Tao Verse 5

Heaven and Earth have no preference.

My Easter Prayer

 

Whatever else is going on in the universe, this, right here, is good.

That is all that I offered, which is 1000% more than I usually do.  That part is always left to someone else.  I am not sure how many heard or even understood, since  a couple were busy interrupting and clowning.  It is what it is.

Whatever else is going on in the universe, this, right here, is good.

Dog Wheat Play Box

 

Originally constructed to host a small patch of herbs, it turned playpen, with the acquisition of a new puppy.  I planted wheat in the box last fall, and this spring she has snacks.  When it turns, it will become a play area again.

2001 Kawasaki Vulcan for Sale

 

If you are seeing this post, it is still for sale.

2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 ... 14,000+ miles and in generally good condition, regular riding and maintenance.  No major defects.  Just a little dusty.  One Owner.  Leave a message below to get in touch.  Serious offers only.

Strong Strawberry Bloom

 

Strong blooms this year on the strawberry patch.  This photo is but of a 1'x1' area, but it all looks this good today.  It should be quite a little harvest.

Ragged Old Patio Table

 

Rehabilitated an old iron table that someone threw out last year.   It is not the best.  The one corner in the foreground ended up a mess, but it is close enough for a ragged old table for the patio.  The top was particle board surrounding the glass.  It was broken and did not fair very well.  A 2x4 of treated wood and we were on our way.

The Great Ocean of Truth

Occasionally, we stumble upon quotes that resonates.  I ran across this one today, so snatched it up and planted it on top of one my own photos taken on the shores of Lake Superior.  

Fruit Tree Bloom 2025

Cherry and peach trees are blooming in unison this year and looking really good.  The peach tree is just finishing up, the Bing is in full bloom, and Montmerency just beginning to light up. This is year 5 for all of them, so we should see some sort of harvest.

Tao Verse 4

Tao is empty yet it fills every vessel with endless supply.

March Lightning

 A couple of shots taken out over the field, while the storm moved in.

Scenic Overlook for Sale

South Mountain Scenic Overlook turned up for sale on the trip homeward.  It was a bit shocking actually, to find this little strip of land up for grabs, perched upon a bluff just off US-65.  There really is not much there.  However, the bonus lies in what is below the Devil's Backbone.   Hopefully, the stop off is preserved.  It was good to find out that Rock-n-Java will remain, either way.  The trip home was uneventful, barring a brief detour across Cove Creek, for no other reason than for a different perspective.

 

Wet Hiking, Dry Racing

The last day lingering about north central Arkansas stood out as mostly overcast, with temperatures generally in the low 20s °C.  A visit to the familiar Woolly Hollow seemed the best course of action for the late morning.  It was not supposed to rain.  However, the weather can often have a mind of its own.   5 km along an 8 km hike it decided to dump its load of cold and windy on the vicinity.  Without a canopy, there was nowhere to turn. The whole instance only lasted about 10 minutes, just sufficient to soak all the way through and make the remainder of the journey rather squishy.

Prior to the deluge, there were multiple opportunities to enjoy solitude among the forest, contemplating things larger than life itself.

The rain turned out as a mostly isolated incident too, having no impact on plans for the evening.  The skies cleared up again, temperatures returned to a relatively normal state, and the Spring Nationals at Batesville Motor Speedway went off exactly as planned. 

...  Further Reading ... 

Woolly Hollow State Park

Arkansas State Parks

Batesville Motor Speedway

Locust Grove, AR

Mossy Bluff to Locust Grove

As is the usual habit, a visit to the Mossy Bluff set the day in perspective and offered up a little time for reflection.  The sky and colors all seemed exaggerated, from the tiniest bug to the tallest tree.  It was a beautiful day to just linger about the forest, under mostly clear skies, with temperatures hovering in the mid-teens Celsius.

The cascade was percolating along too.  It ensured a long visit just doing nothing but listening to the sound of the water passing along, making its way down to the Little Red River.  It whispered the necessity of not forgetting my friend the Sugar Loaf, and so a jog down that trail followed shortly after.

After making the rounds visiting these two friends, our party convened for a trip up to Batesville to enjoy some over-cooked steak and salmon from Colton's.  We did not realize until it was too late, that the last time we were there, they got it wrong then too.  They did fix it, but the experience is one that likely will not be forgotten.  How any cook in his right mind can try and pass off a well-done steak as medium rare remains a point of confusion.  Nobody died, so there is that.

Returning back along our charted course, we returned to Batesville Motor Speedway, which is actually in Locust Grove, for a sneak peek at events to come in the following evening.  It was not really planned that way, it just worked out as much.  The flyer was not very specific, suggested that racing would be happening all three nights.  At the last minute, we discovered on the old interwebs that Thursday was actually "Open Practice."  Entry turned out to be completely free, so the mistake cost nothing more than having to return the following evening for the real deal.

... Further Reading ...

Along the Mossy Bluff

jusTodd on Medium

Colton's Steak House

Batesville Motor Speedway

Paige and the Hammerschmidt

While the endless distractions available in Branson no doubt hold their own special level of intrigue, more interesting things lay ahead for the second half of this road adventure.  In very little time, two lanes unfolded to a calmer, quieter and inarguably, more scenic view from the road.

The western portion of the Buffalo National River complex hosts more waterfalls and cascades you can shake a stick at.  Most are generally inaccessible without some measure, often considerable, effort towards bushwhacking.  Those located within Broadwater Hollow demand very little beyond traversing 3 km of occasionally rough gravel and dirt road, and less than a half kilometer hike along a well-traveled path.  Paige Falls kick off this sequence of cascades, of which a detailed investigation could easily consume an entire day. That will need to wait for a more dedicated inquiry though.  Mid-afternoon was not the time. Covering a half kilometer or so of the situation and taking some out time to chat with other visitors, the mission quickly turned back to the next planned objective.

Skirting along the edge of Ponca Wilderness enabled opportunity to make a deal at the JB Trading Post, exchange paper for ice cream and gatorade, then pausing again for a quick inquiry towards the status of the elk at the Ponca Nature Center.  None were readily available for viewing, so we pushed on, arriving at the trailhead for Hammerschmidt falls in no time.  Almost no time.  It took a moment, and a detour down into Dewey Cove, to figure out that the trailhead was actually just across the street from "parking."  Once that became apparent, the half-kilometer trail flowed easily through more of the most beautiful spring scenery in the country and other junk.

These waterfalls likely offer quite a spectacular plunge 13 meters over the edge of the rock cliff, in wetter times.  The flow proved mostly insignificant on this date.  While those in Broadwater Hollow seemed to flow easily enough with ample hydration, continuing dry times across much of the northern tier of the Ozark plateau has forced many waterfalls to simply cut back or completely turn off the tap.

... Further Reading ...

Buffalo National River

National Park Service

JB Trading Company

  

Ponca Nature Center

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

Drought conditions in Missouri

National Integrated Drought Information System - NOAA

Branson Butterflies

A lack of plans for the day left things to occur as random as they possibly could have been, and improvisation, the call of the day.

Somehow or another, the decision was made to investigate the Butterfly Palace.  While this was definitely not the usual effort, my comrade simply adores the lepidopterans.  The irony of this particular reverence is that most other six-legged critters in the same class are held in utter contempt.

Butterflies were not the only point of interest at this location though.  A carefully manicured collection of a few of their natural enemies also lived in the palace.  However, they were neatly segregated to the lower floor of the establishment.

Prior to engaging with the ruling species, we were offered a brief documentary enlightening us on the life cycle of their Monarch.  Attendance was not required but seemed a reasonable request, and we learned a little from that 3D adventure.  After, we were immediately ushered into presence chamber area.  It was quite balmy, though the air seemed not quite as saturated with moisture as winged metamorphic beasts flitting in every direction.  Special lures were provided to attract them, though it hardly seemed necessary.  It proved nearly impossible to avoid them.

Reflecting on the excursion later, it stood as one of the more enjoyable moments of the journey in the last few days.  The cost seemed a little excessive, though that is the general standard for all attractions in the world of Branson.  If one were not overcharged, they might feel compelled to protest.  The troops would be called in, and things might get ugly.

... Further Reading ...

The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure

Veteran's Memorial Garden

Branson Hillbilly Conservation

Lacking any sort of plan for the morning and looking to get out in the sunshine a little, a trip out of the melee known as Branson led to a trip across a nearby glade.

It had been noted the previous day, having stopped at the overlook for a moment, to gaze out across this 1,534-acre establishment of oak and hickory.  Further research uncovered a few trails of interest, in particular a 3 km jaunt across associated glades, down into the dry bed of Roark Creek and back again.

The hike across the glade is relatively easy but could become quite hot in the summer months, with little cover beyond that offered down in the creek bed.  This spring morning it warmed up considerably, even though temperatures were only around 15 °C.  A return trip later in the evening found similar temperatures along a paved path leading to the lookout. 

The glades and other features within the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area are forever preserved in literature through the Harold Wright book, "Shepherd of the Hills."  However, American TV producer and screenwriter Paul Henning and his wife Ruth took things a step further, ensuring preservation for all those that came after, establishing this conservation area just on the outskirts of Branson.  His creation, the Beverly Hillbillies, and associated work on Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction likely inspired the effort too.

... Further Reading ...

Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area

Missouri Department of Conservation

The Branson Wilderness

Spring cooled down only a little over Branson, offering up some of the best weather for a hiking.  It is unusual to find a remote spot like Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area buried in the middle of any town.  This is especially true in this weird little anomaly standing at the crossroads of entertainment district and carnival.

The 140 acres associated with this space offers escape for those less interested in the uproar occurring on and around Missouri Highway 76. Approximately 8 kilometers of trails pass through the surrounding bluff that doubles as a sound barrier, down next to Lake Taneycomo and adjacent bottomlands.

An array of colors splash across an otherwise empty hardwood landscape, prior to its filling in with foliage for the season.  Conversely, in the depths of late summer into fall, it is likely a poison ivy laden brothel for ticks and other similar enemies of the state.

While generally an easy hike, it is important to understand that if 315 steps of the stone staircase is not addressed immediately, they wait patiently for the end of any journey.  The only option is return 3 kilometers back along the path accessing this point.

This little stroll through the forest is only occasionally disrupted by refuge marking the passage of less considerate humans.  That is to be expected this close to the parade route.  Intersecting a few minor caves, a waterfall that was bone dry on this date, the trail eventually leads to a resurrected 1934 homestead built with some of the same fieldstones as the staircase.  Apparently, they had more than enough.

... Further Reading ...

Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area

Branson Parks & Recreation

A Glade Top Diversion

Blue skies dominated cooler temperatures than had been experienced in the last several days the first day out on the road today.  The main goal would take as long to reach as it would to travel straight through to the final destination for the evening.  However, it offered an infinitely more interesting view of the world.

Very little has changed on the Glade Top Trail National Forest Scenic Byway since the Civilian Conservation Corp constructed this gravel road back in the 1930s. Tracing ridge tops as high 150 meters above the Mark Twain National Forest, it offers up some spectacular views of southern Missouri.

Previous journeys passed by the western most terminus of this trail several times, continuously building interest in traversing said route.  There never seemed to be time to make the 37-meter trek though, or the transport was not well-suited to the occasion.  All seemed well-planned for in this particular investigation, excepting a faulty camera mount.  That one point proved sufficient to completely foil the attempt to capture an uninterrupted view of the route.

It did not stand sufficient to disrupt the intent of this diversion though. Monster trucks hauling their payload through the route almost achieved that goal.  However, peace and a little walkabout at Wolf Junction set things in perspective.  The remainder of the journey unfolded without incident, ending abruptly at the trailhead where we first met.

... Further Reading ...

Glade Top Trail National Forest Scenic Byway

US Forest Service - USDA

Back to the Snow

Out and wandering about the woods again today with the old camera.  It seems to take much better photos than the phone, even though they are technically the very same megapixel.  It just not the same.  Photos on the phone always seem to lack a certain clarity.

That was not the goal today though.  The primary objective was to simply get out and crunch through the fresh snow, listen to it and the ice crunch underfoot.  Included in that, a little slogging through the mud.  Even that was ok.  Above is the only evidence of the adventure.

Tao Verse 3

Putting a value on status will cause people to compete.

Getting a Little Personal

I wonder how many others feel that questions such as this are bordering on being just a little too personal.  Seriously.  This question essentially asks, "How do you like your sex?"

The Development Process

Have always found this interestingly true to reality.

One Drive Simplified (sort of)

OneDrive WHAT? 

OneDrive is where all of your documents are stored. 

You thought they were on your computer, didn’t you? 

Well, they are there too, but are backed up continuously, so that you never lose them.  

It also enables you to do a lot of cool things, such as ... 

• Share your documents with others, without attaching a new copy every time 
• Collaborate with others on your documents without sending them back and forth a hundred times 
• Collaborate in REAL TIME!  You can actually see when others add things or check back and see what they added. 
• Restore your own documents 
• Roll your documents back to another version. 
• Access your documents from anywhere, any time, on any device. 

To do these things, you must have OneDrive turned on though. 

Check and see if it is on and working. 

Go to the lower right corner of your screen and see if you have a little blue cloud.  

Click on it, and it will show you a list of the most recent things that it backed up.   

Here is a screenshot of what mine looks like right now. 

• If you do not see the little blue cloud, click that little up arrow to the left to see if it is in there. 
• If you do not have a little blue cloud, contact Technology and get one for yourself. 

If your backup window is empty, you may not have changed anything recently, or it may not be configured correctly.  You may need to reach out to Technology. 

OR ... if you have a little more confidence than the average bear,  

1. Click the little gear 
2. Click Settings 
3. Click Manage Backup 
4. Flip the switches 

Warning!!!!! Whatever is set to off, will NOT be backed up and you could lose the files in those folders forever. 

Warning!!!!! Files stored in the Downloads folder are never backed up!  Ever. Never.  Unless you move them to the Documents folder. 

If you are already backing up everything, good for you!   

There are some icons that appear over that little blue cloud every so often that tell you what is going on in there, otherwise known as your “Synch Status.” 

What do those little cloud icons mean? 

Chasing Arrows = Currently Synching 

Yellow Triangle = We have a problem, Houston!  Click to find out what it is. 

Blue with Pause = Synching is paused 

Gray Cloud = You are not logged in or setup is incomplete (you may not be backing everything up that you should). 

Gray with red minus sign = Account Blocked 

Blue with red X = Some files or folders cannot be synched.  Click to find out which ones and fix them.  PS ... certain folder names cannot be used (like “Forms). 

How does this look on my computer? 

Start by accessing File Explorer or your documents folder.   

You should have a folder with a little blue cloud with your name on it.This is where all of your backed up documents are.  Your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures are all here. 

If you do not see a little blue cloud with your name, you need to get in touch with Technology. 

If you expand any of those, you will see a “Status” for each file or folder. 

What do those little status icons mean? 

Blue Cloud = File is currently only online, but you can still open it, if you are “connected” 

Green Check Mark Circled = You opened the file and it is on your computer, but also backed up 

File Name with little blue marks next to it = This is a new file 

Blue cloud with a head next to it = The file or folder is shared 

LOCK = The file or folder has setting that do not permit it to be backed up 

Green circle with white check mark = You have chosen to always keep this file on your computer, but it is backed up 

So ... how do you get to your all of your files, anywhere, any time? 

That part is easy. 

Go to Microsoft 365 and login. 

Look for the OneDrive icon on the left 

I think you can figure it out from there.   

The column on the left will get you everything you need. 

The waffle icon on the left will also get you to ALL your favorite applications to hate like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI.   

Happy OneDriving! 

Crosstrek Airflow Frost Bomb

The first few times I drove the Subaru Crosstrek in extremely cold weather, I noticed a peculiar side effect, though I had no idea what was causing it.

Rounding a corner, after having driven about a kilometer, I was immediately assaulted by a bomb of cold air inside the car.

Wondering about this for a few days, I started paying attention to the details surrounding this intrusion, discovering that it occurred under the same conditions nearly every time.

I had been working my way through the Quick Start Guide, one piece at a time, when I ran across the statement below.  It explains the cause perfectly and is easily reproduced.

7 - All Airflow On/Off Button: If only a driver is detected, airflow will come out of the driver vents only. Press this button to override this feature and direct airflow through all vents.

While I appreciate the effort, this feature makes very little sense in a car as small as this.  Indeed, it can cause things to be occasionally uncomfortable for the driver.  I wish there were a way to just turn it on "All" permanently.

It is a little amusing though, that it could be that identifiable.

Tao Verse 2

Everyone recognizes beauty only because of ugliness.