Donna Ferrato's first view of domestic violence. |
8.29.2014
the wrong kind of blues
8.28.2014
the right kind of blues
#whyicometotheozarks |
Everything in this picture is under water #soclear |
Blues Springs flows into the Current River in Missouri |
8.27.2014
goodbye to all this
West Plains Farmer's Market |
Yingdong Zheng and hubby |
She and her husband met on line. "I still remember seeing her at the airport in China when we met," he says. "She was wearing this blue dress, and she looked so beautiful. She still fits into it too."
Now her son from a previous marriage is in college, her mother is growing the bok choy in their garden and they just celebrated their tenth anniversary.
8.26.2014
everywhere a sign
Something about the laundromat always gets me. It's called The Washboard, and sure enough washboards hang on the wall as decor. People who have actually used one other than in a jug band are thin on the ground even here. My plumber, however, says he grew up without plumbing in a house with dirt floors. I bet his mom used a washboard.
Saw another sign of the area on a T-shirt: "They can''t take these guns away." Girl was wearing it right over her bazookas.
8.25.2014
the bouquet
Outside the Goose |
For those of you who read this blog and have been complaining about too many pix and not enough writing, if you were present at the gala Entertainment last night, you will know why there are not more words this morning. In fact, be very proud that your correspondent even found a picture to post.
8.22.2014
8.21.2014
asking $35,000
For Sale |
A fair number of people have suggested I import my friends to repopulate Thomasville, which seems to be losing faster than it's gaining. Don't all clamor for this place at once.
8.19.2014
missouri wildlife
One of the local watering holes, the Klepzig Mill, near Eminence, Mo. |
Local fauna, at Rocky Falls, Mo. |
8.18.2014
well, i'll be
I woke up when the house shook from the pounding. |
Welding on another length of pipe. |
"Don't you go telling my wife!" joked Skip, the welder.
They call it a "drove pipe well" around here. I don't know what it would really be called other than a piece of pipe in the ground. Harley's machine pounded down one 8' length, then another until, 19' down, they hit the river level. The water came up about 6' in the pipe. This ayem Randy and I go to town to buy a new pump, a new pressure tank and fittings. Then he will install and I may be able to take an actual shower instead of a dribble. Still won't drink the water, though the next-door neighbors all do from the same type of well.
"You know what the only cash crop in the Ozarks is?" Randy asked me.
"No," I said.
"Newcomers."
8.16.2014
police action in missouri
Just think, if my crape myrtle (left and right) had grown properly I wouldn't have been able to see all five police vehicles. |
View from where I sit. |
"Fuck you, you know you're going to have to let me go in five minutes, I know my rights," shouted one man. So I knew that they had had run-ins with the law before.
The one with the big jailhouse muscles was taken away. The woman driver was taken away. The car was loaded on a truck and taken away. And somebody came to fetch the skinny ones home to Birch Tree. It was dark by then.
So you see, it isn't all white-on-black police action in Missouri. White meth addicts get the troops out in force too. Course the suspects are all still alive. . .
The three suspects, handcuffed in front of Bear's house. Did no evil? |
8.15.2014
not renting yet!
Waves in front of the Block island properties |
Sorry. I am not booking new people until after I find out which of the old ones are coming back. I will deal with that in November. In January there may be a few weeks left. Get with me then. With two houses, it's like putting together a puzzle, and my brain might seize up if I booked year round. One month is all I can take. January. Be there.
8.14.2014
ah, to be young
8.13.2014
foodies in the ozarks?
The Chomping Donkey food truck |
Plum Food Group truck and catering hq. |
Are we in Austin? This can't be West Plains (pop @10,000) Missouri. But yes, two food trucks decided to open up simultaneously, serving organic fast food with a few pretensions—sweet potato fries, bbq with bacon, crawfish rolls, tacos and carnitas. You can find the Chomping Donkey at the Farmers' Market on Saturday, and Plum Food group at the flea market by the railroad tracks several days a week.
Check Facebook for hours and specials. Both serve Ozark pop with Real Sugar and feature Nice Young People as chefs.
8.12.2014
roundup
Madison and 35th. Kate Knapp |
And speaking of New York, here's a map of NYC places mentioned in songs. Love maps.
And while on the East Coat, here's a crib sheet for what fish it's correct to eat. And which not. . .
And speaking of maps, there are famous artworks on billboards all over the U.S. Looks cool! Check it out!
And in other of my locations:
This is a fab video of Block Island from above using a drone. I have been sensitized to drones by he-who-is-alwayd-on-the-cutting-edge.
A fascinating piece on an amazing storm a hundred miles wide and a thousand miles long that flattened acres in the Ozarks, written by she-who-owns-the-truck.
8.11.2014
goose on google earth
The Goose by Google Street View, Spring 2009. |
The Goose today, Summer 2014 |
Google street view, 2009 |
Goose 2014 |
The old truck in the yard (and me, painting), 2009 Google |
The new truck in the yard, 2014—and they laughed at my privet transplants! |
8.10.2014
8.08.2014
one mo' time
A guy has a bunch of these signs on his junkpile of a place |
Something to look forward to: before and after pix of my gas station. Coming your way. Hitchhike, hitchhike, Darlin'. The middle of nowhere? No way, we're in the heart of the country, where the Midwest, West and South meet. We're not in Nueva York any more.
8.07.2014
old cars of the ozarks
In my neighbor's car graveyard: TK |
I stole that Fiat. From my boyfriend. (Who coincidentally or not bought the thing accompanied by the man who subsequently became my husband, if you can follow that. They all met at Time.) The boyfriend also had a VW bus, and for some reason put the Fiat in my name when we were starting a newspaper together in Springfield, Ill. Bad plan. When he took up with Another Woman, I took up the car and headed East, back to New York City.
It got towed away the first day. (I had never had a car in New York before. Speaking of car graveyards!) Me and my next boyfriend had a lot of fun in that car. Maybe too much, but I won't go into that.
The boyfriend I started the newspaper with sold it and split the money with his business partner. They both broke up with the girlfriends who had lived and breathed the thing with them, and the girlfriends got squat. I figured I deserved the car and so I told the ex-boyfriend when I saw him next. Besides, he had put it in my name—almost the same as giving it to me, right? He said if I would give him a viyella Brooks Brothers shirt we could call it even. So I did, and we did.
The takeaway (besides the radio) from this whole adventure should have been never to engage in startups without a piece of the action. However, I did not learn: I worked my heart out for Billie Jean King's womenSports relaunch (fail), People magazine (success), TV Cable Week (major fail), Picture Week (never launched), Life weekly during the first Iraq war (cancelled) and innumerable redesigns of Life monthly (fail).
My own car graveyard: the Fiat radio. |
Except the Fiat.
8.06.2014
logoo gone
8.05.2014
gluten free
Cousin Richard takes an outdoor shower. |
Yes, martinis are gluten free.
8.04.2014
old rides
The school bus cum chicken coop |
The Buick (?) cum Pasture Pal |
8.01.2014
art roundup
Kate Knapp's view from Hannah's porch. |
Speaking of Block Island, here's a list of best places to eat there and places to go.
Another abstract expressionist you might want to check out is Keri Picket, who is better known as a photographer and filmmaker. You can see her whole book on Blurb in the preview, but of course she'd prefer you bought it!
The talented young photographer and friend who did the Flying Henry series has put some photographs of motherhood up on Feature Shoot. Please comment.
In the life as art category, a feature on Hannah in Provy Love (which sounds faintly off color, maybe because of pervy?). And speaking of Hannah, here's her new site.
And in the art-as-life-threatening category, we have a depressing story on alcoholism about Elaine from LatinoUSA. Which I actually did listen to.
And in the art as death category, we have a review of a show at the Vietnam vet museum in the Chicago Tribune that calls Bill Dugan's sculpture the most powerful piece in the show. And speaking of Bill Dugan, he and Carla will do the West Plains, Mo., Art Walk this evening and then take off for Arizona.
Carla and Bill Dugan |