Chocolate cake

    I have had some people that has ate this cake told me to put it on here for every one to try. Its a chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate icing. Before you say I dont like zucchini, or that sounds bad let me tell you that you cannot taste it and nobody even knows unless you tell them. The zucchini just makes it so moist and yummy that you dont want to go back to a regular cake. Now the zucchini is out of our garden and the eggs from our chickens, I have not made it with store bought, but I am sure it would taste the same.
    Now I do not know who to give credit to this recipe and you might find it online also, but this is from recipes past down through my grandmother's and I cherish them all.
    For the cake it is
    2 cups of all purpose flower
    2 cups of sugar
    3/4 cups of cocoa powder
    2 tsp of banking soda
    1 tsp of baking powder
    1/2 tsp of salt
    1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
    1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
    3 eggs
    3 cups of grated zucchini with out the seeds
    Now I dont like nuts in my cake but you can add some, but I do like to sprinkle some chocolate chips on the top before I put it in the oven.
    Stir flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Then add egg, oil, and mix well. Then fold in the grated zucchini to the mix. Pour the mix into a Pam sprayed cake pan and then add nuts or chips if desired. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until a knlfe poke comes out clean.
     If you choose you can put this in a bundt pan if you don't want the icing and when its cooled and flipped over just sprinkle powder sugar on it.

     Now for the icing this recipe is close but it depends if you want thick frosting or what I prefer is not to thick, you know how grandma's are, a little pinch of this and that.
     the Icing is on a recipe by its self but it works so good on all cakes, you can can pour it on a hot cake and it will soak down through the cake, you can add more powdered sugar and make it into a think frosting for a birthday cake or however you like it.

     In a bowl add
     2 cups of powdered sugar
     1/2 cup of milk
     1 tsp of vanilla
     Then mix
     Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a saucepan then wisk in 5 table spoons of cocoa
     Then pour that into the sugar, milk, and vanilla while mixing
It will thickin up but I most usually sift in some more powdered sugar until I get the icing thickness I want.
      I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. God, family, country, may God bless us

Forecast for the Ozarks

     I have previously wrote on this blog a story called Our local fruit. Its about Persimmons and it has recipes for some great home cooked bread and pudding made out of persimmons. What this story is about, is the winter forecast that the seed inside the persimmon brings. As the ripe persimmons fall off our trees I have to hurry to pick them up before our goats and chickens get to them because they love them. The other day I was pickin the persimmons and putting them in a bucket and as I turned around Abby one of our goats was eating them out of my bucket,  I guess she thought I was pickin them for her.
      I took some of the persimmon seed and washed them and very carefully split them open to look what the inside of the seed revealed. Well, it is a spoon and they all where the same. So what that means that we better get out the snow shovels and get ready for a snow covered Ozarks. Service the 4x4 and check the tires, cover up alot of wood for the fireplace, get plenty of seed for the birds, make sure that generator starts, and hopefully you canned plenty of food from the garden. I also noticed that the trees are in abundance of persimmons and acorns, the squirrels was getting the walnuts before they could even fall of the tree, so I do know thats Gods way of feeding his animals.
      So I guess we will see what the winter brings, but for this hillbilly I will enjoy the snow and hopefully a white Christmas. We have been looking at the persimmon seed every since I was a young boy and its not been wrong yet.
God, Family, Country, May God Bless Us

9-11

      I have been trying to put to paper the feeling that I felt in the a.m. of the attack on the u.s.a. soil on the day of Tuesday September 11,2001. There are a few great songs out there that explains it very good and what a blessing the way they put their words to music. There has been a lot of great stories since then, some of blessings, and a lot of tragedy. My heart and prayers are still with the one's who lost a loved one to this day that the enemy came to kill, steal, and destroy. 

      So I will try to share in my words of that day. On 9.10.01 I had worked all day and was able to keep on working until 4 am. in the morning of 9.11.01. Well I got that dreadful phone call early to turn on the , as I watched in disbelieve the second plane hit, and then others. I had already been praying and my prayers grew even more, with tears rolling down my face and my heart very heavy I went to the school and got my 3 young daughters and thanked the Lord for our safety.
      For several days I was stuck in front of the tv just hoping and praying for survivors as a cold dark feeling just covered me trying to think of why someone would do such a terrible thing by killing innocent people. It's almost like the feeling of being robbed, or as a young one losing their pet and not understanding why. On what I remember the following Sunday we got word at Church that the U.S, had declared war. Praying for our soldiers safety we knew that something had to be done. But then I realized that the devil comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. So my prayers got stronger, and longer for our protection. Then I got mad at him for the damage he had done and I am still not over it. Because we have have someone who is much bigger and more powerful than the enemy. So please keep praying for safety and the blessings as we once again are going into battle. The battle might be against another country, sickness or disease, or for the return of a loved one. We need to stay suited in the armor of God. Ephesians 6: 13-18 therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, in addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, take the helmet of salvation and the word of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. with this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all of the Lord's people.

     God, family, country,  may God bless us.

Labor Day

     Before I tell about Labor Day in the Ozarks I want to share a few of the early pictures and facts that I have found. In the late 1800's they started a holiday for the laborers of the U.S. to let them celebrate a day off in appreciation of their work. The labor force is what keeps the spokes on this beautiful country turning. But there is a conflict of the founder of Labor Day between two men. Some say it was Peter McGuire the
 secretary of the Brother of Carpenter's and Joiners, others say it was Matthew Maguire that was a machinist. But whosoever came up with the idea, I am sure glad they did because its a great holiday for the end of the summer for the working class men and women to vacation with thier kids (unfortunately many schools these days start before Labor Day but thats another story). The first Labor Day was on September, 5, 1882 in New York City, then it spread from state to state across America. The celebration included parades, picnics, and vacations.
     Well here in the Ozarks it might not be any different from the other parts of the state's but we do have fun. It includes family and friends visiting here at the house or the Branson area. Many people from all over even have a lake house that they come to for the holidays. They get to spend time with thier family's and meet neighbor's and build a new relationship.  I love riding the atv through the lake area resorts and summer homes saying hi to friends that you had ment in the past holidays and they become good friends. So we ride atvs and utvs in the cool of the night enjoying the trails that go through the tree's,  hills and hollers enjoying the nite sky and socializing with each other (last night we had around 20 to 30 riders and thats fun, only just a few of us were real natives from here). During the day most travel to Branson for the shopping and shows or go out on Table Rock lake. Table Rock lake has over 800 miles of shore line that has trees and bluffs with great fishing and water skiing. Close by is a bluff on the lake that has a rope swing that families flock too, it is alots of fun. While you anchor your boat and watch as kids and adults swing from the bluff then dropping into the lake. Some people float our beautiful streams and fish, with canoes, kayaks, or tubes.
    If you ever get a chance to visit us here in the Ozarks make sure you do, because I think you will love it and there is so much to do and enjoy.
    Have a wonderful Labor Day and remember......God, family, country may God bless us

     

My daily prayer

     I have been a Christian as long as I can remember and said my little prayer ever now and then especially when I needed help. I heard on the radio from a preacher about how important it was to get into the bible and read the true word of God and build your own personal relationship with him. So as I listened and read the word of God, I started making my relationship personal with him and praying for protection, healing, blessing and all he has to offers over my family, friend's, children, and country, because he carers about our needs and ask us to bring his word before him. Believe me I am no Bible scholar, just a hillbilly in the Ozarks and some days I dont pray this whole prayer. Sometimes I find myself busy and just say a short prayer or maybe nothing at all. But when those days come I feel like I forgot something or like the feeling of when you miss a child, friend, or spouse. So I try to talk to my Lord and savior, that calls me friend everyday and wow what a difference. I have learned that you can't copy someone else's prayer or time with God, you have to make it your own. But I didn't really know how to pray other than "God I need this and that and bless us and keep us safe, amen". But when I heard this pastor tell his prayer I thought "wow I dint know you could ask for all these blessings and to bring God's word to your prayers". So I just started out reading the word and including it in my prayer and my relationship really started growing with him. This is not a statement that says "hey look at me, I am mr. Christian...lol) but I just feel lead to share my prayer, like someone did with me.
     I come to you Heavenly Father through your son Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior son of the living God. I humble myself before you and I repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Forgive me for anything I've said and done or to hurt anybody or about anybody, thank you for making me slow to anger and guarding my tongue, forgive me for any lies and deception that I have done, forgive me for any grumbling and complaining that I've done I give you praise, forgive me for any impure thoughts, any bad thoughts I've had, my thoughts are on you and your word, thank you for giving me the mind of Christ, please forgive me for any fear or worry or anxiety that I've had, for your words says you did not give us a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind and your word is the truth and the truth sets us free from everything of the enemy and your perfect love casts out all fear. Forgive me for any doubt and unbelief that I have, thank you for giving me the spirit of faith I give you praise and all things, forgive me for not exercising and eating the way I should, but your word says that by Jesus stripes I am headed of all sicknesses and diseases so I thank you for healing my body from head to toe and setting me free from all addictions, forgive me for not always tithing and I thank you providing all my needs through Christ Jesus, please forgive my for my trespasses I forgive those who trespass against me.
     I ask that you watch over me, my wife, our family, friends, children, grandchildren, the men and women who fight for our country and freedom and their families, our countries, Israel and our leaders, our homes, animals, and all that you bless us with. I ask you to put a hedge of protection around us, a canopy of protection over us and give us gaudian angles to watch over us and protect us.
    I plead psalms 91 and all your word over us. Cover us with the blood of Jesus, cover us with his awesome, cleansing, healing, saving blood, I plead his blood over us. Thank you Jesus for shedding your blood on the cross for us so that we can be saved and forgiven of our sins. Thank you for the stripes you took so we are healded of all sickness and disease, thank you for allowing yourself to be made poor so that we are rich, thank you for giving us your peace and filling us with the Holy Spirit, and thank you that we can come to the Father through you.
    Thank you father for sending your son to save us, I thank you for your grace, mercy, love and your forgiveness. I ask that you protect us from satan and his fiery darts and all our enemies, for your word says that if Jesus is for us who can be against and those who are against us shall not prevail. Bless us with good health, prosperity, and abundance. With peace, joy, happiness and forgiveness. With power, love, and a sound mind. With wisdom,  knowledge, courage and strength.
    Thank you for opening up the windows of Heaven and pouring out you blessing on us that it fills up our cup and flows over onto others. I come to you through your son Jesus Christ my Lord and savoir. Amen
    I hope this might help someone out to get into the word and build your own relationship with God, and don't forget he says to bring his word before him. Philippines 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but with everything by prayer with supplication and thanksgiving let your request be known to God.
     God, family, country, may God bless us.

Shake it off and keep climbing

     I heard a story and want to share it with you. I have no knowledge of this being true but I sure can relate to the story and I hope I tell it right, so you can get out of the story what I did.
     Ok there was a farmer that enjoyed all his livestock and even had them named because they meant a lot to him. One day he was feeding and admiring his farm and animals. As he walked through his farm counting his animals he heard Jack his donkey just screaming for help. (If you have farm animal's you will learn their sounds of distress,  and several farmer's have donkeys because they can single handily fight off coyotes to save the rest of the animal's.) So the farmer ran looking for Jack, he found that Jack had fallen down a old abandon well. As Jack cried he talked to him to calm him down but Jack was not listening because he was scared, the farmer tried to think of how he could get Jack out but he could not come up with anything so he ran to his neighbor's house. So the two farmer's stood at the empty water well listening to Jack call out as they scratched there head's trying to come up with a idea to save Jack.
    The farmer's tried everything and nothing worked so they figured out that the best thing was to fill in the well so that  another animal wouldn't fall into it and to bury Jack at the same time. So as the farmer's took shovels and started filling the well in with dirt, Jack continued to cry for help. After several shovels of dirt had been thrown into the well Jack's crying had stopped. So with tears in his eyes the farmer leaned over the well to take a look.
    As the neighbor continued to through dirt into the well the farmer could not believe his eye's. Jack with each shovel full of dirt that would hit him, he would shake the dirt off his back and stand on it. So as they continued to fill up the well and Jack was ok and he just walked out of the hole that he was in.
    My grandma told me this story and I want to pass it down to other's. She told me no matter what people throw on you just keep shaking it off and looking up, because if you can shake off the dirt you will get to the top. 

    Ok I really didn't think that I could find some pictures of a donkey stuck in a well but with the power of the Internet I did so here you go.
     

Goose on the loose? No a goat

    I was asked to put this true story on here by a friend. This last fall me and my wife purchased two milking goats. They are not cheap, one was a two year old and pregnant that would give us a spring newborn,  and the other was a one year old that we could breed in the summer. Before I get to the story that I want to tell, let me fill you in on some goat stuff.
    About three years ago we were giving a baby female Boer goat, we raised her just like our other animal's, (I think she thought she was a dog). She would jump the fence and wonder the neighbor hood, she wouldn't bother anything and she loved people.  I could just whistle and she would come to me, with raisins we taught her a lot of tricks like you would a dog. Well a buddy worked at the Sight and Sound Theater in Branson, and they were looking for a goat to pull a cart in the story of Joseph, they came and looked at her and now she is a star.
    We had decided to get some milking goats so we could have fresh milk and make cheese. We found some Nubian goats and purchased them, they was not as tame as the goat we had raised. We named them Carmelita and Abby, they where friendly but just scared and we could not get close to them. A few days later, Abby the one year old, got out of the fencing and ran down in the woods. We could locate her but couldn't get close to her, so for several day's we put out food for her and seen she was ok but just couldn't catch her. I would lay in bed wondering of how we could get her back in fear of something getting her. Well God carers for all his creation,  because one nite as I layed in bed thinking of how that little goat must be scared,  it came to me, experienced farmers I am sure already know this but I didn't. Goats like to be in a herd, so if I could just let her find a herd she would follow in. But we only had one goat that was not even making a sound, so I started looking on the internet for some goat recordings. I finally found a three minute sound of goats and other barnyard animal's, so I downloaded it to the pc and put it on a loop. I plugged the pc into the home stereo, then I ran the speakers to the back porch where the goat yard is. We opened the gates and tied Carmelita to a tree and cranked up the tunes from the barnyard sound. It took only about five minutes for Abby to come out of the woods crying for comfort with a herd. She circled about three times and found her way into the gate to Carmelita.
    Since then, with love, food, raisins, and care, they are tame. We can even turn them loose to eat some fresh green leafs on the property without them running off. Carmelita gave birth to a wonderful young buck that is a tan or buckskin color with white on his head, so we call him cotton top. Abby is pregnant and we are looking forward to her offspring.
    I know that people don't have the time or room to raise animals or a garden,  but if you do it is such a wonderful feeling of success. You get to see things grow from seed, little babies born and you get to build a relationship with them. We are truly blessed to get the experience of raising some farm animal's and get to reap the benefits with fresh eggs, milk, cheese, and vegetables. Even if you have a small yard you can build or buy a chicken coop and a few hens without much of a investment and enjoy fresh eggs, you don't need a rooster unless you wish to have babies. If you are allergic to dairy products you can have milk and cheese from goats. If you loose your goat, follow the directions above. Lol.....
     God, family, country, may God bless us.

Give me that Old Time Religion

      I recently heard the song by Tennessee Ernie Ford, Give me that old time Religion, and it brought up some memories, but first I will give you the lyrics in the short form. "Give me that old time religion,  it's good enough for me.....It was good for our mothers, and it's good enough for me....It has served our fathers, and it's good enough for me....Makes me love everybody,  and it's good enough for me....It will take us all to Heaven,  and its good enough for me. I love so many of the newer hymns but I sure do like those classics that I remember my grandparents and great grandparents singing.
     When I think of going to the Old Lampe church or other churches in the area, it was a lot of fun. Most of the time they didn't have a youth group or a children's group with music and video games. There was hard wooden seats so you didn't fall to sleep, and you listen to Gods word with a lots of amen's and praising, it was just so fun. Most of all the old churches was a community center as well as a place of worship. In the time, everyone showed up to build it all by hand and everyone in the community came on Sunday and it didn't matter what your religious background was, you just listened to the word, and praised God with song. "Song" that reminds me, if you was lucky there might be a piano or organ and it might not be in tune. But that didn't matter because everyone sang out loud and we was not in tune either, lol but it was fun and as God heard it, the tune was perfect because it was praise. If you wanted to sing a solo, no problem, you didn't have to try out or be approved,  you just asked and got up and sing your heart no matter what it sounded like.                 

     So I talked with Glen Jones about the Old Lampe church, he is the pastor there and has been for a long time. He said that the land that it sets on was purchased by his sister Goldie who is still alive and well in Oklahoma. She had some pigs die for no reason,  her father told her that God wasn't blessing her because she wasn't tithing. So she sold some of her pigs and purchased the property from the Lampe family for $50.00 cash. She donated the property to the community so they could have a community building and church. Glen said he was just a young boy in the early 1900's when everyone showed up to pour the foundation and erect the building using hand tools and hard work. Goldie was a pastor there along with others over the years, but over the years she and her husband helped out many churches and families all over. The Jones family has always been a pillar of the community. They also had the Jones Trading Post just south of town where people could buy food and supplies. Glenn is the one that baptized all three of my beautiful daughter's in the Kings River and I am very thankful for that.

     My uncle said that he remembers going to the church while growing up here and in the summer time they would open all the windows during church and there would be as many people outside as there was inside. He also said that most everyone came regardless of their religion, it was a community gathering. He said it was fun and outside sometimes the young boy's would get into a wrestling match trying to impress the girls while the old timers would spit and whittle and tell stories. You knew your neighbor's and community and they all came together there, and that results in a strong foundation.   

      Also I was told a story that I thought was funny and it goes to show that everyone was welcome. One time during a evening service at a little church, a man came in that was known to drink a lot. Well he came in and set in the back row for awhile, then he got up and walked to the front, and everyone thought that he is going up to repent for his sins. When he got to the front he turned around and said, "Turn off the lights people this party is over and I am going home". The best part is that it didn't make people mad, they just said a prayer for him and went on with the service. That's how Jesus did it, he loves us all the same.

     As I write this on a touch screen tablet I can't help it to think of how well we have it now, compared to our ancestor's, or do we? They didn't get to see the age that we have, with all the modern science, pc's, cell's that do everything, but we don't know what it was like for them. No indoor plumbing,  no electricity, they depended on their crops and animals for food. Hard work and homemade meals that included family time every day, and looking forward to going to that little old church that they helped build every time the doors was open. They probably had it better than us.

     I put some pictures below of the Old Lampe church that still has it's doors open every sunday, so go by and visit, you will be welcomed with open arm's. Glenn will tell you some great word's from the good book and maybe some fishing or hunting stories, but one thing for sure, you will enjoy it. I also included some pictures from the old church at Silver Dollar City and some other old churches that I found. God, family, country, may God bless us.

     

     

    

Life of a single parent

      When two people join hands in marriage you say a vowel that you will stay together through good and bad in front of God and family and friend's. Well from what I see when the vowels are broken that it seems to affect a whole lot of people, family's,  friend's,  children and yes even pets. There is definitely times for a divorce when it comes to abuse or something in that nature. But the most common one is because people are not happy with themself, or the spouse and think something better is out there. Most of the time when children are involved it is a overload on the children and most usually one parent. I know there are parents out there that share the responsibility between them but not very often. I have tried to think of some humor to put in this but I just can't.  Most all of us know men or woman that is raising a single family, we should try to lend a helping hand in some way.
      We all have seen the effect that divorce has on kids, from grade changes, to getting in trouble at school or the law, or just  psychiatric problems. Some kids pull through this and some don't,  a lot of the time they think its thier fault for the divorce. Kids need two parents to raise them so they can get what the male and female both can offer them to get the full effect of how to relate to them both. But if you dont have both you can still be ok because you have a heavenly father that can give you what you need. Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
      But what about the single parent? As you work longer hours or maybe even a second job to make it, you pay a babysitter or rely on family or friends to watch them, pick them up, or drop them off. Thank god for family and friend's because it dont seem possible with out them. It seems you are working to have someone else help raise your children but most usually thats all you can do. For some reason it seems that the kids forget all the family time, love, laughter, and fun times that they had, but no one can take that away from you. I came from a divorced home but I remember all the love, fun and sacrifices that we had and we were very close. It must be built in us to want to be accepted and approved by the parent that left us because after a time most kids tend to migrate to the parent that they didn't grow up with. Even though it hurts just keep trusting in God and hopefully someday they will come back to there nest. It reminds me growing up as a Christian, that all God blesses you with constantly watching over you and providing for you, that some day you might become the prodigal child and rebel. But with faith, love, and prayers, your wisdom will bring you back to the one that was with you through it all.
   With all that said I want to give all the couples praise that stayed together through the thick and thin, through the joy and tears, that choose to stay and fight for their marriage,  and not take the easy way out. You and your children will be blessed for it.
    Just so I am not misunderstood, you can still be blessed if you come from a divorced home. Sometimes you just have more than one mom and dad, several grandparents, cousins,? and a big loving family. God loves us all.
    I was just putting on paper about the the life of a single parent and through it all, no one can take the joy that you have.
God, family, country, may God bless us.

                                 OK I GUESS I FOUND SOME HUMOR IN THIS PICTURE
     

This little chick is bornintheozarks too

     One thing about living in the Ozarks is we get to see the blessing of new life being born the same as other people all over the world get to do also. Life is so precious no matter what life it is, a child, or a animal. This little baby chick will give eggs to eat or reproduce new life again. I was so lucky to be able to get this on camera, we have had some in the past but was never able to see the process and get to record it. I don't know if this is a rooster or a hen but since I got it on video I would like to name it but I need some help so if you have a good name leave it on a commit and I will pick the most popular name and keep you updated on it as it grows and I will take pics and you can be a part of this baby chickens life. I also added a picture of the babies after about two weeks.

God, Family, Country, may God Bless Us

Part 2 Virgin Bluff

      I shared on the previous blog the history of the area and the Legend that most hear, but I would like to go into it with more detail from what I have read.
      Before the white settlers came from the east the Spanish soldier's spent time here with the Indians.  During that time a handsome young soldier fell in love with the Chiefs daughter by the name of Moon Song.  Moon Song fell in love with him to and agreed to marry him and return to the Mexico territory. Moon Song was the Chiefs only daughter and he had already picked a strong young brave to marry her so he would have a grandson to lead his tribe in the future.
     If fear that Moon Song would run off with the young Spaniard he sent young braves to kill him. The young man fearing for his life he left the area to never return.
     Moon Song refused to marry the brave and for several month's she waited for her love to return. But after waiting and waiting she realized that he was going to never return she gave up. Early one morning at daybreak she went to the edge of the bluff. She jumped 300 feet to her death into what is called the James River. Extremely upset the Chief had the medicine man cast a spell on the bluff and it was forbidden for anyone to go there. The bluff and the area was saved for Moon Songs ghost.
     The earlier white settlers heard the story but didn't believe it until strange things started happening to those that visited the bluff area.
     The water below was called Virgin Shoals and was the most dangerous of the river. With the swift waters as boaters would go through it, the water would swirl and boats would capsized, also told that hunters would be found dead in the area.
     In the early 1900's a engineer was going to put in a tunnel style dam. With the swift water going through it they can generate power for a power plant. There was so many accidents over and over, also resulting in death, no one would work there and so it was cancelled. Also said, that it was even a problem trying to photograph the bluff, the pictures wouldn't turn out right.
     Still after Table Rock lake filled the valley below home owner and people say strange things still happens, freak accidents,  lake homes burning, and other stories. Fisherman and others still report of being able to hear Moon Song crying and weeping for her love.
      I hope you enjoy some of this history and folklore of the Ozarks.  God, family, country,  may God bless us.

Legends of Vigin Bluff

Before I tell you about the folklore I am going to tell you some history about that area that I have been told and read. Cape Fair is the closest town that is nearby and it is the oldest settlement in Stone county. In the 1800's, what is called the James Rive valley was given to the Delaware Indians by the government to be called their own, they had got pushed out of the east. Other tribes had settled this area too like the Cherokee that my ancestry was a part of. Eventually they kept getting pushed west as settlers came from the east. During the Civil War the first gunpowder mill west of the Mississippi was built on Flat creek close by. Cape fair was the county seat until the 1850's and then was moved to Galena. In the 1880's the settlement was flooded and moved to higher grown. The old school house built in the 1880's has been preserved and stands today. Around 1960 the lake flooded all the rich river soil, the cabins and caves, forcing people to higher grown. Now the awesome view from the top of the hills looks over Table Rock lake that people come from miles away to visit. Virgin Bluff is roughly a 1,000 feet long and 300 foot tall in which the James River ran under it. In the 1970's my grandfather and uncle bought the land on the bluff and cleared out some timber. They sold 30 acres to a builder that built a few houses and then they traded 70 acres to a development company out of Springfield for stock in the company. Well the company went belly up with only leaving them with a lot of worthless paper bonds that they still have.
      So the Legend of Virgin Bluff is as following.  When DeSoto and his men reached the area before the white man, they made friend's with the Indians,  the Chiefs daughter fell in love with one of the men. The Chief refusing to let his only daughter marry outside the tribe, she jumped off the bluff. They say some strange things happen there like being able to hear the maiden sing,  some say its just the wind blowing through the rock.
      Come back tomorrow and I will tell you another story of the Legend of Virgin Bluff.
God, family,  country,  may God bless us

So tell me that agin

As we all go through life we come across some mighty big bumps and hills that is in our way to get to where we are going. It seems to take awhile to get there sometimes,  maybe we are walking awhile and get tired and rest or even turn back. I hear stories of how God delivered someone from a certain problem that they are going through and they are so thankful.  God is able and can do that supernatural and what a blessing,  but sometimes when you really talk to them and hear it agin, they left out that it took time, and they gave up several times, but by Gods grace, they kept on and got delivered from that problem and got over the hill. So just keep trusting the Lord and his timing is always perfect and on time. So when we reach that wonderful blessing,  we must share how God was  carrying us through it all the time and what we learned and how it made us better. God, family,  country,  may God bless us

A Blessing in the Ozarks

Sorry I haven't wrote on here in a few days,  I have been busy with the garden and some of my wifes family visiting and congratulations to our niece Corrine on her 16th birthday, and its always fun having people visit the Ozarks. I sell vegetables that we grow out garden and my uncle grows tomatoes on a farm that has been growing vegetables for many years and with the rocky black dirt they give a flavor like no other. The blessing that I want to share is that we have had no rain for several days, even month's,  but we got a great rain several times in the last few days to make our gardens continue to grow. It is so awsome to be able to visit with people that is local and just here on vacation from all over and share the flavor of the vegetables,  and hear there stories.  So if the Good Lord blesses you with a great wife, loving family and friend's,  a job that you can ride your atv to work, and do what you love. I would say you are blessed.  God, family, country,  may God bless us.

Cures and remedies of the Ozarks

As I was reading thru a old book,  I came across some old cures and remedies from the  Ozarks so I figured i would share some of them with you, but I dont know if any of these work or if they are even safe to try. So please dont try these.
     Various mountain medical methods was used down through the years because they didn't have the moden medicine that we have now.

    Diptheria,, a glass of soured milk with a pinch of gunpowder.

    Colic,, breast milk In a cup and then with a reed pipestem blow tobacco smoke through it into the milk so it bubbled up though the milk.

     Worms,,, turpentine was given for worm medicine and still used today by some, but it can have a affect on the liver.

      Poisoning, , they say that if you eat fried fish with sweet milk it can poison you,
Hemp tea was the only thing that would cure it.

     Cuts and Sores,, molasses mixed with chimney soot or spider webs is good for open cuts and sores, and to stop bleeding.  If you get poked by a rusty nail, tie a old corroded peny to it, the green on the penny will draw out the poison stopping tetanus.

      Hives,, they say to put 9 buckshot in a glass of water (no more and no less) then drink a teaspoon every 2 hours. Or you could rub maple leafs on the rash.

      Colds,, use skunk oil for colds

      Fever,, mix 1/3 tsp. Of turpentine,  1/3 tsp. Of sugar, 1/3 tsp. Of castor oil then combine.

      Tonsilitis,, tie a cooked onion around your neck

       Croop,, take the grease out of skunk oil and mix with kerosene and then rub it on your neck at bedtime.

       Prolonged life,, ginseng or sang root, some people still use this but it is expensive.

I know there are a lot of these out there but I thought I would share a few of them,  I hope you enjoyed it.
God, family,  country, may God bless us
     

"Last Standing Baptist Mountain Mission School in Arkansas"

In a earlier post I had mention the MO-ARK Academy building that still stands on the Missouri and Arkansas line in Blue Eye. A local person by the name of Pam Jones- Sheridan had contacted me and gave me some great info on what we called MO-ARK Academy growing up. I would like to share what she sent me.           History of Mountain Mission Schools. Following the Civil War, northern churches decided there was a need for schools to educate the children of the newly freed slaves. At that time there were a lot of southern churches not anxious to take up that cause. So they decided instead that there was a need to educate children in the poor, remote areas of Appalachia.The first schools opened circa 1880,(circa is Latin for around about,Circa is widely used in genealogy and historical writing when the dates of events are not precisely known) and eventually they spread west of the Mississippi to the highlands of Arkansas circa 1915. Mountain Mission Schools differed from other church sponsored schools in that they also championed social uplifting. They offered classes in agriculture, blacksmithing, carpentry, printing, crafts and domestic skills. Some schools opened their communities first health clinics. They often campaigned for improved roads, and battled bootleggers and moonshiners. Mountain Mission Schools maintained an emphasis on improving a communities standard of living. They crafts were often sold to support the family or school. They found a large market for these "mountain crafts" in the big cites on the east coast. Mountain Mission Schools faded from existence during the Great Depression. A lack of funds and the building of public schools were responsible for their demise. Their academic standards were emulated by new local public schools being built at the time. Most Mountain Mission schools ceased to exist once a community found the funding to build a public school system. The Mountain Mission schools improved educational opportunities for children in rural communities. Their graduates were often the first in their community to attend college.Sources "Mountain Mission Schools" by Brooks Blevins in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. "Mountain Mission Schools in Arkansas by Brooks Blevins in Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Winter 2011.                                                                                                                                                                              The Last standing Baptist Mountain Mission School in Arkansas. There appears to have been about 15 Mountain Mission Schools in Arkansas.They were operated by 7 different denominations.The Baptist operated more M.M. schools in Arkansas than any other denomination. In 1915 the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptists stated to take up the Mountain Mission work in Arkansas. it launched a campaign that would bring 5 academies and 1 junior college into their Mountain Mission School program. The first 2 Academies to open were located in existing buildings. The third , the Carroll County Institute appears to be the first to be built from the ground up. . Baptist Mountain Mission schools were located in Randolph, Baxter, Carroll, Johnson, Newton, Montgomery Counties.                     The  History of the Mo-Ark Academy. The Academy began in 1916 with the first class attending in 1918. It was located on a 10 acre campus, the land being donated by Wilson E. Butler. The Academy had many names over the years but is known by most as the Mo-ark Academy. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Mo-Ark Academy. It was first named the Carroll County Academy, then the name changed to the Montview Institute. It was called the Armo Academy for a period of time as well. The campus included 3 buildings, the school, a girls dorm and and later a boys dorm was added. The girls dorm and school are still standing. Student tuition was $2.00, grades 2-5, and $5.00, for senior high school. The Principal was LouElla Austin, she was a college trained teacher from Texas. Taken from the "Oak and Laural, A Study of the Mountain Mission Schools of the Southern Baptists" by Mabel Swartz Withoft, " the Montview boasted an impressive 2 story schoolhouse featuring a auditorium and stage that could seat 175 People." The stage remains in its original condition today. The brick for the building was made on-site. The one in Blue Eye appears to be the last one of the six Baptist Mountain Mission school still standing.                                                                                                                                                        I have written the history of the Mo-Ark Academy for the Mo-Ark Academy Restoration Fund. We are trying to restore the structure so that it can function as a community center. It is in fairly good condition considering the age and deterioration due to a leaky roof. So far money has been raised through fund raisers and material and labor volunteers to repair the roof, replace some floor joists and support beams, a asbestos survey was done ( none found) and we have begun work on replacing the windows of which there are 48 in all.
       So I asked Pam if I could post on here where to send donations if people wanted to help restore. a Historic Land site and this is what she sent me. So if you can find it in your heart and can afford to help, here is the info.                                                                   

 Donations can be made to the Mo-Ark Academy Restoration Fund, P.O.Box 93, Oak Grove,Arkansas 72660. Or contacting any member. Johnny Bilyeu , President, Pam Jones Sheridan,Secretary or Donna Plumlee Curtis, Treasurer. We also have a facebook page "Mo-Ark Academy". We will also have a fundraising booth at the Blue Eye Reunion on Aug. 31, 2013.

The Ozarks early 1900's

I have read and listened to stories of this time from my granny.  Hillbillies or hill folk came to the Ozarks from all over the world looking for land to live off of and to make a living and feed their family's.  Some came as far away as Sweden,  Italy, Ireland, Germany,  Norway,  and other places. I have a lot of Irish and Cherokee in my bloodline.  Most people were born in cabins with dirt floors and grew up on the farm and fields working daylight to dark. People most of the time had a lot of children to help them work the farm. Starting before daylight sometimes doing chores like slopin' hogs, milking the cows, feeding the mules, horses, chickens, picking eggs, or working the garden. If there was a one room school house in the area, they would walk to school and sometimes with out shoes. If you could afford shoes, sometimes they where saved for church on sunday along with your best outfit. Teachers wasn't payed much at all and sometimes instead of pay, they was payed with eggs or vegetables.  They carried their lunch with them such as a hardboiled egg, biscuit,  or cured meat. The pioneer's really had a way with cooking with what they had available to them. Since everything had wood stoves for heat and cooking,  a lot of the discipline was cutting and chopping wood with hand saws and a axe. Dinner would most always include prayer and giving thanks to God, and would be some type of soup, beens, cornbread, maybe even pork or goat. I was told most of the time the meat was goat, pork, or chicken. The beef was to valuable to eat because you got your milk from the cows and sold or traded the beef, a lot of people even drank the goats milk and made butter with it and cheese. After dinner they might bring out the fiddle or instruments they had or made and play and sing for entertainment unil bed time. The weekends sometimes was filled with barn dances,  square dances,  church socials, it was full of friends and family's that would dance and visit. They had games such as marbles for the kids and a lot of the time they made there own marbles by picking out a round rock and rubbing or sanding it down smooth.  Adult games might be arm wrestling,  or seeing who had made the best pie, most everything was simple in the way they lived except the hard work they did. On Sundays most everyone went to the local church that everyone had pitched in and helped build, a lot of the times the pews was made out of logs cut in half. Most people lived along the creeks and rivers and the trail would most usually pass close from one cabin to the other. But if you was on a long trip by horse, mule, or even walking they would camp in the woods along the trail. If you passed by a cabin people would always invite you in for some food and rest. My granny told me it was scary to travel at night sometimes because you could hear a panther, mountain lion, or something follow you and all you could do was keep your lantern turned up bright and hope you had enough oil in it to get to where you where going. I wish granny was here to see me writing on this touch screen tablet and see how easy we have it today. Most of us garden and raise animals for a hobby instead of a living. I wish I could taste her homemade pies that we can not reproduce no matter how much we read her recipes and try. I loved listening to her stories and hearing her sang hymns no matter if she was in the garden or cooking.  Even though I got to spend a lot of time with her and learned stuff as a young boy I would love to ask her so many questions now. So I am writing a blog to share the stories and folklore of the Ozarks,  so that my children and others might take a interest in the history here and the long had struggles,  peace, happiness,  and the love of the Lord, will not be forgotten.

Blue Eye and the Wilderness Road

About 30 miles or so southwest of Branson Missouri is Blue Eye, stone counties most southern city.  It is so southern that there is a Blue Eye Missouri and a Blue Eye Arkansas. It is told that Indians use to live here prior to the white man coming here to settle.   Earlier settlers found numerous arrowheads, Stone hammers, and corn grinding trays which was made out of rock. The pioneers came from Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas. As more people moved into this area a rough wagon trail  was formed from Springfield through Reed Springs, Blue Eye, and then to the northern Arkansas and it was called the Wilderness Trail. As the locals hauled eggs, butter, poultry, and goods on a 60 mile or so trip to Springfield Missouri to sell and trade it took roughly 3 days 1 way. The wilderness trail partly exist still today along the state highway 13 wondering back and forth across the hills and hollers. Elbert Butler,  a dark haired, blue eyed veteran of the civil war was the first postmaster when the post office was established in 1870. Then called him blue eye's and this is one of the stories of how Blue Eye got its name. In the year of 1883 the first Baptist church was formed,  and in 1918 the Southern Baptist Conventional and locals built a school known as Mo-Ark Baptist Academy. My grandmother told me she would walk there from the Oak Grove area to school.  It closed in the 1930's and so, with help of the W.P.A. (work projects administration), a new school was built with part of it still including the Blue Eye school.  The old school building still stands on the Missouri and Arkansas line. These are the facts that I have found and apologize if any of them are incorrect.  The one thing this hillbilly can say is that I loved the school, teachers, and the community. The friend's and neighbor's was so good to help each other and I can't think of a better place to grow up in and live and raise my children and grandchildren.  In 1987 I graduated  in a class of 32 people that I love dearly, even though it was a small school we were always ahead in everything we did and kids now are even going to colleges like MIT and all over. Maybe its the times of growing up in school that I remember that we had a bible teacher that came to our classroom and and taught us about God in my younger years until the government said they couldn't.  I remember growing up with friend's that we went to church together before we even started school. I am so proud that even for many years the kids and teachers cant have a open bible class but they still teach and learn with all the honor, that they can give Christ the glory still.  If I offended you through my blogs talking about God I am sorry but I can't apologize.  Thank you for reading these words from someone born here in the Ozarks. God, family,  usa, may God bless us

One of our local fruits called Persimmons

Here in the Ozarks we have a tree called a persimmon tree, I still have several growing wild at my house. A lot of time's they grew close to gether. As kids we would climb them and sway them back and forth until we could grab another one to climb into (I guess it was cheap entertainment for us). We also would climb a small hickory tree until it bent over and tie a rope to the top and one at a time you would get on the tree while everyone else held the rope and tried to buck you off, but that's another story...lol.. Ok back to the persimmons. Persimmons grow to about the size of a golf ball and they have a seed in the middle of them. Many times we picked out the seed and split it open to see what the winter weather was going to bring. This is not a lie or folklore,  I have done it many times. When you split the seed the vain in the the center would resemble a fork, spoon, or a knife and I have seen all three at different times. The fork called for a mild winter that there was no snow to shovel,  the spoon called for a lot of snow you better get out the shovel, the knife called for a long cold sharp winter, I still check it every year and they have not been wrong yet. In the late fall the persimmon looks good and ripe and even falls off the tree, BUT if you dont wait until they are completely ripe, when you take a bite of one, your mouth will pucker and you will never forget the taste. When ripe they have such a sweet taste that our deer long for them also. As I read back thru old recipes that have been passed down I have came across some for persimmons. I dont know who the author of these are so I cant give them credit but I am sure glad they were passed on but I will put them as they read... _____Ozarks persimmon loaf,,,, mix 2 tbsp. of lard,, 3/4 cup of sugar,, 1 egg,, 1 cup of flour, , 1 tsp of baking powder, , 1 tsp of soda,, 1 cup of persimmon pulp,, 1 cup of black walnuts,, pour into loaf pan. Bake around 350 for 45 min. or until done. Makes 1 loaf.........____Persimmon bread...1 1/2 cups of sugar, , 2 eggs,, 1 3/4 cups of flour, , 1tsp of soda,, 1/2 tsp of cloves,, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg,, 1/2 tsp of raisins,, 1/2 cup of cooking oil,, 1 cup of persimmon puree,, 1/4 tsp of baking powder,, 1 tsp of salt,, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon,, 1/2 tsp of allspice...first make a puree by rubbing persimmons through a sieve or through a food mill. Measure oil in  mixing bowl,  add sugar and mix well. Then add eggs, persimmon puree, spices sifted with flour and lastly the raisins.  Turn into 3 or 4 oiled pans, filling each one-half to two-thirds full. Bake 45 min at 350 or until bread is done........._____Persimmon pudding...1 c flour,, 1 tsp salt,, 1 tsp cinnamon,, 1 c persimmon pulp,, 2 tlb melted butter,, 1 c chopped dates,, 1 c sugar,, 1 tsp soda,, 3/4 c milk,, 1 tsp vanilla,, 3 egg yokes beaten,, 1 c chopped nuts... combine and sift all dry ingredients, add the remaining ingredients,  mix and pour into baking dish, bake at 350 until done.........I am looking forward to trying these recipes,  but most of all I found another recipe that even sounds better.
The recipe for a happy home...
8 cups of love
4 cups of loyalty
3 cups of understanding
2 cups of caring
4 spoons of hope
2 spoons of tenderness
1 bushel of faith
1 wheelbarrow load of laughter
Take love and loyalty,  mix thoroughly with understanding.  Blend it with caring, hope, and tenderness.  Add faith and laughter.  Mix well. Bake it in sunshine and serve in huge portions every day.
God, Family,  USA, may God bless us