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 ~ 

Crystal Nails In Oz

I'm 35 years old, and until last week, I had never had a professional manicure! I have good nails and don't wear polish, so doing them myself has always been easy. Enter my pal Rcena, who gets her nails done regularly. The last few times we have hung out, I found myself starring at her perfectly shaped and colored nails. She told me that she gets the gel nails and that they last a long time and don't chip. I filed this information away in my "maybe one day" folder and forgot about it.


My sister Sara and her family made a last minute decision to come to town for a visit this past Friday. For some reason I got the idea stuck in my head that I should get a gel nail manicure before we went to visit them at my mom's house that night. I didn't want to drive in to Springfield though (where Rcena gets her nails done), so I looked for a place in Ozark. There are several salons that do nails in town, but I chose a place called Crystal Nails. Randomly.

Crystal Nails Salon

The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door was the intense smell of acetone. If you don't like the smell of finger nail polish, I'm afraid you wouldn't last a second! After a few minutes I adjusted (or was high off the fumes and forgot about it). The salon is clean; the staff was nice, and they had me choose my color and began the manicure right away. I had called to make an appointment, but walk-ins are welcome too. Half an hour later my nail technician, Cam, had finished, and I was really happy with the look. She charged $25 (gel nails are considered a deluxe manicure) and I felt it was a fair price.

I probably won't be getting manicures regularly, but a few times a year when I'm feelin' fancy I will definitely pop by Crystal Nails to get the royal treatment. I would recommend their services to anyone looking for a manicure or pedicure!

My gel nails by Crystal Nails in Ozark.

Crystal Nails

1742 s. 20th st.

Ozark, MO. 65721

417-485-4456

~ Love & Light ~

Park Time With Penny

Someone was grumpy this morning, so we went to the Finley River Park to play!

Grumpy Penny and her baby, Tracker.

Arriving at the park, we stopped to read this board. I am just now realizing that it says, "Continued from the other side". Doh! I'll have to read that side next time.

We head toward the water.

We can see Chigger Chalet across the way.

Penny hears people playing at the baseball field so off we go!

We hang out on the bleachers for a while and try to capture a decent selfie. 

Her face! So funny!

After many failed attempts and lots of fun, we go back to the trail by the water.

For the first time we cross through the creepy graffiti tunnel. 

On the other side we follow a trail for a few hundred feet and arrive at the hidden side of the dam! WOW!

We played in our new spot for a long time. We tried for one more selfie before calling it a day and then gave up! 

The water is so clear in the winter. The patch of trees in the center of the river is the "island" where the two eagles I watch live. Eagle Island. No sighting of my feathered friends today so we go home.

Penny had so much fun and was fast asleep in no time!

I'm so glad we had a chance to go to the park and take advantage of this gorgeous day. Missouri is famous for its crazy bi-polar weather, and I hear it may snow a bit this weekend! What a great January we have had! 

~ Love & Light ~

Two Eagles

A pair of eagles were hunting the river late this morning. I knew something was happening when I walked outside and a large group of geese were frozen on the river. Not frozen like ice, but motionless. It was so quiet. Then I noticed the eagles perched in a tree behind my house and across the river. I sat on the deck and watched them for twenty minutes. The male cried out several times and it was fantastic! They kept an eye on Penny and I and the male made eye contact with me several times.


In the photo they are not very visible. I used the full zoom on my iphone but this is the best I could come up with. They are huge birds and the photo doesn't convey their size well. The male is toward the top of the tree and the female is to the right and pretty far below him.

A pair of eagles hunt the Finley River.

It is believed that if an eagle makes an appearance for you, the ability to hear spiritually and physically will awaken. The Native Americans say that eagle carries our prayers to The Creator. Eagle asks you to give yourself permission to be free so you may reach the joy your heart longs for. 

I am ecstatic to see this pair! I had heard that they lived on the Finley from neighbors and I even saw the male whiz by low to the water during the summer one drizzly afternoon, but having so much time to gaze at them today was an honor. They are majestic and beautiful beings. I embrace the wisdom imparted by these magical birds. 

~ Love & Light ~