Trey's Blog: October 2008

Whenever I go to vote  I kind of get get this "tingly feeling" of pride and respect. This feeling has nothing to do with my particular brand of politics, nor does it have to do with any individual politician. Instead I think about how our founding fathers made this possible, and also I tend  think about all those men and women that have perished in a muddy desolate fight in some distant unknown and lonely place, so that I can have the this privaledge to cast my one little ballot and also have the real chance to make a difference.  That's just a little of why I get that special feeling. 

Now, I have never voted early, and I don't hold it against anyone for having  or  even just choosing to do so, for whatever various reasons they may have.  But I simply just like voting on the day set aside for voting . This is because it gives me that "Super Tuesday" kind of feeling that you only get every four years.   Maybe I am a "Super Tuesday Presidential Election" kind of addict.

If someone lives to be 80 years old, and they start voting at 18...then they only get to see a presidential election 15 or so times total!. So if you are a real addict that feeling doesn't get to be experienced very often now does it?   And for an addict 15 times in a lifetime is not very much!

Imagine if you were a nicotene or alcohol addict and you were only allotted 15 smokes or 15 beers over the period of your entire adult life.  That would be  tough... so  wouldn't you tend to savor every moment when you finnally got your wish?

Get that  "Super Tuesday Presidential Election" kind of feeling this year......Go Vote! 

I had done an earlier post about building some "green water duck ponds "to attract migrating waterfowl . In conjunction with that  effort we have been constructing nesting boxes for Wood Ducks to utilize in the springtime. These boxes are built from availiable plans and are designed to be easy to clean out after the baby ducks leave the nest.  They will be placed near water just east of College Station, Texas in Brazos County. 

They are approximately 2 feet tall and the roof is hinged. There is a small ramp inside to make it easy for the babies  to waddle up to the hole and to make the big "leap" when they finally leave the nest. If you live in an area where Wood Ducks are known to nest you may want to consider helping them along by building a few of these boxes.

Your local wildlife management expert or game warden could probably give you specifics on placement of boxes etc. Wood Ducks have made a great comeback in Texas over the last few years. There was a time however when their population had really dwindled.  Due to good management practices, Ducks Unlimited, and caring landowners they are thriving and available for birdwatchers and gourmet cooks to equally enjoy!

We recently closed a land sale on a property that adjoined another tract where a junk dealer was located. The seller of the land had graciously allowed the junkman to "overflow" over on to his property for a "temporary" period.  Now the temporary period turned into months...then years...then I came along to sell the property and we asked the junk dealer to remove his junk.  Here's how things looked after a week or two of "cleanup" and removal.... you should have seen it before.

Should I have hired a stager in the beginning?   ;O)

Will OPEC reduce production of oil and gas in order to avoid having to cutback on some of their lifestyles?

Probably.   We wouldn't want a few of those Sheiks to have to let go of some  of their extra reserve  jets, or Mercedes Benz ........would we?

I would wager they are going to turn the valves off for a while so that the pipeline of cash to their accounts isn't interrupted any, and I would bet that the price of oil and gas will be up pretty soon .  So don't rearrang that household budget yet folks ...you may need it to fill up your car get to Walmart this Christmas!

As the head of my firm and the "joint head" of my household I have multiple responsibilities on my plate right now. I have to watch my assets and thereby my  ass  posterior.  This applies to both my business and my personal affairs. 

Now I have always been careful to set some aside for a rainy day. And I hate to imagine that folks have to start selling off hard assets to make ends meet, pay the phone bill, groceries etc. But the way the stock market is headed my rainy day account may not be sufficient!  

We live in a rural setting and neighbors average about a half mile of space between one another. But suddenly our highway has begun to take on the look of a small flea market area. It is not uncommon to see things like another car or pickup, or trailer appear daily in someones front pasture with a for sale sign hanging on it. What disturbs me is this practice is more and more common.  And I am certain that many are doing it just to either make those bills or pay their ripoff  credit card balances. I haven't resorted to this yet....but have a few things on Craig's List and occasionally ebay. What all this is teaching me however is  that we as Americans really do have a lot of unnecessary stuff lying around. 

Last week we sold about 80 cubic feet of packing peanuts that were taking up 80 cubic feet of attic space! Sold them on Craigs List. What do we need that amount of packing peanuts for anyway?  We litterally need to liquidate our crap. My garage and Barn  is full of it. Stuff we will never use.

How much crap do you have taking up space in your attic or garage or barn ?   

How ironic!!!   A Man that wants to see our system destroyed and once led the pack and phsically attempted to do so was  offended by and scared of a little ol' Fox News Reporter so he calls the local Police in to have his privacy and safety protected.  How quaint.   I am so disgusted by this individual. He snaked his way out of a conviction, bragged about it, and still slithers among us while he influences young minds through the educational system. Please slap me!

I still believe this man was playing, is playing , and will continue to play a part in Obama's grand scheme.

Farmers and Ranchers in and around Hearne, Texas recently began cutting the last hay crop for 2008.  The Hay business can be a lot like any other crop....... Supply and demand.  This year was a fairly good year for hay in the area but many ranches had hay left over from last year. So the price may be lower. And to top things off the fuel costs could have forced many hay cutters to charge more for cutting and baling a large round bail.

Every year in September and October several types of bees gorge themselves in our flower gardens. These yellow flowers seem to be particular favorites of bumble bees in our area west of Wheelock, Texas.  Bees can be hard to photograph because they just are so busy and seldom stop moving at all. One afternoon I watched these bees working the bush over and it took almost 15 minutes to find one that would hold still long enough to get a decent photo. Usually I had less than 1 second to get focused and the shot taken before the bee moved on again. And usually the only shot was of the bee's rear end. All the bees seem to have plenty of work right now so I guess business is good for the bees!

Have a prosperous week!

You have seen the guys at intersections with the cardboard signs saying "Will Work For Food"

It almost feels like the late 80's again....But I refuse to give in to all the negative news in our industry and told myself a few weeks ago that I can sit back and casually watch the tide roll in , or instead make myself go to work earlier, focus on providing my clients and our agents the best service possible, and follow up on every lead like it is the last one the face of this earth!......  And then if I don't see a substantial increase in results I can get on food stamps  ( just kidding).  Actually I would probably fire up the tiller and plant a bigger garden before going that road. Or I might just work for Food!  I love home cooking! :)

Seriously , our market is still fairly strong. Our MLS stats reveal that our residential sales are just about the same as the prior year....but there is no doubt we are not exempt from the effects of the mortgage and banking industry crisis. It will get tougher here to sell homes. If you are seeking a broker that has no fear of work and is focused on results that satisfy then call me.

 Referrals will never be neglected nor rejected.

 Have a prosperous week!

trey@txcyber.com

 www.treythurmond.com

I love reading small town newspapers.  These  actually were headline of major articles in one of our local small town weekly papers

"Church Holds Annual Picnic"           

"Families Enjoy Church Playday"

These headlines above probably seem boring to some compared to others in more "urban areas" where "really interesting" headlines  appear regularly. Some might be:

"10 Year Old Killed in Shootout Over Drug Deal Gone Bad"

"Teenage Girls All Make Pact to Get Preagnant"

"Lesbian Teachers Unite in Marriage and Invite  Class of 5 Year Olds To Attend Nupitals"

These Headlines really do explain the world today , the differences, the splits.