“Roots” – get it?… or in other words, the reasons for starting this site. There are more than a few reasons this made sense – at least to us. Here are just a few that come to mind:

  • First off, there is no denying that we are simply proud of what we managed to pull off. Years ago, it was just a dream but we took the chance and made it happen just in time before the market crashed and rates soared. Now that we made it, we are amazed it’s turning out far better than we imagined.
  • Beyond that, we are often asked for pictures or news on our progress so rather than sending out that information individually, we decided it was more beneficial to centralize that info for anyone that cares to come and see it rather than blasting out news continually.
  • Quite a few have mentioned they’d love to visit but southern Missouri isn’t really on the way to anywhere and it’s a bit of a haul (10 hours) for someone to just “drop in”. This is a way to at least see what we’ve done and experience the dream with us – without that investment in time. Hopefully, we’ve done a good enough job that it will only reinforce that urge to make the trip because WE LOVE HAVING VISITORS!
  • Others have shared they contemplated making such a move themselves but were overwhelmed at the idea, so this is our way of showing it can be done. You may take a different path than us, but when you break it up into manageable pieces and plow through it, you could be rewarded as well.
  • And finally, as you hear often, writing is therapy. It’s a way to organize my thoughts and get them off my mind so I can sleep at night. (Remember, our conversations are with dogs and chickens some days). Another benefit is this forum is free from the toxic environment of most all other social media platforms. Here, we will welcome all opinions and only ask that you stand by what you say (or said).

Our privacy policy for the site can be found here.

And now, our RULES

Here is how this site will be administered. Most of it is common sense but sadly, our society has devolved to the point where this has to be articulated.

  1. The constitution prevails. ALL OF IT!
    Meaning the 1st amendment (free speech) is wholly embraced. As long as conversations remain civil and devoid of personal attacks, they will be allowed and encouraged.
  2. What won’t be tolerated is calls to action for someone’s perception of what could happen – nearly always masking projection of what they are already doing. Or worse yet, refusal to read/acknowledge the facts detailed by an opposing viewpoint, which seems to be the norm these days.
  3. NEW RULE (20240127). To be approved, comments to posts must remain on topic (of the post). Spiraling to other irrelevant issues will no longer be be allowed (live and learn). If your point cannot be made by addressing what is already there, post your own content (registration required).
  4. Name and valid email are required for visitor comments but only for accountability. Nothing is publicly visible, stored or shared with anyone.
  5. Those wishing to POST new content will be required to register but the same rules apply. Name and valid email are required. Nothing is shared, other than needed for the mechanics of the site.
  6. I know there are ways to, but (for now) there is NO monetization for this site whatsoever – so NO ADS! This will actually be costing us about $15/mo.
  7. I’m not a prude but hoping to include all ages so ask that use of profanity be kept to a minimum. Better yet, expand your vocabulary and learn some new, less offending, more impactful words to make your point.
  8. And finally, if this environment is too offensive and you are triggered dealing with reality, I’d recommend clicking that “X” on the top/right corner of your screen.