Just Horsin' Around - Thoughts on Central Texas Real Estate and More

No, wait, come back here.  I didn't mean you should literally back up - but you should certainly back up everything on your computer.  Religiously.  Weekly, if not daily.  Real estate agents especially should do this, but we all should in order to . 

Why am I saying this?  Well, yesterday, my computer, full of five years worth of data, decided to fry itself.  Power supply went,and took the motherboard and the hard drive with it.  And I'm suffering the consequences of my (in)action, as I had nowhere near enough stuff backed up, and recovering it at this point would start at $500.  The killer is that I got an external hard drive for Christmas, but the first thing to go was the USB ports, and, of course, I couldn't get the computer to recognize the external hard drive so I couldn't just back up the whole thing like I was planning to do - the problem started the night of the 25th (or we discovered it when we got home).  It is to weep. 

So, today, back up everything on your computer that it would make you gnash your teeth and tear your hair and weep and wail to lose.  Do it as part of your end of the year tying up lose ends routine, and then do it weekly, if not more often.  Make it a New Year's Resolution that you keep.  Trust me on this one. 

(Sob!)

In celebration of their centennial this year, the Austin Federation of Musicians is bringing back their Free Concert Series in Austin, Texas, at Ruta Maya and, when the weather turns warm(er), at the Zilker Hillside Theater.  This year the series will consist of 20 concerts, two bands each, every Monday evening.

Free music, once a week, for six months.  What a deal!  

This morning on the news I saw an interview (well, part of an interview) in which was described the rescue of a woman who is a world-champion tri-athlete who took a 60 foot fall while training in an isolated area, breaking her pelvis in 3 places.  She spent two nights out there with her dog, Taz, before being rescued.  And, yes, Taz did go find help and tell them, "Timmy's in the well!"

This reminds me of the time that I was injured by a yearling running into me and got a concussion as a result.  Somehow I made it 500 yards through two chained gates and down hill and across a creek and into my house.  I lost about an hour there out of my life that I evidently will never recover - it is absolutely gone from memory.  However, the next few days, in consultation with the horses and our dog at the time, Jake, a blue heeler, we reconstructed what happened.  What I DO remember is that, once I managed to realize, alone in the house, what had happened, and knew I'd have to wait for my husband and daughter to get home, I decided to lie down (with a concussion, remember).  Jake, who had his own Very First Rool about not going in the bedroom, not even stepping on the carpet and who, if you picked him up and carried him into the bedroom, as soon as you put him down would head for the door, all the time looking at you as if to say, "Bad Dog!", not only came in the bedroom but up on the bed and would not leave me alone until I got up.  We figured out, from his behavior and other evidence, that he had supported me that entire way, AND tried to carry my glasses that had been knocked off with us (we found them halfway down the hill beside the trail, covered in dried dog slobber). 

The horses had their own way of indicating their awareness of the seriousness of what had happened, but that's for another blog. 

Good Taz!  GOOD BOY! 

With the weather getting colder (finally!), we naturally seek out warming foods.  This soup, delicious, restorative, and VERY quick to make, fits the bill nicely.  It's also a great way to use up leftover turkey or chicken from holiday dinners. 

• 1/2      teaspoon  olive oil
• 1         cup  chopped onions
• 1         teaspoon  bottled minced garlic
• 1         can  fat-free chicken broth -- (14 1/2 ounce)
• 1         can  cream of chicken soup -- low fat (10 3/4 ounce)
• 1         can  chopped green chiles -- (4 ounce)
• 2         cups  cooked chicken -- or 1 10-ounce can
• 1         can  creamed corn -- (14 1/2 ounce)
• 1         can  corn kernels -- (14 1/2 ounce)
• 1/2      teaspoon  chili powder -- or more to taste
• 1/2      teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1         can  fat-free evaporated milk -- (5 ounce)

Heat the olive oil in a 4 1/2 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat.

Stir in the onions and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in the garlic.

Add the chicken broth and raise the heat to high.

Add the cream-of-chicken soup and stir to mix well.

Allow the soup to come to a boil while draining the chilies and adding them to the pot.

When the soup boils, reduce the heat to low.

Add the chicken, cans of corn, chili powder and cumin.

Stir to mix well.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the milk.

Serve at once, garnished with cheese if desired.

If you're serving very small children, or someone who doesn't care for the "heat", feel free to omit the canned chilies, chili powder and cumin. Instead, stir in 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese for extra flavor and richness.

 Georgetown, Texas, has been taking some action to help keep the inevitable growth at our doorstep  from destroying the very ambiance that draws people to move here in the first place. 

Latest in this effort tree protection rules, intended to apply to "heritage trees" of a 26-inch or greater diameter of species including American elm, bald cypress, cedar elm, chinquapin oak, live oak, Monterey oak, pecan, post oak, shumard oak, Southern magnolia, Texas ash and walnut, passed its first reading December 12 and will have its final reading on January 9.  Pruning or cutting these trees without a permit could result in a $5,000 fine.

The rules are not intended to apply to single homeowners wishing to clean up or remove trees on their property, but rather to encourage developers to preserve the tree-enhanced atmosphere of Georgetown.  In a community located in a part of the country where temperatures can climb over 100 many days out of the year and air conditioning is almost as much a necessity in a home as a kitchen, tree-shaded avenues provide cooling, not only in temperature, but mentally.  Larger trees, situated properly in relationship to a home on a lot, can also decrease energy use in summer and lower electricity bills.  Central Texas, including Georgetown, depends on its trees; it's only right to protect them.

More information on the new ordinance can be found at the Austin Business Journal online. 

Sometimes we need to put things in perspective.  We start taking things a little bit too seriously, thinking our own problems are the biggest, most important thing in the world.  It's not good for us, and at those times, it's nice to have some sort of reminder of our place in the overall scheme of things. 

There's lots of ways to do that.  One of them that I find particularly delightful and awe-inspiring is a website that my daughter turned me on to, is the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) website, which has a different photo of the heavens each day.  (The link is to today's, December 19, 2006, one of the more amazing I've seen lately). 

This lovely 3/2 on one acre, with a privacy fenced yard including a swimming pool that is 9 feet deep at the deep end (per the owner), has a sunroom overlooking the deck and pool that is perfect for an office, playroom, sitting room, entertainment area, whatever you wish.

Relax in front of the fireplace in your living room, entertaining your guests there or in the elegant dining room. 

Beautiful landscaping with a huge oak in front cradled by the circle drive. Tucked on a corner cul de sac lot in a quiet neighboorhood just minutes from Georgetown amenities, shopping, and Lake Georgetown, and a short drive (about 5 miles) from the Parmer Lane/Ronald Reagan Drive extension that is currently under construction for easy access to Austin, this home offers the best of both worlds and, with just a little TLC, many possibilities for the inspired homeowner.

 This horse facility, originally a Thoroughbred breeding farm, is perfect for trainers, breeders, or someone who wants an equine retreat about 25 miles southeast of downtown Austin in Caldwell County.

•  131 acres turnkey operation
•  3 barns (one 20 stalls with tackroom, one 12 stalls with tackroom with toilet, plus 4 stalls attached to a hay barn with 500 square bale capacity and workshop)
• 5 stallion paddocks
• Half-mile track
• 20 acre hay field
• Moderately wooded, so suitable for trail rides and hay rides
• Separate equipment package available for purchase  
• Easy access to IH35 and 183 (and the Austin airport) for out of town clients. 

In addition to the above, there are two dwellings. The main residence is a 3/2 Palm Harbor located at the top of a hill overlooking the property, with views of pastures and horses out of every window. There are spectacular sunset views, and on the 4th of July and New Year's Eve, you can see six separate fireworks displays without leaving home, and without the noise!

The second home, a 2/2 with fireplace, is perfect for a guesthouse, as a second dwelling in a family compound, housing for ranch help, or as a rental.  As it is just across the drive from the front barn, it would also be perfect for an equine bed and breakfast operation. 

This property has been lovingly tended by its present owners and is ready for someone to step in and take over this turnkey operation for training, breeding, or a secluded retreat from the hustle and bustle of Austin that is a short drive from city amenities.  Only $485,000!

For decades, Texas' rule of the road has been Drive Friendly.  We even had it on signs on all our highways for a long, long time.  And, for the most part, we practiced this, allowing other drivers to merge, not tailgating, not cutting people off, being courteous at four way stops, and so on.  After all, we're a big state, and our roads are important to us!

But, with increasing population and the melding of driving habits from various places, this has slowly been being eroded.  Sadly, for some years now, I've watched "Drive Friendly" turn into "Every Man for Himself" in many cases, though I've done my best to counter that.  And, of course, there's never a cop around when these things happen (would YOU drive that way in front of a policeman?). 

Apparently, this is not just a Texas phenomenon and, from what I saw in a video article on CNN this morning, a couple of guys decided to do something about it.  They started Platewire, a website where people can go and post the license plate number and infraction when someone cuts them off, runs a red light, rushes up the "lane ending" lane or up the shoulder to cut in ahead of those obeying the traffic signs, and where comments can be made.  Now, there won't be any tickets issued, and the offender may never know about it unless someone they know who also knows their license late number (do you know YOUR license plate number?) sees it and tells them about it, but it's a way of letting off steam and warning others of such people driving the roads of their home town.  (Postings are done by location.) 

As real estate agents, we spend a LOT of time in our vehicles and probably encounter more of these situations than most.  Now, you have a place to talk about it! 

I signed on this morning and discovered that Teresa Boardman had memed me.  So, let me think, five things you likely wouldn't know about me . . .

1. My house is pretty much floor to ceiling books.  With boxes of more books in the attic.  And in the storage locker.  My husband and I, when we got married almost 35 years ago, each brought 19 boxes of paperbacks to the marriage.  They breed, you know. ;-)
2. I'm a fourth-generation Texan through all four grandparents (we were here before it was Texas), and qualify for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas via San Jacinto, Daughters of the Confederacy, and the DAR through a horse. 
3. I collect quilts, Amish by preference (love the vibrant colors!), and have a beautiful Hmong/Amish collaboration quilt in my collection. 
4. I've been bellydancing (amateur, not professional) for about 30 years now, off and on. 
5. I make a mean Margarita and am something of a Margarita purist (3 parts Tequilla, Patron Silver by choice; 1 part Cointreau; 1 part fresh-squeezed lime juice) and get unreasonably incensed as fruit 'ritas - great drinks, call 'em something else! ;-)

I hereby meme tag: 

Belinda Garza

Shira Zippe

Ken Nimmo

janeAnne Narrin

Bonnie Erickson

Tag, you're it!