A Visit To The Photo Roll

Hi! Hasn't this Spring been lovely so far? I've been loving these chilly sweater days. The herb garden is loving it too...everything is green and full of life.

I haven't been as active here on NPLH the past couple of months. I have a big project underway that is taking up all of my time and brain space! The good news is that in the not so distant future I'll be ready to reveal my project to you. Until then, my posts may seem a little weak, but I do want to drop in and say hi every few days.

Today I decided I would just share some photos from my phone's camera; always a good way to see what someone has been up to lately!

I give you, A Visit To The Photo Roll...

I saved this poster of delightfully dark flowers, because I'm thinking it would be really fun to do a shade garden full of these beauties. If I can find a spot, I'm doing it. 

Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars are a current obsession. I need to have them stocked in my freezer at  all times. You probably do too...just try them. 

As someone who identifies as a witch, I had to save this image and awesome description. 

I planted some cauliflower in the vegetable garden last week. I haven't put much thought into what to grow out there. I had bought these to use as decoration in my spring planters but they soon started to crowd out the pansies and had to be transferred to the vegetable bed. Between the chickens and the rabbits I'm not incredibly confidant about the veggie thing. 

My neighbors compost "pile". If you thought you were just looking at garbage thrown on the ground, you would be right! Ugh. Yes, that is their driveway RIGHT NEXT to the "pile". My carport is literally 3 feet from that mess. I'm not sure these people understand the way composting works, but the chickens, stray cats, raccoons and other critters love what they've got going on! *sigh*

Tori Amos and Robert Plant. The Queen and King. 

Lunch I can't stop eating; lentil soup with feta cheese and toasted sourdough bread for dipping!

Some tasty salad dressings to try!

HaHAhaHAhaAH! My hubs and the hound on the way home from doggie daycare. I love them so.

That concludes the snippet of random images from my phone. I hope you have a beautiful last few days of April! 

~ Love & Light ~

Coursera Is For Everybody!

I am taking a class on Curanderismo and wanted to talk a little bit about Coursera, the online education website that is offering the course. Coursera is an education platform that partners with top universities and organizations worldwide, to offer courses online for anyone to take, FOR FREE! That's right...it doesn't cost a penny. (unless you want to buy a certificate for courses you've passed).

Coursera has a class for everybody! They offer subjects ranging from Finance to Astronomy and so much more. What I think is the best part, is that the instructors are from top universities and the information they are taking the time to teach has such a great value. 

I am currently taking the Curanderismo: The Art Of Mexican Folk Healing class offered by the University of New Mexico. And next I want to participate in the Magic In The Middle Ages course offered through the University of Barcelona. I've always loved to learn and discovering Coursera makes it that much more fun! 

What have you always wanted to know more about but didn't think you could? Or what University have you always wanted to take a class from? Harvard? Yale? Because they are there! Why not spend some time discovering something new? After all, Knowledge IS Power! 

~ Love & Light ~

Mystery Mountain Lion

When Mark and I first moved here back in 2012, we were invited to a friend's 4th of July party. The shindig was held in a big workshop on the property (which we lovingly call The Barn) and the big garage doors were left open to let the fresh air of the night in. This was your typical Ozarks gathering. Food, good music, drink and of course lots and lots of fireworks. After hours of merriment, Mark and I were the last guests still there. Our hostess called it a night and headed back to her house to go to bed. We hung back to finish our drinks. As we sat talking, we were interrupted by a terrible screaming sound. We both froze; alarmed by this weird noise we didn't recognize. We started guessing what it might be...a coyote? No. A dog killing a small animal? No. The Chupacabra? Possibly. Then I remembered a Youtube video I had seen a long time ago. I think we might have heard a mountain lion!

We told our story to my friend a few days later, and she confirmed that a female mountain lion had been spotted in Ozark a few weeks earlier. We decided that must have been what we heard and that was the end of it. We didn't hear it again.

Female Mountain Lion.

Fast forward to last week, Mark is in our front yard late at night taking the dog to do her business. He was out there for a good five minutes and when he came in, he was excited to report that he had heard the same weird screaming we had experienced on that 4th of July almost 3 years ago. He said that at first he thought it was a woman screaming but he quickly realized it was an animal. We googled the sound of a mountain lion screaming, and he confirmed it was the same noise as he had just heard. The following video is audio of a mountain lion also heard in Missouri. Some kids recorded it with a phone. You can hear why Mark thought at first that it was a lady screaming.

I'm going to go ahead and declare that we have at least one mountain lion here in Ozark, which is great! If she isn't hurting anyone, then let her continue to hunt on the river and live peacefully. Do be cautious if you are one of the many people around here who have yard chickens, or small dogs that spend a lot of time outside. Come to think of it, I haven't seen the neighborhood dog called Lucky in a long time...

Stay safe, friends! And enjoy nature and her creatures! 

~ Love and Light ~