Look out world! Here come the SENIOR women and watch them strut their stuff and entertain you with their talents! The upcoming Ms. Missouri Senior America Pageant 2009 is going to be so much fun, I know you won't want to miss it! Schedule it now as it's coming up soon. July 11th, 2009 at 4:00 P.M. at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre. If you live in the St. Louis area and want some live entertainment and some fun, this is the place to be.
Hope to see you there!

Call: 314-921-5678 for Tickets!

Having earned the SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist designation) I thought it'd be a good idea to see what these seniors had to offer in the way of energy and talent. Well it was a wonderful treat and really no surprise to see how active these folks are!

So yesterday a couple of friends and I headed to DeSmet High School in Creve Coeur. We wanted to see the Broadway Fantasies 2009 "Celebration" musical tribute of the past 20 years. That's how many years these entertainers have been having all this fun (& work!) putting on these shows. What a fun time it was too, watching the retired dancers and singers from years back, kicking up their heels and singing with such gusto! Proceeds from this fun event went to support CORP which helps Senior Residents of St. Louis County stay independent in their homes. Click the link above to see what all they offer the Seniors.

Seniors are living their lives to the fullest and these folks help to prove it.

We come in all shapes and sizes, but together, we make a lot of fun and happiness!

Splish, Splash I was Takin' a Bath....Opened up the door...How was I to know there was a party going on....

You still have time to see this program Call: 314-615-4516 to check the seating for 6/13/09 Saturday 7:30pm and 6/14/09 Sunday @ 2pm. It was a "Hoot". You'll come away humming the tunes and wanting to kick up your heels again! If you don't see it this time, be sure you get your tickets early for next year's performance. You'll be glad you did!

Click the picture to take the tour.

Happy April Fool's Day! Anyone catch you yet?

I have some great news for you if you live in Hazelwood, MO! They are having a contest to honor the homeowners that take exceptional care of their property. In addition, they will make an award for a mulit-family home. (and no, this is NOT an April Fools Day joke!)

You can read more about the Hazelwood Blue Ribbon Award contest by clicking the link. You have until Monday May 25th, 2009 to nominate a home or condo. Call the Commission at 314-731-0980; you can also volunteer to help choose the property that wins. Make that call now!

Winners win a Blue Ribbon Award plaque and a Blue Ribbon and an awards ceremony in their honor afterwards. We'll all be winners if you take the time to add flowers and plant trees too! It's a great way to "go green" too! Judging takes place on June 14th and June 28th so start planning your annual planting and spruce up now! Good Luck to you, and that's no joke either!

Ahh, SPRING! Here's what it means in the St. Louis Metro area. Warm, breezy days and then a quick return to Winter! We've had some beautiful days here, the forsythia is blooming, as well as the glorious Bradford Pear trees (no fruit!).

Now come the red bud trees, along with the tulip trees. It's a sight to behold! You need to see it to believe it! Come visit us, you just may want to call me to help you buy a home!

We have four seasons here and I'm here to tell you, you never know when those seasons will do a quick switcheroo on you! Better keep the sweaters, coats and shorts out! AND be prepared for quick storms and an occasional chance of a tornado, when the cold and warm air choose to mix it up.
After the wind storms, you may need to check the trees to see how they fared. This huge one split as you can see and that's the only bad thing I can say about these lovely trees.

It was an interesting day today. I attended the St. Louis Association of REALTORS Diversity Committees seminar for buying and selling in 2009. The panelists included Wandy Simmons of Beyond Housing; Don Brinker, Homeownership Manager of the Missouri Housing Development Commission;State Representative Tim Jones with the Missouri Housing Task Force (and representative of District 89 which includes Wildwood, Eureka and parts of West St. Louis County); and Lisa Brewer & Dan McLaughlin, of the Missouri Association of Mortgage Brokers (MAMB)

Judy Sepac and Representative Tim Jones (89th District)

Each panelist shared their expertise on educating buyers, tax credits, legislation & mortages.
All attendees were served box lunches from Heavenly Ham which were sponsored by: Scott Beeman, 314-329-9810 Neighbors Credit Union and Harry Hilburg, 314-569-3000 of Countrywide Home Loans. There was a large attendance and many questions asked and answered. More answers can be found on the SLAR web site under Legislation. Following the lunch break, Dr. Jed Smith, National Association of REALTORS, provided insight into his view of the 2009 Forecast & $789 Billion Economic Recovery Plan. Yes, there will be a recovery! Look for the silver lining and keep your eyes on the prize (recovery)!

Kimmswick...a place to check out crafts and antiques and enjoy some of the best home cooking and desserts! Just be sure to put your name in early as you can easily have a 2-2 1/2 hour wait to eat! What's your hurry anyway? It's a nice easy drive to get there and you can take your time shopping and viewing the quaint shops or bed & breakfasts (turn off your cell phone & enjoy being!). At the Blue Owl Restaurant, outside they had a musician playing a guitar and singing for your enjoyment and to wile away the time.
We found Kimmswick quaint and clean but also needing to have some of their old places "fixed" up or torn down. It's located on the Mississippi river so when it floods, most likely, parts of Kimmswick will be flooded too. Kimmswick was voted as one of the best small towns in the Midwest in June 2007. We took a ride over the river and there found some interesting stone work that I took photos of too. I'd like to have stopped at the Chamber of Commerce there, but it was closed when we visited. All the shops are closed on Monday, so keep that in mind if you decide to take the trip. It was a nice relaxing day and we look forward to going back again.

My feelings are sad and remorseful as I watched the T.V. newscasts here. We're about 15 minutes away from the City of Kirkwood. This is a great city, tree lined, with modest homes to elegant homes. It's has a typical small town feel to it. Loaded with history. It's a place where you know your neighbors and actually do like them and visit back and forth. It has a wonderful old train station (still functioning ) and lots of unique shops to visit and make it a day doing that. It's not to be missed at Christmas time when all the city lights up including the train station and City Hall.

What a terrible night Thursday evening the 7Th of February was, for so many unsuspecting people. People who try to do what's right for the city and the people in it. Of course, not everyone is going to be happy about the decisions to be made. That's their right and they get to express it.

On that fateful night, 6 people died some injured. Their outcome unsure. They were fathers, mothers, grandparents, someones child; people that other people cared about. Still do.

The community has drawn close now, supporting one another. I feel their pain. My feeling is that the shooter, Charles "Cookie" Thornton was not in a good mental state. No one really knew how strongly he felt until he killed 5 other people. People he knew. Some people were friends to him. Not a clue of what was to come. In an instant, lives have changed forever.  If it can happen here, it can happen any where.

I pray for peace for each of the families. My heart goes out to them. Kirkwood is a strong community and it will come out of this stronger.

Not sure if you've seen this video (You Tube) but I enjoyed it and wanted to share it, as he'd had the exhibit here in St. Louis in 2006. Hope you'll see the creativity and uniqueness of German artist, Julius Popps liquid scuplture Bit.Fall. He speaks in a German dialect, but there are sub-titles you can read that will explain the process and his thoughts about it. You can find others he's done there too.

Enjoy!

Florissant is a North County municipality that is steeped in history. It presently is having a resurgence, bringing in builders to replace some of the older homes with new ones. Florissant dates back to 1767 when French farmers settled in the area. At that time, they named the town Fleurissant i.e. Flowering/flourishing. Spanish folks took over in 1786 naming the community St. Ferdinand after a Spanish saint. The name was changed once again to Florissant and that happened in 1939. Florissant is very near the Mississippi River and a quick ride to Illinois and all it offers, including a gaming boat, actually on the river!

Florissant is known for it's 20 parks consisting of over 400 acres of green space. There are 2 community centers that provide an aquatics center, theater, skateboard park, and an 18 hole golf course. Florissant has the only full-time, salaried mayor in St. Louis County. As of 2006 there were 50,497 people that live in the area. The median home value was  $75,000.  

You never know when you'll accidently run into some adventure in your daily excursion in your own neighborhood. A friend and I were out enjoying the day of window shopping on a lovely sunny, breezy day. Just enjoying the moments, as they came and on our whim. We decided to drive by one of the local areas, where an artist lives in Ballwin. He's decorated his yard (front, side & back) with an abundance of either trash or treasure, depending on whom you listen too. Personally, I believe you need to have an open mind to the world of "ART" and what it stands for and of course, just what it means to each individual viewing the work and the artist, himself.

So, off we went, my friend driving and myself in the passenger side of the car, camera at the ready!  I might also explain we'd been by before, on the recommendation of another Ballwin citizen, to just drive by ....and take a look! When we were there last, it was dusk and my photo's didn't turn out so hot. No matter how I tried to edit them, they were too dark. 

Prior to this visit, my friend had brought her grandson (age 9) to see the display. When asked what he thought about it, he said, " I'd like to play here!".

This display has caused some of the neighbors to object, not so much directly to the artist, but to the folks at city hall. Back to my story. As we pull around the curve, there's the house! My friend spots the owner, coming out around the side. Of course, he sees us and comes to the front door. She's somewhat apprehensive, not knowing how or what kind of reception we'll get. She says, "Tell him we're friendly!, Tell him we're friendly!". I'm thinking (sounds like we're dogs). Plus, she's wanting me to yell this out of the car...and he's a good 50 feet away. We're aware of the controversy his art display has caused and not sure if he's receptive to folks taking photos or maybe he's thinking we're going to harass him. 

Here he comes toward us, with his bike in hand, wearing  biker attire.  We explained what we were doing and he kindly volunteered that we were welcome to come into the yard and take more photos. He was very open about telling us about the neighbors and giving his opinion. He gave his name to us (Lewis Greenberg)and proceeded to tell us about the work, which represents the Holocaust.  He was also interested in our opinion and we provided that too. One of the neighbors is trying to sell his home and of course, believes that because of the artist display of his work in the yard, the home is not selling. That of course, is debatable, in this soft market and also the condition of the neighbors home. The yard is kept cut and flowers and shrubs are trimmed.  We've made plans to come back again and take a tour of the objects, both outside and in.  We ran out of time to take him up on the offer to take more photos but will do it soon! He did say that the property is lighted with dusk to dawn lights and I believe he feels that some would destroy his work, if given the opportunity. He knows his rights and plans on adding to the display, as it's a "work in progress".

It turns out I'd seen his car on the road too. He drives a mid-size car that is totally covered (not the windows, of course!) with decals! He's a free-thinker and may be eccentric (who isn't?) but enjoys life and is certainly able to carry on a conversation! We're looking forward to our next visit. I hope you'll come back to visit my blog too!