"Getting Lucky"

It arrived yesterday, "Getting Lucky". Two weeks ago Shannon advised me about a book she thought I would enjoy. It was coming via the person who sent it to her. I read the first 50 some odd pages last evening, and another 50 or so this afternoon while at work. The students were busy doing some group work. This evening I finished it. What a marvelous read. I wasn't sure I wanted to read it since I usually read mysteries. But, when I read the first chapter about the author, Susan Marino, and she described the variety of holistic modalities she used to treat sick and dying animals, particularly mentioning Reiki, I was hooked.

Susan relates the story of a magnificent dog who was badly treated and is given into her. She relates the last months of his life. As she tells Lucky's story she weaves the story of a dozen or so other animals, and how she was touched by them. Love is powerful, and provides healing.

I found her saying things that I have been saying for some time. However, when she also ascribed these concepts to animals, it opened my horizons in ways I hadn't thought of before. For years I have believed we all have a mission to perform in this life. I have come to believe it is something we have planned prior to our arriving. The "trauma" of birth hides it from our conscious mind and we spend the rest of our lives trying to figure it out. It seems to make some sense that the teacher/student will arrive when the time is right. I just never considered that the teacher could be an animal.

I now have to decide to whom I should forward it to next. Shannon and Kay have decided that whoever reads the book should inscribe their name and the date prior to sending it on to the next person. I will probably write a short note to include with it asking others who have the good fortune to read it to go along with the process and add their names. The interesting thought about this is that we may never know how many lives will be touched by this approach of sharing a wonderful world view.

Gestures, like sharing books like this, let me know how blessed I am. While reading it this afternoon in a classroom of adult students I felt tears coming to my eyes. As I think back on that I am convinced that the tears were there partly because of the poignancy of the story and partly due to the wonderful loving energy in the classroom. That is another blessing in my life, being in the presence of people who are deciding to change their careers. Many of them will go on to become very successful real estate agents. They will serve, care and share the love in their hearts. Others will discover that this part of the adventure of their lives was designed to help them move closer to fulfilling their life's goal. It is a wonderful feeling to be a part of this aspect of my life and the lives of others.

Serve well!

The Mysterious Vegetation is Gone

This morning the ServPro professionals came back and removed the mysterious vegetation from the attic. We know a little more now, but not much. You can get a better idea of the size of the pile of "stuff". Steve said that there were no critters present during the removal and there is no evidence at that site of how they got into the attic. He indicated that when he got down to the insulation there were a number of one and a half inch little tunnels radiating from the center of the pile.

While this photo is a little blurry, you can get an idea of the size of the tunnels.











The next photo shows the final results of the clean up. They took out four 33 gallon trash bags of "stuff".












We can only surmise that the critters were squirrels. The tree that squirrels used to get to the roof had to be removed this past November. As you can see a Bradford pear tree does not hold up well to eight inches of wet snow. It was too close to the house and we had planned to remove it anyway. The storm helped us get the job done sooner.

The joys of home ownership.

Serve well!

Another Principles of Real Estate Class (PORE 0507)

What a great day. I always look forward to each class with great anticipation. I am never disappointed. Each group is absolutely amazing. They are all different and they are all the best.

I know that not all of them will go on to get a real estate license. I have been pondering why they have chosen to be here at this time. I have come to a preliminary conclusiong that we are here to teach other some important lesson. I am not so vain that I believe I am to learn from each of them or that they are all to get some message from me. I suspect that some of them are here to have an impact on one of their classmates. If that is the case, then I am thrilled that I might play some small part in it. However, I may never know who has served whom. I only know that something powrful has happened for them. I must discover, and then remember why I am here.

I believe that when we need a teacher or student they will appear. I also believe we are all teachers and students. I have been blessed to be able to provide this forum for such interpersonal transactions. Wow, do I love this "work"!!!

I have changed the course format slightly this time. I am offering the general portion of the material first. We will get to the state portion next week. I am not sure how things will work out timewise. I'll have to keep close track of it.

Serve well!

Anniversary Dinner

It's a little after 9PM here and we just returned from our anniversary dinner. We went to dinner at a place Maryann read about in "Food and Wine" magazine. It is the Bluestem Cafe on Westporrt Road in Kansas City, MO. It was absolutely marvelous. The ambience was great and the food was spectacular. We shared a bottle of Honig Sauvignon Blanc. Maryann had a veal chop and I had scallops. For dessert a bittersweet chocolate cake for me and a butterscotch pound cake for her were the perfect way to end the meal.

If you are looking for a special place to have a marvelous meal in the Kansas City area the Bluestem Cafe is a great place. Reservations are required.

Serve well!

Has it been 38 years?

Today we are celebrating our 38th anniversary. At times it hardly seems that long. It has been a journey of love, challenges and great joy. We joke about renewing the contract just about every year. We always agree to do so.

This evening we will go out to dinner at a restaurant we have not been to yet. I'll try to make a note of the evening and share it with you all.

I know the contract will be renewed because we have scheduled a visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in late September, early October. I suspect I will have some photos to share at that time.

I made the best decision of my life by marrying Maryann. She is my inspiration. She has shown me the way to discovering the blessings in everything that happens. Her view of the world is so positive and upbeat that you can't help but have a great time when she is around. How lucky can one guy get?

Serve well!

The mysterious pile of vegetation in the attic

A couple of months ago the pest control technician advised us about a pile of vegetation in the attic. He thought it was made by birds. Today we had another person go up to the attic and take some pictures and tell us about what we had. There are no birds nor evidence that birds have been in the attic. But, still we have this pile of vegetation.

We suspect that squirrels might have made it. We used to hear them scampering around on the roof. Since we had to have the tree removed that gave them access to the roof we have not heard them.

Next week we may have a more definitive explanation about the vegetation pile. We are having it removed. That might give us a few more clues. Aah the interesting mysteries that come our way.

Any ideas as to its origin would be appreciated.

Serve well!

Back home

The trip back to Lansing was uneventful. Although I was a bit concerned when we left for airport. It was cloudy and we heard thunder. We even got a very few drops of rain. I think I counted at least a dozen on the windshield of the car. There were a few drops on the windows of the airplane right after we took off. Once we reached the cruising altitude it was great. There was a little turbulence coming into Denver. We are ahead of time, but had to wait about 15 minutes for a plane to push away from our gate.

The trip from Denver to KC was about 30 minutes late departing due to the plane arriving late. At least I had time to grab a sandwich. Maryann was waiting for me at KCI. What a great sight to see her there.

Today things are back to normal -- get a haircut and do the laundry. Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to sleep in a little later. Hazel, our cat, meowed quite loudly this AM. Six -thirty is an early hour.

Serve well!

Day Three in El Paso

What a great day. Five us played a round of golf and it was great. The day started out gray and overcast. There were a very few sprinkles of rain. The humidity was high, but the temperature didn't get to 100 until we were almost done. It was on the back nine that the sun burned through the clouds. Thank goodness for sun screen

I must say that my game today was one of the best I've played in a long time. I usually get more use out of my clubs than any four players on the course. Today it was only two. Keith is right I just have to concentrate on swinging the club and not concentrate on hitting the ball. In spite of the form shown in this photo, I had some very long and straight shots. My short game and my putting still leave a little bit to be desired. I may have to practice more.

I got word today that two more of my students passed there real estate tests and are looking forward to serving the real estate consumers in their communities. What a joy to learn of the successes of former students. Later this month I get to work with a new group. What a wonderful opportunity.

Serve well!

Holiday in El Paso

Welcome to my mother and brother's El Paso Hacienda. My brother, Keith, has an exciting five days planned. Mom still makes a mighty fine potato salad.

Actually I have some excitement for him. The new computer has arrived and is now set up. We have spent most of past two evenings getting him set up. Unfortunately, the old PowerBook G3 was so old that the new iBook could not communicate with it. He had to manually transfer his email address book by hand. It did give him the opportunity to review the list and remove those whom he has not communicated with in a long time.

Tomorrow is a golf day. It is bound to be quite warm. They say it is a dry heat, and I don't dispute that. However, 103 is 103, and that is HOT!!! He promises me that there is plenty of Gator Ade available. It is always a treat to play with him because he knows what his doing on the golf course. I always learn a new tip.

Serve well!

She's Home, and I'm Glad

Maryann arrived back in KC late this AM. Hazel and I were pleased to have her back. I had a special lunch for her. I make a pepperoni cheese bread that makes a really great grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Put a dill strip and iced tea with that and life is really good. After that split an apple and have a piece of Dove chocolate, dark for me and milk for her, and you have a great homecoming lunch. The wine will come with dinner.

We have been busy getting things back in order. The laundry is done and the ironing is calling.

Maryann spent five days in Pennsylvania with relatives and visited her mother in the nursing home. I get ready for my trip on Thursday when I go to El Paso to visit my mother and brother for five days. My brother and I are going to set up a new computer for him. We are even going to look into developing a web site to showcase his artwork and perhaps sell some of it. This is just one of his works.
He was inspired by Richard Bach's book "Illusions". Hence the name of the piece.

Did I mention the ironing is calling? I better heed the call.

Serve well!

Happy Fourth of July

As I think about the spirit of this day I am so very thankful that I live in a country where there are very few laws that keep me from acting stupid if I want to do so. Because it means I can act smart, too. It is this marvelous opportunity to make choices on how to live my life that is a precious gift. I only wish that there were more people throughout the world who could truly experience it.

We must not become complacent about our freedom to choose. If we are not vigilant it can escape us. We could even be the tools to make it happen. We must insure that we remain a country of true diversity. Our willingness to accept others who are quite different in so many ways is the bed rock of our nation. Those folks who have a much narrower view of the world than I do are certainly welcome to those views. Just don't require me to accept it hook, line and sinker.

I am proud to fly the flag which is a symbol of the greatness of this wonderful country. I have been truly blessed to be a part of it. Does the mere sight of the flag bring goose bumps? During special occasions a tear has been known to appear in my eye as I gaze upon this beautiful symbol.

My best wishes to all who have taken time to read this as well as to those who don't.

Serve well!

One July and the weather is nice.

The last day of June was something to behold. It started very early. Maryann had an early flight to PA to see her mother. On the way to the airport we could see lightening in the distance. The night before the forecasters assured us that we would probably only have scattered showers and they would arrive in the afternoon. The rains held off until I got back from the airport. As I was checking online to track Maryann's flight the first raindrops fell. The lightening had also been getting closer. Her flight was about a half hour late leaving. It rained off and on for the remainder of the day. At times the wind blew very hard. It looked as thought we must have had about 3 or 4 inches of rain. Well that shot down my plans to play golf. The rain was so bad I didn't even get to go down and collect the mail. It was a little soggy by the time I got to it today.

The first day of July dawned bright and cool. At least the forecasters got that one right. It was nice enough for me to take care of some gardening chores. Daisies look really great until they begin to fade. I was instructed to do some deadheading. This morning was the precice time to do it. It was cool and the humidity was low. I even trimmed back a weeping mulberry in the front of the house. I know the lawn mowing guys appreciate that.

I hope that the heat that has been prognosticated for the weekend will not be so bad. I have no plans to venture out in the heat of the day. I think I will be able to view the city's fireworks display from my front yard. I know I will hear the explosions. Hope your fourth is free and easy.

Serve well!