Tag Archives: Madroño Ranch

FREE RANGE: FOOD, NATURE, PLACE, AND MORE

In memory of Heather Catto Kohout

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Martin

As many of you know, Heather Catto Kohout, whose idea Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing, Art, and the Environment was, died on October 17, 2014, nearly three years after her initial diagnosis with metastatic cancer. Her obituary gives only … Continue reading →

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The first annual Madroño Ranch residents’ reunion

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Martin

Two Saturdays ago some twenty former residents and members of our Advisory Board gathered at our house in Austin for what we hope will be the first of many annual “Resident Reunions.” We envisioned this gathering as a chance for … Continue reading →

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Love, light, and Wallace Stevens

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Martin

Yesterday was the solstice, the shortest day of the year; Heather’s father died last Sunday; and we’ve received various other pieces of bad news over the last few weeks. It would be easy, under the circumstances, to give way to … Continue reading →

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The meaning of meat

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Martin

“It is true, I came as near as is possible to come to being a hunter and miss it, myself….” (Henry David Thoreau) I spent last weekend in the company of six heavily armed women at Madroño Ranch. Don’t worry; … Continue reading →

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Field notes from inside my head: connecting art and commerce

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Heather

Point One: When we attended the Alliance for Artist Communities conference in Chicago several weeks ago, I found myself eagerly awaiting the start of a session entitled “Earned Revenue and Artist Residencies.” Point Two: The other day, as Martin and … Continue reading →

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Second City, second harvest: pork bellies and bison blood

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Martin

Sometimes this whole harebrained Madroño Ranch scheme of ours seems to manifest a distinctly split personality. Last week, for example, we experienced, vividly and in close conjunction, two contradictory extremes, one exhilarating, the other sobering. The resulting psychic whiplash has … Continue reading →

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The Alliance conference: our first time in the Second City

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Martin

The Windy City. Hog Butcher for the World. City of the Big Shoulders. The Second City. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and Harry Caray’s “Holy cow!” Richard Daley and Mike Ditka. Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Frank Lloyd Wright and Al Capone. … Continue reading →

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Re-wilding the monocultural self

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Heather

While reading the recently published Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World, by Emma Marris, I found myself simultaneously cheering and exclaiming with a steely squint: Hey! Real conservationists can’t think this! You’re just giving ammunition for them to … Continue reading →

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Field notes from Madroño Ranch: bison and birds

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Heather

This is a bird-and-bison-intensive kitchen sink of a blog post; even Martin’s most focused editorial ministrations will be of no avail in trying to flush out some kind of narrative thread. To lend it at least an illusion of coherence, … Continue reading →

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Being still

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Thea

We have spared no expense in securing the services of an ace guest blogger this week while we recuperate from our thirtieth college reunion in Massachusetts. Below, Thea Kohout offers some reflections on the importance, and scarcity, of stillness. I … Continue reading →

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