Ozarks Alive

01/10/2026

I find stories at estate sales. Today was no different, as I walked into the amazing mid-century house that looked like it hadn’t changed since the 1950s.

There was the style – the patterned wallpaper to the bright-pink tile in the bathroom – that felt like one was walking into a Norman Rockwell painting. I frequent a lot of sales on Saturdays – when you find the greatest deals – and in many, items are staged on shelves and tables so you can see them easier.

This was not one of those sales. It didn’t appear to me that most of the home furnishings had been moved in decades, either. It was like they were waiting for a family to return. Given that this was my first visit to this home, I can’t say for certain things weren’t moved – but it felt very much like they had been in place for a very long time. Yet the family will never come back.

Those sorts of sales tug on my heartstrings a bit more. When it feels like you can see the story of others and wonder how things worked out for them. Who played with these toys; admired these pieces of art; chose the brown-and-white tweed couch and brightly-colored chairs?

I went home and tried to find out. I don’t have enough pieces put together to know for certain. But what I do know is that the house was built just a few years and a few blocks away from mine. It made me think about the time of Springfield when these houses were being built and what was going on in the world and the city at that time.

Even though that family’s chapter is closing, not all has been sent to the wind. I lifted a perfect vintage lamp from its perch, I wondered who previously plugged it into that outlet. As I removed a framed flower from the living room wall, I noticed the stamp of a local framer on its paper back that was so old it crumbled.

Those items moved down the street. I don’t know if they will live with me forever, but for the meantime, a piece of others who chose them – hopefully loved them – connects their story to mine, even though we’ve never met.

01/10/2026

The full-circle nature of history is seen at town fairs and squares…

I was recently looking through a book filled with photo-booth-style images that were taken in Arkansas in the 1930s and ‘40s. “Making Pictures: Three For A Dime” showcases the work of the Massengill family, who built a business on taking trailers equipped with cameras to communities so locals could have their picture made.

Years later, a family friend learned of the trove of images that remained from those days: Smiling faces of young and old, peering into the camera for a split-second moment in time. Then they could buy those pictures, three for a dime. They could pay extra for enlargements or hand-tinting.

“The client would come into the trailer and sit down on a stool that had a backdrop behind it and two bright lights, just a few feet from the subject, which was also the room that housed the darkroom,” the book notes. “The person working the camera took three shots and the positive paper was cut and processed immediately; much like the photo booth technology that was popular at that time.”

The images lead to quiet questions. What was special about this day?

“The Massengills understood that even in rough times, life continues: babies are born, children play, couples meet, and we all grow older,” the book’s intro stated. “Someone needed to be there to capture those moments, and the person could perhaps make a living doing it.”

I reached out to Maxine Payne, the photographer who led the book’s compilation, to see if I can learn more. I haven’t heard back, but I will update the post if I do. If you like pondering the who and why of ordinary moments and people you’ll never meet, this book is one I’d encourage you to check out.

In the meantime, it was especially meaningful when I was recently with a group of friends and one of them mentioned her daughter’s project: Printing photos on magnets for people at local fairs.

Technology changes, but some things about our world remain the same – and a desire to remember memorable moments is one of them.

01/09/2026

Community clubs have long held a place in the Ozarks. Some of these groups were started by MU Extension or the WPFA around education, while others were groups of neighbors who banded together for friendship and a common goal.

These clubs fascinate me, especially since a number of them continue today many years after their founding. We still have a need for connections with our neighbors.

This picture represents that reality: The quilt top was created by the Just-A-Mere Club in rural Dade County, Missouri, in 1935. Now, quilters tied to the Chadwick Friendship Club — including me — are completing the quilt.

Learn more about the legacy of these clubs in my most recent KSMU Notable MO-ments segment, and thanks to Missouri Humanities for sponsoring its creation.

Listen here: https://www.ozarksalive.com/stories/once-a-hub-in-the-rural-ozarks-community-clubs-continue-to-connect-friends

01/08/2026

If you ever need space to breathe and pause and feel, head for the hills. Turn around to see a beautiful sight (again). Stop at a country store. Stay a little longer than you should. Find some music — whether literal, or through the chirp of birds or the babble of flowing water that even with muddy edges seems refreshing. Life feels so alive here in the Ozarks.

01/08/2026

From the archive: In 2016, I wrote about what I call Ava's Barber-Shop Jam. I heard a group of musicians gathered at Gib & Todd's Barber Shop on Wednesday mornings to play tunes, and they let me stop by.

Today, while at a rural country store, I met a man who recently moved to the area. He said he'd looked up barbershops to try, found my story, and went there for a haircut. Even though things have changed (and the shop has moved) I'm glad the story is still helping show a unique slice of the Ozarks.

Musicians play at a weekly jam session, held at Gib & Todd's Barber Shop in Ava.

01/07/2026

This Salvation pie is headed to friends today and is a good — and simple — treat to make for cranberry lovers. (It’s also included in “The Ozarks Pie Project Diary” so some of you may have baked it, too!)

I share it more as a “picture for attention” moment. I really want to share about two other pies I made recently of which I sadly failed to get pictures.

One is another cranberry treat: Cranberry Streusel pie, which I found in a cookbook from Harmony Baptist Church near Rogersville. As my sister put it, this pie is like eating a holiday. It’s a simple pie to make, and the tartness of the cranberries is a nice balance to the sweet flavor.

On the other end of the sweetness spectrum, let me share a Lemon Chess pie from Hamlin Memorial Baptist in Springfield. Chess pies by definition are extremely sweet, but this one took things to a new level. The lemon balanced the sweetness, but when I make it again, I will probably reduce the sugar just a touch. That said, it still got a lot of rave reviews (and all was gone) when I took it to the McClurg Jam on Monday.

Recipes for both of these pies are in the comments. I hope you try them if they grab your fancy!

01/06/2026

The next “Notable MO-ments” episode for KSMU - Ozarks Public Radio is about the legacy of float tripping in the Ozarks. Today I stopped by Shell K**b to interview Tom Koob, who has written and researched the history of this topic.

Another stop was the Y Bridge in Galena. I think the bridge is a unique representation of this part of our culture: When built in the 1920s, it allowed visitors greater access to the Ozarks. Other bridges did, too. But I think this one is especially symbolic because it crosses a river that was — and is — a notable floating pathway.

It combined a place people wanted to go and a way to get there. Even though it’s closed to vehicular traffic, you can still walk across it today. (Read more about its history via a link in the comments).

The episode airs next Wednesday (Jan. 14) at 7:45 a.m. Thanks to Missouri Humanities for sponsoring this series!

01/06/2026

Change, yes. The word so many of us choose to see with blind eyes, filtered by a hope that springs eternal. Please let peace remain here in this place that feels its own.

I think that as I travel our Ozarks roads. Tonight it’s by foot, the quiet darkness speckled with stars and pierced by the pack of dogs howling into the night.

Perfection.

Quiet moments like tonight allow questions about who we are and our presence here. We feel the Ozarks is separate; that the outside world really doesn’t matter.

It feels easy to ignore bigger issues beyond our borders because they seem so far away from our peaceful hollows where the nights are so silent that the rustle makes you wonder what’s in the bushes.

Yet I feel called to write tonight because I think we do have to care. Not by name-calling or automatic knee-jerk affirmations that remind us why we’re right. But in ways where we show, and remind ourselves, why we care — about others and an order where we strive for everyone to be “seen.”

Some might argue that things aren’t any different nowadays. That they’ve been bad before and they’ll be bad again. They’ll blame wrongs away. In my opinion, this does nothing beyond affirming one’s desire to be right. Real discussion, with the hope of consensus, is a greater goal.

Some may ignore this post or get riled up or say I shouldn’t be political. I say these things because my heart, like so many, is weary of conflict and strife. Order matters. Norms matter. People matter.

As I walk the quiet country road tonight, all I can think is that I hope this is the way our world will always be: To live and let live.

And it is my hope that we as a people can be humble and realize when we are wrong. A change of heart is not a sin.

01/05/2026

Yesterday was an Oldfield Opry night for me. I always so appreciate this free weekly show — it's been running in rural Christian County since the 1970s and takes the dedication of many to keep it going.

Most of the time, the folks everyone sees are the musicians. But today, I want to thank these ladies — Peggy Grimes and DJ Robertson — who have been behind the concession stand nearly every time I've been at a show.

They aren't the only behind-the-scenes folks who make things happen (the sound and light crew are much appreciated, too). But I wanted to take this opportunity to thank them for their work: It’s a big part of the experience, and helps supports the show. I also want to wish Peggy a happy birthday. She turned 87 a couple of days ago!

I've written about the Opry several times over the years. Click here to read the most recent article: https://www.ozarksalive.com/stories/oldfield-opry-builds-community-through-music

01/03/2026

It’s a cookbook-hunting day in Carthage for more vintage Ozarks pie recipes to share with you all. I ended up with six, most from Goad's Antiques. A special shoutout goes to whoever owns this booth in the back - nearly every time I’m in town, I find cookbooks here. Thank you!

I’ve got so many Ozarks cookbooks at this point that I generally do look through each one before deciding to buy to make sure there are pie variations I have yet to try. I’ve included a few examples here - stay tuned for (hopefully) successful pies for you to try, too!

P.S. If you’re in Carthage, a new boutique-slash-art stop is next door. Sarahendipity is very cute!

01/02/2026

In 2026, I want to do a better job of "resharing" stories from Ozarks Alive's archive. Here's one featuring Karlin, a community in Polk County, Missouri, where immigrants from Bohemia (today's Czech Republic) settled in the late 1800s.

Even though the community has disappeared, the cemetery with its distinctive crosses remains — as do family names, still carried by Ozarkers today.

KARLIN - Pockets of immigrants have long chosen to leave all they've known and, out of the whole world, make the Ozarks their home. Some examples include Pulaskifield, where the Polish settled; the Germans went to the likes of Rader, Lockwood, Billings and Freistatt. Hispanics have come to areas ar

01/02/2026

Superstitions say what you do January 1 is what you’ll do all year. I traveled through one of my favorite (admittedly, of many) rural Ozarks areas to explore and snap photos. I hope this is what I’ll be doing all year!