Philmont “77” A Poem by Charles “Danny” Hutson

Dan Hutson was my father-in-law. He treasured his time as a Boy Scout leader, and told many stories about my husband as a teenager.

Oro Cas Reflects

This poem was written by my father in 1977 which was the year me and him had the adventure of a lifetime for a father and son.

My older brother and I were both in the local Boy Scout troop and our father was the Scoutmaster for many years. It was a wonderful arrangement between a father and his sons.

It got even better when I decided to follow in my older brothers footsteps and go to the “high adventure camp” known as Philmont that the Boy Scouts had created in northeastern New Mexico.

During the last training week I attended in northern Virginia one of the leaders had to drop out of the trip and my father was asked if he would be interested.

Of course he said yes and the rest is history.

This poem tells a story. It is…

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Cabin Fever: You Get What You Ask For

Sustainable Wild Collection Protects People, Plants, and Animals

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Chances are, you’re deeply connected with wild plants and don’t even realize it.

All of us in countless ways, whether we recognize it or not, are deeply connected to wild collecting.

Wild plants, as the term suggests, aren’t grown on farms. Instead, they’re collected in meadows, forests and deserts. Since ancient times, they’ve served as natural and essential ingredients in foods, fibers, dyes, cosmetics and traditional medicines.

Consider the açai berries in your super smoothie. They’re wild collected in the Brazilian Amazon. The pure maple syrup you save for special breakfasts most likely comes from the forests of Canada or the northern regions of the United States. The candelilla wax in your favorite skin care products originates in the deserts of northern Mexico. The licorice root used in candies and lozenges could be wild collected in many places — Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan. And at Wildwood Enterprises, more…

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Crushed Terracotta – The Underdog Of Protection

Lily Lore

Good Witches Homestead

COMMON NAME: lily
GENUS: Lilium
SPECIES, HYBRIDS, CULTIVARS:
Many of the 200 species of lilies are native to the United States. Plant breeders have done extensive hybridization work on the lilies to make them hardy and free flowering. Lilies are now available in every color except blue.
FAMILY: Liliaceae
BLOOMS: late spring
TYPE: perennial
DESCRIPTION: Lilies are one of the most beautiful of all garden plants. The flowers are large and deliciously colored, and they usually occur many to a stem. The height of lilies ranges between 2 to 6 feet. Flower forms include trumpet shape, pendant, flat-faced, or bowl-shaped.
CULTIVATION: The most important requirement for growing lilies is well-drained soil. Water standing on the bulbs will cause them to rot. The bulbs should be kept cool. This can be done by overplanting with annuals or perennials. Depending on the size of the bulbs, they should be planted…

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Ozark Encyclopedia – P – Paper

Ozark Encyclopedia – N – Needles

On Being an American Druid

The Druid's Garden

The quintessential image of a druid is a group of people, all in white robes, performing ritual inside an ancient circle of stones. This image is probably the most known and pervasive of all visuzaliations of druidry, and for many, it shapes the our perceptions of what druidry should be. But taken in a North American context, this image presents two problems. First, we have no such ancient stone circles and two, another group has already claimed the quitessential white robe, and its not a group with which we want to associate our tradition. This kind of tension, along with many other unique features of our landscape, make being an American druid inherently different than a druid located somewhere else in the world. In the case of any spiritual practice, context matters, and context shapes so much of the daily pracice and work. And so today, I’m going to answer…

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Ozark Encyclopedia – N – Nails

Crystals at the Table

By Sonia Acone

Gemstone jicara

For some years now, I’ve kept a dish of crystals on our kitchen table. The dish may change with the seasons or my moods, and the crystals often change to reflect what the family needs at certain times, but the message is always the same: the crystals stay on the table. My oldest son, Jeremy, started what is now a long-running joke when someone knocked over a salt shaker which, in turn, crashed into my dish of crystals. Jeremy threw out his hands and yelled, “Nobody move! Mom’s crystals have been disturbed! You will feel their wrath!” Narrowing his eyes, and in a sinister whisper, he continued, “Now we’ll await the hellfire and brimstone…” To which I naturally gave him the “Mom eye-roll” and proceeded to put things to rights at the table.

The family doesn’t always know the reasons by which some crystals appear in the dish while others are taken away, but they all understand that they are there for a specific purpose and they respect the fact that the crystals do help us, especially when we are all at the dinner table together. Many an argument has ensued between my husband and oldest son (both are Leo’s) over dinner-table conversations, or there could be way too much goofing off between our two boys, especially when my husband is trying to have a more serious discussion which, in turn, almost always evolves into some sort of life lesson. So, in the interest of peace and tranquility at the table, I set out a dish of crystals that I had hoped would be beneficial to everyone.

There is always a Clear Quartz crystal, but then I have added Dumortierite, Moonstone, Lapis Lazuli and Blue Lace Agate for peace; Lepidoliteand Sunstone for a bit of fun; Malachite, Bloodstone, Chrysocolla, etc. for healing; Hawk’s Eye (Blue Tiger Eye) and Pietersite for a bit of creativity and intuition; Shattuckite for letting go of past issues; and a Rutilated Quartz for those times when I look up to the ceiling and whisper, “Heaven help me with these guys!”

One of the amazing aspects of this dish is often found when the boys’ friends come over and one or more of them almost always notices if new crystals have been added to the dish. I do one of my little happy dances in my head when I see their interest in the crystals. A friend of Jeremy’s was here recently and couldn’t take her eyes (or her hands) off a tumbled Tiger Eye. She was enthralled with it, which gave me a hint as to what she would be getting as a Christmas gift.

To have young people appreciate and understand that crystals can be used in their daily lives is something that has brought me immense joy over the years, and I will continue to introduce them to more of the same. Speaking of Christmas, when I asked what Jeremy wanted for Christmas, he replied, “Can I have a crystal necklace?” Talk about a happy dance – and yes, I did grab a tissue for the few tears of joy that fell.

Update: Jeremy now has his own place. And yes, every year, he asks for some crystal item for Christmas. His apartment is becoming a crystal haven, just like our home. He still freaks out if someone knocks over the crystal dish, whether here at home or at his own.