Sometimes I hang out over at Novel Matters, a cool blog with multiple authors. That’s where I found Latayne Scott’s wonderful book, Latter Day Cipher (reviewed here.) Figuring great storytellers probably hang together, chugging lattes and comparing royalty checks, I sifted through the posts, looking for a summer read. Bonnie Grove’s sample chapter of Talking to the Dead really jumped my engine so when the opportunity to review this debut novel presented, I stalked Ms. Groves relentlessly until she caved to the overwhelming superiority of my groveling skillz.

Oh! My! Goodness!

Here’s my fangirl review. Please forgive the gush-fest, just couldn’t help myself.

Bonnie Grove is a name to watch. Her debut novel  makes the heart resonate(*this* is a debut novel??) And considering  she’s dealing with grief, loss, betrayal and mental illness-my goodness, that’s talent! I spent the better part of yesterday immersed in the world of Kate Davis, feeling every pain, experiencing the mental torment.  And when Kate climbs out of the refuse, Ms. Grove brings you right along, wrapping the whole story in a satisfying package of fullness and healing. 

Brilliant!

I’ve never lost a husband or lived through any of the other trauma in the story, and yet Ms. Grove’s talent brought me right inside Kate’s emotional journey. This is a richly layered novel– subtle, warm and beautifully written. Today I’m still picking through the imagery, wanting just a little longer with this rich cast of characters.

Frankly,  I’m just blown away.

Good job, Bonnie! Here’s a fan in Texas anxiously awaiting your next release~

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tags: christian fiction, Reviews

This is my first Brandilyn Collins book and honestly, I’m not sure how I missed out so long. Ms. Collins’ storytelling skills rank right up there with the best.

Exposure deals with irrational fears which turn out to be not so irrational, a kidnapping and a bank heist- and that’s just the first few chapters. It’s a page-turner. Easy to see why Ms. Collins keeps so many loyal fans.

You might want to read this one during the day–with the lights on.

Synopsis from Ms. Collins’ blog:

Exposure is the story of newspaper columnist Kaycee Raye, a woman plagued by fears. When her worst fear comes true, it’s enough to pull Kaycee under.
Ironically, this author of Seatbelt Suspense® harbors an inexplicable mixture of fears. I’m scared of bees. I don’t do heights. Or closed spaces. The mere sound of a dentist’s drill makes me shake. I’m terrified of roller coasters or downhill skiing—anything that produces that sensation of falling.Today’s world is full of fear—for good reason. People fear failing, succeeding, living, dying. Today and tomorrow. Work and retiring. Are our fears self-fulfilling? How much do they hold us back from becoming all we can be?

Or is the danger all in her head?

Highly recommended~ You can visit Brandilyn’s website here: Forensics and Faith

Popularity: 2% [?]

 I love this book.

Latayne Scott’s novel incorporates all the things that keep me reading all the way through–a compelling mystery, beautifully crafted phrasing and a plotline that doesn’t sag at the knees. Somewhere around page 261, I knew without doubt an all-nighter loomed in my immediate future.

Her opening scene has an ethereal quality that invites you to keep going– and going. The characters live with both purpose and enough human shortcomings to keep them interesting. (Note: she’s also got one of best villains ever, way too easy to identify with this miscreant and that’s scarier than any murder mystery, any day.)

Latayne’s handling of the Mormon Church and it’s changing doctrine lies balanced somewhere between criticism of the organization and compassion for the individuals inside, clearly differentiating between the two and doesn’t come across as an agenda book. It’s just a really good read.

Highly Recommended~

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tags: fiction, Reviews, Writing

Remember the bleery-eyed woman on the van  a few weeks back?

Miralee Ferrell’s having a give-a-way over on her blog. Head over and leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of her new book, Love Finds You in Last Chance California.

And click here for a look at her new book trailer.

Congratulations and best wishes Miralee~

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tags: fiction, Writing

See this desk lamp?

Bought it at a discount store for $30. Stupid thing lasted all of six months. Arrgh. . .

So this time around, I’m going with Kichler.

Westwood at Work Antique Brass and Bronze Adjustable Desk Lamp

Love the lines here.

When we built our home, I spent lots of time ordering lighting off the internet. CSN Lighting has a couple of things going for them–nice discounts (in this case 33%), huge inventory and (a personal favorite) a cool app showing how many of each item they have in stock. Nothing’s more frustrating than spending hours comparison shopping online (especially when you have a building schedule to meet) only to get the dreaded backorder email of doom.

Westwood at Home and the Evolution of Home Office Lighting

When it comes to home lighting, desk and home office lighting have been the most boring fixtures, as their emphasis is on function rather than style.  However, in recent years we’ve seen a number of manufacturers finding ways to balance form and purpose and as a result we’re seeing a lot of great products out there that should satisfy the lighting and style needs of any working in a home office.

We’ll go ahead and highlight one such example, the Westwood at Work collection by Kichler.  This line showcases a diverse selection of home lighting that displays a flair for combining antique and classic appearances with modern accents.  This is a big reason why we’ve seen this collection increase in popularity, it offers a style that is distinctive while retaining functionality, 

One specific example of this is the Antique Brass and Bronze Adjustable Desk Lamp, an item that perfectly displays Westwood at Home’s versatile qualities.  This is particularly evident in its finish, which is comprised of antique brass with bronze accents.  The resulting appearance provides a unique contrast between the brighter sheen of the brass and the darker bronze tint.

However, the Brass and Bronze Desk Lamp is more than just appearances, it is also extremely functional as well.  It conveniently comes with an on/off switch and an extension arm, and it won’t take up much room thanks to its sleek design, which is important as space is usually at a premium with most home offices. 

Designing a home office can usually be quite difficult since not too many office furniture collections are able to match up stylistically with most people’s home décor.  But fortunately, lighting collections such as Westwood at Home are finding ways to reach a middle ground while providing any lighting needs that you might have while you work.

Pictures to follow as soon as the lovely lamp hits the desk~

Popularity: 6% [?]

Tags: internet retail, lighting, Recommended

There’s a new post over on my other blog:

Diamond in a Goat’s Butt

And that wins the award for Best Title Ever on this blog (if I do say so myself.)

Typed it 5 times now and still feel naughty~

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tags: TrinkaBean

Over a week ago, the mister returned to the ER with pneumonia and pleurisy. Not fun. Suspicious looking nursing types met him at the door, sharpening their needles and cackling with glee whereupon they poked him relentlessly with sharp objects, injecting noxious fluids into his bloodstream. As a result, the mister spent the next week scratching. One of the wayward potions caused a full-torso rash with the power to turn ordinary men into whimpering puppies.

Quite the accomplishment.

Once the minions released the  mister to my care, their evil plot came to light (so to speak) and caused affairs at the Brz Funny Farm to cease and desist as the mister required an audience for all scratching maneuvers. Yes, apparently big He-men can’t rub themselves on walls, columns and kitchen cabinets without a hearty round of sympathy to accompany every groan. Which then led to much groaning from the mrs. while the little Brz’s ran for cover.

As a result, each of the little Brz’s needed Mommy-time as itchy fathers bring on pangs of seperation anxiety . One of the tribe then declared Abject Loneliness and brought home this little guy from the Walmart pet aisle:

No, Walmart does not traffic in black market kittens (at least not yet) but the greeters at our local store do allow them inside purses. And the nice lady who opened said purse and showed said kitty to DD3 knew just what she was doing. Kitty went from purse A to purse B in record time. Walmart should institute kitten-scanning of all handbags immediately and that’s all I’m saying.

From the photo above, you will notice several things. First off, Toby the Kitty is very small. That’s my robe he’s mauling and my not-so-big laptop. He doesn’t eat so good. DD3 runs off to school every day which leaves certain people with kitten-sitting duties. Kittens with a certain disdain for Kitty Slobber (Kitty Milk Replacement for the uninitiated– just thank the good Lord you don’t know.) Kittens with a refined pallet who want premium canned salmon, hand fed thanks much.

Second, (and more important) his mouth is open. Toby’s mouth is always open. Yes indeedy, note the tips of his weeny ears. The little bugger has dark points–ears, feet and tail–just like a Siamese. DD3 was unaware of the eardrum-danger  of rescuing cats from that particular tribe. Now, we are all very aware. The Walmart lady of the handbag was also aware, no doubt. Bad, bad Walmart lady.

(Heavy sigh)

Someone’s getting neutered. . .

Popularity: 3% [?]

Tags: Evil Kittens, Itchy Misters, Loud Siamese

After starting and stopping and starting again, I’ve finally made peace with the randomness that is Twitter. An old cyberpal posted a link to Friend or Follow and I spent many happy moments this morning weeding through friends and followers cutting the dead weight. There followed a moment of happiness so true, so sublime it can only be compared to opening the fridge to discover fairies cleaned it whilest I slept.

Pure Bliss. . .

And now, for the deeply philosophical moment:

Twitter is Not High School

You don’t have to follow everyone that follows you. In fact, you probably can’t if you actually like to read through the posts. Conversely, if you follow someone, they don’t have to follow you back.

It’s not personal.

I currently follow 11 people who don’t follow me. These guys post great links in areas of interest I couldn’t find elsewhere. That’s twitter at its very best. On the other hand, if they don’t perform, I unfollow. Works wonders for the inbox.

After 4 months of active use, I see Twitter used three ways–professional, personal and the personal/professional hybrid. Professional folks are there for business only like the flatscreen TV guy who finds and posts links to the best deals online everyday. When we were in the market, this was a fantastic resource. We’re not anymore and I unfollowed.

Personal Twitters comprise the Oatmeal-for-Breakfast bunch. They tell about their dog or their gallbladder surgery or their latest obsession with YouTube. Call me a voyeur, but I like these guys alot. But If they don’t follow me, I usually don’t follow back for long as twitting into empty space gets a little creepy after awhile.

Personal/professional are personality folks.  They usually blog and/or have some other reason to build a personal brand online. From what I’ve seen so far, these guys can be great or stinky. I’ll follow awhile but if they don’t offer some added value, they’re gone.

Here are my likes and dislikes developed by trial and error over the last 4 months:

1) If I take the time to send a reply and get back a form-type ‘thanks for the reply’ in return, I’m not going to follow for long. I’d rather get nothing (especially if nothing would be the logical response) than an impersonal reply.

2) If I’m following someone that doesn’t follow back, they’d better have some added value like links to great posts or extra yummy retweets. I’ve found some of the best blogs this way.  Otherwise, they’d better be eating Oatmeal with aliens and that’s all I’m saying.

3) Tweetdeck Rules. Don’t know how anyone keeps up without something similar.

4) If I get notification someone’s following and I don’t recognize the name, the first thing I check is their Bio. If nothing’s there to indicate we’ll have something in common, I don’t follow back.

And on a personal note, we’re getting a new puppy and if you follow me on Twitter, you’ve already noted a barrage of puppy photos. The mister wants to call the poor little guy Gossamer.

<groan>

Pure cuteness. . .

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tags: Tweetdeck, Twitter

Way Outside My Comfort Zone~

For a while now, I’ve vacillated wildly between continueing to bash my head against the real estate investment wall or moving on to Other Things. Watching the mister fall only strengthened the conviction that life’s too stinkin’ short. I don’t want to go back to labor and delivery and despite repeated reconnaissance missions, I’ve failed to develop a burning desire to greet at Walmart.

Writing is my first love. Back in grade school, I wrote horrible poetry on a regular basis. For years, I did sporadic freelance work and published quite a few snore-worthy articles so it’s no surprise really that yours truly is writing again.

After our home was destroyed, all available energy went to growing our business and rebuilding the homestead. Unfortunately, whilest I was busy ordering tile, fictional characters kept showing up in various locations, demanding I write their story.

They appeared in the bathroom while applying mascara (mine, not theirs.)

They invaded the laundry room whilest bleaching the whites.

They overran the office on a regular basis and ruined my spreadsheets.

So What Am I Suppose to Write?

The real question–what on earth to write? You’d think with all those characters hanging around I’d Get A Clue, but apparently, some of the Brz clan are more hard headed than others. I toyed with the idea of writing a real estate investment book and almost gagged on the resultant bile. And then, there’s the background check information (double gag) which never made the shortlist.

The idea of picking up the freelance work  grew legs and walked away. All my contacts moved on to other positions or retired off their fat-cat salaries and high-tailed it to Bermuda (stop laughing.) Which is, of course, another way of justifying what I wanted to do in the first place–get those obnoxious characters out of my bathroom and on paper where they belong.

Next question:

How does a confirmed writer of articles transition to the Wide World of Fiction?

Answer:

Write 30,000 words in a few weeks, get hopelessly mired in flashbacks and tangled in plotlines, then scream for help.

A few google clicks brought up physicist-novelist Randy Ingermanson’s home page, a treasure for the struggling writer (his snowflake method is pure magic.) On a recent blog post, he mentioned the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. A few more googles and I’m sold on going to a writer’s conference of some sort, some where.

So here’s where the identity crisis came in handy– what kind of writer am I anyway? I am a Christian and I write, but am I a Christian writer? Ah now, there’s the rub.

• I don’t write devotionals
• rarely quote scripture and
• won’t debate doctrine.

I was a little girl lost who found love in the arms of Jesus. My vision of Christian publishing was a bit more complicated, involving the murky image of the author of that highly popular series, Your Best Purpose Driven Prayer of Jabez , emoting to a crowd of the mega-faithful while a few Amish romance stories lanquish on the back table.  I’m just not  groomed well enough for that crowd and the Good Lord knows I’d find a way to get kicked out pronto for not pulling the partyline.

After a few days of weeping and tooth-gnashing, I finally registered, then spent another two weeks wondering if I’d lost my mind.

What I found at Mount Hermon were tons of people-writers, editors, publishers– all sweet, sweet people who want to serve and believe writing is their path. I hunted down Mr. Ingermanson and tied him to the chair until he critiqued my prose (bless you Randy). And as he didn’t throw up even once and politely laughed at the funny parts, he’s partly to blame for anything I might foist upon the unsuspecting populace in the future.

I made friends who didn’t flinch (or suggest medication) when I mentioned characters talk to me. And one very dear bleary-eyed woman spent 45 minutes on the departing shuttle ride giving some of the most practical advice of the entire weekend. (Thanks Miralee Ferrell~)

And In Conclusion…

So. I’m writing. And loving it. I have another blog just for writing stuff if anyone’s interested. This blog will transition over to more personal stories, less investing, more real life. I hate like thunder to lose any of my blog friends but it’s time to move down a different path and see what’s waiting.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Many thanks to everyone for your support last week. The mister is doing good. He’s back to work at his day job– having a little trouble sitting and on light duty for foreseeable future. Yesterday he spent several hours in a tube getting MRI’s of both shoulder and hip. The surgeon says we have to watch out for deep tissue necrosis so we’re giving him lots of fresh pineapple and other goodies to help with healing.

To those who sent well-wishes my way, I’m going to have to assume some of you have been through this before (you know who you are.) Dadgumit! I had no idea the family went through so much in an emergency-type situation. At least the mister had narcotics (which I did threaten to steal from time to time…) No worries–I’ve resorted to nothing stronger than chamomile tea and Josh Grobin, first album.

On the REI side of things:

Taxes are finished and in the hands of our faithful CPA. Someone (that would be me) almost forgot the home office information… again. (slap, slap.) Several items of organizational mayhem presented themselves during this exercise of taxation and I will try my best to address those sooner rather than next year. In particular, this issue of tiny paper receipts lying about in accordion folders is driving me bonko. There just has to be a better way–

We continue checking the listings and driving the ‘hoods. At the moment, we’re targeting a street close to home that (we believe) is undervalued with a big honking upside. This is basically one very long road that loops back on itself with a ratio of 50/50 stick-built to mobile homes. Back in the late ’70’s-’80’s, this was developed exclusively for site-built, custom homes. Then the Recession hit and lots were sold for next to nothing without restrictions. Lots of ratty little trailers popped up over night.

The individual lots are just gorgeous. The interesting thing? The hurricane destroyed most of the trailers and no one’s doing anything about it. Some enterprising soul could pick them up for next to nothing and either build small single family homes and/or move older homes onto the lots to be reloved and reconditioned. Either would greatly improve property values. Last fall, two brand new homes (1500 sq. ft.-ish, 100K price range) were built side-by-side with some of the ugliest mobiles you’ve ever seen (which are now pushing daisies.)

The fact that this street is very close to our personal residence also has an appeal– improving this area would improve our world as well.

Nice win/win situation.

Popularity: 4% [?]

About dinner time Monday, DD3 and I looked out the dining room window in time to see the mister fall 20 feet off a ladder. Watching the blood soak into the dirt while holding my husband’s hand is not something I’d like to repeat anytime soon– like ever.

The ambulance arrived quickly considering our rural location. The road is dirt and unmarked so DS headed down to the corner to wave them in. The two young men that showed up were actually large enough to get the mister loaded. Not fun.

When I arrived at the ER, they were cutting off his clothes and starting another IV line. The trauma nurse and doctor were planning an airlift to Houston and I was being told to ’stay with your man.’ One look at the monitor and I knew why. The mister was crashing.

And then he wasn’t. There’s simply no way to explain what happened next. Within 30 minutes of his arrival a shoulder that was visibly deformed no longer was. Blood pressure came up, heart rate went down. Cat scans came back clear, X-rays showed nothing broken.

The doctor, bless his heart, told me the mister should be dead. He asked if I knew how fortunate we were. I did. I do.

But it wasn’t luck– God, in His grace intervened. It just wasn’t his time. There are things we can’t explain in this lifetime. It’s easy to dismiss things we don’t understand but I’m a believer.

They kept him overnight for observation. He’s on narcotics for pain and not getting around so well. The doctor said he’ll be using a walker for awhile due to injuries to his shoulder and hip, but he doesn’t know the mister very well. He’s hobbling and he’s mighty slow but he doesn’t need no stinkin’ walker. We have appointments with an orthopedic specialist and a follow up with the admitting doctor. The mister is suppose to stay still for a week. I guess we’ll see. If this morning’s any indication, that’s just not going to happen.

When we got home 24 hours after the fall– to the minute–the mister grabbed a tape measure from the truck and hitched his way over to the tree where the ladder still hung from a crazy angle where he tied it off so carefully. Yep, 20 feet, maybe more.

Let’s just not do this again, ‘kay?

So- I’m exhausted and probably won’t be around much for a few days. Much cocooning is in order. Besides, the mister needs a little babying.

To friends who may be reading this and didn’t get a call, I do apologize. I got about 2 calls off before the shaking set in and fingers stopped functioning.

Popularity: 5% [?]

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Thought you might enjoy witnessing the pain of procrastination. At least I have a nice, big desk to spread out on this year.

Sorry about the audio–I’ll get better, promise.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Tags: home office, Record Keeping, taxes

When the mister and I closed on our first rent house, we set up a separate phone line in the doublewide complete with $10 phone and $20 answering machine balanced on an upside down laundry basket. A separate business cell phone would’ve been preferable only we live in a rural area with few towers and spotty coverage. (Pretty funny though, watching the kids dance around the front yard, phone to ear trying to find a signal when they’re home for the weekend.) When our trailer was destroyed, we moved into our first investment property and worked with a similar setup: two phone lines in a corner of the living room.

The floorplan we picked for our primary residence included a 10×10 guestroom on the first floor perfect for a home office but somewhere along the way we forgot to include office furniture in the decorating budget. The mister and I stood in the door about a week after moving in, stared at the tangle of cords emanating from the wall to the phone, fax machine, etc. and shut the door on the whole mess. Later we appropriated a couple of plastic tables from various parts of the house and set up a makeshift system that, while decidedly ugly, has served us well Lo! these 2 and one half years.

Our first office incarnation. Dog crate filling in for filing cabinet. Plastic table decoratively arranged with fabulous fabric-covered boxes.

Next up: Note the filing cabinet and fancy artwork on the wall. This office knows what it wants to be when it grows up.

My dear friend Becky from over at Just Bee’ n Me recently left her nicely padded position with IBM to pursue her dream job as a fulltime artist and illustrator. She and that wonderful guy she married are downsizing, moving from their lovely home in the Woodlands to an equally wonderful little love nest out in Magnolia, TX. They’re busy painting, hammering and moving as I type.

All that to say, she didn’t have room anymore for this:

Isn’t she lovely?

Goodness! I’m feeling all grown up and stuff.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Tags: home office

Recently, I twittered a random thought about giving up REI for the time being and concentrating on other money making projects. As my big thumpy fingers tend to type faster than the brain can process, I’ll clarify here.

And, BTW, thanks for those who Twitted a response and to those that checked in other ways. I feel loved, if only for my luscious REI skillz.

Where we’re at:

1. We’re not fulltime investors. We would like to be but not until the mister retires.
2. Our plan of 20 houses by retirement is looking a bit dim, at least in the short term with lack of available funding being the major obstacle. Don’t even get me started on the asinine 4 mortgage rule.
3. We can get financing, either through commercial bank or local bank but we’re getting majorly slammed by out of state investors with deep, cash-lined pockets and, it seems, the banks are  accepting lower cash offers rather than what they see as our ‘iffy’ financing. This is most likely, because we *are* in a good area with a great upside that didn’t have the over-heated bubble in house prices.
4. As a sidenote, the terms of the financing available to us stinks. That’s making our offers less competitive than they would be with traditional 30 year financing.
5. The only reasonably priced homes for sale in our area at the moment are foreclosures and hurricane damaged homes. Of course there are always distressed sellers but see #1. I don’t want to post bandit signs and spend days with mailouts.
6. We had a hurricane. Reputable contractors are not available. The mister needs to devote most of his time to #1, especially with the current recession.

What’s resulted is a massive amount of looking, offer making and no actual buying. And, based on the above, I can’t help but wonder if I’m slamming my head against the wall for hours a day and should concentrate on earning more cash so the mister and I can make cash offers like the big boys.

In short… I’m pretty discouraged.

On the bright side:

We’re doing fine. Our income exceeds expenses, our rent houses are giving us a nice cushion to weather the recession.

There’s other stuff to do to earn cash. I’ve got my RN license. I can write although most of my freelance contacts have dried up with disuse. I could spend some time writing an e-book for download here on the site although this sticks in my craw just a bit as its always bothered me when RE investors stop actively investing and start selling books. I do have the tenant screening/background check angle to explore and with all the folks without investment experience now stuck with homes they’re renting out for the first time, this could be an untapped market.

Recently, a personal finance blogger (who I won’t link to as I do like his other stuff a bunch) wrote an article on choosing a property management company and it was all I could do to not  (virtually) slap him. He’s got tons of people reading his blog and absolutely no clue about that which he writes. His reasons for choosing the company were completely a** backwards (sorry– mister moment) and while this may work out fine for him, he really really shouldn’t be putting this type of misinformation out there.

On the same but different note, I could invest more time monetizing this blog although I’m just not sure of the potential now that the housing boom is over. Too many burned. These days I’m only preaching to the choir. The little ads bring in about $100 a month, mostly from one page– this one.   Perhaps adding in more product review pages would increase ad revenue? Maybe, but it’s a time gamble and working a couple of nights a week in labor and delivery is a certain paycheck.

Or, I could become a stage Mom and make JoJo a star.

Now that’s probably a sure thing.

JoJo, between takes.

I’m open to suggestions… anyone?

Popularity: 5% [?]

All alone last night, drowning in mucus and shivering under 3 blankets, I finally succumbed to DD2’s  instant message guilt-fest as she threatened to quit studying, leave school and drive home to both make and force feed her poor mother massive amounts of Remedy. After 20 minutes of claiming that

A) I was getting off the couch to make Remedy Right Now and

B) I had already taken plenty and was much better thanks and then

C) falling back to the position that I was experiencing fever induced hallucinations and was not telling whoppers (exactly) and therefore did not need to repent…

…I did finally hoist my pitiful self off the sofa leaving a slime-trail in my wake as I headed for the pantry.

And today, I do feel better.

So what is the Remedy?

It’s always been a goal of mine to further inflect the Joy of Remedy on to the population at large. But first, a little background.

After years of suffering the after-effects of an overblown system-wide yeast infectionfrom the overuse of broad spectrum antibiotics during the Roaring ’60’s, I began to question the wisdom of our healthcare system in general and the use of antibiotics in particular. My years of training and working in the healthcare field as an RN only served to deepen my suspicion that antibiotic use was pointless most of the time and dangerous at others. I’m definitely too young to remember the days before antibiotics and in no way am I trying to minimize the lifesaving benefits of their discovery. However…

So doctors decided that if a little’s good, then prescribing penicillin (and sulfa drugs and tetracycline and Keflix and Augmentin, etc, etc, etc.) with every sniffle would wipe out disease in our time! Load the syringe, backside up if you please! Only there’s this nasty little habit germs have of mutating. And some of those mutations are resistant to antibiotics and if you kill off all the germs that are not resistant, what’s left to grow and multiply like so many feral cats on a construction site?

(That’s a rhetorical question, btw)

SuperBugs aren’t funny. Working in labor and delivery back in the ’80’s, I can’t tell you how many perfectly healthy babies we saw develop mysterious illnesses which turned out to be not so mysterious nosocomial infections. Most of those not-funny infections were caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria which developed in-house due to the overuse of antibiotics in patients hospital-wide combined with powerful cleaning products which essentially had the same effect: Kill off the weak bacteria lurking on the bedrail and leave the superbug to grow without competition.

So I was already in full-blown panic mode by the time the little Brz’s made their appearance. No way were my precious little darlings to be pumped full of antibiotics just because some doctor went to school too many years and was too lazy to care about alternatives. We kept searching until we found a pediatrician with small bambinos of his own and the understanding that health was about prevention and allowing the immune system to heal the body.

<Rant Over>

Just for Clarification:

Antibiotics are not evil. Antibiotics are a weapon and, as such, should be saved for emergencies of a life threatening nature. Around here, we use natural remedies for most everything else. We’ve developed an arsenal of natural remedies for everyday healthcare concerns. My kids are well-versed in home remedies. They also tend to be a bit bossy. Don’t know where they could’ve gotten that from.

Y2K for Beginners

Whatever you may or may not believe about the whole Y2K scare, it had one far reaching effect– it forced you to think about what you’d do If:

• If there were no grocery stores
• If there were no banks
• If there were no doctors or medicines

Tons of websites popped up overnight spouting self sufficiency and self reliance. Some of it was crap, but a lot was stuff we need anyway in case of natural or manmade disaster. On one of those poorly laid out, grammatically incorrect sites, I found the following gem:

The Flu Remedy

• 1 cup distilled water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (organic is best but not necessary)
• 1 tsp. sea salt (we use sea salt every day, but have substituted regular table salt on occasion)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix together in a glass jar (canning jars work well). Stir well and heat in the microwave on high for 60 seconds. Cover and cool in the fridge. Shake well, then take one huge spoonful every 20 minutes while awake until fever breaks.

Now you probably understand why I resorted to fabrication with DD last night.

We’ve been using this on a regular basis for 10 years now. Here’s what we’ve found through our experience and that of the poor slobs who’ve succumbed to our powers of persuasion:

• I think the original recipe called for a tablespoon dose. We use a big soup spoon from the drawer.
• We’ve found it helpful for anything that causes a fever. My kids say it’s wonderful for sore throats. I contend  they simply sear the back of their throat with cayenne and can therefore no longer feel the pain. Kids say I’m a weenie. I say they have masochistic tendencies.
• It’s almost impossible to make yourself take the Remedy. Give someone else the spoon, a timer, and permission to nag.
• The first dose is the worst. It does get better.
• Some people develop a craving for Remedy and use the extra on greens and pinto beans (no joke)
• If someone is sleeping, the body is healing. Don’t wake them for a dose.
• In general, fever will break in 24 hours. Other symptoms like cough, congestion, drainage will linger.
• It isn’t going to hurt anything… unless you’re allergic to vinegar or salt or cayenne
• Once we tried to make Remedy by memory and used a tablespoon of cayenne instead of a teaspoon. It was not more effective, but it was vastly amusing to those not getting dosed.

True Story

I have dozens of stories about The Remedy but this one will have to do as the timer’s about to go off again:

When my father passed, all 4 of his children plus spouses and various other relatives were holed up in Mom’s house while arrangements were made. As if on cue, we all came down with the flu– every single one of us. Sore throat, high fever, cough, mucus… ugh.

I gave my sister-in-law the recipe for Remedy and she made a huge batch, set the timer and force fed everyone at 20 minute intervals– except for herself and as she isn’t my sil any longer, I’ll just say she was a big weenie who refused to even try it on general principle, yet overly enjoyed forcing it upon everyone else. Three days later at dad’s funeral, everyone was well… except the ex-sister-in-law who stayed sick almost 2 full weeks.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Tags: antibiotic overuse, Flu Remedy, home remedies, influenza, The Remedy

Headline:

Aliens Swipe Camera!

ConnieBrz sez, “Only explanation!”

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Our last visit of the day. Gorgeous, gorgeous home on 10 acres in a semi-rural section of town. Too bad about the aliens and all…. the pix would’ve been beautiful.

*Note the appearance of the lucky shoes as they steathily track the agent into her lair.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Tags: oops, REI, video

The mister’s leg is better– almost miraculously so. The ugly bruising is gone, he’s showing off his deep knee bend skillz and canceled his appointment with the orthopedic specialist. We now have proof positive that Tractor Therapy is very good for busted legs and all men in America should rush right out and get a couple for the sake of their health and well-being.

Yesterday we visited 3 homes of interest and 1 just for fun. This lovely little house with the pink brick was our all-star favorite of the day:

Asking Price: 75K

• 3 bedroom, 1 and a half bathrooms, no garage, one car carport
• 1300 sq. ft.
• Small den, indoor utility room, big lot with outbuildings
• Tax Record Value 62K
• Rent: 900/month if the above were true (see below)
• After Repair Value: No real repairs needed

This is a great little house in move-in condition. The house sports an Ike roof and brand new central ac/heating system. The bathroom is old and could use some updating eventually. Hardwoods are in great shape where visible and lurk under the carpets in the rest of the house.

So what’s the trouble?

1) This is a 2 bedroom house, not 3 as stated in MLS. I hate, hate, hate showing up expecting 3 bedrooms and finding that the listing agent has been purposefully misleading. The small den may have a closet but it’s open to both the kitchen and the hall *and* via a large sliding glass door (the only access) to the covered back patio. Yes, technically it has a closet (full of mechanicals, not closet poles) but no way is an appraiser going to count it as another bedroom, trust. And furthermore, no one in their right mind will want to rent it thataway.

2) Calling the bedroom into question puts the price into question. As a 3/1 without a garage, it might, maybe, sorta be worth something in the distant vicinity of of 65K. As a 2/1?… Well, that is the question.

3) With our financing we either a) need the tax records to show enough value so that we can finance with 80% LTV and not have to throw wads of cash into the deal or b) the house has to appraise higher than tax value. After running comps, Sandra thinks this one will top out somewhere around 68-70K max– and that’s *if* the appraiser’s are fooled into counting the den as a bedroom.

Conclusion: I want to buy this house. The mister wants to buy this house. Why? Because we are suckers for little old lady houses with incredible pink brick and lovely Mid Century Modern details. It has a new roof. It has a new ac. It has stolen my heart with the loveliness of it’s awesome cuteness.

We could easily turn this into a 3 bedroom by taking in the formal dining area (which also has a closet, btw, so why didn’t the sneaky listing agent list it as a 4 bedroom?) and turning the den into a (duh) den. But that still won’t get us past the appraisal.

With a tax value of 62K, commercial bank would loan us 50K. Closing costs would run around 3k. That makes 28K out of pocket at their asking price. And economically speaking, it makes no sense to plunk down anything over 5k as we’re busying hanging onto our cash reserves with great ferocity.

New, Huge AC. Leftover room ac in the window- like an unloved appendix.

Beautiful Ike Roof and well-pruned fig tree. Little old lady houses always have fig trees here.

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Trying out a smaller video. Let me know if this helps loading time.

The last room in the video is the bedroom in question. And if anyone knows what that ticking thing in the closet might be, please share.

Close-up of mystery box

Popularity: 7% [?]

Tags: real estate investement

Check this out:

An Emptiness Only the Holy Spirit Can Fill

Here’s a direct quote:

“I think God loves to hear little kids laugh at fart jokes. He didn’t just make sunsets and bluebirds, He made hot babes. And dirty old men like me. That’s the modest message I’ve set out to tell the world: you don’t have to be Ned Flanders to be a Christian.”

 As a child of the ’60’s, I spent many an afternoon with Orson Bean and Kitty Carlisle. Mr. Bean’s slightly irreverent testimony is an injection of joy in the overstuffed, self-important world that is modern Christianity.

And let me just say that writing this type of article on this type of blog is Very Brave Indeed.

You tell ‘em, Orson. We need more Beans.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Tags: big hollywood, orson bean

The mister just flounced in and announced he fell out of a tree yesterday with a running chainsaw. Nice. Seems he didn’t won’t to worry my mom who was having dinner with us last night and therefore, found it necessary to hide his battered appendage and head to bed early with multiple Ibuprophen clenched between his sneaky lips. As I type, he’s on the phone with our orthopedic specialist. Does it say anything that we actually *have* an orthopedic specialist?

Yesterday was a day of driveby’s and shopping for the Little Mister, only we arrived in town sans the mrs’s wallet which put the kibosh on any shopping of any variety. The mrs contends that if LM would stop growing so stinkin’ fast, clothes shopping wouldn’t be so frequent nor so painful for all parties involved.

One house of interest was this lovely red brick built in 1997:

• Asking Price: $86,500
• 3 bedrooms
• 2 and a half bathrooms
• 1 car garage
• 1450 sq. ft.
• HCAD value: 105K

I called Sandra asap for a tour and the house is already under contract. Apparently we have out of state buyers dropping in lowball cash offers like crazy which are being accepted over anything vaguely resembling a close-to-asking-price offer with the stench of financing.

(Just wait ’til they get that first property tax bill… that’ll show ‘em.)

So it follows that I need to make friends with out of state buyers possessing wads of cash. I’ll probably work on that this afternoon– right after taking Little Mister back to town for pants.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Tags: foreclosures, Rehab, rehabbing, REI

I’m busy nesting this week… cleaning out closets, rearranging furniture, compulsively hunting on craigslist for bedroom furniture. Kids are still home from college so plenty of communal cooking, shopping, etc.

A few foreclosures are dropping in price but not enough to tempt just yet. We do plan to visit  what appears to be an estate owned brick SFH, 3/2/1 carport in a good area with a new roof this weekend. It’s overpriced by about 15K and may need to sit and simmer a bit. When we go, I’ll try out the video feature on the camera and see if we can get anything interesting. Otherwise, it’s a sit and wait and wait and wait kinda thing going on.

Promised the mister spinach manicotti for dinner. JoJo is crazy for mozzarella cheese which means fighting his silly self to reach the counter while he circles about the feet vacuuming the floor. Continued procrastination will produce neither manicotti nor other edibles.

Heavy sigh…

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