Hurricane Relief

Welcome Sign at Mountain Springs Cabins

A small hurricane arrived on the mountain very early Monday morning in the form of seven travel-weary young adults and their 3 lively children--4 and 2 years and 4 months. We were expecting them as they had called earlier inquiring about an opening in one of our cabins. They told us every place they called was already booked with others escaping the furies of the storm. The Labor Day holiday made it especially difficult to find an available hotel room or cabin. There was no room at the inn here either, but we told them to come up anyway, and we would find them a place.

They traveled in the dark, a caravan of two vehicles on unfamiliar roads, up and down and around endless mountains so different from their flat delta homeland. They pulled in to our drive just before daybreak. We had prepared all guest beds, and inflated air mattresses in anticipation. Bleary-eyed and disheveled, they quickly spread out all over the house from loft to basement. Then all was quiet for a couple of hours. Jack and I sat on the porch with our coffee watching the sunrise--a brilliant red sky. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.

Our Texas guests from Eagle's Rest Cabin were off early the next day, so we were able to get our group settled in their own cabin by mid-morning. But only after we had fed the babies, consumed a couple of pots of coffee, and made real introductions all around.

Three 3 siblings, their spouses and their babies, and a cousin--well-mannered, self-confident, and with those gracious southern manners, a result of being raised in the south--where everyone older than you are is addressed as "Miss" or "Mr" preceding your first name. Their soft, southern Louisiana/ Cajun' dialect brought back memories and added to their charm. We accepted their invitation to supper last night--wonderful meal prepared in the confines of the small cabin. We were drawn right in as a part of the family--almost literally. Without our prompting, the children began calling us "Uncle Jack" and "Aunt Camille"! (It's a "southern thing"-- we know from living in South Arkansas most of our lives.)

They came as our guests, they will leave as our friends. And we are reminded as to why we love our job as cabin hosts.

May God bless them as they make their way home today!

Up-Hill

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?

Yes, to the very end.

Will the day's journey take the whole long day?

From morn to night, my friend...

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?

Of labour you shall find the sum.

Will there be beds for me and all who seek?

Yea, beds for all who come.

Christina Rossetti

Where Did Summer Go?

Hummingbirds at the feeder

No doubt, the hungry hummers are asking this question as they drink our four feeders dry several times a day! I am looking out the window as I write, and a cool rain is falling, with predictions for more this week. Temps have been in the 60's at night now for almost two weeks. Growing up in the south (and I don't consider the Ozarks south!) I have never been a fan of long, hot, humid summer days that linger well into what should be the fall season. But, here we are mid-August with what seems like the end of summer. I'll take it!

There is a maple tree down the road that always gets in a hurry for autumn. Every year its leaves turn brilliant yellow weeks before the other trees have even thought about fall color. We watch for it every year and think of it as a promise that no matter how hot the August days, autumn is right around the corner. The tree is a mass of yellow and gold--this week! Is that a sign of an early fall and winter?

The NEWTON COUNTY TIMES published a picture of a hornets' nest only a foot or so off the ground. Old-timers claim that is a sign of a long, cold winter! Maybe, but the same week our neighbor found a hornet's nest in his last year's deer stand--rather high up in the tree! I haven't seen many woolly worms yet. I think the saying is the more stripes the colder the winter or the less stripes the colder the winter, or something like that.

The rains and cooler weather have breathed new life in the flower garden. The cool breezes inspired me to get out there and pull a few weeds. And, of course, move a few rocks. My rock patio is a never ending project since the rocks on our mountain are never ending. I am limited only by the size of the rocks I can move from one place to another. And, now with Jack's new tractor, the size has increased immensely!

A friend gave me a few Koi to put in my little pond by the patio. They are reproducing in her natural spring pond so fast she has to give them away! I went to the pet store to get the esssentials necessary for caring for them. Believe me, they aren't "free" fish any longer! We are trying to decide what to do with them over the winter. Looks like they may be a "school of fish" in more than one way. Jack will move them to the large aquarium he inherited when he began teaching science at Jasper High School.

Well, the hummers are flying around the window again. A sure sign that the feeders are empty. They show no sign of heading south, so I guess fall isn't really upon us yet. But I will enjoy these wonderful days no matter what the calendar shows!

Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Is It Fall Yet?

McFerrin Point Near Compton in early fall

If you aren't up here in the mountains now, you ought'a be! After some hot days in July, it seems we have skipped the rest of August and jumped right into the wonderful early fall weather of September. I don't hear any complaints! With temps in the 60's at night and 80's daytime I can't think of any place I had rather be. Our cabin guests from Texas say the same thing!

Jack started school this week--always a mix of not wanting summer to be over, yet anticipating the excitement of a new school year. I remember those days of anxious little faces starring at me from the back of the classroom. I'm not sure who was more intimidated--the teacher or 30 brand new first graders!

Summer guests have been lots of fun. We've had a honeymoon couple--one comes from Alaska and the other Hawaii; a group of college friends from Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Texas; another group of friends who were saying goodbye to one going to Iraq for a tour of duty; families from all over-- California to Tennessee, Louisana to Minnesota, and even France! There was the family with five little boys who jumped in Deer Pond to cool off. And the lady who sat under the stars until midnight only to find out she had locked herself out of the cabin! She had to walk up the hill, barefoot, in pj's, to ask us for a key (thank goodness, we keep flashlights in the cabin for emergencies!) One couple from Mississippi loved the area so much they bought a cabin just down the road from us! It just proves our saying--"You'll want to stay forever!" We are looking forward to more guests as we continue to book for the fall and winter. Fall days in the cabins are filling fast! Call us soon!.

Elk are gathering in the valley. One guest reported seeing a "good size bull" and, with the cooler weather , we expect to get reports of bulls bugling soon. What an awesome sound and sight! It will bring shivers of excitement to be out there in the early morning-- mist rising out of the valley, sun peaking over the mountains, the shrill call of a bull elk echoing across the fields and bouncing off the river bluffs. It will also bring chills to the bone, so bring a jacket! A thermos of coffee hits the spot also!

If you can't join us on the mountain, join us on the web. We have a new newsletter--comes out just once a month--with pictures, news, stories(mostly true!), happenings, and even a coupon for cabin specials. Visit our website http://www.mountainspringscabins.com/ and sign up. In the meantime---Happy Fall!!

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of Heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

Welcome Folks!

Eagle's Rest Cabin Welcome Bear at Mountain Springs Cabins

I always say we have the nicest and most interesting people visit our cabins. They come as our guests and leave as our friends.

This poem was written by Kenny Hill after he and his wife stayed at Eagle's Rest Cabin. I will always treasure it.

EAGLE'S REST

A little cabin on the side of a mountain

Watching over the valley below

Covered porches with rocking chairs

And a little bear that we loved so.

There is no way you can really explain it...

The feeling you get just from being here.

You can almost reach out and touch the clouds.

You smile, knowing God is so near.

The awesome beauty of the Buffalo River,

Mountain springs that never run dry,

Wildlife seems to be everywhere!

Amazed, you can only sigh!

It is a place where I'll never forget.

Pictures in our hearts will not soon fade away.

The warmth and hospitality offered to us

Makes us long to come back again some day.

But, if we never travel this way again,

We're certain we've been at the best.

A place where God is welcomed and lives are touched.

A place where the eagles rest.

Kenny Hill

Because of email address changes, job transitions, new computers etc., we have lost touch with Kenny and his wife. He has sent more guests our way, as well more of his poems, and we thank him. Kenny, if you are out there--We are still on the mountain and the little welcome bear is ready and waiting for your return.

"Summertime and the Livin' is Easy"

Lucky Swimmer on the Buffalo River

Jack just opened his "Back To School" letter. It's a shock to realize summer vacation is almost over! And the cabin paint job isn't finished, the shelves in the closet aren't built, we haven't even made our annual fishing/floating trip! Where did those "lazy, hazy" days of summer go? Our days are a whirl of cabin guests coming and going, preparing the cabins for the next guests, and squeezing in a little "down" time for ourselves in between.

We have especially enjoyed the live music at the cafes in Jasper, (not to mention the good food!). Joe Villines is a talented blue grass singer as is his brother and wife, Pat and Mattie. They have also brought in others, all winners of various music awards, such as the Honey Dewdrops. Check them all out on "My Space" .

Cabin guests are always fun. They come as strangers, and leave as friends. We enjoyed getting to know the family from Louisiana who decided to take a road trip to the Ozark Mountains on their Harleys. They miscalculated their travel time, as well as gas mileage, and literally coasted down the last mountain to the bottom of our driveway--at 10 o'clock P. M.! We always leave the light on, and in this case, were anxiously watching for them. Jack gassed them up, and they settled in Deer Pond Cabin for the night. Being so late, they didn't get into Jasper in time to buy groceries so they were "running on empty" in more than one way the next morning! With a sandwich or two from us, they were out for a day of exploring. They returned to the cabin that evening in time to make a blackberry pie with berries picked in the cabin yard. We supplied the sugar and enjoyed a delicious dessert with our new Louisiana friends.

The rains continued to keep the river up and floatable. That has attracted a lot of families to the area to canoe and kayak. Looks like real summer weather is here with temps rising, but that's okay. Our families are now finding the swimming holes, fishing, touring caverns and having a great time. We love to read the notes they leave in the cabin journals.

Here's one recently written by some Eagle's Rest Cabin guests:

"Last night I lay on a blanket and watched the stars with my two-year old...I watched the whole sunset for the first time in my life...my twelve-year old left his video games long enough to canoe the river with me. And he enjoyed it!... I remember why I love my husband... We will be back!"

Come make wonderful memories at Mountain Springs Cabins. It will give your children something to write about in that "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" essay!

"It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest and living close to nature." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Welcome to my Ozark Mountain Garden

My Ozark Mountain Garden

When Jack and I married, our first house was duplex on a college campus--basic student housing. If those little houses were there today, they would be considered historic structures. The white wooden buildings were part of the Rohwer Japanese Internment during World War II. When we lived in them, they were a row of little one-story apartments just off to the east of the football stadium. An easy walk to campus. Our first spring there, Jack borrowed a shovel and dug up a little piece of ground just under the living room window for my first flowerbed--pink petunias. It was the beginning of a series of flowerbeds that have multiplied each time we have moved.

Today, Jack is still digging flowerbeds. The little borrowed shovel has turned into a new Kabota tractor--his pride and joy. Mine too! We can now move dirt, logs, rocks of all sizes, and anything else that isn't attached to the mountain.

When we first saw our 65 acres with the remains of a burned down house with an old fence surrounding the backyard, I had no idea of the joys that were in store for me! This yard was once a barnyard, and the soil is so rich that I usually don't have to add more nutrients. And rocks! They are mine for the taking! I have outlined beds, laid walking paths and patios, built stonewalls and steps, and have the beginnings of a water garden with a waterfall and fishpond. Only time and my aching back keep me from going crazy!

I love to share my garden with our guests. Most of my plants have come from friends and family, and many guests and friends leave with a seed packet of hollyhocks, Angel Trumpets, or Mexican Hats, or a clump of whatever is blooming at the time. Most of the flowers in my garden are "pass-alongs". And, so I continue the practice. I also have plants that I brought from my yard in Hamburg that have special family ties such as the dark pink phlox that grows by my fence just as I remember it growing near the fence in my grandmother's backyard when I was a little girl. It's roots are from those old, original plants. Also, the day lilies from Jack's mother yard, and the pink old-fashioned rose I call "Aunt Marie's Rose" have a special place in the garden.

Today, if you were to visit Mountain Springs, you could probably take home a clump of Butter and Eggs, a vigorous little yellow snapdragon-like flower that blooms from early spring to frost, and spreads like wildfire! Soon, I will be collecting seeds from Coreopsis, Blanket Flower, fever few, and hollyhocks. We have a sack of daisy seeds already. Along with these flowers, the hummers and butterflies and bees are really enjoying the lavender, oregano, garden phlox, butterfly weed, and butterfly bush blooms. The wildflower seeds that I sowed several years ago make a wonderful "natural" area outside the fence. The seeds are collected every year and planted each spring. And, outstanding this year, are my "Candy Stripe" zinnias. I have never had such a wonderful "crop" of zinnias, though I never miss growing them somewhere in the garden, this year they are something to brag about!

I hope you will check in occasionally for updates on what is growing in my garden. I love to walk around the yard and talk about my plants and flowers. We might even get our hands dirty!

Just living is not enough..

One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.

Hans Christian Anderson

All Creatures Great and Small

Our mountain is teeming with 'critters' this time of year. Some are welcome some are not.

Our deer are a welcome sight. We are still feeding a small herd each afternoon. We now see the mothers bring their fawns out in the open when they come. It is always fun to watch them chase, play, and interact with each other, just as all children do. I even notice when mom has had enough, and gives the little fellow a bump' with her nose to show her disapproval.

The little bluebird couple are still hanging around. They chose a box in the backyard to raise their little ones. These babies are now on their own. She never seemed to be too concerned about them, and he did a lot of the childcare, or fledgling care, while she sat at our window and looked in. We can count on seeing her each morning at our bedroom window. Then, in the afternoon she joins us at the living room window while we are reading the paper. The couple seem to be leaning towards housekeeping in the box on the porch. That is just about as close to the house as she can get without moving inside! I have become accustomed to seeing her each morning as she joins us for our first cup of coffee. I expect she has been up since first light, has eaten her breakfast, and is wondering why we are such sleepyheads, staying in bed until 6 in the morning! This little couple is welcome to share a few early morning moments with us.

Speaking of early morning! We always see a family of rabbits scampering around the backyard when we look out the kitchen window while pouring that first cup of coffee. If we are quiet, they will stay until we let the dogs out for the day. Other than nibbling a few green shoots in early spring, they don't seem to bother the garden too much. They are welcome as long as they eat only their share.

And then there are the UN welcome ones---

One night this week as I stepped out on the porch just before going to bed, my eye caught a shadow undulating across the yard toward the porch. Being familiar with the movement and scent, I realized that Mr. Skunk was making a visit. I called for Jack, though I knew we were not going to do any kind of confrontation with the critter being that close to the house.

And close he was! After shinning his light around under the porch, Jack declared him gone! I think not! I went to the back door to close it and heard a scuffling sound very near. Mr. Skunk was checking out the dog food bowl! Or, at least checking to see if we had accidentally left it out, as we had done the night before. Fooled him! Again, I called Jack to come see. His light revealed no critter on the back porch.

Then, I went to the side door close it. From the scent of things, Mr. Skunk was very near, and I saw a form scuffle away from the door as I again, for the third time, called Jack to bring his light. Mr. Skunk was obviously playing a game of hide and seek around the porch with us. Jack never saw him. I saw him three times that night.

Because skunks, even those with a playful sense (scents) of humor are really not welcome around here, Jack set out a trap--Have-a-Heart, of course. He baited it with dog food dipped in barbecue sauce (sounded good to him) and placed it in a place not too near the house, but within the path he had come the night before. The next morning the trap was empty, but the barbecued dog food was gone! Mr. Skunk is such a joker!

The next night, same trap, same bait--no skunk! But it was very obvious he had left his "mark"! On the third night, Jack moved the trap a little further from the house, thinking we may have made him a little wary of us! Ha! I doubt it! Mr. Skunk isn't worried about us!

End of story--We never were successful in catching Mr. Skunk, who hasn't been heard, seen, or smelled of since. However, that next morning when we checked the trap, a very large brown raccoon was puffed up and very mad about getting caught. (I think Mr. Skunk tricked him into crawling into that trap.)

The rest of the story--Jack relocated Mr. Raccoon down on Possum Trot Road. Yes, there is a Possum Trot Road. Just come up here and we will take you there! You may even see Mr. Raccoon--and, of course, a possum or two!

When the sun has slipped away and the dew is on the day,

Then the creature comes to call (that) men malign the most of all...

All he asks is that men let him be.

Robert T.Coffin