Ice Storm of 2019

Missouri has it's share of strange weather but this past week has topped them all.   We had rain with severe thunderstorm warnings and thunder and lightening and went directly from that into an ice storm.   I had guests at The Lodge so spent the weekend next door in The Cabin in case there were problems.  Which there were.   We lost electricity with 18 degree temperatures and unfortunately the house is all electric.   Thankfully,  I had plenty of flashlights and lanterns and even though the electricity was out for about 8 hours the house did not get overly cold.   Ice storms are a pain but I will have to admit there is a beautiful side to them too.  Enjoy my pictures as we start 2019 off with an ice storm!

The ice on the trees was beautiful.  

When you run a retreat center it is important to be prepared for anything. Knowing there was a possibility we could lose power we brought up extra wood for the fireplace.  Even though the blowers wouldn't work without electricity we could open the doors and have some heat...

Thankfully I had stored up 5 bags of ice melt and it was a good thing cause the porch totally iced over.

My guests enjoyed the fireplace even though the ice storm probably messed up their plans.  Tonight will be another cold night with lows about 7 degrees.    Hopefully,  we won't lose electricity again and tomorrow life will begin to get back to normal.    Whatever normal is for this part of the country.   Spring please hurry and come to my world!  I miss you so!

The Natives Are Restless

A Day Well Spent In The Woods

 

Come join our little expedition as we take to the woods!  Our trail guide and expert woodsman is impressed with the deer pictures that he is seeing on our trail cameras  and wants to set more cameras up across the creek..  

Previously today I stopped in at my local Walmart and picked up some more deer corn , another mineral block and another trail camera.   You can never have too many trail cameras on the homestead! 

Kawasaki says "let the good times roll" and I plan to do so!  My first large expenditure for the Lodge this year was to buy a new 4 wheeler.  We have many trails for our guests to enjoy as well as feeding stations for our wildlife and it was decided it was time to buy a new 4 wheeler.   This time I bought one with two wheel drive and I think it will work just fine for what we need it for and was much less expensive.  

Our guide has taught us  that deer will leave signs that they have been in the area and the importance of being observant of those signs.  There will be scrapings on the trunks of trees,  broken twigs as well as deer scat which is a fancy word for deer poop.  Once a year deer will lose their antlers which is called shedding so another important thing to look for is sheds.   

Deer Scat.  Not what I was expecting.  Looks like rabbit poop.  

Notice the scrapings on the sapling and the big Cedar tree above.  More signs deer have been in the area.

Here is an example of a shed.  In a couple months we are told we can start looking for sheds.  

So let's head across the creek to the spot our trail guide tells us is the place to set up the and put out the mineral block.   Mineral blocks are good for the over all health of the deer and also help with antler growth.  

The deer seem to like spending time amongst these large cedar trees.  There are signs!  So here is where we plan on setting up a couple cameras and placing a mineral block.  So let the fun begin!

Our woodsman guide and his grandson ready one of the cameras and place it on this post.  To ready your camera make sure you have put an SD card in the proper slot.  Then set the date and time as well as selecting video mode or regular mode.  We like using the video mode.  Most importantly,  remember to turn the camera on once it has been properly mounted to a tree or post.  Otherwise, you will be very disappointed the next time you check your cameras expecting great pictures of the wildlife and find nothing  Alas,  this has happened to me...  The above camera is aimed at the mineral block.  

I am attaching my camera to the trunk of an old cedar tree aimed down a path we have observed.  I put the camera about waist high..   Again,  fasten it securely,  program it and then make sure it is turned on.   Double check! 

Now it's time to do some maintenance checks on the trails.  After every wind and snow storm rotten limbs will fall onto the trails and need to be removed.  It is good to maintain your equipment and I don't like to drive over stumps and limbs especially with my new 4 wheeler.   Speaking of maintenance notice the smoke coming out of the back of the 4 wheeler in front.  That is a sign it is using oil so we have to make sure we add oil every time we use this one.  And also before you head out always check to see how much gas you have.  Running out of gas on the back of this 62 acres and having to walk back to the house is something you will only do once.  

The "log man" is the person who jumps off the 4 wheeler and pulls the limbs off the trail.  Notice here our excellent woodsman trail guide is pulling up a small tree stump and all.  The kids realized they are the ones expected to handle this job.  

While checking the trails we stopped to check out what appeared to be an old stone  walled hand dug well.  Anyway that is what we guessed it was.     I always thought wells were much smaller around and this one only appeared to be a few feet deep.  The puzzling part was it was located next to a small creek.  Why build a well next to a creek?  Truly a mystery!

It's time to do a bit more exploring in the woods before we head back to the house.  It's a beautiful day today and we are enjoying our ride on the 4 wheelers and our time in the woods.

Anyone need a pair of dentures?

Notice my grand-daughter in the pictures?  Riding 4 wheelers and spending time exploring in the woods is a gender neutral sport.   And girls as well as boys need to learn life skills.   

It's been a blast but time to head back to the house. 

 What do you do with those rotten limbs you ask?  Why build a fire and call up the wild things of course!

Is there anything better than sitting around the fire in the evening listening to the night sounds and talking about your day?  Nothing that I can think of!  I'm glad to have a place my grandkids can come and explore away from the city!  

Hopefully, these kids will want to continue to put down their electronics to spend more time out in the great outdoors and especially in the woods.  And have learned to respect wildlife and observe the signs that they have been in the area.  We enjoy our wildlife cameras and have not only seen deer but also turkey, bob cats, coyotes, coons, armadillos, and opossums.  I'm hoping no bears or mountain lions ever show up on those cameras !  

Thanks for taking this journey with us and you are welcome to come along tomorrow with us as we check the cameras.  Every day is exciting here on the homestead!  

The Grandkids have arrived and are going to learn some new skills ...

Three of my grand kids have arrived and are spending the weekend at The Lodge.  You notice they all are heavily into their electronics.... We are just coming out of a deep freeze with wind chills of -7 so tomorrows high of 60 plus degrees will be wonderful.  And so tomorrow they will be learning some new skills.    Ones that won't involve anything electronic.   Well, except for a camera maybe!

 We will be climbing on  the 4- wheelers and hitting the woods to refill our trail feeders and check our wildlife cameras. 

And we need to mark the trails better cause I myself was pretty confused on where I was even at while doing a trial run today.  Unfortunately the trails haven't been used much lately and  are beginning to get overgrown in places. 

Hopefully,   an expert woodsman will show up tomorrow to download  some of his knowledge into these young minds.  These kids are big into downloading so they will understand that terminology...  Ha Ha Ha  Little joke there!

 Koda and Mark will be our designated wood gatherers.

 Once evening is upon us we can make a fire in the fire pit and hopefully listen to the sound of the coyotes howling in the distance.

   While checking the cameras along the trail last week we noticed lots of rotten limbs that were needing cleared off our trails and will be the perfect size to burn in  that  fire pit. 

I notice the boys  loaded their BB guns up and put them in the Honda which tells me they plan on being hunters as well as gatherers.....    or more likely they plan on doing some target practice down at the range.   Another good skill to know ...

Miss Maddy will be working on her cooking skills and making us up some chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls tomorrow .

  She's asked me to teach her to sew  but we will save that skill for another day.   She is the mother of many babies who apparently are in need of clothes.

And because we are not gender prejudiced here on the homestead she too will learn the skills needed in the woods.


 My thinking is we need to  teach these kids about the joys of spending time in the great outdoors so they will want to pitch those electronic devices and get some fresh air. 

I see camp outs in their future too!  And someone mentioned building a lean to structure...  Won't this be fun!  . 

It's A New Year And A New Season In My Life!

 I have been  observing the fields lying dormant.  It's the season where the ground is resting and soaking up the nutrients from the rain and snow that it will need for the next season.  Which is the one of growth and new life.  I feel like I too am in a season of rest.  And I too am soaking up what my soul needs to be prepared for the next season.  A friend reminded me that even though it appears nothing is happening on the surface that below ground roots are digging deeper and becoming stronger.  I trust that is what is happening in my life also.

       I am running a Retreat Center with a Lodge and a Cabin on the grounds  here in the Ozarks and loving every minute of it.  Meeting new people.   And learning to let the cares of this world slip away and enjoying the simple life. 

      So come along with me as I journal this new season in my life.    Time to look forward and anticipate what the next season of my life holds in store.. 

The Gathering Place Retreat Center--The Lodge

Welcome to The Gathering Place Retreat Center!  A place where you can pull away from your cares and busy lives for a time of reflection and tranquility.  A place where you can draw closer to our Creator and a time to quiet your soul in a country setting enjoying the simple pleasures of life..  We specialize in keeping life simple! 

 Our Lodge was built in 1999 out of Spruce logs and is nestled in the trees in the center of 60 acres in rural Southwest Missouri.  We are only 8 miles from the junction of two major highways and are  90 miles south of the Kansas City area making us a short getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

 The family room has plenty of seating for visiting,  watching the flat screen TV or enjoying the fireplace on the cool evenings.  We specialize in keeping things simple but some things are necessities--like wi-fi and air conditioning.!  The Lodge is decorated with many antiques including old quilts from family members since passed on.

The Lodge dining room seats eight and we have additional  seating in the entryway room located between the kitchen and garage.  The dining room table can be set with the casual dishes or by using our lodge themed dishes for a more elegant dinner party.  We also have a BBQ grill on the deck for your convenience. 

Our kitchen is fully equipped with everything you should need for cooking during  your stay.

The entryway room is located between the garage and the kitchen and is a great place for overflow dining or bring out the board games and playing  cards.  

and it can be used for those more elegant occasions also

 The main floor has a utility room with a washer and dryer for your convenience.  This room is also a bathroom saving guests from going upstairs or using the bathroom facilities in the Master Bedroom.

The Master Bedroom is conveniently located on the main floor for those with mobility issues.

  

The Master Bedroom has its own flat screen TV and is decorated with my Great Aunt's hand made dresser and other treasured heirlooms.  It has a queen size bed and has an oversize bathroom with jetted tub and separate shower.   There is also a private entrance going out to a small deck where you can slip out and watch the stars or listen to the night sounds.

The Lodge loft has two more separate bedrooms with queen beds and in the open part of the  loft area is another queen size bed and an antique full size one.  The Lodge has four queen size beds altogether and one full size one.  We do ask that small children not be allowed in the loft area for liability reasons.  From the loft you can see the family room and dining room below. 

Loft Bedroom #1

                                                                 Loft bedroom #2

Located in the Loft and between the two bedrooms is a full bathroom. 

There is a queen size bed in the open loft area

There is an antique full size bed in the loft area also. 

Enjoy the large deck with plenty of seating.

Or sit on our front porch, watch the birds and other wildlife and enjoy the cool summer breeze.

Take your coffee outside in the early mornings and enjoy the deck

 or light the fire pit and listen to the howl of the coyotes in the evenings

Be sure and spend some time sitting on the dock in quiet reflection.  

 Take out the boats and enjoy some fishing.  Or some time with family.

Enjoy our wildlife who have no fear cause they know you cannot shoot them.  Except with a camera!

We'll be glad to leave the light on for you.  Check out our website at www.countrygatheringplace.com or call us  at 417-321-4576 .  You can also find us on AirBnB and HomeAway .   We'll be glad to schedule your stay with us!  We trust the combination of friendly people, warm hospitality and peaceful surroundings in a beautiful log home will make your stay with us one to remember always.  Then we will know we are truly a success.  We look forward to welcoming you to The Lodge in our Retreat Center!