Red Shed Chronicles - Evan & Rhesa Funk

Red Shed Chronicles stories will soon be returning to this page. It's been about eighteen months since we posted here. The main reason for the delay is we lost our home offices here on The Homestead due to the phone company downgrading the internet we had on C Hwy. So......we had to move our businesses to town, which included a complete remodel of a little house which we've turned into a micro complex of small business. We've been busy! But the stories haven't stopped, and we'll be back posting here soon with The Red Shed Chronicle. Meanwhile, you can find us diligently working each day at The Purple House in our small mountain town. It was a run-down derelict of a house when we started, but she's looking pretty good now. Stay tuned.....stories coming!

It was a beautiful sunrise on the creek this morning. Awash in green. Spring and all of its glory has fully arrived at The Homestead.

Cold creek outside, cozy fire inside.

My brother explaining his aquaponics system for a segment of Oklahoma State University television. Great system. He and his family been eating fresh veggies all winter.

What is aquaponics? (2/17/18) Learn how a Noble County producer is using aquaponics on his farm.

Simple winter pleasures. Drying wool socks on the spice rack. Cozy and comforting.

The Science of Chicken Soup. With cold and flu going around like crazy, these frigid winter days are the perfect time to make a big pot of chicken soup. Lots of science in the healing properties of this tasty meal (with or without noodles). Boiling down the holiday bird will render great broth and good meat. Carrots are loaded with beta carotene, celery has vitamin C, both of which bolster the immune system. Onions and garlic are loaded with anti-inflammatory properties and are both natural anti-histamines. Not only warming, but healing. And deliciously yummy.

Good day on The Homestead. Filling the freezer with harvested deer. We butcher our own and use every last bit of the meat. There is zero waste here. Steaks. Hams. Ground. And all the rest is cut up and bagged to use as dog food through out the year. NO WASTE.

If you have nature lovers or hiking enthusiasts on your Christmas list, give them something they will LOVE - a two-night stay at our guest cabin here on The Homestead. Cabin on the Creek Rental - Ozark Mountains Southeastern Missouri is an adorable little cabin in the Ozark Mountains. Or treat yourself and book a stay! Cabin on the Creek is surrounded by mountains, winding roads and beautiful natural attractions. It is only a few minutes from the Ozark’s highest point, numerous hiking trails and waterfalls, and includes a tour of all our homesteading projects. Your gift will provide a peaceful stay in a mist-filled valley with abundant crystal clear creeks and rivers, including one running right beside the cabin! Private message to purchase a stay and you’ll receive a lovely gift announcement to give your recipient. Or we're happy to mail it directly to their mailbox or inbox. You can also book a stay using the Book Now button on this page. Happy Holidays.

Our winters here in southeastern Missouri are very dreary and gray. After a number of years of suffering from winter blues, I now takes daily steps to stay ahead of the "drearies". One of the ways is bright, fresh scents - accomplished here with mint from my garden (gathered right before our first hard freeze) and orange p*els. Most days I will also make a point to bring the aroma of essential oils into our home. Essential oils (which used to be called healing oils in Biblical times) are the only thing with molecules small enough to immediately cross over the blood/brain barrier - instant "boost". This is why they are an excellent choice to lift the mood of a cloudy, dreary day. My favorite oils for great home scents: peppermint, spearmint, eucalyptus, tea tree, rosemary. A few drops on a cotton ball, breath deep. Soul soothing.

Probably our last purple peppers of this season. Cold weather is approaching and the garden will go to rest for winter.

What a delightful surprise to find three little fresh strawberries in my garden on a chilly October 1st morning. A treat!

On the way to the garden this morning.

Enjoying end-of-summer garden goodies: fresh cukes, sauteed peppers 'n onions, cantaloupe, and the tomatoes didn't make it into this pic. Added some grilled chicken and rice. That's what's for supper! Started the Fall garden clean out today. Wish there was an ugly garden contest, because I don't w**d. But this little patch grew way more than we could eat this year - w**ds and all. Never did get around to building the flowerbed in front, guess that will be a Fall or Winter project now.

I have less than 30 mornings left to wake up in The Happy Camper. (Our tiny house on the creek is almost finished!) Then the Happy Camper will undergo a complete transformation into a groovy, Bohemian-vibe, love shack (which is the exact description I'm going to use when I throw her onto Airbnb this Spring).
You changed me, Happy Camper. My four years, 8 months and 12 days living in you provided the grease for my slide right into a totally different life. As we came to homestead this property, I did not know I'd live in you this long!
You and I shared some dark days, and while they were horrible at the time - I've come out on the brighter side of happy. That being said, however...
While I love you.....I will not miss you.
In your next life, you are going to change even more people as they come to stay here on C Highway. They will experience the spirit of renewal and refreshing that resides and flows on this land. And you, Happy Camper....you will hold them in their bed, and shelter them while they eat and you'll be in ALL their pictures. And they will smile when they remember you.
Get ready....your insides are gonna be as cute as your outsides by the time the 2018 daffodils bloom. Cabin on the Creek Rental - Ozark Mountains Southeastern Missouri

Middle of September and our little garden just keeps cranking out the veggies. Yummy, healthy and delicious. We never get tired of the goodies.

It's hot and green today, but in just a few short weeks the leaves will fall and we'll be heating with wood. Getting ready.... Red Shed Chronicles - Evan & Rhesa Funk

Composting is all natural, has no odor, and is environmentally friendly. Americans waste 2.1 trillion gallons of water each year flushing.

This is a sawdust system. Put toilet paper in the waste paper can, not in the bucket (it’s too hard to cover it up with sawdust).

When you p*e, add 2-3 cups of sawdust to cover.
Place toilet paper in waste can.

When you p**p, add however many cups of sawdust it takes to completely cover the waste. Feel free to jiggle the bucket to help “settle”, and cover completely with sawdust.
Place toilet paper in waste can.

You should never be able to see liquid in this bucket

You should never be able to see solids in this bucket.

If you can smell p*e or smell p**p……add more sawdust.
There should be zero odor.

When bucket is ¾ full, replace with an empty bucket. When starting a new bucket, BEFORE doing your business, add 3” sawdust to bottom of bucket.

For each day you use a composting system, you save 50 gal water.

System can also use sand, or dense shredded leaves. Empty bucket into a separate composting area outside and let it set for 1 year. Material is excellent fertilizer for newly planted trees or fruit trees.

To disinfect a bucket, fill with water from garden hose, add 1/4 c bleach and leave bucket (filled with water) sitting in sun for a day. Bucket will contain no odor and same buckets can be used for up to two years.