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Photos and Videos from Rosewood the Place
The Fish Pond
The fish pond is one of my favorite places on Rosewood. It is full of smallmouth bass, catfish and several species of sunfish. I feed them every day as long as the pond is not frozen over. The island is cared for and used every year as a nesting spot for Canadian geese who bless me with baby honkers every Spring! It is alive with frogs, turtles, birds, ducks, dragonflies and hundreds of other species. It is visited daily by the same blue heron who fishes the shallows, Every day, new prints show up on the shore... deer, racoons, opossum and turkey leave their imprint, and occasionally fox, bobcat and coyote. If it lives on Rosewood, it visits the fish pond.
The Field Before Conversion
The Rosewood field for years had been used exclusively to grow hay for cattle in the surrounding area. Mostly fescue, some clover, and various non native grasses. Nothing lives here though creatures of all kinds do pass through.
The Field Conversion
Cut, burned, seeded and just waiting for rain, sunshine, and about 4 years!
The Rosewood Field Today
I have catalogued and photographed over 100 different species of native grasses, clovers, flowers and plants in the field alone. This photo is after only 4 years. The field changes from an early Spring look to a summer look, early fall look and then the late fall look with different plants and flowers growing, blooming and seeding throughout the year.
The Woods!
By far my favorite places on Rosewood are the many acres of woods. I personally cut and maintain almost a mile and a half of trails and walk them alone and with the dogs frequently. They are crisscrossed with miles of valleys, creeks and streams, and dotted with deep pools which hold water for most of the year. This is where I recharge my batteries, commune with The Creator and all of Her magnificent creatures, and where my heart usually is no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Without these woods, I would be lost! If you look closely, you can see a flock of turkeys just right of center.
Life Flourishes Here
The Top Predators
When a property is rewilded, you know that it is complete when the top predators return. Rosewood has seen black bear, mountain lion, coyote, bobcat, fox, bald eagles, owls, hawks and falcons all roaming freely. With every walk around the property, I see their imprint. Though a concrete sign of success, I cannot walk the dogs or even take them out to potty at night without being armed. So far, there have been no incidents.
Wild Game is Everywhere!
White tailed deer, turkey, rabbit, dove, duck and geese and more live here and pass though seasonally. They are beautiful, expressive, loud and proud. One of the most magnificent sounds to echo through Rosewood are the call of geese as they fly overhead, land on the ponds, and battle for the islands in the middle of the ponds. Sitting on the deck, turkey call for many months of the year as well as deer looking for mates and establishing territory. What you cannot see, you can definitely hear. There is beauty, life and drama everywhere on Rosewood!
Rosewood is a nursery
Every year, does have their babies within just a few yards of the house where they feel safe from predators. The "house herd" is here year round and is used to me and the pups being around. Proud mothers parade their bouncy little fawns past us to show them off, they feed on the front lawn where dozens of hickory and oak trees drop their nuts, and they surround the bird feeders where they can clean up what the many squirrels leave behind. It never, ever gets old!
We Try to Get Along!
I once lived 9,000 feet high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. As I pulled into a gas station on my way to my new home, a herd of elk slowly moved through and literally surrounded me. I was flabbergasted at the sight and could not believe my eyes. In a state of wonder, I looked over at a fellow traveler with my mouth wide open and he just shrugged and calmly said, "Yeah, they let us live here too." That is what I try and teach my pups. The older, wiser and gentler Princess understands, but this little boy has some work to do!
The House Herd
Every year, between 12 and 16 white tailed deer make up what I call The House Herd. Mothers give birth just inside the woods surrounding the house, their fawns become staples in the front and back yard where they all feel safe, and they circle the property three times a day like clockwork. They so easily move in and out of my life that I cannot feel connected to them. What a joy to be a part of!
Every Day is a Remarkable Day at Rosewood!
Fall is My Favorite Time of Year!
It just makes my heart skip a beat... the look, the sounds, the smells... all of life hustling to make it through the winter! It's a time to walk the woods, take the pups on adventures, and settle in for the cold, dark times ahead. I only enter the woods twice a year to clear the trails, but for a few months in late fall and early winter, it's the best place to slowly walk and observe. I leave it mostly for the critters for most of the year, but in fall, it's mine!
Rosewood Lives and Breathes
Rosewood has a heartbeat and a rhythm. It lives and breathes and has a soul. It talks to you, and when you open your heart to it, you can hear it. On quiet days like this, it screams. This land does not belong to me, I am just its very willing caretaker. When I am out wandering Rosewood, I am acutely aware of the spirits of the many who have come before me. The wind whispers, a bird follows me, a deer lifts her head, a leaf gently falls on my head...
Sometimes, It's just Downright Magical
There is not a square foot of this property that does not shine. Winter, spring, summer or fall, Rosewood just calls you. My neighbor has rewilded most of his 75 acres, I am surrounded by mostly woods, and in two directions, protected government land is just a brisk walk through untouched woods. I have very few neighbors for a mile in any direction, and it is as peaceful as it is beautiful.
Sometimes Rosewood is Haunting
I have been blessed by a Native American tribe, given a new name, and say a daily prayer to The Creator passed on to me by the Osage Nation. I do not own this land, it is owned by all the Peoples that have come before me. I am just its caretaker for future generations. and very, very proud to be so!
Rosewood the State of Mind
We are nature, nature is us. The Great Spirit gave us this planet with just one expectation: that we take care of it and all that is upon it. I have been blessed to be in a position to give back to the Earth what I have taken from it over the years, and it humbles me to know that the world is so much bigger and so much more important than me. This is my place in the world, to simply be a part of The Great Spirit and his wonderful creations.
The Princess and the Court Jester of Rosewood
My Little Princess Knows Nowhere Else
She was all but born here and has known nothing other than the state parks and creeks close by. She rules over it like a true Princess and several times a day asks to go out just so she can sit on the front walk and stare at her domain. I let her be for a while, then stand over her rubbing her soft ears until she comes home. This is her land too.
The Court Jester
If Rosewood had a sense of humor, this little guy would be it!
Golden Retrievers are a Gift From The Great Spirit
If you know, you know. The Princess and the Court Jester in their element. I love my Goldens more than life itself and it is my life's mission to give them the best life I can!
They Roam, Play and Explore all Over Rosewood
Inspecting the new game pond. I share their sense of wonder and amazement, something that bonds us all to Rosewood the Place. Every day is different, every day we take different paths, and every day we are all grateful for the beauty and wonder the Great Spirit has bestowed upon us.
Kindred Spirits Roam Together
They go where I go, I go where they go. Golden Retrievers and wide open spaces just go together!
The Magic of Rosewood Drives My Art
A Running Creek During a Spring Rain
Rosewood has many creeks and streams that become raging rivers during strong downpours but most of the time, they are just beautiful to see and hear,
The Rainbow Trees
A Rainbow Tree is created when a larger tree falls down and pins the top of a smaller tree to the ground for a year or two. Then the tree grows in a rainbow shape. Many Native American cultures revere these trees and are said to produce game even by modern day hunters. When I see one, I feel that the Creator has created a window he wants me to look through. Rainbow trees helped inspire the Windows Into the Soul Series of Rosewood art.
Amazing Finds Everywhere
Wandering in the woods one day, I came across this hummingbird nest. Many months after the baby birds flew away, it still stood strong, beautiful and quite inspiring.
Moonrise Over the Fish Pond
This photo, taken many years ago after setting duck decoys on the pond, inspired the Orbs in Rosewood art. Orbs are the source of power we all have whether it comes from family, friends, our jobs or the universe in general.
The Power of Nature
This is the newly installed game pond in the far corner of the property. It is shallow, has an island for geese to nest upon, and is as secluded as I could make it. It was my gift to the creatures of Rosewood to help make their lives better. This picture was taken almost a year to the day after it was built, yet the island and entire surroundings are already thick with native flowers and plants, all without my help.
The Resilient Ash Tree
In a several state are over just two years, almost every single ash tree was killed by beetles. I cut down those that would fall on structures or roads but this one refused to die. I continuously trimmed all other risers, placed a foam floatie around it for years, and watched as the deer ate the leaves and stems every fall. I watered it, fed it and took care of it for years and now it seems that I will have the only ash tree for many, many miles.
Bunny Home, Deer Trail, Bunny Home, Deer Trail...
For the several miles of tree lines on Rosewood, I took the time to create an opening for deer every 15 yards or so. I established brush piles on either side with the cut trees and branches so as you walk Rosewood, it's deer trail, bunny home, deet trail, bunny home. To help the baby fawns, I cut openings in the fence line, rolled the fencing into a tube, covered it with branches, and created bunny homes. Along with the field conversion, the rabbit population has been growing every year since.
The Owl Perch
This strong oak sits just inside the tree line overlooking the front yard. Almost every evening there is an owl on the branch, sometimes a barred owl, sometimes a great gray, but the tree is next to an electric company light, the only light on the entire property. The owls sit in silence, looking over the lit area, and hunt rabbits, field mice, raccoon, armadillo and opossum. Once, when the Princess was barely 9 weeks old and we were doing a midnight potty training session, the owl swooped down and flew just a few feet above her. Luckily, she was leashed and I saw the owl coming. I certainly never heard it, I just happened to be looking around for predators. I love to feed them, but not with my baby!
The Toughest Deer in the State
This magnificent one horned beast fought off what looks to be an attack from the dominant male bobcat that rules Rosewood. The scars are on both sides, on the top of his neck, and both sides of his rump. This guy. I want to be this guy! What an inspiration!
Grandma? Where Does Firewood Come From?
The woods, my dear. Rain, snow, ice, wind, even woodpeckers and deer cut down trees. This stunning hickory was well over 60 feet tall and so big around at the base that two grown men could not lock hands around it's trunk. Both my neighbor and I cut half a years' worth of firewood from just the branches on the ground but we did not feel safe cutting the rest. I was outside when it fell, broken about 20 feet up, and it sounded like a succession of cannot shots firing in my direction. The Princess darted back to the house, the Court Jester bounced like he was on a trampoline and it took about 10 seconds to break and fall. My friends, neighbors and myself get all of our firewood from Rosewood. I mean, The Creator.
Clearing the Trails
To fully experience Rosewood, you have to walk the forest trails. When I moved here, there was not a single trail in the woods... each was hand cut and eventually widened to allow a utility vehicle to barely pass. Trails help wildlife navigate, find each other, and move quickly when they need to. There currently is just under a mile and a half of trails, and every foot needs to be cleared regularly. This photo shows just how much work that can be. Believe it or not, there is a trail under there!
The Orchard
The orchard was not installed for me, but for the animals and birds of Rosewood. There are 14 trees total, two pear trees, two peach trees, two plum trees, two cherry trees, and three different species of apple trees. Each is native to the state and left year round for benefit of the wildlife. The orchard assures that everyone receives nutrients and minerals not normally available. Though there are many, many native cherry and plum trees growing naturally throughout Rosewood, this is just another gift to The Creator in return for the many he gave me.
The Fish Hatchery
The fish pond, like everything on Rosewood, requires an understanding of nature and hard work to maintain. The east side has been turned into a hatchery by sinking dozens of small cedar trees, fallen trees, and even wood pallets held down by cinderblocks. Due to annual droughts, the ponds gets low and, in this case, the work done to provide hatchlings and fry a place to grow and thrive can be seen. The pond is entirely self-sustaining but I do feed them for most of the year.