The deer hunter sits in his stand waiting. He has done that many times in his life. Many times, he has wondered why he hunts. Why, he goes into the wild. It is not nearly so important to get wild meat as it once was to feed his family. Is this deer hunting, that important to him? Is that why he keeps doing it? He wonders. more

A few months ago, cousin Robert Haymes, knowing my passion for old stories and local history, sent me some of his father’s writings. What he sent was clear and concise and truly painted a picture of life here seventy plus years ago. With minimal editing it is today’s article. David Haymes, was not only an encyclopedia of genealogy and local facts, but also a collector of funny tales he often regaled me with. Thankfully he took the time to write this and much more down before being robbed by dementia, and passing on to his eternal reward. What a legacy for his grandchildren and those yet unborn who will want to know what our world was like. It's now your turn, during this holiday season, leave a legacy, take the time to write it down or record it with your phone. Someday it will be priceless. Happy Thanksgiving! –CCH. more

Some just-nippy mornings it wafts on the air as lightly as the fragrance of apple blossoms in spring. more

In scarcely more than a week, it seems, the verdant and overgrown woods of summer have given way to the colorful tapestry of fall. more

When an albino deer appeared north of Marshfield a few years ago, folks viewed it as unique, not supernatural or otherworldly. This stands in stark contrast to two millennia of folk belief. Native Americans viewed the appearance of white deer as very good luck and a sign of strength and abundance, however the reverse was true should it be killed. Some southern tribes have legends claiming a white doe is a maiden trapped by a witch, in order to separate her from a lover. Old time Ozarkers felt a sense of dread. Don and Sue Tyson were filled with wonder and joy as they watched a doe give birth to twins near their front porch, one being tan the other snow white. The Tysons watched the little fellow daily until he became accustomed to their presence, this proximity enabling them to document its life through pictures and video. Dale Richerson had seen the animal on multiple occasions, but failed to get a picture. “I just got lucky one morning and got a little video.” The video he captured soon went viral, drawing the attention of local media, even getting picked up by the UPI. Soon other pictures began popping up on social media, with many hoping he would pass his genetics on and start a herd of similarly colored animals. For sometime folks with their video app at the ready cruised the roads north of town hoping to get a glimpse of the otherworldly-looking celebrity. These deer are rare but not unheard of, according to Francis Skalicky with the Missouri Department of Conservation, who was quoted at the time, "One in 30,000 sounds like a rare ratio…However, when you have over a million deer in Missouri, which we do, that means you will probably have a few albino deer a year. We get reports of them around the state." Under the game code they're legal to harvest, the same restrictions and permits applying to all white tail deer. In the latter half of 2023 the young buck vanished, not being seen again. Did he succumb to disease or fall to an arrow or bullet? Local rumor had it being poached out of season. The Tysons lament his apparent demise, “We still talk with him and cannot imagine who took his life and what kind of person would kill something so beautiful.” One informant being a tad more blunt than the rest stated, “There always has to be a butthole around…” more

I heard coyotes outside my bedroom window last night — not quite in my yard, but near enough I could have seen them in daylight. more

Growing up here, I've always lamented the lack of local ghost stories associated with our hometown. Maybe we are a tad too practical-minded for our own good, keeping well away from such foolishness as ghosts. If ghosts exist, experts in such matters state ghosts may be a “replay” of people long since dead, their moments of terror and trauma making an impression upon the environment. In that case Webster County oughta raise quite a crop of ghosts, after all we boast the death and destruction of the 1880 tornado, sites of killings aplenty, cemeteries that gather twilight mist and dark, lonely stands of timber…yet despite these romantic settings, the tales are few and far between. This doesn't mean we are without supernatural fireside fodder, here are a few I've picked up over the years. more

Some Old-Timey Thoughts on Witches more

Few Missouri trees have histories that are more interesting than the Osage orange. more

I take pride in calling myself an Ozarker, and indeed I am. more

In the spirit of the season it seems appropriate to share some traditional folklore and stories. The Ozarks were first populated by frontierfolk who brought with them a firm belief in the supernatural along with a tradition of combating evil with “church-sanctioned” magical remedies. It was also believed these same malevolent forces which affected people were also lodged in certain plants and animals. In a society that depended on the forest and timber, much folk belief revolved around trees. Fragments of this eons old lore, linger to this day. Perhaps you've heard a few of these. more

When I was a boy learning of life in the woods, my dad taught me to recognize animals by what they left behind — the contents of their scat. more