Hoofing it to the grocery store!

A few miles from my home is one of two grocery stores in the small town of Forsyth Missouri. The one I prefer (and which is also the closest) is called Country Mart. I like this store for the great variety of foodstuffs offered not to mention the very efficient checkout staff.

 

As I am also a very OCD kind of individual, I like to keep good records on what I purchase there. I keep the records in a data file and am about to produce a number of useful reports as a result. This report shown at right, reflects my purchases on a typical Saturday in September. I generally like to shop about twice a week, getting only the items I would need for the next several days. And, as a person living on a fixed income, I look for generic or for stuff on sale. Still, I've noticed that the cost of groceries has slowly crept upwards over time. Seriously, twenty bucks just don't buy all that much anymore. 

If I were to state any complaints, it would be the manner in which you 'save' on particular items. I've always felt that these supposed savings are somewhat contrived. Just give me the best deal you can and I would be happy!

Bridge construction side benefits?

Forsyth MO. – The long awaited building of a new bridge that will span Bull Shoals has finally begun. And, while some people were already complaining, it came to me that there might be some side benefits to the businesses in and around Forsyth!

While enjoying a libation at Charlie's Steak Ribs and Ale near Y Highway, I overheard one of the servers stating that their lunch time crowd had swelled a bit due to a number of bridge workers who showed up with empty stomachs and bulging wallets. It suddenly occurred to me that the nearly year long project would see a goodly number of workers from MODOT and Lehman Construction. I also guessed that some of them would be staying in town for varying periods of time, and so, might help bolster the income of many businesses by their presence...

I've formally requested that Lehman Construction set up a live camera feed on the Internet so that commuters and emergency personnel could be aware of traffic conditions on the bridge while construction is underway!

Bull Shoals Bridge Project September 11, 2017

Forsyth MO. – I thought to go down and see what was going on with the Bull Shoals Bridge project, a 10.4 million dollar effort to replace another older bridge structure that had been constructed back in 1951.

The water level in Bull Shoals had dropped to 667.66 feet msl (mean sea level) and so, was almost back to 'normal' levels. Even River Run looked to be drying out! And, since it had been about a week since the official start of the construction effort, I wanted to get some idea of any progress that had been made.

When I arrived in the park area, I noticed that the gate for access to the back of the park had been closed. There were two white vehicles inside along with a couple of men. I couldn't tell if these people were from Lehman Construction (bridge project guys) or were part of some cleanup crew that was trying to get the park back on its feet. 

Off towards the base of the bridge, I could discern what looked like a pile of rocks and maybe some other equipment. Perhaps this was the area (along with the balance of the park behind it) that would serve as a staging ground for materials yet to come. After all, building a structure as a large as a bridge will require an awful lot in terms of components!

I'm hoping to have the opportunity to visit and take pictures of the new bridge as it is erected over the next year. I'm also sure I will hear about the challenges that the city will have to endure in terms of emergency service response times, the busing of students and how the commuters will feel about all this!

Thrive Coffe Shop and Cafe!

Forsyth MO. - Just across the street from the Library, sits a cozy little eatery that caught my interest during the early going of September. I'd seen the marquee a few times when cruising up Main Street and had heard from a couple of friends that it was a sort of unique experience. So, curiosity killed the cat once again.

On my first visit, I talked to one of the owners, a nice woman named Charyle who quickly filled me in on some of the particulars of the place. I learned right off that she was one of four sisters who ran the shop, a venue that is open from 7AM to 2 PM Monday through Friday. And while they do not have carry out menu, at that point in time, did maintain a large chalkboard with all the days offerings. I was amazed to learn that everything offered in the way of pastries was made on site! 

As I talked to Charyle, I learned that Thrive was a smoke free establishment which seats about 30, has restrooms and takes Visa card payments. Even more interesting to me was the fact that they offer community WiFi so that a diner can sit and browse the Internet while enjoying a cup of coffee or a sandwich. As I understand it, the pass code for access was 'drinkmorecoffee'! Inquiries can be made by calling 417-251-2375 and the formal location is 153 Main Street, Forsyth MO 65653.

Sadly, I did not have time to stop and sample any of their offerings, but will do so in the future and plan to enter the experience via an update to this post!

Charlie's to offer a salad bar!

Forsyth MO. - I only recently learned that Charlie's, a popular restaurant, located near the intersection of Hwy 160 and Y, was planning to change things up a bit. One of the changes was the desire to set up a salad bar that would offer customer a tantalizing array of veggies from which they could build their own creations. I don't mind telling people I know that I thought this was a great idea!

One other location, to my knowledge, offers or offered a salad bar - The Longhorn Family Dining establishments salad bar (pictured above) has always been a big draw and I'm hoping that Charlie's (soon to become C's Pizza and Pub) will be also fully stocked with all sorts of tempting goodies!

Pizza at Charlie's?

CC'S PIZZERIA & PUB COMING SOON!

 Forsyth Mo. – Things are a changing at Charlie's Steak-Ribs and Ale as we all tumble into September 2017! Earlier in the year, the owner decided to make the Forsyth location SMOKE FREE! A move I heartily have endorsed. Then, a recent decision was made, to change the menu, (another great decision, in my view).

So, starting on Friday August 25, 2017 – Charlie's will be moving in a new culinary direction, including a revised menu (September?) and even a salad buffet! The latest innovation, as I understand it, will include a glass display of pizza's at $2 a slice! Just how much 'pizza' this will represent for the buck will be the subject of a followup report at this post, as I plan to weigh and otherwise nutritionally dissect, these offerings to see how well they measure up to the other local area pizza dispensary outlets including Casey's which offers their pizza slices at $2.79!

Update: The pizza's offered were of three types and the special $2 a slice offering was for Friday, August 25 only! The pizzas looked to be traditional pan styled crusts and were offered in three varieties. My next update will contain more details....

Update II: After trying a slice of their pizza, I had two comments; 1) the pizza tasted pretty good and 2) problems with the display unit result in a product that became degraded rather quickly. No ones fault, just an understanding that this new direction was still a work in progress. I will await the next offering before casting any judgement....

Update III: Friday, September 1 - The second offering of pizza was a much better experience! The crust was much softer and I enjoyed a couple of slices. I also heard that all of the proposed changes including a new sign will be done by the end of September.

Will these pizza's be a hit - not in their current form, I'm thinking.

Update IV: Friday, September 8 and the pizza's were definitely getting better looking and tasting as evidenced by the sales. 

That bag credit offered by Country Mart!

 Forsyth MO. – A local grocery store named Country Mart is my store of choice for all my sundry needs. That said, there are a few things I don't particularly like, chief of which is the so-called 'bag credit. A credit of 3 cents, if a patron comes in with their own means of carrying out their purchases. I assume they give this credit in order to save on the plastic or paper bags they would otherwise have to supply.

My problem is that the savings to a customer is likely minuscule when compared to what it costs the store to supply all that paper and plastic to the consuming public! At three cents saved per visit, one would have to visit the store over 600 times in order to recoup @20! That's sort of a joke, if you ask me.