Well, now... I know I don't have to warn anyone to be good this weekend...ain't nobody writin' nuttin' ennyway... Greg's sister is getting married up in Kansas City this weekend, so we're leaving at noon tomorrow. Gonna have all 5 kids plus the 19-yr-old's girlfriend with us by tomorrow evening...Wayne and Jennifer are bringing Guy up later in the afternoon. For some reason, although Guy has driven himself up to KC the last 2 times we've gone, for Greg's bro's wedding and his grandpa's funeral, this time, he doesn't want to. Hmmm. Wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that his recently-acquired 1965 Chevy long-bed pickup only gets about 10 miles per gallon? LOL On a different note, y'all know I've been rather busy working on the historical/cultural preservation stuff lately. Look for an announcement next week concerning more; you might want to schedule some vacation time and plan to come home for a couple of things going on. After all the hollerin' I've been doing about land being sold to developers, etc., I saw a "For Sale" sign on some property across the street from my grandmother's today. While I knew it had been hers a long time ago, I didn't know if it was still. But when I saw the realtor's name, I got a cold chill, for it was a friend of Grandma's. At one time, Bee Creek Road was really out in the country, although it's only about 3 miles from downtown Branson. Within the past 10 years, a lot of subdivisions and housing has gone in on Bee Creek Road, and the city limits have crept farther north and east on Hwy 65, till my grandmother's place and my folks' place is just barely outside. We stopped by my parents' place for a few minutes, and I asked if that was still Grandma's land, and if so, why was she selling it? I KNOW my Dad doesn't want her to, anyway; and he snorted and said, "Ask her." So guess I will. I mean, my dad bought up 3 lots between Grandma's place and the subdivision north of her a number years ago, to prevent houses from being built on the little lane that led down to his and Mom's place. Rather to the aggravation of the neighbors, he didn't brush hog and clear it off--not my daddy. Oh, no, he let the little cedar saplings get nice and tall, and while he keeps it mowed along the ditchline and about 10 feet from the road, the rest of it is as wild as any place you'll find. When a few of the neighbors--this neighborhood is big on manicured, green lawns, with all kinds of doodads in the landscaping--confronted Daddy about the wildness of these lots, he told them flat out the deer in the neighborhood needed a place to sleep and hide. And they use it, too. This piece for sale, if I remember right, is at least 5 acres, and closer to 10. Old Ike Thompson--we've talked about him before, he used to own Branson Floral--would drive out everyday and work the land just up the hill from it--he had gorgeous gardens. Ben and Pauline Layton Barton own it now, and they, too, keep it like Ike did, with lots of gardens and various places for wildlife. The bad part is, she can get a real pretty piece of money for that land. Yes, I could offer to buy it, but that just wasn't part of my grand plan, and I don't have the funds to do so. Twenty years ago, when folks approached her about selling any land, she told them only if they paid $2,000/acre for it. That's real cheap for land in Taney these days...she could get 5-10 times that much now, or more. Simple lots for homes, with no utilities, are going anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on location and the contractor. And you could say that, while it's not prime Hwy 76 frontage, it's prime for housing. And I didn't win the lottery last night. You know that raspberry noise you make with your mouth when you're aggravated? That's about how I feel right now. I'm going to send y'all some stories... Have a GREAT weekend! Vonda ListMom for MOTANEY and MO-AR-WRV at Rootsweb http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~moarwrv/