calling any one from missouri

[soriyavong]

Walmart’s are easy to come by... Starbucks might be more difficult... I don’t do Starbucks so I don’t really know though.... but is it the coffee or the hangout spot that the kids like in Starbucks?

Are your kids in school? Good schools might help narrow things down.

How big of a town are you thinking?

Also what about baseball? We have two teams, if you would prefer to root for the Royals vs the Cardinals or the other way around that might at least narrow it down to half the state, lol

We use Starbucks as a thinking spot that has wifi when we need to mentally get out of the house or if the internet goes down at home, lol. I always feel bad hogging a seat for hours at a small shop but really, any place with wifi that doesn't mind seeing my mug works too!

My kids are in school but the schools they are in aren't the greatest out here. From what I've seen poking around on GreatSchools, the schools out there are about equal or better than their current schools (great job by the way!). Are the average student-to-teacher ratios really that small out there?!

Our current town is about 10 sq miles and about 15,000 people. I think my city boy hubby could handle going down to 5000 people but after that I think he may feel too isolated. Out here in CA I know that if a property is 1 acre or larger, I can have any livestock I want. Is it about the same out there?

 

[jthornton]

Poplar Bluff has both a Walmart and a Starbucks and Menards, Home Depot, Gamblins (family lumber business), and many more.

JT

 

[SueT]

Joplin has 2 Starbucks...we find tho, that often there are independent espresso shops that are superior. Nearby Carthage has Mother Road Coffee, named after Route 66 which goes thru the area. It's a lovely shop on the historic square, full of 66 memorabilia. Another town we go to often, Pittsburg, in SE Kansas, has a Starbucks, but we prefer to go to Signet Coffee Roasters there. They roast their own beans twice a week and it's a very pleasant place to hang out as well. Their coffee is the best we've had outside of the Pacific northwest.
edit to add: Quite a bit further to the east, in Mt. Vernon, which has no Starbucks, is The Keen Bean, a delightful stop for coffee or lunch. They also roast their own beans. Mt. Vernon is a special town that hosts a really big craft fair each fall called 'Apple Butter Makin Days.' And during this fair, groups set up huge apple butter kettles on the courthouse lawn and light fires under them, stir it all by hand, and selling it in jars.... They also have a hatchery where we bought most of our chickens.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Our yard owl has been hanging out on the electric line the last several nights... I’m hoping she’s working over the copperhead and vole population...

I watched her working last night and saw her catch something... also saw her flush a Brown Thrasher from its nest in that bush just below her in the picture

... I noticed our porch rabbit that was coming up to nibble my wife’s house plants has been absent lately...

... not sure it’s become owl poo or if that plant was not healthy for cotton tails?

This little rose was looking peppy this morning!

And the Japanese beetles have shown up on schedule ... do the rest of you get a lot of these?

 

[jthornton]

I've not seen any Japanese beetles, but my neighbor had some in her garden. Didn't see any more tobacco horn worms this morning so I must have picked them all off the tomatoes. But now every time I walk by I spend a few minutes looking for more...

JT

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I've not seen any Japanese beetles, but my neighbor had some in her garden. Didn't see any more tobacco horn worms this morning so I must have picked them all off the tomatoes. But now every time I walk by I spend a few minutes looking for more...

JT

I meant to check our ‘mater plants yesterday after you mentioned that, but forgot...

.... had a quick look just now... I didn’t see any thing... but will have to try and remember to check periodically...

... our plants don’t look like much at the moment ... so the moths might not think they’re worth of their eggs!

 

[jthornton]

The tomato plants in the raised beds have just exploded with tomatoes and it's so thick you can't see the middle of them... the ones in the 5 gallon pots on the deck are not doing as good, they are a bit spindly and only have 3 tomatoes with 12 plants.

JT

 

[OhZark Biddies]

The tomato plants in the raised beds have just exploded with tomatoes and it's so thick you can't see the middle of them... the ones in the 5 gallon pots on the deck are not doing as good, they are a bit spindly and only have 3 tomatoes with 12 plants.

JT

We just have a few bucket ‘maters and one pepper... maybe this fall I’ll get something deer proof built...

maybe some JT style raised beds!

it’s interesting how the containers don’t do as well. In a different year I’d think it has to do with them drying out... this year I was concerned they were getting too much water though!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Our yard owl has been hanging out on the electric line the last several nights... I’m hoping she’s working over the copperhead and vole population...

View attachment 1832220

I watched her working last night and saw her catch something... also saw her flush a Brown Thrasher from its nest in that bush just below her in the picture

... I noticed our porch rabbit that was coming up to nibble my wife’s house plants has been absent lately...

... not sure it’s become owl poo or if that plant was not healthy for cotton tails?

View attachment 1832262

This little rose was looking peppy this morning!
View attachment 1832211

And the Japanese beetles have shown up on schedule ... do the rest of you get a lot of these?

View attachment 1832218

Yes. gosh darned things. Haven't seen them yet this year but they will be here soon.

 

[jthornton]

We just have a few bucket ‘maters and one pepper... maybe this fall I’ll get something deer proof built...

maybe some JT style raised beds!

it’s interesting how the containers don’t do as well. In a different year I’d think it has to do with them drying out... this year I was concerned they were getting too much water though!

Yea the second version of the raised beds I'm pleased with, I still want to put a fence around it with enough room for me to walk around them... I found some 5" screws at Menards that made building the raised beds quick and easy.

My new pots I got this year didn't drain well and I had put more holes in them and a layer of pea gravel in the bottom thing and set the pot on the gravel. They also didn't have any of my magic chicken poop compost and the raised bed has about 20% compost and the rest is a mix of new and last years potting soil mix. I need to start some plants in a pot with some magic chicken poop compost but it's too wet from this winter. Me and the chickens are working hard at turning and breaking up the clumps in the middle compost bin... but it looks like it will be a while.

JT