Most folks who have seen an opossum’s pecker don’t know much about opossum biology, and they likely haven’t witnessed opossums doing the deed. This is how the backwoods lore about opossums breeding through the nostrils came about. Yes. This is a real thing. People really thought this. Some still do.

Five layin’ hens and full wood shed.

#blessed

The cookies pair wonderfully with hot coffee, cold milk, or room-temperature whiskey neat—all three bring out different spicy and sweet notes.

#recipes #vittles

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While many know this story through its acclaimed film adaptation, the novel—written by Ozark native Daniel Woodrell—is a master class in spare, powerful prose.

Remnants of an old stone fence in the hills.

#ozarknationalforest
#ozarkmountains
#arkansas
#heritage

I wonder if this lineage of squirrels, living in these woods once hunted by my grandfather, became part of what made my dad. That would mean they are already a part of me.

The stove groans softly and rouses, taking shallow sips of air as the elemental in its belly nibbles on kindling. With each second the tiny flicker and its appetite grow.

What I find immensely interesting about the black panther legend is that a dab of critical but outside-the-box thinking often does not diminish the cat at all. It transforms it into something even more magnificent and powerful than a flesh and blood beast could ever be.

#blackpanthers
#rural