Central MA Dogs helps Vets in need

The negative headlines we are being besieged with on an hourly basis over the past few weeks has been demoralizing and stressful.  Unless you turn off the TV and radio, stop reading the papers or online news, it's difficult not to be aware of the turmoil and turbulance of our country. 

Today's post is not about that.  It's about a true gem located in the rolling hills of Central Massachcusetts.  Our region is rich in natural resources, products, services and activities. 
One such service is that of NEADS, or New England Assistance Dog Services. 
This non-profit organization is located in Princeton and has a long history of helping those in need.  Of late, NEADS has become a friend to our diabled veterans with their initiative called Canines for Combat Veterans. They presently are working to provide service dogs for wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Our men and women from across the country who have bravely fought, and who have come home physically different from the way they left, are benefiting from this wonderful program. 
This new population of over 35,000 wounded veterans with disabilities is young, athletic, and spirited. Many do not want canes and crutches or “typical” assistance devices but would rather have service dogs.
There are many opportunities to help NEADS help those in need.  NEADS has opportunities for volunteers in many different areas, both on the Princeton, MA campus and in different regions and states.  At any one time there are over 100 volunteers giving their time and sharing their energies to help NEADS provide canine assistance for people with disabilities. So, if you want to contribute either resources or services to this worthwhile cause, there are many ways to do just that.

Fall Fun in Central Massachusetts

Fall is officially here.  The dry, sunny days, the cool, clear nights, the changing colors, the haunted houses, hayrides, country fairs, apple picking and the colorful mums and pumpkins brightening the pale straw bales. 
There is plenty to do in this wonderful season and I have included just a few of the offerings our part of the state provides.

This weekend is the 126th Bolton Fair.  This is a wonderful 2 day country fair, featuring delicious food, wonderful displays, creative craftspeople, traditional animal exhibits and lively entertainment. 

Also this weekend, Sholan Farms is having Cream of the Crop Weekend – Where the finest eating apple in the region will be unveiled – The cream of the crop celebration begins Wednesday with open house and continues throughout the weekend. Want a perfect no-fat dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth?

Davis Farmland and Mega Maze is always a big hit, with young and old alike.  Between finding a way out of the corn maze to hayrides, you will get a true taste of fall.   

And then, there is apple picking at one of the many orchards that dot the beautiful rolling coutnryside of Central Massachusetts.  There are so many, and I am providing information on just a few. 
Berlin Orchards, Berlin.  Serene, rolling hills offer a quiet, peaceful day of apple and pear picking. Hay wagon rides are offered on the weekends into and out of the orchards. Pony rides and other activities are offered on the weekends as well.

Clearview Farm, Sterling.  PYO apples, peaches, pumpkins, red raspberries, hayrides to orchards. Picnic area. Farm store and cider pressing, baked goods, honey, eggs, jam, syrup, cider donuts, vegetables.

Nashoba Winery Orchard, Bolton.  Bring a picnic. Call for availability, varieties and harvest festival date. Containers provided for u-pick. Wine tasting and tours Sat. and Sun.

Tougas Family Farm, Norhtborough.  Tougas Family Farm specializes in Pick Your Own Fruit and family fun.  Sept starts Apple and pumpkin season, and the last of the Raspberries. We have a barnyard with all sorts of farm animals, a farm kitchen featuring fruit deserts,ice cream and light lunch. Wagon rides are used as transport around the farm.

Carlson Orchards, Harvard. Offer PYO apples, peaches, nectarines, cider mill & bottling area. Packing plant, apple peeler, slicer, cider jelly boiler all on premises.

Relx, enjoy and take your mind off the headlines by taking some time to enjoy our local attractions.

 

"Important" vs. "Urgent"

This morning I was reading the AM news feed from Inman News.   Inman is the leading source of independent real estate news, information, advice, research, opinion and commentary for industry professionals and consumers alike.   
One of the articles profiled a presentation by Merlin Mann, who is a writer and web personality.  The title was "Inbox Zero" , which immediately caught my attention. 
He was discussing specifically how overwhelmed we get with email.  Not only how overwhelmed we get, but specifically how we focus our attention...is it on the stuff that matters? 

Nowadays, he said, the flow of messages can be overwhelming. And that holds true for real estate professionals, who can be in constant communication with clients and other business contacts via phone or e-mail.
"There is a huge disparity in the number of requests that you will receive for your time and attention today and the amount of time you have to respond to that. I believe more than ever in 2008 that you've got to have some kind of system," he said, to manage the in-box influx.
And it's important not to treat your e-mail as a "place to hang out," he said. "It's not like your local bar. It's a place to get into and out of as quickly as possible."  (I especially loved this line!)

It almost makes us long for the days our snail-mail box was stuffed.  At least with snail mail, each day there was a specific time of day it arrived, and once it arrived, it didn't keep coming.  There was a usual time of day we opened, discarded, kept or filed it away, usually after we arrived home from work.  After going through the exercise, we went about our business and didn't dwell on it, until the next day when we went through the same exercise.

Mann suggests five ways to process incoming e-mail: Delete, delegate, respond, defer or do.  I love it ... a plan of action.  That is something I can live with.

Interestingly, (or not, depending on how you view the plan of action the Universe puts out to us each day), a little later this morning, I received a blog notice (via email) that had been posted on the ACRE (Accredited Consultant in Real Estate) website.  You may know from reading past posts of mine that I have this accreditation. 
Anyway, that post came about due to someone missing an email about an important call she wanted to attend.  My friend (and ACRE founder) Mollie Wasserman gave some very thought-provoking words to ponder about the differences between what is "important" vs. what is "urgent". 
So many times, it's easy enough to get so caught up in what we view as "urgent" (i.e. what causes us to put out fires) and end up missing what is "important".  

I hope you end up having a fine day filled with "important" stuff!

Technology and real estate go together like a horse and carriage

Technology and real estate. 
"Back in the day" I started in real estate (less than 15 years ago), the MLS system we used was still in DOS mode and only covered the real estate board of which we were members. 
How far we have come.  As discussed yesterday, when I did it again. 
I opened up the Sunday Boston Globe and took the chance of glancing at the front page of the real estate section.   I know ... two weeks in a row.  What was I thinking? 
A brief perusal of the headline did not make me shut the paper and put it in the pile that we use to start our fireplace with!  Immediately, I thought we were off to a good start.  It was a very good article about the use of technology in real estate. 

I blog, so I guess that a pretty good indicator that I embrace technology. 
Since I fall more into the category of the median age of the Realtor® than the median age of the buyer, the learning curve on the technology trends tends to be a little more steep for me. 
However, I am always on the lookout for the new "hot" trend and then find out the "how's and why's" of learning it. 
I got some good information from this article and even more from the posts that followed.
It's important for me as a listing agent to have all the tools that enables my client's property to be exposed to the greatest number of potential buyers. 
It's important as a buyer's agent for the buyer to feel comfortable with an agent who is communicating in the same "speak" as they are.  
As stated in the article, the needs of the median age buyer are different than the older buyer or any age of the seller.  I have not survived this wild real estate market by not providing the services my clients need and want, whatever generation they belong to. 

Another benefit for both buyers and sellers is to choose an agent with the ability to consult with them and offer options and payment methods they are not getting from many other agents. 
From a previous post, you may remember that I am an 
In the consulting model, buyers and sellers alike can pick and choose the services they want and need and save thousands of dollars by paying for only the package they put together. 

Will I date myself too much by saying "I remember when" no one wanted the MLS to be available to the public?  The sky was going to fall because the consumers would have all our information and wouldn't need us (Realtors®) anymore.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The value of a Realtor® proved to be far more relevant than prices and addresses.   

Why do they call them wisdom teeth?

Why they are called "wisdom" teeth is a little beyond me.  Of course, the answer is because they usually appear in the late teens/early twenties and so you are supposed to possess more wisdom than you did in your adolescent years. 
And perhaps, they call them that because when you see your other teeth coming out of alignment (after your parents spent thousands of $$$$ on braces straightening them so you would grow up being able to flash that beautiful smile!) because the "wisdom" teeth are coming in at an angle (also known as "impacted") you are wise enough to have them removed.  

For whatever reason, when they have to be removed, it is brutal.  I remember going through it myself over Christmas break from college in my sophomore year.  I actually think it's worse than the pain of childbirth.  And with childbirth, you have this amazing blessing that has you totally mesmerized while you are going through the healing process. 

There is no such trade off while healing from the effects of wisdom teeth removal.  I now have experienced the flip side of this procedure in the role of caregiver.  Parker and Evan had to have all 4 extracted on Thursday.  They came through with flying colors.  The surgery was preformed at Central Mass Oral Surgery where they were wonderful!  It was an efficient, fun and relaxing atmosphere.  They made the boys feel completely at ease and it was a pretty quick process.

Getting them home, settled, re-medicated and fed, in addition to a million other little things, I have been working full time since Thursday.  From the vivid memory I carry from many years ago, it seems as though not much has changed in the healing process.  I think today, I will get a little break from the last few and it should continue to get easier from here. 

Wish me luck, and in the meantime, don't over do it while you are out shoveling or snow blowing the effects from yet another snow fall.  Just remember, we will be seeing crocuses in no time ... keep telling yourself that!

Great Bar-B-Que in Marlborough MA

My family is slowly rising out of the fog created by the loss of our dear Spike.  He is still in our hearts and minds, but the sorrow is slowly subsiding.  I guess that's part of the circle of life and each day it gets a little easier to laugh about a memory instead of cry.  We are laughing a lot so that is good....he was a happy guy and he I know he is loving seeing us be happy about our life with him.

We thought we needed a little break and we love to eat out where there is good food.  Last night we headed to a past favorite for total comfort ... barbeque.  Firefly's in Marlborough offers a consistently delicious fare.  We have been a few times in the past, sampled their catered menu at a few parties and have always come away smackin' our lips! (It's barbeque, OK?  It is one of the few venues that make lip smacking totally acceptable!). 

On Monday evenings, they offer a great promotion, especially if you have twin teenage sons ... all you can eat chicken and ribs.  In the past, the chicken has come home with us for a 2nd meal the following night and it is more than enough for a full meal since everyone gets 1/2 of an entire chicken!  This night was not the exception. 
The meals come with 2 sides, a bowl of vinegar dressed cucumber slices, and unlimited trips to the condiment bar, that inlcudes peppers, olives, bean salads, and much more.

 
If you are a barbeque aficionado, or are a casual eater, the array of sauces they offer on the condiment bar is amazing.  They have Memphis, North Carolina Kansas City and a few more that I don't even remember the names of.  Then there is an entire display case filled with bottles of barbeque/hot sauces from what seemed like every corner of the world!  It can be overwhelming, even for the afcionado.  That kind of "overwhelming" is what I can handle.  And, don't let that stop you from trying just one thing, even if it's the tried and true traditional sauce you enjoy.
The sides include red beans and rice, collard greens, sweet potatoes with pecans, really great fries (according to the teenagers!), great cornbread, and more!  Everything we had was amazing and we rolled out (even though the teenagers said they could have forced down a dessert, but didn't!) feeling like we had a nice treat out, and enjoying the company too! 

So if you like BBQ, Firefly's is a good place.  They have a few other locations you can check out.  Bon appetite!

Winter brings some not so apparent dangers

I receive a monthly newsletter from a home inspector I recommend quite a bit.  His name is Peter Ottowitz and Peter is a licensed home, mold and energy inspector. 
I enjoy reading his e-newsletter because there is always a tidbit of information I get from it which I was not previously aware.
This month, the featured article was on a silent killer we normally hear about in the winter months, and that is carbon monoxide.  You may remember there was a lot of press about it a few years ago.  The law was passed in MA, and made effective in March, 2006 that made it mandatory for all homes to have monoxide detectors installed.  The statistic quoted by the Home Safety Council that blew me away is that currently, only about 35% of homeowners have carbon detectors in their home.  

I thought I would share with you exactly how easy, and inexpensive it is to install a CO2 detector.  The law states that for existing homes, the detectors do not have to be hard wired.    So, first, go to your local hardware or home improvement store.  Ask for a plug in model of the detector.  
The cost runs between $30-50 for each detector (in some areas they may be more or less).  Some come with batteries.  I can tell you from experience, these batteries are not always functional.  Having a CO2 detector will do you no good if the batteries are not working.  To be on the safe side, just purchase some additional 9V batteries.  If the ones provided are working, you will have extra on hand when the annoying chirping sound starts indicating the batteries need to be replaced. 

The law calls for 1 detector for each level in your home.  Yes, that does include the basement, regardless of if it is finished or unfinished.  The law also states that one detector is needed to be within 10 feet of the bedrooms.   So, if you have a colonial or cape, for example, you would need  minimum of 3.....one for the basement, 1st floor and 2nd floor.  If the bedrooms in your home are spread apart, you may need 2 for the level the bedrooms are located.  
Remove the detectors from their packaging, and plug them into the wall.  If you hear an annoying chirping sound that does not stop, then you will be happy you purchased additional batteries as back up. 
And that's it. 

You are absolutely required to have CO2 detectors in place before selling your home.  I urge you to go to the store today to purchase these life saving devices, install them and protect you and your family from the silent killer known as carbon monoxide poisoning.

The heart of a home....a tribute

As I speak to buyers or sellers about features of a home, the kitchen is frequently the focus.  It is where family and friends tend to congregate, no matter how inviting the remainder of the home is.  Is it the cooking that brings everyone together, or is it the comfort of fond memories we have that begin there?  Whatever the reason, that's where we seem to gather.

My family and I went through an experience yesterday that has left us sad and empty and it got me to thinking about the heart of our home. 
We had to have our beloved yellow lab, Spike, put to sleep.  It was a truly heart wrenching for my husband, my teenage sons and me.  We were home together yesterday and needed to rely on one another because of the pain and emptiness we were experiencing.  We all agreed that it feels like the heart of our home has been yanked out.   Spike was so much part of the fabric of our family and as I'm looking out my office window, I am missing seeing him take his usual path through the woods.  Even the fresh snow has covered his tracks from the recent week. 
My sons are home from school today due to the weather.  Usually, they would come down stairs and go directly to Spike to give him a kiss and a hug.  Today is different and lonely.

Spike often made himself completely at home in our kitchen.  There are so many funny stories.....Like the time (many years ago when he still had the agility to carry this off) I had a stick of butter on the counter, walked into the family room, then back into the kitchen only to find the stick of butter missing, and Spike licking his lips and looking very guilty!
He was such a social animal and made himself at home wherever we were.  Since I enjoy cooking, that meant Spike had himself sprawled out in the middle of the floor to be near me.  I had to be very aware of where he was, because one quick step in the wrong direction could send me flying and it was up to me to step over him! 

For so many, our pets become family members.  They give us such unconditional love.  They help people heal from illnesses or disease; they are working wonders helping troubled teens get back on track. The immediate solace given by our pets is irreplaceable. 

So, my frame of reference about the heart of a home has changed.  I will never again have the conversation about the heart of a home being the kitchen without having my private chuckles and special thoughts about Spike along with it.

Farewell, my dear Spike.   You will be missed and never out of our hearts.

New Video Phone Technology ideal for long-distance families!

As a Realtor®, I am frequently the recipient of new ideas, that includes products, services and business opportunities.  Many times, these are delivered via email, and are most likely met with the same fate.....reorganization into the delete file.  Last week, something came across my desk (actually, the phone since it was a call from a colleague) about a product called a video phone.    I checked into it a little more and eventually attended an information session about this product.  I loved it!!

Imagine, you are someone like me.  I live in MA with my husband and children.  My in-laws, and a brother and his family are in NJ, another brother in MD, PA, CO and my sister in FL.  Not to mention aunts, uncles and cousins in parts of the country other than MA.  I have twin sons.  Do you not think their grandparents would love seeing their little cherubic faces when they call them?                                                                                                                                Or perhaps you travel a lot with your job.  A call to home that allows you to see your family every day would certainly make the travel more tolerable.                                                        Webcams have accomplished the same thing for some time, although I don't know of anyone who uses them.  AND, my in-laws are now 83 without a computer and has no interest in getting one. The phone seems so much better.

And with the number of people from other countries who live in the US and still have family in other parts of the world, what a great way to keep in touch.  In case you can't tell, I was very impressed. 

So, if you are at all interested in finding out more, please contact me.  It's very cool!!