Waterwoyks. Niagara Falls. A good cry.

So, I'm watching The Last of the Mohicans last night and found myself sobbing, literally, at the part where they're hiding beneath the waterfall and Daniel Day-Lewis' character tells his love that she can't survive the jump over the falls, that when the Indians capture her she's to stay alive, she's strong, she just needs to stay alive, and no matter what, "I will find you." Ugghh.  That slays me.  

The end of that movie finds me gasping and sobbing and blubbering and the music, dangit, does NOT help.  I cry during Quigley Down Under because of the music. And fuhget about Out of Africa.  Just because of the music.

But maybe I'm a sick-o or something, but I always feel BETTER after a good movie-cry. Maybe its because that movie has nothing to do with my life, and the tears are cleansing, and then I can just turn off the DVD player. Suddenly, your problems seem so trivial and normal and fix-able. That's great.  So, if you find yourself with a few hours to kill this rainy (around here) Labor Day weekend, and a great tearjerker is what ya' need, here are some of my doozies.

Of course.

I can't even watch this scene.  Her expression, searching for him, then the shock of the execution.  I close my eyes during this part of the movie, and cry just remembering it.

This movie is so underrated I think. The cast is great, the script is funny and sad, and for obvious I'm-in-love-with-a-pilot reasons this one really gets me.

I just noticed a lot of these musical scores are by John Williams.  Huh.

None of these are in any particular order, its just how they just popped in my head.

Titanic & Beaches can share a spot. For obvious reasons.

I just noticed a lot of these movies star Tom Hanks.  Huh.

And speaking of Brad Pitt, I've heard vicious rumors that Benjamin Button is evil, just evil, and must be destroyed.  I haven't had the fortitude as yet.  But the next time I need a time and heart killer, I'll rent it.  

Promise, Kilei.

OhMuhGosh. A source of angst.

We were pumped.  Boone pressure washed, we waited days until the wood was thoroughly dry (very trying in 90% humidity), and prepped for stain, we got our brushes and rollers and pans and drop cloths and taped everything off and... and... well, I didn't even have the heart to photograph the horror before we stripped and power washed the atrocity from sight.  I was too ashamed.

The Project:

The Inspiration:

The Nightmare:

So who knew that a color called, "Teak" in the can comes out "Burgundy Redwood Deck from the 80's" on the porch?  We even did TWO test patches on the back deck (less noticeable - thought we were so smart), not knowing some crazy chemistry would occur between the equation of sun exposure, weathering of the lumber, lighting during the viewing time of day, and who knows what else.  So, we've stripped - a NIGHTMARE of covering EVERY surface with plastic taped down during a VERY windy time of year (oh, yeah, try it some time. oodles of fun.) - and are preparing to clean, then sand with a large grit sandpaper, and then we'll go from there... 

I wish I'd had audio of our taping the plastic up during what we thought was a light breeze.  It was almost grounds for divorce. I think our three year-old was cursing. It was maddening and involved a tall ladder and yucky bugs and a grumpy husband.  

Choose your stain wisely, young grasshopper...

Thank bejeezus we stopped at the top landing.  Whew.

We'll be sure and post our pain, I mean our stain, as it occurs.  Please.  Enjoy.

Farewell to Summer.

So for Labor Day weekend, which always signals the farewell to summer around these parts, I think we'll be posting an ode to our symbols of summer.  If the weather participates, we'll swim in a creek, make a last batch of ice cream, boast a post of Boone's (my husband's) perfected hickory-smoked ribs, a batch of homemade lemonade, the perfect BLT, the perfect GBT... intriguing ... and how to make THE best gnocchi (read: fluffy delicious little potato dumplings) and homemade basil pesto, which as we all know, can be used on ANYTHING, and is the essence of the summer herb garden.  

Hint: this has EVERYTHING to do with a GBT (mentioned above).

We grew our tomatoes in two pots on the patio this year.  Smaller fruit, smaller harvest, but very convenient and we could place them in full sun.  Next year, we'll try those upside-down jobbies.  I resisted them this year because they're FUGLY, but they DO produce. 

Topsy Turvy: Upside Down Tomato Planter

The basil, however, has ran us out of house & home. 

 I admit, by this time of year, my garden is weedy and buggy (the its-too-hot-outside bugs), and the plants that still produce hold a spot near and dear to my heart.

We're also going to be blogging (or attempting to) the huge headache refinishing our front porch has become.  But how can you tuck summer in without wrapping up all your summer to-dos?  Part and parcel with ice cream, man, part and parcel.  

So forage into your farmers market for as long as you can in your latitude (pipe down, non-seasoners), and savor the last of the labors and fruits of summer.

Something Wicked...

"Storms in the Distance, or South Dakota's Light Shows."

I've got just a few posts from South Dakota that I will thrust upon you Ozark-info-seekers here.  But hey, it IS an Ozarker's travels, so - ya' got that goin' for ya'.

This last visit to my Dad's in SD was a humdinger, filled with family, food, travels, partying, sight-seeing, and mostly a lot of laughs.  

Good family is so good to have.  

One thing this Ozarker has really noticed about South Dakota is the storms.  We think they roll in quickly in the Ozarks; but I'm beginning a theory that its the fact we can't SEE them. Unless you're keeping your eye on the radar, you are often surprised in the Ozark hills.  The trees are tall, the hills are, well, hill-y, and weather has a tendency to build over the top of us (storms don't always roll in, they often "pop" up).

In SD, however, storms are all around you that never hit you.  Makes for great little light shows in the distance on a gorgeous evening.  For example, this little humdinger we witnessed before the rest of the fam showed up on this last trip. I heard something rolling in the distance.  It had been such a clear evening and day.  So, I grabbed my poor camera and...

...took off running.  Obviously.

My "method" of photography here was to keep clicking.  I only took 14 shots if that tells you how constant the lightning was.  It was unbelievable.  The sky seems so huge in SD, and the storms in the distance are even more, somehow, ominous than the ones right over the top of you.  Please note the little raindrops on my little camera as I'm clicking...I'm clicking...

It looks like, why, yes.  Yes, I think something wicked this way DOES come.  Wait, huh?  Its very exciting, anyway.  This is as close as this one came.  But I would like to shout out to all the South Dakotans out there.  You guys sure can handle stiff winds and full grocery carts.  And I'm talking on a daily basis.  That's a little trick ya'll have to teach me. My 3 year old got blown across a Wal-Mart parking lot, and I think people just looked at me like, "What a terrible mother; and where are you from, anyway? Eh?" 

Truly though, they're hospitable, warm, friendly, helpful pepole.  And - you live in a beautiful, awe-inspiring state SDs.  Party on, Sturgis!!!  Thanks for letting us parade the kiddies through pre-party.  We are like, total posers, and we all, like, all of us, like totally got shirts.  And I think, like, totally we are all just letting our friends think we totally went to Sturgis.  I know I am.  Totally.   (Hey - I didn't SAY I did, I just didn't say I didn't.  Heh heh.)

Yours truly,

American Bad-Ass

Hints o' Haints

This is completely out-of-season, totally inappropriate considering my last post was, not only a month ago exactly, but the Fourth of July. Truly, folks, this is completely in keeping with my thought process.  

I am not a linear thinker.  So on that note...

I am getting SO excited about fall being around the corner I really couldn't resist the temptation of posting these photos my man took a couple weeks ago. 

Not to mention that being gone from "My Cozy Ozarks" really starts to dwindle your relevant blog fodder after awhile.  Bummer.

Somebody's gotta cue the, "Carrie", music here.  As in stop, click on the link, and then scroll down.  If you cheat, you suck.

Volume low and creepy.  Good. Good. Great.

Okay.

Ready?

Sure?

You should really open this in another window to enlarge.  (Can't ruin our creepily ambient movie music, right?  Take a good look, folks.  This is a bright and sunny day.  And this was taken three weeks ago.

eeeeks. this could BE the "Carrie" house... 

Let's pray.

Nobody else seen "Carrie" lately? No one?  Anyone?

*crickets chirping*

And, could I say, "Carrie", one more time? Cuz' its just SO much fun dealing with italics.

"Carrie"

This house is so scary.  It seems mad. This is something straight from the Foxfire books, such as, "The haint were standin' up in the top winder, an' I could see her plain as day, holdin' that baby a' hern"... 

So I haven't really read the Foxfire books, but I have flipped through the ghost, or "haint" [haunt], stories.  CHILLING.  I mean, let's chew on this for a sec.  What the heck is scarier than plain, simple ghost stories told by hard-working, simple people that live in the dark, deep woods all the time - and those hard-working simple people are recalling the ONE time they saw something that scared the tar out of them.  I mean, when they're scared, I am telling you, 

I am OUTTA THERE.  

The Foxfire books. Check them out some time.  This is kind of what our set looks like...

We were holding out on posting this, because we have so many spooky, abandoned places around here, we wanted to do a series throughout October of some of these places. "Haints, boogers, and witches..." is how the Foxfire series describes them.  

Boogers?  Really?  Did someone get something wrong in definition-land at some juncture; because I know I'm not the only one that in modern times that read that and thought..."scary boogers? yikes..."

And I think Foxfire 2 is the one I was flipping through. Though technically not an Ozark region reference, our people and those of the Appalachians run very parallel on many levels, especially back in the day.  I've heard the most horrifying supernatural stories from the most plain-spoken, hard-working people; and you know why?  They believe them with all their heart and soul.  Doesn't matter if it was Lester's Great-Granpappy that lived down the road or who, but by-gosh-by-golly, 

"...that's a true story, now."

Oh, and heads up. Severe lack of sound structure and a severe streak of yellow will probably limit the number of interior shots of these spookies; but the outside is good enough.  For me.

So consider this a teaser for now. Oh, and didn't you love the music?  Told ya' so.

The designer in me says, "fixer upper, gorgeous, just FABULOUS hints of southern combined with prairie architecture, complete with second-story screened sleeping porch, blah-blah-blah-buh-blah..."

The chicken in me just says, 

"run, stupid, run".

oooOOOOoooh.  Just cain't wait 'til...

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Sorry about the simple post, but such a busy day today!  Shutting the computer down for the day (except recipe software) and spending with the family!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!!

Angel Fire. How intriguing is that...

This was the view from my Dad's old house in Angel Fire, NM.  And not one of these photos were retouched by any software or anything else.  These are straight from the camera. I wanted you to see what it actually looks like.

It was majestic.  It was vast and sweeping.  Wheeler Mountain is just to the right of this shot, but I love this view the most...

This is what you saw when you looked from the kitchen, across the deck.  It had the best view of the "angel fire", I think, in town.  Monte Verde lake really makes this magical.

Oh. What is "Angel Fire" you say? Why, I'm so happy you asked.

Its...  

Well, its...

Well, you know what they say about a picture...

You can clearly see why the Utes thought the the light was spiritual to the point of being the fire of the spirits.  It was so soulful to stand and watch this, almost every night, in the summers in Angel Fire.  

Again, Dad, thanks for sharing this magical place with us.

I found this link describing some of the local history as to Angel Fire's moniker...

LEGENDS OF ANGEL FIRE

First came the Moache Ute Indians, who settled in the quiet Moreno Valley in the 1700's.  They stood in awe of the Orange glow atop Agua Fria Peak, and took it as a blessing on their rituals....an omen from The Great Spirit.

Then, a great fire threatened to destroy the forest.  The Ute Indians prayed for rain to save it....and the rain came just in time!  Thereafter, the Utes called this intervention "Angel Fire."

Along came the Franciscan Friars.  The Good Brothers called this mysterious mountain "The Place of the Fire of Angels."  The Friars thus added to the legends of the Indian.  Then in the 1860's the famed Indian Scout Kit Carson called the glow of morning sunlight on the trees sparkling with dew "Angel Fire." Early Maxwell land grant maps identified this mountain as "Angel Fire Peak."

The frontiersman came in search of gold!  By 1870 more than 7,000 residents had chased that legend by moving into the valley, removing a reported $1 million per day from gold, copper, and silver mines in the valley.  Desperados and priests, gamblers and visionaries; all have staked their claim here in the Moreno Valley....of which Angel Fire is the legendary crown jewel.

Angel Fire, NM.