Casual Country, August 2023

August 2023 Happenings

4th

Down Town Walking Tour

2pm - Meet in front of Courthouse

5th

Book Sale - Stone County Library

9:30am - 1pm lots - fiction, romance, mystery

5th

AR Fiddle & Banjo Championship & Evening Music Show

Ozark Folk Center. Free from 10:30am-5pm

8th Contra Dance Club Possum - 7pm Mountain View Meeting Place

18th - 20th

Mountain, Music & Motorcycles

25th & 26th

Bluegrass & Fried Chicken

Ozark Folk Center

26th

Worldwide Play Music on the Porch Day

Every Fri/Sat

Music on the Courthouse stage in Mountain View at 7pm

Letter from the Publisher

So happy to include Aaron Gschwandegger and Mark Moller to our happy group of writers and/or photographers…

Aaron’s delightful butterflies make for a beautiful sight as you turn the page. His company, Fallen Pine Design can be found on Facebook or www.fallenpine.com And Mark, a gifted photographer, has even offered to help us distribute magazines.

My newly learned word this month is: hardscrabble - adjective, involving hard work and struggle. I’ve never heard that term used before…live and learn! See if you catch it in one of the articles. I will bet that each month there will be at least one word, if not more, that I’ve never heard…..after all I was raised in north central Missouri….although I’ve lived here in Mountain View longer than anywhere else…going on 31 years in February.

I want to thank all who have stopped me in the store, on the street, called, stopped by my house, all of you….to let me know you love the spirit of Casual Country. And a big thank you for those we’ve interviewed…..many more interviews coming in the future. And many thanks to our advertisers, many, many thanks.

And last, but not least, to all who have been on this wonderful journey with me and those who are just now joining in.

I’m excited every time I open an email or text from you with your new ideas, words and pictures.

August Cheers, Joy

Email: casualcountrymagazine@gmail.com

Phone: 870-213-6135

P.O. Box 1777, Mountain View, AR 72560

16

Front Cover Photo by Kay Maher

Gschwandegger

Butterflies, Butterflies

Butterflies aren’t just a spring fling. Late summer and early fall are a great time to see butterflies in our area. More than one generation will be seen within a year, so you can enjoy their beautiful colors for several months. Take a look at these pictures taken during the month of August.

Late Boneset is blooming this time of year and it attracts a lot of butterflies, like this Great Spangled Fritillary.

I’m so happy to have Aaron join us in this adventure.

I’ve long admired his delightful photography. Aaron is a member of the Arkansas Craft Guild and you’ll occasionally find him in there on weekends. His photography takes many forms, including greeting card sets, wristlet bags, pillows, prints, miniature framed pictures, notecards and more. The complimentary pillow backings are an art form as well. Aaron designs each geometric/abstract backing from the subject colors.

Aaron

Another great wild flower is Mountain Mint. This Giant Swallowtail is feasting on some in this picture.

Spicebush Swallowtails are another butterfly prevalent here. Here is one pictured on Mountain Mint too.

The ironweed provides a pop of purple this time of year and also provides butterflies, like this Tiger Swallowtail, a great source of food.

Sometimes in the morning you can see them on the plants and grasses around bodies of water, like this Red Admiral butterfly peeking out of the foliage.

There are many more species of butterflies out there in our region this time of year. Happy Hunting!

Let’s Do lunch

THE RUSTY CUP, a great and relatively new place to experience clientele, good food, and a warm cup of speciality

The logo for The Rusty Cup is striking and thought provoking. A glowing yellow lantern nestled between mountains. Lanterns symbolize good luck, purity, health, prosperity. Fundamentally the lantern provides light. Light in this context helps lead the way towards the future and pushes away any surrounding darkness. A long path without light is useless. The lantern shows the way. The lantern and the name The Rusty Cup also show the love of the Ozarks and its outdoor lifestyle.

Primarily a breakfast and lunch spot, it is conveniently located right on the Square across from the Courthouse. There is a child’s menu and curbside pickup for convenience.

Start your day off right with wonderful breakfast Yogurt with berries, breakfast burritos, a breakfast sandwich pancakes!!!!

Lunch options are mostly sandwiches and salads, different from some of the other wonderful dining spots around town. There is the tuna melt, cowboy bbq burger, French dip, grilled cheese trip (Cheddar, provolone, Swiss on sourdough I’m going to try that my next visit). Also find veggie cheese wraps, a Reuben and Asian Chicken salad (which has rave reviews). A daily homemade soup.

The latest addition to the lunch menu is The Bison Burger sourced locally from The Ozark Valley Bison Farm up the road in Fox. Ozark Valley is the first and at present the only bison farm in the US to achieve USDA certified grass fed status.

The desserts are all made right in the kitchen and are delicious. In fact, everything at The Rusty Cup is made right in their kitchen.

Don’t forget to try their speciality coffee or one of the other different drink options.

The inside of The Rusty Cup is as cute as can be. Tables and booths run along one side with an “awning” over the booths fabricated by a family member. Placed on the back wall is a prized pie safe. This was given to the owners from a loyal customer who was downsizing. He wanted it there so that he could come visit.

With the emphasis on Community, The Mountain View Classic Cruizers Car Club meets there once a month and then takes several spins around The Courthouse to the delight of tourists and locals.

Marie

The philosophy behind The Rusty Cup is simple: It’s all about Community with an emphasis on quality, quantity and presentation.

The owner of the Rusty Cup is a total ball of fire, with many careers, many years in California and elsewhere and an outstanding blended family.

At the start of The Pandemic she and her husband and family made the decision to move to Mountain View. The thought of owning her own restaurant had not crossed her mind, though she had always loved cooking, food and friends. But guess what? A building became available on the Square which she and her husband were attracted to and a plan started to develop. It took a year of conceptualizing, planning, buildout, purchasing cooking equipment and seating, establishing menus.

It’s safe to say had there not been a pandemic there may have never been a Rusty Cup. It’s the accidental restaurant and Mountain View is so lucky to have them.

Again, the philosophy is simple: It’s All About Community.

Please try The Rusty Cup. You will find the food delicious, the staffing top notch and everyone wears a smile!

You can find more information about The Rusty Cup on facebook and online. Photos, customer reviews and menu options listed.

Rusty Cup

Mountain View, AR 870-269-6122

Look…..people from all over the world are going to join in on Saturday, August 26th to do something we do everyday…..Isn’t that fabulous…….we are so fortunate to call these mountains our home!

Bethalee’s Wild Hair

Peppersauce Alley

Roughly 25 miles from Blanchard Spring Caverns along the Scenic Sylamore Byway through the Ozark National Forest and between Mountain View and Mountain Home sits Calico Rock, Arkansas. I specified what state even though I haven’t found another city, town or community in the United States named Calico Rock, emphasis on rock because it’s definitely rocky. On your way there, there’s an overlooking bluff called City Rock Bluff (GPS pulls it up out on Culp Road) overlooking the White River and an old fire tower if you want a bird’s eye view of Calico Rock.

Calico Rock earned the name when most of the travel was via the waterway of the White River and from the viewpoint of the river; the first thing you notice is the big bluffs all around that are uniquely multi-colored and resemble the calico which is a landmark to help identify where on the river you were arriving.

In the 1800s, steamboats and the ferry came upon Calico Landing; it was a booming place. The railroad tracks brought people in on land in the early 1900s. With tons of people arriving via train, boat, on foot, horseback, and eventually automobiles, it was by all definitions a Boom Town circling with promise of silver mining, steamboats and the railroad. Eventually, work dried up, fires, floods, and folks moved and left to make money..because though we can make most things by hand in the Ozarks with the abundance of natural resources; money is still the hardest thing to make. It became a ghost town, on one side of town, anyhow.

Now we know why a place with a population of 900 people has so many historic buildings. I counted twenty-something buildings and there might be more. Calico Rock is notoriously known as the only town in The United States that has a ghost town within its city limits. One side of town is accommodating with shops, places to stay, museum, a speakeasy and excellent trout fishing.

The East Side of Calico Rock is called Peppersauce Alley. The East Side (go over the neat little bridge) of Calico Rock has lots of old businesses and buildings, mostly remnants and shells of the structures; since nature is taking back Peppersauce Alley.

Each building has detailed signs that explain deeper details of the history.

You don’t need reservations or ticket money in a Ghost Town.

You can drive through but I preferred walking the free-self guided tour.

What’s Peppersauce? No peppers in this recipe.

You’ll need: a bootlegger, spring water, grain (typically corn, barley or rye), a still in the woods someplace, a barrel to let it age, and preferably a mason jar to drink it out of.

Peppersauce is good ole fashioned Moonshine. The man-made whiskey that you make at night by the light of the moon to avoid going to jail. This all got started when alcohol was outlawed. Moonshine was big business and in high demand. High proof spirits and is flammable so stick to moonlight instead of lanterns or campfires that would alert the lawmen. “White Lightning” because it’s a white whiskey by Ozark standards.

Yes, Calico Rock has a wild backstory and all kinds of shenanigans went on, primarily on the east side known as Peppersauce Alley - the ghost town…where the historic jail is too, naturally!

The historic district is on the National Register of Historic Places and is thought Calico Rock is much older than even the district displays due to all the wooden structures being destroyed from fires and floods (more than once).

There’s a prison in the Calico Rock area out by the airport and the guards still sit atop horses, surrounded by a couple thousand apple trees, with honey bee boxes, a vegetable garden to feed the inmates and even grow hay to feed their livestock. Big contrast of the cement box jail that is still there over in Peppersauce Alley.

Trains, prison, moonshine, ghost town and rivers— almost have a song going. We love singing and storytelling and usually songs are telling a story. Check out Peppersauce Alley and write a song so I can listen to it while roaming the beautiful area.

I hope you love the Ozarks as much as I do. Love, Christina Bethalee

The Corner People, Places and Things

An Afternoon with Terri

by Marie & Bruce

TERRI THRASHER a gal you should know! A mostly self taught artist who works primarily in acrylics. Recently Terri joined The Art Guild of Mountain View, and this week attended a 2 day watercolor class in Fairfield Bay.

Terri was born in Canton, Mississippi. Married young. Moved to Scotland where her husband (also a Mississippian) was based.There, she learned to pilot a glider and received her license. Next there was a stint in D.C. and finally on to one of the islands in the Aleutian chain off Alaska, before discovering Mountain View, Ar. This gal has gotten around!

As a very young girl she was enthralled by Paint by Numbers (weren’t we all?) Then as a young adult she found herself sketching continuously, but was unable to find any adult classes. Fast forward to 2016 when Terri dipped her brush into acrylics. It was love.

Terri is extremely knowledgeable about historical and current artists. She loves reading about artists, their lives and techniques. Also has become a YouTube fan to study the arts.

Terri’s style, as she describes it, is “loose”. And over the years her technical savvy has improved. Yet like many artists she feels that some of those loose work are “trainwrecks”. (We disagree.....we are enthralled with the paintings we saw).

A morning person, Terri likes nothing better than to take her inspiration from her yard, flowers, mostly. She is stumped by the fact that she cannot seem to get a daisy or zinnia just right to her eye. Something about the way the daisy petals twist have given her fits.

Photography here and on back cover taken by Mark Moller and Terri Thrasher

She has a wonderful geranium painting that falls into her trainwreck category....but everyone who sees it loves it. Ah, the tortured artist! Yet Terri continues to embrace that loose style which fits her bold personality and creative bent.

Like so many artists Terri is prone to having a “Creative Block”. What does she do? She waits it out. Suddenly she becomes inspired again.

She laughed over the fact that artists should paint what they love and not what people request. Her example: “I paint an alpaca and sell it to that one in a million person who loves alpacas; then because that sold I decide to paint 40 more alpacas. Alpacas sleeping, alpacas chewing, alpacas giving the evil eye. You can bet that no one, ever, will buy another one of those alpaca paintings.”

Terri is absolutely thrilled to be participating in the 23rd year of OFF THE BEATEN PATH - that wonderful weekend in September which is a self guided tour of artist’s studios in and around the Mountain View area.

This year it will be held on September 15, 16, 17. In late August pick up a free copy of the map to artists locations at The Batesville Chamber or Commerce, The Batesville Area Gallery on Main, The Mountain Home Library, Calico Rock Heritage and Visitors Center, The Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, The Arkansas Craft School, The Arkansas Craft Gallery and The Ozark Folk Center.

Be sure to check Terri out - you will love her flower paintings. Check out more pics on the back cover….

In sum, the events in Terri’s life have definitely channeled themselves into her art psyche. She marches to her own inner artist and lives by the mantra “NO ALPACAS”.

CHOCOLATE WHAT?!?!?

GRAVY, of course

This calorie free read is a road trip through a classic Southern comfort food that many folks outside of the Ozarks and Appalachia have never experienced.

So..... where did Chocolate Gravy come from? The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America theorizes that Chocolate Gravy might have been an offshoot of a trading network between Spanish Louisiana and the settlers in the Tennessee Valley, bringing a Mexican style breakfast chocolate to the Appalachians.

The origins are hard to pin down because the practice of making this existed long before there was written documentation.

Another prevailing thought is that when Hershey’s cocoa first appeared on the shelves of country stores, in the 1890s, cooks devised ways to make treats, not just desserts from the precious powder in the brown can.

For decades breakfast biscuits had always been soaked in Sorghum when sugar was scarce. When the sugar tins were full, mountain folk dunked their biscuits into the morning coffee and sprinkled them with sugar to create “soakins”.

Perhaps Chocolate Gravy is well remembered because for a lot of people it was one of the few treats folk of these regions could look forward to in those hardscrabble decades. The rich smell of the decadent chocolate warming in the skillet.....equivalent to a warm hug from grandma.

Tradition prevails that the biscuits need to be crumbled so that the gravy really saturates. Though in diners today the gravy is ladled atop hot from the oven biscuits (preferably buttermilk biscuits).

The third scenario regarding the origin of Chocolate Gravy involves the resourceful wives making the most from shelf stable kitchen staples and farm fresh milk. The basic combination of cocoa, flour, milk, sugar and in some kitchens lard is no mere consolation prize. Locals gave it the nickname “soppin chocolate” for being the kind of thing worth scooping off a plate with a buttermilk biscuit.

Whatever the history, it is hard to eat in any diner in the Ozarks on weekends without seeing Chocolate Gravy on the chalkboard. It’s worth a try.

The custom has the gravy as a biscuit topping but today it goes so much further: pancakes, waffles, ice cream, pound cake, fruit dip. Endless ways to use this finger licking treat.

The recipe is extremely basic and below are three which give excellent results.

1. 3⁄4 cup white sugar

1⁄4 cup cocoa

3 T. all purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 T. softened butter

2. 1 cup white sugar

1⁄4 cup cocoa

2 cups milk

3 T. salted butter

3. 3⁄4 cup cocoa

3 T. all purpose flour

3⁄4 cup sugar

1⁄4 t salt

2 cups milk

1 T. softened butter

2 t. vanilla extract

If you are a modern cook who does not make homemade biscuits, ones in a tube that you rap on the edge of the counter work just as well.

AND BISCUITS!!!!!!

The construction is basically the same. Mix the dry ingredients and stir into the milk in a saucepan on medium. Stir. Stir, Stir. It takes about 10 minutes and the result is a scrumptious spoon licking treat that is thicker than Herseys syrup and thinner than chocolate pudding. It can successfully be refrigerated on the off chance that there is some left over.

Personally, I always put a rounded 1⁄8 t. of cornstarch per batch to give it a little more body.

Ozark Pantry, my company, makes hundreds of packets of this humble concoction as a mix in our Certified Kitchen in Mountain View. It is delivered to State Parks and gift shops throughout Arkansas and homes from coast to coast.

Follow Ozark Pantry on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OzarkPantry/ You will find Ozark Pantry delectables at the Arkansas Craft Gallery and the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View along with the Little Hill Shop at Skylark in Leslie.

Another tip is to not hesitate experimenting with the different types of cocoa powder out there. There is life after the iconic brown can. Hersey’s makes a deep rich almost heady gravy. But there are those of you who do not like dark chocolate. Consider Dutch Processed Cocoa which results in a more milk chocolate gravy.

As the old advertisement says: “Try it. You’ll like it”

Regards, Marie & Bruce

Pollinators Are Around Us

By now most of the human race knows the importance of pollinators and have some understanding of encouraging their existence.

Pollinators not only include bees and butterflies but also include birds, moths and flies. It is amazing how they survive the hot temps of August. That is why the importance of having native plants in your landscape as well as some water source available during this time.

A saucer of water with a few pebbles or a rock for a perch is a simple addition to the pollinator garden. Choose native plants and trees. They will require less maintenance once established and adapt well to the local climate. Plan to have blooms from spring until winter. Migrating Monarchs need those fall blooms of nectar for their flight to the mountains in Mexico. The New England Aster is a good fall flower for monarchs.

Some summer natives for pollinators include:

Garden Phlox

Button Bush

Boneset

Mountain Mint

Azure Blue Sage

Rattlesnake Master

Ironweed, Black eyed Susan’s Lead plants

Many varieties of Liatris. The showy yellow blooms of the Shrubby Saint John’s Wort will be buzzing with Bumble Bees.

Fall and spring are the most suitable times for planting to ensure sustainability but where there is a will there is a way. A good method of planting during the summer is to fill up the hole that has been dug 3 times with water before planting to assure sufficient moisture.

It is important to buy native pants from a reliable source. You can still add some hybrids in your garden for a good punch but natives are superior.

• Compton Gardens in Bentonville offers a native plant sale usually the end of March. You can find the Gardens on Facebook.

• Another good source is Pine Ridge Gardens In London, Arkansas. www.pineridgegardens.com.

• Several native plants can be bought at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View.

Get inspired and start researching the many internet sites available to find complete lists of Arkansas Native Plants. Those butterflies, bees, birds and moths will thank you with many visits to your garden. Arkansas Game and Fish has published an excellent brochure, Native Gardening for Arkansas Pollinators, from which some of this information was obtained for a cross reference.

Note from Joy…When I first met one of these fellows in my garden a few years ago I thought it was a child’s toy until it wiggled….spent the rest of the day trying to identify him. Then back to the leaf I met him on!

Plant a Spice Bush this fall and have this interesting caterpillar for a visitor in Spring! Spice Bush Swallowtail.

Swallowtail Caterpillar on Fennel planted just for them.

NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S CORNBREAD

1 pkg JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

OPTION #1

1.Spray 8x8 pan. Preheat oven to 375.°

2.In large bowl, beat eggs; add sour cream, melted butter. Add box of mix and mix completely.

3.Spread mixture in pan in even layer

4.Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

OPTION #2

1.Place butter in 8” cast iron skillet in cold oven set at 400°.

2.In large bowl, beat eggs; add sour cream, then box of mix..

3.Remove skillet from oven. Pour most of the melted butter into the batter. (leave about 2 Tbs. in skillet and swirl around to coat sides of skillet.

4.Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden brown, with browning on edges and baked through. (opt #2 is Joy’s favorite…could eat the whole pan)

Brayden is going to make some girl very happy!

On weekends, when he comes to visit from college, Carole is teaching him how to really cook. This recipe has muffin mix in it but usually he’s making everything from scratch…and seems to really enjoy it…..

Monarch caterpillar on milkweed leaf by Deb Jolly

Judy Bishop photographed this beauty feasting on her butterfly weed as it blooms for a second time this season.

Carole Weber & grandson Brayden Hersh

“

Just living is not enough,” said the Butterfly,

“One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

—Hans Christian Andersen—

Bruce’s Spinach Salad 4 - 6 servings

1 pound fresh spinach, trimmed of tough stems, washed and dried

6 mushrooms sliced

1 cup sliced water chestnuts

6 slices of bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled

3/4 c fresh bean sprouts (hard to find)

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion.

Prepare salad ingredients a day ahead. Package separately bags and refrigerate. (Wrap spinach in paper towels before placing into the bag.)

Chutney Dressing

1/4 cup wine vinegar

2 - 3 t. Major Grey's Chutney

1 clove garlic crushed

2 T. coarse ground mustard

2 t. sugar

1/3 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Put the above dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor then slowly drizzle the oil into the machine. Add salt & pepper to taste. Divine!! Bruce can make a meal out of this salad..

I heard from a little birdie that Cave City watermelons are up on Service Road across from Pizza Inn in Mountain View…. I’ll be getting one for sure!

The old fashioned garden phlox in Judy Bishops yard is a flutter of wings now in August.

- Impressions in Blue by Terri below -

Wouldn’t these be great spots for your advertisements?

Building Lots in….

Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas

A ‘Land of Many Lakes’

Horseshoe Bend has mild winters, pleasant summers and the spring and fall are glorious. Year-round activities center around an abundance of magnificent lakes, the Strawberry River, the village bowling alley, a 9 hole golf course and an 18 hole golf course with clubhouse and indoor swimming pool.

If fresh air and a laid-back lifestyle is your thing, then give us a call.

We have beautiful wooded lots, view lots and golf course lots for sale! $3500 to $6000 per lot

Golf Course lots have electric, water and sewer available. Other lots have electric and water available. All are level lots on paved streets and easy to build on.

For more information: Call or Text 650-995-2369

Or email: L.L.A.P.Properties@gmail.com ~ Live Long and Prosper ~

We’ve been getting some really great feedback on Casual Country Magazine. Keep it up…it makes us feel good!

For inquiries of any sort:

• Advertising

• Feedback

• More writers/photographers wanting to join us in this adventure

• Calendar notices (of interest to lots of people) for the coming months

• Submitting an article and/or photos & recipes for consideration, etc..

email: casualcountrymagazine@gmail.com or mail to: Casual Country LLC, P.O. Box 1777, Mountain View, AR 72560.

The 23rd Annual Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour is coming up September 15th, 16th & 17th Here’s a few more of Terri Thrashers collection of paintings she’ll have available for purchase. Put it on your calendar, grab your best friend & head out on an adventure you won’t forget!