Branson Fiddle Festival 2011

This weekend we had an extraordinary time at Branson's 23rd annual Fiddle Festival!

People came from all over the United States to enjoy great old time fiddle, guitar and banjo music and to enter the old time fiddle contest.  

Contestants from Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and

August on the Homestead

Life has been so busy that I frequently have to get out early in the morning to enjoy the peaceful dawn as the world wakes and also to be able to enjoy God's miracle of creation right in our very own yard.

The butterflies have covered the Anise Hyssop and Butterfly bushes this year, so much so that they seem

Fresh Garden Veggies for Dinner

Fresh picked sweet corn, there's nothing that says summer more!  We can make a meal out of just sweet corn and we practically did last night except for the fact that we had so many other fresh vegetables to use that we more or less over did it at the dinner table!  There has been a blessing of zucchini, crookneck squash, and sweet peppers......so for the first time this year I put them together in a stir fry.  Delicious!!

When you've made all the Zucchini Bread you care to make,

Making Blackberry Jam

Making blackberry jam, or any jam, is about the easiest canning project there is.  

Todays Homestead.....

New Life on the Homestead

 Life has been going at a dead run these past few months.  If any of you are farmers, homesteaders or simply gardners, you can relate.  This latest event has given me cause to pause and enjoy new life.  A few days ago, our Millie girl gave birth to a calf.  She has been given the name of 'Junebug'.  

 

Needless to say, with Mama protecting her,

Devastating Tornado in the Ozarks

Living in the Ozarks, you have a constant mindfulness of how deadly storms can be.  It doesn't consume our way of life, but it plays a major role in how we live.  Our little farm happens to be located in Tornado Alley.  

Growing up here, we used to only have to be watchful of the storms in the spring.  Now, it is every storm, no matter what season.  

Every Ozarker has their own "tornado" story to tell, but I can tell you