Today while stretching my legs, I ended up at this bluff down the hollow. Like the other bluffs that edge the hollow, there is a small spring at the base of it, the very water that carved out the rocks.
Below is an aerial photograph of the hollow. It will give you an idea of where this small bluff is located in relation to our house and barn. Also note how this bluff is almost invisible when seen from above.
The dogs found this little skull. I think it is a possum as it has the canine and the four molars on the lower jaw. Not sure what else it could be. The size is about right. Possums (or Didelphis virginiana for all you Latin speakers) are interesting creatures.
I once walked into a muffler shop and heard a man say, “I’ve eaten groundhog, but I’ve never tasted possum.” That statement doesn’t seem so out of place in the rural Ozarks, but might be surprising to hear in some places. Do people talk about such things in muffler shops in Boston? I don’t know for sure.
“Our entire society’s based on discontent: people wanting more and more and more, being constantly dissatisfied with their homes, their bodies, their decor, their clothes, everything. Taking it for granted that that’s the whole point of life, never to be satisfied. If you’re perfectly happy with what you’ve got – specially if what you’ve got isn’t even all that spectacular – then you’re dangerous. You’re breaking all the rules, you’re undermining the sacred economy, you’re challenging every assumption that society’s built on. That’s why Rafe’s dad throws a mickey fit whenever Rafe says he’s happy where he is. The way he sees it, we’re all subversives. We’re traitors.“
Up in a Siberian Elm in the hollow there is a large mushroom growing. The cap is about a foot wide. The Siberian Elm (Granny called it a Chinese Elm) is a native tree of Siberia and China that is not near as handsome a tree as the American Elm, but is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Photographs are courtesy of Mary J Weems.
The view from the ridge above the hollow looking eastward. Photograph courtesy of Mary J Weems.
The Ozark Hills always get hot in the summertime, but this year has been extra special in that category. Some years are nearly famous for how hot they were – the Dust Bowl years, 1954 and 1980 stand out. The nearest weather station operated for the National Weather Service is in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The two hottest days on record there occurred in July, 1954 (the 14th and the 18th) when the mercury climbed to a respectable 111 degrees Fahrenheit (that is 44 degrees Celsius for you progressive types).
A few days ago, on August 3rd, the temperature reached 111 degrees Fahrenheit in the hollow, tying the record for Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
katy english says:
Yes, I’ve known a friend from the Ark for many years, and she has read the book, and says she loves how actual all it tells the readers is. No doubt this is wonderful literature! I recommend it strongly!
Interesting – has the rest of this summer been close to that heat too, or was that day one that stood out? We’ve been having some heat over here in Los Angeles, but nothing to that extent!!
~Kayla
This dead Eastern Coachwhip snake was found the other day by a neighbor. The neighbor has netting over a row of plants in her garden to keep the deer from nibbling. It looks like the snake got its mouth tangled up in the netting and couldn’t get out.
Notes from the Hollow started as an emailed newsletter twelve years ago in 1999. First, the updates were meant for my brother, Erik Weems, who had left Arkansas and moved to the east coast. Occasionally, other people would be added to the mailing list depending on the topic. Then the unexpected happened, somebody actually asked to receive new updates to Notes from the Hollow. Then it happened again. And again.
In early 2008, at the suggestion of Erik, Notes from the Hollow became a blog. Some of the handful of regular readers made the switch to the blog and a few new readers were added. Sometimes, though, an entry would be posted that had wider appeal. I found a box turtle with a cracked shell and photographed the poor old guy with my cheap camera. It was read by dozens of people finding it through Google search results. On rare occasions, entries were viewed hundreds of times.
So, sometimes when something interesting happens here in this little hollow, like a baby possum being found in the tub of dogfood, I take some pictures and update Notes from the Hollow.
Dan Ives says:I’ve enjoying your notes for a few months now and have started my own blog of a simular style. My title is, Barefoot Arkansayer.
I checked the blackberry bushes yesterday evening (not many berries) and discovered this Racer Snake curled up six feet off the ground in the brambles.
I reached into the dark tub of dog food and jerked my hand back at movement. This is what I saw.
Just a cute little Didelphis virginiana, I says to myself. What to do? It will have a broken neck if the dogs get hold of it. When the coast was clear, the cute little Virginia Opossum was transferred to a cage for transportation and loaded into the back of the Land Cruiser.
Just as it was let loose in the tall grass on the hill behind the barn, up come two dogs. The dogs’ attention was easily diverted by offering them a ride in the Land Cruiser.
In the last few day, I’ve seen 4 different turtles in the hollow. Three were box turtles, but the 4th was this beauty, a common snapping turtle, seen from behind.
A friend just loaned me “Murder in the Ozarks”, as she and I both grew up in the Ark. Ozarks in the 1940s/50s. I’m only 3 chapters into the book…quite often I break out into laughter. My husband does not understand. He’s a KS farmboy and does not understand the culture of those Ark. hills back 50 years ago. Great read!