a slinky minnow imitation like this “Sammy 85” is a good presentation for aggressive smallies on the prowl. I’m partial to the Tennessee Shad color, but I might just be missing my old stomping grounds.

SUPERFLUKE JR. A soft version of that quarry might be in order for more finicky hunters. Zoom makes some exceptional soft plastic baits, this Superfluke Jr. is one of their very best. I like “Smokin’ Shad” color, it even sounds cool.

For Ozark smallmouth excitement, head out on the next pretty day, find yourself some clear water with a rocky shoreline, break out your tackle box, and have some fun!

Talk To Me Plain

BY LARRY ROTTMANN

R

Once Upon a Time with a Snake

ecently, on a warm and early Spring day, I went to Stockton Lake to try and catch a few smallmouth bass (for my money, poundfor-pound the most wily and hardestfighting freshwater fish in North America).

I was going angling out of my small jon boat up the Sac River arm of the lake, easing along the shoreline with my trolling motor, and casting small, homemade plastic grubs around a number of old trees standing in the water.

As I brushed past one small leaning tree, I spotted a very large black snake apparently sunning itself just above the waterline. While I don’t necessarily love them, snakes (unlike brown recluse spiders! But that’s a whole other story...) don’t really bother me, so I passed it by, but nothing more than an interested glance, and was just glad that my stepdaughter – who’s deathly afraid of snakes – wasn’t there to see it so close by.

Anyway, after passing by the tree, I glanced back to see that the snake had left his perch, swam up to the outboard motor, and was climbing into the back of the boat. I found this interesting, for unlike cottonmouth water moccasins who will often rush a boat and even strike at it, the black snake was moving very slowly and carefully, as if deliberately trying not to alarm me. It then curled up it’s 5-foot length on the back seat, and proceeded to calmly eyeball me, as if it had something on it’s mind. Unlike its poisonous viper cousins, the snake didn’t have that typical squinty-eyed look often associated with his kind, and so I surmised that he wanted to have a conversation.

That was fine with me, for as a confirmed bachelor since 2007, I am quite used to often speaking with myself, so the opportunity to converse with a snake didn’t seem all that unusual, and in fact, it felt quite welcome. And since this particular snake appeared to have a personality of its own, I felt the need to give it a name, so I called it “Plissken” (fans of Kurt Russell movie, “Escape to New York” will understand this).

“Hello, Plissken,” I offered, and he seemed to return the greeting with a nod. “How’s your day going?” I asked, and if he’d had shoulders, he was shrugging them with a gesture of okay. I sensed that he wasn’t going to be a great conversationalist, but really just wanted my company for a while, more than some kind of existential discussion. So, speaking from the front seat of the boat, I ruminated a bit about the weather, the state of the Stock Market, “Dancing With the Stars”, Hillary Clinton’s e-mail flap, and Taylor Swift’s latest breakup.

Plissken appeared to listen impatiently, his head jerking from side-to-side, as if he was disappointed by the insignificance of my remarks. But what does a snake really want to hear? Trying to lighten the mood, I tried to improvise a joke: “A Catholic Priest, a Jewish Rabbi, and a Black Snake go into a bar...”, but that didn’t seem to go down very well. And, neither did Aesop’s classic fable about the rescued snake which showed its ingratitude by biting its human rescuer (no wonder, since it’s the original source of the pejorative phrase, “snake in the grass”). This solicited a definite snake frown from Plissken.

About The Writer: Guest Contributor Larry Rottmann is a Missouri native, a Vietnam Veteran, a semi-retired professor of English and Journalism, a loving father and grandfather, and a totally dedicated fisherman.

Clearly, none of these offerings pleased Plissken, so almost out of desperation, I resorted – as old English teachers often do – to poetry (as befitting this season of early Spring), and recited Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Final Chorus from Hellas: “The world’s great age begins anew, the golden years return, and the earth doth like a snake renew her winter weeds outworn.” And this did the trick, for if snakes can smile, Plissken certainly did, and with a final bow in my direction, he slipped gently back into the water, to resume doing whatever snakes do after conversing with a goofy old fisherman.

The interesting snake encounter has so dominated my memory of that day that I cannot remember if I caught any fish at all. But, who cares? That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

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June • July 2015 | 19

Beyond THE

Frosty Mug CELEBRATING OVER 100 YEARS OF FIZZ, FLOATS AND FUN!

BY SHERRY LEVERICH

S

ince Root Beer became mainstream at soda fountains during the mid-1800s, it has had a strong following. Root beer lovers are not like other soft-drink devotees. They desire that distinct flavor and sweetness that only comes from the combination of flavors that meld to make this popular country classic. Root beer is unique in that, though it is manufactured by many different bottlers, with very different recipes, it still always taste like root beer, and is always called root beer.

Have you ever dissected the flavors in a root beer. You might be surprised at the variances of flavors that create all of the over 400 root beers manufactured. The next time you take a swig of your ice-cold root beer out of your frosty mug, see if you can recognize hints of the extracts and flavors that are combined for it’s special taste.

Originally the root beer flavor was predominately created by sassafras.

In 1960, safrole, which is in sassafras, was found to be a carcinogen. Root beer makers now use a sassafras flavoring, or a distilled version of sassafras extract that has the safrole removed. Every recipe is different, but can include nuances of these flavors: vanilla, caramel, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, wintergreen, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves.

Is that more than you care to know? Maybe so – the most important thing is to make sure it’s ice cold and ready to drink on a hot Ozark summer day. So, whatever you prefer, be it A&W, IBC, Shasta, Mug – or any of the other locally available brands – cheers to you!

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Hills&Hollows Hills&Hollows

Good, Old Fashioned, Root Beer Float Take a large glass and drop in 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Carefully fill with your favorite root beer. Wait for the fizz to go down a bit and add more root beer. Stick a straw in the glass and you are ready to enjoy a refreshing float.

SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer 1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce 8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce.

Serve over hamburger buns.

Root Beer Float Ice Cream 4 cups cold root beer 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup whole milk Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

Pour into a 2-quart ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place in freezer until completely firm, 2-4 hours.

ROOT BEER BBQ SAUCE 1 cup root beer 1 cup ketchup 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup orange juice 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon mild-flavored (light) molasses 1 teaspoon liquid smoke 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Cool slightly.

Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made 2 weeks ahead; keep refrigerated.

June • July 2015 | 21

Panhandle Troubadour

SPINNING SONGS OF TRAINS, DAMES AND TEXAS-SIZED TALES WITH A SHOW ME STATE TWIST STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB LOTUFO

It’s a Thursday night at The Black Horse Pub in Hollister, Missouri.

I’m nursing a Guiness Stout, waiting for the music to begin. There is a local crowd, mostly loyal fans of the band. This is the first of a two-night engagement, marking the last performance (for a while) of Jason Sain and the Foolhearted in the Branson area. I had never met Jason before, but I had the privilege of sitting at a table with some of his very close friends, and a special VIP, his mother. A rousing applause greeted the band, then long, tall Jason entered in full country gentleman regalia, from his cowboy hat to his boots. He played an engaging mix of original material, and crowd pleasing honky-tonk standards. I found myself wondering, “Where does a veteran musician like this come from, and where does this path lead him?”

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Jason Sain was born in Canyon, Texas, in the shadow of the Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in North America. The scene of an epic Indian battle, where Quahada Comanche, Southern Cheyenne, Arapaho and Kiowa warriors suffered a complete route under attack from the U.S. Cavalry. Jason’s lineage hails back to a direct connection with Quanah Parker, “last of the Comanche Chiefs.”

His family moved from there to Wellington, Texas, where his father was a music minister in nearby Quail. Echos of gospel and Texas country music drifted through his childhood, and his love of music grew as the years went went by.

Soon his fondness for music turned into a dream of performing. A family of musicians supported him, and his endeavors. As he became a young man, as with many young men, his inclination drifted more towards rock and roll, and less towards Texas swing and gospel. “To tell you the truth, he wanted to be Pearl Jam,” his mother told me in a candid moment.

Late in high school, he and some friends started to piece together a band that would become “So Far Gone,” a rock and rap/rock band in the vein of Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach – who they had the opportunity to open for. He got a scholarship to attend College of the Ozarks, and enrolled as a Religion and Philosophy major in 1995. Although his college stint lasted just a year, he and the band developed a fondness for southwest Missouri, and the Branson-Springfield music scene. The band recorded and performed for 11 years, until finally hanging up their rock star dreams in 2005.

That year also marked the end of a short marriage for Jason, and inspired him to do some soul searching of his own. Sain moved to a small farm in Jane, Missouri, where he could get away from it all, delving deeper into his inner musician.

Friends and players started dropping by, and he found himself getting back into the instrumental side of music, picking back up on his guitar skills. He now plays guitar, mandolin, Dobro and piano. His latest challenge is working the slide-guitar into his repertoire.

That evening at the Black Horse, Jason played with band members – Sam Clanton on mandolin, Seth Darby on bass and guitar, Todd Plympton on banjo (and bass), and Kris Snow on the resonator (or Dobro).

The next few years found him drifting back to his roots, fronting a Texas twinged honky-tonk act that would become Jason Sain and the Foolhearted. The boys eventually got tired of making the trip from Jane to Branson several nights a week, so they picked up and moved there. Jason left his long standing day job at Sunglass Hut in Rogers, and got a gig managing a Coach leather shop in Branson.

Musical engagements were plentiful, and Jason’s band played all over Branson, with regular appearances at The Outback Pub. An eclectic combination of original tunes and classics by the likes of Hank Williams Sr. and Merle Haggard proved very popular with the Branson crowds.

They recorded Trains, Dames and Texas Size Tales in 2011 to positive reviews.

When you get Jason talking about musical influences, you realize he is passionate about his roots. Bob Wills and Del McCoury are right at the top of his list. Just as Bob’s Texas Swing music has been in the background of Jason’s life since he was in the cradle, Del’s pure bluegrass June • July 2015 | 23

Join Jason and the band for a summer concert on August 1!

They will be performing at the Exhibition Hall at the Springfield Creamery Arts Center of the Springfield Performing Arts Center, located at Jordan Valley Park in downtown Springfield, Missouri. The Friday evening before, on July 31, Jason will be teaching a songwriting workshop at the Conservatory of the Ozarks music studio located off of Kansas Expressway. For more information, call 417-592-1756.

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sound seems to be an inspiration to his future. He has an appreciation for much of country music, but leans much more towards the classic country of Merle, Johnny, Willie, Waylon, Buck Owens, and away from the tight-jean and muscle shirt crowd of Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line. I think Jason and I both agree that the world definitely does not need another song that extolls the virtues of tailgate sittin’, moonshine sippin’ and honeys in cutoffs dancing barefoot in the dirt in front of a bonfire – or on the hood of a truck. As I call it, “The decline of country and western civilization.”

Which brings us to the present, and the future. Jason is veering away from the honky-tonk scene, and towards songwriting. He wants to study bluegrass music and songwriting in Music City – Nashville, Tennessee. For now, he is saying goodbye to Branson, and it’s music scene. After a stint teaching songwriting

at The Conservatory of the Ozarks in Springfield this summer, he is scheduled to start classes in Tennessee in the fall. He, of course, hopes to meet music-minded people and make professional connections in Nashville. It’s another step towards fulfilling his dream of living, learning and enjoying life through his music.

Back at the pub, the crowd thinned out as the evening got late. Just before I left, Jason played a request for me, “Mama Tried” by the mighty Merle Haggard.

That put a grin on my face, and I think I might have seen a tear in the corner of his mama’s eye. Now that’s what country music is all about. Who knows, he just may make it big as a Music City songwriter, or lead a country roots revival as a singer and musician. I’m sure he will always play from the heart, and that’s whats most important. The sky’s the limit, but we know he’ll always have a little fondness in his heart for Ozark country.

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June • July 2015 | 25

Buying Your Groceries Why you and local farmers benefit from keeping it local

BY NAHSHON BISHOP, BISHOP GARDEN’S LLC

Food.

Farmers markets are also a familyfriendly way for kids to get involved in growing, or picking out good, fresh food.

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Troughout human history food has been one of the most important social glues in any society. Something as simple as setting down to break bread together can soon lead individuals toward life-long relationships, strengthen family ties and mark life-changing experiences.

Before the modern industrial revolution, agricultural, or the lack thereof, greatly affected a sovereign nations prosperity and status. It is only fitting that, as a whole, America is once again starting to ask the question “where does my food come from?”.

Today the average supermarket carries over 47,000 products on it’s shelves. As for fresh produce, before we have the privilege of putting our hand on a ripe tomato, it has stopped an average of 12 different times across this nation and traveled over 1,600 miles.

Ultimately, the system of food production and distribution is unsustainable. Currently, every acre of commodity crop (over 30 million acres) is running at a deficit. Simply stated, there are currently more units of energy going into producing an acre of corn then we get out of it. The purpose of the article,

and articles to follow, is to examine how we are solving this problem as a society.

This process of improvement must begin with education – enter the local food movement. The state of Missouri is currently within the top 5 states for farmers’ market creation. We have a unique opportunity as Ozarkians to be intimately involved in the production, distribution and consumption of food.

Many leading experts in the field of agriculture are trying to answer the question, “How do we (Americans) produce enough food to feed every man woman and child on earth?”. I believe the answer to that question cannot be answered within the scope of this article.

However, a step in the right direction involves and should focus on regional food systems.

Currently, only two percent of the American population is actively involved in the production of food. According to the Missouri Department of Agricultural (MDA) the average farmer in the state of Missouri is 57 years old. Along the same lines, over 80 percent of individuals in Missouri who fall under the demographic of farmers, work an additional job off of

June •• July June July 2015 2015 || 27 27

the farm to bring home the amount of monies needed for these farm families to survive.

In short, we need to begin looking at farming as a desirable and respected profession once again. A simple way to do this, is to visit your local farmers’ market and purchase edible goods directly from the farmer. While most communities in southwest Missouri, and northwest Arkansas have farmers’ markets, here are a few that serve our communities: WEBB CITY FARMERS’ MARKET webbcityfarmersmarket.com Contact: Eileen Nichols, 417-483- 8139

FARMERS MARKET OF THE OZARKS loveyourfarmer.com Contact: Lane McConnell, 417-766- 8711

GREATER SPRINGFIELD FARMERS MARKET springfieldfarmersmarket.com Contact: Brad Gray, 417-708-1909

BENTONVILLE FARMERS MARKET downtownbentonville.org Contact: 479-254-0254

FAYETTEVILLE FARMERS MARKET fayettevillefarmersmarket.org Contact: Leann Halsey, 479-236-2910

SPRINGDALE FARMERS MARKET springdalefarmersmarket.org Contact: Paula Boles, 479-466-1285

ROGERS FARMERS MARKET rogersfarmersmarket.org Contact: Kimberly Scott, 4792468383

The markets listed above each have their own distinctive style and flavors. I encourage anyone who has some free time on Saturday morning to visit any one of these wonderful venues.

Ultimately, the wholesale side of agriculture only provides today’s modern farmer with 16 cents per dollar spent on food. These local markets allow farmers to experience substantially wider margins of profit and help to ensure that farmers can keep farming.

In conclusion I would like to offer our readers a challenge. As we move into the traditional growing season here in the Ozarks, I would like to introduce you to

the 100 Mile Challenge. Simply stated, all food items purchased for consumption (with the exemption of salt, pepper, coffee, etc…) should be grown within a 100 mile radius of your home. My hope is that this article has began the process of conscious eating. The next time that you set down with your family for a meal, think about where your food has come from and the hard working individuals responsible for the abundance we enjoy today.

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Donnie & Tammy O’Brien, agent/owners 26 Peacock Lane, Jane, MO

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FACEBOOK Ozark Hills and Hollows Magazine TWITTER @ozarkhillhollow INSTAGRAM ozarkhillsandhollowsmagazine ONLINE www.issuu.com/ozarkhillsandhollows

June • July 2015 | 29

We love the life Ozarks and we know you do too!

What defines Ozark living to you? Is it a Sunday drive through the rolling hills, or a 20-mile bike ride on the rural backroads?

1 MI NORTH OF I-49 EXIT EE ON THE WEST OUTER ROAD ANDERSON, MO

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It is camping by the river, jet-skiing across the lake, or catching crawdads in the creek? Is your favorite pastime working in the yard, growing food in the garden, or messing with critters and livestock? Maybe your favorite thing is just enjoying porch-sitting at sunset with a glass of ice-tea.

Send us photos that define our Ozark hills and hollows and we’ll feature them in a future issue. ozarkhheditor@gmail.com

at Barry County Farmers Co-Op at Exeter, Missouri for Farmers AG Center.

Contact Cherry Warren 417-235-9843 30 |

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H20: 101

Make sure your animals are hydrated and healthy this summer

S

ummer is a great time for farmers and livestock alike. Warm weather, green grass and sunshine on our rural landscape provides us with a healthy outdoor environment to grow and thrive.

Growing calves and maturing crops provide farmers with plenty to be proud of. Of course, safety and health is always a priority, and even in the high-production months of summer, there are plenty of factors to consider.

Whether it’s horses, sheep, cattle, chicken – or any other kind of livestock or critter – the need for fresh, clean water in the summer months is very important.

Access to water is important to all animals. It helps an animal moderate its body temperature, and is vital for digestion and digestive processes – just as it is for us. In the hot summer months, especially during a heatwave, lack of potable water can be a life threatening event within the matter of hours. Providing water, especially for penned animals that are unable to access ponds and streams, must be a high priority.

When watering penned animals, there are many things to consider when choosing watering methods. Large animals, which require great amounts of water, should have access to a large tank or a permanent watering supply. Continuous fill tanks, equipped with a float valve, that shuts off the water supply when full, are a reliable and economic option. Other waterers that are animal operated, and are permanently hooked up to a water source are a good, long-term solution. Some of these options are even freeze-proof, making winter watering easier as well.

Goats and Sheep require less water, and chickens even less. Smaller tanks, or self-waterers help keep them with a constant water supply, This is the amount of water these animals but no matter what watering typically drink – under stress-inducing hot method you use, cleanliness weather, these amounts can go up. is important as well. Clean HORSE 5-10 gallons per day water tanks and containers weekly to get rid of algae that COW 12-15 gallons per day thrives in warm weather, SHEEP 1-4 gallons per day and to flush out bacteria and bug larvae that try to GOAT 2-3 gallons per day take opportunity to grow in PIG 3-5 gallons per day (plus water for wallowing) warm, stagnant water.

And, of course, don’t forget about your pets. Outdoor dogs and cats need fresh water too. Keeping a small bucket or container handy near a frequently used outdoor spigot will help you remember to keep it full of fresh water for your family friends. For more information, check out this online publication researched and written by the University of Kansas Extension: www.ksre.k-state.edu/bookstore/pubs/S147.pdf The friendly staff of Race Brothers, located in Springfield, Carthage and Monett, are able to answer questions as well, and help you make the right decision for watering your animals this summer.

Family owned and operated since 1971.

For over 30 years, Race Brothers Farm and Home Supply has been owned and operated by the DeForest family, who is dedicated to providing the Ozarks with quality service and products including a complete line of farm and home supplies.

CLOTHING | ELECTRICAL PLUMBING | LAWN AND GARDEN OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT TOOLS | TRUCK ACCESSORIES PET SUPPLIES | TOYS C AT T L E H A N D L I N G E Q U I P M E N T

SPRINGFIELD 2310 W. Kearney 417-862-4378 CARTHAGE 2309 Fairlawn Drive 417-358-3592 MONETT 210 Hwy 37 417-235-7739

www.racebros.com June • July 2015 | 31

CARVING a Deeper Path STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA HINE

Tim Scott shares his thoughts on trails, paths, and journeys, and how they mold your life, much like a craftsman with his leather

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ometimes routine trips for routine things such as going for horse feed can lead into a discovery, not in material treasure, but in wisdom and real conversation. As the scent of leather draws you around the corner into a room filled with stacked boots, saddles and scraps of leather, you encounter, Tim Scott.

Tim gives a pleasant grin and asks if he can be of assistance as he continues working on a piece of leather, while a teenage girl works on a belt in the background. One cannot put a finger on it, but it is clear that there is more to this man in a dusty black cowboy hat than just boot repair. The quest for horse feed resulted in the discovery of a modern day Will Rogers tucked in a side room of the Feed Store and More Farmstore in Anderson, Missouri.

Glancing around the leatherscented room, one finds the usual tools of the trade, huge sewing machines, carving tools, knives and various other

Tim carefully places his vision on a piece of leather.

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items unknown to the novice. Beyond the expected amenities are glimpses of something else…an artist.

Tim begins friendly banter and chuckles easily, not once distracted from the work in his hands, which tell the story of a man that knows hard work. The conversation moves to the art of various leather pieces hanging on display on a nearby wall. At this point, Tim stops his work and begins to explain how he came to be in the leather business, and the highlights of his life that taught him valuable lessons.

The Scott family lived near Neosho, in Newton County. The oldest and only boy of three children, he began helping his dad in the saddle shop when he was about 11. His dad then bought-out a boot repair business and moved the equipment into their shop. They learned through trial and error during one of the coldest winters Tim can remember. To get the business going, his dad advertised for every pair of boots a person brought in, they would fix one pair free.

“You can’t imagine the boots that came in our shop – and some of it was junk. My job was to tear’ em apart, pick the threads and glue ’em back together,” Tim replies, shaking his head. “When I got big enough to run the sewing machines, a lot of the work was turned over to me.”

His first leather related earnings came from leather bracelets that he made in middle school. I’d sell a leather bracelet to a fella with a girl’s name on it for a dollar and then next week I’d sell him another bracelet because he had another girlfriend,” he chuckles at the memory. “That was my lunch money a lot of the time. I could go home of a

night and tool out some bracelets with simple leather ties.”

“At a dollar a piece, I thought I was gett’n rich,” he says with a broad grin.

However, this wasn’t his first business venture, he also began training colts at the age of 11, something that he continues to this day, but now they are his own colts.

He began shoeing horses when he was 14, and has done it ever since. It was not unusual for his dad to shoe 1,000 head a year. His dad would throw him under

a horse to clean up the hooves or set the nails. At age 16, he bought his first truck with money he earned from holding horses for Dad, who paid him a dollar a horse.

He gave $500 for that first old 68’ Chevy truck, well earned for sure.

The trade served him well over the years and at one time, he was shoeing as many horses as anybody. “My biggest year I was underneath 3,000 horses, some were repeat customers,” he adds. Averaging 15 or so a day, six days a week can begin to June • July 2015 | 33

“If you are in any position to do what is really in your heart, then you should do it because if you dread it every day, then you are not doing good work at your job.”

take a toll on your body. He was making good money and driving new trucks, but it soon caught up to him.

He strolls over to his bench and grabs a worn old belt from the array of tools.

He tosses the belt on the table and states, “This is where I really decided I wanted to design leather,” pointing to the intricate designs of cowboys roping cows off a horse. “My folks bought me this belt when I was about 10 or 11 for Christmas and I have kept it ever since as inspiration,” his eyes gleam as if it was just yesterday.

“I have always drawn, cartoon’n and piddl’n around which is probably why I never got good grades in school,” he chuckles adding that he hopes his daughter does not hear him say that. However, his work has begun to evolve over the years, but not until he saw the world.

“After I got out of high school I took off to see the elephant,” he states. Now, this phrase was new to my ear and required explanation. His Dad encouraged him to see the world and find his place in it, opening the door saying, “There’s the world and go see what you can do.” During one these jaunts he headed out with just 34 |

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$100 and that ole’ Chevy pickup with plans on going to California, but he only made it to Dallas.

He put the last $20 in the tank and then drove around to every ranch until he got a ranch job. Later, he went to work for a leather man down in Aubrey, Texas. They did mostly Del Varney show equipment like halters and such. He actually did a belt for Bo Derek but she did not know he was the one who designed it.

His travels took him to the west coast and every place in between, trying his hand at bull riding and rodeoing everywhere he could throw in his hat.

He worked in feedlots, worked on cattle ranches in Texas and did construction in California. He would stay in one place until he was bored and then headed out again. It was on one of these trips he drove the ole’ Chevy to Texas where it caught on fire alongside the road.

With his truck destroyed, he took his first airplane ride, flying into Tulsa. His Dad had found him another truck in Missouri that he could afford. He bought and paid for the truck and headed back to Texas to tow that old 68’ back home. It sat around for

many years until his Dad finally sold it.

He never really thought that leather carving would be his occupation, but rather something he would do in retirement. But now it has become a full-time job and he would not trade it for anything. He still shoes horses of a morning and tries to get to the shop about 11 a.m. Leaning back, he reflects on the wisdom of his father allowing him to venture out in the world to earn his own way.

“I always tell my girls to try what they think they want to do. I feel that when you don’t push them – then they come back and know what will make them happy. I have seen so many kids that their parents pushed ‘em, and pushed ‘em until it became like a job. To me, I never want to do that. The only thing that we push our kids on is if they make a commitment, then they need to stick with it and put in the effort.”

The couple has two daughters.

Chaney, 18, is a freshman at NEO, and part of the Equine Judging Team, with aspirations of being an Ag teacher. “She had her heart set on NEO and she worked her tail off earning scholarships to reach her dream,” he says proudly. Youngest daughter, Bailey, 15, is into basketball and all that stuff, and shares her fathers love of leather, and often helps him in the shop, trying her hand at creative flare.

When the girls were little, they hit the road hard traveling to horse shows. He took it as an opportunity to show them the country. Now, with the girls in school and all their activities, life on the road has ended.

Of all the things, working with leather is what he enjoys the most. Whatever catches his eye, or imagination, he quickly works to develop, and in doing so, his style evolves. His leatherwork is an amalgamation of different styles and techniques that he has mastered and modified to fit his vision for his pieces.

“I sit around of an evening at the table near the living room where I can still sit and visit, but also draw out my ideas,” he said. He admits that sometimes a vision for some piece will keep him up into the wee hours until he gets it on paper exactly how he wants it. He draws all his work free-hand and notes he leans more towards the cartoonist side than reality. Nevertheless, he still strives to be a mixture of California style, Texas style and Sheridan.

He creates purses, gun holsters, spur straps, headstalls, bracelets, saddle fenders, chaps where ever the boundaries of his imagination takes him. Many of his leather bracelets get displayed the next block over at Brady’s Jewelry, where Jeff and Alicia Brady, owners of Rowdy Cowgirl, add sparkle and bling to the pieces. Another customer, Pam Anderson,

uses his headstalls and other horse attire to create her own hand-painted creations.

When requested, he incorporates a customer’s brand into the design. He pulls out a piece of leather and some tools to do a quick demonstration. “The leather will tell you what direction to go,” he begins, and then chuckles, “I didn’t mean to make it sound so philosophical but the leather has a grain that will mess up your cuts when you’re cuttin’. Sometimes it will give you where you ought to lay your knife cuts, which come in last.”

“I don’t do anything deep,” he says with a broad grin, “There ain’t no depth here.” This could not be further from the truth, as he continues to bring forth a flower from the flat leather.

“It occurred to me the other day

while I was pounded on some boots and listening to Hank Jr. on that KBTN Classic Country radio station, that 35 or 40 years ago I was listening to the same music, doing the same thing for the same money!”

He chuckles at the thought. Never the less, he cannot see himself doing anything else.

“If you are in any position to do what is really in your heart, then you should do it because if you dread it every day, then you are not doing good work at your job.”

Clearly, Tim was born for wide-open spaces and few fences, allowing him to tap into that creative side and doing the thing that caught his imagination as a boy.

He credits his bride of 22 years, Jody, for understanding the kind of man he was created to be. Being a cowboy at heart and an artist to the bone, he has had to do other kinds of work to pay bills or other unexpected events but always comes back to horses and leather.

It is clear he admires his wife and she is his anchor; she keeps him centered through her organizational skills and her presence. “She is the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “There are certain people that can make a difference in the world, who are able to make a dent in someone’s world, and Jody is that kind of person.”

Jody is a special-needs teacher at Anderson Elementary and loves her job.

She enjoys the one-on-one with the kids and how real they can be. Some of the kids just need a chance – one solid handhold, and that is what Jody attempts to be on a daily basis. “When all the leather is gone or the last colt is dead, it’s gone, but with her it goes on in the life of a child and that’s cool, it really is,” he adds.

Taking up the conversation again about leather. He walks over to a bench set up near a window and takes up a piece of leather to explain how the artwork should flow like water, carrying your eye from one object to another. Getting lost in a vortex of patterns – it is the challenge to see how much life he can breathe into something that gives him the most enjoyment. Above the bench hangs the original sign from his Dad’s leather shop, a part of his past that continues to motivate him each day. Along the wall are rows of tools, some so tiny that you can only imagine the time a design would take to create with such small implements.

The tough veneer of the cowboy cannot hide his sentimental logic. “I keep things that mean something to me like a sack of candy my little sister gave me. I can still remember the day she gave it to me and why. It may mean nothing to someone else but these things keep me from being bitter at the world. I know that one day I am gonna blink and wake up in a better world,” he pauses to look over his treasures. For now, these reminders keep him focused on what matters in life. Reflecting on his childhood he notes, “As a kid we lived and breathed it, my life was the size of an egg but as big as the world.”

He fears he sounds like an old man.

“I’m not even close to bein’ done with my life. I have had an enjoyable life and there have been some bad times,” he notes. However, there is wisdom gained in everything a person goes through, if only they would be teachable. Some of it is hard earned wisdom; it is the experiences that teach you.

He leans over to spit some chew in a bottle and considers his life, “The daydream that keeps you think’n about what you are gonna do next. Whether its fix’n up an ole’ truck or drawing a design for a piece of leather. When all the worries of the world try to swallow you up with bills to pay or sick kids or whatever, your daydream is what gets you up in the morning. You may not finish it but it is a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

He may just have the recipe for contentment right there amongst the wore out old boots and dusty saddles. Yes, in fact, I am sure he does.

June • July 2015 | 35

Bucket Full of Goodness

BY SHERRY LEVERICH

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hat is just about the easiest fruit to pick, sweet as candy, packed with nutrition and plentiful all over the Ozarks from mid-June into July?

Blueberries! These beautiful blue orbs are a favorite fruit to folks all over, and especially for children, who can pick and eat to mom’s delight.

Within the last couple of decades the growth of area u-pick blueberry farms has grown, and no matter where you are in the Ozarks, you can find a farm to purchase already picked blueberries, or pick your own.

Personally, I vote for pick-your-own.

Driving to a local u-pick blueberry farm and taking time to pick these berries yourself is well worth the efforty. It’s a great occasion to meet with friends and family, and bring the kids along too. Plus, there is usually a discount on the price if you take time to pick them yourself. Not only are they easy to pick (no thorns, and can be picked without getting on your knees), it’s a great way for kids to see how they are grown.

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WHERE CAN YOU FIND LOCAL BLUEBERRIES?

Good For You...

MISSOURI RAUSCH’S BLUEBERRY FARM Monett, 417-235-7825 BURTON’S FARM Clever, 417-369-4328 HERITAGE FAMILY FARM Webb City, 417-673-2580 ROBERTSON FAMILY FARM Joplin, 417-499-5752 ROSEBERRY FARM Washburn, 417-489-5346 SUNSHINE VALLEY FARM Rogersville, 417-753-2698 PERSIMMON HILL FARMS Lampe, 417-779-5443 ARKANSAS STA-N-STEP BLUEBERRY FARM Fayetteville, 479-361-2789 NEAL FAMILY FARM Rogers, 479-659-1750 BLUE HEAVEN FARM Springdale, 479-751-8987 FISHER’S BLUEBERRIES Gravette, 479-787-5312

Rustic Blueberry Tart 1 recipe pie crust 2 cups fresh blueberries 2 Tablespoons flour 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Zest and juice of 1/2 a small lemon pinch of salt Prepare the crust, and roll out to a 12inch circle on a piece of parchment paper large enough to hold the circle. In a small bowl stir together berries, flour, sugar, cinnamon, zest and juice of lemon and salt.

Toss so the berries are coated.

Carefully place the berries in the center of the pastry disk (careful – they roll!).

Leave ½-inch of dough around the edges.

Gently fold up the edges of the dough over the berries, pleating every 2-inches or so.

Pinch together any rips or tears.

Bake at 375 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

Allow to cool on parchment paper.

Most blueberry farmers are happy to talk to kids about their farm and how the berries are grown. They can also ask the farmer what the difference is between the berry varieties, how old the plants are and what kind of maintenance they have to do for this once-yearly crop. Also ask the berry growers what their favorite blueberry recipes are, and how they like to use their frozen blueberries.

I promise you that not only are you creating good memories for the kids, but they will be begging to go back again! The only precaution I can recommend is spraying, especially around your ankles, with chigger spray just to be on the safe side.

Blueberry Cream Pops

4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 3/4 cup vanilla or lemon yogurt 1 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh Beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Add the yogurt and beat until smooth and creamy.

Add ½ cup of blueberries and beat on high for 1 minute. Add remaining blueberries and pulse the beater a couple of times.

Pour into 10 large ice pop molds. Top ice pop mold with the lid and insert the sticks until 2 inches of the stick is remaining outside the mold. Freeze for 2 hours or over night.

Blueberry Bread Pudding 1 (16-ounce) French bread loaf, cubed 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into pieces 3 cups fresh blueberries, divided 6 large eggs 4 cups milk 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 (10-ounce) jar blueberry preserves Garnishes: fresh mint leaves, edible pansies Arrange half of bread cubes in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan. Sprinkle evenly with cream cheese and 1 cup blueberries; top with remaining bread cubes.

Whisk together eggs, 4 cups milk, sugar, butter, and maple syrup; pour over bread mixture, pressing bread cubes to absorb egg mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake 30 more minutes or until lightly browned and set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Stir together remaining 2 cups blueberries and blueberry preserves in a saucepan over low heat until warm. Serve blueberry mixture over bread pudding.

Blueberries are: LOW IN FAT A one-cup serving contains only 80 calories and virtually no fat.

PACKED WITH VITAMIN C One serving delivers almost 25% of one’s daily requirement of vitamin C. FULL OF DIETARY FIBER A handful of blueberries helps satisfy recommended daily fiber intake.

AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF MANGANESE Manganese plays an important role in bone development and in converting protiens, carbohydrates and fats into energy.

BLUEBER RIES ARE #1 IN HEALTHY ANTIOXID ANTS The a

ntioxida nts help slow down th e signs of aging!

WHAT’S STANDING BETWEEN YOU AND BETTER HEALTH? People who turn to Cox Monett Hospital know they’ll find a supportive, whole-person approach to care.

Find the physician who’s right for you at 417/269-INFO or coxhealth.com.

June • July 2015 | 37

&

Backroads Byways

BY KIM MCCULLY-MOBLEY

Angie Paxton Wasn’t Anybody’s Fool

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s a toddler dressed in a pink sleeveless, gingham dress, embroidered by its maker – my feet dangled off the sides of my pony as I looked at the drops of sweat on my ankles. With red tennis shoes shuffling, my forehead glistened in the glaring sun.

I swallowed hard and looked back at my mother – who was aiming her Kodak Brownie camera at us. I was unsure of the intentions of the snorting horse on which I was sitting. Nevertheless, I held perfectly still for the picture.

My Grandpa Herman stood nearby and talked to me with his slow, booming, rolling voice that seemed to echo across the holler. He would not let anything happen to me on his watch. He was tall and strong, and never backed down from anything. He was a barber, a farmer, an insurance salesmen and a champion checker player. His strong, quiet presence commanded the respect of anyone lucky enough to know him.

What follows is a story retold to me throughout the years I spent visiting and writing the colorful collection of his stories on the pages of my heart.

I still travel the road that used to lead to Paxton Mountain in Arkansas quite 38 |

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often. I still have the pink gingham dress hanging in my closet. I am always drawn to the gait of a horse and a pair of red shoes. With eyes closed, I can still smell the Old Spice Aftershave.

If I close them tighter, I can feel the scratch of grandpa’s whiskers against my cheek as the story began to unfold. “…Angie wasn’t anybody’s fool.

Nobody ever said a bad word about Angie Paxton.

Not many days go by that I don’t think of her and her fortune-tellin’.

Not long after the Civil War, a young Angie Stroud made her way from the hills of Tennessee to the Green Forest vicinity of Carroll County, Arkansas. Before long, her fame spread throughout the region as those of all walks of life began to hear about her “special gift”– the gift of fortune-tellin’.

She soon met, took up with, and married a feller by the name of Jim Paxton – a well-known local farmer. Together, they made their home atop Paxton Mountain in a spacious two-room cabin, about eight miles south of Green Forest.

Accounts of this tiny hill woman bein’ evil or bein’ a witch disgusted most of the local folks in these parts. When I first

started gettin’ my fortune told, I was about 15 years old, I reckon. Everbody called her Angie. She’d tell my fortune on credit. The average rate was 25-cents a fortune…First thing I knew, I owed her a whopping $1.75!

I finally came up with the money and paid her. I told her not to ever tell my fortune on credit again…I haven’t liked credit ever since.

The graveled road to Angie Paxton’s cabin was busy in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Natives, tourists, soldiers, Civilian Conservation Corps workers and others managed to ride horses, walk, crawl or hitch a ride on a wagon to see the famous woman and have their fortunes told. A lot of ‘em did it for fun, while others took her and her findings pretty seriously.

Angie’s fortune-telling ritual would always start with her takin’ a long, hard look at her prospective client. She’d sit down and pour the coffee out of a cup.

She’d then instruct the person to grasp the cup in his or her hands while she

gazed at the grounds in the bottom for her revelations.

Some of her so-called revelations dealt with affairs of the heart and helpin’ her fellow farmers find their livestock. One hot summer day my father went to check

on his cattle and promptly returned to the house after discovering two of his Angus heifers missing from the rest of the herd.

Days passed without sight or smell of the missing stock. Finally Papa Ute (that’s what we called my dad when he was livin’) decided to make the trip up the mountain.

To his surprise, the dark-skinned woman with the piercing black eyes looked him in the eye when she opened her door and said “Newt, you’re kind of worried…you’ve got some stock gone.”

Angie went on to perfectly describe, without any assistance, the markings on one of the missing heifers. She told him they were quite far from home and that he would find them in a pasture, beside a creek, near a big, white house.

He went home without the slightest notion of where to look for his cattle. More days passed and Newt McMorris asked a friend in town if he had seen or heard anything about the heifers. The man said he had noticed some extra cattle grazing with his own herd, but had just left them alone in his pasture.

He follered the man home and said, sure enough, there were his missing heifers in a pasture, beside a creek, near a big white house.

After Jim Paxton, her husband, passed away, Angie continued to live atop her mountain ‘til a mud slide in the 1930s left her home, belongings and the mountain itself in utter destruction. She moved in with the Ap Taylor family on the other side of the mountain.

Although age had bent her tiny frame, her spirit was undaunted. She passed away in 1943 – a colorful legend of the Ozarks.”

A FAMILY RUN BUSINESS SINCE 1964 Our Team in Action for Justice 417.737.7154 | 877.470.4304 200 S. Elliott Ave. | Aurora, Mo.

www.pettitlawoffice.com

SERVICE VENDING Co. Aurora, Missouri June • July 2015 | 39

g n i s o p r u p e R Revolution

BY SHERRY

LEVERICH

ROCK-SOLID Ways to Recycle

RAISED BORDER

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This is a good use for any size stones. To start a raised border, dig a trench of 6 inches to begin. Layers of rocks can either be stacked and nestled for stability, or they can be mortared with cement to stay put.

o matter where you live in the Ozarks, rocks abound.

I’ve heard that we don’t have

dirt with rocks, we have dirty rocks.

Seems like every year, rocks continue to spring up out of the ground. Keeping the lawn clear of rocks, and picking annoying rocks out of the garden is a yearly chore. Where do you put your rocks? Some people make rock piles in low areas to help with erosion, others just pile them in a far corner of their property. Around our farm, we’ve been trying to come up with some other uses for our native stones.

FLOWER GARDEN BORDER Using larger stones, a unique, asymmetrical edging can be made from various shapes and sizes of stones. Digging a small trench to bury a fraction of the stone will help it remain in place, and keep it stable for grass clipping with the weed-whip.

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ROCK GARDEN Rock gardens can be creative, or useful. Rocks can either be used as focal points, or mulch to inhibit weeds and grass from growing. Rocks can be placed in a pattern, or scattered in a free-form pattern. There are no rules. Starting at ground level with landscape paper and a shallow layer of gravel makes a perfect foundation and weed barrier to begin a rock garden.

WATERWAY Water features are growing in popularity. As quoted from Carl Perkins, “If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.” Even a seasonal waterway can be lined with stones for more interest, keep soil erosion down and help plants have an anchor. If using a pump for a rotational fountain, rocks can create interest and pleasing sounds.

FIRE PIT Building a fire pit is the perfect way to use stones in a beautiful way. Let your imagination guide you as you can build a simple one-layer fire pit, or use cement to build a permanent raised firepit to be enjoyed for years to come.

PILLAR Make a rock pillar for an entryway, decorative fence corner, or as a base to a tabletop.

Rabbit wire can be used as a column form. For stability, t-post can be set inside the column.

Rocks are then stacked as tightly as possible within the wire frame.

This is a good way to use a large amount of various sized rocks.

June • July 2015 | 41

Among the Wildflowers

Cardinal Flower

BY ROB LOTUFO

Lobelia cardinalis (syn. L. fulgens, cardinal flower) is a species of Lobelia native to the Americas, from southeastern Canada, south through the eastern and southwestern United States.

A

lthough relatively common, overpicking this handsome wildflower has resulted in its scarcity in some areas.

Since most insects find it difficult to navigate the long tubular flowers, Cardinal Flower depends on the ruby-throated hummingbird, which feeds on the nectar, for pollination. It was introduced to Europe in the mid-1620s, where the name cardinal flower was in use by 1629, likely due to the similarity of the flower’s color to the robes of Roman Catholic Cardinals.

It is a perennial that grows up to 4-feet tall, and it requires rich, deep soil which remains reliably moist year-round.

It is most often found in wet places, stream banks, and swamps, and prefers partial shade.

This plant is easily propagated by seed and by dividing out the young plants which form around the older mature plants each year.

Although the plant is generally considered a perennial, they may be short lived.

North American indigenous peoples used root tea for a number of intestinal ailments and syphilis. Leaf teas were used by them for bronchial problems and colds.

The Meskwaki people used it as part of an inhalant against catarrh. The Penobscot people smoked the dried leaves as a substitute for tobacco. It may also have been chewed. The plant contains a number of alkaloids. As a member of the genus Lobelia, it is considered to be potentially toxic. Lobelia may have potential as a drug for, or in study of, neurological disorders. The Zuni people use this plant as an ingredient of “schumaakwe cakes” and used it externally for rheumatism and swelling.

So next time you walk along a wet trail, pull your canoe up on a shallow bank, camp near a creek side, look close for some of these crimson beauties, and maybe you can ponder some of the finer points of the Cardinal Flower.

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This vibrant red bloom can be found near streams around the Ozarks in the late summer months.

We have everything you need to start or maintain a water garden!

Benefits of a Backyard Pond W

ater is important on many levels. At the most fundamental, it is an essential ingredient for all life on earth.

Building a water garden can bring many benefits.

There are few things that are more pleasurable than sitting beside a pond in the early evening as the sun is just starting to set, and watching the flitting of insects as they jostle in the air above the water, hear the croak of frogs that are nestled in the plants at the edges, listen to the birdsong as the local species come to roost in the nearby trees, and watch the play of light as it falls on the plants and flowers floating on the pond’s surface.

In creating a pond, you create a new habitat for creatures big and small. Water features can play host to other creatures, too, including snails, frogs, toads, butterflies, dragonflies, turtles, birds, and more.

It’s a delight to watch and feed the fish.

Steve Davisson, owner of Perennials along with his wife, Sue, shares research he’s read, “Sitting by a water garden can lower your blood pressure by 10 points.” In building a pond, you create a space of tranquility for years to come.

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Sue shares practical reasons to have a water garden, “There is no need to weed or water this garden,” which adds to the summertime enjoyment.

The soothing sounds of the trickling running water can muffle other city sounds that can interrupt back-yard enjoyment.

This peaceful home addition can also increase property value.

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MISSOURI ARKANSAS

GARFIELD ROGERS

EUREKA SPRINGS

June • July 2015 | 43

OUR READERS ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS Celebrating Heritage, Farm and Healthy Living in the Heart of America

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t

Roll and stroll where nature and art converge

t

The Crystal Bridges hiking and biking trails STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JENNIFER CONNER

Throughout history, nature has been a faithful muse for artists around the world. We need only observe Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” or Monet’s “Water Lilies” to be reminded of the glorious effect nature can have on one’s perspective.

Nature is salve for the eye and music to the ear; it soothes the soul. Crystal Bridges has taken this concept of nature begetting art a step further with a spectacular network of trails designed with an artist’s eye, leading to and around the Crystal Bridges Art Museum.

June • July 2015 | 45

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If you’re headed to Crystal Bridges Museum during nice weather (or even not so nice), I recommend parking at the far parking lot and taking the Orchard Trail to the museum – just as nature is a muse for artist, so too, the natural world can prime the viewers eyes for appreciating the artwork within. As you stroll along the Orchard Trail you might observe wild columbine or Virginia bluebells hanging demurely under towering pines. Indeed, you could spend an entire day exploring the trails, observing a multitude of plant species most of which are native to the state of Arkansas. And while we’re discussing pines, Crystal Bridges is home to the state record Eastern White Pine.

But the trails aren’t just for nature enthusiasts or museum-goers: the 4-plus miles of trails are perfect for a jog or bike ride. And there are plenty of features along the way that will make your workout less of a workout and more of a pleasure cruise.

The Crystal Bridges Trail offers a lookout from the ridge above the museum. On the Crystal Spring Trail you’ll observe a natural spring from which local folks have been getting their water for more than 100 years. Take a stroll on the Art Trail and you’ll have the opportunity to observe outdoor sculptures.

If you have children, the trails are a perfect way to release some of that excess energy before entering the museum. Also, the Crystal Bridges Trails are a great way to introduce your children to nature and the horticulturalists have made it even more

educational by providing a free wildflower guide, categorized by monthly blooms, on their website. And while you’re seeking out these different flowers, especially in the spring or summer, you’re likely to come across a resident lizard or turtle. The trails can also instill an appreciation for the arts, as children love to touch and there are plenty of outdoor tactile sculptures just waiting to be discovered by the young (and young-at-heart!).

The artistry of nature, enhanced by an artist’s eye and guided by a green thumb, comes alive on the Crystal Bridges Trails.

Indeed the Bridge in the Crystal Bridges name, seems appropriate, for the bridge between nature and art has always been a solid one and it is no different at Crystal Bridges Museum, where nature and art converge effortlessly.

June June •• July July 2015 2015 || 47 47

That Enduring Pioneer Spirit

BY STAN FINE

C

ripple Creek was a mining town with about eight-thousand residents. Samuel Hagerman, my great grandfather, lived there with his wife Mary, his twelve-yearold daughter, Rosalyn, and his elevenyear-old daughter, Phoebe. Samuel was looking for an opportunity to move away from Colorado and buy farmland in the Midwest, but there was something else – Mary was ill. She had trouble breathing in the high altitude mountains of Colorado.

Samuel gathered Mary, Phoebe and Rosalyn together and told them the family was going on a great adventure.

The family of four and Mary’s brother, Robert Lincoln Abraham Davis of Creede, Colorado – who also purchased a forty acre tract of land – would embark on a great and difficult journey. The family would load all of their belongings into a horsedrawn covered wagon and embark on an eight-hundred mile expedition across the Great Plains to southwest Missouri where their new farm and new life awaited their arrival.

Samuel read the newspaper clipping to Mary and his daughters and he talked about how prosperous the family would be, as crops grew with very little effort.

He spoke of raising dairy cows, and told Mary she would be in better health as her breathing would be easier once they left the lofty mountains of Colorado.

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Stan Fine is a resident of McDonald County in Missouri.

Born in Long Beach California, he spent his childhood in the west, but went to high school in St. Louis. He then married his high school sweetheart, Robin. There they raised their two sons, David (who passed away with cancer in 2006) and Rob. Stan was a Detective Lieutenant in a St. Louis suburb and attained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Management, and a Master of Science in Administration.

He retired in 2006 and him and Robin moved to Noel.

Robin passed away, due to cancer, in 2013 after 46 years of marriage. Stan now plays golf, substitute teaches, and writes, especially in the wee morning hours.

THE JOURNEY The five left Cripple Creek in late June of 1911. One lone cow followed the wagon attached only by a piece of rope to the rear. Some chickens followed along as if somehow the fowl had been trained to shadow the group. Samuel told everyone to expect a long and difficult journey.

As the prairie schooner crossed Colorado and rolled onto the flat plains of Kansas, the cool, dry days of Colorado were nothing more than a memory.

Rosalyn and Phoebe sometimes followed alongside the wagon as it sluggishly rolled along, mile after mile. On good days, and when there were dirt roads to follow, the wagon traveled fifteen or so miles. When there were no roads the passage was more arduous and the distance traveled was much less.

The darkness of night didn’t bring an end to the day. The cow and the horses needed feed and water, while the seemingly self-reliant chickens fended for themselves. The blazing heat of the day was quickly vanquished when the darkness brought the cold of night. Sleep was often interrupted by the sound of coyotes singing their nighttime melodies.

It seemed as though the days of unrelenting heat and wind that stung their sun-dried and cracked skin would

never end. But, sometimes the clouds would gather and the sun would be chased from the blackened sky. Loud explosions of thunder frightened the animals, and bright strings of lightning connected the dark ominous sky with the ground. The wind tore at the wagon’s fragile canvass cover, and the once sun-baked and hardened earth was transformed into a soupy concoction that the wheels supporting the heavy wagon sunk into.

At night Mary prepared a camp site and cooked meals on an open fire. The cuisine most often consisted of preserved fruit, either cooked or dried meat and bread. The food provided sustenance, but could hardly be considered tasty. Water was plentiful as creeks and streams were scattered along the way. Occasionally, Samuel would ask land-owners for access to well water, and those strangers were most often happy to oblige.

When the weary travelers reached Missouri, Rosalyn told Phoebe she would never miss the flatlands of Kansas.

The family’s first glimpse of their new land, new home and new life came on September 11, 1911. The group stopped on a hill overlooking their land and talked about the future.

In March of 1911 an advertisement appeared in a Cripple Creek, Colorado newspaper – The Teller County News.

The Hagerman family around 1917. Rosalyn, Stan’s mother, standing left, her sister Phoebe standing right, and their parents Samuel and Mary

BARE NECESSITIES The land was beautiful. It had trees, and the grass was green and thick – but there was no shelter. Samuel knew the leaves on the trees would soon turn and the cold days and nights would most certainly follow, so the family went to work building an enclosed lean-to. Everyone helped and soon the log constructed structure resting on Robert’s parcel of land was completed.

This hastily erected structure would have to suffice as the freezing temperatures and cold winter winds would arrive all too soon. In the spring, the Hagerman’s would build a proper house that would become their permanent home while Robert would transform the lean-to into a permanent cabin that would be his home for many years to come.

Everyone was needed to help the family survive that first winter. The nearest source of fresh water was located at a spring located at the bottom of a steep hill and some distance from the cabin. Most of the food came from a small amount of staples that still remained in the wagon.

The winter was long and cold, but the family survived and in the spring, a small two-story house was built some distance from Robert’s newly constructed cabin.

Robert continued to live in the cabin and made it his home. Samuel cleared ground

and became an accomplished farmer, while Rosalyn and Phoebe attended a small school and helped out with chores. Mary turned the house into a home and life in Missouri was good.

Stan’s story of his family’s Ozark heritage will continue in the next issue of Ozark Hills and Hollows.

The Davis cabin, where the Hagerman’s and Uncle Robert spent their first year in Missouri, as it looks today.

June • July 2015 | 49

Last The Last word Word: photo/quote

“If enough people think of a thing and work hard enough at it, I guess it’s pretty nearly bound to happen, wind and weather permitting.”

– Laura Ingalls Wilder

“A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike.

And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”

– John Steinbeck “If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.” – Will Rogers

“It is almost impossible to state what one in fact believes, because it is almost impossible to hold a belief and to define it at the same time.”

– William Carlos Williams

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” - Ernest Hemingway “Don’t interfere with something that ain’t bothering’ you none.” – Judge Roy Bean

“We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It’s never your fault. But it’s always your fault, because if you wanted to change you’re the one who has got to change.”

– Katharine Hepburn

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We hope you enjoyed reading Ozark There’s still so much more to come!

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