Tag Archives: Life on the Katy Trail

The Silos at Prairie Vale/Thursday Doors

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Hay rake wheel over the door of this silo suite.

There are a few well-kept secrets here in Mid-Missouri, but it’s high time I spilled the beans. I am super excited to introduce a couple friends of mine. They are Wendy and Doug Needy and they have created ‘The Silos at Prarie Vale’. This Airbnb rendevous on the Prairie is a gem! Tucked away in Rural Pettis County, Missouri–near Windsor’s Amish community, the Missouri State Fairgrounds, state parks, annual festivals and historical places. Who needs to stay here? Honeymooners, Fair-goers, World Travelers, Bikers (it’s a short pedal off the Katy Trail) or anyone who needs to destress their life. What an experience!!

Yeah, I know. This sounds like an ad. But I know these folks. I graduated with Doug. His mother, Judy, graduated with my aunt Glenda. Growing up, those 2 spent lots of hours as our room mothers, preparing cool parties for us. So many good treats and wonderful memories. And when I first met Wendy, we were planning one of our class reunions. Judging by the hard work and thoughtfulness they’ve invested in this venture I’d say creativity is just in their genes.

This Thursday Doors, I hope you’ll enjoy the selection of photos Wendy sent me. They will tell you so much more than I can. If you are interested in a more detailed description of The Silos, please click here.

Thanks to Norm 2.0 and all the Doors family who are so kind as to allow me to have this brag moment for one of Green Ridge, Missouri’s finest families. Please visit Norm 2.0 and find the blue frog button for door entries from across the globe. You will be awestruck by the superb views.

  • This was once a dairy farm
  • The Farm House w/wrap around porch.
  • Winter Silos
  • Covered Porch
  • Bucky and Libby’s goat “wedding” for fun
  • Doug, the wedding officiator
  • Bucky finishing off the wedding arbor
  • Wendy makes guest soaps from goats milk
  • Jetty a miniature donkey and 2 Nigerian Dwarf goats -Ace and Bucky
  • Moo is the official cat welcoming committee
  • A snuggle buddy

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Persimmon Report 2018/ThursdayDoors

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Findings have already been shown by a couple of my FaceBook friends, but I had a high school friend message me for my personal findings. We’re talking about the Annual Persimmon Report here. So for this week on my Thursday Doors post, we’re headed Outdoors.

Before we get to the results of my seeds’ hidden prediction, I’d like to take time to discuss where these trees grow and if you may be able to find one in your location.  According to https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/4136/, 

Persimmon trees are hardy in USDA zones 5 to 11. However, you’ll have to select the right type for your area. There are two types of persimmon trees. The Asian persimmon (Diospyros kaki) grows in USDA hardiness zones 7 to 11, and is known for its large fruits on smaller trees. It’s the type often sold in grocery stores.

The American persimmon (D. virginiana) is a faster growing, larger tree that’s hardy to USDA zone 5. It produces smaller fruits, which some consider richer in flavor than its Asian cousins.

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Un-ripe when green, but there was a 4th one that was ready to pick.

The American persimmon has always been my choice when doing my search for the winter predictions. It’s what I am most familiar with and it’s native to our part of the country. As far as being richer in flavor, I have no idea about that. I’ve never cooked with them and don’t plan on it. Very sticky, stringy and a major consumption of time and energy in my opinion. To those who make pudding, jam, bread and etc with these, my hats off to you. Just not for me. But apparently those pesky Japanese Beetles don’t like them. The tree was loaded with fruit.

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This particular fruit only had 3 seeds. Many have 5 to 6. May be a result of our very dry summer.

Fenced in
Mandatory Door/Gate

So drum roll please……………………………….

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This is just one more tedious task to find out that forecast. No cuts I’m happy to say.

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Spoons! All Spoons!

We’re headed for a snowy winter in case you don’t know what these spoons mean. Not what I wanted to find but to my dear fellow FaceBookians, you already knew this. Has anyone checked the Farmers Almanac for their opinion on this? I’d happily take a less dire forecast. Make sure you’re prepared if you live in these snow prone areas.

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Ending today’s post with this glimpse of 2 young deer about to cross the trail less than 200 yards away from my home.

Please take time to check the other Thursday Doors posts at our guest host this week, Mexi Move the Third. Much gratitude to them for keeping these doors from being snowed in.

Gentleman’s Fancy/#AtoZ

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The April A to Z Blog Challenge is an annual blogging event in which participants blog every day (except Sundays) one post for each letter of the alphabet for the entire month. My theme for the year will be “Quilts and Ozark Slang.” So gitchur coffee or sodapop, grab a pilluh, and sit a spell.

#AtoZchallenge 2018 G is for Genre

The Letter today is G.

 

Book Illustration
Fabric Block layout

Gentleman’s Fancy is a fast block to piece. It’s one that could be done in a hurry for a gift. Each block could be made with a ‘centerpiece’ fabric to create an I Spy quilt for a grandchild or other young child. Really it’s one you could do different fabrics with as long as you keep the light and dark values in place.

Speaking of ‘light values’, you may notice a difference in fabric on this one.

 

A shade lighter but stlll matches focus fabric
The darker version

 

It was at this point in cutting the pieces out that I realized I had to have more of the lighter fabric to complete all the blocks for this quilt. I had not taken into consideration that the quilt blocks last year were 6-inch blocks, while this year’s are 12-inch ones. Huge difference. But the face that these both work with the focus fabric have saved my life. Whew!

Had this not worked out, I was “gonna have a hissy fit“! The Ozark slang was foremost in my mind when the fabric issue became known. So, in other words, I was going to be extremely upset…..beyond upset. And it was not going to be pretty. But it all worked out as it was meant to and life goes on.

There are many more wonderful blogs this year that I hope you can spend a couple minutes reading. All you have to do is click here and select something that interests you. To read about the A to Z Challenge and what we are all about, click here.

Rolling in the Deep/WPC

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Unusual

Unusual

I stepped out the back door and caught this eye-catching shot of clouds at sunset last week. It looked like the clouds were rolling out of a cavity.

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And for some unusual reason, rotating the picture gives them an even more dramatic rolling appearance.

For more weekly photo challenge entries, click here.

Save Your Fingers/Sunday Sampler

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Sunday Sampler

I opened my FaceBook messenger one morning to see a picture and a little request for the item below.

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But I don’t think it was in the right color. So still creating some. Unfortunately they are in a pile next to the sewing machine. Time has not been a friend the last couple weeks. But I did a test run on the one above as you can see and it passed my scrutiny as well as the family’s. I even created a little ‘love’ for my grad student daughter.

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As time permits, more will be made. Until then I’ll leave you with a little list of uses for this newfound creation.

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Have a wonderful Sunday!!

It Ain’t Pretty/WPC

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Chaos

Somehow I manage to make this space work.

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Probably good thing it’s hid away in the basement.

Note: Do Not call the makeover police. I’m perfectly content in my organized chaos.

For other Weekly Photo Challenge entries, click here.

Local Boulevard/WPC

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Local

This week’s photo challenge had to wait for Monday evening. It began predictably with attending the first performance of the Sedalia Symphony. And my youngest daughter is our main reason for attending. They say honesty is the best policy.

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The 82nd season of the Sedalia Symphony.

Their song choices this time were right up my daughter’s alley. One song medley included “Oh,Susanna” & “Shenandoah” among others. You see, we play some bluegrass in our home and she was quick to inform me at their first practice that she had no trouble with the timing of the pieces 😉 You are welcome daughter dear.

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There she is poppin’ in behind us for a photo thanks to Grandma Nancy’s help.

The star act was no surprise. Leroy VanDyke is Sedalia’s very own and as you’d expect, there was a very good turnout to hear him. Everyone knows he’ll meet you afterwards and sign stuff and talk to you. Very nice guy and so is his band. All Missouri natives. One is his youngest son.

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But the surprise came when the mayor announced that our city has named a portion of U.S Highway 50 after Mr.VanDyke. He also was honored by the State of Missouri’s General Assembly. Read that here.

Sedalia and Pettis County is certainly proud of this legend of country music!

For other great ‘Local’ WordPress Photo Challenge entries, click here.

A Little Sunshine/Sunday Sampler

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Sunday Sampler

I just survivied 2 days of utter flu misery. Getting  vertical was out of the question. I’d sit, lay down, walk to any room in the house to just find a place to sit or lie down. Body aches of mass proportion. Le yuck!

So sitting and being idle after chasing children most weekdays is just plain hard to get accustomed to. I may never retire. Sigh!

So while the body healed, the mind wandered and I decided to take the plunge into creating a crochet pattern.

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This is the finished product. A Crochet Sunflower Knob Bob. Ties onto pot handles to keep your fingers from getting burned, saves time by allowing you to check what’s brewing, and adds convenience of not misplacing your pot holder. And it’s pretty to boot!

Will I make another??

I only hope it’s not because I have the flu next time.

To get your copy of the pattern, check out this link.

 

 

A Tour de Rental/ Thursday Doors

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A couple weeks ago, a neighbor was feeling generous enough to let my daughter and I  walk through this door and peek inside his rental property. He has been upgrading this home for over a year now. Taking one room at a time as you get the time and money is one way to save yourself the cost of contractors. And a way to make sure it’s done right. I was given the OK to take some pictures of what he has done with the place.

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front-room

Once inside the front door. 

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Some lucky renter will have a clean slate to work with. 

All the homes on our street are ‘cookie cutter’ types built in the early 1950’s.They arrived on the rails behind my home (the Katy Trail) and were dropped off to be assembled. They were built to house Boeing employees and enlisted men who were building missiles and installing them in the silos. Whiteman Air Force Base about 20 miles away, was their base of operations. Amenities in these homes included one car garage, one bath and 3 bedrooms with an eat-in kitchen and a living room. No basements unless you were one of the officers and you lived a couple streets over. Many years later, most have at least done away with the asbestos siding and changed these homes to suite their more modern lives.

To see more  Thursday Door posts, click here. Norm will direct you to more.