Lorne & Drew Have News for You

Let's Be Optimistic and say "Winter is Ending!"

2012-01-31T10:15:00.001-08:00

This is a view that I saw while touring new listings in the Rosemont area of Nelson.

View from the Osprey 2000 as we entered the West Arm of Kootenay Lake.

I am completely convinced that, even with the extra (leap) day this year, February is going to fly by, so I thought I would get my newsletter done early.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?Contemporary executive home on large city lot with an impressive view. 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, office, wrap around deck, 2 fireplaces and much more. Please check the web-site for full details and video slide show: Executive Home
$549,000

This one was taken from our Uphill neighbourhood.

Lawyer Laughs
The following questions from lawyers were taken from official records nationwide:

1. Was that the same nose you broke as a child?

2. Now, doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, in most cases he just passes quietly away and doesn't know anything about it until the next morning?

3. Q: What happened then?
A: He told me, he says, 'I have to kill you because you can identify me.'
Q: Did he kill you?

4. Was it you or your brother that was killed in the war?

5. The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?

6. Were you alone or by yourself?

7. How long have you been a French Canadian?

8. Do you have children or anything of that kind?

9. Q: I show you exhibit 3 and ask you if you recognize that picture?
A: That's me.
Q: Were you present when that picture was taken?

10. Were you present in court this morning when you were sworn in?

11. Q: Now, Mrs. Johnson, how was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?

12. Q: Do you know how far pregnant you are now?
A: I'll be three months on November 8.
Q: Apparently, then, the date of conception was August 8?
A: Yes
Q: What were you doing at the time?

13. Q: Mrs. Jones, do you believe you are emotionally stable?
A: I used to be.
Q: How many times have you committed suicide?

14. So you were gone until you returned?

15. Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None
Q: Were there girls?

16. You don't know what it was, and you don't know what it looked like, but can you describe it?

17. Q: You say that the stairs went down to the basement?
A: Yes
Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?

18. Q: Have you lived in this town all your life?
A: Not yet.

19. A Texas attorney, realizing he was on the verge of unleashing a stupid question, interrupted himself and said, "Your Honor, I'd like to strike the next question."

20. Q: Do you recall approximately the time that you examined the body of Mr. Edington at the Rose Chapel?
A: It was in the evening. The autopsy started about 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Edington was dead at the time, is that correct?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy!

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

One day last week the snow clearing equipment was out in force. It made me realize that we are fortunate to have such great service in our community. Many places just have to wait for it to melt.

In just a couple of weeks, it will be Valentine's Day. Here is an article I read on some fun facts for this time of year:

Valentine's Day Fun Facts

About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged in US each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.
Women purchase 85% of all valentines.
In order of popularity, Valentine's Day cards are given to teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.
About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.
Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are the biggest holidays for giving flowers.
Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine's Day each year.
California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine's Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America. Approximately 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period.
73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
Men buy most of the millions of boxes of candy and bouquets of flowers given on Valentine's Day.
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.
Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentines Day candy box in the late 1800s.
The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C

A reminder for those who are seeking for real estate related news, to please check out my "in the koots" blog-site. Recent articles have touched on strata changes and a local real estate forecast.

Thanks for reading. Your comments and feedback are always welcome.

Lorne & Drew

The Skiers Are Ecstatic

2012-01-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

This morning I attended my Rotary Club meeting, as I normally do on a Tuesday morning. I was amazed at how many of our club members were decked out in their ski wear, planning to drive to Whitewater right after the meeting to set "first tracks" into the 14 cm. of fresh snow that fell there overnight. Here in the downtown area we got enough snow that I had to shovel this morning (after breakfast), but not so much as other areas around us. It is very peaceful, but then I don't have to drive any distance for at least a couple of days.

Now that I have mentioned Rotary, I want to promote a project that our club has taken on, in support of Rotary's world-wide effort to eliminate polio once and for all. Many people may have forgotten about polio, now that it is gone from this part of the world, but it was not so many years ago that it was everywhere. Now it remains in only 4 countries of the world, and one of those countries (India) has just celebrated one year without a new case being reported! If this holds for 2 more years, then India will be declared polio-free, and there will be only 3 countries where the wild polio virus remains.

What is our club doing, and how can you help? We call the Program PEEC (Polio Eradication Exercise Challenge) and it involves a small contribution (we suggest $2) every time you exercise (we hope you are doing that 3 times a week). If you participate in this, by the end of April, you will have raised $100 for the cause. It's tax deductible, and you can find out more about it Here.

We Are This Close To Ending Polio

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

This 3 bedroom, 2 bath double-wide manufactured home is located in a quality park at Six Mile. It features a gas fireplace, sundeck, carport and shed and is in very good condition. Now available for quick possession. Featured Property $139,500

Mastering The English Language

The English Plural

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England.

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of "odds and ends" and get rid of all but one of them,
What do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speakingEnglish

Should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

We ship by truck but send cargo by ship...
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway..
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
While a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
In which your house can burn up as it burns down,
In which you fill in a form by filling it out,
And in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And in closing..........

If Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop.????

Are you old enough to remember the '50s? If not, are you curious? Check this out - A White Sport Coat

Memory Clinic
1. Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?"
"Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques: visualization, association, etc. It was great."
"That's great! And what was the name of the clinic?"
Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?"
"You mean a rose?"
"Yes, that's it!"
Fred turned to his wife.
"Rose, what was the name of that memory clinic?"
*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

So, that's it for another month, and so the year begins. If you're looking for more real estate related news, please check out my Business Blog. Recent posts there have included statistics for MLS (r) sales during 2011 and also some information about your recent property tax assessment.

Thanks for reading.

Lorne & Drew

Christmas Time is Here!

2011-12-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

With only 10 days until the BIG DAY this community is right in the middle of all kinds of celebrations. There are children's concerts, band concerts, office parties, nativity plays and many decorated homes and office buildings. There are chocolates and oranges and shortbread and egg nog to enjoy. Meals are being planned, and guests invited. Travel is often involved with family members coming and going throughout the season. We hope you take the time to enjoy this special time, be mindful of those who are not so fortunate, and remember why we are celebrating.Many readers will know that both Lorne & Drew are active in their own church congregations. Some of the activities involving a church are not necessarily spiritual. Roofs need to be replaced from time to time, and this photo was taken yesterday (Dec. 14th). When I say that it is not a spiritual activity, I must comment that it has evoked lots of prayer . . . The congregation is praying that the roof will be finished before we get a major snowfall!

Planning ahead really can save you money down the road. And with the high-cost holiday gift-buying and entertaining season quickly approaching, this may be the perfect time to refinance your mortgage and free up some money instead of relying on high-interest credit cards.

You may find that taking equity out of your home will help bring joy back into your holiday season – and start the New Year off on a debt-free note, as you may also be able to use some of the equity in your home to pay off high-interest debt such as your credit card balances. This will enable you to put more money in your bank account each month.

And since interest rates continue to hover near historic lows, switching to a lower rate may save you a lot of money – possibly thousands of dollars per year.

There are penalties for paying your mortgage loan out prior to renewal, but these could be offset by the lower rates and extra money you could acquire through a refinance. I can sit down with you and work through all of the equations to ensure this is the right move for you.

With access to more money, you’ll be better able to manage both your holiday spending and existing debt. Refinancing your mortgage and taking some existing equity out could also enable you to do many things you’ve been

longing to accomplish – such as purchasing an investment property, taking that well-deserved vacation, renovating your home or even investing in your children’s education.

Paying your mortgage down faster
By refinancing, you may extend the time it will take to pay off your mortgage, but there are many ways to pay down your mortgage sooner to save you thousands of dollars in interest payments. Most mortgage products, for instance, include prepayment privileges that enable you to pay up to 20% of the principal (the true value of your mortgage minus the interest payments) per calendar year. This will also help reduce your amortization period (the length of your mortgage), which, in turn, saves you money.

You can also increase the frequency of your mortgage payments by opting for accelerated bi-weekly payments. Not to be confused with semi-monthly mortgage payments (24 payments per year), accelerated bi-weekly mortgage payments (26 payments per year) will not only pay your mortgage off quicker, but it’s guaranteed to save you a significant amount of money over the term of your mortgage.

The above article is copied from Dominion Lending Centre's Home Financing Journal for November, 2011.

Why Trampolines are Dangerous (Kelowna, B.C.)

Who Says You Can't Get A Trampoline for Five Bucks?

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

This is a truly amazing home, located just outside of Castlegar on a 2.52 acre lot, with mountain views, a large deck, triple garage, hot tub, swimming pool and lots more. Please check it out here. Priced at $699,900 -- an excellent value for this package.

Finally, here is a link to an article on the Christmas season I thought you might enjoy. It's an interview with Chris Patterson, the bass player for the Canadian group "The Arrogant Worms". There's no music here (you can find that on YouTube is you want to), but I appreciated his perspective.

Thank you for reading, and for those who have contributed notes and photos and comments through the year. We always appreciate feedback, and the interaction with our readers.

For a look at more real estate related articles, please check out our business blog at: http://nelsonrealestate.inthekoots.com/

Best Wishes from Lorne & Drew for a Merry Christmas and on into the New Year for all of 2012.

Less Than 40 Shopping Days Left . . . .

2011-11-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

I know you didn't want to hear that, but it's true! So, now we're asking "where did 2011 go?" I have a theory about why time seems to go much faster now, and it has nothing to do with technology. It's simply a matter of age. When you were 4 years old the time elapsed from one Christmas to the next was a quarter of your life. That's 25%. If you are 50, that time is reduced to only 2%. That is less than 1/10th of the time from when you were 4. The bad news is that the older we get, the faster these intervals will come around. That's a good thing if you love Christmas (or Valentine's Day, or Easter, or summer vacations, or Thanksgiving, or . . . . ), but not so good when it comes to paying income tax, renewing car insurance or getting an annual physical checkup!

Now that I have dared to mention Christmas, here is a link to a Realtor's blog post on marketing your home during the holiday season. 10 Reasons By the way, the author of the highlighted post is a RE/MAX Realtor in Garden Ridge, Texas.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?
This is an outstanding offering, over 24 acres of privacy with this delightful 2 bedroom log cabin. Also includes a 24 x 36 workshop. This serenity is offered at $399,900 and is located in the north end of the Slocan Valley. Check out additional photos, video and details here.

Please check out this short post by my associate, Russ Baillie, who sells for RE/MAX in the Chilliwack area. Canadian Real Estate on Solid Ground.

I have been busy sorting out calendars to deliver or mail out within the next few weeks. If you are reading this and would like to have a Norman Rockwell wall calendar, just send me an e-mail or phone me and I will be sure to get one out to you.

I'm very happy to report that I have received suggestions by 2 readers this month, both of whom are new contributors. I am happy to include both of these, and encourage you to keep these thoughts and ideas coming.

British Newspaper Article about Canada

This is a truly amazing article by Kevin Myers The Sunday Telegraph (London). Please share.

British newspaper salutes Canada . . . this is a good read. It is funny how it took someone in England to put it into words.....

Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers , 'The Sunday Telegraph' LONDON :

Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan , probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region.

And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.. It seems that Canada 's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States , and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts.

For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved.

Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10% of Canada 's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, it's unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular memory as somehow or other the work of the 'British.'

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone.

Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth largest air force in the world. The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time.

Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter, Mike Weir, Jim Carrey, Dan Aykroyd, etc. have, in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British.

It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces.

Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular non-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia , in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators.. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan ?

Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac , Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun. It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.

Lest we forget.

*********************
Please pass this on to any of your friends or relatives who served in the Canadian Forces or anyone who is proud to be Canadian; it is a wonderful tribute to those who choose to serve their country and the world in our quiet Canadian way.

And now for something completely different:

This seems appropriate at this time of year. And, apologies to all blondes.

Football and the Blonde

Of all the blonde jokes, this one has to be the best -- because it makes football make sense!

A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game.

They had great seats right behind their team's bench.

After the game, he asked her how she liked it.

"Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially the tight pants

and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why

they were killing each other over 25 cents."

Dumbfounded, her boyfriend asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game,

all they kept screaming was... 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!'

I'm like...Helloooooo? It's only 25 cents!!!!"

So, with the Grey Cup football game happening in less than 2 weeks I hope you can smile at this, and cheer for our B.C. Lions!

This Saturday, November 19th is election day throughout British Columbia. Municipal, Regional District and School Board candidates are working hard to earn your vote. In Nelson there are all candidate meetings both tonight and tomorrow. Be informed. Be involved. Get out and vote on Saturday.

Wow. When I started this newsletter, I didn't know what I was going to say or include. It seems that I have come up with lots of info to share. If you would like more real estate information, please check out my business blog

Thanks for reading.

Happy Shopping.

Lorne & Drew

Autumn is Gorgeous in Nelson

2011-10-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

If this image looks a little blurry, it's probably just the speed at which I am moving . . . .

Okay, now for the truth. I haven't "ridden" one of these since I was 12, but our Rotary club held a raffle last month, and this was one of the prizes. Before it was awarded, I had my photo taken (standing still) so I could share it with you.

By the way, we raised well over $5,000 for youth programs within our community with this raffle.
On Saturday morning, I had occasion to travel to Spokane for meeting during the day. In order to arrive on time I had to get to the Patterson border crossing by 7 a.m. This shot was taken just south of there, along the Columbia River at about 7:30 a.m., with the mist rising off of the river.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?
Double wide manufactured home on a waterfront (rented) pad at 6 Mile, along Nelson's North Shore. Well maintained home, beautifully landscaped, with a beach just across the drive. 3 Bedrooms, 2 baths. Check out additional details and photos on our web-site: 6 Mile Home - $199,900

Seen Signs

These signs might not communicate what was hoped for.

On a California freeway: Fine for Littering

On the wall of a British Columbia cleaning service: Able to Do the Worst Possible Job

In a New York jewellery store: Genuine Fauz Pearls

In a Kansas City oculist's office: Broken lenses duplicated here

In a Boston fast-food parking lot: Parking for Drive-Through Customers Only

Billboard on Florida highway: If You Can't Read, We Can Help

On the Triborough Bridge in New York: In Event of Air Attack Drive Off Bridge

On a Lockhart, Texas, gas station and minimart: We're out of Rolaids, but we've got gas.

At the basketball court in a Gastonton, North Carolina, YMCA: Anyone caught hanging from the rim will be suspended

On a Rapid City store: Give That Bride a Good Case of Worms or Other Fine Bait
On the door of an Ellsworth, Maine, restaurant: The Indian Trading Post will be closed for Yom Kippur

In a Grand Rapids restaurant: Half baked chicken

In a Dayton barbershop: During vacation of owner, a competent hair stylist will be here

On a Jacksonville, Florida, bookstore: Rare, out-of-print, and nonexistent books

On a library in Marlboro, New Hampshire, honouring Robert Frost: Frost Free Library

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

GOING GREEN
Eating Home-Grown Food:

There are a number of resources on the Internet to help you start a vegetable garden next Spring. Have fun and enjoy the true green food. It can be as simple as growing tomatoes in a planter or as extensive as producing all your food needs for the growing season and beyond.

Composting for Your Garden & Lawn:

When food waste is buried in a landfill or dump, it isn’t exposed to the oxygen needed in the process to break down the food, so it changes much more slowly and releases methane gas. Composting is easy and odour free if you follow some guidelines on what to put in the compost and what not. In general, only put in fruits, vegetables and garden waste that do not have any oils, fat or meat with them. Coffee grounds and egg shells can also be composted. The added bonus in this solution for going green is that you will have rich natural fertilizer for your lawn and garden..

I have posted some current statistics for sales in the Nelson area on my "other" blog. Please check it out at: Nelson Real Estate

That pretty well does it for another month. As always, your suggestions, comments and participation is always welcome. We welcome your feedback, either on the site, or by e-mail.

Thank you for reading.

Lorne & Drew

September Song

2011-09-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

What's up with the title to this month's newsletter? It actually is the title to an old song. I participate in a group that usually sings and plays at seniors' homes and September Song is one that we are doing this month. I remember the song from many, many years ago, but I don't remember who sang it (the version I remember hearing, so long ago). So, I checked it out on YouTube and found several versions of the song, being done by a wide range of singers from Frank Sinatra to Willie Nelson. The one I picked to share with you (above link) is by Jimmy Durante, and was recorded in 1955.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?Sitting on a corner lot in the Rosemont area of Nelson, this home has a fully finished basement, potential for a suite, double carport, plenty of storage and a price that will appeal. $329,000
For further details please check out web-site

As the days get shorter and the nights cooler we realize that we are, again, in a change of season with the autumn equinox occurring early Friday morning. Once summer arrived, it was a good one, but we wouldn't mind if it were extended a little bit more!Although it didn't seem to be a huge run of "red-fish" (kokanee - a land-locked sockeye salmon) this year, it always amazes me to watch this process of these fish working their way up the stream to the spawning beds.
Another event this month was the annual Road Kings car show, which also has a kids' component built into it with the soap box derby, which ran from Silica Street to Baker St. along Kootenay Street. Lots of excitement, and even a few spills during this year's event.
Of course the main event at the car show is the Saturday show & shine in downtown Nelson. This year over 350 classic, antique and modern masterpieces were on display, including this very fine '57 Chevy.

Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400.00 in your private account for your use.

However, this prize has rules, just as any game has certain rules.. The first set of rules would be:

Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.

You may not simply transfer money into some other account..
You may only spend it.

Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day. The second set of rules:

The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, Its over, the game is over! It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right? Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?

ACTUALLY This GAME is REALITY!

Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can't seem to see it.

The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!

Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.

What we haven't lived up that day is forever lost.

Yesterday is forever gone.

Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time....WITHOUT WARNING.

SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?

Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.

Think about that,and always think of this:

Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.

So take care of yourself, be Happy, Love Deeply and Enjoy Life!

Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day.

Start spendingWhen I contemplate the time bank mentioned above, I tend to think of my grand-daughters and how they are growing up so quickly. Last month Dorothy and I decided to surprise them with a weekend trip to Saskatchewan to say "Hi". Well, they were surprised (their parents, too) and we had a wonderful weekend, though at 1,200 km. each way it was quite a journey for a 4 day trip. This photo was taken on the first day of school, and the youngest was not happy that she didn't get to go with her sisters. Next year she will begin kindergarten.

Politically Correct Statements

Your bedroom isn't cluttered, it's just "passage restrictive."

Kids don't get grounded anymore. They merely hit "social speed bumps."

You're not late, you just have a "rescheduled arrival time."

You're not having a bad hair day, you're suffering from "rebellious follicle syndrome."

No one's tall anymore. He's "vertically enhanced."

You're not shy. You're "conversationally selective."

You don't talk a lot. You're just "abundantly verbal."

It's not called gossip anymore. It's "the speedy transmission of near-factual information."

AND FOR STUDENTS...

The food at the school cafeteria isn't awful. It's "digestively challenged."

No one fails a class anymore, he's merely "passing impaired."

You don't have detention, you're just one of the "exit delayed."

These days, a student isn't lazy. He's "energetically declined."

Your locker isn't overflowing with junk, it's just "closure prohibitive."

Your homework isn't missing, its just having an "out-of-notebook experience."

You're not sleeping in class, you're "rationing consciousness."

You don't have smelly gym socks, you have "odor-retentive athletic footwear."

You weren't passing notes in class. You were "participating in the discreet exchange of penned meditations."

You're not being sent to the principal's office. You're "going on a mandatory field trip to the administrative building."

Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke. Check out their web-site here

Well, this day is just about done, and so is this newsletter. For more real estate related information please check out http://nelsonrealestate.inthekoots.com/

Thanks for reading.

Lorne & Drew

Hot August Nights

2011-08-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the days have been nice and warm, but we haven't had hot temperatures overnight, which is quite pleasant. Once the sun goes down, the heat dissipates.

Our rhododendron was late to bloom this year, but when it did it was spectacular.

We got the tent trailer out and went on a short road trip last month. We attended a family reunion at Oliver. Dorothy's family is of Mennonite background, so we always have a shared meal during these events. Here is a shot taken just before we devoured this table-full of delicious food. Lots of eating, lots of stories told and lots of games played (yes, Mennonites sometimes even play cards!)

Of course, since this was occurring on the Canada Day weekend, we had to show our national pride. My daughter, Yvonne, provided the "tattoos" that we all sported.

There is so much going on in our community that you just can't do it all. As you may know, one of my passions is bicycling. For the past 6 years I have helped out with a fund-raising ride, with the proceeds going to the Our Daily Bread hot meal program in Nelson. This year there were about 40 of us who participated in a 1 day ride, where we were transported west along Highway 3. We were dropped off just east of the Paulson Bridge, traveled down the Paulson Detour Road to where it intersects with the old Canadian Pacific line, which is now a recreational trail. Where we join the trail is close to the summit, so there is very little uphill riding, and what there is is a rail grade. From the summit we head down the line to Castlegar. There are tunnels, trestles and incredible scenery to enjoy. It is about 53 kilometres from start to finish.
This shot was taken near the end of the ride. Our youngest rider, along with her family, had ridden the entire trip. She is 9 years old!
The Miracle of Life! At the top of one of the columns on our front porch we noticed that a pair of birds had built a nest. Before long they were being very protective of that area, as their chicks had hatched. I took this photo on the 30th of July. If you look closely you'll see 3 chicks packed into this little nest. Within a few more days they had flown away (we didn't see that event) and now the nest is abandoned.

I know that it has been a while since I last posted a newsletter. This is supposed to be a monthly letter, not quarterly! However, if you are looking for statistics on Nelson Real Estate sales for this year, I invite you to check out our "other" blog site at: Nelson Real Estate In The Koots.

Do You Know a Buyer For This Home?

Located on a compact lot, close to downtown, this 2 bedroom home is neat as a pin, and has a fantastic garden.
If you thought that home ownership was not within your grasp, give us a call for assistance in qualifying for a mortgage. This home makes great sense for a single person, a couple starting out, or even as a retirement home (there are a few stairs to access the home). Further details can be found at out web-site 2 bedroom starter home. Priced at $239,000

Can I interest you in a 2 day bike ride? We leave Nelson on September 10th, travel to Kaslo for lunch, then over to New Denver where we'll spend the night. Day 2 will bring us back to Nelson via Highway 6, the Slocan Valley highway, following the Slocan River and then along the Kootenay River back into Nelson. There's lots of support along the way, wonderful scenic views, encouragement and new friends to be found. You can find out more here. Oh, yes, we'll feed you, too.

We can't end this newsletter without at least a little humour. This one came from a friend in Kelowna and it certainly made me smile:

FAMILY TREE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH

His dizzy aunt ----------------------------------------------- Verti Gogh

The brother who ate prunes------------------------------- Gotta Gogh

The brother who worked at a convenience store ------ Stop N Gogh

The grandfather from Yugoslavia ----------------------------- U Gogh

His magician uncle -------------------------------- Where-diddy Gogh

His Mexican cousin ---------------------------------------- A Mee Gogh

The Mexican cousin's American half-brother ------------ Gring Gogh

The nephew who drove a stage coach --------------- Wells-far Gogh

The constipated uncle ------------------------------------- Can't Gogh

The ballroom dancing aunt -------------------------------- Tang Gogh

The bird lover uncle -------------------------------------- Flamin Gogh

The fruit- loving cousin -------------------------------------- Man Gogh

An aunt who taught positive thinking ------------------ Way-to-Gogh

The little bouncy nephew ----------------------------------- Poe Gogh

A sister who loved disco -------------------------------------- Go Gogh

And his niece who travels the country in an RV --- Winnie Bay Gogh

I saw you smiling . . . there ya Gogh!

Are you on Facebook? If so, this article, also provided to me by a Realtor friend in the Fraser Valley (thanks, Bob!) may interest you. If you don't have a Facebook account, I suggest you just skip over this article:

With over 750 million active users, Facebook is the communication medium of today. I came across this article about protecting your email address from third party apps on Facebook and thought that I would share it with you. Also, this would be great to share with your clients as well as I am sure that they are concerned about the security of their e-mail address as well.

Protect Your Email Address from Facebook Apps
Here's a tip to help protect your privacy on Facebook.

Ever wondered what's happening with your email address when you share it with 3rd party applications on Facebook? Can you trust them with it? Will you get more spam?

Little do most people know, you can actually prevent third party applications from using your real email address with a little help from Facebook.

According to this brief piece from LifeHacker, "If you'd like to keep your email private, you can actually have Facebook create a temporary forwarding email just for apps."

Instructions for how to change the setting are available here:

(Even if you're not concerned about it personally, this little tip can be shared with your clients to show them you're looking out for their interests.)

One last scenery shot that I want to share with you. Last Sunday morning (July 31st) I was part of the team that went out to sweep the edge of the highway in preparation for the triathlon that day. It's really not that big a job - a sweeper had passed over the road surface in the days before the event, but it gets one up early enough to enjoy the sunrise. This was taken at 6 Mile along the North Shore.

I'm not certain, but I think that is a beaver swimming at the front of the photo.

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Thanks for reading.

Lorne & Drew

If It's April, It Must Be Time For My Birthday!

2011-04-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, April really is the month when my birthday falls. The above photo doesn't have anything to do with that, but you can see that it is an old one. That's my older brother, John, on the outside of this canoe, with me facing the camera. Any guesses on who the young lady is sitting opposite me? This was taken in Stanley Park nearly 53 years ago. Time flies when you're having fun!

A couple of weeks ago the first crocus blossomed in our yard. The snow had only been gone for a few days when this took place. Spring is not early this year, but it's great to see the signs appearing.

I should be out on my bicycle by this time of the year, but for several reasons, that hasn't happened yet. So on Saturday morning I set out for a walk and took my camera. It was early, daylight but before sunrise, so here are a couple of those photos.

Cottonwood Creek, near Baker St.

Looking toward downtown (& beyond toward Kokanee Glacier)
From the Path to Rosemont

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

A beautiful and tranquil country setting, just 10 minutes outside of Nelson on 2.5 acres. A 3 bedroom home with an extra rental cabin plus a shed and a combined workshop/studio. Priced at $379,000, this is an attractive listing. For more photos and details, check out our web-site or check this link, posted by the owner.

Every quarter I try to give an update on the real estate market. Since the first quarter of the year is just ended, I tend to receive quite a bit of information from many sources. Here is a link to some current information on the Vancouver and Lower Mainland Markets. For the local statistics, I am going to refer you to my "other" blog site.

For those who are new to this page, or who may have forgotten the "other" site is something I try to update weekly with specific real estate related topics.

Aging

~ Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty. But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.

~ There are three signs of old age. The first is your loss of memory. I forget the other two.

~ You're getting old when you don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.

~ Middle age is when work is a lot less fun--and fun is a lot more work.

~ Statistics show that at the age of seventy, there are five women to every man. Isn't that a bad time for a guy to get those odds?

~ You know you're getting on in years when the girls at the office start confiding in you.

~ Middle age is when it takes longer to rest than to get tired.

~ By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.

~ Middle age is when you have stopped growing at both ends, and have begun to grow in the middle.

~ A man has reached middle age when he is cautioned to slow down by his doctor instead of by the police.

~ You know you're into middle age when you realize that caution is the only thing you care to exercise.

~ The aging process could be slowed down if it had to work its way through Congress.

~ You're getting old when you're sitting in a rocker and you can't get it started.

~ You're getting old when you wake up with that morning-after feeling, and you didn't do anything the night before.

~ The cardiologist's diet: if it tastes good, spit it out.

~ Doctor to patient: I have good news and bad news: the good news is that you are not a hypochondriac.

~ It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything.

~ You know you're getting old when you stop buying green bananas.

~ Last Will and Testament: Being of sound mind, I spent all my money.

~ When you lean over to pick something up off the floor, you ask yourself if there is anything else you need to do while you are down there.

~ You find yourself in the middle of the stairway, and you can't remember if you were downstairs going up or upstairs going down

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

This man, Keith Kitchen, is a Canadian contemporary Christian singer. He will be appearing in Nelson on Saturday, May 7th at 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 611 5th St., Nelson. Admission is by donation. You can learn more about Keith, and here some clips of his music (click on "Gallery") here.

Well, the Vancouver Canucks, for the first time in their 40 year NHL history, finished on top of the league and won the President's Trophy this year. Now the playoffs have begun, and we hope it's a long run, culminating in a Stanley Cup! If you're interested, there are plenty of videos intended to get the fans fired up for their team on YouTube. One of them is here. If you wish to see more of them, go to YouTube and then search "Vancouver Canucks playoffs.

And, that brings us to the conclusion of the April news. Comments are always welcome. Contributions and ideas are gladly accepted. If you need a Realtor, please give us a call!

Lorne & Drew

Waiting for Spring

2011-03-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Clocks move forward 1 hour tonight.

Daylight Savings Time begins.

I'm going to do my best to get this newsletter back on a regular schedule. Usually that works pretty well, but this year, for some reason(s), it's been a struggle.

Well, okay, I admit it - traveling on a cruise ship is not much a struggle at all! We had a 10 day cruise, plus a couple of extra days in Florida. In the Everglades, we took an air-boat ride and saw quite a few alligators.
I was able to do a day's bicycling in Grand Cayman, where we visited a "Turtle Farm".
In Panama, Dorothy and I left the ship at Colon (Caribbean side) and traveled by bus to Panama City (Pacific side). That only took about an hour.
In Colombia, these beautiful birds were fighting over scraps of fruit.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

The Wedgwood Manor, located on 6+ acres at Crawford Bay is a 100 year old mansion, presently operating as a Country Inn. It has a commercial kitchen, 6 guest rooms, all with private baths and separate owner's quarters. This is truly an outstanding property. For additional photos and details, please check the web-site: Wedgwood
Priced at $825,000 for a sale of shares.
After spending a couple of weeks with tropical-type weather, I'm certainly looking forward to the end of winter.

Water Saving Options
In a typical stand-alone home, study
findings indicated that the majority of
water consumption is used in the following
ways: 31 per cent through toilets, 25 per
cent through washing machines and 19 per
cent through showers.
Homeowners can replace large-volume
toilets that use 13 litres per flush with high
efficiency units that only use 4.8 litres or
less per flush and reduce water usage by
roughly 63 per cent. Well-designed low
flush toilets can retail for as little as $100
and dual flush toilets that give the user the
option of a three- or six-litre flush are also
available. Installing a water-saver flush kit
in a toilet can also save thousands of litres
of water per year.
For washing clothing, efficient front load
clothes washers provide the most effective
way of saving water, using only 40 to 50
litres per load in comparison to 100 to 150
litres per load for top loaders. Possible water
savings from efficient models can be as
much as 73 per cent. Look for the ENERGY
STAR label as an indication that a model is
water efficient.
Among the least expensive water conservation
options, homeowners can invest in
low flow shower heads with flow rates as
low as 5.7 litres a minute compared to the
average Canadian showerhead with a flow
rate of 9.5 litres a minute. This would result
in a water and energy saving of 40 per cent
and would save the average BC family of
four $50 a year or more on their hydro bill.
Other ways to minimize a home’s water
consumption include high efficiency dishwashers
and bathroom faucets, as well as
investing in the use of rain barrels, rainwater
harvesting systems and domestic
greywater systems.

Water Conservation Benefits
Domestic water conservation not only
provides a range of values such as reduced
energy consumption and cost savings, but
also important benefits for protecting ecosystems
and watersheds and for building
better communities. Thinking about these
broader reasons could provide the additional
motivation that an individual needs
to make an environmentally-friendly
investment in their home.

Exam By Chance

A young student reports for a final examination that consists of only true/false type statements. The student takes a seat in the hall, stares at the question paper for five minutes, removes a coin and starts tossing the coin and marking the answer sheet. Heads means true, tails means false. The young student is all done in 30 minutes while the rest of the class is sweating it out. But, suddenly, during the last few minutes, the young student is seen desperately throwing the coin and sweating profusely. The moderator, alarmed, approaches the student and asks what is going on. "Well, I finished the exam in half an hour," says the student, "but I thought I ought to recheck my answers."
*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

And so, another month is gone. The market is acting in a positive manner and we're looking forward to an active spring. I'll have the first quarter's statistics available next month.

Thanks for reading.

Lorne & Drew

It's too late to wish you a Happy New Year!

2011-02-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

. . . . . but you know I would, if it were appropriate.

Yes, it's true. I didn't get out a January newsletter update. Shame on me, no doubt. Perhaps it's still o.k. to wish you a Happy Chinese New Year. This is year 4709 on the Chinese lunar calendar, and it is the year of the Rabbit. (Is this where the symbol of the rabbit's foot bringing good luck started? If you know, please let me know.)

Gong Xi Fa Chai

Some of these tips may be a little off the wall, but some of them could be very handy:

SEND THESE TIPS TO YOUR COLD WEATHER FRIENDS

Helpful Hints For Winter
Keep your headlights clear with car wax! Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights - lasts 6 weeks.

Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol! Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This one trick can make badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar! Frost on it's way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water---preventing water from freezing!

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber

Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream! Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

De-ice your lock in seconds with rubbing alcohol! Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This one trick can make badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity. with vinegar! Frost on it's way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water---preventing water from freezing! with shaving cream! Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers. with hand sanitizer! Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved!

Here's a community event I hope you will consider supporting. This coming weekend, February 11 - 14th our office is holding a community food drive in the Chahko Mika mall, right at the exit to Save On Foods. You can bring in your non-perishable items to donate, or you may purchase a bag of non-perishables that Save On will prepare and just bring that in once you've gone through the checkout.

We'll be there from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on all 4 days. The proceeds are going to the Salvation Army and the Nelson Food Cupboard. We're doing this now because the need continues throughout the year. We know they get plenty of support around Christmas time, but sometimes the shelves get pretty bare at other times, so we're trying to do our part to get that message out into our community. Thanks, in advance.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?
This is a 1 bedroom + den unit on the top floor of the Amber Bay development. This condominium is less than 3 years old with a large deck, great view and a very workable floor plan. Full details and more photos on our web-site: Amber Bay
Priced at $299,900

You must have know that I'd have a photo of my grand-daughters. Here they are in the sweaters that their grandma knitted them for Christmas. It was great having everyone home.

When it comes to statistical information for the end of the year, inside the city there was very little change from 2009. In both years there were 103 single family home sales. In 2010 the average sale price of a single family home was $350,517. This is an increase over 2009 when the average s.f. home price was $342,285.

Outside of the city, in the rural area surrounding us, the single family home sales were down from 2009. During 2010 there were 87 sales (105 in 2009) and the average price rose from $352,036 in 2009 to $361,250 during 2010.

Land sales in the rural area are almost unchanged from the previous year, but there was an drop in average prices from $190,212 down to $145,072. However, my statistics don't show how many of these lots were waterfront, and it is my opinion that waterfront was a slow part of the market in 2010, so that could account for the rather drastic change in average prices.

Vacant land sales within the city show an increase from 8 (2009) to 17 in 2010, but that difference is almost entirely made up of the lots that the City of Nelson sold during 2010 that are adjacent to the development @ Fairview Heights and the new park that the city is intending to develop. Again, average prices are up from $134,225 (2009) to $138,512 (2010).

These number do show that while sales have been sluggish, the market price is holding steady.

Please don't hesitate to call us if you would like more specific information on the real estate market.

Amazed dentist

"Open wider," requested the dentist, as he began his examination of the patient.

"Good Grief!" he said startled.

"You've got the biggest cavity I've ever seen -- the biggest cavity I've ever seen."

"OK Doc!" replied the patient. "I'm scared enough without you saying something like that twice."

"I didn't!" said the dentist. "That was the echo."

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

Please remember that if you are seeking more real estate related information, you can check out our "in the koots" blog-site at: Nelson Real Estate In The Koots

That's all we wrote for this month (& last!). Your comments, criticisms and contributions are always welcome. Thanks for reading!

Lorne & Drew

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas . . .

2010-12-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

I hope as you read the title to this month's blog you can hear the baritone voice of Bing Crosby singing those words. If you're too young to remember (or want to hear it for "real") click here
The RE/MAX Housing Market Outlook for 2011 was released last week. Across the country, it predicts a stable market, with a few more sales and slight price increases. Nelson is not one of the markets that are specifically highlighted, but the trend is encouraging. If you would like to read the full report, click here.

Parents' Night Before Christmas

The REAL Night Before Christmas
(By Parents)

'Twas the night before Christmas
when all through the house
I searched for the tools
to hand to my spouse

Instructions were studied
and we were inspired,
in hopes we could manage
"Some Assembly Required."

The children were quiet (not asleep) in their beds,
while Dad and I faced the evening with dread:
a kitchen, two bikes, Barbie's townhouse to boot!
And now, thanks to Grandpa, a train with a toot!

We opened the boxes,
my heart skipped a beat -
let no parts be missing
or parts incomplete!

Too late for last-minute returns or replacement;
if we can't get it right, it goes straight to the basement!
When what to my worrying eyes should appear
but 50 sheets of directions, concise, but not clear,

With each part numbered and every slot named,
so if we failed, only we could be blamed.
More rapid than eagles the parts then fell out,
all over the carpet they were scattered about.

"Now bolt it! Now twist it! Attach it right there!
Slide on the seats, and staple the stair!
Hammer the shelves, and nail to the stand."
"Honey," said hubby, "you just glued my hand."

And then in a twinkling, I knew for a fact
that all the toy dealers had indeed made a pact
to keep parents busy all Christmas Eve night
with "assembly required" till morning's first light.
We spoke not a word, but kept bent at our work,
till our eyes, they went blurry; our fingers all hurt.
The coffee went cold and the night, it wore thin
before we attached the last rod and last pin.

Then laying the tools away in the chest,
we fell into bed for a well-deserved rest.
But I said to my husband just before I passed out,
"This will be the best Christmas, without any doubt.

Tomorrow we'll cheer, let the holiday ring,
and not run to the store for one single thing!
We did it! We did it! The toys are all set
for the perfect, most magical, Christmas, I bet!"

Then off to dreamland and sweet repose
I gratefully went, though I suppose
there's something to say for those self-deluded-
I'd forgotten that BATTERIES are never included!

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

Nelson's Civic Arena celebrated its 75th birthday at the end of November. It was built in the midst of the great depression and was the result of visionary thinking by the city fathers of that day (I don't think there were any female civic leaders in 1935, but I haven't checked the wall at Nelson City Hall to see when the first was elected). It was noted that this was the finest arena anywhere between Vancouver and Winnipeg when it was new. Although we have the new arena now being spotlighted in our community, the old rink is still there and still being used regularly. It would be a huge undertaking to remove it, so it will likely be part of our history for many more years. Here's a link to a couple of articles that have appeared in the Nelson Star: Civic Centre Turns 75 and The Night Satchmo Came to Town.
34 years ago December 18 was a Saturday, too. It was our last winter in Nanaimo, though we didn't know it at the time. I was at work at the credit union about 2 in the afternoon, when Dorothy phoned me and asked if I could come home. (Please note: I never claimed to be the brightest guy on the planet!) I told her that I got off at 3 and did she want me to leave early. She said "yes" and (remember the previously italicized phase?) I asked "why?" Now, we were expecting our 2nd child at this time, and her due date was December 16. However, our first child had been 3 weeks late, and I just wasn't expecting this call at this time! Once I got the message that she was in labour, I got into gear pretty quickly. We had already made arrangements for our daughter, Yvonne, to be cared for when we went to the hospital, but when we phoned those people, we found that they had gone to Victoria for the day, so we had to scramble to find someone else. It was a little after 4 p.m. when we got to the hospital and the receptionist asked how far apart the contractions were. When we told her about 3 minutes, she said we could do the paperwork after we got Dorothy settled into a bed! By 6:15 our son, David, was born. The timing was very good, because the doctor was supposed to be the master of ceremonies at a Christmas banquet at church that evening, so he was able to be there on time. After holding my son for the first time and getting Dorothy settled (she soon was ready for a nap) I decided that I'd better get some dinner, so I went down to the Credit Union's office party where I was (surprise, surprise) warmly greeted, and enjoyed a sumptuous feast. I am not going to post a baby picture of David (he might be embarrassed) but I will refer you back to July's blog newsletter for photos of his wedding to Sara. So, our son was sent home from hospital a few days later and we traveled that same day on the B.C. Ferries to Vancouver to spend Christmas at Dorothy's parent's home, and introduce David (that wasn't always his name, but that's what he prefers) to his Grandma and Grandpa and to the rest of the family. There's no doubt that this will always be one of my favourite Christmas memories. Happy Birthday, Dave!
Another month, and another year have passed. Lots of events in our world, our community and our own lives have occurred. We'll take time to reflect on the past year and to celebrate this beautiful season (I expect to have new family photos next month, as they are all planning to be home with us this year) as well as make plans for the future.

If buying or selling a home is in your future, I hope you'll let us assist you.

Here's one more link to a song that I hadn't heard before this year, but it seems to have "gone viral" on YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites: "Where's The Line To See Jesus"

Thanks for reading, and thanks to all who have contributed throughout the year with links, articles, jokes and stories!

Merry Christmas to you!

Lorne & Drew

Here's a Blast From The Past

2010-11-16T15:34:00.001-08:00

60 years ago today, the Nelson Savings Credit Union was chartered and shortly thereafter began to do business in Nelson. Congratulations to the credit union for their long term service to our community. As a part of the marking of this occasion, they have put out a commemorative brochure, which you can find here: C.U. 60th Anniversary There is a photo there that I think was taken around 1978. You may get a chuckle out of it -- I know I did! Many of you know that it was the Nelson & District Credit Union (this current name was adopted sometime in the 1960's) that brought me to Nelson. I was employed there from 1977 until 1992. It is hard to believe that 18 years has elapsed since I changed careers.

It seems that winter is just around the corner. Last weekend we stored Dorothy's convertible for the winter and the snow tires have been installed on my car. I put the deck furniture into the basement recently and bought new weather stripping for our home's front entrance. Here's a few more tips that might help you prepare for winter:

Keep your headlights clear with car wax! Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights - lasts 6 weeks.

Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol!
Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia.
This one trick can make badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar! Frost on it's way?
Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess.
Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water---preventing water from freezing!

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray!
Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper towel.
The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber

Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream!
Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels.
Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer!
Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved!

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

Located in Nelson's Uphill area this newer home (2004) has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, hardwood flooring, granite counters, den, family room plus a 2 bedroom legal suite on the lower level, with off-street parking both front and rear. The income from the suite will pay a large part of your mortgage. Check it out at Uphill home with suite
or call us for further details. $499,000

JOB HUNTING...

1. My first job was working in an Orange Juice factory, but I got canned. Couldn't concentrate.

2. Then I worked in the woods as a Lumberjack, but just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.

3. After that, I tried being a Tailor, but wasn't suited for it -- mainly because it was a sew-sew job.

4. Next, I tried working in a Muffler Factory, but that was too exhausting.

5. Then, tried being a Chef - figured it would add a little spice to my life, but just didn't have the thyme.

6. Next, I attempted being a Deli Worker, but any way I sliced it... couldn't cut the mustard.

7. My best job was a Musician, but eventually found that I wasn't noteworthy.

8. I studied a long time to become a Doctor, but didn't have any patience.

9. Next, was a job in a Shoe Factory. Tried hard but just didn't fit in.

10. I became a Professional Fisherman, but discovered I couldn't live on my net income.

11. Managed to get a good job working for a Pool Maintenance Company, but the work was just too draining.

12. So then I got a job in a Workout Center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

13. After many years of trying to find steady work, I got a job as a Historian until I found out there was no future in it.

14. My last job was working in Starbucks, but had to quit because it was the same old grind

Thank you for reading. Opinions and comments are always welcome.

You may also wish to check out my "topical" blog.

Lorne & Drew

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night. . . . .

2010-10-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

When I see that phrase, I always think of the cartoon character "Snoopy" sitting on top of his doghouse with his typewriter. It's the kind of thing you might write if you were to write a Hallowe'en ghost story. No, that's not what this newsletter is about this month, but I always seem to have difficulty in getting started so . . . .

And, on a related topic -- It's not at all stormy, but it sure does get dark early. Next month (on the night of November 6 - 7 to be exact) we switch back to standard time here in this part of British Columbia, so our evenings will become dark a full hour earlier. I always try to remind people to make a habit of checking your smoke detector batteries when you change your clocks. If you can't remember when you last changed those batteries, it's probably time to do so!

Here's a job I could not handle. About 10 days ago, my neighbours decided to remove a dead birch tree from their front yard, so they called in Limbwalker Tree Services. I find this fascinating to watch, but, as I said, I certainly couldn't do what he does!

Back in August, I posted a photo and a link to a Rotary project that my club was involved in. This bridge, across Cottonwood Creek, up where Cottonwood Lake drains into it, has already become very popular. A couple of weeks ago a group of club members got together to stain the deck and rails to ensure that it will be there for many years.

As I try to do every three months, it's time for some statistical material on the real estate market. The link here is for a report on the U.S. market and comes from RE/MAX. It shows that sales activity in 54 markets in the U.S. is down over 20% when comparing September 2009 to September 2010. However, there are also some encouraging signs. You can check it out at RE/MAX National Housing Report

Locally, our market is similar to what we experienced last year, which is to say that the market is slow, but it is moving.

Type Jan - Sept. '09 Jan - Sept. '10 Aver Price Aver Days on Market

Single family home 83 sales 82 sales +5.8% 69 (2010) - 74 (2009)
Land 5 sales 16 sales + 3.1% 98 (2010) - 260 (2009)
Manufactured home 6 sales 5 sales + 64.3% 80 (2010) - 59 (2009)
Duplex 2 sales 3 sales + 20% 111 (2010) - 50 (2009)
Condo & Townhouse 9 sales 21 sales + 7.4% 140 (2010) - 50 (2009)

These statistics are for the City of Nelson only. The reason the land sales are so much higher in number is that the city marketed a number of lots in the Fairview Heights area this year. I believe that the condo & townhouse sales numbers are higher because of new developments at The Graine and at Granite Pointe. You will also notice that sale prices are up across the board. Frankly, I was surprised by this figure, as many homes are selling at prices that seem to be well below last year's numbers. However, a few "upper end" home sales can skew the statistics so that it looks like prices are up overall.

The following is courtesy of Bob Kalo, RE/MAX Treeland Realty in Langley - Thanks, Bob!

Smarter Workday Snacks

Never snack on carbohydrates alone. Simple carbs quickly raise your blood sugar, but you won't sustain the elevated energy levels required to get you through the day. While pretzels may seem like a healthful, low-fat choice, they won't deliver the sustained energy lift you need. Instead, an ideal power snack consists of complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain bread or crackers, fruits, and vegetables combined with a protein, such as cheese, hummus, peanut butter, and low-fat milk.

Here are some suggestions for healthy and conveniently portable midday snacks:

Baby carrots and hummus. Many convenience stores carry premade hummus, and you can substitute any crunchy vegetable favorites, such as cucumber slices and sweet bell pepper strips, that you can cut up the night before.

Apple and cheese. Choose any reduced-fat cheese, such as mozzarella or Swiss, to enjoy with apple slices or grapes.

Whole-grain crackers and peanut butter. This is a sure pick-me-up. Packed with complex carbs, fiber, and protein, this snack will give you sustained energy, and it's easy to keep in a desk drawer.

Banana and peanut butter. This is a great idea if you are craving something a little sweeter. Peanut butter spread on a just ripe banana is truly satisfying.

Trail mix. Try making your own — combine nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and your favorite whole-wheat cereal.

Whole-wheat English muffin and low-fat cream cheese. If you're a lover of bagels and cream cheese, this is a good option.

Low-fat vanilla yogurt topped with raisins. This is a delicious way to get calcium-rich dairy food into your day. If you think a lot of yogurt brands taste too sweet, try Greek yogurt varieties and top them with fresh fruit, such as blueberries or sliced bananas.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

Check out this home on 1.29 acres sitting on a very private lot just 7 minutes from Nelson. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, covered deck and plenty of storage area. Priced at $399,000. Check out further details and photos on our web-site: Georama Road

Please also remember that I am writing a separate blog on specific real estate related topics. This one comes out weekly, and you can check it out at "in the koots real estate blog"

More Bad Headlines

~ March Planned For Next August

~ Blind Bishop Appointed To See

~ Lingerie Shipment Hijacked--Thief Gives Police The Slip

~ L.A. Voters Approve Urban Renewal By Landslide

~ Patient At Death's Door--Doctors Pull Him Through

~ Latin Course To Be Canceled--No Interest Among Students, Et Al.

~ Diaper Market Bottoms Out

~ Croupiers On Strike--Management: "No Big Deal"

~ Stadium Air Conditioning Fails--Fans Protest

~ Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped

~ Henshaw Offers Rare Opportunity to Goose Hunters

~ Teacher Strikes Idle Kids

~ Lawyers Give Poor Free Legal Advice

~ Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

~ Fund Set Up for Beating Victim's Kin

~ Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years

~ Cancer Society Honors Marlboro Man

~ Nicaragua Sets Goal to Wipe Out Literacy

~ Autos Killing 110 a Day--Let's Resolve to Do Better

~ 20-Year Friendship Ends at Altar

~ War Dims Hope For Peace

~ If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last A While
~ Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

~ Half of U.S. High Schools Require Some Study for Graduation

~ Blind Woman Gets New Kidney from Dad She Hasn't Seen in Years

~ Man is Fatally Slain

~ Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say

~ Death Causes Loneliness, Feelings of Isolation

~ Defendants Speech Ends in Long Sentence

~ Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

~ House Passes Gas Tax Onto Senate

~ Police Discover Crack in Australia

~ Stiff Opposition Expected to Casketless Funeral Plan

~ William Kelly, 87, was Fed Secretary

~ Collegians are Turning to Vegetables

~ Scientists to Have Ford's Ear

~ Quarter of a Million Chinese Live on Water

~ Hershey Bars Protest

~ County Officials to Talk Rubbish

~ Carter Plans Swell Deficit

~ Caribbean Islands Drift to Left

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

I know that some of these are painful, but I hope that you got a smile or a chuckle somewhere in that group. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome, even if you are correcting grammatical errors. Thank you for reading.

Lorne & Drew

Moving Right Along . . .

2010-09-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'd like to thank those who took time to reply to my request for feedback last month. It was indeed helpful. For those who tried to reply with a comment, you probably found out that you must have a "google account" to be able to leave comments, so I apologize if that didn't work for you. You can always send me an e-mail and I will get your message that way.

Those who replied gave me uplifting comments that told me they like what I am doing. Of course, if there was no reply, I don't know if it's because you don't read my blog, if you felt you had nothing to complain about, or if you just didn't have time to reply.

So, let me state again -- your comments, critiques and criticisms are always welcome!

Fall seems to have arrived very quickly. As I write this, it is raining, but the sun is also shining. There should be a rainbow out there somewhere. It's kind of like that in the real estate market. There aren't as many sales as we would like to see, and lots of listings on the market, but there are people out there looking, and even making decisions to buy.

And why wouldn't they? Prices have come down a bit, interest rates are still incredibly good (e.g. 3.79% fixed rate, 5 year term) and there is a good selection of homes to choose from.

I'll have the quarterly statistics available next month.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

This is a beautiful family home, with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, family room and office. It also has the most amazing "hobby room" on the basement level, with an almost unbelievable collection. Check out additional photos and full details on the web-site at: Feature Home This is an executive style home, priced at $685,000.

Many of you know that every September I help to organize a bike ride through our church. This ride takes place over 2 days, and covers 224 kilometers (140 miles). Here I am on Saturday, just outside of Kaslo. You can tell that it's not very warm, but at least on Saturday we didn't get wet. That was not the case on Sunday, but still we all had a great time, and everyone returned home safely. Thanks go out to the many volunteers who look after us on the ride, and make it possible for this to occur each year!

After a long day's ride we gathered in the park at New Denver for dinner and an evening presentation. Sometimes, this includes me singing (except on those years when we can convince someone good to come along).

Since most of the riders on this journey are from the U.S., when I am in charge of the entertainment, I try to add some Canadian culture to the evening. This year, since we finished dinner early, I had opportunity to do two songs (some people may have regretted that, but most were very polite). The first one is called Canada's Really Big by the Arrogant Worms.

The second song I chose is by a Canadian legend, named Ian Tyson. I chose this song specifically because Ian was going to be in Nelson the next weekend, and, in fact, Dorothy and I attended his concert at the Capitol Theatre last Friday evening. He is older now, not too steady on his feet, and has arthritis in his hands. Still, he tells a great story, and has written many popular ballads. We enjoyed the concert thoroughly, and he closed his set with Four Strong Winds.

To The Rescue!

One dark night outside a small town, a fire started inside the local chemical plant. Before long it exploded into flames and an alarm went out to fire departments from miles around. After fighting the fire for over an hour, the chemical company president approached the fire chief and said, "All of our secret formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved! I will give $50,000 to the engine company that brings them out safely!"

As soon as the chief heard this, he ordered the firemen to strengthen their attack on the blaze. After two more hours of attacking the fire, president of the company offered $100,000 to the engine company that could bring out the company's secret files. From the distance a long siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight. It was a local volunteer fire company composed entirely of men over 65. To everyone's amazement the little fire engine raced through the chemical plant gates and drove straight into the middle of the inferno. In the distance the other firemen watched as the old timers hopped off of their rig and began to fight the fire with an effort that they had never seen before.

After an hour of intense fighting the volunteer company had extinguished the fire and saved the secret formulas. Joyous the chemical company president announced that he would double the reward to $200,000 and walked over to personally thank each of the volunteers. After thanking each of the old men individually the president asked the group what they intended to do with the reward money. The fire truck driver looked him right in the eye and said, "The first thing we're going to do is fix the stupid brakes on that truck!"

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for This Joke*

Last month I spoke about doing a different type of blog, and doing it more frequently. Most who replied said that they enjoyed reading what I sent out, and I certainly appreciate that. So, this "newsletter" style of blog will continue. However, I have also begun writing a weekly blog, through a new network in the Nelson area called "inthekoots.com". In it, I cover a specific topic. If you're interested you can check that one out at http://nelsonrealestate.inthekoots.com/ Once again, you need to have a google account to post comments on line, but I will be pleased to receive them by e-mail if you prefer to communicate that way. If you have suggestions for topics, I'm happy to hear about them. There have been 4 different articles written to date. You can also "subscribe" to this blog, and be notified when there is a new post.

Thanks for reading!

Lorne & Drew

What Am I Doing Here?

2010-08-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello and Happy Summer - Isn't life in the Kootenays great?

I've been giving some thought to what I'd like to accomplish with this blog. As many of you know, it evolved out of an e-mail newsletter that I did for several years, but found that sending out a large e-mail to a large mailing list caused complications -- some on my end, some on yours (depending on the speed of your internet connection). The blog seemed like a natural solution, and it has worked well. However, I ask myself "Who is reading this?"

I do appreciate those who respond, ask questions or tell me what they like or don't like about my postings. However, in an effort to make this more effective, I recently participated in a workshop on blogging, and I learned quite a bit. I learned that I probably write too much at one time. I may be trying to appeal to too large an audience. I am more conscientious about spelling and grammar than most bloggers! It also seems that I have been doing quite a number of things right. Photos and coloured fonts and varied font sizes, etc. all help to keep interest. Hopefully my content is current and relevant (well, maybe not the jokes!)

In an effort to improve, I've also been reading other blogs. Here's an excerpt from one:

Questions to ask while writing:
1) What am I trying to say?

2) What words will express it?

3) What image or idiom will make it clearer?

4) Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

5) Could I put it more shortly?

6) Have I said anything that is avoidable ugly?

Rules to Follow:
1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2) Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4) Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word (like, say, real estate jargon) if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

The above is courtesy of Kasey Everly

So, now I am asking you to let me know what you like about my blog. You can reply at the bottom of the blog posting in "Comments", or you can send me an e-mail, but please, if you're reading this, let me know.

My thought is to make my postings shorter, but post them more frequently. My goal from this point on is to post something each week. Do you want to be notified of new postings? Do you know that you can "subscribe" to a blog, so that you will be automatically notified?
Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

This is a great family home with a total of 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, on a view lot at the Nasookin subdivision, just a few minutes outside of Nelson on the North Shore. More details are available on our web-site at: North Shore Home Priced at $380,000

Redfish Grill fire

Here's an event that occurred in Nelson at the end of July and got a lot of attention. The Redfish Grill was gutted by fire that started during the dinner hour and was not contained for about 7 1/2 hours. This shot was taken after the roof collapsed, with the fire's glow illuminating the sprays of water that were being poured into it at the rate of 4000 litres a minute!

Earlier this month the Rotary Club of Nelson Daybreak was involved in building a recreational bridge. Here is a link to a more detailed article, and a short video of the project: Cottonwood Bridge

Here's a view of Cottonwood Lake, a delightful spot just a few kilometers south of Nelson. The bridge connects the picnic area parking lot with the recreational trail along the old Burlington Northern rail line on the other side of Cottonwood Creek.

Also happening in Nelson this month is the renovation/restoration of the old C.P. station at the foot of Baker Street. The Nelson Chamber of Commerce is spearheading this work, which will take several years to complete and cost a couple of million dollars. The end result is going to be fabulous!

Sorry I'm Late Mom

Late one Saturday evening, I was awakened by the ringing of my phone. In a sleepy grumpy voice I said hello. The party on the other end of the line paused for a moment before rushing breathlessly into a lengthy speech.

"Mom, this is Susan and I'm sorry I woke you up, but I had to call because I'm going to be a little late getting home. See, Dad's car has a flat but it's not my fault. Honest! I don't know what happened. The tire just went flat while we were inside the theater. Please don't be mad, okay?"

Since I don't have any daughters, I knew the person had dialed my number by mistake.

"I'm sorry dear," I replied, "but you've reached the wrong number. I don't have a daughter named Susan."

"Wow, Mom," the young woman's voice replied, "I didn't think you'd be this mad."

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

So, that's what a shorter blog looks like. If I do get them out every week, they'll be a little shorter than this.

Please take a moment and let me know what you think. Thanks, in advance.

Lorne & Drew

Good News (For the most part)

2010-07-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Good News and Sad News --
We'll start with the good!

On a beautiful spring day last month in Kelowna my son, Dave, was married to Sara.

Here they are posing with their nieces (my grand-daughters).

So, a new family photo, with us all dressed up

May I have this dance? (note the water bottle in Dave's pocket. The day did get warm!)

Are you concerned with where the food on your table comes from? This came across my desk recently, and I thought it was worth sharing. It's a link to a YouTube video that was produced by Hellman's mayonnaise. Hellman's ad

Well, summer has arrived, and although I do not intend to comment on the weather, I will make mention of a couple of events that are happening in our little city.

This weekend (beginning today) is the Starbelly Jam festival over at Crawford Bay

Saturday, July 17 is Flightfest 2010 and Airport Appreciation Day. The Nelson Pilot's Association is hosting a day at the airport with breakfast, some demonstrations and some vintage aircraft to enjoy.

Wednesday, July 21 - Lakeside Rotary Park - Noon to 10 p.m. the Keep The Beat fundraiser and music festival. Funds raised from this event go to War Child Canada, a Canadian charity dedicated to lessening the suffering of children affected by war.

Thursday through Saturday, July 22 - 24 the Capitol Theatre Summer Youth Program presents Oliver! Tickets are only $12 for reserved seats. I already have mine, and they expect to sell out!

Next Saturday (July 24) is the fifth annual Pedal Along a Rail Route (PARR 5) bicycle ride in support of the Our Daily Break hot meal program in Nelson. This is a fabulous ride along the old rail bed from the top of the Paulson summit down into Castlegar. We leave Nelson at 7:15 on the 24th and the $50 cost includes transportation of bicycles, support during the ride and a great meal.

That's all happening within the next week!

Now for the sad news: Today the final edition of the 109 year old Nelson Daily News rolled off the press. The paper was purchased last month in a multiple-paper deal by Black Press, who announced on July 5th that the paper would close. Here is the front page of today's final edition.

The Nelson Daily News was a morning paper for many years and my own children delivered it. In the days when it was a morning paper, and we looked forward to finding out what was going on. A very good friend of mine who passed away earlier this year at the age of 85 took up delivering the N.D.N. when he retired from his career in teaching. I think his main purpose was that he wanted reliable delivery, so that the paper would be ready to read when he was having his breakfast. Nevertheless, it kept him active and involved with his neighbourhood for several years. He gave up his route when they changed to an afternoon paper, because that didn't suit his schedule. He never liked the afternoon paper format, and would usually not even look at the paper until the following morning.

I haven't heard what is happening with the Nelson Daily News building on Baker Street. Perhaps there's a high profile commercial listing coming up.

With the demise of the Nelson Daily News, their web-site will also be closing. I was just advised yesterday of a new source for on-line news in the Kootenays, and I invite you to check it out: News in the Koots

As is my practice, I will review the statistics for real estate sales this month, as I do on a quarterly basis. We are hearing quite a bit of news about a slow down in residential sales in Canada on the news, but keep in mind that there are many different "markets" across the country. Of course the national statistics reflect what happens in the major centres, because that is where most people live and where most houses sell.

During the month of June there were 13 houses reported sold through the Kootenay Real Estate Board, within the city of Nelson. This compares to 8 sales in June, 2009. Year to date there have been 58 single family home sales in Nelson with an average sale price of $360,585. During the first 1/2 of 2009 there were a total of 41 sales with the sales average being $342,348.

Vacant land sales in Nelson have totalled 8 during 2010. Half of these sales were city-owned lots located in Upper Fairview which were marketed this spring. During 2009 there were only 4 land sales in the first half of the year. The average price is virtually unchanged from the previous year at $146,337.

In Rural Nelson homes sold through the MLS system (this includes detached homes and detached homes on acreage) for January through June 2010 were 47 (45 in 2009) and the average price is down just fractionally at $356,643.

The number of vacant land sales in the rural area has more than doubled this year over last, with 19 sales being reported, vs. 9 in 2009. The average sale price for land has dropped from $161,433 last year to $150,363 this year.

Okay, we got through the statistical stuff. Of course, if you have specific questions or would like more details on any portion of our market, don't hesitate to ask.

Time for a chuckle:

I'm Not Old - I'm Just Mature

I'M NOT OLD...JUST MATURE

Today at the drugstore, the clerk was a gent. From my purchase this chap took off ten percent. I asked for the cause of a lesser amount; And he answered, "Because of the Seniors Discount."

I went to McDonald's for a burger and fries; And there, once again, got quite a surprise. The clerk poured some coffee which he handed to me. He said, "For you, Seniors, the coffee is free."

Understand---I'm not old---I'm merely mature; But some things are changing, temporarily, I'm sure. The newspaper print gets smaller each day, And people speak softer---can't hear what they say.

My teeth are my own (I have the receipt.), and my glasses identify people I meet. Oh, I've slowed down a bit...not a lot, I am sure. You see, I'm not old...I'm only mature.

The gold in my hair has been bleached by the sun. You should see all the damage that chlorine has done. Washing my hair has turned it all white, But don't call it gray...saying "blond" is just right.

My car is all paid for...not a nickel is owed. Yet a kid yells, "Old duffer...get off of the road!" My car has no scratches...not even a dent. Still I get all that guff from a punk who's "Hell bent."

My friends all get older...much faster than me. They seem much more wrinkled, from what I can see. I've got "character lines," not wrinkles...for sure, But don't call me old...just call me mature.

The steps in the houses they're building today Are so high that they take...your breath all away; And the streets are much steeper than ten years ago. That should explain why my walking is slow.

But I'm keeping up on what's hip and what's new, And I think I can still dance a mean boogaloo. I'm still in the running...in this I'm secure, I'm not really old...I'm only mature.

~Author Unknown

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

Do You Know a Buyer For This Home?

Located in a high traffic area along the "Crawford Bay strip" this 2 year old home is currently operating as a b&b, with a retail area on the main floor. There are 4 guest rooms (1 is 2 bedroom) plus the owner's area, a high quality kitchen and dining area on over an acre of land. There is a lot of house here for the$689,000 asking price. More details at Deer Lake Lodge .

I found this link for information on Canadian Mortgage trends. I know that people are concerned about rising interest rates, and what that will do to their mortgage payment when it renews, or if they have a variable mortgage. According to this article we will see increases over the next year and a half, but they will be moderate. Of course, these forecasts are subject to change depending on conditions, such as the strength (or lack of) in the U.S. real estate and stock market, the stability of the Canadian dollar vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar and other world events that can change things overnight.

The Magician and The Parrot

A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different
each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again.

There was only one problem: The captain's parrot saw the shows each week and began to
understand how the magician did every trick. Once he understood he started shouting in the
middle of the show:

"Look, it's not the same hat"

"Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table"

"Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades ?"

The magician was furious but couldn't do anything; it was, after all, the captain's parrot.

One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood in
the middle of the ocean with the parrot, of course.

They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day and
another and another.

After a week the parrot said: "OK, I give up. Where's the boat?"

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

On that note, I'll say farewell for another month. As always, your feedback and comments are welcome. If we can be of any assistance with your real estate needs, or if you know someone who is needing representation in a property transaction, we are ready, willing and able to assist.

Thanks for reading!

Lorne & Drew

It may be June - But it isn't warm!

2010-06-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

June is a great month for being outdoors -- when it's not raining!

This shot was taken along the Burlington Northern rail trail at Troop, where the Burlington Northern line joins the C.P. line. The bridge in the background of the above photo is the rail bridge still in use by C.P. Rail.

Here we see the Slocan River at Passmore at high water. I'm pretty sure there is no danger of flooding this year, unless we get a situation similar to what happened near Oliver last weekend.

This is the Nelson power plant on the Kootenay River. The water is coming over the top of the dam right now, which only happens at high water.

The H.S.T. takes effect on July 1st. This has become a most unpopular tax, and has been the target of an anti-H.S.T. campaign which has seen unprecedented success in the province. One government minister has resigned his position over this issue, but the government remains adamant that the tax is needed, and will be brought in on the scheduled date. At this time we are not sure what effect the anti-H.S.T. petition will have. They have gathered signatures from over 15% of the voter's list in all 85 ridings in British Columbia in the past 3 months.

If you are concerned about the effect of the new tax on housing, you may want to check out this link. It is a tax information notice from about 6 months ago, which should answer your questions. HST Bulletin #3

Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one. After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.

By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground...
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks causes throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode..
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing..
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
*
P: Aircraft handles funny.
(I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
*
And the best one for last...
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

Five ways to protect yourself on Facebook

By Marc Saltzman

As you likely know, Facebook is now the world's most popular social networking site, where more than 300 million users post information about themselves, keep in touch with old friends and join groups and support causes that matter to them.

But many Facebook users are unknowingly exposing themselves to identify theft by publishing personal details on the mega-popular website. Or they're falling for scams that exploit tragic events, such as the recent earthquake in Haiti - giving money to thieves instead of those in need.

If you're spending time on Facebook, take heed to the following five tips to better protect yourself online. Much of the same advice can be used for other networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn.

1. Never give out personal information

Posting your name on your Facebook profile page is perfectly reasonable, but you need not list your address, birth date, phone number, work details or any other private information that can be used against you. Also be cautious about what kinds of photos your kids or friends are posting, in case they reveal personal info such as a photo of them in front of their school sign. Remember to remind your kids to never ever meet a new Facebook "friend" in real life.

2. Close your network

Rather than making your profile public to everyone – meaning all your details pop up if someone clicks on your name – choose to close your Facebook network to everyone except for a small group of friends. Further, when you accept a friend request, don't be afraid to click the box that says "limit my profile." Don't feel obligated to accept a friend request from someone you don't know.

3. Watch your wall

You might do a good job keeping personal info off your main page, but your friends or coworkers might blow it. Example: you're going on vacation and leaving your house vacant for a week, so you don't broadcast this information on the Internet. Except a friend or two writes on your wall - for all to see - "Mary, have fun in Mexico this week! Bring me home some tequila!" Sigh, be sure to remove these comments as soon as possible. You might be tempted to ask a friend to remove these comments while you're away - but remember to change your Facebook password when you return.

4. Be wary of forms

Thousands of third-party Facebook applications can add to the site's functionality, be it trivia games, video posts, horoscopes and so forth. While free, many of these companies like to collect names for marketing purposes, so be aware of forms you might be asked to fill out before using their application. Don't fill out every field if you don't feel comfortable with it. If it's mandatory, consider another application or make up the information - like the street address 123 Sesame Street.

5. Use email messages

Remember, Facebook walls can be viewed by anyone, and on multiple devices (computers, mobile phones, televisions, etc.), so before you post a comment or question to it, ask yourself if it's better as a private email. Similarly, you might upset the person you're writing if your message contains personal information. Be cautious of what information you're revealing about yourself, such as "Hey, here's my new cell phone number!"

My friend Arthur has a whole grove of rhododendrons in his yard.

We have but one plant, but it is full of blossoms

Father's Day Quote:

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

~Clarence Budington Kelland

The grad cavalcade is always a fun part of this weekend. I always like to show off the car.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

3 bedrooms, 2 baths on 3.5 acres of gorgeous view property, just 6 minutes from downtown Nelson. This home also has a separate double garage and a large quonset building, suitable for storage or just about any hobby or pastime you can name. More details on
the web-site: Blewett home & acreage $499,900.

Balance

God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found Him resting on the seventh day.

He inquired, "Where have you been?"

God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."

Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, and I've put life on it... I'm going to call it Earth. It's going to be a place to test Balance."

"Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm still confused."

God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things."

God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"

"That's the Province of Ontario... the most glorious place on earth.. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and beaches. The people from ONTARIO are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of good things."

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance.."

God smiled, "There's Toronto. Wait till you see the hockey team I put there."

Well, here we come to the end of another month's report. Thanks for reading to the end. Also thanks to Realtor Bob, Joan, and Cheryl for articles I have used this month, and to Ed for convincing me to go on that crazy bike ride.

Drew will be working diligently in the next few weeks while Dorothy and I will be taking a couple of weeks off for a very special family event (photos likely next month). It's also our anniversary next week, so I thought I would add in one more photo:

These people look vaguely familiar????

Lorne & Drew

Blossom Time In Nelson

2010-05-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

The lilacs are in bloom this week in Nelson! I know that those of you who are reading this from the coast, or from warmer climates will think this is old news, but the fragrance is just a wonderful thing to experience. Unless, of course, you have allergies that make it difficult to function in the spring season.

Also, below, the first blossoms from the rhododendron in our front yard appeared this week. This is early, as these don't normally appear until June, but then everything has been early this year.

I had an interesting experience earlier this week, which is a sad commentary on our society. I had occasion to be in court, representing a buyer on a property that was being sold under a court order, due to a foreclosure. That was sad enough, as the owner who will be losing the property was present, along with representatives for 2 prospective buyers, the lawyer, court clerk, bailiff and judge. However, before this was dealt with, we heard quite a number of cases involving personal relationships, disputes over property inheritances, unpaid debts and disputes over child support payments. I was quite impressed with the patience displayed by the judge, but very grateful that I don't have to deal with that sort of negative nonsense on a regular basis.

Now for a change of pace:

THE ABILITY TO MAKE AND UNDERSTAND PUNS IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. Here are the ten first place winners in the International Pun Contest:

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron." The other says "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said," I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan" Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

8. A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close.
Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop.
Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

10. And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

A Delightful small acreage with a very comfortable 3 bedroom home with plenty of room for further development in the walk-out lower level. Double garage, hardwood flooring, fireplace, sitting on a fenced property in a private location, just 1/2 hour from Nelson, or a few minutes drive from Castlegar. For further details, please check our web-site at: Pass Creek Home $399,000.

Scared vs. Apprehensive

As a sergeant in a parachute regiment, I took part in several night-time exercises. Once, I was seated next to a lieutenant fresh from jump school.

He was quiet and looked a bit pale, so I struck up a conversation. "Scared, lieutenant?" I asked.

He replied, "No, just a bit apprehensive."

I asked, "What's the difference?"

He replied, "That means I'm scared, but with a university education."

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

MLS® Sales Rebound in the Kootenay’s.
Nelson, BC April 12, 2010 – First quarter MLS® Sales numbers indicate that Kootenay markets are returning to a more balanced state with MLS® Sales increasing well above levels reported during the depressed 2009 markets. While Kootenay Real Estate Markets have improved, they have not returned to peak levels as experienced in the Lower Mainland markets, but are sitting at MLS® Unit Sale levels experienced between the years 2002 to 2003.
Statistically, MLS® Unit Sales through the first quarter of 2010 show an improvement of 71%over amounts reported in 2009. When compared to past real estate statistics of Total MLS® Sales from 1989 to 2010, the 1st Quarter of 2010 ranked the eighth best when comparing number of sales adjusting.
Kootenay Real Estate Board President Jim Barber comments: “2010 has started on a favourable note with Kootenay Real Estate property values holding and MLS® Unit Sales recovering to more normal levels. Buyers have returned to traditional markets and have taken advantage of the low mortgage rates and the increases to affordability from 2009. While the residential markets have generally recovered, the second home and recreational markets continue to lag in performance, impacted in part by the performance of the Alberta economy.”
When asked about other aspects influencing real estate markets in the Kootenay’ President Barber remarked: “Kootenay Real Estate markets have been fuelled by very low interest rates, improved buyer affordability and consumer confidence. However recent changes to mortgage qualification rules, increases in mortgage rates and decreases in affordability, may temper sales moving beyond the second quarter of 2010. As we move through 2010, the recovery may have come quicker than anticipated but we don’t expect our markets to overheat given these mitigating circumstances. We also expect some consumers to wait on the sidelines until the impact of the HST is fully understood.
But generally speaking, even with the limiting influences of mortgage rules, rate increases and the HST, we expect our markets to continue to move to a more normal state.”
MLS® Dollar Volume of all sales processed through the Kootenay Real Estate Board in the first quarter of 2010 reached almost $145 Million Dollars, an increase of 75% from first quarter 2009 levels of over $82 Million Dollars of real estate changing hands.
MLS® Unit Sales to the end of the first quarter of March (first quarter) 2010 rose 71% when compared to total MLS® Unit Sales in 2009 during the same period.
The price of the average Residential Detached house sold on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) to the end of March 2010 increased 7% to $297,031 compared to the amount of $276,824 reported in 2009.

Kootenay Real Estate Board MLS® statistics year to date in 2010 show Residential Detached Housing listings up 23% over 2009. Year to Date MLS® Unit Sales for Detached Single Residential Housing experienced an increase of 59% over amounts reported in 2009.
Overall, the number of Year to Date MLS® Listings in 2010 increased 46% over 2009. Year to Date MLS® Unit Sales increased 71% in 2010 over amounts reported in 2009.

The above information contained herein is the sole property of the Kootenay Real Estate Board. The information has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness, the Kootenay Real Estate Board cannot be held liable for errors and omissions.

In the City of Nelson, homes that have sold are taking an average of 74.8 days to sell this year. Although the sales volume is up from the first part of 2009, the average sale time is also up, from 64.2 days last year.

In the Rural area, sales are up to almost 50% over the first part of 2009, for single family homes and homes on acreages. Last year's total to the end of April was 22 sales with an average marketing time of only 60.7 days. This year we have recorded 31 sales, but the average days on the market has increased to 106.9 days.

Is it just me, or do you find yourself wanting to doze off in the mid-afternoon? In case I'm not alone, here are some responses you may want to try (or maybe not!):

Caught Sleeping

Just in case your boss catches you asleep at your desk, be ready to blurt out one of these excuses.

*********************************

They told me at the blood bank that this might happen.

This is just a 15 minute power nap like they raved about in that time management course you
sent me to.

I was working smarter - not harder.

Whew! I must have left the top off the whiteout.

I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm!

This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people!

I was testing the keyboard for drool resistance.

I'm in the management training program.

I'm actually doing a Stress Level Elimination Exercise Plan (SLEEP). I learned at the last
mandatory seminar you made me attend.

This is in exchange for the six hours last night when I dreamed about work!

Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.

The coffee machine is broken....

Someone must have put decaf in the wrong pot.

Boy, that cold medicine I took last night just won't wear off.

Ah, the unique and unpredictable circadian rhythms of the workaholic!

I wasn't sleeping. I was trying to pick up my contact lens without my hands.

The mail courier flipped out and pulled a gun so I was playing dead to avoid getting shot.

Gosh, I thought you (the boss) were gone for the day.

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

Locally, it has now been reported that the fund raising for the purchase of a CT Scanner for Kootenay Lake hospital has now passed the $1 Million mark. The purchase price of this piece of equipment is $1.5 Million, so we're past the 2/3 mark, thanks to the efforts of so many people in the area. There is lots of momentum for this project and efforts are ongoing, including the construction and sale of a new home being built on McQuarrie Avenue and the raffle of a restored 1955 Corvette (tickets are $50 each, and going quickly!) Once again, this makes me proud to be living in this excellent community that can get behind these projects and ensure their success.

Finally, I know this is a little bit late for Mother's Day, but thought it was worth sharing. Please hold tongue firmly in cheek as you read:

THE

NEXT SURVIVOR

SERIES

Six married men

will be dropped on an island

with one car

and 3 kids each

for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports

and take either music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must

take care of his 3 kids;

keep his assigned house clean,

correct all homework,

complete science projects,

cook,

do laundry,

and pay a list of 'pretend' bills

with not enough money.

In addition,

each man

will have to budget enough money

for groceries each week.

Each man

must remember the birthdays

of all their friends and relatives,

and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child

to a doctor's appointment,

a dentist appointment

and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and

inconvenient visit per child to the Emergency Room.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes

for a school function.

Each man will be responsible for

decorating his own assigned house,

planting flowers outside, and keeping it

presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television

when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs,

wear makeup daily,

adorn themselves with jewelry,

wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,

keep fingernails polished,

and eyebrows groomed

During one of the six weeks,

the men will have to endure severe

abdominal cramps, backaches, headaches,

have extreme, unexplained mood swings

but never once complain or slow down

from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings

and church,

and find time at least once to spend

the afternoon at the park or a similar

setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night

and in the morning,

feed them,

dress them,

brush their teeth and

comb their hair

by 7:30 am.

A test will be given

at the end of the six weeks,

and each father will be required to know

all of the following information:

each child's

birthday,

height, weight,

shoe size, clothes size,

doctor's name,

the child's weight at birth,

length, time of birth,

and length of labor,

each child's favorite color,

middle name,

favorite snack,

favorite song,

favorite drink,

favorite toy,

biggest fear,

and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance.

The last man wins only if...

he still

has enough energy

to be intimate with his spouse

at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win,

he can play the game over and over and over

again for the next 18-25 years,

eventually earning the right

to be called Mother!

After you get done laughing,

send this to as many females as

you think will get a kick out of it and

as many men as you think can handle it.

Just don't send it back to me....

I'm going to bed.

Thanks for reading! If you have a question or comment, we'd love to hear from you.

Lorne & Drew

Spring is here - The Grass is Growing - It's Bicycle Time, so Let's get going!

2010-04-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start this month with a warning about an e-mail scam that I received last week. It was a message from a friend saying that he was stuck in London and had no money, and could I please wire him some funds. Now, on the surface that sounded reasonable, because there were a lot of people stranded in London last week. However, I was pretty sure my friend wasn't overseas, as I had seen him downtown just a week or two before this. So, I phoned him to find out. Of course he wasn't home, so I didn't get an immediate confirmation of my suspicions. I did leave him a message and he called me the next day. Somehow his computer had been "hacked" and all his contacts were sent this message. He was not aware of the message when he called me, but said that his e-mail had frozen up and he had had to apply for a new e-mail address, as he could not access his old one. I also learned that these fraud schemes always ask you to wire the funds. If you do this, THERE IS NO WAY TO GET THEM BACK AND NO RECOURSE ONCE THE FUNDS ARE SENT. Always keep your virus scan program up to date and guard against your computer being attacked.

About Golf

In My Hand I Hold A Ball,
White And Dimpled, And Rather Small.
Oh How Bland It Does Appear,
This Harmless Looking Little Sphere.
By Its Size I Could Not Guess,
Or The Awesome Strength It Does Possess.
But Since I Fell Beneath Its Spell,
I've Wandered Through The Fires Of Hell.
My Life Has Not Been Quite The Same,
Since I Chose To Play This Stupid Game.
It Rules My Mind For Hours On End,
A Fortune It Has Made Me Spend.
It Has Made Me Curse And Made Me Cry,
And Hate Myself And Want To Die.
It Promises Me A Thing Called Par,
If I Hit It Straight And Far.
To Master Such A Tiny Ball,
Should Not Be Very Hard At All.
But My Desires The Ball Refuses,
And Does Exactly As It Chooses.
It Hooks And Slices, Dribbles And Dies,
And Disappears Before My Eyes.
Often It Will Have A Whim,
To Hit A Tree Or Take A Swim.
With Miles Of Grass On Which To Land,
It Finds A Tiny Patch Of Sand.
Then Has Me Offering Up My Soul,
If Only It Would Find The Hole.
It's Made Me Whimper Like A Pup,
And Swear That I Will Give It Up.
And Take To Drink To Ease My Sorrow,
But The Ball Knows ... I'll Be Back Tomorrow.

Stand proud you noble swingers of clubs and losers of balls....
A recent study found the average golfer walks about 900 miles a year.
Another study found golfers drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year.
That means, on average, golfers get about 41 miles to the gallon.
Kind of makes you proud. Almost feel like a hybrid.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

Fabulous 100 year old historic home in Crawford Bay. Presently operating as Wedgwood Manor Country Inn with 6 guest suites plus owner's quarters. View additional photos and gain further information on our web-site at: Wedgwood Info $899,000.

We spent Easter Weekend with our family in Kelowna. It was a good opportunity to update our family photo, so here we all are. The kids (old ones and young) had a great time hunting for Easter eggs and Dorothy liked the fact that she didn't have to cook or clean up!

Where did April go? This newsletter, up to this point was written a couple of weeks ago, but because it wasn't finished, I didn't publish it. Now I look back and wonder how it is possible that I got caught up so much that I wasn't able to get back to it. Anyway, to continue . . . .

There was an interesting article out of the RE/MAX newsroom last week. I pass it along for you to consider, and, if you'd like to comment, we'd love to hear from you: http://remax-western.ca/news/remax-recognized-most-trusted-real-estate-brand-canada

On the last weekend of April I participated in my first organized ride of the season, along with a friend from Nelson and about 750 others. We completed a 50 mile (80 km) ride in the Spokane area. Quite honestly, we felt fabulous at the end and could have done more! (Really) Not too warm, but no rain, and virtually no wind made for a great day of riding.

P.S. Nobody took this sign too seriously!

RE/MAX was established in 1973 by two 20-something real estate agents from Denver, Colorado, who decided to develop a new real estate concept. They created RE/MAX – an acronym for “real estate maximums”. The company’s system encourages quality real estate salespeople to realize and develop their outstanding business potential.

On its 5th birthday, RE/MAX boasted 1,000 sales associates and launched its first widely recognized trademark – the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon. And still to this day the Hot Air Balloon trademark is well known all over the world.

In 1979, two Canadians – Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider – launched RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada.

Today, the RE/MAX franchise network is the most recognized global real estate system operating in more than 60 countries. RE/MAX sales associates lead the industry in professional designations, experience and production while providing real estate services in residential, commercial, referral, relocation and asset management.

The RE/MAX website – www.remax.ca – offers helpful information through both a Buyer’s and a Seller’s Guide.

This communication is not intended to cause or induce breach of an existing agency agreement.

Here is an update from Beverly Hill who is a few days into her deployment to Haiti. Please take a moment today and read her story describing the resilience of the Haitian people and their will to carry on after such a devastating disaster. Beverly is working with the Shelter Box organization, which I am pleased to support.

"Since my arrival to Haiti, I've discovered many things. First, the people here are incredibly resilient. While their physical environment is still very much crumbled around them, there is a sense of "life goes on" here. Without a doubt, there is no real "normal" however, I've witnessed several events that demonstrate the will of the locals here to maintain as much normalcy as they can, even though so much has been lost and "home" for them has taken on a whole new meaning. Yesterday, on our way to visit a community just outside of Port au Prince, a young bride and her bridesmaids emerged off of a city bus onto a pile of rubble, and continued on to the church where her groom awaited. At a local market one evening, people swarmed the local vendors to stock up on the food items and things that would sustain them for the next few days. And, there are the babies that continue to be born, some premature and others to a situation of abandonment, but nonetheless are being well cared for at the present. One of the things I've enjoyed the most, aside from working with local communities to continue to provide them shelter three and one-half months post earthquake, is feeding the newborns at the Medi Share Medical Center at night, which is the compound from where all of the SRTs have been living and working since the day following the earthquake. Medical teams arrive and leave on a weekly basis and we've come to know many of them and appreciate their work, and they appreciate ours.

Quiz for people who know EVERYTHING

There are only nine questions.

This is a quiz for people who know everything!

I found out in a hurry that I didn't.
These are not trick questions..
They are straight questions with straight answers.

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4.. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters ' dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar.
Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'

Answers To Quiz:

1... The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends: Boxing.

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward: Niagara Falls .
(The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.)

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside: Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle.
The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.

6. Three English words beginning with dw: Dwarf, dwell and dwindle...

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar: Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe,question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellip ses.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S': Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts..

PLEASE do your part by remembering to send this e-mail to at least one person.

Just don't send it back to me. I've already flunked it once!

Well, I think that does it for now. Thanks for reading, and your comments or feedback are always welcome. Hopefully, I'll get back on schedule, and have another edition out before the end of this month!

Lorne & Drew

Early Spring = Early Sales

2010-03-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine upon your window pane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near to you and
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you

Well, it surely is a fine spring day here in Nelson, with the sun a'shinin' on my shoulder and I'm certain there's a pot o' gold just around the corner. O.K., so that's a bit of blarney (the gold, not the weather), but I'm told that's all right on St. Paddy's Day.

By the way, did you know that St. Patrick wasn't born in Ireland, but in Wales? Sure'n that's the truth.

To prove my point about spring, this crocus is in bloom in my front yard today.

The spring supply of listings is coming on stream now. Buyers are looking, and we are optimistic that sales will follow, but it's still just a little bit early. I've heard people talking about the "March blizzard" that is yet to come, but I don't see any signs of it! This week, being spring break in most of the school districts, there are families in town and they are seeking to move here. As I've been saying for a few months now, this is an excellent time to buy. Interest rates remain at historic low levels (for how much longer we don't know), new mortgage regulations don't take effect until a month from now (April 19th), and we are anticipating an increase in prices of properties (as has happened in the major centres across Canada).

So, if you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell property, please contact us. As well, if you are looking in some other area of this province or across Canada, please remember that I have a network of professional sales associates, and would be pleased to recommend one in your area.

In fact, some of those professional sales associates receive this newsletter, and also send me their own news updates, and we have been known to "borrow" from each other. Here's an example of that, with thanks to Bob in Langley who sent this out yesterday:

Ten Things I Have Learned
Part of AIGA Talk in London
November 22, 2001

(Lorne's Comment - this is a fairly lengthy article, and it is from a different perspective, but I thought it was worth sharing)

1 YOU CAN ONLY WORK FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU LIKE.
This is a curious rule and it took me a long time to learn because in fact at the beginning of my practice I felt the opposite. Professionalism required that you didn’t particularly like the people that you worked for or at least maintained an arms length relationship to them, which meant that I never had lunch with a client or saw them socially. Then some years ago I realised that the opposite was true. I discovered that all the work I had done that was meaningful and significant came out of an affectionate relationship with a client. And I am not talking about professionalism; I am talking about affection. I am talking about a client and you sharing some common ground. That in fact your view of life is someway congruent with the client, otherwise it is a bitter and hopeless struggle.

2 IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE NEVER HAVE A JOB.
One night I was sitting in my car outside Columbia University where my wife Shirley was studying Anthropology. While I was waiting I was listening to the radio and heard an interviewer ask ‘Now that you have reached 75 have you any advice for our audience about how to prepare for your old age?’ An irritated voice said ‘Why is everyone asking me about old age these days?’ I recognised the voice as John Cage. I am sure that many of you know who he was – the composer and philosopher who influenced people like Jasper Johns and Merce Cunningham as well as the music world in general. I knew him slightly and admired his contribution to our times. ‘You know, I do know how to prepare for old age’ he said. ‘Never have a job, because if you have a job someday someone will take it away from you and then you will be unprepared for your old age. For me, it has always been the same every since the age of 12. I wake up in the morning and I try to figure out how am I going to put bread on the table today? It is the same at 75, I wake up every morning and I think how am I going to put bread on the table today? I am exceedingly well prepared for my old age’ he said.

3 SOME PEOPLE ARE TOXIC AVOID THEM.
This is a subtext of number one. There was in the sixties a man named Fritz Perls who was a gestalt therapist. Gestalt therapy derives from art history, it proposes you must understand the ‘whole’ before you can understand the details. What you have to look at is the entire culture, the entire family and community and so on. Perls proposed that in all relationships people could be either toxic or nourishing towards one another. It is not necessarily true that the same person will be toxic or nourishing in every relationship, but the combination of any two people in a relationship produces toxic or nourishing consequences. And the important thing that I can tell you is that there is a test to determine whether someone is toxic or nourishing in your relationship with them. Here is the test: You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished. The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life.

4 PROFESSIONALISM IS NOT ENOUGH or THE GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF THE GREAT.
Early in my career I wanted to be professional, that was my complete aspiration in my early life because professionals seemed to know everything - not to mention they got paid for it. Later I discovered after working for a while that professionalism itself was a limitation. After all, what professionalism means in most cases is diminishing risks. So if you want to get your car fixed you go to a mechanic who knows how to deal with transmission problems in the same way each time. I suppose if you needed brain surgery you wouldn’t want the doctor to fool around and invent a new way of connecting your nerve endings. Please do it in the way that has worked in the past.
Unfortunately in our field, in the so-called creative – I hate that word because it is misused so often. I also hate the fact that it is used as a noun. Can you imagine calling someone a creative? Anyhow, when you are doing something in a recurring way to diminish risk or doing it in the same way as you have done it before, it is clear why professionalism is not enough. After all, what is required in our field, more than anything else, is the continuous transgression. Professionalism does not allow for that because transgression has to encompass the possibility of failure and if you are professional your instinct is not to fail, it is to repeat success. So professionalism as a lifetime aspiration is a limited goal.

5 LESS IS NOT NECESSARILY MORE.
Being a child of modernism I have heard this mantra all my life. Less is more. One morning upon awakening I realised that it was total nonsense, it is an absurd proposition and also fairly meaningless. But it sounds great because it contains within it a paradox that is resistant to understanding. But it simply does not obtain when you think about the visual of the history of the world. If you look at a Persian rug, you cannot say that less is more because you realise that every part of that rug, every change of colour, every shift in form is absolutely essential for its aesthetic success. You cannot prove to me that a solid blue rug is in any way superior. That also goes for the work of Gaudi, Persian miniatures, art nouveau and everything else. However, I have an alternative to the proposition that I believe is more appropriate. ‘Just enough is more.’

6 STYLE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED.
I think this idea first occurred to me when I was looking at a marvellous etching of a bull by Picasso. It was an illustration for a story by Balzac called The Hidden Masterpiece. I am sure that you all know it. It is a bull that is expressed in 12 different styles going from very naturalistic version of a bull to an absolutely reductive single line abstraction and everything else along the way. What is clear just from looking at this single print is that style is irrelevant. In every one of these cases, from extreme abstraction to acute naturalism they are extraordinary regardless of the style. It’s absurd to be loyal to a style. It does not deserve your loyalty. I must say that for old design professionals it is a problem because the field is driven by economic consideration more than anything else. Style change is usually linked to economic factors, as all of you know who have read Marx. Also fatigue occurs when people see too much of the same thing too often. So every ten years or so there is a stylistic shift and things are made to look different. Typefaces go in and out of style and the visual system shifts a little bit. If you are around for a long time as a designer, you have an essential problem of what to do. I mean, after all, you have developed a vocabulary, a form that is your own. It is one of the ways that you distinguish yourself from your peers, and establish your identity in the field. How you maintain your own belief system and preferences becomes a real balancing act. The question of whether you pursue change or whether you maintain your own distinct form becomes difficult. We have all seen the work of illustrious practitioners that suddenly look old-fashioned or, more precisely, belonging to another moment in time. And there are sad stories such as the one about Cassandre, arguably the greatest graphic designer of the twentieth century, who couldn’t make a living at the end of his life and committed suicide.
But the point is that anybody who is in this for the long haul has to decide how to respond to change in the zeitgeist. What is it that people now expect that they formerly didn’t want? And how to respond to that desire in a way that doesn’t change your sense of integrity and purpose.

7 HOW YOU LIVE CHANGES YOUR BRAIN.
The brain is the most responsive organ of the body. Actually it is the organ that is most susceptible to change and regeneration of all the organs in the body. I have a friend named Gerald Edelman who was a great scholar of brain studies and he says that the analogy of the brain to a computer is pathetic. The brain is actually more like an overgrown garden that is constantly growing and throwing off seeds, regenerating and so on. And he believes that the brain is susceptible, in a way that we are not fully conscious of, to almost every experience of our life and every encounter we have. I was fascinated by a story in a newspaper a few years ago about the search for perfect pitch. A group of scientists decided that they were going to find out why certain people have perfect pitch. You know certain people hear a note precisely and are able to replicate it at exactly the right pitch. Some people have relevant pitch; perfect pitch is rare even among musicians. The scientists discovered – I don’t know how - that among people with perfect pitch the brain was different. Certain lobes of the brain had undergone some change or deformation that was always present with those who had perfect pitch. This was interesting enough in itself. But then they discovered something even more fascinating. If you took a bunch of kids and taught them to play the violin at the age of 4 or 5 after a couple of years some of them developed perfect pitch, and in all of those cases their brain structure had changed. Well what could that mean for the rest of us? We tend to believe that the mind affects the body and the body affects the mind, although we do not generally believe that everything we do affects the brain. I am convinced that if someone was to yell at me from across the street my brain could be affected and my life might changed. That is why your mother always said, ‘Don’t hang out with those bad kids.’ Mama was right. Thought changes our life and our behaviour. I also believe that drawing works in the same way. I am a great advocate of drawing, not in order to become an illustrator, but because I believe drawing changes the brain in the same way as the search to create the right note changes the brain of a violinist. Drawing also makes you attentive. It makes you pay attention to what you are looking at, which is not so easy.

8 DOUBT IS BETTER THAN CERTAINTY.
Everyone always talks about confidence in believing what you do. I remember once going to a class in yoga where the teacher said that, spirituality speaking, if you believed that you had achieved enlightenment you have merely arrived at your limitation. I think that is also true in a practical sense. Deeply held beliefs of any kind prevent you from being open to experience, which is why I find all firmly held ideological positions questionable. It makes me nervous when someone believes too deeply or too much. I think that being sceptical and questioning all deeply held beliefs is essential. Of course we must know the difference between scepticism and cynicism because cynicism is as much a restriction of one’s openness to the world as passionate belief is. They are sort of twins. And then in a very real way, solving any problem is more important than being right. There is a significant sense of self-righteousness in both the art and design world. Perhaps it begins at school. Art school often begins with the Ayn Rand model of the single personality resisting the ideas of the surrounding culture. The theory of the avant garde is that as an individual you can transform the world, which is true up to a point. One of the signs of a damaged ego is absolute certainty.
Schools encourage the idea of not compromising and defending your work at all costs. Well, the issue at work is usually all about the nature of compromise. You just have to know what to compromise. Blind pursuit of your own ends which excludes the possibility that others may be right does not allow for the fact that in design we are always dealing with a triad – the client, the audience and you.
Ideally, making everyone win through acts of accommodation is desirable. But self-righteousness is often the enemy. Self-righteousness and narcissism generally come out of some sort of childhood trauma, which we do not have to go into. It is a consistently difficult thing in human affairs. Some years ago I read a most remarkable thing about love, that also applies to the nature of co-existing with others. It was a quotation from Iris Murdoch in her obituary. It read ‘ Love is the extremely difficult realisation that something other than oneself is real.’ Isn’t that fantastic! The best insight on the subject of love that one can imagine.

9 ON AGING.
Last year someone gave me a charming book by Roger Rosenblatt called ‘Ageing Gracefully’ I got it on my birthday. I did not appreciate the title at the time but it contains a series of rules for ageing gracefully. The first rule is the best. Rule number one is that ‘it doesn’t matter.’ ‘It doesn’t matter that what you think. Follow this rule and it will add decades to your life. It does not matter if you are late or early, if you are here or there, if you said it or didn’t say it, if you are clever or if you were stupid. If you were having a bad hair day or a no hair day or if your boss looks at you cockeyed or your boyfriend or girlfriend looks at you cockeyed, if you are cockeyed. If you don’t get that promotion or prize or house or if you do – it doesn’t matter.’ Wisdom at last. Then I heard a marvellous joke that seemed related to rule number 10. A butcher was opening his market one morning and as he did a rabbit popped his head through the door. The butcher was surprised when the rabbit inquired ‘Got any cabbage?’ The butcher said ‘This is a meat market – we sell meat, not vegetables.’ The rabbit hopped off. The next day the butcher is opening the shop and sure enough the rabbit pops his head round and says ‘You got any cabbage?’ The butcher now irritated says ‘Listen you little rodent I told you yesterday we sell meat, we do not sell vegetables and the next time you come here I am going to grab you by the throat and nail those floppy ears to the floor.’ The rabbit disappeared hastily and nothing happened for a week. Then one morning the rabbit popped his head around the corner and said ‘Got any nails?’ The butcher said ‘No.’ The rabbit said ‘Ok. Got any cabbage?’

10 TELL THE TRUTH.
The rabbit joke is relevant because it occurred to me that looking for a cabbage in a butcher’s shop might be like looking for ethics in the design field. It may not be the most obvious place to find either. It’s interesting to observe that in the new AIGA’s code of ethics there is a significant amount of useful information about appropriate behaviour towards clients and other designers, but not a word about a designer’s relationship to the public. We expect a butcher to sell us eatable meat and that he doesn’t misrepresent his wares. I remember reading that during the Stalin years in Russia that everything labelled veal was actually chicken. I can’t imagine what everything labelled chicken was. We can accept certain kinds of misrepresentation, such as fudging about the amount of fat in his hamburger but once a butcher knowingly sells us spoiled meat we go elsewhere. As a designer, do we have less responsibility to our public than a butcher? Everyone interested in licensing our field might note that the reason licensing has been invented is to protect the public not designers or clients. ‘Do no harm’ is an admonition to doctors concerning their relationship to their patients, not to their fellow practitioners or the drug companies. If we were licensed, telling the truth might become more central to what we do.

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Never Be Late

A local priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish.

A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner.

However, he was delayed so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited:

"I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had also stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had an affair with his best friend's wife, and taken illicit drugs. I was appalled.

"But as the days went on I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people."

Just as the priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies for being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and said: "I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived. In fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession."

Moral: Never, never, NEVER-EVER be late.

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

Well, after I was so late getting my newsletter update done last month, I thought I'd try very hard to get it out on time this month.

Lorne & Drew

The Winter That Wasn't

2010-02-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Although it seems like a very long time ago now, the Olympic Torch Relay passed through Nelson on January 23rd. Here runner Bill McDonnell runs the "gauntlet" down Josephine Street to light the cauldron during the Nelson celebrations. Although I will be quick to admit that I have reservations about the priority of spending decisions regarding Olympic events, I thought this was a great event and the community certainly turned out in support.

A week later Dorothy and I were enjoying a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was our first trip to Mexico and our first time at an all-inclusive resort. We had a couple of days of less than perfect weather, including an out-of-season tropical storm that did a lot of damage, but we also had some great weather, got a bit of a tan, swam in the ocean and relaxed a lot. Oh, and we ate well, too!

After that it was back to Vancouver where we were able to take part in a little bit of Olympic fever. We attended 3 events, including the Pairs figure skating short program (above), short track speed skating and a women's hockey game (Canada vs. Switzerland). Since coming home we have become "Olympic Junkies" as we watch too much television, but we are enjoying a great series of games.

I must also comment on how impressed we were with the transportation in Vancouver. We didn't wait more than 5 minutes for a bus to load us up and take us to Sky-Train, where there were no real waits, either. We also felt that the city was much friendlier than we sometimes experience.

We waited in line to hold the Olympic medals (notice the white gloves) at the Canadian mint display. It seemed that they were completely overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to touch these beautiful medals.

There were line-ups at all the pavilions, but Dorothy and I both liked the Northern House the best (though we didn't see them all).

For a great write-up on a day at the Olympics in Vancouver, I invite you to check out my cousin's blog. She does an amazing job with this, and her photos are incredibly good! Judy's front porch

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This 1/2 duplex (the right half) has 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths and is less than 20 years old. Located in the Rosemont area of Nelson, it is in great shape and also has a garage. Priced at $245,000, you can check out more details at Rosemont Duplex.

Bible Study Humor
LOT 'S WIFE
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot 's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, 'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'

GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?' A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ? ''No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'

HIGHER POWER
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, 'We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a Higher Power. Can anybody tell me what it is? One child blurted out, ' Aces!'

MOSES AND THE RED SEA
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. 'Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt . When he got to the Red Sea , he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.'

'Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?' his Mother asked..

'Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!'

THIS IS MY FAVORITE!!!
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said pr oudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'

UNANSWERED PRAYER
The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.
'Well, Honey,' he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. 'I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.'
'How come He doesn't answer it?' she asked.

New CPR Method...A MUST SEE ,
Some know about this but worth a repeat !!!

A MUST SEE, NEW CPR METHOD

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ANYONE CAN DO AFTER SEEING THIS ONCE!

View the youtube video, then pass it on. You may be saving someone's life!

Continuous Chest Compression - Video by Mayo Clinic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5huVSebZpM

The caption at the top of this blog says "The Winter That Wasn't". That's what I have been calling this season. There's plenty of snow up at Whitewater, but none on the ground in the downtown area. Flowers are already sprouting through the ground and I couldn't believe the number of cyclists out on the North Shore earlier this week. Although I may be over-anxious about this, I think the golf courses could be opening soon!

It continues to be a very good time to consider buying real estate. The market is still rather quiet, but we expect that will change. Many of the larger cities in Canada are already experiencing an active spring. Interest rates are still incredibly low and are expected to rise by mid-year. Also, the impact of the H.S.T., which comes into effect on July 1st, 2010, will impact the costs associated with buying a home.

Recently, the Federal Finance Minister announced changes to mortgage financing rules for Canadians to take effect on April 19^th. We’ve been hearing quite a bit of misunderstanding about what changes are coming and wanted to set the record straight for anyone who may be thinking about buying a home or investment property or re-financing a mortgage in the near future.

Here are the 3 changes that will take effect on April 19, 2010:

1. New qualifying standards will mean borrowers must be able to handle a five-year, fixed-rate mortgage, even though they may opt for a shorter term and lower rate. As it now stands at the major banks, borrowers are income-tested for a three-year fixed rate. Based on a 5% down payment and a home price of $337,000, a buyer would need about $9,200 more in annual income to qualify under the changes. At $200,000 and 5% down, that would fall to $5,500.

2. A minimum down payment of 20% will be required for government-backed insurance (CMHC) on properties not lived in by their owners; up from 5%. It will most likely impact individuals buying real estate for investment purposes, including those looking to purchase rental properties.

3. Refinancing homes will now be limited to 90% of the value of a property, down from 95%. That means property owners won't be able to draw equity back down to the 5% down payment level, rather the limit will be back down to 10%.

Measures considered but rejected included an increase to the minimum down payment on homes from 5%, and shortening the maximum time over which borrowers can spread out their payments from the current 35 years.

We hope this clears up any confusion on the up-coming changes. If you have any real estate related questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thanks to Bud & Dave (the one in Ft. St. John) for contributing to this month's newsletter. We always appreciate your feedback.

This month's blog may seem a little shorter than usual. That's because since returning from my vacation I've been running full out. Besides, it's the end of the month, end of the week (Saturday) and after 5 p.m. as I finish this, so I'll bid adieu!

Thanks for reading.

Lorne & Drew

P.S. Go Canada Go!

2010-01-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Further Update - The team arrived this evening (Tuesday) by bus, after flying into Calgary earlier today. Thanks to WestJet for bringing them from Calgary. Private reunion at Mt. Sentinel School this evening. They have now returned to their own homes (11 p.m). There will be a "welcome home" at Kootenay Christian Fellowship hall (812 Stanley St., Nelson) tomorrow (Wednesday) from 7 - 9 p.m. Focus now turns to the crisis in Haiti. Please continue to pray for this situation and help where you can. There are countless worthwhile organizations, but I am going to recommend 2 for your consideration:

Haiti Arise Ministries - this is the school where the students set out to make a difference. It has received major damage and they need help to continue their work.

ShelterBox Canada - Providing temporary shelters to people in disaster situations. They have thousands of units going to Haiti right now, and will need many more.

Thanks. Together we make a difference!

Lorne

Haiti Update - Since last week's post the young people from Mt. Sentinel Secondary School have been "rescued" from the Haiti Arise Mission school and transported to the Canadian Embassy. Early yesterday (Monday) morning they flew from Port-au-Prince to Montreal. They are now flying to Calgary and will then be transported back to South Slocan where their school is located and where their parents will meet them later today. I am most grateful for the efforts of Pat Dooley and Andy Leathwood from School District 8, as well as the Rotary Clubs in the area, the parents & families of the students and the team (school teachers, chaperones and Kootenay Christian Fellowship volunteers) who went to Haiti to do humanitarian work and then got caught in this catastrophy. I must also mention that the media played a large part in this rescue. This is a story that caught people's attention and all of these efforts have brought about a story that is just a few hours away from a very happy ending.

New Year, New Beginnings, New Ideas

2010-01-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions when the year started? I said I was going to read more. Sometimes these can be important milestones, turning points in one's life -- at other times they are frivolous things that really don't mean anything. I have never taken New Year's Resolutions too seriously, but this year I seem to have been thinking more about them.

The news right now is filled with images of the devastation and destruction in Haiti. In Nelson this whole episode is very close to home as there is a group of high school students, along with a church volunteer group who arrived in Haiti a couple of hours before the quake struck. They are presently staying at a mission school which is located about 80 kilometres away from the centre of Port au Prince. This was their destination, but moving around is a real problem as the roads are badly damaged and there is concern for their safety once they are outside of the mission grounds. Recent reports say that they are waiting to be taken by helicopter to the airport and then flown home, however the time line is unclear. You can imagine that the parents of these students, family members and church people are more than a little concerned! I will update this blog when updated information is received on this group. In the meantime, your prayers are coveted. The federal and provincial government representatives have been working overtime to find a resolution.

You know, it's strange how we get our news these days. Years ago, you would need to wait until the newspaper came out. Then came radio, followed by television newscasts, with special reports when something happened. After that, if I wanted to know something, or find out the hockey score, I could check it out on the Internet. With this earthquake, I am getting most of my news through FaceBook much more quickly than other media. By the way, the FaceBook link to the Haiti information regarding the Kootenay connection is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=273852281773&ref=nf

A few weeks back we had a cold snap. It wasn't cold by prairie standards, but it was pretty chilly for a few days. The rocks near the water's edge were well covered with ice and the mist rising from the lake gave a very cool impression.

The weather has moderated since then, and it has been raining here for the past week. Although it is not melting on the area ski hills, the snow in town is disappearing very quickly.

In early March, I have been asked to participate in another Home Buyer's Seminar, which is hosted by Nelson & District Credit Union. Details are below:

Thinking About Buying Your First Home?

Join us in this upcoming seminar and learn

- How to budget & safe for your down payment

- Differences, pros & cons saving though your RRSPs, TFSA and open accounts

- How the Home Buyers Plan works and if it makes sense to use

- 100milemortgage

- What is required from a lender to secure a mortgage

- How to customize a mortgage to your needs

- CMHC rules

- How to reduce unnecessary fees

- Sample of affordable current listings

- What to look for and look out for in a home

- Tips for putting offers

- How realtors get paid

This seminar is ideal for anyone looking to buy their first home within the next year.

Speakers:

Bradley Roulston, Certified Financial Planner

Lorne Westnedge, Registered Relocation Specialist

Tuesday, March 2nd,5:30-7pm

Nelson & District Credit Union boardroom

RSVP at thehike@nelsoncu.com

Seating is limited

Let me remind you that if you are thinking about a new home, this is an excellent time to get into the market. Interest rates are still at record low rates and prices have taken a "pause" over the past year and a half. Many other areas of the province are already showing price increases and we are anticipating that this area will "catch-up" to that trend, probably this spring.

Here is a news release from the B.C. Real Estate Association:
December Home Sales Second Highest on Record

2009 – In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion

Vancouver, BC – January 12, 2010. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales in the province climbed 132 per cent to 5,703 units in December compared to the same month last year. More homes were sold last month than in any December on record except 1989 when 6,014 units were sold.

“2009 came in like a lamb and went out like a lion,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “The year began with home sales trending at a 25-year low and ended at a 20-year high. Low mortgage interest rates, pent-up demand and improving economic conditions were key drivers of consumer demand.”

A total of 85,028 residential units were sold through the MLS® in 2009, up 23 per cent from 68,923 units in 2008. The residential sales dollar volume increased 26 per cent to $39.6 billion last year, while the average MLS® residential price increased 2 per cent to $465,725.

“Considerable momentum in the housing market is expected to carry through the first quarter of 2010, before home sales begin to moderate as a result of eroding affordability and less pent-up demand,” added Muir.

You can see from this graph that the Kootenay region is not seeing an increase in sales volume yet.

I'll get some more stats for the Nelson market area a little later in this month's newsletter.

But, I'm sure you'll agree that it's time for some humour:

Larry's Proverbs

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture most people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19.. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'

22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos.. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Do you ever wonder about the nutritional value of meals you eat at restaurants? The Vancouver Sun did an article a short while ago and reported on most of the franchise eateries in the Province of B.C. Some of this information is quite frightening, but I think it is worth a read: Rate Your Plate

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

This offering is a High Street Place condominium unit with 2 bedrooms + a den, 2 baths, gas fireplace, outstanding view. High Street Place is located near downtown Nelson, convenient walking distance to downtown and mall shopping. Check out further details on the web-site: Featured Property $335,000

"When you have a purpose in life, a vision for what you want to achieve, and know why you want to achieve it, work becomes fun, and the time you spend working seems to just whizz by."

Clayton J. Moore (who played The Lone Ranger on television)

The Chief's Wife

"NEXT," the conference emcee announced, "we have the chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, Roger Ledding, who is here with his lovely wife, Beverly."

The chief took his place at the lectern. "I'm a little nervous," he began, "getting up before this distinguished audience and speaking today. But not nearly as nervous as I will be tonight when I must go home with my wife, Audrey, and explain Beverly to her!"

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh
Now for a little more statistical info regarding our market in the past year:
Nelson # of sales in 2009 Average $ in 2009 # sales - 2008 Average $ - 2008
Land 8 $134,225 17 $217,246
Condos &
Townhouses 11 $275,491 16 $312,612
Single Family
Homes 101 $340,117 87 $359,711
Rural Nelson # sales - 2009 Average $ - 2009 # sales - 2008 Average $ - 2008
Land 30 $190,212 25 $143,591 *
There are not enough Condos and Townhouses sold in the Rural Area to consider
Single Family
Homes 105 $352,037 112 $400,661
* Obviously, the vacant land sales in Rural Nelson goes against the trend. I checked the statistics and found that in 2008 the most expensive property (land only) that sold was for $279,900. In 2009 there were 9 sales above that amount, several were waterfront properties, including the most expensive lot at Kootenay Lake Village (beyond Procter) which sold for $795,000. As confusing as this may seem, it is likely that many of these properties had been offered previously at even higher prices and did not sell. It is good to see some buyer activity in our waterfront listings.

Grandparents

1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably neverput lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye...

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate outside on a pond I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

6.. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these, yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."
9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised, "mine says I'm 4 to 6."

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said, "how do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they blame their dog.

. . . . . and another month goes by. Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcome, and if you would prefer not to receive this link, just send me a quick note and I will delete your address.

Next month the Olympics come to Vancouver. I know that this is not everyone's favourite topic, but it is a once in a lifetime event for this area, so I hope to have a bit of information from there.

Thanks to Joey, Bud & Dave (the one in England) for contributing items I have used this month.

Lorne & Drew

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2009-12-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

Please accept our best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

There will be plenty of seasonal stuff in this month's letter, but I thought I would make sure the serious material didn't get overlooked!

There is an interesting read at the following link: RE/MAX 2010 Housing Outlook
It is quite lengthy, although British Columbia is right at the front of the article, so you can get quite a good look in the first few pages. One of the things that has caused the market in Canada to fluctuate so much is the supply of new, unsold housing units, whether they are single family or multi-family (condo) dwellings. In a small community like Nelson, we are not affected too much by this type of thing because there is not a large supply of housing built before it is sold. Therefore, we did not see a huge price drop as developers attempted to sell off their inventory, nor have we seen any big increases in prices, since they didn't drop that far in the first place. What we have found in Nelson (and surrounding areas) is that there have been fewer sales than in previous years, and this is primarily the result of fewer out of town buyers coming here. With the rebound in the larger centres, this will likely change in the spring. The "experts" predict that our country will experience a seller's market in the first half of 2010 and that this will gradually turn back to a buyer's market in the latter half of next year, due to anticipated interest rate increases and an increase in available inventory of housing.

Now for some fun: Here is a link to a popular Christmas song, but it is done in a way you have not heard before. The group singing is "Straight, No Chaser" and they are a male acapella chorus. Give a listen. Apparently, this was recorded back in the early 1990's.

I also want to mention that right here in Nelson we have some fabulous talent. This past weekend I attended a performance of Handel's Messiah at the Capitol Theatre, performed by the Nelson Choral Society. Now my wife, Dorothy, sings in this group, so I know that I am biased. However, as I was leaving the theatre (following a standing ovation) I spoke to some clients who recently moved here from the coast. They told me that they had attended a presentation of Messiah last year because, they said, "We are leaving the Vancouver area, so when are we going to hear this again?" Well, they told me that Nelson's presentation was far and away better than the professional production they heard last year, and that the Capitol Theatre was a much better venue. The soloists were all excellent, the chorus had evidently worked very hard to achieve the sound we enjoyed and the orchestra was outstanding, too. Both Nelson performances were sold out. I thought this tribute to our local talent was worth repeating.

The Whitewater Ski Resort opened early this year. We had no snow on the ground until this past weekend, but higher up they got a great start. People have been telling me that the conditions are better now than they were all of last year. However, it has warmed up in the past 24 hours, and I understand it is raining up there now, but hopefully that won't last long.

Now for a bit more serious material: Check out the following link to see how unemployment has skyrocketed in the U.S. This is quite frightening, and a Stunning Portrayal of the Economy through Changing Unemployment Graph Fortunately, in Canada, our situation is significantly different. We have not seen huge bailouts of industry (there have been some in the auto industry and a few in forestry), and our banks did not get in trouble. Our real estate market remained much healthier, and delinquency rates and foreclosures did not increase to unacceptable levels.

Fair Tax

At a business conference in Montpelier, Vermont, the state tax commissioner asked the audience which sort of taxation they found fairest.

There was a pause, and then a white-haired man in the back raised his hand. "The poll tax," he said.

"But the poll tax was repealed," replied the commissioner.

"I know," declared the man, "that's what I like about it."

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

With students now completing their mid-term exams and papers, I thought you might get a chuckle out of this piece:

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their
collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays.
These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers
across the country. Here are last year's winners:

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a thigh master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty Bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River .

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an Americ an tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

. . . . And one more item on the educational theme:

One Hard Question

There was a student who wanted to be admitted to the University.

He was smart enough to get through the written test, a GED, and was to appear for the personal interview. Later, as the interview progressed, the interviewer found this boy to be bright since he could answer all the questions correctly. The interviewer got impatient and decided to corner the boy.

"Tell me your choice," said he to the boy, "What's your choice: I shall either ask you ten easy questions or ONE real difficult. Think well before you make up your mind."

The boy thought for a while and said, "My choice is ONE real difficult question."

"Well, good luck to you, you have made your own choice!" said the man on the opposite side. Tell me: What comes first, Day or Night?"

The boy was jolted first but he waited for a while and said: "It's the DAY, sir."

"How???????" the interviewer shot back, smiling. ("At last, I got you!" he said to himself.)

"Sorry sir, you promised me that you will not ask me a SECOND difficult question!"

The student was admitted to the University.

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

Drew and I will be relaxing with family a little bit in the next couple of weeks. Drew will be getting together with his parents before Christmas.

My daughter is the only one coming to Nelson this year. My son, Brian, and his family will be going to his in-laws for Christmas (we have them every other year) and my son, Dave is in Uganda for the end of the year. So, at our house it will be a quiet Christmas, punctuated with frequent phone calls and lots of eating! We will, of course, celebrate the Reason For The Season with our church family.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

This waterfront estate consists of 4.38 acres with 226 feet of sandy beach frontage, boat launch, large dock, substantial home and outbuildings. It has operated as a campground, though we are not marketing it as a business. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity by contacting us now. $1,200,000. You can check out more details and photos on our web-site at: Waterfront

This brings us to the end of another newsletter, and, indeed, the end of another year. I recently heard an explanation of why the years go by so much faster now than they did when we were younger. I don't know how scientific it is, but it makes sense to me: When we were 5 years old, one year was 20% of our entire life. When we were 20 years old, a year is only 5% of our life. Now that we're over 50 (for those of us who have arrived at that milestone, or beyond), a year is less than 2% of our life and we all know that 2% is not very much, so no wonder it goes by so quickly!

Thanks for reading, and may all your Christmas dreams come true, and may we have Peace on Earth, and in our hearts, as we prepare for the coming year!

Santa's Jigsaw (click Here)

Lorne & Drew

The End is Near! (End of the year, that is)

2009-11-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

Some months are harder than others to get started on my blog. How often can I talk about the weather? Yes, the days are getting shorter, but that has to be expected in November - it happens every year! There wasn't anything inspiring on the front page of today's Nelson Daily News (no, that's not a commentary on our local newspaper). How often can I talk about my grand-daughters? (Well, I could, but I have no new photos of them this month, so I won't)

So, finally, I decided to check on this day in history - and there are a couple of significant political events that took place on November 17th. Most of you may not remember that this was the day that Elizabeth I became queen of England back in 1558. Also on this day, 5 years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California. Imagine that - both of these titans assuming power on the same date!

O.K., now I've begun we'll keep going. Last month I had a couple of you-tube videos on some much maligned musical instruments. Immediately after that blog went up, I received another e-mail commenting on another not-s0-highly esteemed piece of musical equipment. (Can you say Lawrence Welk?) Yes, I'm referring to theaccordion. Young man on accordion
Go ahead and check it out - it's less than 3 minutes! Vivaldi like you haven't heard it before!

There is so much information floating around regarding the H1N1 flu and its impact on people. Frankly, I'm tired of it, and confused. However, it is real and here is a helpful chart to assist with determining what you may have:

H1N1 flu is upon us and we need to be on top of information regarding it. Here is a comparison to the normal cold symptoms that was sent to me.

Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

Symptom

Cold

H1N1 Flu

Fever

Fever is rare with a cold.

Fever is usually present with this flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with this flu.

Coughing

A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.

A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with this flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).

Aches

Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.

Severe aches and pains are common with this flu.

Stuffy Nose

Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.

Stuffy nose is not commonly present with this flu.

Chills

Chills are uncommon with a cold.

60% of people who have this flu experience chills.

Tiredness

Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.

Tiredness is moderate to severe with this flu.

Sneezing

Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.

Sneezing is not common with this flu.

Sudden Symptoms

Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.

This flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. This flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

Headache

A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.

A headache is very common with this flu, present in 80% of flu cases.

Sore Throat

Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.

Sore throat is not commonly present with this flu.

Chest Discomfort

Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.

Chest discomfort is often severe with this flu.

The only way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.

All right, that was fairly serious. So, let's change the tone just a bit:

If you receive an email from the Department of Health telling you not to eat tinned pork because of swine flu.............

Ignore it............

..................It's just spam.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

A three bedroom, 2 bath home on a quarter acre landscaped lot on a quiet no-thru-road in lower Rosemont. This is walking distance to downtown Nelson. The home is lovingly maintained and updated. There is also a triple garage with a studio above. For full details, please check out our web-site at: November featured home
$449,000

Part of our administrative duties at this time of year involves updating our calendar lists for distribution in the next few weeks. If you have received one of our calendars in the past, you should expect to get another one this year (They always seem to wear out about this time). If you haven't been getting one, and would like to, just drop us a note and we'll make sure you are included.

A magazine recently ran a "Dilbert Quotes" contest. They were looking for people to submit quotes from their real-life Dilbert-type managers. These were voted the top quotes in corporate America:

"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks."
(This was the winning quote from Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA )

"What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter."
( Lykes Lines Shipping)

"E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business."

(Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

"This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it."

(Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)

"Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule."
(Plant Manager, Delco Corporation)

"No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them."

(R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing/3M Corp.)

Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."
(Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, "That would be better for me."
(Shipping executive, FTD Florists

"We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees." (Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)

That's all.

Now back to real estate. I received an e-mail from a mortgage broker recently that had some good information, and I want to pass along one of his ideas.

If you are planning to sell your home next year (or the year after) and you have a mortgage with a penalty clause in it, then you should consider paying off as much as you can each year (without penalty). This includes this year (2009) if you haven't already make a pre-payment. Sometimes it will make sense to borrow funds against a line of credit to make this mortgage pre-payment, because the mortgage penalty will be less, since the mortgage balance will be lower by the time you pay it off. Of course, if you can time the sale of your property to the mortgage renewal date, or if you have an "open" mortgage, this advice will not apply.

Last year about this time we were bemoaning the fact that the media was portraying so much gloom and doom in their newscasts. Things weren't nearly as bleak as they were telling us. Well, over the past year the stories have changed, and now they tell us that October, 2009 was the best month ever for home sales across Canada. While it makes no sense to argue with statistics, one needs to realize that the cross-country statistics mostly reflect the major markets, because that's where most of the people and most of the houses are. There are still many markets, and Nelson is one of them, where sales are not "red hot". However, we are noticing more activity occurring and prices are no longer falling. It is my feeling that by next spring we will be back into full swing with our sales. Although the winter season tends to be slower than others, now is a very good time to buy! So, if you're in the market to buy a home, don't hesitate to call us!

Lest We Forget - Last week we remembered those who have served, and are serving our country. I believe that the crowds that turn out each year are growing larger. Certainly that was the case in Nelson as we gathered on a blustery day, although by the time of the Nelson Flying Club's tribute fly-past there was a patch of blue in the sky. I tried to capture that sight with my camera, but was just a bit too slow.

I did manage to capture the Kootenay Kiltie Pipe Band as they led the parade of veterans, police and service agencies, scouts, cubs, guides, brownies and sea and air force cadets to the cenotaph service last Wednesday.

A few END-OF-THE-DAY questions for YOU!

Did I make someone giggle, smile or laugh today?

Did I take the time to really listen to someone today, with rapt attention, as if nothing else mattered in that precious moment but the words they spoke and the look in their eyes?

Did I allow myself to focus on all the blessings in my life today instead of contemplating the things I don't have?

Did I take a moment to imagine what I would like to experience in my life, if for no other reason than in the imagining, is the living, and in the living, comes the joy and delight?

Did I let go today, let go of resentments and unforgivingness that I have been holding onto, all the while realizing that another person may be wounded too and struggling with their own pain?

Did I keep my word today, no matter how simple a promise I may have made, knowing it meant a whole lot to someone else?

Did I make a conscious choice just to be happy today, no matter what is happening in my own life, just for the next moment, and the next moment and the next?

Did I stop caring about what other people think of me, and give myself permission to be who I am regardless of their good opinion of me or not? Did I set myself free today just by doing that?

Was I successful in noticing and appreciating the bounty before me wherever I went or was I just too busy or lost in my own thoughts to notice?

Did I contribute something beautiful to the world today? A new creation of some kind, a poem, a dinner, a dance?

Was I kind today to anyone or anything that crossed my path, no matter how trivial or how monumental? Did I give away my heart?

Is one person richer because of me today, because of my presence on the planet, my essence, my decision to keep on going no matter what?

Did I learn something new today, something about life, something about myself, something about another that I didn't know before?

Did I let go of my attachment to being right today, and open my mind to the possibility of another way, without judgement?

Will someone sleep better tonight because of me? Will they awaken in the morning believing in themselves again, and walk with their head held high?

Was I the answer to someone's prayers today?

If today was to be my last day on the planet, would I feel happy about how I lived it?

Veronica Hay

Veronica Hay is the author of In a Dream, You Can Do Anything. An extraordinary collection of writings that will uplift you, motivate you, inspire you, and gently guide you along the inner path of your life. Go to: www.insightsandinspirations.com

I'll leave you with a final bit of humour and a word of thanks for reading our newsletter. We appreciate your contributions (this month thanks go to Bryan, Bud, Celia, Dave & George. I hope I haven't missed out any other contributors). As always, if you would prefer not to receive this link each month, just let us know and we will remove your e-mail address from the recipient list. Of course, we'd be particularly pleased if you would mention our names to friends and acquaintances who need the assistance of a Realtor and we're happy to hear from you at any time.

First I got - -

Elmer says, "First, I got tonsillitis, followed by appendicitis and pneumonia. After that I got erysipelas with hemachromatosis. Following that I got poliomyelitis and finally ended up with neuritis. Then they gave me hypodermics and inoculations."

Calvin says, "Boy, you had quite a time!"

Elmer replies, "I'll say! I thought I'd never pull through that spelling test."

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

Lorne & Drew