Tom Norman

Few things match the thrill of cracking open an ugly, otherwise-ordinary-looking river stone and revealing sparkling quartz crystals inside! We often get asked “HOW do I open this thing?!” Well, with two decades of experience under our belt, we have found a few methods to be the most reliable. Today, we’ll share our favorite methods and let you decide which one sounds best for you. Kentucky geodes are renowned for their dense, beautiful crystalline interiors, most commonly quartz crystals but...

One of the best ways we can support wildlife is by planting native trees that feed, shelter, and sustain them for generations. Three powerhouses for both people and critters are pawpaw, persimmon, and chestnut: Pawpaw - The only host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly! In late summer and fall, its custard-like fruit is loved by raccoons, opossums, foxes, and even wild turkeys. Persimmon - Persimmons ripen in autumn and can hang on trees well into winter, offering a critical...

A Forgotten Fruit with Deep Roots By Thomas Norman Aug 4, 2025 The Pawpaw. Photo credit: Thomas Norman I found this pawpaw tree down along the Red River, where the water cuts soft into the earth and history seems to settle in the sediment. We were exploring near what once was Renfroe Station , a short-lived frontier outpost founded in 1780 eventually lost to backwater conflict. It’s the kind of place you can stand still and feel time stretch both ways—back through early settler hardship,...