Now that Thanksgiving weekend is in the rearview mirror, I’m left thinking about how thankful I am for that interconnecting bit of a family holiday that annoys so many people. I’m thankful for the time I spent driving through the Ozarks over the past few days. We traipsed up and down and back and forth … Continue reading Driving through the Ozarks
Non-Fiction
Working Cattle
When I was a high school FFAer, one handy way to make money every fall was to take a shift at the local feeder calf sale. It wasn’t exactly easy money. It was hard work late into the night, but for those of us who knew what we were doing it was at least simple … Continue reading Working Cattle
In Praise of Ozark Culture: Green Growing Things
On Mother’s Day I planted my grandmother’s tomatoes, along with a couple of pepper plants. Grandma insisted that she didn’t need the help, but she accepted it gladly enough when we refused to give her any choice in the matter. She’s turning 93 this summer, and after much beseeching from her children and grandchildren she … Continue reading In Praise of Ozark Culture: Green Growing Things
A Mathematical Jeremiad
I hated math in elementary school. At least, I thought I hated math. It took years before I discovered that what I really hated was arithmetic, not math. Arithmetic is only barely math at all, yet it’s the entry point to mathematics for all elementary school students. Elementary school arithmetic is a pernicious barrier that … Continue reading A Mathematical Jeremiad
An Ozark Surprise in Pilot Knob
The Ozarks are full of surprises. That's true even when the surprise has signage on a major road and its own webpage. Last weekend my wife, my dog, and I headed out for Taum Sauk Mountain. We're all three more than a little stir-crazy from the pandemic, but the two humans of us are also … Continue reading An Ozark Surprise in Pilot Knob
Missouri Ozarker 