Across the Prairie: My Air BnB

Welcome to Magnolia House

I always feel a bit like an intruder at Air BnBs since you are a guest in someone's home, even if they have it set up exactly for your enjoyment. I decided to take a chance on a listing in Fordland, which is somewhere in between Mansfield, Springfield, and Nixa, Missouri. Not only an Air BnB, but a tiny home as well! It was the perfect landing spot for my trip to the heartland for my Laura trip.

Getting there from Springfield was an adventure, as I took backroads and at times no roads from OO to PP to Turkey Hill, through remote farmlands on two-track to find myself at Promised Land Farm B&B, one of a cluster of tiny homes. I was sent a message that I would be staying in the Magnolia House, which was good because someone was already in the house named Here Comes the Sun.

 

A welcome site after a slog across Illinois and Missouri

I eagerly let myself in and was immediately charmed by the tiny space.

The tiny kitchen and great room

The tiny kitchen was equipped with a tiny stove, a tiny fridge, an itty bitty sink, a Kuerig, and a microwave. I had brought along a backpack cooler and quickly unloaded my food.

Cozy, definitely cozy

I brought my bag in, unpacked my clothes, and settled in. The outlets were in strange places, so I had to make do for light. My picture of the bed wasn't any good so I nicked one from the host. I wish that lamp in the corner had been there when I was, my only complaint was stumbling around in the dark and I stubbed my toe. The lofts, still under construction, were off limits. 

A literal washtub

Bathrooms are important and this one was TINY. Tinier than tiny, and the light switch location caused some temporary confusion. I'm not a slender girl, but thankfully small enough to maneuver around the space. Dave would not have enjoyed this. No bathtub, but if I wanted, I could have made it work as the shower was an actual wash tub. Even if I didn't need one, I was going to take a shower in that before my stay was over.

Regrets? Not stoking that firepit to enjoy the solitude

I had dinner on the front porch and took in my surroundings. I enjoyed the solitude, yet was comforted to know I wasn't alone. The hosts were up at the main house, visible in the photo above. There were guests in the Sun house, who gave me a friendly wave when I pulled in. The cicadas were announcing their presence in the woods surrounding my site. And down the hill, someone was practicing their drumming skills. The host is an ordained minister, nurse, and author and the listing made it appear this was a compound for sabbaticals and retreats. I got a wholesome feel from the place, but not an uptight one. Pretty sure all the tiny cottages were named for rock songs.

Yum

Snacked on some Buc-ees Beaver Nuggets and enjoyed reading for a little bit, planning the next day's adventures in Mansfield, the site of Laura's final homestead and where she wrote all the Little House books. 

If you find yourself in the Ozarks, I recommend this host.

That's It, Just One Line - Intergalactic

"I like my sugar with coffee and cream!"

The Beatles, Ranked! 16-20

It's a dirty story of a dirty man... 

16
Helter Skelter (64) I drive a lot of places to get to where I need to be for skating, be it practice, competitions, or test sessions. Often, I need a pick-me-up to get me in the mood to not only enjoy a long drive but also get in the mood to judge lots of little children performing to Disney songs. One such drive had me imagining adult skaters I know performing Theatre on Ice style to selections from the White Album. This one went to my friend Paul, who enthusiastically agreed to the assignment; I think "blisters on mah fingers" sealed the deal. 

17
Please Please Me (87) Their first number-one hit. It was inspired by Roy Orbison - George's future Wilbury brother - and the double meaning of the word please. This is one of those songs that proves what they insisted about the group being four equal corners - the joy is in John's harmonica, Ringo's impeccable drumming hitting all the right spots, George's riffs, and Paul's harmonies as well as screwing up the lyrics, all lending distinctive charm. 

18
I Want You (She's So Heavy) (58) I came to my enthusiasm for this love song to Yoko driving to another test session. I was struck by the fact we went from Please Please Me to this mesmerizing piece of hard rock in what, seven years? Get your groove on, Ocean Child. Shout out to one of the many fifth Beatles, Billy Preston on organ. 

Gratuitous John Deacon mention: Imagine getting the afternoon paper delivered by this kid

19
Paperback Writer (25) It makes my heart happy to know that this song was a catalyst for John Deacon to take a paper route at age 11 to buy a guitar (his first instrument) and become the quiet, prolific, funky member of Queen.

20
It's Only Love, Anthology 2 version (74) John dismisses it as filler, but I'm here to defend it, again, on my blog, for probably the fifth time. It is his classic wistful, melancholy with a simple acoustic guitar, and a mistake on the count in I find very charming. But top 20? My reasoning is that it triggered creativity in me. Long ago, I wrote a short story about shy Bernadette meeting reserved Colin and they go on a date that takes them to a bookstore to watch an acoustic set and then to a playground where they shyly kiss on the swings. Ah, the magic of YT fiction, the simple story of a simple girl... 

Sirius/XM did their annual Top 100 countdown over Memorial Day weekend. A number in parenthesis is that song's position on that countdown.

Little Foodie Across the Prairie, 2024 Edition, The Complete Laura Gastro Experience

Eating a gingersnap on Laura's front porch, where she had invited many visitors before. 

I'm giddy about this, a week later. 

Food - obtaining, raising, making, and enjoying it - is a big part of the Little House series. The overarching theme revolves around Pa's attempts at finding just the right farm to provide for his family and making enough money to keep Ma in silk dresses and candy for every day of the week instead of just Christmas. 

What I started last year on my trip out to Minnesota and the Dakotas I finished this past week with what has been my third major Little House trip. When pressed to remember if I did something special in Pepin, Facebook helpfully conjured memories of the trip made in 2016. 

The food I included for specific locations is faithful to her story in her books. What does that mean? She left out Burr Oak, Iowa, the missing years between Plum Creek and Silver Lake; therefore, so did I. I have not included Almanzo's story since I've been traipsing around the midwest. However, I can see a future trip, gleefully eating my way through New England since that nine-year-old boy had an appetite for everything from ice cream to apples 'n' onions.  

Ma made the family fried chicken from the wild-caught prairie chickens in Kansas. Mine is from Lambert's, home of the throwed rolls. 

The "Eating with the Ingalls" travel menu with a link to last year's blog post: 

Little House in the Big Woods: maple sugar candy on the shores of Lake Pepin collecting pebbles

Little House on the Praire: bread and molasses, chicken leg, and peppermint stick at a picnic table next to Pa's well 

On the Banks of Plum Creek: donut holes (for vanity cakes) and milk on the actual banks of Plum Creek, approximately where the footbridge would have been

By the Shores of Silver Lake: ice water and hard candy at the Tracy train depot

The Long Winter: baking powder biscuit and tea near the Brookings railroad tracks

Little Town on the Prairie: lemonade under the cottonwoods on the Ingalls homestead

These Happy Golden Years: chef's salad made with things Ma would have planted in her garden, at the DeSmet Mercantile, downtown on Calumet Avenue

The First Four Years: Hobo ice cream from the creamery at South Dakota State University

On the Way Home: last year it was a blackberry kettle sour before departing the area; this year it was a gingersnap on Laura's front porch

Ma liked to make hard-boiled eggs while camping and traveling. I had them too, dipped in salt and pepper before I jumped in the car to come back home. 

Hard-boiled eggs are usually the best option at the hotel's free breakfast buffet.

Rethinking White

He is the feather in the wind...

White is...

Taste: ice water with lime on a hot day

Touch: a feather-down comforter

Smell: fabric softener

Hear: All of My Love, Led Zeppelin

Best Meal I Ever Ate, Jackson Coney Dogs

It's a taste of home.

Jackson is the home of the best, original coney dog. There, I said it.

But what is the best?

Today, you have Jackson, Virginia, and Andy's. Back in the day, you also had Todoroff's, Jackson Coney Island at Paka Plaza, the place over by the old Gramer's Candies, Christoff's, and I'm sure I'm missing one or two. 

Forget the goupy mess of a Detroit coney. And the Flint ground beef is too simple, too easy. 

The heart of Jackson coney dog is, well, the beef heart. 

Recipe for delicious.

I grew up on Andy's dog, but I do prefer the Jackson Coney Island for the way they finely chop the onions for maximum flavor. There are no losers here, to be honest. Naysayers prefer the snap of a natural casing weiner, but having had one too many give me food poisoning, I'll go for a meatier, snapless bite. Any coney from Jackson, the dog grilled on a flat grill, mustard stripe, steamed bun, and plenty of onions is a winner.