Chicken head

Camping at Powder Mill (Owl's Bend)

Blue Spring

Cold and Misty Morning on the Current River

Trying to catch trout at Cedar Grove

Midland Water Snake(subspecies of Northern Water)?

Fowler's Toad

It was trying very hard to blend in, but our resident animal catcher spotted him.

Bullfrog

This juvenile water snake was eating a juvenile catfish.  Babies eating babies.

Our daily catch

Montauk Spring

The beginning of the Current River

 Muskrat in the spring

He kept popping up to eat plants

Phacelia(Miami Mist)

Blue Phlox (Wild Sweet William)

Wild Geranium(Crane's Bill)

We went south to the Current River for a much needed camping trip.  The dogwoods were in bloom and provided a dusting of white through the barely green forest.
The first 2 nights were bitterly cold and we were forced to use tablecloths, beach towels, mittens, hats, and winter coats.  Judy was also allowed to sleep in the tent in order to provide more body heat.  All of this was done in vain though and we didn't sleep much.  There was frost in the morning.
Owl's bend only has 8 sites and it was ours alone for the first 2 nights.  It is in the national scenic riverways and the Ozark Trail passes by on the other side of the river.
Blue spring, which is located 1.5 miles down the river, is a large, beautiful undisturbed spring.  The hike is scenic and includes a little bit of everything.  The area right around the spring was last logged around 1872, oh my goodness it is beautiful!  The Osage Indians called this spring "Spring of the Summer Sky" because of its brilliant blue color.
We traveled up the river to Cedar Grove and also to Montauk to try our hand at trout fishing.  We failed.  Montauk is where the Current river begins and it starts out surprisingly strong.
We discovered once again that another popular and expensive tick medicine does NOT work as promised.  Judy came home with so many ticks i stopped pulling them off.
I brought home many ticks myself, despite taking the proper precautions.  And they make me quite miserable afterwards, itching for several months.  Not sure why it has gotten worse as i have gotten older.  Oh well, helps keep this beautiful place wild.

Remembering the Holocoust

We listened to a story on St Louis on the Air about 2 boys, one who lives in the area, and their experience during WW2.
Jerry and Mike Koeing Story
And then we watched this excerpt from 60 Minutes about an amazing and humble man.  He selflessly sacrificed his vacation time and life to save so many.
60 Minutes-Saving the Children

Mud

This is an excellent movie, Mom and April i think you will like it.

April 10

Engelmann Woods Natural Area

5 Lined Skink

Gray Treefrog

Bloodroot

I woke up on my birthday with plans to do schoolwork.  But Jasper insisted this was wrong,  "Mama, you can't do schoolwork on your birthday, you have to go on a hike."  It was a beautiful day, and we get to take sun days instead of snow days, so we did.
We went to Engelmann Woods Natural Area, which is in Franklin County.  It is a parcel of old-growth forest and one of the last examples of what once was found in the uplands near the Missouri River.  Loess deposits are several feet thick on north and east facing slopes, and contribute an Iowa-like color to the streams. The hiking trail is considered difficult and is a 1.5 mile loop.
According to MDC, there are historical remnants of an old road and cellar, which mark the location of an early water reservoir used to refill steam engines traveling down the nearby railroad.  It is said to be the first such facility west of St. Louis.
Only one tick hitched a ride, not bad.  It was a great day and wonderful birthday and now i am the same number as my favorite cow.

Wedding Bells

Debby and Bill got married at the 2nd oldest church west of the Mississippi River.  It was a beautiful day and ceremony and we are honored to have Bill in our family.
Anytime a wedding or funeral nears, we realize that we don't have any nice clothes.  So, Avery talked about getting his "costume" on for the wedding.

Aunt Erin and Kids

Missouri Sacred Harp

At the beginning of March, we had a wonderful song-filled weekend in Pinckney.  Just the girls.
Annual Missouri State Sacred Harp Convention
It was lovely seeing friends from all over the country come sing in a tiny, rural church in Missouri.

Moving Art:Flowers

The perfect thing to watch on a cold, snowy spring day!  We found this film by Louie Schwartzberg on Netflix and it chased the blues away.  I couldn't find any shorts, but here is another great one called The Beauty Of Pollination.  Otherwise it is on Netflix.

People With Too Much Power

I am disgusted by this episode of 48 hours regarding the murder of Irene Garza and the suspect, John Feit.
48 Hours The Last Confession
After the murder, Feit was sent away by the catholic church because they knew he was dangerous.  Father O'Brien even told police that Feit had made an admission of guilt.
He attacked another woman 24 days earlier, pleaded no contest and was fined $500, with no prison time.
Instead of being charged with murder, he was sent away for "rehabilitation" at a series of monasteries in Texas, Iowa, Missouri, and New Mexico.
One of the places he was sent, was Assumption Abbey, a place i have been to on a silent retreat.
It was at the Ava monastery that he discussed the murder to another monk, Dale Tacheny, who kept it a secret for a long time.
A month before Feit went to Missouri, he attacked a woman as she got in her car outside New Melleray Abbey in Iowa.

2 of the only locations available for bishops to permanently send dangerous priests are in the St. Louis area. Instead of jail time, they remain priests and live in relative luxury, which is paid for by the catholic church.
KSDK- Missouri retreat for pedophile priests
KSDK-Missouri retreat for pedophile priests (part 2)

What?

Moss and Lichens

I love moss and lichens!

Explorers, i love how Avery is just basking.

Woodland Friends

We had fun breaking through all the ice on the pond.

With his new 22, the BB gun has been moved down the line.  

Judy's Woodsy Photo Shoot

We had a wonderful weekend in Southern Missouri.  

On our way home, the boys said their tummies hurt, but it's a winding road and the kids are prone to car-sickness. i gave them bags.  Avery threw up first, and it went everywhere except the bag.  It was quite and ordeal to clean him up and we didn't have tissues or anything like that, so...

Then Jasper said, "i feel fine now."  5 minutes later, he threw up, on top of the bag, but not in it.  What?  

There aren't a lot of stops on the way, especially on a Sunday.  

We had to throw a few things away.  And no wonder we all got so sick this week.  There was throw up everywhere.  

I also wanted to mention a bit about the latest in Missouri Gray Wolves.  Recently it was confirmed that a canine shot 2 counties south of the cabin, was indeed a gray wolf.  4 wolves have been killed in Missouri in the last 5 years, after being mistaken for coyotes.  The MDC says these were just males looking for new territory.  But this one was a female.