Michigan, My Michigan!! from California

Okay, admit it.  I know you all know at least one Michigander right?  I mean one person who was born and raised in Michigan — the Great Lakes State, huh?  Before you start thinking about how sorry you are for all of us –I mean every mention of the state conjures up desolate fields, long unemployment lines, gutted downtown buildings and much more too depressing to mention — consider this:  How many of you can describe your state’s boundaries by just putting your two hands together like this?  I mean, try it New York — and California, I bet you would need 4 or 5 hands.

Let me ask you this — can you remember when you met that Michigander  and you asked “where in Michigan?” — didn’t they put up their hands, at least one of them, and point to a spot on it?

My friend from Michigan gave me this awesome present — now I can really get down to business!!  Thanks Joye!  Happy New Year.

5 Things to Do Before You List your Home!!

There is some time to do a few things this winter to prepare yourself and your home to put it on the market.  Here are 5 really critical — and I might add — relatively inexpensive things to do to get ready:

1)  Get rid of your junk!! You don’t need it anymore.  You know that, give it away to someone else who thinks they need it.  Do it before the end of the year and you can get a credit for your tax deductible donation — hit the Hospice Thrift Store or the Salvation Army.

2)  Declutter your house. Invite a friend or better yet your real estate agent, over to give you their honest opinion of what needs to be out of your living room, bedroom or kitchen.  Sometimes it is difficult for us to see our own homes objectively.  Don’t get your feelings hurt.  Your friend or agent is just trying to help.  See above for suggestions on how to get rid of this stuff — if your child doesn’t want it.

3)  Paint, paint and paint — again.  Don’t do anything wild — no dark colored accent walls — just white or something like that.  You have enough time to take care of this between now and March — a room at a time.

4)  Spruce up your bathrooms.  This can be done with a minimal amount of $$$.  Some new sink fixtures or just some new towels and accessories.

5)  Clean out your kitchen cabinets and closets.  This is related to numbers 1 and 2 above.  You’ll feel better, especially when potential buyers open them and brooms and glasses don’t fall out.

The word for the year 2011 is SIMPLIFY!!! especially if you are thinking of selling.

Toilets for Truckee!!

The Truckee Donner PUD and Western Nevada Supply have joined together to offer a wonderful deal for those of us who live in Truckee and have older toilets.  In the interest of conserving water, they have initiated a program where you can take your old, water guzzling  toilet to Western Nevada Supply at 10990 Industrial Way, #1 in Truckee and exchange it for a new less water intensive model.  The technology now allows for the toilets to work on only 1.6 gallons per flush as opposed to the older 3-7 gallon use per flush.  Apparently, toilets are the largest users of water in a household or a businesses.

If you take advantage of this program you will not only be saving yourself some initial outlay but obviously you will save on the monthly metered water charge we will soon all be getting since Truckee is close to becoming a water metered community — Yeah!!  Besides all of that money you will save, you will be saving the environment — water is a PRECIOUS resource.

Homeowners can receive credit for up to 3 toilets per household.  Check out the PUD’s website for more information, or call 530 587-3896 for more information on the program.

Fun Between the Snowstorms-Truckee, CA

For once the weathermen were correct and the first big snow storm of this season has played out as predicted so far.  It began late Friday and dumped while we were sleeping.  Then the snow cleared up for a while allowing us to get about on Saturday.   Then it came back in with a vengeance while we were sleeping again last night and we awoke to a total of about 3 feet here in Prosser Lakeview in Truckee.

My girlfriend has been out of town and I had promised her that I would exercise her doggie (who is my doggie’s best friend) while she was gone so Jennifer and I, Ceilidh, Roxie and Kaiha went for a little snowshoe out behind the Glenshire subdivision.  We broke trail pretty much and so did the dogs.  We were only able to go about a mile all total but all of us got our exercise — as you can see in the photo here.

As much as I am not excited about snowstorms, this has been a really nice one so far.  With just a few breaks and the sunshine streaming through, it really makes you appreciate the season.  I know that the ski areas and ski and snowboard enthusiasts  are just ecstatic over the beginning of a wonderful season.  I can’t remember when the Thanksgiving Holiday has been this well set up for skiers!!!  Come on up and enjoy!!

A Vist to NYC & Ground Zero

I just returned from a vacation which put me in a hotel on a corner that fronted on the site of Ground Zero in New York City.  I was visiting my college friends and we had a wonderful time but this photo did add a bit of remembrance and sobriety to the occasion.  The picture was taken from my hotel room window.   They are rebuilding the site and the two squares you see in this photo are the actual footprint of the twin towers — look really small don’t they?  From what I understand the plan is to NOT replace these two structures with buildings but rather they are installing two reflecting pools.  Looks like they are just about finished.

The other photo here is that of Bryan a part owner of O’Hara’s Tavern which was also across the street from Ground Zero.  He is holding a photograph of what the bar looked like the day after 9/11.  He told us that the people who were there will never forget — hopefully none of us will either.

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