Baker Breeze - Ann Baker, Realtor. 714-791-4455

This blog has moved

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 21:05:00 +0000

This blog is now located at http://annie.bakerbreeze.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://annie.bakerbreeze.com/feeds/posts/default.

READY, SET, GO!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:16:00 +0000

It’s that season nationwide where brilliant well known speakers dig in to come up with something motivational to speak to graduates about. A wide variety of good advice will be given. It can set all of us to thinking about our own lives. I like to apply some of this advice to my own life and see how I’m doing since it’s never too late to learn something new.
To begin with, we all know the saying, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” True. But given that we all need to have a Plan A we need to be flexible enough to switch to Plan B or even C as backup which might end up being
better anyway. After all, if we don’t have a road map, how can we get to our destination? As the song goes, “You got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” And if we don’t even have a destination determined we won’t know where we’re going and wonder aimlessly in circles.
So, I’ve been pondering some of the advice I’ve heard recently and measuring how and if I’m staying on track in my own life goals and dreams.
Graduates are being told how to be successful. But what is success? How can it be measured? Is it owning a bigger car than your friend or neighbor, having a good looking spouse or date, being the highest paid in your department, having more money than anyone else, the highest grades, being popular? These things are nice but can they be guaranteed to bring happiness and security in the long run? Surely, all of us have known people who have these achievements who are not “happy”.
Well, as usual, I have a few opinions of my own I’d love to share and, hopefully, you do too. Let’s look at a few recent comments from a motivational convention in Anaheim that boasted of highly successful people: guests such as Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Michael Phelps and Rudy Giuliani. Here are some tidbits of inspiration they shared:
“Relentless preparation in everything you pursue is everything. Build yourself up so you are prepared when disaster arrives in your life. Do the things that you have to do on the days you don’t feel like doing them. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s how we grow”. Ok. Let’s say that all helps you build a career and physical, financial security. So far, great ideas.
I think being happy requires more than the above. I believe in a strong work ethic, of course. No entitlement mentality here. You earn your own way. No one owes you a living.
But I would emphasize strongly the ability to adjust to your circumstances. Things are not always going to go our way even with the best of efforts. Adjusting helps us grow up no matter how old we are. That shows character. Figure out what skills and talents we have and pursue them with a passion in every area of our life. Let’s not leave out the spiritual side of your life either. Happiness does not necessarily mean a lofty height of perfection. Happiness means enjoying the trip.
It’s ok to feel uncomfortable once in awhile’ to make mistakes. That’s how we stretch and grow.
Don’t settle. Try something new no matter what age we are. We’ll be a more interesting person. For example, I’ve decided as a way to keep my mind sharp, I have returned to my piano in the late evenings after decades of ignoring it. I never was that good at it to begin with but I enjoy it. Pure escape. It’s hard to worry about anything else when I’m concentrating on the next 4 measures. So, I’m memorizing my favorite tunes that I never had time for before. I joke that I play for my own amazement. Yes, there are clunkers all over the place but my kind husband doesn’t seem to mind. (Is he tone deaf or just kind?). So far, to my joy, I’ve memorized “Satin Doll”, “Take 5” (jazz) “The Entertainer” (Scott Joplin, ragtime) and now am working on the tricky (for me) “Moonlight Sonata”. Boy, do I look forward to that as often as I can get to it. I’ll bet you have a favorite thing you could make time for. Maybe gardening? Walking? You name it. Think about it. What I’m working on is having balance between work and play. It can go a long way to giving us a good attitude quickly followed by happiness. We then see that life will have its fun moments and refresh us for those days of really hard work. We learn that we can have a life. Time for work, hobbies friends and family.
But, somehow, we have to hang in there to make all this happen. My kids grew up with this quote on the refrigerator door which can work for all of us.
“Press On”
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
(Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the US (1872-1933)
Join me in the life long goal of balance and hang in there. We can all be ready for the future with some of these tips. I’m sure you can add oodles to the ideas above. Enjoy your springtime with all its many possibilities.

962 words
Quote at bottom of page one “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”
ADS
FOR SALE (STANDARD SALE)
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
21072 Galbar Circle, HB, S/Atlanta, E/Brookhurst $649,900
Unique 5 Bedroom, 3 Bath, 2000 SF
Master Plus 2 Bedrooms, Family Room Down
Spacious Living Room, Vaulted Ceiling, Brick Fireplace
Peaceful Courtyard in Front, Shady Patio in Back
Ideal Location: Cul de Sac Street.
Backs to Bike & Dog Trail. 1.5 miles to the Beach
TWO FAMILIES COULD LIVE HERE!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES! You are welcome.

FOR SALE….BRINGING NATURE INTO YOUR HOME…
Beautiful Deane Gardens Home with Miles of Windows, Standard Sale.
Sliders and Atrium. Unique 8 Foot Walls Provides Utmost Privacy.
Allows You to Leave Your Windows Open and Let the Greenery Shine In.
9362 CANDLEWOOD DRIVE, HB, S/Adams/W/Bushard. $799,000
4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths. Hard to Find Large Master Down
LIKE A MODEL HOME. 2149 SF
Granite &Cherry wood Floors, Scraped Ceilings, Crown Molding
Fabulous Kitchen, Family Room, Dining Room
Most Windows Newer, 2 Story Vaulted Ceilings
Spotless, Sparkling Pool. Large Yard. UTMOST PRIVACY!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES. You are welcome.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
PARK HUNTINGTON
9591 LASSEN CIRCLE, S/Adams, E/Bushard
Catalina Model 2540 SF, SOLD $735,000
4 bedrooms, 3 Baths, Living Room,
Family Room--New French Doors
Large Bonus Room, Some Wood Floors
S & S Construction Forest-Like Peaceful Yard
Cul de Sac Location.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
LOVELY FASION SHORES
21211 AMBERWICK LANE, S/Atlanta, W/Brookhurst
4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths. $655,000
Large Master and 2nd bedroom Down
Newer Roof, Lovely Walled Yard.

MARKET UPDATE
We are in a slow recovery mode in home sales in South HB for now. Short sales and REO’s continue to pop up as owners’ variable rates go up every 6 months and these comps have a pull on our prices. However, the good news is buyers are out, especially this time of year, because they see that rates are going up (already have) and they will qualify for less as they continue up. Plus the tax credit buyers can get for buying now will end 4/30/10. It’s not just first time buyers who benefit from this (up to $8000) but those who have owned their home for over 5 years who can get a credit of $6500. Also a standard sale is highly sought after. That means it’s not a short sale or REO which is long and difficult to get through.
At my open houses, that is the first question buyers ask me. Is this a normal sale?
Some have been through the agony of waiting months to hear back from a bank on an offer only to find out they lost out. The 4 homes you see here area all standard sales.
The bottom line is it’s a great time to sell because the buyer pool will shrink as rates go up since they will qualify for less.
Give me a call for more information. I’d be glad to help you.

COYOTE ALERT
None have been spotted in the south HB area as far as I know this spring. In other years they have come down the 2 river beds. Across town, however, HB has actually hired a trapping company to catch and kill coyotes that some residents say have become moiré aggressive. Our police chief says sightings or incidents have more than doubled in the last 4 years. Neighborhoods near the Bolsa Chica wetlands and Central Parks have had incidents where coyotes are not afraid of humans. So, be on the alert with your small pets and small children. It’s a good idea to bring your pets inside at night and not leave food and water dishes outside. Keep an eye out. Better safe than sorry.

BIG DOINS’ COMING UP AT EDISON HIGH SCHOOL
This sounds like fun!
Saturday, May 1st 2010, 8 AM to 1 PM
21400 Magnolia, HB
“Flash from the Past Car Show”
Proceeds to benefit educational Programs at Edison
There will be more than 150 entries.
Your donations will help the school greatly!
Don’t miss it!
HUMOR CORNER
If it weren’t for stress, I’d have no energy at all.
Everyone has a photographic memory.
Some, like me, just don’t have any film.
Whatever hits the fan, will not be distributed evenly.
If the shoe fits, buy a pair in every color.
Never be too open-minded. Your brains may fall out.
Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian
anymore than standing in a garage will make you a car.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
Some days are a total waste of make-up.
Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Junk is something you’ve kept for years and
throw away 3 weeks before you need it.
DID YOU KNOW?
That all my homes for sale are on over 30 websites to reach buyers? Most have 20 or more photos with them! Marketing is everything!
That you can view the entire MLS by going to AnnieBaker.com, a state of the art website?
UPDATE ON “OUR” PUPPY FIONA
Actually, she is daughter Stacey’s pup. She became one year old February 20 and is over 50 pounds now and still growing. She loves to visit our house, go to the doggie park and play. Here’s a photo of her. Isn’t she a sweetheart? And now she has a new “cousin”. Her name is Sparkle, 11 weeks old, soft and cuddly velvet and she’s a blond Lab. She came with our kids over to meet Fiona for a birthday party. Here the two are enjoying their chew bones together.
UPDATE ON “Wesley the Owl”
So many of you have asked how
Stacey’s book is doing. Thanks. It’s becoming an animal classic. Has been published in Chinese, in China. In Germany, it was featured in their Reader’s Digest and in one of their condensed books. Stacey continues to speak to animal lover groups here, Arizona, Colorado and beyond at book stores and Audobon groups. It remains one of the top 10 in the nature category on many websites. Amazing.
She’s working on her next book now.

Ready, Set, Go!

It’s that season nationwide where brilliant well known speakers dig in to come up with something motivational to speak to graduates about. A wide variety of good advice will be given. It can set all of us to thinking about our own lives. I like to apply some of this advice to my own life and see how I’m doing since it’s never too late to learn something new.
To begin with, we all know the saying, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” True. But given that we all need to have a Plan A we need to be flexible enough to switch to Plan B or even C as backup which might end up being
better anyway. After all, if we don’t have a road map, how can we get to our destination? As the song goes, “You got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” And if we don’t even have a destination determined we won’t know where we’re going and wonder aimlessly in circles.
So, I’ve been pondering some of the advice I’ve heard recently and measuring how and if I’m staying on track in my own life goals and dreams.
Graduates are being told how to be successful. But what is success? How can it be measured? Is it owning a bigger car than your friend or neighbor, having a good looking spouse or date, being the highest paid in your department, having more money than anyone else, the highest grades, being popular? These things are nice but can they be guaranteed to bring happiness and security in the long run? Surely, all of us have known people who have these achievements who are not “happy”.
Well, as usual, I have a few opinions of my own I’d love to share and, hopefully, you do too. Let’s look at a few recent comments from a motivational convention in Anaheim that boasted of highly successful people: guests such as Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Michael Phelps and Rudy Giuliani. Here are some tidbits of inspiration they shared:
“Relentless preparation in everything you pursue is everything. Build yourself up so you are prepared when disaster arrives in your life. Do the things that you have to do on the days you don’t feel like doing them. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s how we grow”. Ok. Let’s say that all helps you build a career and physical, financial security. So far, great ideas.
I think being happy requires more than the above. I believe in a strong work ethic, of course. No entitlement mentality here. You earn your own way. No one owes you a living.
But I would emphasize strongly the ability to adjust to your circumstances. Things are not always going to go our way even with the best of efforts. Adjusting helps us grow up no matter how old we are. That shows character. Figure out what skills and talents we have and pursue them with a passion in every area of our life. Let’s not leave out the spiritual side of your life either. Happiness does not necessarily mean a lofty height of perfection. Happiness means enjoying the trip.
It’s ok to feel uncomfortable once in awhile’ to make mistakes. That’s how we stretch and grow.
Don’t settle. Try something new no matter what age we are. We’ll be a more interesting person. For example, I’ve decided as a way to keep my mind sharp, I have returned to my piano in the late evenings after decades of ignoring it. I never was that good at it to begin with but I enjoy it. Pure escape. It’s hard to worry about anything else when I’m concentrating on the next 4 measures. So, I’m memorizing my favorite tunes that I never had time for before. I joke that I play for my own amazement. Yes, there are clunkers all over the place but my kind husband doesn’t seem to mind. (Is he tone deaf or just kind?). So far, to my joy, I’ve memorized “Satin Doll”, “Take 5” (jazz) “The Entertainer” (Scott Joplin, ragtime) and now am working on the tricky (for me) “Moonlight Sonata”. Boy, do I look forward to that as often as I can get to it. I’ll bet you have a favorite thing you could make time for. Maybe gardening? Walking? You name it. Think about it. What I’m working on is having balance between work and play. It can go a long way to giving us a good attitude quickly followed by happiness. We then see that life will have its fun moments and refresh us for those days of really hard work. We learn that we can have a life. Time for work, hobbies friends and family.
But, somehow, we have to hang in there to make all this happen. My kids grew up with this quote on the refrigerator door which can work for all of us.
“Press On”
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
(Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the US (1872-1933)
Join me in the life long goal of balance and hang in there. We can all be ready for the future with some of these tips. I’m sure you can add oodles to the ideas above. Enjoy your springtime with all its many possibilities.

962 words
Quote at bottom of page one “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”
ADS
FOR SALE (STANDARD SALE)
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
21072 Galbar Circle, HB, S/Atlanta, E/Brookhurst $649,900
Unique 5 Bedroom, 3 Bath, 2000 SF
Master Plus 2 Bedrooms, Family Room Down
Spacious Living Room, Vaulted Ceiling, Brick Fireplace
Peaceful Courtyard in Front, Shady Patio in Back
Ideal Location: Cul de Sac Street.
Backs to Bike & Dog Trail. 1.5 miles to the Beach
TWO FAMILIES COULD LIVE HERE!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES! You are welcome.

FOR SALE….BRINGING NATURE INTO YOUR HOME…
Beautiful Deane Gardens Home with Miles of Windows, Standard Sale.
Sliders and Atrium. Unique 8 Foot Walls Provides Utmost Privacy.
Allows You to Leave Your Windows Open and Let the Greenery Shine In.
9362 CANDLEWOOD DRIVE, HB, S/Adams/W/Bushard. $799,000
4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths. Hard to Find Large Master Down
LIKE A MODEL HOME. 2149 SF
Granite &Cherry wood Floors, Scraped Ceilings, Crown Molding
Fabulous Kitchen, Family Room, Dining Room
Most Windows Newer, 2 Story Vaulted Ceilings
Spotless, Sparkling Pool. Large Yard. UTMOST PRIVACY!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES. You are welcome.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
PARK HUNTINGTON
9591 LASSEN CIRCLE, S/Adams, E/Bushard
Catalina Model 2540 SF, SOLD $735,000
4 bedrooms, 3 Baths, Living Room,
Family Room--New French Doors
Large Bonus Room, Some Wood Floors
S & S Construction Forest-Like Peaceful Yard
Cul de Sac Location.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
LOVELY FASION SHORES
21211 AMBERWICK LANE, S/Atlanta, W/Brookhurst
4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths. $655,000
Large Master and 2nd bedroom Down
Newer Roof, Lovely Walled Yard.

MARKET UPDATE
We are in a slow recovery mode in home sales in South HB for now. Short sales and REO’s continue to pop up as owners’ variable rates go up every 6 months and these comps have a pull on our prices. However, the good news is buyers are out, especially this time of year, because they see that rates are going up (already have) and they will qualify for less as they continue up. Plus the tax credit buyers can get for buying now will end 4/30/10. It’s not just first time buyers who benefit from this (up to $8000) but those who have owned their home for over 5 years who can get a credit of $6500. Also a standard sale is highly sought after. That means it’s not a short sale or REO which is long and difficult to get through.
At my open houses, that is the first question buyers ask me. Is this a normal sale?
Some have been through the agony of waiting months to hear back from a bank on an offer only to find out they lost out. The 4 homes you see here area all standard sales.
The bottom line is it’s a great time to sell because the buyer pool will shrink as rates go up since they will qualify for less.
Give me a call for more information. I’d be glad to help you.

COYOTE ALERT
None have been spotted in the south HB area as far as I know this spring. In other years they have come down the 2 river beds. Across town, however, HB has actually hired a trapping company to catch and kill coyotes that some residents say have become moiré aggressive. Our police chief says sightings or incidents have more than doubled in the last 4 years. Neighborhoods near the Bolsa Chica wetlands and Central Parks have had incidents where coyotes are not afraid of humans. So, be on the alert with your small pets and small children. It’s a good idea to bring your pets inside at night and not leave food and water dishes outside. Keep an eye out. Better safe than sorry.

BIG DOINS’ COMING UP AT EDISON HIGH SCHOOL
This sounds like fun!
Saturday, May 1st 2010, 8 AM to 1 PM
21400 Magnolia, HB
“Flash from the Past Car Show”
Proceeds to benefit educational Programs at Edison
There will be more than 150 entries.
Your donations will help the school greatly!
Don’t miss it!
HUMOR CORNER
If it weren’t for stress, I’d have no energy at all.
Everyone has a photographic memory.
Some, like me, just don’t have any film.
Whatever hits the fan, will not be distributed evenly.
If the shoe fits, buy a pair in every color.
Never be too open-minded. Your brains may fall out.
Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian
anymore than standing in a garage will make you a car.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
Some days are a total waste of make-up.
Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Junk is something you’ve kept for years and
throw away 3 weeks before you need it.
DID YOU KNOW?
That all my homes for sale are on over 30 websites to reach buyers? Most have 20 or more photos with them! Marketing is everything!
That you can view the entire MLS by going to AnnieBaker.com, a state of the art website?
UPDATE ON “OUR” PUPPY FIONA
Actually, she is daughter Stacey’s pup. She became one year old February 20 and is over 50 pounds now and still growing. She loves to visit our house, go to the doggie park and play. Here’s a photo of her. Isn’t she a sweetheart? And now she has a new “cousin”. Her name is Sparkle, 11 weeks old, soft and cuddly velvet and she’s a blond Lab. She came with our kids over to meet Fiona for a birthday party. Here the two are enjoying their chew bones together.
UPDATE ON “Wesley the Owl”
So many of you have asked how
Stacey’s book is doing. Thanks. It’s becoming an animal classic. Has been published in Chinese, in China. In Germany, it was featured in their Reader’s Digest and in one of their condensed books. Stacey continues to speak to animal lover groups here, Arizona, Colorado and beyond at book stores and Audobon groups. It remains one of the top 10 in the nature category on many websites. Amazing.
She’s working on her next book now.

Ready, Set, Go!

It’s that season nationwide where brilliant well known speakers dig in to come up with something motivational to speak to graduates about. A wide variety of good advice will be given. It can set all of us to thinking about our own lives. I like to apply some of this advice to my own life and see how I’m doing since it’s never too late to learn something new.
To begin with, we all know the saying, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” True. But given that we all need to have a Plan A we need to be flexible enough to switch to Plan B or even C as backup which might end up being
better anyway. After all, if we don’t have a road map, how can we get to our destination? As the song goes, “You got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” And if we don’t even have a destination determined we won’t know where we’re going and wonder aimlessly in circles.
So, I’ve been pondering some of the advice I’ve heard recently and measuring how and if I’m staying on track in my own life goals and dreams.
Graduates are being told how to be successful. But what is success? How can it be measured? Is it owning a bigger car than your friend or neighbor, having a good looking spouse or date, being the highest paid in your department, having more money than anyone else, the highest grades, being popular? These things are nice but can they be guaranteed to bring happiness and security in the long run? Surely, all of us have known people who have these achievements who are not “happy”.
Well, as usual, I have a few opinions of my own I’d love to share and, hopefully, you do too. Let’s look at a few recent comments from a motivational convention in Anaheim that boasted of highly successful people: guests such as Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Michael Phelps and Rudy Giuliani. Here are some tidbits of inspiration they shared:
“Relentless preparation in everything you pursue is everything. Build yourself up so you are prepared when disaster arrives in your life. Do the things that you have to do on the days you don’t feel like doing them. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s how we grow”. Ok. Let’s say that all helps you build a career and physical, financial security. So far, great ideas.
I think being happy requires more than the above. I believe in a strong work ethic, of course. No entitlement mentality here. You earn your own way. No one owes you a living.
But I would emphasize strongly the ability to adjust to your circumstances. Things are not always going to go our way even with the best of efforts. Adjusting helps us grow up no matter how old we are. That shows character. Figure out what skills and talents we have and pursue them with a passion in every area of our life. Let’s not leave out the spiritual side of your life either. Happiness does not necessarily mean a lofty height of perfection. Happiness means enjoying the trip.
It’s ok to feel uncomfortable once in awhile’ to make mistakes. That’s how we stretch and grow.
Don’t settle. Try something new no matter what age we are. We’ll be a more interesting person. For example, I’ve decided as a way to keep my mind sharp, I have returned to my piano in the late evenings after decades of ignoring it. I never was that good at it to begin with but I enjoy it. Pure escape. It’s hard to worry about anything else when I’m concentrating on the next 4 measures. So, I’m memorizing my favorite tunes that I never had time for before. I joke that I play for my own amazement. Yes, there are clunkers all over the place but my kind husband doesn’t seem to mind. (Is he tone deaf or just kind?). So far, to my joy, I’ve memorized “Satin Doll”, “Take 5” (jazz) “The Entertainer” (Scott Joplin, ragtime) and now am working on the tricky (for me) “Moonlight Sonata”. Boy, do I look forward to that as often as I can get to it. I’ll bet you have a favorite thing you could make time for. Maybe gardening? Walking? You name it. Think about it. What I’m working on is having balance between work and play. It can go a long way to giving us a good attitude quickly followed by happiness. We then see that life will have its fun moments and refresh us for those days of really hard work. We learn that we can have a life. Time for work, hobbies friends and family.
But, somehow, we have to hang in there to make all this happen. My kids grew up with this quote on the refrigerator door which can work for all of us.
“Press On”
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
(Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the US (1872-1933)
Join me in the life long goal of balance and hang in there. We can all be ready for the future with some of these tips. I’m sure you can add oodles to the ideas above. Enjoy your springtime with all its many possibilities.

962 words
Quote at bottom of page one “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”
ADS
FOR SALE (STANDARD SALE)
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
21072 Galbar Circle, HB, S/Atlanta, E/Brookhurst $649,900
Unique 5 Bedroom, 3 Bath, 2000 SF
Master Plus 2 Bedrooms, Family Room Down
Spacious Living Room, Vaulted Ceiling, Brick Fireplace
Peaceful Courtyard in Front, Shady Patio in Back
Ideal Location: Cul de Sac Street.
Backs to Bike & Dog Trail. 1.5 miles to the Beach
TWO FAMILIES COULD LIVE HERE!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES! You are welcome.

FOR SALE….BRINGING NATURE INTO YOUR HOME…
Beautiful Deane Gardens Home with Miles of Windows, Standard Sale.
Sliders and Atrium. Unique 8 Foot Walls Provides Utmost Privacy.
Allows You to Leave Your Windows Open and Let the Greenery Shine In.
9362 CANDLEWOOD DRIVE, HB, S/Adams/W/Bushard. $799,000
4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths. Hard to Find Large Master Down
LIKE A MODEL HOME. 2149 SF
Granite &Cherry wood Floors, Scraped Ceilings, Crown Molding
Fabulous Kitchen, Family Room, Dining Room
Most Windows Newer, 2 Story Vaulted Ceilings
Spotless, Sparkling Pool. Large Yard. UTMOST PRIVACY!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES. You are welcome.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
PARK HUNTINGTON
9591 LASSEN CIRCLE, S/Adams, E/Bushard
Catalina Model 2540 SF, SOLD $735,000
4 bedrooms, 3 Baths, Living Room,
Family Room--New French Doors
Large Bonus Room, Some Wood Floors
S & S Construction Forest-Like Peaceful Yard
Cul de Sac Location.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
LOVELY FASION SHORES
21211 AMBERWICK LANE, S/Atlanta, W/Brookhurst
4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths. $655,000
Large Master and 2nd bedroom Down
Newer Roof, Lovely Walled Yard.

MARKET UPDATE
We are in a slow recovery mode in home sales in South HB for now. Short sales and REO’s continue to pop up as owners’ variable rates go up every 6 months and these comps have a pull on our prices. However, the good news is buyers are out, especially this time of year, because they see that rates are going up (already have) and they will qualify for less as they continue up. Plus the tax credit buyers can get for buying now will end 4/30/10. It’s not just first time buyers who benefit from this (up to $8000) but those who have owned their home for over 5 years who can get a credit of $6500. Also a standard sale is highly sought after. That means it’s not a short sale or REO which is long and difficult to get through.
At my open houses, that is the first question buyers ask me. Is this a normal sale?
Some have been through the agony of waiting months to hear back from a bank on an offer only to find out they lost out. The 4 homes you see here area all standard sales.
The bottom line is it’s a great time to sell because the buyer pool will shrink as rates go up since they will qualify for less.
Give me a call for more information. I’d be glad to help you.

COYOTE ALERT
None have been spotted in the south HB area as far as I know this spring. In other years they have come down the 2 river beds. Across town, however, HB has actually hired a trapping company to catch and kill coyotes that some residents say have become moiré aggressive. Our police chief says sightings or incidents have more than doubled in the last 4 years. Neighborhoods near the Bolsa Chica wetlands and Central Parks have had incidents where coyotes are not afraid of humans. So, be on the alert with your small pets and small children. It’s a good idea to bring your pets inside at night and not leave food and water dishes outside. Keep an eye out. Better safe than sorry.

BIG DOINS’ COMING UP AT EDISON HIGH SCHOOL
This sounds like fun!
Saturday, May 1st 2010, 8 AM to 1 PM
21400 Magnolia, HB
“Flash from the Past Car Show”
Proceeds to benefit educational Programs at Edison
There will be more than 150 entries.
Your donations will help the school greatly!
Don’t miss it!
HUMOR CORNER
If it weren’t for stress, I’d have no energy at all.
Everyone has a photographic memory.
Some, like me, just don’t have any film.
Whatever hits the fan, will not be distributed evenly.
If the shoe fits, buy a pair in every color.
Never be too open-minded. Your brains may fall out.
Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian
anymore than standing in a garage will make you a car.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
Some days are a total waste of make-up.
Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Junk is something you’ve kept for years and
throw away 3 weeks before you need it.
DID YOU KNOW?
That all my homes for sale are on over 30 websites to reach buyers? Most have 20 or more photos with them! Marketing is everything!
That you can view the entire MLS by going to AnnieBaker.com, a state of the art website?
UPDATE ON “OUR” PUPPY FIONA
Actually, she is daughter Stacey’s pup. She became one year old February 20 and is over 50 pounds now and still growing. She loves to visit our house, go to the doggie park and play. Here’s a photo of her. Isn’t she a sweetheart? And now she has a new “cousin”. Her name is Sparkle, 11 weeks old, soft and cuddly velvet and she’s a blond Lab. She came with our kids over to meet Fiona for a birthday party. Here the two are enjoying their chew bones together.
UPDATE ON “Wesley the Owl”
So many of you have asked how
Stacey’s book is doing. Thanks. It’s becoming an animal classic. Has been published in Chinese, in China. In Germany, it was featured in their Reader’s Digest and in one of their condensed books. Stacey continues to speak to animal lover groups here, Arizona, Colorado and beyond at book stores and Audobon groups. It remains one of the top 10 in the nature category on many websites. Amazing.
She’s working on her next book now.

Ready, Set, Go!

It’s that season nationwide where brilliant well known speakers dig in to come up with something motivational to speak to graduates about. A wide variety of good advice will be given. It can set all of us to thinking about our own lives. I like to apply some of this advice to my own life and see how I’m doing since it’s never too late to learn something new.
To begin with, we all know the saying, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” True. But given that we all need to have a Plan A we need to be flexible enough to switch to Plan B or even C as backup which might end up being
better anyway. After all, if we don’t have a road map, how can we get to our destination? As the song goes, “You got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” And if we don’t even have a destination determined we won’t know where we’re going and wonder aimlessly in circles.
So, I’ve been pondering some of the advice I’ve heard recently and measuring how and if I’m staying on track in my own life goals and dreams.
Graduates are being told how to be successful. But what is success? How can it be measured? Is it owning a bigger car than your friend or neighbor, having a good looking spouse or date, being the highest paid in your department, having more money than anyone else, the highest grades, being popular? These things are nice but can they be guaranteed to bring happiness and security in the long run? Surely, all of us have known people who have these achievements who are not “happy”.
Well, as usual, I have a few opinions of my own I’d love to share and, hopefully, you do too. Let’s look at a few recent comments from a motivational convention in Anaheim that boasted of highly successful people: guests such as Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Michael Phelps and Rudy Giuliani. Here are some tidbits of inspiration they shared:
“Relentless preparation in everything you pursue is everything. Build yourself up so you are prepared when disaster arrives in your life. Do the things that you have to do on the days you don’t feel like doing them. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s how we grow”. Ok. Let’s say that all helps you build a career and physical, financial security. So far, great ideas.
I think being happy requires more than the above. I believe in a strong work ethic, of course. No entitlement mentality here. You earn your own way. No one owes you a living.
But I would emphasize strongly the ability to adjust to your circumstances. Things are not always going to go our way even with the best of efforts. Adjusting helps us grow up no matter how old we are. That shows character. Figure out what skills and talents we have and pursue them with a passion in every area of our life. Let’s not leave out the spiritual side of your life either. Happiness does not necessarily mean a lofty height of perfection. Happiness means enjoying the trip.
It’s ok to feel uncomfortable once in awhile’ to make mistakes. That’s how we stretch and grow.
Don’t settle. Try something new no matter what age we are. We’ll be a more interesting person. For example, I’ve decided as a way to keep my mind sharp, I have returned to my piano in the late evenings after decades of ignoring it. I never was that good at it to begin with but I enjoy it. Pure escape. It’s hard to worry about anything else when I’m concentrating on the next 4 measures. So, I’m memorizing my favorite tunes that I never had time for before. I joke that I play for my own amazement. Yes, there are clunkers all over the place but my kind husband doesn’t seem to mind. (Is he tone deaf or just kind?). So far, to my joy, I’ve memorized “Satin Doll”, “Take 5” (jazz) “The Entertainer” (Scott Joplin, ragtime) and now am working on the tricky (for me) “Moonlight Sonata”. Boy, do I look forward to that as often as I can get to it. I’ll bet you have a favorite thing you could make time for. Maybe gardening? Walking? You name it. Think about it. What I’m working on is having balance between work and play. It can go a long way to giving us a good attitude quickly followed by happiness. We then see that life will have its fun moments and refresh us for those days of really hard work. We learn that we can have a life. Time for work, hobbies friends and family.
But, somehow, we have to hang in there to make all this happen. My kids grew up with this quote on the refrigerator door which can work for all of us.
“Press On”
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
(Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the US (1872-1933)
Join me in the life long goal of balance and hang in there. We can all be ready for the future with some of these tips. I’m sure you can add oodles to the ideas above. Enjoy your springtime with all its many possibilities.

962 words
Quote at bottom of page one “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”
ADS
FOR SALE (STANDARD SALE)
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
21072 Galbar Circle, HB, S/Atlanta, E/Brookhurst $649,900
Unique 5 Bedroom, 3 Bath, 2000 SF
Master Plus 2 Bedrooms, Family Room Down
Spacious Living Room, Vaulted Ceiling, Brick Fireplace
Peaceful Courtyard in Front, Shady Patio in Back
Ideal Location: Cul de Sac Street.
Backs to Bike & Dog Trail. 1.5 miles to the Beach
TWO FAMILIES COULD LIVE HERE!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES! You are welcome.

FOR SALE….BRINGING NATURE INTO YOUR HOME…
Beautiful Deane Gardens Home with Miles of Windows, Standard Sale.
Sliders and Atrium. Unique 8 Foot Walls Provides Utmost Privacy.
Allows You to Leave Your Windows Open and Let the Greenery Shine In.
9362 CANDLEWOOD DRIVE, HB, S/Adams/W/Bushard. $799,000
4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths. Hard to Find Large Master Down
LIKE A MODEL HOME. 2149 SF
Granite &Cherry wood Floors, Scraped Ceilings, Crown Molding
Fabulous Kitchen, Family Room, Dining Room
Most Windows Newer, 2 Story Vaulted Ceilings
Spotless, Sparkling Pool. Large Yard. UTMOST PRIVACY!
WATCH FOR OPEN HOUSES. You are welcome.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
PARK HUNTINGTON
9591 LASSEN CIRCLE, S/Adams, E/Bushard
Catalina Model 2540 SF, SOLD $735,000
4 bedrooms, 3 Baths, Living Room,
Family Room--New French Doors
Large Bonus Room, Some Wood Floors
S & S Construction Forest-Like Peaceful Yard
Cul de Sac Location.

SOLD to Multiple Offers
LOVELY FASION SHORES
21211 AMBERWICK LANE, S/Atlanta, W/Brookhurst
4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths. $655,000
Large Master and 2nd bedroom Down
Newer Roof, Lovely Walled Yard.

MARKET UPDATE
We are in a slow recovery mode in home sales in South HB for now. Short sales and REO’s continue to pop up as owners’ variable rates go up every 6 months and these comps have a pull on our prices. However, the good news is buyers are out, especially this time of year, because they see that rates are going up (already have) and they will qualify for less as they continue up. Plus the tax credit buyers can get for buying now will end 4/30/10. It’s not just first time buyers who benefit from this (up to $8000) but those who have owned their home for over 5 years who can get a credit of $6500. Also a standard sale is highly sought after. That means it’s not a short sale or REO which is long and difficult to get through.
At my open houses, that is the first question buyers ask me. Is this a normal sale?
Some have been through the agony of waiting months to hear back from a bank on an offer only to find out they lost out. The 4 homes you see here area all standard sales.
The bottom line is it’s a great time to sell because the buyer pool will shrink as rates go up since they will qualify for less.
Give me a call for more information. I’d be glad to help you.

COYOTE ALERT
None have been spotted in the south HB area as far as I know this spring. In other years they have come down the 2 river beds. Across town, however, HB has actually hired a trapping company to catch and kill coyotes that some residents say have become moiré aggressive. Our police chief says sightings or incidents have more than doubled in the last 4 years. Neighborhoods near the Bolsa Chica wetlands and Central Parks have had incidents where coyotes are not afraid of humans. So, be on the alert with your small pets and small children. It’s a good idea to bring your pets inside at night and not leave food and water dishes outside. Keep an eye out. Better safe than sorry.

BIG DOINS’ COMING UP AT EDISON HIGH SCHOOL
This sounds like fun!
Saturday, May 1st 2010, 8 AM to 1 PM
21400 Magnolia, HB
“Flash from the Past Car Show”
Proceeds to benefit educational Programs at Edison
There will be more than 150 entries.
Your donations will help the school greatly!
Don’t miss it!
HUMOR CORNER
If it weren’t for stress, I’d have no energy at all.
Everyone has a photographic memory.
Some, like me, just don’t have any film.
Whatever hits the fan, will not be distributed evenly.
If the shoe fits, buy a pair in every color.
Never be too open-minded. Your brains may fall out.
Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian
anymore than standing in a garage will make you a car.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
Some days are a total waste of make-up.
Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Junk is something you’ve kept for years and
throw away 3 weeks before you need it.
DID YOU KNOW?
That all my homes for sale are on over 30 websites to reach buyers? Most have 20 or more photos with them! Marketing is everything!
That you can view the entire MLS by going to AnnieBaker.com, a state of the art website?
UPDATE ON “OUR” PUPPY FIONA
Actually, she is daughter Stacey’s pup. She became one year old February 20 and is over 50 pounds now and still growing. She loves to visit our house, go to the doggie park and play. Here’s a photo of her. Isn’t she a sweetheart? And now she has a new “cousin”. Her name is Sparkle, 11 weeks old, soft and cuddly velvet and she’s a blond Lab. She came with our kids over to meet Fiona for a birthday party. Here the two are enjoying their chew bones together.
UPDATE ON “Wesley the Owl”
So many of you have asked how
Stacey’s book is doing. Thanks. It’s becoming an animal classic. Has been published in Chinese, in China. In Germany, it was featured in their Reader’s Digest and in one of their condensed books. Stacey continues to speak to animal lover groups here, Arizona, Colorado and beyond at book stores and Audobon groups. It remains one of the top 10 in the nature category on many websites. Amazing.
She’s working on her next book now.

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:59:00 +0000

SMITTEN

She arrived late last Sunday night at John Wayne Airport. She was terrified. Traumatized. She had never been away from the Colorado Rockies in her whole life. Never been away from her brothers and sisters or even her mother and father for that matter. Never been in a house, a car, a crate or an airplane. When the cargo department brought her out to us she huddled in the back of her crate shaking with fear from the unfamiliar loud noises. Who were we, peering in at her? Could we be trusted? She is Stacey’s beautiful new puppy, Fiona (which means fair-haired). A Colorado Rocky Mountain dog, a hybrid, 3/4th Great Pyrenees and 1/4th Anatolian Shepherd. She was given to Stacey from her friends in the Rockies, the idea being Fiona will live here with Stacey, the animal lover, until Stacey can move back there, hopefully within a year. This new hybrid was bred to protect their humans from wildlife…mountain lions, bears and the like. It is their nature to be gentle and protective. Little Fiona, we think, must have been the runt of the 5 puppy litter because she is shy, contemplative and cautious. And who could blame her? Such a sweet, gentle soul with those big black eyes set in a soft white face as if she had on black eyeliner with snow white eyelashes. Our hearts melted immediately and we went into protective mother mode determined to make her happy.

We talked to her, cuddled her and gently got her into the car and home to Stacey’s house into a quiet environment as quickly as possible. But what a loving, not so little fluff ball she is! She gently licks your hand when you pick her up and cuddle her with no doubt in her soulful eyes that you will be kind to her. She does tremble a bit from fear with each new situation, though. As frightened as she is, she never tries to snap or fight us when we guide her around but, instead, cuddles in our arms.
The first few nights Stacey has slept outside on her patio with her since she howled at being left all alone for the first time in her life. Now, she sleeps better and is settling in. On her own, she has selected part of the planter to go potty, which is very convenient…and polite of her. It doesn’t occur to her to jump up, nip, or rip and tear, yet. She’s beginning to play with her toys and tosses a ball in the air and attacks it like a kitten. She never had toys before, having lived in the ranch coral with her family up until now. I think she will be adjusting for awhile. I try to imagine what it must feel like to be ripped away from those wonderful snowcapped mountains without so much as being able to give your own opinion of the change.

It’s been only 5 days since she arrived and we are totally smitten with her. How can that be? What a loving, sweet little lump of white fluff she is. And how surprised I am at how she tugs at my heartstrings! Indeed, I’ve had a hard time writing this because I am so amazed at how much I love her in such a short time How can that be? We think she’s still homesick. Tuesday we took her to the Doggie Beach near Golden West and PCH. Fiona was frightened of the sound of the surf and the sand, begging us to go up to the grass. She nuzzled under Wally’s arm for protection. (see photo). But we sat for awhile and she relaxed some as Stacey finally got her to walk down the beach closer to the water. Yesterday we took her to the Doggie Park on Edwards. Did you see the article in the paper that HB is one of the most pet friendly cities in the nation? Doggie Park was perfect! Fenced in so you can let your dog run, complete with wood shavings, shady trees, water dishes and friendly dog lovers.

What is it about puppies, anyway, that conjures up all this instant love in us that rings all the bells in my heart? And why is it that we think they are so cute? Is it because they don’t know how cute they are? Whereas a human, say a teenager, or even an adult, knows when they are cute and how to be cute. But a puppy is guileless, oblivious to their appeal.

Then too, for me, Fiona crowds into the cockles of my heart bringing up so many joyous memories of raising puppies when my girls were little. But, with my working hours now, it wouldn’t be fair to have a pet. But for Stacey to have a dog, and they live only 8 blocks away, well, isn’t that sweet? Indeed, sometimes early in the cool of the morning Stacey walks Fiona over here to grandma’s house (me) to get petted an SMITTEN

She arrived late last Sunday night at John Wayne Airport. She was terrified. Traumatized. She had never been away from the Colorado Rockies in her whole life. Never been away from her brothers and sisters or even her mother and father for that matter. Never been in a house, a car, a crate or an airplane. When the cargo department brought her out to us she huddled in the back of her crate shaking with fear from the unfamiliar loud noises. Who were we, peering in at her? Could we be trusted? She is Stacey’s beautiful new puppy, Fiona (which means fair-haired). A Colorado Rocky Mountain dog, a hybrid, 3/4th Great Pyrenees and 1/4th Anatolian Shepherd. She was given to Stacey from her friends in the Rockies, the idea being Fiona will live here with Stacey, the animal lover, until Stacey can move back there, hopefully within a year. This new hybrid was bred to protect their humans from wildlife…mountain lions, bears and the like. It is their nature to be gentle and protective. Little Fiona, we think, must have been the runt of the 5 puppy litter because she is shy, contemplative and cautious. And who could blame her? Such a sweet, gentle soul with those big black eyes set in a soft white face as if she had on black eyeliner with snow white eyelashes. Our hearts melted immediately and we went into protective mother mode determined to make her happy.

We talked to her, cuddled her and gently got her into the car and home to Stacey’s house into a quiet environment as quickly as possible. But what a loving, not so little fluff ball she is! She gently licks your hand when you pick her up and cuddle her with no doubt in her soulful eyes that you will be kind to her. She does tremble a bit from fear with each new situation, though. As frightened as she is, she never tries to snap or fight us when we guide her around but, instead, cuddles in our arms.
The first few nights Stacey has slept outside on her patio with her since she howled at being left all alone for the first time in her life. Now, she sleeps better and is settling in. On her own, she has selected part of the planter to go potty, which is very convenient…and polite of her. It doesn’t occur to her to jump up, nip, or rip and tear, yet. She’s beginning to play with her toys and tosses a ball in the air and attacks it like a kitten. She never had toys before, having lived in the ranch coral with her family up until now. I think she will be adjusting for awhile. I try to imagine what it must feel like to be ripped away from those wonderful snowcapped mountains without so much as being able to give your own opinion of the change.

It’s been only 5 days since she arrived and we are totally smitten with her. How can that be? What a loving, sweet little lump of white fluff she is. And how surprised I am at how she tugs at my heartstrings! Indeed, I’ve had a hard time writing this because I am so amazed at how much I love her in such a short time How can that be? We think she’s still homesick. Tuesday we took her to the Doggie Beach near Golden West and PCH. Fiona was frightened of the sound of the surf and the sand, begging us to go up to the grass. She nuzzled under Wally’s arm for protection. (see photo). But we sat for awhile and she relaxed some as Stacey finally got her to walk down the beach closer to the water. Yesterday we took her to the Doggie Park on Edwards. Did you see the article in the paper that HB is one of the most pet friendly cities in the nation? Doggie Park was perfect! Fenced in so you can let your dog run, complete with wood shavings, shady trees, water dishes and friendly dog lovers.

What is it about puppies, anyway, that conjures up all this instant love in us that rings all the bells in my heart? And why is it that we think they are so cute? Is it because they don’t know how cute they are? Whereas a human, say a teenager, or even an adult, knows when they are cute and how to be cute. But a puppy is guileless, oblivious to their appeal.

Then too, for me, Fiona crowds into the cockles of my heart bringing up so many joyous memories of raising puppies when my girls were little. But, with my working hours now, it wouldn’t be fair to have a pet. But for Stacey to have a dog, and they live only 8 blocks away, well, isn’t that sweet? Indeed, sometimes early in the cool of the morning Stacey walks Fiona over here to grandma’s house (me) to get petted and spoiled. And for Stacey, who misses Wesley the Owl who died 4 years ago, Fiona is a joy for her, too. Wesley lived 19 years, as you may know from the book.

On the bright side, Fiona is lucky to have Stacey as a mommy since she is so in tune with animals and nature. Fiona will eventually be a happy California dog. One could do worse than move to the nicest beach in the whole wide world and be adored by all of us.

Maybe Fiona wins my heart because pets, like nature, get us back to the basics. No pretences, just unconditional love and playfulness. Can’t we all use a lot more of this in our lives? And can’t we learn a lot about the simple, sweet trust a puppy has and treasure never violating that love and trust? Maybe we could do a better job as humans if we practiced some of what our pets teach us. Maybe that’s the reason for having a pet. Welcome home, Fiona! We love you!
------------------------------------------------------------------
I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven’t got the guts to bite people themselves.”
----------------------------------------------------------
d spoiled. And for Stacey, who misses Wesley the Owl who died 4 years ago, Fiona is a joy for her, too. Wesley lived 19 years, as you may know from the book.

On the bright side, Fiona is lucky to have Stacey as a mommy since she is so in tune with animals and nature. Fiona will eventually be a happy California dog. One could do worse than move to the nicest beach in the whole wide world and be adored by all of us.

Maybe Fiona wins my heart because pets, like nature, get us back to the basics. No pretences, just unconditional love and playfulness. Can’t we all use a lot more of this in our lives? And can’t we learn a lot about the simple, sweet trust a puppy has and treasure never violating that love and trust? Maybe we could do a better job as humans if we practiced some of what our pets teach us. Maybe that’s the reason for having a pet. Welcome home, Fiona! We love you!
------------------------------------------------------------------
I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven’t got the guts to bite people themselves.”
----------------------------------------------------------
NEIGHBORHOOD GARAGE SALE 7/18/09
If you live in the LA CUESTA or FASHION SHORES neighborhood areas south of Atlanta, between Brookhurst and Bushard OR SURROUNDING AREAS and want to participate in the neighborhood garage sale Saturday 7/18, give me a call and I’ll drop off a garage sale sign to head shoppers down your street. The VILLA PACIFIC Town homes next door are also participating.
In this economy, garage sales are quite helpful both for sellers and buyers!

MARKET UPDATE

More help is coming to Huntington Beach first time buyers. The City Council voted7/6/09 to put a little more than $1 million toward helping moderate-to-low-income households who preferably already live or work in HB to purchase a home in the city. The council also voted to cancel a city program to buy foreclosed homes, fix them up and sell them. Loans up to $100,000 are available with certain low income qualifications required. If you know of anyone who could be helped by this, contact Sydney Stone at 714-536—5901.

SHOULD YOU TRY TO MODIFY YOUR MORTGAGE LOAN?
I’ve received numerous calls from home owners in the area asking me if it is wise to pursue modifying your mortgage loan. Here is the answer. If you have had a decrease in your income, lost a job, suffered illness and high medical bills, for example, it is wise to call your lender. Ask for the loan modification department. Be persistent and be prepared to document all your income and assets. You likely will not get a reduction in the amount you owe, but you may get a lower monthly payment via a temporary reduction in your interest rate or an extension of your loan term. Consumer groups advise AGAINST paying a company to do this for you because some will take your money and do nothing. The Department of Real Estate has a list of companies and people to avoid at www.dre.gov/con_drs.asp. However, they do not monitor law firms.

SHOULD YOU TRY TO REDUCE THE TAXES ON YOUR HOME?
You probably just received your Property Value Notice in the mail, as we did. That tax as of 1/1/09.
Your tax bill will come in September. If the Taxable Value is greater than the property’s Market Value on 1/1/09, you may want to file an appeal. The deadline for an appeal is 9/15/09. Don’t wait until you get your bill. THERE IS NO NEED TO PAY A COMPANY TO REQUEST A REVIEW FOR YOU. Call me and I’d be glad to tell you what your property was worth as of 1/1/09. Generally, if you bought in the last 3 years in the higher market, you may benefit with an appeal. If you’ve lived there a long time, however, it may not benefit you to appeal since taxes are based on your original value plus a lawful annual inflation factor of no more than 2% a year. New construction on your property (room additions, pools, spas, patio covers) that occurs after you bought it is valued at full market value as of the date of completion. Also, it must be your principal residence. For more information go to www.ocgov.com/assessor or call 714-834-3821.

INTEREST RATES are the lowest since May.
Lots of buyers are out there now wanting to buy before school starts. Multiple offers are common especially on bank owned or short sale property. Cash is king since an all cash offer does not require an appraisal. Investors, however, are now required to keep a home for at least 9 months to avoid “flipping” a house. Depending on whose prediction you read, we are very near or approaching the bottom of the market. If a buyer waits too long, he will look back and realize he missed his opportunity. Now is the time to buy. MY SELLERS ARE GETTING OUT NOW SO THEY CAN BUY UP OR DOWN AT A LOWER PRICE.

INTERESTED IN SELLING?
Please save yourself a ton of money by calling me LONG BEFORE YOU SELL. My newest sellers called me 6-12 months before putting the house on the market saving them $50,000+ as I guided them through what upgrades to do and WHAT NOT TO DO.

KEEP AN EYE OUT TO HELP NEIGHBORS OR PARENTS
WHO MIGHT BE HAVING A STROKE.
Here are some easy guidelines to determine if someone is having a stroke:
Remember STR (as in stroke…Smile, Talk, Raise arms))
1. As them to Smile. If they can’t smile, or if it’s lopsided, that’s a symptom of stroke.
2. Can they tell you their name? Is their speech slurred? Talk
3. Can they Raise their hands over their head?
4. Can the victim stick his tongue out? If twisted or goofy, it’s a symptom
Health professionals tell us if a stroke victim gets help within 1-3 hours, it can be reversed.

OH DEAR! SHOW THIS TO YOUR FRINEDS & FAMILY WHO RENT

RENT 10 YEARS 20 YEARS 30 YEARS
$1000 $155,282 $411,003 $832,258
$1500 $232,923 $616,550 $1,248,387
$2000 $310,564 $822,067 $1,664,517
$2500 $388,254 $1,109,790 $2,080,646
$3000 $$465,846 $1,233,100 $2,496,694

If you RENT
There are no interest payment deductions.
The rent may increase at any time.
You need to get landlord approval for any changes.
You have no capitalization. Your money disappears forever.
Your rental is temporary and subject to 30 day notice.
If you BUY
Excellent deductions for the mortgage interest you pay.
Your mortgage payments could be fixed.
Decorate, make changes, enjoy changes without any prior approval.
The money you capitalize on your property is like having a savings account with a high interest rate. The value of your property will probably increase over time.
Your house will become a home; it will not be a temporary living situation.
You are not at the mercy of the landlord.

CONGRAULATIONS TO EDISON HIGH SCHOOL!

Edison High School won a silver metal this spring and the number 8 slot on the OC Register’s 2009 rankings of OC County’s Best Public Schools.
Named a California Distinguished School twice, including this year, Edison prides itself on building character in students, including its athletes.

WANT TO RATE YOUR SCHOOL?

Go to www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ar/index.asp and under API reports, click “district level”. You can find the API Growth Report to see how your school and neighboring schools did.

HUMOR CORNER

“When Insults Had Class”

“He had delusions of adequacy.” (W Kerr)
“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” (C Darrow)
“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”
(W. Faulkner said about E Hemingway)
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”(Mark Twain)
“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” (Oscar Wilde)
“I am enclosing 2 tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend…if you have one.
(G B Shaw to W Churchill)
Answer: “Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second…if there is one.”
(W Churchill, in response)
“I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.” (Stephen Bishop)
“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” (J Bright)
“He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” (F Tucker)
“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” Mae West
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” (O Wilde)
“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.”(G Marx)
Thanks to Barbara Nevins for emailing me the above.
FOR SALE

Stunning Home in Rossmoor Community
5 Car Garage!
Totally Rebuilt 2000
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 2200 SF Approx.
Gourmet Kitchen, Viking Range, Granite Counter Tops
Huge family Room, Master Bath with Whirlpool Bath and Sauna
High Ceilings, Inside Tract Location
Great Schools
$949,000
COMING SOON
One of the Prettiest Homes in all of Park Huntington
Remodeled Beauty. Stunning Kitchen
Watch for Open House soon!

----------------------------------------------------------
NEIGHBORHOOD GARAGE SALE 7/18/09
If you live in the LA CUESTA or FASHION SHORES neighborhood areas south of Atlanta, between Brookhurst and Bushard OR SURROUNDING AREAS and want to participate in the neighborhood garage sale Saturday 7/18, give me a call and I’ll drop off a garage sale sign to head shoppers down your street. The VILLA PACIFIC Town homes next door are also participating.
In this economy, garage sales are quite helpful both for sellers and buyers!

MARKET UPDATE

More help is coming to Huntington Beach first time buyers. The City Council voted7/6/09 to put a little more than $1 million toward helping moderate-to-low-income households who preferably already live or work in HB to purchase a home in the city. The council also voted to cancel a city program to buy foreclosed homes, fix them up and sell them. Loans up to $100,000 are available with certain low income qualifications required. If you know of anyone who could be helped by this, contact Sydney Stone at 714-536—5901.

SHOULD YOU TRY TO MODIFY YOUR MORTGAGE LOAN?
I’ve received numerous calls from home owners in the area asking me if it is wise to pursue modifying your mortgage loan. Here is the answer. If you have had a decrease in your income, lost a job, suffered illness and high medical bills, for example, it is wise to call your lender. Ask for the loan modification department. Be persistent and be prepared to document all your income and assets. You likely will not get a reduction in the amount you owe, but you may get a lower monthly payment via a temporary reduction in your interest rate or an extension of your loan term. Consumer groups advise AGAINST paying a company to do this for you because some will take your money and do nothing. The Department of Real Estate has a list of companies and people to avoid at www.dre.gov/con_drs.asp. However, they do not monitor law firms.

SHOULD YOU TRY TO REDUCE THE TAXES ON YOUR HOME?
You probably just received your Property Value Notice in the mail, as we did. That tax as of 1/1/09.
Your tax bill will come in September. If the Taxable Value is greater than the property’s Market Value on 1/1/09, you may want to file an appeal. The deadline for an appeal is 9/15/09. Don’t wait until you get your bill. THERE IS NO NEED TO PAY A COMPANY TO REQUEST A REVIEW FOR YOU. Call me and I’d be glad to tell you what your property was worth as of 1/1/09. Generally, if you bought in the last 3 years in the higher market, you may benefit with an appeal. If you’ve lived there a long time, however, it may not benefit you to appeal since taxes are based on your original value plus a lawful annual inflation factor of no more than 2% a year. New construction on your property (room additions, pools, spas, patio covers) that occurs after you bought it is valued at full market value as of the date of completion. Also, it must be your principal residence. For more information go to www.ocgov.com/assessor or call 714-834-3821.

INTEREST RATES are the lowest since May.
Lots of buyers are out there now wanting to buy before school starts. Multiple offers are common especially on bank owned or short sale property. Cash is king since an all cash offer does not require an appraisal. Investors, however, are now required to keep a home for at least 9 months to avoid “flipping” a house. Depending on whose prediction you read, we are very near or approaching the bottom of the market. If a buyer waits too long, he will look back and realize he missed his opportunity. Now is the time to buy. MY SELLERS ARE GETTING OUT NOW SO THEY CAN BUY UP OR DOWN AT A LOWER PRICE.

INTERESTED IN SELLING?
Please save yourself a ton of money by calling me LONG BEFORE YOU SELL. My newest sellers called me 6-12 months before putting the house on the market saving them $50,000+ as I guided them through what upgrades to do and WHAT NOT TO DO.

KEEP AN EYE OUT TO HELP NEIGHBORS OR PARENTS
WHO MIGHT BE HAVING A STROKE.
Here are some easy guidelines to determine if someone is having a stroke:
Remember STR (as in stroke…Smile, Talk, Raise arms))
5. As them to Smile. If they can’t smile, or if it’s lopsided, that’s a symptom of stroke.
6. Can they tell you their name? Is their speech slurred? Talk
7. Can they Raise their hands over their head?
8. Can the victim stick his tongue out? If twisted or goofy, it’s a symptom
Health professionals tell us if a stroke victim gets help within 1-3 hours, it can be reversed.

OH DEAR! SHOW THIS TO YOUR FRINEDS & FAMILY WHO RENT

RENT 10 YEARS 20 YEARS 30 YEARS
$1000 $155,282 $411,003 $832,258
$1500 $232,923 $616,550 $1,248,387
$2000 $310,564 $822,067 $1,664,517
$2500 $388,254 $1,109,790 $2,080,646
$3000 $$465,846 $1,233,100 $2,496,694

If you RENT
There are no interest payment deductions.
The rent may increase at any time.
You need to get landlord approval for any changes.
You have no capitalization. Your money disappears forever.
Your rental is temporary and subject to 30 day notice.
If you BUY
Excellent deductions for the mortgage interest you pay.
Your mortgage payments could be fixed.
Decorate, make changes, enjoy changes without any prior approval.
The money you capitalize on your property is like having a savings account with a high interest rate. The value of your property will probably increase over time.
Your house will become a home; it will not be a temporary living situation.
You are not at the mercy of the landlord.

CONGRAULATIONS TO EDISON HIGH SCHOOL!

Edison High School won a silver metal this spring and the number 8 slot on the OC Register’s 2009 rankings of OC County’s Best Public Schools.
Named a California Distinguished School twice, including this year, Edison prides itself on building character in students, including its athletes.

WANT TO RATE YOUR SCHOOL?

Go to www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ar/index.asp and under API reports, click “district level”. You can find the API Growth Report to see how your school and neighboring schools did.

HUMOR CORNER

“When Insults Had Class”

“He had delusions of adequacy.” (W Kerr)
“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” (C Darrow)
“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”
(W. Faulkner said about E Hemingway)
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”(Mark Twain)
“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” (Oscar Wilde)
“I am enclosing 2 tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend…if you have one.
(G B Shaw to W Churchill)
Answer: “Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second…if there is one.”
(W Churchill, in response)
“I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.” (Stephen Bishop)
“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” (J Bright)
“He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” (F Tucker)
“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” Mae West
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” (O Wilde)
“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.”(G Marx)
Thanks to Barbara Nevins for emailing me the above.
FOR SALE

Stunning Home in Rossmoor Community
5 Car Garage!
Totally Rebuilt 2000
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 2200 SF Approx.
Gourmet Kitchen, Viking Range, Granite Counter Tops
Huge family Room, Master Bath with Whirlpool Bath and Sauna
High Ceilings, Inside Tract Location
Great Schools
$949,000
COMING SOON
One of the Prettiest Homes in all of Park Huntington
Remodeled Beauty. Stunning Kitchen
Watch for Open House soon!

GET OUT AND GO!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:50:00 +0000

The excitement mounts. Graduations happening and kids of all ages will be out of school. All of us who work are looking for a little get away time whether it is for a few days or weeks. Summer is here at last! Long days and sunshine! Yippee! And we can all get away to somewhere no matter what our budget range is because there are so many opportunities out there. Anything from camping at modest fees or crusies now at greatly reduced prices. Most travel and hotel rates are at an all time low due to the recession. My family, for example, has a tradition every year of “camping” Farris style for 4-6 days in Sequoia National Forest. It’s our Farris form of modified camping (my married name is Farris). In which we reserve a campsite months ahead, pitch a tent there, but we also rent a cabin. So, we can play by the stream all day, fish, sing songs (I’d better get my guitar out and start practicing) but when night comes, we can adjourn to our cabin where we have access to a hot bath and warm beds away from any flies or even bears? But I digress.
Recently I attended one of Laurie Venn’s fabulous monthly luncheons (the “hostess with the mostess”) in which some shared tips on traveling and packing. Some I knew and some were new to me. So, whether you’re going camping economy style or cruising the world I thought you’d find some of these tips useful.

So, here we go! First, some packing ideas from an experienced traveler, Judy Zeller. It’s helpful to wear identical shirts (husband, wife, kids) when in crowded places like Disneyland or even a cruise not only to find each other but for others to help find a misplaced family member. Wear your heaviest shoes to avoid using suitcase space and weight. Use a backpack with your purse in it and also include a change of clothes in case any luggage is ever lost. A newspaper bag can hold a pair of sandals for inside the plane. In your carry on also have a change of clothes for dinner, bathing suit, labeled medicines and vitamins. less than 3 oz bottles of necessary lotions, sun lotion, toothpaste, brush and make-up. Place your pajamas on top. Use a fanny pack for quick access to money, ID, small camera, and a zip lock bag with nuts, etc. for snacks. I use a money belt strapped under my shirt for my cash and credit cards. If flying, empty your water bottle until you get through security, then fill it at a water fountain.
Always place a strap around each luggage bag and hook under the handle. If possible, paint your name all over the strap or on the luggage to make it easy to find at pick-up. Leave your baggage unlocked but take a lock so you can lock your valuables in it at the hotel or cabin. Inside the top of your luggage or carry on, place your favorite pillow or neck pillow or deflated beach ball. Take several empty shopping bags along and use the hotel plastic bag for dirty laundry. Take a green garbage bag to cover your bags in case of rain. A half roll of toilet paper with the cardboard center removed is handy in your purse for the many places where there is none. Nail polish should go in a double plastic bag. In your large suitcase, place your jewelry in a plastic bag in a sock and push it well down into a shoe. Don’t take your most treasured jewelry with you. Some travelers take an old blouse or shirt, and old underwear to leave behind making more room in their luggage for any purchases. A long skirt is handy most anywhere and a white blouse or shirt matches most anything. Your own beach towel, if it fits, can go in the bottom of your luggage. (Some hotels charge for beach towels). I usually take extra hangers and clothes pins to pin hotel curtains together at night. A small flashlight is handy too. Any health care papers should be copied and included along with copies of your passport, credit cards and accommodations. Leave copies of all this with a friend or family member. We always put our names, addresses, destination and phone numbers inside each suitcase in the top lid for easy identification.
You can get lots of information on line. Travelsmith.com has lots of travel stuff. Carol McConnell, owner of Around the Globe Travel, HB shared these tips with us: To figure your costs of a trip, consider 4 factors: transportation, lodging, food and entertainment. Decide which is the most important and how you will budget each of them. Use reputable companies when traveling. It is well worth it to buy insurance in case you get sick or hurt and can’t make the trip .Always check your flight before going to the airport to make sure it didn’t cancel or is late... Southwest Airlines does not charge for baggage. On a cruise, get to the port the day before the ship leaves in case your flight has any delays. If you’d like to talk to Carol regarding a trip, she can be reached at 714-536-5118. She owns this reputable company.
Of course, if you want to stay locally for a vacation, there are tons of places to go within easy driving distance here…Laguna Beach, San Clemente, San Diego, Santa Barbara, etc. Even just a day away doing something different can break up the work week nicely. Wally and I can’t wait to go boogie boarding in San Clemente on a week day as soon as the water is a little warmer. Life is short. Enjoy where we live.
The bottom line is, I hope you get away in one way or another and leave all your worries at home. Most of what we worry about will never happen anyway!
Make it a happy summer!
On vacation, we hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies and the sand out of our belongings. Erma Bombeck
MARKET UPDATE
You don’t have to take my word for it. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train. As the garbage man said, “Things are picking up!” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gave his most optimistic prediction May 9, ’09 saying he expects the economy to start growing again this year even though more jobs will disappear. Check out these quotes: “U.S. Economic Growth Seen Resuming in 3rd Quarter” (Reuters), “The Worst Is Over” (Money News), “The Return of the Homebuilders” (CNNMoney), “Housing Market may Be Healing Itself” (Forbes).
These are not my words. I track only Orange County California. And I can verify that buyers are out in droves wanting to by while the rates are delicious. I spoke with a buyer this morning who was not aware that you can get a good, solid FHA loan for 3.5% down, 5% rate, depending on amount and credit scores. He thought everyone had to put 20% down nowadays. What is good is that the adjustables (ARM) and stated income loans that got so many people in trouble are gone. Lots of buyers are unaware VA has a terrific loan with low rates that you can use many times! And first time buyers can get credits up to $18,000 and more. I see short sales and foreclosures drying up in our county at a much faster rate than what we had thought due to 5-10 offers per house or condo! I’m alerting all my buyers to buy now since we don’t know how long these rates will last. I don’t want them looking back over their shoulder later and seeing that they missed this golden opportunity.

For this reason, my office is giving a
BUYER’S SEMINAR, JUNE 6TH,
to help buyers learn about all the current loan programs,
different benefits and credits available.
THE SEMIANR IS FREE BUT THE INFORMATION IS PRICELESS!
Seating is limited so call me to reserve your seat.

ADS
SHAPELL SOLD (SAME AD AS BEFORE)
222 LINCOLN IN ESCROW (same ad)
220 LINCOLN, HB, AVAILABLE
$899,999, 2650 SF
3 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, Living Room, Family Room, Dining Room, Huge Bonus Room (Mountain View)
Large Master, Fireplace, Balcony
NEW ON THE MARKET
9601 ERSKINE, HB, $669,000
South of Indianapolis, East of Bushard
One Block from First Christian Elementary School
3-4 Bedrooms, ONE STORY, Over 1500 SF
Living Room, Family Room, Cozy Fireplace, Newer Roof
Center of Tract, Steps to Park

UPDATE ON “WESLEY THE OWL” by Stacey O’Brien
Many of you have asked how the sale of her book is going. Well, it’s being sold in 12 countries now, and translated into 8 languages. Stacey is still out speaking to various bookstores, universities and nature centers around the nation. The paperback version of “Wesley” comes on the market in July. A miniature stuffed replica of Wesley can be found and purchased on
www.WesleyTheOwl.com
HUMOR CORNER

Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After 22 years of child rearing, they are unemployed. Bombeck

On vacations, we hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies and the sand out of our belongings. Bombeck

Sign in an Auto Repair Shop: If you are grouchy, irritable or just plain mean there will be a $10 charge for putting up with you. If you watch, $10 more, if you make suggestions, $20 more, and if you help, $50 more.

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. Bernard Meltzer

Some of us learn from other people’s mistakes and the rest of us have to be other people. Zig Ziglar

Human beings are the only creatures on the earth that allow their children to come back home. Bill Cosby

For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked. B Cosby

Marriage has no guarantees. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a car battery. E Bombeck
How come anything you buy will go on sale next week? E Bombeck

My kids always perceived the bathroom as a place where you wait until all the groceries are unloaded from the car. Erma Bombeck

IT IS WHAT IT IS

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:16:00 +0000

IT IS WHAT IT IS

I love that phrase. It smacks of dealing with reality, of accepting exactly what is and even implies, “Now how are you going to deal with it?”

Take the economy, for example. It is what it is. Many of us have lost a lot of future retirement money in 401K’s (now laughingly called 201K’s), college funds for the kids; money saved for a car or needed repairs for the house. Many are busy trying to figure out how many more working years this economic downturn will add on to their lives because of investment losses. This unexpected hit in the gut with the economy adds even more anxiety to our already loaded plate of concerns regarding our family’s health, getting along together, having enough time together and the stresses of work and school. We don’t need anymore weighty issues putting stress on us.

Well, in my travels chatting with friends and clients, I’m seeing a trend that is quite refreshing as a result of all the bad economic news. There is a pleasant return to the basics. What are they?

I’m glad you asked! Enter the simple stuff of life. The free stuff takes center stage. For example, Wally and I went for a walk on the beach yesterday. The sun was out after some cold, cloudy days. There were kids and adults on bikes, rollerblades and people of all ages just lying in the sun soaking it up. We strolled along, bought an ice cream cone and split it. We talked with many pet owners and petted their wonderful wagging-tailed friends out for a stroll. We met two Border collies strutting their stuff inviting attention with each wag as if they were the self appointed welcoming committee. Several people had their beautiful Golden Retrievers sitting at the snack bar sharing their ice cream cones with them. The exuberance of the wagging tails reminded us of how lucky we are to be here. We sat and watched phenomenal waves crash in the distance by the pier and felt the cool breeze brushing our cheeks. Just getting out of the house and walking away from the cell phone reconnected me to my handsome husband as we chatted away with small talk. I think I’d forgotten how charming he can be. At
the pier yesterday there was the inevitable exotic Congo drum players rhythmically pouring their hearts out and providing a tropical island feel to the sunny day. It was almost Hawaii without the airfare!

It all brought to mind the master plan I had drawn up in my head several weeks ago. Determined not to let the media news drag me down, I resolved to listen to only one newscast per day. I don’t need to hear about the self-entitled CEO’s and their underserved bonuses and bailouts. I can’t do anything about GM in my personal life. So why listen to it numerous times a day? My plan is simple but it works for me and my friends, too. First of all, I will only listen to one or two news casts per day. If I’m in the car, as you know, the news blasts away at the top of every hour and half hour. Do I need that? No. I’ve turned to FM music or my music CD’s (yes, I love Elton, jazz, country…all of it. I even sing along with it while no one else can hear and be horrified.) Such a simple thing, but it lifts my spirits. Secondly, I’m making sure I get good care of myself like getting enough sleep, giving up reading late into the night Thirdly, ok, the old adage…more fresh fruit and veggies every day and always the struggle to drink more water. My logic is that if I’m feeling good, it keeps my energy up and keeps me upbeat. I’m really trying to lay off the sugar stuff…the donuts and beloved chocolate. For I cannot eat just one little piece of dark chocolate. Noooo. One piece leads to another and another, etc. I hope you have a lot more self control than I do.
So, as I do the basics of taking care of myself and my family, all our spirits are lifted. We go on. Americans do that. We’re famous for it. Our history is filled with inspiring stories of everyday Americans who work hard to earn the good life. All is not doom and gloom. Everyday life is good. Remember the old song, “The moon belongs to everyone. The best things in life are free. The stars belong to everyone, the gleam there for you and me. The flowers in spring, the robins that sing, the sunbeam that shines, they’re yours, they’re mine. And love can come to everyone. The best things in life are free.” Ah, yes! We can distribute buckets of love to everyone around us, even a smile to the local clerk in a store…all that for free! So, my friend, take good care of yourself especially at this time so that you will feel so energized that you’ll splash warmth, grace and love everywhere you go! This too will pass. Life is good. Turn off the stressful news and enjoy what you have and those you love. That’s what matters most.
-----------------------------\
words 893
QUOTE BOTTOM OF 1ST PAGE:
“Don’t let failure go to your heart and success go to your head.” (Will Smith’s grandmother)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AND NOW, SOME GOOD NEWS! Home owners, this is for you!(There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.)
You probably won’t be reading this in the newspaper or on line for several months or even longer. This is my experience the last month as I go out with buyers to shop for a home. This will affect some of you as you decide to sell in this supposed “difficult market”. What my buyers and I are finding is that because there are so many short sales, foreclosures and bank owned properties and the lenders and banks have so many files stacked on their desks it’s taking months after an offer is submitted before the buyer hears back on his offer causing much stress on the three or four poor buyers waiting to hear. Why? Well, for starters, files are severely back logged because they have fired so many employees thus double loading the lenders that are left. Secondly, and you probably don’t know this, agents list a house for whatever price they feel appropriate…usually low to attract a load of buyers If it is a short sale (which means the owner owes more than it is worth), the agent and seller have no idea what the bank will actually accept. Example: say a house is listed for $515,000 in South County where I have spent many days with one of my current buyers. The owner owes $625,000 or more (thus the term short sale). The listing agent has no way of knowing what the lender will accept until an offer is submitted by a buyer and the agent submits it to the bank. Many buyers come running thinking they are getting a fabulous price. Of course, they even come in much lower than the $515,000 theorizing it’s a buyers market. Quite often, the bank (lender) will let that offer and many others on t he same house sit there waiting to get a higher offer. Frequently, by the time he gets back to the several buyers, it has been months and the buyer has given up on that one and gone elsewhere. For example, a recent home I found for my buyer closed escrow early March. Guess when he wrote his first deposit check when we submitted the offer? August 1 of 2008! All the other buyers had given up, couldn’t wait that long not knowing if their offer stood a chance and went elsewhere. Worse yet, if a buyer has to sell his home, his potential buyer will not wait for that seller to find the next home if the counter says, “subject to seller finding a new home”. A smart buyer has figured out that it could take months for that seller to hear back from the bank his offer is submitted to. I’d say 80% of what my buyers looked at this month has been in this situation. Well, here’s the good news that you won’t see in the papers for months because DataQuick and the papers only gather statistics of homes going into escrow and solds.
Enter the new star in the crown of the seller category who has everything going for him. He is called the Equity Seller. This means he has lots of equity, is a normal sale, doesn’t have to wait in line with his lender to approve his sale and, most of all can close his sale in a normal fashion. That means length of escrow is negotiated quickly, price is agreed upon between buyer and seller with a normal counter offer within a few days, proof of funds is checked and the house closes escrow after the usual disclosures. The delightful news for that seller is that agents rush to his listing in droves. How do I know that? Because a recent listing of mine, even in this supposed “bad” market sold over price to four good offers in a short three weeks. Agents anxiously called me before they showed it in happy disbelief that it was not a short sale or repossession. Could they actually close before they lost that buyer or he gave up and looked elsewhere, they asked. Sure thing! Then, as my seller and I shopped for him, I was making the calls to find out with each short sale how long it would take to hear back from the lender. If they take too long, my buyer will lose his buyer! The bottom line is that the Equity Seller is king. He gets the first showings and the first chance with the buyers. If you are an equity seller, and you’ve owned your home more than, say, 6-10 years, you can get in on selling to one of these hot buyers who are swarming now because of the fabulous rates, some under 5% depending on their credit scores. Lenders are telling us that these are the lowest rates we may see in our lifetime. Further, first time buyers can get up to $8000 as a tax credit and FHA and VA have an 18 month “forbearance” clause in case the buyer loses a job or is ill. He can renegotiate either a lower payment or pay only taxes depending on his situation. And the State has tax credits too. At a recent open house I held in downtown HB, I went loaded with all this new loan info and I have more buyers on my plate than I can even get to. This atmosphere will not last forever. And smart buyers know it. Equity Sellers are seizing this opportunity to sell and get where they need to go and buy for less. In fact, my happy seller sold his home over list price with four multiple offers. What a breath of fresh air! Call me if you would like to enter the rarified air and take advantage of being an EQUITY SELLER! Life is good!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADS
FOR SALE. SOLD!
S & S Beauty reigns in Garden Grove
13321 SHAPPEL STREET $430,000
Charming ONE STORY Upgraded 3 bedroom 2 bath pool/spa beauty.
Open floor plan, large country upgraded kitchen & baths, newer tile floors and neutral carpet. Large living room with remodeled brick fireplace, recessed lights, house wired for stereo. Roof 5 years new, 40 year warranty. Pool & spa resurfaced and retiled 1998.
Pool heater 8 years new. Inside tract location.
This home with its beautiful architecture simply will not last!

BRAND NEW DREAM HOME
DOWNTOWN HUNTINGTON BEACH
222 LINCOLN AVE
BLOCKS TO THE BEACH. HAS IT ALL!
$995,000
Best price and one of the few absolutely new never lived in beach home.
3 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2445 SF, huge granite kitchen, walk-in pantry, family room, fireplace, Laminate floors downstairs. Large master, balcony, view of mountains.
Huge bonus room, balcony. Two car garage with sun deck. Home pre-wired for Sound, Alarms, Cable Satellite. One of the few all new homes under $1 million downtown.

HUMOR CORNER
(With apologies to God, all mother’s everywhere and our great kids)

God said, “Do NOT eat the fruit!” “Why?” “Because I am your Father and I said so!” God replied wondering why He hadn’t stopped creation after making the elephants. A few minutes later, God say His children having an apple break and He was ticked!
“Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit?” “”Uh huh”, said Adam. “Then why did you?”
“I don’t know”, said Eve. “She started it,” Adam said. “Did not!" Did too! Did not!”
Having had it with the two of them, God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven’t taken it, don’t be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you? (You know, its good old free will we each have)

THINK ABOUT IT!
1. You spend the first 2 years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next 16 telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.
5. The main purpose of holding children’s parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.
ADVICE FOR THE DAY
Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.
AND FINALLY
If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle:
“Take 2 aspirin and keep away from children!!!
Other Humor quotes: Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does!
Or
We’d worry less about what other people think of us if we knew how little they did.

WHAT IS LOVE?

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:29:00 +0000

WHAT IS LOVE?

February is regarded by some as the over commercialization of romantic love. Sell those cards, donate to the candy industry big time, pay double for the red roses and some restaurants double their prices that day, Yes, Valentine’s Day can have some pretty negative connotations. For some, that day is too painful. They’d rather not be reminded of lost relationships due to brokenness or death, or never having loved at all.
I see it a different way. The whole month reminds me of the importance of thinking about every kind of love, not just romantic, that we need so desperately to experience as individuals and as a nation.
Indeed, life can be pretty dry and boring without loving someone and hopefully many someones. Living without loving is like a car trying to function without oil, grinding away and getting overheated until it just burns out.
Oh yes! There is certainly a place for romantic love! Bring it on! How exciting it is! The first attraction! The great unknown. Where will it lead? The discovery that he is interested too! The pursuit. Should I be hard to get? Casual? Or fall into his arms right away? What do I want from this attraction? Am I ready? Is he? Is this just a lark or marriage material? Does he have the right qualities? Is it a match? Do we have enough in common? Could it last? The adventure careens down the bumpy road and either crashes and burns or takes off like a rocket ship lighting the night sky that lasts even sometimes into a 60 year marriage. But at the start, who knows? Ah, the wonder of it all. The books, the songs by the thousands attest to this great adventure.
Ok. Enough already. Hopefully these great romances expand over time to include other loved ones in their lives. If it’s a healthy love, it will have room for extended family, friends and community and not be isolated. For we all need to love not just ourselves but many people in order to have a fulfilling life. Some fear any kind of love due to some sort of damage. But to fear love is to fear life. And those who fear life are already dying. So, loving and the giving of it breed happiness not just to those who receive it, but to the one who gives it.
So, what is this thing called love? Here are a few famous quotations which attempt to define it. “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” (R. Henslin).
“When I speak of love, I am speaking of that force which all the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality.” (Martin L. King)
In my opinion, love is what you do. It is not always a warm fuzzy feeling and frequently does not start with that warm fuzzy feeling. Love is an act of reaching out to another to help, to befriend, to stand by, to listen to whether we feel like it or not. Where we see a need, fill it if we can or find someone else who can. Love is being a channel of help. After doing what we see needs to be done, the love feelings of joy will come along afterward. Good enough. But we are not to wait for the warm fuzzes first. “Love never claims, it ever gives.” (Gandhi). Therefore, love is giving whether there are exciting feelings or not. There is great power in love. The Bible gives some universal truths about love no matter what religion you are. “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things.” (1 Corinthians 13 4-7)
Liking one another is not enough. Love is the glue that holds this world together. In these difficult days with maybe more to follow, it benefits each of us to see beyond a traditional Valentine’s Day and seize the opportunity to help a hurting world whether it be a next door neighbor, friend at school, co-worker or loved one. We can reach beyond ourselves. What an opportunity. If we look for the opportunity, and then do the right thing, the love feelings will follow. We can experience love in all its dimensions all year long. That will bring each of us all the contentment we could ever want. I challenge myself and you to be the one to reach out to others and not wait to be reached out to. Let’s enjoy the full range of all kinds of love. It will be a better world if we do.
Quote bottom of first page: “Love, the Answer to the Problem of Human Existence.” (E. Fromm)

DO YOU KNOW A SENIOR CITIZEN?
Will you be a senior citizen sooner than you think? Do you have a loved one who is a senior citizen? I have developed a particular interest in the life changes facing seniors as I have worked with more and more of them these 16 years. My first concern is how vulnerable they are and how they need to be protected. Some are scared as they face the complete changing of their lifestyle. They’ve been independent their entire adult life. They drive, shop, work, visit when they want to and have been in charge of their finances. As old age beckons them, some of the independence slips away. As I have met with widows, widowers and couples typically their biggest concern is that they want know what all their options are when they can no longer maintain their present home. Will they have to eventually go live with a relative even far away from their friends? And yet they are tired of maintaining a home and are lonely to boot. Well, I don’t want my seniors to ever feel trapped so I’ve started these last few years investigating options so that when I meet with one of them I can recommend ideas. If they want to sell, and move to a smaller place, most have quite a bit of equity to live on. Most want to remain in Huntington Beach where their friends are and some have bought darling one story condos in the lovely Huntington Landmark gated senior community. I’ve been there many times showing seniors the clubhouse, the many activities and available transportation to shopping, field trips and local churches. Often, they are lonely in their old house with neighbors at work all day while they sit home alone. If they don’t want to buy, there are rentals available there too. I have several clients who now live in Carmel Village, an assisted living facility across from Mile Square Park. Last month I visited 2 facilities on Florida Street in HB. One is a high rise independent living apartment building where rent is charged according to income. I liked that idea. The assisted living across the street is gorgeous. Last week I visited the beautiful 5 year new Sunrise Senior Living on Yorktown. One of my recent clients is moving there. Rates vary widely in all these places depending on size of room, and how much assistance is needed. It is well worth looking into all this way ahead so that your loved one or you never feel trapped. There are lots of options out there for seniors. Another option to consider before you are a senior is Long Term Care Insurance which can provide some help for seniors who may need care at home when the time comes. I believe the more options people have, the less fear of the future they will experience and the transition into that new phase of life will be easier and happier. God bless our seniors that they may enjoy those golden years.

HUMOR CORNER
One of life’s mysteries is how a 2 lb. box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.
The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.
A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills. She has 14 kids but doesn’t really care anymore.
Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.
I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my knickers.
Amazing! You hang something in your closet for awhile and it shrinks 2 sizes!
I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That’s my idea of a perfect day!
Sign on refrigerator: The last time I cooked this almost no one got sick.
HOUSEHOLD TIPS (Thanks to Laurie Venn’s luncheon group)
To avoid odor when cooking fish, cabbage, onions, etc. place a small bowl of vinegar by the stove. It works. I tried it.
To remove onion odor from hands, rub hands on a stainless steel spoon.
There’s a wholesale flower shop on Brookhurst before McFadden on the right in a strip mall. Good discounts.
To form chocolate curls on top of a cake, use a potato peeler.
To avoid white flour marks on cupcakes or cake, use cocoa mix instead to powder the pan.
Saran Wrap boxes and foil boxes have a tab on each end that, when pressed, keeps the roll in place.
MARKET UPDATE
These are the lowest rates we may see in our lifetime. This is the kind of market I started in real estate in 1992. Oh, how we all wish we had bought up investment property then for our future retirement! There are lots of foreclosures and short sales available in desirable areas in both single family homes and condos. If you are interested in investigating investment property I have a special system I can put you on where you will receive regular updates to preview. I can do the homework for you to see if there is even more flexibility available. There can be great advantages for buyers at this time. But this won’t last forever. Don’t miss out. That rental home can be paying for itself until you retire. Call me today for more information.
SAVE THE PLANET AND SAVE A BUCK
1. Keep a mug in your office instead of using paper cups.
2. use sponges or rags instead of paper towels.
3. Make sure bottles and tins are clean before putting in the recycle bin.
4. Refill pens and pencils, don’t toss them.
5. Use razors with replaceable blades instead of disposable ones.
6. Put an end to the paper or plastic dilemma-bring a cloth shopping bag to the store.
7. Rent, borrow and share items used infrequently.
8. Turn off lights.
9. Change out your light bulbs to compact fluorescent.
10. Use a power strip to turn off office equipment.
11. Buy energy efficient appliances.
ADS
The same. Lake Pending, Alisa Pending
ATTENTION Park Huntington Homes
Did you know you can get a copy of your floor plan by visiting AnnieBaker.com and also search for property all over the county?
USE CAUTION AT BELLA TERRA MALL, HB
I received an email regarding a woman who said her car, a Tahoe, had the door lock popped out in broad daylight and her navigation system stolen in the parking lot at Bella Terra Mall. She said the police said it was a common occurrence. However, I could not verify the information anywhere so I only forwarded it to a few friends in the HB area with a suggestion that they be careful there. Another email said someone’s nephew had been mugged but, again, I could not verify it. Finally, Neta Short, who I’ve known for ten years, emailed me to say that over the winter break she dropped off her 15 year old with several friends to see a movie at Bella Terra. When the kids were going into the 6 o’clock movie they saw a gang fight in the arcade in the theatre. One boy was jumped by others, they said. Paramedics came and the kids saw a victim on a stretcher. When the movie was over the kids waited in the parking lot for another parent to pick them up and they saw another stretcher and police arresting some boys for a stabbing near the Juice Shop. Her drop offs have ceased. I was not a direct witness to any of this but I pass it along so that you, my readers, may be aware and will use caution at Bella Terra until further information. I have seen nothing in the paper yet so still cannot verify any of it except what I have heard from Neta, a reliable source.
WHAT IS LOVE?

February is regarded by some as the over commercialization of romantic love. Sell those cards, donate to the candy industry big time, pay double for the red roses and some restaurants double their prices that day, Yes, Valentine’s Day can have some pretty negative connotations. For some, that day is too painful. They’d rather not be reminded of lost relationships due to brokenness or death, or never having loved at all.
I see it a different way. The whole month reminds me of the importance of thinking about every kind of love, not just romantic, that we need so desperately to experience as individuals and as a nation.
Indeed, life can be pretty dry and boring without loving someone and hopefully many someones. Living without loving is like a car trying to function without oil, grinding away and getting overheated until it just burns out.
Oh yes! There is certainly a place for romantic love! Bring it on! How exciting it is! The first attraction! The great unknown. Where will it lead? The discovery that he is interested too! The pursuit. Should I be hard to get? Casual? Or fall into his arms right away? What do I want from this attraction? Am I ready? Is he? Is this just a lark or marriage material? Does he have the right qualities? Is it a match? Do we have enough in common? Could it last? The adventure careens down the bumpy road and either crashes and burns or takes off like a rocket ship lighting the night sky that lasts even sometimes into a 60 year marriage. But at the start, who knows? Ah, the wonder of it all. The books, the songs by the thousands attest to this great adventure.
Ok. Enough already. Hopefully these great romances expand over time to include other loved ones in their lives. If it’s a healthy love, it will have room for extended family, friends and community and not be isolated. For we all need to love not just ourselves but many people in order to have a fulfilling life. Some fear any kind of love due to some sort of damage. But to fear love is to fear life. And those who fear life are already dying. So, loving and the giving of it breed happiness not just to those who receive it, but to the one who gives it.
So, what is this thing called love? Here are a few famous quotations which attempt to define it. “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” (R. Henslin).
“When I speak of love, I am speaking of that force which all the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality.” (Martin L. King)
In my opinion, love is what you do. It is not always a warm fuzzy feeling and frequently does not start with that warm fuzzy feeling. Love is an act of reaching out to another to help, to befriend, to stand by, to listen to whether we feel like it or not. Where we see a need, fill it if we can or find someone else who can. Love is being a channel of help. After doing what we see needs to be done, the love feelings of joy will come along afterward. Good enough. But we are not to wait for the warm fuzzes first. “Love never claims, it ever gives.” (Gandhi). Therefore, love is giving whether there are exciting feelings or not. There is great power in love. The Bible gives some universal truths about love no matter what religion you are. “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things.” (1 Corinthians 13 4-7)
Liking one another is not enough. Love is the glue that holds this world together. In these difficult days with maybe more to follow, it benefits each of us to see beyond a traditional Valentine’s Day and seize the opportunity to help a hurting world whether it be a next door neighbor, friend at school, co-worker or loved one. We can reach beyond ourselves. What an opportunity. If we look for the opportunity, and then do the right thing, the love feelings will follow. We can experience love in all its dimensions all year long. That will bring each of us all the contentment we could ever want. I challenge myself and you to be the one to reach out to others and not wait to be reached out to. Let’s enjoy the full range of all kinds of love. It will be a better world if we do.
Quote bottom of first page: “Love, the Answer to the Problem of Human Existence.” (E. Fromm)

DO YOU KNOW A SENIOR CITIZEN?
Will you be a senior citizen sooner than you think? Do you have a loved one who is a senior citizen? I have developed a particular interest in the life changes facing seniors as I have worked with more and more of them these 16 years. My first concern is how vulnerable they are and how they need to be protected. Some are scared as they face the complete changing of their lifestyle. They’ve been independent their entire adult life. They drive, shop, work, visit when they want to and have been in charge of their finances. As old age beckons them, some of the independence slips away. As I have met with widows, widowers and couples typically their biggest concern is that they want know what all their options are when they can no longer maintain their present home. Will they have to eventually go live with a relative even far away from their friends? And yet they are tired of maintaining a home and are lonely to boot. Well, I don’t want my seniors to ever feel trapped so I’ve started these last few years investigating options so that when I meet with one of them I can recommend ideas. If they want to sell, and move to a smaller place, most have quite a bit of equity to live on. Most want to remain in Huntington Beach where their friends are and some have bought darling one story condos in the lovely Huntington Landmark gated senior community. I’ve been there many times showing seniors the clubhouse, the many activities and available transportation to shopping, field trips and local churches. Often, they are lonely in their old house with neighbors at work all day while they sit home alone. If they don’t want to buy, there are rentals available there too. I have several clients who now live in Carmel Village, an assisted living facility across from Mile Square Park. Last month I visited 2 facilities on Florida Street in HB. One is a high rise independent living apartment building where rent is charged according to income. I liked that idea. The assisted living across the street is gorgeous. Last week I visited the beautiful 5 year new Sunrise Senior Living on Yorktown. One of my recent clients is moving there. Rates vary widely in all these places depending on size of room, and how much assistance is needed. It is well worth looking into all this way ahead so that your loved one or you never feel trapped. There are lots of options out there for seniors. Another option to consider before you are a senior is Long Term Care Insurance which can provide some help for seniors who may need care at home when the time comes. I believe the more options people have, the less fear of the future they will experience and the transition into that new phase of life will be easier and happier. God bless our seniors that they may enjoy those golden years.

HUMOR CORNER
One of life’s mysteries is how a 2 lb. box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.
The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.
A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills. She has 14 kids but doesn’t really care anymore.
Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.
I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my knickers.
Amazing! You hang something in your closet for awhile and it shrinks 2 sizes!
I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That’s my idea of a perfect day!
Sign on refrigerator: The last time I cooked this almost no one got sick.
HOUSEHOLD TIPS (Thanks to Laurie Venn’s luncheon group)
To avoid odor when cooking fish, cabbage, onions, etc. place a small bowl of vinegar by the stove. It works. I tried it.
To remove onion odor from hands, rub hands on a stainless steel spoon.
There’s a wholesale flower shop on Brookhurst before McFadden on the right in a strip mall. Good discounts.
To form chocolate curls on top of a cake, use a potato peeler.
To avoid white flour marks on cupcakes or cake, use cocoa mix instead to powder the pan.
Saran Wrap boxes and foil boxes have a tab on each end that, when pressed, keeps the roll in place.
MARKET UPDATE
These are the lowest rates we may see in our lifetime. This is the kind of market I started in real estate in 1992. Oh, how we all wish we had bought up investment property then for our future retirement! There are lots of foreclosures and short sales available in desirable areas in both single family homes and condos. If you are interested in investigating investment property I have a special system I can put you on where you will receive regular updates to preview. I can do the homework for you to see if there is even more flexibility available. There can be great advantages for buyers at this time. But this won’t last forever. Don’t miss out. That rental home can be paying for itself until you retire. Call me today for more information.
SAVE THE PLANET AND SAVE A BUCK
1. Keep a mug in your office instead of using paper cups.
2. use sponges or rags instead of paper towels.
3. Make sure bottles and tins are clean before putting in the recycle bin.
4. Refill pens and pencils, don’t toss them.
5. Use razors with replaceable blades instead of disposable ones.
6. Put an end to the paper or plastic dilemma-bring a cloth shopping bag to the store.
7. Rent, borrow and share items used infrequently.
8. Turn off lights.
9. Change out your light bulbs to compact fluorescent.
10. Use a power strip to turn off office equipment.
11. Buy energy efficient appliances.
ADS
The same. Lake Pending, Alisa Pending
ATTENTION Park Huntington Homes
Did you know you can get a copy of your floor plan by visiting AnnieBaker.com and also search for property all over the county?
USE CAUTION AT BELLA TERRA MALL, HB
I received an email regarding a woman who said her car, a Tahoe, had the door lock popped out in broad daylight and her navigation system stolen in the parking lot at Bella Terra Mall. She said the police said it was a common occurrence. However, I could not verify the information anywhere so I only forwarded it to a few friends in the HB area with a suggestion that they be careful there. Another email said someone’s nephew had been mugged but, again, I could not verify it. Finally, Neta Short, who I’ve known for ten years, emailed me to say that over the winter break she dropped off her 15 year old with several friends to see a movie at Bella Terra. When the kids were going into the 6 o’clock movie they saw a gang fight in the arcade in the theatre. One boy was jumped by others, they said. Paramedics came and the kids saw a victim on a stretcher. When the movie was over the kids waited in the parking lot for another parent to pick them up and they saw another stretcher and police arresting some boys for a stabbing near the Juice Shop. Her drop offs have ceased. I was not a direct witness to any of this but I pass it along so that you, my readers, may be aware and will use caution at Bella Terra until further information. I have seen nothing in the paper yet so still cannot verify any of it except what I have heard from Neta, a reliable source.

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:01:00 +0000

WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?

As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.

We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.

Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?

The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller

Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”

No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?

As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.

We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.

Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?

The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller

Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”

No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN IN 2009?

As we begin another new year, we find this one to be more unusual than some of the previous years. Facing the unknown this time seems a lot more ominous than before. We’ve had our share of financial failures as a nation in 2008 which dripped down to affect almost every citizen including not just the equity value in our homes, but most retirement accounts. Many who planned on retiring soon are having to change their plans trying to guess how long they will need their money to last. Some have even lost their jobs or fear losing them through lay-offs and business closures. Kids, now graduating, worry about getting a job while others worry about affording college and finding one to accept them. All this is only part of the unknown. And it can all create a lot of worry and uncertainty.
So, the question is, how do we prepare ourselves to skate out on the ice of 2009 risking falling on our behinds in these difficult times? How have others handled the great unknown of a new day? How will Barrack Obama face the unknown events of his presidency coming up in addition to the problems he’s already aware of?
Other leaders have handled the unexpected. For example, George Bush woke up one morning to 9/11. Abraham Lincoln, between Election Day and inauguration woke up to find 7 southern states seceding from the union. He dealt for 4 years, with the horrors of the Civil War in which 620,000 lost their lives. His legacy is saving the union one scary day at a time not knowing the result, and freeing the slaves against all odds. Franklin Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, being quoted as saying, “I don’t know which way to turn”. His tough mindedness and courage, along with Churchill and Stalin gave us the victory in WWII even though he was deathly ill much of the time.
Another president who had no idea what his presidency would bring, had to make the decision to use the Atomic Bomb within hours of taking office. That was Harry Truman (“The buck stops here.”) I’ve just finished a book, “The Women of Gettysburg” which tells of the heroic deeds of ordinary women living in Gettysburg on the days of that terrible battle. Bullets flying, they cooked for the troops, and nursed the injured and dying, They never saw it coming. They just happened to live there and when the moment came, did what they had to do.

We’re talking about tough minded people here who, when the crisis arrived were ready in mind and spirit. Ready to do the right thing. (When the student is ready, the teacher appears). Well, you know what? You and I are tough minded too! How many unexpected difficulties have you and I already dealt with in our lifetimes? How many times have we done the best we could and made decisions based on the information we had at the time and seeking the best advice we could find? How many times have we prayed for direction and gotten it? A dear friend of mine said she decided in one of her most difficult moments to write her own statement using the book of Ephesians as a guide. “By faith Abraham did…., by faith Moses….. She replaced it with “By faith Shirley did…. And made the best decisions she could at that time having faith it would work out.

Of course you and I will not be making big, decisions like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Bush or Obama, thank goodness. That’s a role wild horses couldn’t drag me to. But we can be tough minded and confident based on our life experiences to buck up for whatever we must face in 2009. We can start preparing by starting with some basics: take good care of ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and get enough rest, the usual stuff. And why not? We only get one body each and who better to take care of it than ourselves?

The truth is that not all of 2009 will be rough. Some unexpected delights will pop up out of nowhere all the more appreciated because of the rough spots in the road that we will overcome! For example, some dear soul reading this who’s been alone for years will find the mate of their dreams, unexpectedly, like my 79 year old client did last year. Good stuff happens when you least expect it. The sky is not falling! There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.
We will all have to deal with the unpredictable in 2009. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare called it. Or the “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So, what’s new about that? Well, gee, we have to make plans anyway, don’t we? Of course. But what do we do when or if they crash and burn or we have to go in another direction?
We will use the same confidence, the same common sense, and the same faith that has gotten us through so far. That’s not to say that we haven’t each made some mistakes in our lives. Failing is normal. Real success is built on mistakes from which we learn. I love to joke that I should have been born with an eraser on my head to correct my mistakes. But, it turns out, that eraser is called experience whereby I have learned. I do not walk in this world a perfect human, just a wiser one and hopefully, a more forgiving, loving one because my errors have taught me understanding.
So, let’s all worry less this year. For courage does not mean never being afraid but instead, courage means resisting the desire to crawl under the bed and hide, and, instead, standing strong and ready for the unknown. Tough decisions will have to be made and they are never easy. That’s why they’re called tough. But we’ve made tough decisions before and had courage all our lives. We will now and in 2009. After all, we have some USA DNA here from the Lincolns, Roosevelts and even our own private heroes in our circle of friends and family who inspire us. Let’s look up and remember others have gotten through tough times too. If they can do it, we can too and even enjoy life as we go. If we do all this, in 2009, we will indeed have a successful year as we look back in 2010. That is what success is…knowing we did the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time. Many blessings to you. Make this your best year ever!

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller

Other quotes:
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Belva Davis
It’s always too soon to quit. It’s never too late to start over.
Failure is the path of least resistance. Real success is built on failure.
Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.”
Abraham Lincoln lost 42 out of 43 elections.
A goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Don’t expect life to be fair. Deal with it. Get over it.
Knowing how to transform failure into success is more important than knowing how to succeed. Ernest Hall
The test of courage is not what happens in a successful period, but what happens in difficult circumstances. Gordon Brown
Fate is something a little bit in our control. When you take a lucky shot it’s because you are in good shape, you’re prepared; you’ve been in the right place at the right time. You have done all you can do to put the forces into play. Alan Hilfer
If we are to make the most of our lives, we must make the most from the day we are in. David Ellis
When faced with a struggle, recognize that seeing it all the way through will present you with a new strength. You don’t yet know what that is. Steve Roesler
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
---------------------------------------------------MY WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address.
In simple words…May 2009 be the best year of your life!
MARKET UPDATE
From the New York Times
“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down-payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of a lifetime for those who can qualify for a mortgage.”

No matter what the market does, there are always opportunities. People still relocate, get married, have children, need a bigger house, retire, need a smaller house, get another job in another area, etc. People need to sell and buy and move on with their lives. People do not need to become victims of the market, but rather to take charge and get where they need to go. Pro-active buyers and sellers need to take advantage of the opportunities in this market which may be the best that anyone has seen in our lifetime.
Did you know?
· In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full
· Each person throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day
· Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
· We each use about 12.000 gallons of water every year.
· Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
· We throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Place end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
· 84% of a typical household’s waste-including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles-can be recycled.
What can we do? RECYCLE, REUSE AND REDUCE FOR 2009?
Visit www.energy.ca.gov for ideas.

HOLIDAY GUILT

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:50:00 +0000

It’s the bad economy, it’s the friends who have been laid off, it’s the pollution we are creating with our plastic bags, and cars. Don’t you feel at least a little guilty that you have a job that you are somehow making it ok even though things are a little tight?
Don’t you feel guilty that you are healthy enough to get around when there are those who can’t? Aren’t you guilty of too much consumption, too much blessing living in a free country when others are starving? Don’t you feel guilty that you are happy when others are sad?

After all, there are plenty of negative Nellie’s out there to remind you of how awful things are. Listen to them and you’ll believe it’s not worth getting out of bed in the morning. The sky is falling. How dare you be happy when others are suffering! And, especially, how dare you get into the holiday spirit midst all these difficulties. How dare you even eat turkey, cruel human that you are! Consider the global warming you contributed to, to get a turkey to your table! Shouldn’t you just go stick your head in the sand and be more hip or stylish and cool by being down?

Well, guess what? Somewhere between giving up and being depressed and being so exuberant that you over spend, over-eat, over-drink, and over-pollute, there lies a valley of serenity. A place of sincerity, concern and honesty. It is called the green valley of moderation.

Of course we should enjoy what we have. We worked hard for the homes we have, for the health we have, the food we are able to buy. In fact, having worked hard for what we have has created the very spirit of gratitude that we so enjoy this season of the year. Many of us have had a hard life from time to time. But that’s no reason to whip out our victim card. We have all the more reason to rejoice when easier times have come.

It really is ok to enjoy all that this season has to offer. In fact, our enjoyment, hopefully, creates in our hearts more empathy, or sympathy for the folks that are having a hard time. It’s even a great opportunity to reach out and share even on the smallest level, some of what we have. There are dozens of organizations, churches, synagogues and schools who are raising money for the needy. Food and clothing banks are available everywhere for us to contribute to.

Indeed, Americans are the most generous people on earth. Always have been. Did you know we are the only nation in the world that allows a tax write off for charitable giving? That’s to encourage giving. There is no need for guilt for the blessings we have. No reason for it. This is our time. In fact, it is the golden opportunity time to light up someone else’s life who is having a hard time. Opportunity knocks. None of us has the perfect life. Some have chronic illnesses, debts, difficult children or dysfunctional relatives. Life is what it is. The magic occurs when, in the midst of it all, we can lift up our leads and say, “Life is good. I’m glad I’m here. This is my time. I’m in the right place. At the right time. Whatever difficulties I have, I will grow from them. And especially this season of the year, I will count every blessing. Even if I have to look for them. For now, I’ll not listen to the negative Nellies. Better days are coming. I will do all I can where I am to make them better for everyone around me, and in the doing, I will be cheered by it too.” Someday we’ll sing, “Happy days are here again.” Until then, we will find happiness and joy with what is, whatever it is.

Take your life by the shirttails and make it the best days you’ve ever had this season by thinking on the positive, by looking for something ordinary to laugh at and by distributing hugs whenever you can to whoever will accept it. The result, guaranteed, will be joy. It will have nothing to do with how much or how little we spend this season. In the meantime, have a holiday free from guilt. Don’t let anyone or anything take the joy of the season away from you!
I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Feliz Navidad!”

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
-------------------------------------------
Other quotes:
“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.”
“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” Alexander Graham Bell
“Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged by only one thing: the result.” Vince Lombardi
“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and is usually the best way to get there.” H. Stanley Judd
“Failure is nature’s plan to prepare your for greater responsibilities.” Napoleon Hill
“I really do think that any deep crisis is an opportunity to make your life extraordinary in some way.” Martha Beck
Do not fear going slowly. Fear standing still.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend 4 hours sharpening my ax.” Abe Lincoln
---------------------------------------------------------
HUMOR CORNER:
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.” Victor Borge

Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it.” R. Lamn

“Once again we come to the holiday season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his own choice.” Dave Barry
HAVE YOU FALLEN ONTO HARD TIMES? Try the Tiger Woods method to dig yourself out of the sand trap:

The message is this: Life is 10% what you did and 90% what you do next.

No matter how good we are, we still make mistakes or are affected by outside influences that cause us to fail to reach our goal. THE TIMETABLE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING ANY SETBACK IS OUR MOST CRITICAL-and potentially the most dangerous. Any future success we hope to achieve depends on making the best decisions possible at that moment. WITH THE NEW YEAR COMING we must use this critical; time to review and analyze what we are doing in every area of our lives so that we can come up with a better plan for 2009 and take action Here are some Tiger Tips:
If you’ve landed in the rough, look and aim toward the green, not back to the tee. AIM WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.
Decide which club to use. Use the right tools.
Consult your caddie. Get good advice from those you trust.
Analyze your next move before jumping.
Keep your head down and your eye on the ball, and then follow through.
These Tiger tips are great guidelines for any areas of our lives!
In a box:
DID YOU KNOW?
There’s a new website: www.SchoolFinder.ca.gov. You can view the academic performance Index and API scores (academic performance scores), student teacher ratios and graduation rates from al CA districts. schools. This includes charter schools and all elementary and high schools. You can compare 3 at a time side by side. Check it out.
------------------------------------------------------

“WESLEY THE OWL” UPDATE. BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Everywhere I go people ask me how my daughter’s book, “Wesley the Owl” is doing. In case you have a chance, there is a beautiful article about it in the December issue of “Orange Coast Magazine”, page 50. Articles have also appeared in “People” with a 4 star rating, “USA Today”, “The Orange County Register” The Jackson Tribune”, and many others, all with top ratings. It has been rated by Amazon.com as one of the top ten books of the year for both animal stories and nature. At the time of release, it entered the NY Times Best Seller List for Non-Fiction at #13. She has been on dozens of radio interviews across the country. She has spoken to audiences at the LA Museum of Natural History and various other venues in the western United States on the subject of Wesley and owl behavior.
Many teachers and libraries have called who have purchased the book and want their book autographed. It seems it is becoming a classic. “Wesley” will soon be translated and published in other countries including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, the UK, Germany, and Brazil. “Wesley” makes a fabulous Christmas gift for anyone who has ever loved a pet. You can purchase it at any Barnes & Nobles book store and most major book stores. B&N at Bella Terra has it on the second floor in Nature section. If you’d like it autographed, call me and we’ll get it autographed for you. What a “hoot” it all is to watch this unfold. This miracle to occur for a first time writer. Every one of the Baker Breeze quotes today apply to Stacey’s tenacity in writing this book while disabled (still is), against all odds, amidst serious pain. She could have just given up after losing her career due to illness, but, instead, has found a new life within the abilities she has. Please take this very personally and know that you, too, can do anything if you set your mind to it! We know that for a fact. My family has triumphed over more hills and valleys than I could ever dare to share with you, as you probably have too. . And yet, we move on, just like you will. Life is good. What is, is and there is always something wonderful just around the corner if we will just hang in there, persevere and believe. But then, I’m preaching again! Sorry! I’m just so happy when I see someone I love, or anyone, conquer over adversity. All the more reason to reach out to those who are going through rough times especially during this Christmas season. The truth is, the story is not all in on any of us yet. We all have lots of mileage left in us regardless of our age or circumstance. young or old. I am totally inspired by Stacey’s story. I pray you will be too. Doesn’t this tell us that we can all have a fabulous holiday and a great 2009 regardless of any odds against us?
GOD BLESS YOU EVERYONE!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
STATE OF THE ART WEBSITE HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED.
Did you know you can search for homes in every possible city in Orange County and other counties by visiting AnnieBaker.com? ANYTHING you want to know about any school is there including private schools and colleges. There is a short video and 17 rotating testimonials at the bottom of the page to view. Also, as requested, there is a link to previous Baker Breezes if you have a favorite you want to look up. Let me know what you think of it.

CAN ANY GOOD COME FROM BAD TIMES?

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:47:00 +0000

Every minute the news media is blasting forth with how terrible the times are. Pick any category: banks closing, people’s retirement funds shrinking, the stock market screaming about losses every morning, politicians claiming that if you vote for their opponent, disaster will befall our nation, schools failing even though we spend more tax dollars than ever before, the price of gasoline and our dependency on the middle east and the list goes on. Thinking about just one of these can send you into a real funk. It can look like all is doom and gloom. Might as well go into the garden and eat worms.

So, how do we get through all this and keep our spirits up? It will take more than just an occasional positive cliché to help us weather the storm. We need to dig deep. What practical things can we do to manage these times? I harken back to my grandparent’s time that lived through the great depression. My grandparents lost their home, their business and jobs were scarce. But from those times forward, my family acquired some skills about being frugal that have lasted not only to the third generation but on to my grandchildren! We ate every leftover. My grandma made clothes for us grandkids while my Mom worked. Eating out was a very rare occasion. Birthdays were not the huge extravaganza we see today with the bouncer, visiting Disney characters, rented out ballrooms, expensive gifts, trips to Disneyland, etc. (Indeed, we went to a recent birthday party held in the park which was one of the nicest we’ve seen!) I remember my grandparents painting and papering their home to save costs. By comparison, as I write this, Wally and I are stationed in the garage while workmen are bull-nosing our downstairs in preparation for the painters. We learned that this is a great time of year to get work done because workmen are needing work and most folks aren’t nuts enough to remodel this close to the holidays. My referral book is getting a good work-out as we have gathered estimates.
But I digress. In the hope of helping us all deal with practical day to day expenses, I have listed some cost cutting ideas for daily living. Some of these you are aware of, but hopefully, you may get something here to help you cut costs. Here we go! Did you know that starting in 2009, you get free admission to Disneyland on your birthday? You can rent movies at the library (instead of renting one or going to the movies). Target and Walmart have some groceries for greatly reduced prices. Some of the Ralph’s stores have manager specials every Saturday morning such as fruit and vegetable trays, lunch meat, fish, etc. Even the 99 Cent Store has great prices on some canned goods and especially cleaning products. The Martha Stewart and Heloise web sites have many lists of inexpensive, green ways to clean using baking soda and vinegar. Some ladies have given up their acrylic nails for attractive, clear polish doing their own nails. Some are doing their own hair more often. Walmart, J C Penny and Target have some really cute clothes for kids. And, of course, meals can be cooked that are actually healthier by not using pre-made meals. We shop at Trader Joe’s a lot whose prices amaze me in addition to being healthier. On KFI the other morning, I heard Bill Handel share that even though he is in a high paying job he and his wife have always shopped at Costco and Walmart. My girls were raised to be frugal even shopping at swap meets and I’m proud to say that to this day they can spot a deal a mile off. On the rare occasions I’ve been into Nordstrom’s, I am amazed at the young adults I see shopping for $400 St. John’s knit suits. How do they do it? Even in my best financial years, I’ve shopped at the most at Steinmart for reasonable clothes but have purchased many of my clothes through catalogs. Last year we put in a closet organizer in our master bedroom and I vowed after giving 4 bags of clothes to the Salvation Army, not to purchase a thing for at least one year. Guess what? I’m wearing things I forgot I have that seem like new to me. Hopefully, this younger generation, through these hard times can learn to be frugal. That lesson will make them stronger adults keeping money in their pockets for school or even a future home. Some will learn not to buy unless they can pay cash or pay off their card at the end of each month. What a concept.

On a higher plane, this is a great time of year for all of us to sit down either as a family or by ourselves and list what we have to be thankful for. Off the top of my head, I’ve come up with…living in America, health, family, friends, freedom of worship, humor, books, cars that work, weather, a job I like, learning to be frugal, recreation, music, my piano, the beach, great entertainment, great food, shelter, good water, TV? Please try this exercise not just once but every few days. Turn off all the bad news. I believe we can learn a lot of practical lessons from these “bad times” We can discern what really is important. We are here and compared to the rest of the world we are truly rich in every way. Life is good no matter what the media has to tell us. We can move on. After all, it’s not what happens to us that matters. It’s our attitude about what happens to us that makes the difference. We can make these bad times a good time in our lives.

“Your can’t have everything but you don’t need everything.” (Neil Simon)

OTHER QUOTES
Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.
“I never tried quitting and I never quit trying.” (Dolly Parton)
Goals are dreams with deadlines.
Tears will get you sympathy. Sweat will get you results.
The world is moving so fast today that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” (Harry Fosdick)
If Walmart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?
The best way to “save” on a fabulous sale is to not buy at all! (Ann Baker)
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. (T. Edison)

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:27:00 +0000

SHE DID IT!

Against all odds, in the midst of a serious illness she struggled on. She had lost her job five years ago when she was stricken with massive migraines several times a week. She went to many doctors. The best. All they could offer her was medication to dull the pain, sapping her energy. She tried the holistic approach, massage, diet, whatever. It seemed all was lost. Her job, her health, even friends who could get out and go left her in the dust.

Those who loved her advised her to take the teaspoon of energy she had and write her book. You see, she had graduated from college as biology major and had worked at Cal Tech in the owl department as a young assistant years before. On Valentine’s Day, 1985, Cal Tech gave Stacey an injured four day old baby owlet who could never live on his own due to a damaged wing. He fit into the palm of her hand and needed to be fed every two hours in the beginning for several months. She was immediately smitten with him, promised to care for the helpless lump of feathers and gave him a permanent home. She named him Wesley.

And so began an astonishing 19 year journey, an unheard of relationship between a human and an owl. With a tender heart and a scientist’s eye, Stacey studied Wesley’s strange habits and even provided a mice-only required diet for him. Oh yes, many funny adventures happened to her as she shopped trying to find enough mice to meet his growing hunger.

She snapped many photos of him, as any proud parent would do, recording his antics from a helpless ball of fuzz to a playful, clumsy adolescent to a gorgeous gold and white macho adult owl with his own unique personality. He did things that went against all previous known data in the scientific world. He loved water for example. They developed a language together because she listened to him. She has a video as evidence of his responses to different phrases. He was fiercely loyal and protective of her although she could have done without Wesley’s driving away her would-be human suitors.

So, between headaches she did write her book. She attended a writer’s conference two years ago and was immediately snatched up by a good publishing agent who connected her to one of the top publishers in the country. Simon and Schuster. They fell in love with the story of Wesley. It is unheard of, or at least very rare, for a beginning author to sign on with a major publisher like that.

After many revisions, “Wesley the Owl” by Stacey O’Brien hit the book stores all over the country last Tuesday, August 19th. You can find it at Barnes and Nobles, Bella Terra, upstairs on the New Non-Fiction display table. Multiple radio interviews all over the country are happening now. Her book was reviewed last week in USA Today and the prestigious Publishers Weekly with good reviews. There will be another review in People Magazine 9/15. Last Saturday she was the keynote speaker at the LA Natural History Museum, her favorite childhood haunt.

Next week she leaves for the Denver area for book signings. Here in Huntington, she is booked for signings September 20 at TK Wild Birds Unlimited, 19680 Beach Blvd. She will be one of the main speakers for the Southern California Writers’ Conference Sept 26-28. Stacey is still amazed at all this thinking it’s a dream. It is a dream come true, a proof that tenacity overcomes every obstacle. She modestly credits the many prayers of family and friends who have encouraged her these two years for her success. They continue to pray that the book will do well. It should since it’s extremely entertaining. Any animal lover will bask in the warmth of it. I just finished reading it. I giggled and cried at the love that goes on in their journey together. Indeed, she saved Wesley’s life and as she became seriously ill, she is herself rescued from death by the insistent love and courage of this wild animal.

Stacey grew up with this saying on the family refrigerator.
PRESS ON
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve
the problems of the human race.”

As you may have guessed by now, Stacey is my daughter. More than just being proud of her accomplishment, I stand amazed at her achievement. I knew she had the talent but I didn’t know she had the physical strength to write it. She has, indeed, made lemonade out of her lemons. After all, she might never have written this if she hadn’t been so sick and unable to work... I believe it proves the theory that if you have a passion for something, the passion will carry you to your goal. We gave a reception for her last Sunday for family and friends who have encouraged her these two years. I read the “Press On” quote and we toasted her and wished her every success. She has lots of books inside her heart. A children’s book about Wesley, hamster stories from raising so many of them. (Don’t ask what her room was like as a child. That’s another story. You parents of animal lovers will know what I mean). And much more.

I invite you to buy the book because you will enjoy it. There are some things in there about me too. Some embarrassing, some funny, but never mind. You can also order it on line at Amazon.com. We’d be glad to get it autographed for you, if you like. For those of you raising children, you might enjoy posting “Press On” on your refrigerator. Who knows what will happen? She did it. I hope this is an inspiration to everyone that, against all odds, you can achieve your dream.
(Portions of this article are quoted from the book jacket.)
978 words so far

Quote at bottom of page one:
“Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, til you find your dream.” (Rodgers and Hammerstein)

Inspirational Quotes:

“Out of suffering comes creativity. You can not spell painting without pain.” J. Lithgow

“Search for the seed of good in every adversity.” Og Mandino

“Just go out there and do what you’ve got to do.” Martina Naratilova

“If the mountain was smooth, you couldn’t climb it.”

“Ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things.”

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” William Eardley !V

“Wringing your hands only stops you from rolling up your sleeves.” James Rollins

“It doesn’t matter where you came from. It only matters where you’re going.” Unknown

“The mind is like a parachute. It works best when it’s open”.

“One’s only security in life comes from doing something uncommonly well.” A. Lincoln

“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” Chinese proverb

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.” Gandhi

L U C K equals Labor Under Correct Knowledge

HUMOR CORNER

“I’ve told you a zillion times! Don’t exaggerate.”

“According to recent findings, as a result of the baby boomer generation aging, global warming may well be caused by the number of women having hot flashes at any one time.”

“They’re not hot flashes. They’re power surges.” Ann Baker

“The cheapest face lift is a good laugh.”

Found on a customer service wall: “We have not succeeded in answering all of your questions. In fact, we have not completely answered any of them. The answers we have, however, do serve to raise a whole new set of questions about problems we had not thought of previously. In some ways we are as confused as you are, but we believe our confusion is on a higher plane and about more important matters.”

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”

“I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something.” Jackie Mason

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness didn’t know where to shop.”

ADS Continue San Carlos Pending and add Alisa Lane Active.

20492 Alisa Lane, South Huntington Beach, Park Huntington
Beautiful tri-level model. 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 baths, large living room with vaulted ceiling, dining room, upgraded kitchen with Salistone counters, refinished cabinets and recessed lights. It’s the only Park Huntington model with a large family room downstairs with fireplace, built in shelving wet bar and ½ bath. All the downstairs has gorgeous wood floors. Breezy sunroom opens to very large yard. Call for more information.

MARKET UPDATE

As noted in the Orange County Register, the volume of sales is up 17% in Orange County compared to one year ago after a 33 month slump. This is good news for the real estate market even though some of these sales are attributed to foreclosures. Why is it good news? Because it means buyers are starting to buy realizing that this is an opportune time due to low rates and good inventory. As these homes sell and go into escrow, the door opens for other homes coming on the market. Currently, there are only 4 single family residences in foreclosure in South HB meaning that families desiring to live in the Edison High School, Sowers Middle School area must shop among regular homes for sale.
Here’s the story on foreclosures. They are not always the best deal in town. Why? From first hand experience, I can tell you of what several of my current buyers are going through. One of my buyers has written two different offers on two different condos in HB. The first one had 20 offers, was listed by the realtor at a very low price bringing buyers and investors out of the woodwork seeking a “deal”. But, the bank is not the one who came up with the list price. The agent and seller listed it at whatever they chose to. They have no way of knowing if that is the price the bank would even consider. As a matter of fact, after they had many offers submitted, the bank countered back at a much higher price than the list price probably because the loan owed was more than the list price. We were told to counter with our “best and highest” offer. My buyer didn’t’ get the condo. It sold for almost $100,000 above list price. It’s almost as emotional as an auction. People start out-bidding each other and lose track of the real value of the property. Other properties that seem like a deal because they are lower than the comparables come with statements such as “as is” meaning no repairs will be made, no credits to buyer will be considered. In such a case, it is extremely important to have a home inspection and a good agent to protect your interests. In another case I’ve worked on, the bank allowed offers to stack up for many weeks just waiting for the highest and best offer. Meanwhile my buyer got discouraged and we’ve shopped elsewhere. I’m not saying a foreclosure is never a good deal. I’m saying expect the worst. Difficulties. Long waits. But most of all be aware that the list price is no guarantee that the bank will consider anywhere near that as an actual sales price. That list price can actually be bait to get a slew of offers on the table and see who they can get to go higher. Seems unfair but that’s how it works sometimes. At any rate, take heart. The market is showing signs of improvement. It’s a great time to get on with your life. Move where you want to move and buy your next home at a reasonable price.

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:26:00 +0000

Surfin’ USA

“If everybody had an ocean across the USA.
Then everybody’d be surfin’ like Californ I A
You’d see ‘um wearin’ their baggies, Harachi sandals too.
A bushy bushy blond hairdo. Surfin’ USA” (The Beach Boys)

Yes, my family arrived here last week from Riverside for a few days and Michael, who celebrates his 16th birthday soon, had never had a surfing lesson. Neither had his mom Gloria, my daughter. She had tried it a few times in high school and described it as exhausting by the time you swim out with this 8 foot long board, climb up on the thing and try to catch a wave at just the right time, then paddle out again navigating over the waves you don’t want. And you have to catch them at just the right spot too. But she was anxious to try it again.

As we got in the car to go to Bolsa Chica State Beach last Friday morning I had my CD qued up to “Surfin’ USA”. Off we went so they could each have a pre-arranged private lesson with the local surf school. Gloria and I joked for days before about having the paramedics ready with oxygen and IV bags for when she came out of the water. All this to say that we are a water family getting in the pool or ocean as often as we can. Even Lucas, their part Lab Shepherd actually does laps in the family pool in good ol’ hot Riverside. We call him Rescue Dog because he will not allow anyone to go under water if he’s by the pool. Megan, 14 years old and a dolphin in the water gets exasperated with him because when she dives under, Lucas actually comes and gently takes her long hair and pulls her to the steps. So, we have to shut him in the shady dog run if we want to swim underwater at all.

Now, you talk about animals being intelligent! When I’m visiting at their house and floating around in the pool with a noodle, if anyone calls out, “Rescue, rescue!” Lucas swims out, takes hold of the noodle and drags me to the steps…not just to any old edge of the pool. I’m not making this up. Now Holly, their German Shepherd, is having none of it and cools off by digging in the cool dirt in the planter.

But, I digress. Back to surfin’ USA. Michael and Gloria had no idea if they’d be able to stand up on the surf board the first lesson but they both had wonderful coaches who first showed them how…on the shore. I shot zillions of pictures. Now, they are both pretty athletic and went at it with such zeal that each of them really got up pretty quickly. As long as I live I will never forget the look on Gloria’s face as she carried the surf board on her head out to the surf. The cat that swallowed the canary. The look, “I’m doing it.” See the picture for yourself.

Later, they lay their exhausted bodies on our beach blankets, slept hard for awhile never moving a muscle. But after some rest and food, we three went out again and boogie boarded all afternoon. Wally and Megan monitored all this and guarded our stuff.

How can I describe what a thrill the ocean and boogie boarding is to me? To be totally surrounded by nature, the sound of the surf every few seconds, the color turquoise, blue, silver, white all around you, the salt air smell, the cool breeze, the horizon where blue melts into silver, the warm sand under your feet, the cozy wet suit keeping me warm, the power you feel when nature takes her arm, lifts you up and gives you a fast ride into shore.…well, it’s heaven. And Bolsa Chica State Beach has perfect waves for beginners like us. We even saw 4 dolphins frolicking further out in the surf headed toward Long Beach.

Oh, yeah, I had a surfing lesson in Hawaii on our honeymoon 4 years ago. Had to do it. Lifelong dream. My coach showed me on land how to stand up, but out in the water, I thought he must be kidding telling me to stand up on that wiggly board on that jingly water. So, it’s back to my friendly boogie board. But Michael and Gloria tell me it’s an indescribable sensation to actually stand up on the water…on your own.

“You’ll catch ‘em surfin’ at Del Mar, Ventura City line
Santa Cruz and Trestles, Australia, Narabine.
All over Manhattan and down Doheny way
Everybody’s gone surfin’, surfin’ USA.”

My only regret is that I didn’t start younger and learn to surf. I sat ladylike on the beach for 2 decades not wanting to be in the cold water or mess up my hair. Ridiculous. Now, I’m proud to come out of the water wearing the sand in my ears and hair as a badge of honor as I say to myself, “You did it, kid!” I’m a California girl by way of inland Memphis and upstate New York.

“Well east coast girls are hip, I really dig those styles they wear
And the southern girls with the way they talk, they knock me out when I’m down there. I wish they all could be California girls. The west coast has the sunshine and the girls all get so tanned. I dig a French bikini on Hawaii Island, dolls by a palm tree in the sand. I wish they all could be California girls. ”

Ok, I’m not exactly a girl anymore but when I’m in the water I feel like one. And it makes me happy to be alive. The blue Pacific is practically in our back yards and going there is a fabulous way to get in touch with nature. Do get down to the beach in this wonderful weather and soak it all up. Literally. Even just walking and collecting shells is a delight. Enjoy! Have a great summer! “If everybody had an ocean, across the USA, then everybody’d be surfin’ like Californ I A”…..

Word count 1035
Quote at bottom of first page:
Those that say you can’t take it with you never saw a car packed for a vacation trip.

In a box…..

BANK OWNED PROPERTY LISTS AVAILABLE THROUGH ANN BAKER
This is a great time to purchase property for investment that can contribute to your retirement or the kids college education someday. Let the property as a rental pay for itself over time. The money is in the land. God’s not making any more dirt.
Think about it. There are hundreds of bank owned property now but it won’t last forever.
Call me and I can prepare a specific list of BANK OWNED properties for you. I’ll need specifics: county, city, price range single family residence or condo at least. Otherwise the list would be too large for you to deal with. Plan for your financial future. Take advantage of this market today!

HUMOR CORNER
A clean house is the sign of a broken computer.
Get hooked up on high speed internet. It crashes a lot faster now.
Dear Lord, if you can’t make me skinny, please make my friends fat.
Only on a cruise ship will you pay hundreds of dollars a day to sleep in a closet.
I’m not stubborn. My way is just better.
I’m confused. Wait. Maybe I’m not.
Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
Remember, as far as anyone knows, we’re a normal family.
You don’t have to be crazy to work here. We’ll train you.
My garage. My rules.
What happens in the garage stays in the garage.
Oh, my God. Mother was right about everything.
I didn’t say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame you.
“We have a criminal jury system superior to any in the world; and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding 12 men every day who don’t know anything and can’t read.” Mark Twain

ATTENTION PARK HUNTINGTON HOME OWNERS!
Would you like to see the floor plan of your model?
Visit AnnieBaker.com and click Park Huntington. There is also a map of the whole tract for your convenience.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like any back issues of the Baker Breeze?
Visit AnnieBaker.com and click The Baker Breeze
Would you like a list of testimonials from Ann Baker’s happy clients?
Visit Annie Baker.com
Want to know your home’s current value?
Visit AnnieBaker.com and click Your Homes Value
Want to search for a home?
Visit AnnieBaker.com and click Search for a Home…any city, most counties.
Want to calculate payments?
Visit AnnieBaker.com and click Calculate payments.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Want information about your school or any school compared to others?
Click School Information. This great page gives you a customized report on your school including expenditure per student, % of degrees in the area, number of students per teacher and much more. It has lists and charts of how many students per teacher in the surrounding schools.
Want more information on my listings? Click Featured Listings

This website is state of the art and a great resource for you and your family. It’s easy to use and, of course, is free. Enjoy

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:06:00 +0000

PARADISE

I didn’t want to go. Too much work to shop, sort, pack the food and clothes, get good coverage for my clients while I’m gone, coordinate with the rest of the family with the campsite and cabins, make the long drive, unpack, etc. In addition, Wally wanted me to bring my guitar to sit around the fire and have a sing-a-long. Forget it. I haven’t touched my guitar in 2 years! All total, just too much effort. Indeed, I had a bad case of Home-it is. But, Wally did most of the food shopping and packing the car. As I watched him load it, I was doubly sure it wouldn’t be worth it.

Until we got to the timberline at Sequoia National Forrest where we have gone each summer for many years. When we rolled down the windows, letting in the cool pine scented air, drinking in the lush green forest and listened to the blue jays and rushing streams, suddenly it was worth all the effort. What was I thinking? The five hour drive was pleasant and the cabin was beautiful.

We go every year. We call it the Farris Hilton Camping. (My married name is Farris. I’m really Ann Baker Farris). We get a campsite so we can sit around the fire at night with the two sons, wives and four grandchildren ages 8, 6, 5, and 2. But, you know, we need showers at night and a place to sleep away from the cold, flies and maybe bears? So we rent a cabin. We have a few combined meals together but otherwise meet at the campsite, by a rushing stream whenever we’re ready each day.

Waking every morning, we sit on the deck and lay out peanuts for the Blue jays to enjoy while we bathe in the Sequoias…thousands of years old. The first night and morning, deer walk through our lot.

How can I describe instant peace? There is not match anywhere for “the purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain.” Walking through the woods together, we had to shout to be heard over the roar of the crystal roaring stream...if we chose to talk at all! The fish were jumping and the grandkids caught lots of trout even with their Barbie Doll poles. And Grandpa (Wally) and his sons caught all they wanted but taught the little girls how to gently release the fish and let them go. The fun is in the catching. And then the s’mores by the fire at night…yummy. I got out my guitar having forgotten how much I enjoy it and passed out song books and the rhythm instruments (tambourine, maracas, weirro). We sang the old camp songs along with “Old McDonald” and more…even Leroy Brown and had a hootin good time One afternoon I sat alone by the stream and played and sang for hours all my old favorites…”Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, some Calypso stuff, and some rock and roll. The blue jays sang their approval and didn’t even care when I blew a wrong chord. And I didn’t’ care either. The family is so darling and appreciative that it was pure joy to share some music with them. Indeed, we discussed maybe buying a ukulele for son Rob so he could help out. So we are now the Farris Band…not always exactly in tune, but, well, happy which is the whole point.

There also is no match for the pure silence in the woods. At night you hear a stream far away, a dog’s bark echoing clear across the canyon, the whinny of a horse somewhere, and then the total silence. With each breath we relaxed a little more.

And, oh, what appetites we had! I’m sure I ate my weight justified by the hiking up and down to the streams. And some afternoons, daughter-in-law Mary and I sat on a bluff overlooking a stream and read, read, read. She is my soul mate reading companion. We steal sidelong glances at each other for fear the other will start a conversation when all we really want to do is read, read, read while we have the chance while the kids are fishing with their dads, and Grandpa. There was plenty of time left to play checkers, cards and chess at the picnic table. Plenty of time…that’s the whole idea. Plenty of time to dream, walk, eat, play, sleep and contemplate catching the fish which you can actually see in the stream.

Oh, most fun of all, we took a little rubber boat with us to put in our secret pond to float around in. Why is that so much fun? The water was pure ice almost but what a hoot! Steering with a tree branch.

This is paradise. There is a place away from the freeways, cell phones, computers cement, and schedules. I hope for each of you a time out sometime this summer. Go find your Paradise somewhere that suits your fancy and just go! Just the very idea that you can get away is worth every bit of effort. I had forgotten how refreshed we would feel coming home. I could hardly wait to write the “Baker Breeze”, as I am doing now as the washing machine churns away on all those dirty jeans. I am even eager to get back to work and see how my clients are doing with the help of my associate. Life is good. “Summertime and the livin’ is easy”. Don’t be an old stick in the mud like I was until Wally convinced me otherwise. Enjoy it. Life is short so make it good! Happy summer!

HUMOR CORNER

If you want breakfast in bed, please sleep in the kitchen.

My mind works like lightning, one brilliant flash and it’s gone.

As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.

The Senility Prayer: God, please grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

LIGHTER SIDE:Your Doormats Keep Me Chuckling

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:35:00 +0000

These lovely summer evenings, as I go walking among your homes talking with many of you and leaving you notepads, I enjoy the creativity I read on your doormats. They are a great opportunity for you, the home owner, to make a statement. Some are humorous, some very touching and many send me on my way pondering. As you may know, I knock on over 2000 homes in South Huntington Beach. Going out 4-5 times a week, it takes me 6 weeks or so to cover all the tracts I specialize in. That would be homes in Park Huntington, La Cuesta, Deane Gardens, Fashion Shores, Oceanaire, Yorktown, Presley, Beach, Southport, Huntington Strand and Concord Place. That is why I have s crew of 9-10 people who deliver flyers and information to you every week, so that I can take my time coming in person and talk to you as long as you like. Many of you have graciously invited me in to see your home asking for ideas or showing me your newest upgrade. Doing this for over 14 years has made me somewhat of an expert about every single model, what can be done with each, how people have remodeled, where they took the wall out etc. I have become a helpful resource person due to your hospitality. This in addition to meeting so many delightful people…even if they never sell their home! I’m able to enthusiastically share those ideas with another neighbor who needs help in remodeling. I wouldn’t for a minute miss the fun of seeing your home, right down to your new avocado tree, new pedestal sink or new paint in the kitchen. This is how my referral book was started…home owners sharing with me what contractors, plumbers, painters, handymen, etc. that did a good job for them. If they are happy, into the book they go to help out the next person who needs it. Many of you have called me and used the referral book. I welcome your call anytime with no strings attached.

One terrific result in taking the time to listen to you is that it has become very helpful to my clients who call me months before they plan to sell their home to find out what improvements will have a good return on their dollar and which won’t. But I digress. I thought you’d get a kick out of reading some of the 2000 doormats I come across. So, here they are in no particular order. And, please, not all reflect the view of this author, but are enjoyable, none-the-less.

“Our beach house…may your time be filled with relaxing sunsets, cool drinks and sand between your toes.”
“Horse people are stable folk”. “Martha Stewart doesn’t live here.” “If we’re not home, you can find me at Home Depot.” “Home sweet home.” “We love our vacuum, we’ve found God and we gave at the office”. “Gone surfing.” “Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.”
“Who are you, why are you here, what do you want? We’re not home”. “God Bless America”. “May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. And may God hold you in the hollow of His hand, ‘til we meet again.” (Irish saying). We shoot every 3rd realtor. The 2nd just left”. “God bless America.” “Bless this house.”
“My dog ate the doormat”. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. “We serve only the finest California wines. Did you bring any?” “God bless this mess.” “Never mind the dog, beware of the kids.” “God bless our mortgaged home.” “Here lives one old fisherman and the catch of his life.” “Attack cat on premises.” “I’m proud to be an American”. “Grandkids spoiled here”. “Gone fishing.” “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.” “Go away.” “One charming person and one old grouch live here.” “Peace to all who enter here”.

Where but in America can you say pretty much what you want, when you want to? It’s your house and your personality shines through. My summer evenings are more enjoyable because of meeting you…and your doormats! Have a great summer and call me when you need me!

DATING & MARRIAGE: Spoiled Rotten

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Disclaimer: Warning! If mushy, romantic stuff is not your cup of tea, do not read the following article! It is unashamedly, blatantly, hopelessly mushy!
It’s funny. Of all the things I’ve written about in the Baker Breeze for over 14 years, the greatest response I’ve gotten from any of you is your delight when Wally and I got married last May. I’ve tried to figure out why. Why should anyone give a hoot when two old codgers like us find each other so late in life? But that’s just it, I’ve learned. Singles of all ages who seem to be okay with their lives light up when they learn that, “even Ann” found a great partner. I, too, was a relatively happy single and had made up my mind it was okay when Wally burst into my life setting off all the bells and whistles. So I guess we’ve been somewhat of an inspiration to not only the singles, but to you dear readers who have wanted me to be as happy as you are in your marriage. How kind of you! Since everyone seems to want to know how we’re getting on, here it is!

I am spoiled completely rotten! I expected the honeymoon to wear off in these 9 months. But, no way!
He far exceeds my wildest expectations because, he is even more than I thought he was! So each sweet unexpected thing Wally does blows me away!

It’s the simple stuff that touches me. For example, efficient single that I was for many years, I’d leave the living room light on with an automatic timer so that I never came home after work to a dark and lonely house. I didn’t know what a difference it would make to walk in the door and be greeted by that warm, good-natured, glad to be alive, isn’t life great, smile. And sometimes, the smell of something delicious he’s cooked up if he had time. Little things…making a mental note to myself while running in and out on appointments….”Self, put the trash at the curb tonight, empty the baskets.” Next time I run in the door, poof! He’s done it already! I didn’t even have to ask. Can he really understand how much that lifts my spirits? I keep telling him.

And then there’s the food thing! We both love to cook because we simply love to eat! Nothing fancy.
Did you ever meet a glutton who didn’t like to cook? Well, I’m that glutton and I like to cook almost anything! Wally is quite handy in the kitchen too…salmon cooked in spices, the greatest country breakfasts in the world, special Wally pancakes made from scratch and even pretty good salads. Not to be outdone, I must demonstrate my culinary skills with my crockpot. Sour kraut layered with pork chops and potatoes and cooked all day, my own spaghetti sauce from scratch (almost) and homemade soups. Now that all sounds pretty healthy doesn’t it? But not if you eat plate after hoggish plate like I’m doing! The fact is, even with my walking a lot, I’m projecting I’ll weigh 400 pounds in another 2 years! But it is so fun to eat together! Then you add our favorite restaurants when we’re too tired to cook and, well, you get the idea!

So, we’re trying to get back to some ballroom dancing. We met at a dance, you know. The very first dance, he snuggled up close to me and I thought, “How dare he? I hardly know him!” But, it felt so good that I snuggled up to him and the rest is history. Playing house is fun, Hanging his favorite pictures mixed with mine seems, perfect. And I haven’t even mentioned the fun of being Grandma Annie to his three little doll grandchildren! And he seems to enjoy my 2 angel grandchildren too! Honestly, I didn’t know life could be so good. It’s as if we went backwards to being young again, or at least, young at heart. Wally even helps me with my real estate putting up signs for me and going over reports with me! He continues to work 2-3 days a week as a pharmacist because he loves it.

Maybe we appreciate each other more because we’re older and know life can be short now. But that doesn’t exactly make sense because you can be young with no guarantees in life and be hit by a truck so who’s to say when we each check out? Or maybe it’s the long years alone. I had no clue how sweet it would be to have a loving companion, a true friend who makes me laugh a lot, a handsome dude, even a partner with my family

Because, you see, I didn’t know there was a Wally until that wonderful day he danced into my life! I warned you it would be mushy! You’ll have to excuse me now. I need to turn the light on in the window and start dinner before he gets home so I can spoil him rotten too!

HOW TO STAY HAPPILY MARRIED: Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:26:00 +0000

HOW TO STAY HAPPILY MARRIED
Recently I asked many of you for your advice on marriage as I approach our wedding day in May. Well, here it is! The serious, the practical, the light-hearted, just as you gave it to me! Lots of it! We appreciate it all! I’ve had a blast listening to you and thought you’d all enjoy hearing it too! So, here we go…
“Marriage is like climbing a mountain. Your home is base camp where there’s comfort, support, love and nurturing. You have that base to fall back on every day.” (Married 40+ years)…,”Love is a noun, not just a verb. In the movies it’s a noun. In real life, it’s a verb. Something you do. Meaning you go home and express love even when you don’t feel loving and even if you’re mad. The response you get generates even more love.”….“Just shut up”…. “Just listen”…..
“Marry someone who you really like, not just are infatuated with.”….“Marry someone you really trust. Don’t ever cheat on each other. It’s too hard to win trust back.”….“It’s important to have the same values. When hardships hit the fan, if you have the same values you’ll make the right decisions together.”….
“Never renovate a house together, especially a kitchen.”….“Have lots of things in common to do together. It’s too lonely if you are doing the majority of your stuff apart, and too tempting”….“Don’t marry, period”….“My wife is first in my life. Not the kids. I make sure she knows she’s number one. That way, she feels secure and the marriage will last. Without a strong marriage, the kids have nothing. Raising kids is very demanding. It’s too easy to let everything else go.”….“Be sure you agree on how money is to be spent. Have the same priorities.”…. “Don’t be separated for long periods of time. You grow apart.”…….
“Give ten hugs a day minimum.” (She’s a psychologist)….“Your mate should be your dearest friend who you enjoy talking and laughing with. That will hold you together through thick and then.”….“Obey. Remember, the wife is the boss.”….

“Just marry a Farris!” (my new daughter-in-law said this. My fiancés’ name is Farris)….. “Be nice to your mate. Friendly, and kind.”….“Respect is on-going everyday. Don’t take each other for granted. My wife and I thank each other for little things everyday, even unloading the dishwasher…..“My friends criticize me for having someone in to clean the house every 2 weeks even though my wife is a stay at home mom with 2 toddlers. They say we could save that money. But in the future when the kids are grown, I don’t want a bitter old woman who wants to leave me. So, we’re as happy as clams.”….“Stay humble and thankful. Just be glad that you get to do this at all. Thank God everyday. (Married 60+ years)…..
“Never talk behind each others backs. If you expect your relatives to like your spouse, they won’t if you’ve torn him to shreds behind his back.”….

“Don’t criticize. What’s done is done”….” Be playful, be silly sometimes, like children”……”Say I love you
morning and night”…..
“Just have a really good time. Life is too short” (Spoken by a young widow who has a 6 year old child)…..“Men are very simple. Women think men are complicated. All I need, as a husband, is a calm household when I come home and respect. I think women are more intelligent.”….
“Don’t play the victim role. Poor me. You have to make choices if you don’t like something or feel you’re being treated unfairly. Speak up.”….“Be available for intimacy for your mate. Think about what he/she wants, not just you.”
“A woman should let her man feel like he’s getting his way. Women know how.”….“Keep yourself up. My wife of 50 years always cleans herself up just before I come home. She makes a big deal of it when I come in the door. I really appreciate that.”…. “Never wall paper together.”….“Marriage is a 75% overlap. He does 75% and you do 75%. Then, everything is covered.”… “Savor the joy. Go on trips, even short one day trips together.”….“Make him the top priority. Not the kids, relatives, friends or work”….“Make up your mind that marriage is a trip you have chosen to go on. You decide before hand to enjoy every part of it…the crisis, the good and the bad because you decided to take the trip and it is a huge adventure. You’re lucky to get to go at all.”….“Don’t expect your mate to be responsible for your happiness. You have to make your own self happy”…..“Put God first in your home. Pray together. That brings a special closeness.”…..

So there you have it! Take what you want from it, or what you need from it! Thanks so much! We’ll take it all to heart! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed interviewing you!

FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Robert Frost

“If grass can grow through cement, love can find you at every time in your life.” (Cher)

“If a man is alone in the woods and a woman is not there to hear him, is he still wrong/” Unknown

“For myself, I am an optimist—it does not seem to be much use being anything else.” Churchill

“Of course I believe in luck! How otherwise to explain the success of some people you detest?” J. Cocteau

“At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.”(S. Maugham)

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” (Willa Cather)

DATING & MARRIAGE: Married 12 vWeeks=3 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:21:00 +0000

Yes, it’s true. You see, my charming new husband Wally and I quickly figured out that at our age, we’ll probably never make it to a 50-60 year anniversary like so many of you. So, why not have an anniversary
every month? Think of the advantages! In 4 years we will have celebrated 48 anniversaries! We want to keep the romance going in our lives anyway, so why not build in a special day every month? So, we’re doing it. Last Saturday was our 12th week of marriage, or third anniversary.

We went to Maggiono’s for dinner and then we were off to Fullerton to see the Fullerton Civic Light Opera’s performance of “Tin Pan Alley Rag”. Delightful. Now I had arrived home that afternoon hot and tired from work feeling quite old and haggard. But the minute I put on my “magic” dress I was transformed from an aging realtor to, well, maybe a feisty teenager at just the thought of going out with him! Oh, it’s not really a magic dress, but sort of because it’s the dress I had on when I met Wally five years ago. It’s just real simple. A boat neck top, fitted waist with a wide belt that makes me looks better than I am, and a wide swishy skirt that flairs out when you dance. It has simple little red flowers on it. It always takes me back to the first time I laid eyes on Wally literally across a crowded room.

I didn’t want to go to the dumb dance 5 years ago. Tired. At my age I just want to go home after work. But a friend talked me into it. It was a dance sponsored by a Christian group and my friend would drive. Fine. We got half way there and I thought, “Oh, my gosh, what have I done!” I don’t have my own car, everyone there will be half my age, no one will ask me to dance and I’ll be stuck there! Besides all that all the men will be fat, unemployed, looking for someone to support them and have bad breath! Yuck! Who needs it? You could say I had an attitude. Turns out I knew tons of people there from the various singles groups I had circulated in these millions of years. People from St. Andrews, the Crystal Cathedral, Mariners, Cabaret, etc. And most of them knew I love to dance, so I really was having fun and forgot about how old and haggard I must really be.

Anyway, this gorgeous hunk came through the crowd. (I won’t let him read this). Looks like George Bush Senior. Broad shoulders, beautiful smile, his mouth turns up naturally from sheer habit from being so good-natured. We danced east coast swing (the old jitterbug) like we’d danced together all our lives! Then, he disappeared into the huge crowd. I thought, “And that’s the way it goes, the ones I like disappear. The ones I described above always come back. Shoot.” But he did find me again. For conversation, he wanted to know what I do for a living. I stalled. When guys find out you’re a realtor, it’s goodbye. You work on weekends, forget it. But he dug it out of me in his charming way. He said, “Oh, good! I’m a broker!” He snuggled up against me in a slow dance and I thought, “How dare he! I hardly know him”…as I snuggled up to him. The bells and whistles went off like mad. But, I warned myself, he can’t be as nice as he seems. Don’t get too excited. They never are. The phrase” nice man” was an oxymoron to me like jumbo shrimp and military intelligence. There must be something wrong with this guy. He talks like he loves his grown kids, their wives, and the grandchildren, even, well, just people. Weird. Crazy. Because I feel the same. Scarey. I had given up on meeting someone like him. (It was comforting to know we knew lots of the same people. I checked him out later. He is the real thing.)

Well, he did take my number. He did come to Huntington Beach to walk on the pier with me and go to dinner. I thought I’d never see him again once he saw that I am “geographically undesireable” living 35 miles from him. But, the rest is history. He’s passed all the tests and ruined all my suspicions having stood by me through every possible difficulty these 5 years. He’s my best friend, kind, fun, smart, the whole thing. So, for the rest of my life, I’m content to focus on spoiling him rotten—it’s safe to do that with a good man.

You can bet that for as long as the good Lord gives us, we’ll have these monthly anniversaries to celebrate the joy of finding each other so late in life. If you think we’re a little silly, yeah, we are! And we intend to stay that way! Whether it be a simple evening or fancy, hopefully, we won’t miss out on having lots of happy anniversaries together.

DATING & MARRIAGE: Our Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:17:00 +0000

THE WEDDING AND HONEYMOON
Well, we did it. We can’t believe we’re old married folks now. Wally and I were married Saturday May 8th in the small gazebo overlooking Laguna Beach, accompanied by a perfect blue sky and a lovely ocean breeze. The reception was a few steps away at the Las Brisas restaurant also overlooking the azure Pacific. Forty family members and friends graciously came from all over the country. They arrived from Memphis, Canada, San Diego, Sylmar, Nebraska, Palos Verdes and Sacramento. We had decided to skip our whole grown up kids’ generation and any ugly bridesmaid’s dresses, and have just the grandkids in the wedding. No pressure to perform, just fun. Wally has two grown, married sons with 3 grandkids, and I have 2 grown daughters and 2 grandkids.

We took our simple vows as the united families formed a circle around us. We wanted all the kids, young and grown up, to see us unafraid to make a commitment for the rest of our lives, amidst a world where commitment and responsibility are often shied away from. My sister’s 2 grown daughters were there with their husbands and almost grown kids. This was the most difficult part for me. You
see, my beloved sister, who had helped raise me, even when we were “latch key kids” had died suddenly of lung cancer the year before. I had complained to God several weeks before the wedding, “She won’t be there! She was supposed to stand up with me!” She was the one that said of Wally, when she met him, “He’s a keeper!” And just as clear as turning on a radio knob, I instantly heard her voice in my head saying, It’s okay, honey, I’ll be there”. Then, after sobbing my heart out, I was okay from then on knowing that she would be there in spirit. And so she was, as I felt her presence. But seeing her grown daughters’ fighting back their tears during the ceremony, I realized they were missing her too.
My 11 year old grandson, Michael, the little man in my family, gave me away, and his sister, 10 year old Megan was our pretty ring bearer. Wally’s 3 little granddaughters ages 4, 3, and 2 came waddling the aisle, as flower girls, all a-frill in their pretty powder blue and white dresses to match my simple, but elegant dress. The little dolls threw most of the rose pedals from their baskets in one spot thinking that would be the most practical way to empty the baskets, to the chuckles of everyone watching. The ceremony went off without a hitch, as we knew it would because, well, there was no such thing as a hitch. Whatever happened, happened and we didn’t give a rip if it was not “perfect”. All we wanted was our family around us and each other for whatever time we have left in this quickly passing world. Wally looked even more handsome than his gorgeous, tanned sons and I still can’t believe this distinguished, jovial, charismatic fox with the contagious grin is now my husband.
After the wedding we all walked several yards to the “Las Brisas” restaurant, overlooking the ocean for a delicious lunch, wedding cake and champagne. You see, we had lured the family to come from all over the country by making the wedding a three day party at the beach. We had rented 10 ocean view rooms, as our gift to them, at our favorite resort hotel a few blocks from the gazebo. And we were very insistent that we would receive no gifts. After all, our own cupboards were packed as tight as sardines in a can to begin with, and who needs another knick-knack to dust?
The partying started Friday afternoon, the day before the wedding. After the families and kids had all arrived, we served a simple, delicious take-out Chinese food on one of the ocean view decks, relaxed and enjoyed the sunset together as each branch of the family got acquainted.
Saturday afternoon after the wedding and reception were over, we all adjourned to our resort hotel where we indulged in boogie boarding, building sand castles and exchanging favorite family stories. At dinner time, we brought in pizza, drinks and a CD I had made of our favorite tunes. I had had weeks of fun putting together, with the help of a DJ, 2 hour’s worth of our favorites to dance to. The music varied from, “Blue Swede Shoes”, “Blueberry Hill”, “The Twist” to “Play That Funky Music, White Boy.” Wally and I love to dance and the “dance floor” rocked out with every age going strong from 3 year olds to those in their 70’s.
Sunday was Mother’s Day. Most of us had brunch at Las Brisas as we dealt with the thought of re-entry shock going back to the real world. To be surrounded by so much love for 3 days left Wally and me in a total state of contentment.
Three days later, Wally and I left for Hawaii. First, we stopped in Honolulu for the specific purpose of seeing Pearl Harbor. I had never been. It was more moving than anything I’ve ever experienced as an American. Standing in the memorial over the USS Arizona, looking at 1177 kids names that went down with the ship made it seem like it happened yesterday. As I leaned over the rail to see the oil still seeping up from below, a young girl next to me was gently throwing flowers into the water. As the oil came up, my tears of gratitude flowed down with her flowers. I was touched to see tears in the eyes of young people and the quiet that settled over all of us as we entered the memorial. One thing I’ve never heard mentioned is how close to shore the USS Arizona was anchored. I imagined boys going to bed that Saturday night thinking if anything happened, they could swim the few yards to shore. But, they never knew what hit them. Sunk in 9 minutes flat. They died before they could even get to the deck and swim to shore. I did the math. 1177 kids, (the youngest was 17 with 36 sets of brothers). If the average age was 22 and most people live to be say, 65 that equals 43 years of life cut off for each. Now, 43 years missed, times 1177 boys equals 50,611 birthdays alone missed, plus 50,611 Christmas holidays. That’s over 100,000 special occasions. Now life is not just lived by special occasions. The years lost to their parents, grandparents, wives, girlfriends, and children is incomprehensible. What cost freedom. Had we not entered WWII because of Pearl Harbor, England could easily have lost the war and we could all be living under terrible tyranny even now. A little study of history tells me that we came very close, several times, to losing that war. We could have all been speaking German now. Had we not been hit at Pearl Harbor, the USA might have delayed entering the war and Great Britain could well have been overcome. I often think occasionally when I get discouraged, of one of my favorite quotes by Winston Churchill, after 40 days of constant bombing in London during that war.
He said, by radio, “We will never, never, never, never give up”.
Later that same day, on the USS Missouri, we stood in the very spot where the surrender of Japan occurred, and saw the bunks the boys slept in. Every American should see Pearl Harbor. I wish I could buy each one a ticket. It really makes you think.
Then, feeling very lucky to be alive, we flew on to our real honeymoon on the beach on the magnificent Island of Maui. Every day we snorkeled somewhere as the thousands of colorful fish put on quite a show! Now, I’m not superstitious at all, but I have to tell you of a glorious experience I had snorkeling. Turquoise is my favorite color. I think the whole world could be different shades of it. Well, twice, while snorkeling, as soon as I put my face in the water, a very large (maybe 10 inches long) gorgeous turquoise fish swam right up to the face of my mask, looked me straight in the eye and swam away never to be seen again. I took that as a sign. Welcome to Hawaii and welcome to my new life with my Wally.
Anyway, we did dinner cruises, excursions to other islands, went to a luau, took a hula lesson and even a lei making lesson. Wally’s kids said we did more in our 2 weeks there than they ever had as adults. But, see, we don’t have forever like they do, so we intend to whoop it up on the excuse that we’re older.

Okay, I have to tell you, I even took a surfing lesson after a lifetime of longingly looking at surfers at home in Huntington Beach. I made no attempt to stand up. Just wanted to see what it felt like to ride a couple of waves in. As if powered by jet fuel, I hung on for dear life as my coach gave me a shove in front of the largest waves I’ve ever seen. I know I was going at least a zillion miles per hour as I looked up long enough to see horror stricken people on shore scattering like sparks from an engine and running for their lives as I came roaring into shore obviously being completely out of control. What a total blast! What a surge of power to feel the strength of nature behind me! Of course, my arm muscles ached for days just from hanging on! But, it is part of our strategy. Do it now. Don’t wait for tomorrow.
We’re home now, snug and almost smug in our new life. We’re each back to work and delirious that we get to come home to the same house every night. Is that really happening after all these years alone or are we just dreaming? Somehow, we’re living in a state of gratitude for life in general. Grateful for our jobs, our health, our kids, for America, for ocean waves to play in, and, well, just every thing. And I hope we will always be thrilled at the memory of how excited everyone was for us on our wedding day. We plan to look for opportunities to express enthusiasm to our loved ones whenever we have that opportunity.

THE SOUTH: Southern Hospitality

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:09:00 +0000

LOCAL REALTOR BRAVES TRIP TO DEEP SOUTH

Film at eleven. Well, almost! Yes, it is true; I got back last week from Memphis and Jackson Tennessee after a 9-day visit with my “baby” sisters Janis and Linda. And visited 82-year-old Mama.
Now, I wonder, if you all understand how brave I was! First of all, there’s the language barrier. I mean, you tell me what this phrase means, “Ya-all ladies come back and see us, ya-all hear? That’s what the bubbly waitress said as we left a restaurant in Jackson. (They all sound like they’ve been drinking out of a Dixie cup). And what right did she have to be so happy and cute anyway? Full of energy and delighted to help us. This only 2 weeks after the entire downtown area of Jackson had been torn to pieces by the tornado. Looks like London must have looked after the bombings in WW II! There we sat with so much jovial talk around us—chatting with the same owner who stood in the street 2 weeks before cooking on a BBQ and distributing food because all of his food was rotting in a refrigerator with no electricity. What’s the matter with these people? Don’t they know the meaning of defeat? Evidently not. And, how delightful is it to be addressed as, “Ma’m” and, “Yes Ma’m” by people older and younger than me! Even those with the most menial jobs seemed happy to serve us and behaved as if it was a privilege! What a concept! Hey, this is my roots! I can learn something here! I want to have more of that attitude in my life, in my business! It’s a privilege to serve people! I’m carrying that home with me!

But I digress. I had decided, in my martyrdom state of mind, to go to Jackson to see my family and vowed never once to gripe about the mosquitoes that I knew were viciously lurking around waiting for me. Every morning I sprayed on repellent armed and ready. Well, the jokes on me. They never appeared! It was still spring and they’re not out yet! They did arrive the day after I left. There is a God. And I wasn’t going to complain about the heat and humidity, either. But the weatherman called my bluff! It was a perfect 70-75 degrees with no humidity at all!

Now, what do you suppose a realtor loves to do on vacation besides eat everything in sight? You got it. Janis and I went shopping for homes! She needs to get out of that 3000 plus square foot mansion, poor baby, on 2 acres where the majority of her life is spent mowing. Her life as a school counselor doesn’t allow much spare time for that. So, are you ready for this? We found 1500-1700 square foot homes 2-3 years new in gorgeous neighborhoods for $112,000 to $119,000—on half acre or more lots. You knew it already. Even though Jackson is the perfect mid sized town one hour outside Memphis, population a perfect 80,000 or so, center of the medical community for the county and college community and home of Casey Jones the railroad engineer, still homes are reasonable. Major sticker shock for me and actually a good experience to know better the feelings my buyers and sellers go through. It was fun being the sister of the buyer and enjoying her thought processes—not that different than what my clients go through here! And I found myself giving her the same advice as here. Do it now. The rates are in your favor. It’s nice to find out that what I say to clients I really believe myself.

Well, we had fun! And I realized that my family isn’t that far away. A four-hour flight. I even tried to sneak some southern hospitality into my luggage to bring home and, hopefully, spread around here. Surely, we all could stand a little more jovial attitude, language barrier and all. I was also pleased with the tough security check at LAX and Memphis. They checked every inch of my luggage. Did they think I look like a terrorist? I don’t know. I’m just glad they’re doing it. I felt safer.
It will take me a few days to get my mouth back to normal but I’m working on it. You won’t mind if I address you with a, “Yes ma’m” or “Yes sir” once in awhile, will you? Meanwhile, I realize that I came back more refreshed and blessed than when I went. That makes it worth all the imagined risks of mosquitoes, humidity, tornadoes and terrorists. Visiting my roots was a wake up call. So, ya’ll give me a call when you need me, ya’ll hear? I’d be mighty privileged!

ELVIS: The Same Humble Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:02:00 +0000

We lived in the same low income, government housing project in our early childhood: Lauderdale Courts in Memphis, Tenn. He was born in Tupelo, Miss. and his family like my grandparents were survivors of the Depression. He was 4 years ahead of me in high school. He attended Hughes High and my high school was the next one down the road...East High. We never met, but our southern routes were similar and we loved the same kind of music.

My sister and I would sneak to the radio late at night in our room so our grandmother wouldn’t hear us, to turn on the “black” music station and hear the really bluesy, soulful, funky music coming out of Memphis, the blues capital of the world. And, if we were good kids, Sunday night after church, the youth pastor would take us all across town to sit in the balcony and listen to the best gospel music ever. The little, clapboard church would literally shake on it’s foundation as the choirs rocked out.

If only the white population had something or someone like that, we would say. Well, one fine day, my Daddy, who worked at a large music store downtown, sold a beautiful guitar to an unknown, polite little guy. They threw his old, beat up guitar from Sears in the trash. (Oh, to have that souvenir now, Daddy would say in later years!) His name was Elvis Presley. Elvis never forgot how my Daddy helped him and so began our favorite family story.

Elvis soon, as you know, went on to become the King of Rock and Roll. Pop music would never be the same as he delivered, swivel hips and all, a beat the world could not resist. It was what we had secretly been listening to on “black” radio for years, but he brought it all to mainstream America. We danced our hearts out in high school and college to, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Hound Dog”. “All Shook Up”…(with all those profound literary lyrics), and wept over every high school break-up to the tune of, “Heart Break Hotel.”

As I said, Elvis never forgot Daddy. Daddy was a violinist…quite an entertainer…and had a strolling trio of violinists who played for fancy parties in Memphis, strolling around the party and taking requests. He played at Graceland for many of Elvis’s birthday parties. Elvis was very loyal to the people he trusted. When Elvis was on the road, he would frequently and generously throw out to the audience a guitar or two as souvenirs. They were good ones too, like expensive Martin, Gibson and Ovation guitars. Daddy would get the call to send him more guitars because Elvis knew Daddy knew exactly what kind of touch Elvis wanted in a guitar.

When Elvis bought Graceland, I was going to college at Cal State Northridge, having spent many years in upstate New York…but that’s another story.
All those years after he died, I avoided visiting Graceland because I thought it would be a cheap, cheesy tourist attraction. Finally, in 1994, while visiting my family in Memphis, my little sisters took me to Graceland. I was impressed with how tastefully it was and is kept. In fact, due to tasteful planning, Graceland today brings the Presley family more now than what he earned in his career! Indeed, what seems like miles of hallways are lined with his gold records. The enormity of his popularity really hits you when you see them. Memphis is still rampant with the stories of Elvis’s generosity. A very poor church, for example, in the poverty section of town wrote Elvis and asked him to pay for repairing their organ. He, instead, remodeled the whole church.

I think of him often, actually. I listen to the gospel music he so loved and hear a heart unafraid to show pure emotion. I think of the tragedy of his getting hooked on prescription drugs, exacerbated by insomnia; the tragedy of him being so charismatic that whatever he said was law and few dared challenge him for fear of losing their job or his friendship. I regret that so few understood the dangers at that time.

But most of all I remember his humble beginnings, so like my own, which hardly prepared him for such a treacherous world of negotiating contracts and wondering who to trust. Yes, there was the joy of great wealth, but he was also a prisoner in his own home.

I went on to work my way through college, become a junior high and high school teacher, and later spent 12 years in radio doing broadcast news, designing ad campaigns and negotiating contracts, before going into real estate 14 years ago. Somehow, fractured family and all, I got the message that if I got my education, no one could take that away from me. Somehow, out there I had guidance when I needed it to steer me in the right direction. I wish Elvis could have had the same. Yes, he had some great successes and tons of money. But I wish he could have been happy too. I hope we can all learn something from his tragic ending.

SPRINGTIME: Daylight Savings

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:58:00 +0000

THE GIFT BEGINS

We take it for granted every year. Who could blame us? After all, we’ve known all our lives that daylight savings time will come…this year Sunday March 9th. Big deal. But as I watch the buds on the trees begin, and the rainy days decrease, my thoughts turn to the delightful gift of two or more hours added onto our days without the slightest effort on our part. The clock will do me the favor without my even having to ask. Am I entitled to this gift? Of course not. Yet I take it for granted. How then shall I use this undeserved gift? How will I use this new opportunity? How many more of these springtime gifts will each of us have, anyway?
You’ve heard the phrase “if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it,” or “80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. Where do I want to fit? I’m a busy person as you probably are but if I’m in the 20%, well, I want to make it count and not just clutter it up with more busyness.
This kind of thinking is not new to me, however. My thoughts get very introspective each spring even though we in Southern California don’t crawl out from months of snow and dreary weather. We do see changes in the air. Last week my daughter Stacey and I visited the Bolsa Chica Wetlands and stood for hours admiring the terns, seagulls, and even fish jumping out of the water like silver blades cutting through the air. It was like a 3 hour vacation in a tropical land except it’s 10 minutes from our house. Perhaps that’s what started me looking forward to daylight saving time and my spirits were lifted just by seeing the sun come out after the series of rains we’ve had.
Whatever the cause of my thinking of the gift of 2 more hours of daylight, I came home from the wetlands vowing to stop more often and observe nature around me, to not get so busy that I disregard this great gift. I will soon be listing a home where the lady has a garden. She tells me there’s nothing like working with the soil and watching your handiwork bloom. My husband, having grown up on a farm, is more in touch with nature than most. I am learning from him, also, to stop and smell the roses.
Oh, yes, the usual joys of summer will take place. Out will come our favorite boogie boards and happy wet suits to take to San Clemente on a day off and feel the press of nature lifting us up and carrying us to shore. Imagine a free, personal ride with nature. Nothing like it. And we’ll get in the pool with the grandkids as often as we can. Midweek in June we’ll slip away for a few days with the kids to camp in the Sequoia National Forest, fish, sit by the fire and sing silly camp songs along with my guitar.
But what about those 2 extra hours a day? I will not attempt to do more than my schedule already allows, but simply to do it better with a new zing in my step. Rising a little earlier will seem easier. I’m already more motivated to get more organized so we can have time for the fun stuff. This year, during the rains, Wally and I have gone to the movies more than ever before. We’ve seen our fair share of alleged A rated movies that were very disappointing. Who rates these things anyway? Our little joke is that if it’s A rated (artistic, alleged great acting) it usually turns out to be very dark, violent and, well, even boring. Our friends Carol and Steve had warned us that “Atonement” was so boring they almost walked out half way through. But no. We had to see for ourselves. After all, I have a background in the arts and acting and it was promoted as a Jane Austin type film. Well, it was boring, long, dark sad, hard to follow, etc. But Hollywood thought it was great. I guess we’re weird. We like movies that make us laugh, or inspire us and make us think. After seeing, “The Bucket List” we had several lively discussions about what we’d like to do with the rest of our lives before we croak. No, we won’t be sky diving like Denzel Washington, but we’ll be doing other fun stuff. So, I shall return to my favorite escape…reading at bedtime. I’m reading, “Sea of Glory” right now after finishing, “Daniel Boone”. Love to read history as you probably know.
So March 9th is simply a great mid year wake up call for us. We evaluate how we’ve spent the hibernation of what we in Huntington Beach laughingly call winter and look to spring. “Summertime and the living is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.” Well, maybe living isn’t always “easy”. But even for those of us who work, there are hours left to get out and enjoy even if it’s only your own back yard. I wish for you a joyous spring. Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to try boogie boarding too. It’s a much better substitute than sky diving.

Quote across bottom of page:
“Take care of the minutes. for the hours will take care of themselves.” Lord Chesterfield
Other Quotes:
“The time is always right to do what is right.” Lincoln

“Time heals all wounds.” (Saying). “Time wounds all heels.” (Frank Case)

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the stuff Life is made of.” B. Franklin

“Start by doing the necessary, then do the possible. Suddenly you’re doing the impossible.” Unknown

“No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” Thomas Jefferson

“One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin.” Shakespeare

Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest buy in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.” John Muir

“Nature’s above art.” Shakespeare

“We all look at Nature too much, and live with her too little.” Oscar Wilde

“Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly.”

SPRINGTIME: Sticks In My Yard

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:54:00 +0000

Why hasn’t the City come by and cut down those useless, tall sticks in my front yard and all along the street? Can’t they see how useless they are? Barren, brown, offering no shade or visible use. The City must know something. It happens every year. The sticks stand there with all this hidden potential down inside. Pretending to be dead and looking the part. Ah, but the Sherlock Holmes in me is now watching very closely everyday. Because, by instinct, I'm in on the secret too. And, by golly, I detect tiny, tiny little green “things” appearing. Even I, who am near sighted, who hates the dark of winter can see them growing. Gee, I think they are trees! Why, they’ll be gorgeous in a few weeks! I just know it! I’m glad the City didn’t give up on them and rip them out because they are not producing. Yet.

And so it is with the lives I see around me. A life that is not fully productive—yet. But given time and some encouragement, well, who knows? The story’s not in on all of us yet. I recently sold a house for a yoong couple who, due to losing jobs 6 months ago and overspending too, were facing foreclosure. They waited too long to get the house on the market and the bank was hot on their trail. I made up my mind that I would do everything I know to get them out of there without the scars of foreclosure on their record. After more negotiating than you want to hear about, I sold it and got it closed before the bank closed in. At first glance, this couple looks pretty hopeless. But given time and a fresh start, just watch their dust.

Many of you know I have a disabled daughter. Heartbreaking. Will a cure be found? Cut down in the prime of life with so much potential. Had a computer career, good job, talent, smart, hard worker. All that seems to be lost now. Well, guess what? She’s like those trees in my yard. The story’s not all in yet. Not by a long shot. And we will never, never, never, never give up. Not today, not next year, not ever. We will take our inspiration from the great violinist Paganini, who, while playing in a large concert performance, had a string break. He kept playing beautifully. Another string broke. He continued. A third string broke. Down to only one string he finished the concerto. Beautifully. We will strive on, on one string, if necessary. The barren trees will bloom. Maybe not as soon as I would like, but they will bloom.

I will not fret away my life and don’t you either. “ I’ve already suffered a great many catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened.” I have a chance here on earth to bloom where I’m planted, for as long as I can and I will take that opportunity. Chuck Swindall said, “The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90 % how we respond to it.” That doesn’t mean that you and will never be discouraged or shed some tears. It does mean that we will dry our tears, pull up our socks, roll up our sleeves and deal with it. I see it all around me. Those sticks in the yard are going to bloom and so will we. Spring is here at last.

CHRISTMAS: Giving

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:52:00 +0000

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

It’s the time of year when we struggle with New Year’s resolutions, wrestle with whether to bother with them, and wonder if they do help for awhile, maybe, at last til January 5th.
This year, however, I see it all from a slightly different angle that I did a year ago. I am now marveling at how some certain wonderful concepts should never change. Take generosity for example.
It all began innocently enough in November when one of my sellers asked me if I knew anyone who might want her piano. She didn’t want to haul it to the new house and try to sell it there. She’d love for a child to have it and it was free. Well, our little 5 year old grandchild, Rachel, was in need of a piano, is taking lesson on an electric keyboard (which doesn’t have the same touch) and we had been keeping an eye out for one for her. So, I was thrilled to tell my family of the offer. We could have it if we could pick it up that Saturday morning when her movers came.
Yippee! Suddenly I felt like the rich Orange County realtor that I have occasionally been called. After all, consider this. While some people give their grandchildren cheap trinkets from Target, rich Orange County Realtor, Ann Baker, who has alleged endless funds (just kidding, don’t I wish) and a generous heart, is giving her grandchildren a piano for Christmas, no less. (Uh, never mind that it’s free).

So, after many phone calls…how to move it, could we pay her movers to help us load it, yadda, yadda, we met at 8:00 AM at her house and loaded it into son Rob’s van. You see, the moral of the story is that if you have as much money as the rich Orange County realtor, you can pull off just about anything. Even though I’m kidding, I am so tickled to do this and especially for not a penny spent. My client wouldn’t hear of it. By the way,
I could write 3 more pages about generous sellers who took the high road at every turn in their escrows wanting to be fair to the new buyers coming in. Even though I place certain phrases in their counter offers to protect them on every level, some still insist on being generous. And, a few here and there, are, well, jerks by nature and will fight over a hair on the ground. It seems there is a delicious story of human nature tucked away in the little crevices of every sale in the dramas of real estate. I don’t tell these tales often, though, for fear some future client will think I expect him to be generous in areas where they can’t or shouldn’t be.

And I kid about the rich OC realtor thing because many times a new client takes that position when they look at realtor commissions, because they just don’t know, until I show them with pencil and paper that I really, if I’m lucky, clear about 1% of the commission listed after my marketing, delivery crew, printing, insurance, taxes, signs, flyers, etc. I even had a buyer in my car last week ask me if Tarbell pays for my car! I explain that we are independent contractors and pay for everything. This is why you see such a high turn over with real estate agents every year. If you don’t do volume, you can’t cover your expenses and if you can’t spend money marketing your listings, it’s not fair to the seller, in my view. For example, I’m the only realtor in South HB that I know of who has an entire crew of 7-9 people delivering flyers promoting my clients homes 3-4 times per month to thousands of homes. Of course, some clients think regardless of the market that realtors always have the advantage. But, when you thin about it, in a “bad” seller’s market, clients want a good hunk of your commission because they will now get less because the house isn’t worth as much anymore. Conversely, in a good seller’s market, they think the realtor is making a lot, so he should give them back part of his commission, forgetting that he is also making a lot more on his home and to get top dollar, he needs good marketing…which costs money. But, you know, that’s the name of the game. I say if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. In my 14 years as a realtor, I like to think I’ve learned to balance the whole thing and be fair at the same time. We get paid for what we do because we assume a great deal of liability on both sides. We earn it. Or at least I think I do. Indeed, most of the time, at the end of an escrow, my clients tell me they really had no idea o all that I do and are, in fact, astounded and grateful.
But I digress. What’s this all got to do with a piano? I guess being able to give the kids a piano struck a chord with me (pardon the pun). Pretty jazzy, huh? (Even though it was free to me). The point is that for one brief moment in paradise, I really felt like the rich Orange County realtor I’ve been accused of being for so long. (Never mind that it was free. And we didn’t call it a Christmas gift to them because, well, I can’t live up to that every year.
I’ve had a lot of fun with this. I am reminded that there is no greater joy than giving someone something they really want or need. And that concept never changes. Now, I may attempt to change some aspects of my life next year, but this kind of joy I intend to work on and never change. By the way, the extra benefit is that we may have another piano player in the family coming up besides me. And I’ll get to play when we visit the kids since I don’t have much time to when I’m working. In which case, I think I’ll buy the family earplugs for when I come over. But that’s another story.
Happy Resolutions and Happy New Year To One and All!

LIGHTER SIDE: Your Life In Six Words

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:48:00 +0000

Here’s a fun exercise. Could you sum up your life in six words? On line magazine, “Smith”, compiled a few famous quotes to get you started. For example:
Author Elizabeth Gilbert said, “Me see world, me write stories.”
Chef Mario Batall, “Brought it to a boil often.”
Author Emily Hambridge, “Wanted to write but feared failure.”
Others:, “Became my mother. Shoot me.”
“It’s pretty high. You go first.”
“It was embarrassing, so don’t ask.”
“Wasn’t born a redhead. Fixed that.”
“One tooth, one cavity, Life’s cruel.”
“Made a mess, cleaned it up.”
“Put whole self in, shook about.”
“My second grade teacher was right.”
“Secret of life. Marry an Italian.”
“Little bit Lucy, tempered by Ethel.”
“Experienced a lot. Regretted very little.”
“Climb every mountain. Ford every stream.”
Think about it. What would yours be? It’s a fun thing to do with friends and family.

PRESIDENT LINCOLN

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:40:00 +0000

I WISH I’D MET HIM

He’s always been my favorite. He was considered an ugly duckling not only as a child but as an adult. I can relate to this somewhat, because as a child I was a skinny little thing. He was geeky in his clothes, too. All elbows and knees. It wasn’t that clothes couldn’t be made for him at 6’4”, but he was poor and couldn’t afford them. But all that is just appearance. What I love about him is that he was so darn good at seeing both sides of everyone’s story, not just his side.

When he became a leader, some of his competitors hated him because, well, they lost to him and were full of envy. They were more educated, more experienced in their field and they lost to this unknown upstart. Now, most of us would have just kept our distance from these rivals. Not him. He saw the skills of each of them and put them in important positions where their expertise could be used. It didn’t occur to him to be threatened by their superior educations, culture and prestige. When asked, “What will you do with all these enemies?” He quickly responded “I’ll make them my friends.” And so he did. He was able to have compassion for his enemies because he understood them. That’s tough to do.

Would that we could all have a dose of that. Now, he had an irritating wife, as some folks do. She had migraines and probably PMS and often lashed out at him in public. He would gently sooth her, understanding all the pressure she was under and loved her anyway while others watched in amazement.

You may have guessed by now that I’m talking about my beloved friend, Abraham Lincoln. Oh, I hated history in school because it was a bunch of dumb dates about a bunch of powder-haired stuff shirts that I couldn’t relate to. If only one person had made me dig deeper and read just one book about him so I could learn what a wonderful human being he was! Now that I’ve read several books about him, he is alive to me and has had an impact on my life! You know he learned to read in a shabby cabin by candlelight. So what, a kid might ask. Think about it. What kind of fire in the belly did that take? He taught himself law by reading books late into the night, after a long work day, often walking for miles just to borrow a book. Where, on earth, did he get the drive, all on his own, in the midst of his poverty, to do all this? He wasn’t even exposed to any great motivational teachers like we expect our kids to have. And if our kids don’t achieve, it’s the teachers fault! But I digress.

When he went to meet the other legislators in his first elected position in Illinois, they laughed at him. Ugly. Pants too short. From the back woods. But when he spoke, squeaky voice and all, down to earth sensible logic came out of his mouth and they stood back in awe. Indeed, in the early days, while on the “circuit” in the times when lawyers rode from town to town with a judge to do court duties for the area, they all gathered round in the local boarding house dinner table to hear his Mark Twain type humor telling homey hilarious stories. That’s the other thing I love about him...his self deprecating humor. For example, in one of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, Douglas accused him of being two faced. Lincoln smiled calmly and replied, “I leave it to my audience. If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?” And to the question, “How tall are you?” He responded, “Tall enough to reach the ground.” The common man could relate to this homespun humor. They loved him. And so do I.
He had an ingenious way of helping his enemies save face even after he knew they had criticized him behind his back. He would invite the man into his oval office and tell him not to worry. He would say that he had heard the talk and that he would, “Never believe you would say a thing like that about me.” The man would leave ashamed of himself, realizing that he had been caught, but that Lincoln had helped him save face, and leave forever a loyal supporter. That produced a long trail of faithful supporters for Lincoln over a lifetime who he had forgiven and won over.
His listening skills and ability to see the other side of every situation with compassion was a large part of his greatness. Take the South for example. Many of them hated Lincoln for freeing the slaves. But after his assassination, they realized he was the greatest friend they ever could have had. He had great empathy for them and their losses. His generals wanted the southern generals to be thrown in prison. He said no. Forgive. Let’s heal and help. Let’s be a nation again. I’m so glad that at least he lived to see the end of the war and his dream of freeing the slaves and saving the union accomplished.
Management seminars are conducted today to learn his skills in relating to people and forming loyalty. Books are written such as, “Lincoln on Leadership”, by Donald Phillips. But my favorite book, “Team of Rivals”, by Doris Kearns, a Pulitzer Prize winner, describes all these delicious stories about this heroic human being. Please read it. I leave you with the greatest words ever written in American history from the Gettysburg address, “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

If there be a heaven where time and space end, and I am fortunate enough to get there, one of my first requests will surely be, “Can I meet him?”

MOVIN' ON

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Baker, Realtor) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:38:00 +0000

Many of you ask me why your neighbor is moving. Some of you, with an incredulous look, say, “How could anyone ever leave this sunny California weather?” So, I thought you’d enjoy a few interesting true stories about my clients who’ve moved on this last year, where they moved to and why. You will relate to some and think some are nuts but, hopefully; I’ll answer some of your questions. I will use fictitious names to protect their privacy.

First of all, it’s hard to call them just “clients” because we become friends as I get to protect them through this life changing process called selling their home. From the first call when they want to know what to do to present the house better, to staging their home, to hearing their family story, to negotiating the offer and saying good-bye, it is all very emotional for them. They seem relieved when I assure them that all their feelings are normal. (“Gee, are we doing the right thing, oh, my gosh, we’ve been here forever, oh, I’ll miss…... how do I get rid of all this stuff accumulated all these years?”). The truth is everyone goes through all this to some degree. It’s usually the biggest decision people make in their lives and often the biggest financial one. Mostly what motivates them is a hunger to have more free time with their family, less driving in the congestion, more land and a more affordable cost of living.

I call this scenario the drama of real estate and if I ever have time to write a book, my observations of some of these wonderful folks will be in it, watching them as they go through these big decisions. Let’s take Joe and Mary Smith for example. A professional couple, highly educated. They have lots of relatives in a small town in Ohio and go back part of each summer to fish, swim in the lakes, and be with family. They wanted their son, now entering junior college to be in the midst of “mid-western values” in those important years. Also college is less expensive in the mid west. The Dad was up to his neck with a mortgage here that would probably never be paid off. They had enough good old California equity to sell and buy cash there. After several trips back, and after we did the math, they made the big step. The found a home over 3000 square feet there so affordable that they could pay cash from the proceeds of the house here. Of course, to their delight, it backs a deer preserve and is on several acres. Anyway, this highly professional, charming man was so relieved the night I brought him a good offer on the home here, that he told me later it was the best night’s sleep he’d had in months knowing that from now on the financial pressure would be over. Forever. He hadn’t realized how much it had all been bothering him until then. When I called to see if they had arrived safely in Ohio, he was standing in the street as the moving van arrived in the small town. He sounded choked up. I thought, “Uh-oh, what’s wrong?” He said, “Ann, when the van pulled in, the neighbors began to stream out of their homes, bringing food to welcome us. They helped us unload, too.” Welcome to small town America. Since 9/11, by the way, lots of my seller’s have said, “We’re going home”. We need family for our kids to grow up near.

Indeed, adjusting your finances can really lift your spirits and your outlook on life. Take Bill and Suzy Jones. They’d only been in their home here 4-5 years but gained enough equity to pay cash for a gorgeous 3500 square foot, brand new home in Las Vegas. What, no state taxes? They can now afford to save, travel, and have more time together.

Two of my widowed clients last year chose to move out of state to be near friends rather than face the future alone here. They said they felt safer in a small town. A third one is retiring to a cozy one story condo in the Huntington Landmark retirement community…just blocks away where she’ll still be near her church and friends here. She also can pay cash with her proceeds. Another delightful family recently got rid of their large home and its huge mortgage and moved all the way to, well, downtown Huntington Beach where they are renting for awhile enjoying not having all the responsibility of home ownership and walking on the beach often. They’ll buy later after they decide where to downsize. And, for some happy reason, I’ve sold a slug of houses for firemen. It pleases me no end to be their realtor since they are my heroes. There’s nothing as much fun as hearing from the a couple who retired to Palm Springs area and are having a ball decorating their new home and playing golf to their hearts content.
But I digress. Another young couple is moving to Austin Texas to a newer home on 2 acres with a stream running through it. Their home here doubled in value the 4 years they’ve owned it. So we have down-sizing, up-sizing, whatever. Life is short, they tell me, and folks don’t want to be a slave to their mortgage or feel trapped by it. There are choices in life and they have chosen to be pro-active. It’s springtime in Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, wherever. “Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.” And as the packing boxes arrive, these folks are movin’ on leaving behind the shackles of high mortgages. Free at last.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
“Use life to provide something that outlasts it.”

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this…you haven’t.”
“Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.” (Brendan Behan)
“Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.”
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.”
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
“Some days you’re the bug; some days you’re the windshield.”
“A closed mouth gathers no foot.”
“The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.