WindRider's: A different kind of store!

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Located at 16257 US Hwy 160 in the business district of Forsyth Missouri, WindRider’s is a unique kind of place that at first reminded me of the old time Hippie stores of the 1970’s era. It's a store that is ‘earth friendly and which is dedicated to renewable resources', this according to the owner Jan Chester.  It seems that some of the fabrics are made from bamboo, hemp and re-cycled silk. All were beautiful and I was amazed at how soft and luxurious the cloth made from bamboo felt to the touch!

In addition to clothing, WindRider’s also stocks an assortment of herbal salves, incense, baskets and charms some of which are handmade by Jan, her family members, are fair-traded or come from countries like Nepal. What really got my interest, however, was the wide assortment of organically grown heirloom seeds that are available. I like the idea of heirloom seeds mostly for the fact that if you allow them to go to seed, they will breed true the next season. In that way, you buy one packet of seeds and can then plant that same vegetable year after year from seeds you harvest. It’s like getting free food, in effect!

Please take a moment, next time you’re in the area to stop in and say hi! The store is located a short ways down from Forsyth Hardware or next door to the Forsyth Pharmacy. For more information you can reach them at 417-546-2070. The store hours are, currently, Monday thru Saturday 10AM to 5PM.

Disclaimer: All information posted in this blog is by the author and represents and honest effort at being accurate. As always, anything written here can change without notice.

New Book release - Basic Language Handbook for Excel!

A good friend of mine of some years has come out with a great book that really goes a long ways to help anyone who uses Microsoft's Excel to get more out of it. If you have a Kindle, you can download a free sample! Prime Members can read it for free!

 

The Wee Green BASIC Language Handbook for Excel

~A Non-Programmers Guide to Fully Automating Excel~

Forsyth, Missouri, April 16, 2012 -- Are you ready to take your Excel spreadsheet to the next step?  Can your macro find the next blank space in a column, update or add records to files used by other applications, or make alternative decisions when different conditions exist?  Of course not!

The Wee Green BASIC Language Handbook for Excel explains the easily learned BASIC language and how to use it to build applications that will ease your workload, astonish your supervisor and co-workers, and make you the expert of choice in everything Excel.

Each chapter guides the reader through a few simple commands and then provides a sample program demonstrating how each command is used in practice.  Sample programs include a point of sale program that saves data and updates inventory, a queuing program that tracks the order and progress of customer service, another for converting numbers to script for use in check writing, and building an appointment book where years of appointments can be stored and recalled using only the visible portion of a single spreadsheet. An Excel spreadsheet containing the sample programs are even provided for download from an accompanying website.

The Wee Green BASIC Language Handbook for Excel is written for the non-programmer.  This book provides all the tools needed to build almost any non-graphic application. What will you be able to do with Excel?  The only limitation is your imagination!    

Book Information:

Title:  The WeeGreen Basic Language Handbook for Excel

Format: Paperback and Kindle

Publication date:  January 27, 2012

Price: $9.95 & 6.99 respectively or Borrow for free with your Amazon Prime Membership

Available From:  Amazon.com

Author:  Dennis Conroy

ISBN-10: 1469931184

ISBN-13: 978-1469931180

Pages:  122

Size:  6” x 9”

A sign of the times? River Run Park in Missouri.

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Entering a park like River Run in Forsyth Missouri, it's nice to have informational signs that can be great aids in knowing what to expect. I'm not sure what this sign tells a visitor, especially anyone being asked to pay for camping. I think the bottom panel once read 'We take pride in our park system'.

July 2012 - The signs have been cleaned - Hurray! Not sure what happened to that bottom panel?

New Junction Bar & Grill near Forsyth to open soon!

Donnie Oakley working to insure a timely opening!

Just up the road a piece from downtown Forsyth Missouri is a location where Highway 160-76 splits off is a well know gas station known as Scooters. Now right across the street, final preparations are being made to get the Junction Bar and Grill open and ready for business.  According to Donnie Oakley, one of the carpenters working there, the opening will be on or about the 20^th of April! At that time they will serve beer with hard liquor available in about thirty days.

I understand that the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Mike and Maggie Osterday are very excited about the prospect of offering a Bar and Grill in such a great location. I understand that there will be pool tables, games, food, a jukebox and even live music offered once they are up and running.

I plan to do a follow up in-depth review with pictures soon after they are open. Update: you can visit their web page at www.junction-bar-and-grill.com!

Local Taco Bell/KFC offering senior discounts!

Are I say that on occasion, hard times can bring with them benefits! My visit to the local Taco Bell slash KFC was necessitated by my needed some automotive work at the local oil change emporium otherwise known as Mobile One Express. I had a little time to kill and I was hungry so a quick visit to satisfy my taco craving seemed appropriate.

Each time I have visited over the course of a month or so (two times?) I have noted changes that were made since my last visit. Perhaps it's the hard times we all find ourselves in that helps the management to stay motivated to try new stuff. One of the innovations is a 'senior discount' that entitles an individual to 10% off their entire order! That was certainly a pleasant surprise. I was also happy to get my order brought right to my table in just a few minutes. Cool beanies that!

As I sat eating, it had just turned twelve noon and what had been an empty seating area began to fill up. That was good to see. Small towns like Forsyth need every business to stay open. Nothing is more depressing than to see a place of business (especially an eatery) close their doors. The key is to offer bright intelligent employees who work hard to make the customers happy. That's the feeling I had on this last visit. (Now, if I can just get them to get my KFC order right I would have zero complaints)!

If you haven't visited this venue in some time, I'd encourage everyone to give it another try. Especially if you're a senior!

Update: July 2012 - According to inside sources, the Taco Bell portion of the Taco Bell/ KFC has been closed due to management's decision not to carry some of the new required items. This establishment will be only a KFC from now on!





Disclaimer: All information provided in this post was valid as of the date of posting and as such, it may or may not be valid on future dates.

River Run Park business is booming!

Starting around April 1, River Run Park opened for business and this Easter Sunday most of the available RV slots were filled! Space was a premium issue early on this season as some sites seem to be experiencing power problems and have remained closed.

After twenty-eight days of warmer than normal temperatures, this weekend began with light showers following on the heels of a cool front that brought things back down to seasonal levels. By Sunday overnight temperatures had fallen into the fifties with daytime highs reaching a comfortable 70F.

I wasn't able to locate the park attendant on any of my stops at the park although there is a trailer parked next to the attendant office. I'm also guessing that the rates to camp in this park will be about the same as last season - $18 per night if I remember correctly. That prices afford electricity, water, trash and bathrooms that are complete with showers. Campsites are available on a first come first serve basis. Additionally, if this park happens to be filled up, there is another right across the river that sports similar amenities.

Within just a couple of miles of both parks is a convenience store by the name of Park Place that can supply all needed supplies including food and liquor. While I'm not sure of their hours, they can be reached at (417) 546-5845 to request information.

I was amazed at how good the park looks in spite of it being inundated with flood waters for most of last year. Some of the most notable damage that can still be seen are trees that have died and still litter the area with dead limbs. Yet, on the whole, workers have done a fantastic job in bringing the parks infrastructure back into pristine shape!

Where can I get a good order of fries in Forsyth Missouri?

In my small town of Forsyth Missouri, there are quite a few eateries that serve the ever popular French fry. Of these, McDonald’s, located next to the Country Mart, is pretty much king of the hill when it comes to serving what a good fry should be; salty, crisp, light and not greasy! Sadly, this is not the case at some of the other venues whose real names shall not be mentioned here. Instead, I’ll use fake names. Take a restaurant named Charliuky’s for instance. A this location, the fries are allowed to sit and soak up as much grease as possible prior to serving. The end result is a greasy limp mess that likes to stick to the plate and must be pried off. (This kind of fry abuse is also practiced by Ronics and to a lesser extent Fat Diddlies).

At the opposite end of the fry spectrum is a burger and beer joint on Highway 160 known as the Frosted Mug. Their fries are coated and come out of the hot oil even crispier than those offered by Macs. They are tasty and sell for about $2 if I remember correctly.

So, if you want some good fries and wouldn’t be caught dead at Macs, then give the Mug a shot!

Update: April 17 - Charlie's just down the road across from City Hall in Forsyth has also upgraded their fries.