Spring Babies

As the temperature warms and the sun shows up in the sky for more hours in the day, things on the farm begin to change. We had a rough winter for our chicken flock and I was waiting for those two things to happen so I could add baby chicks to the farm. Now it is here and so are the babies, but I thought I would update you on how we got here and the lessons we learned.

We had experienced a few seperate issues that got us to this point.

Hawk attacks…On two separate occasions haws got into our chicken run! Wanna know how? Human error! It was not the hawks fault or the chickens fault so much as it was our fault. There was an entire section of the run not covered in fencing. Hawk flew right in, attached the smallest chicken, my only remaining hen, and then struggled so hard to escape through a different section of the fence it ended up injuring it’s wing all while the 2 roosters and other hen watched from the other side of the run. The second hawk attack was similar, a section of the fencing not attached well to the frame of the run. (anyone see a theme here?) The interesting thing about both attacks is that we had been watching whese 2 giant hawks hunting a mole in our pasture for weeks, worried about them and the chickens. But those two didn’t do it! It was 2 smaller, adolescent hawks that made it into the chicken run. Now, we have gaurdian owls!

New, Homemade, Made from Pallet Wood Coop and Run!

Perimeter Breaks…Wanna guess whose fault number 2 is? It follows the theme! When putting fencing around the perimeter of the run, there were these brace boards that caused the fencing to not sit flush with the board or staple close enough to the board. It created almost like a little tent between the board and the ground. Did we go back and fix that issue after the fencing was installed? Not soon enough! Something, still no idea what, managed to get under that area and pull out the 2 remaining chickens. I was able to follow a string of feathers to find this little fence tent that got left for nothing less than laziness.

Old age…This one isn’t our fault, but I learned a lot. A few years ago my oldest daughter brought home 4 chickens that she bought at Tractor Supply, completely without permission, of course, as she has done with all but 1 of her animals. I had no idea what type of chickens they were, still don’t really. If I had to hazard a guess, they were something like a Long-Island Red (we have had those before, but they were bigger and meaner that these girls were). The benefit was, they laid a ton of eggs! So I kinda forgave her after a while. In the last year we lost 2 hens for seemingly no reason. They didn’t seem sick or have any signs of problems. They just slowed down and one day were dead. I believe it was old age. Chickens can live to be 7 or 8, but when they lay eggs, especially large eggs every single day (these girls laid double yolks all the time) their life expectancy shortens. They are working too hard for their bodies to keep up. We have bread them to give us more of what we want, but less of what they can handle.

I waited for the weather to get warmer before I got new chickens because I don’t have anywhere in my home for a brooder. I Was considering getting older chickens, but found a local lady that breeds Silkies so I picked up 6. The breeder looked very well kept and the chickens seemed healthy. And yet, as I sit here, I have one baby that is not thriving. I have her sectioned off in a container by herself for a little extra warmth and am trying to get her to drink water through a syringe, but I have no idea if she will make it. Such is the #farmlife. It is always something and not for the faint of heart. But I wouldn’t trade it for any other #life in the world, #lakelife, #citylife, or whatever.

A Return to “Normal”

Is it even possible??

I really dislike using that word…NORMAL. Could someone define that for me?? Does it mean a 9-5 job in an office? Two children and a white picket fence? The point is, normal is different for everyone. I hear people say all the time, “I just want a normal life.” Really, no ones life is normal. Humans have a way of making life work. We sure have been “making life work” for the last almost 2 years! As some major corporations are contemplating bringing workers back to the office in the new year, there is a lot to process, consider, and even plan. Maybe foremost on our mind is the fact that COVID is still around. We started quarantining and working from home because it existed, and it still does, so why would we consider going back to “normal”. The truth is it’s always going to exist. And variations of it have existed for years. We have got to get through some of the fear, use the knowledge that we have gained, and create an environment where people can be successful and thrive.

“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

Maya Angelou

Set Boundaries – What are you and the people you live with comfortable with? At this point we have all reached a limit. We know by now what we are comfortable with and what we are not. Some of us are comfortable wearing masks everywhere and all the time. Some of us prefer to stay away from people. I find myself being a mixture. I see the importance of live meetings, but understand the risk and apprehension involved. I find myself keeping live stuff to really important things that can’t be done any other way while trying to scale back on the random times out in public or in a crowd. We need to not only set the boundaries for ourselves and our families, but we need to feel comfortable communicating them. It cannot be an atmosphere where people feel afraid of doing what makes them comfortable. At least not yet. This will be a time to test the waters and see where we can go from here. Collaboration is important for many businesses and school is imperative for kids. We have to find a common ground.

Getting Healthy doesn’t mean loosing weight.

Get Healthy – I really wish we could have some serious conversations about how food is medicine. I’m not saying you won’t get COVID or you can cure it with the right diet, but it does make your immune system stronger to fight the virus, and any other illnesses that might come our way. Start with leafy-green vegetables. This is the #1 best source for anti-oxidants that can boost immunity and fight off free radicals. Berries make great warriors too. Try adding a smoothie to your day, whether just for breakfast or an afternoon boost instead of coffee. What if you added a salad to your day? Salads are easy to pack as to-go lunches. The toppings and dressing may not make them “low- fat”, but the bed of greens you add stuff to can make it a health punch! Staying healthy may mean vaccine, maybe that means vitamins, maybe that means loose weight. This is a great time to do double duty on the healthy trip and keep your body fighting germs.

My new favorite smoothie recipe: 4 oz V8 Carrot Ginger, 4 oz vanilla almond milk, 6-8 mango chunks, 1 tsp. turmeric…blend and enjoy!

Stay Flexible – Things are definitely going to change. We are going to see times where schools go to remote learning or events that get turned into Zoom calls. It is important to keep that in your mind. It may mean that we still need an at-home learning space for the kids or private office space for Zoom meetings. When the teenager is late for school and my entire schedule gets turned upside down, I get super frustrated! I’ve learned this year to prepare a little flexibility into my schedule. Mentally decide which activities can be moved around and which cannot. The mental exercise of rearranging my schedule is a little calming in itself. We are still being asked to do things a little out of the normal, so mixing that with what used to be normal may take a little mental exercise.

The Real Estate industry didn’t really slow down pre-post-or during the pandemic. We made changes on the fly. And we are keeping most of those…masks are required to see houses, no overlapping appointments, trainings are still virtual or at least have a virtual option. But business is kicking right along! People want to move! Inventory is still super needed with about 5 buyers to every seller. Interest rates are still low enough to save you some money on a monthly payment from pre-pandemic rates. And sellers are still able to get top dollar for their home at a rate of about 19% over pre-pandemic values. We are also beginning to have conversations of dealing with an influx of foreclosures or bank owned properties. I am very interested to see how that whole market levels out and have done some training and preparation to deal with those opportunities.

I am looking forward to a great 2022! Yes, I am a glass-half-full person. Positive energy into the atmosphere will send me positive energy back. That is what I believe. My word for the year is still HELP, same as last year, because I think there are so many more people that will need my HELP in 2022. Whatever your outlook for the year, Good Luck and don’t be Normal!

What to do first…Buy or Sell

This is not a new question. But in a market like this, it is an even more difficult question to answer. As a real estate advisor, I feel the need to address this super-hot topic. If you are planning to make a move, up, down, or just out of town, unless you rent, you will have to make this choice. It is not an easy decision, and it all depends on what your needs truly are. There is no sense in getting frustrated because there are lots of options. Let me give you a few options, while walking you back off your ledge.

Tip #1…DON’T wait for the market to calm down! ACT NOW! Yes, it is crazy out there…like cut-throat, but that is GOOD NEWS for anyone wanting to sell. So your current home is not really the issue at hand. It will sell, no problem! How fast and for how much are where you will need a strategic plan.

“You don’t have to be perfect, and neither does your house!”

Tip #2…This is not the time to look for a DEAL! In a market this hot, people will get what they are asking for, at least that’s the offer that will take the property off the market. Let’s be honest! When you set a price for your home to sell at, that’s the number you want to see on an offer, even if you have to wait for it. So don’t try to make an offer on someone else’s price that is for “what I think your home is worth”. Even if the price is listed too high, they will likely only take offers somewhere in that neighborhood. They may not CLOSE the sell for that amount, but that is a different article!

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Tip #3…You don’t have to be perfect, and neither does your house! In a “seller’s market”, you don’t have to paint every wall, replace the carpet, and update your appliances. Your house will sell even if you leave it just the way that it is. Need it to sell faster? Do the painting and cleaning. Need it to sell at the top end of the listing range? Put some time and money into curb appeal, cleaning, and small updates. Also, offer a home warranty! It costs around $500, which can be deducted from the proceeds of the sale, and offers reassurance to anyone questioning the listing price that they won’t have to fork out a fortune in 6 months to replace the HVAC. I offer FREE warranties to my listings, as a service to my clients, both on a buy and sell!

New Construction gives you more options.

Tip#4…Consider New Construction! Inventory is super low right now so finding that perfect home may take a while. If it’s going to take you 6 months to find the right place, why not BUILD exactly what you want?!? In my opinion, this is the best solution for our current market delima of ridiculously low inventory. And the options are endless…spec built, custom home, modular home, farmhouse zoning, value built, and many more. I don’t understand why people are so scared of new construction. It is no more stressful than the due diligence time period when you’re buying a 20- or 30-year-old existing home! So what’s the down side?

If forced to answer the question, I tell clients to do what is best for them. If you are a risk taker and like living by the seat of your pants, hello enneagram sevens, list your house today! Even if you accept an offer in the first 24 hours it’s on the market, you are going to have 30 – 45 days to find your own new space, because few mortgage companies can close them faster than that, not to mention we have a 14-day grace period built in to our contract at all times (shhhh!). If you are a planner that only takes calculated risks and never acts on impulse, shop first! Spend a couple of months watching the market, for your neighborhood AND the house you want to buy, find the perfect new place, then put your house on the market in tip-top shape. Neither of those options are wrong! What matters is that you do what is best for you, your mental stability, and your family.

Follow Your Arrow…Or Don’t

I have been a parent for many years now. I have many opinions on parenting that could fill books, not blogs, if anyone cared to listen to them. This week I discovered something interesting through my parenting struggle du jour. We really do not want people to be strong or independent.

Take for example my experience this week. Education is, in my opinion, the answer to all the worlds problems. Naturally, as all children are when given the chance to be, my girls are smart. They have had some rough experiences through divorce, dealing with bullies, and hospitalization. Their education has not faltered. They always succeed. When you raise the standard, with the right amount of support, humans will rise. All of a sudden, they have decided that they want to follow their own arrow, not the one I laid out and pointed for them.

I exhibited a range of emotions as we have tried to deal with this latest drama. It started with anger, simply yelling at them that they will not change their course, that they will stay where I put them, that they will listen to me because I know more than they do about education. Then it turned to disappointment over the fact that they did not want the same things out of life that I wanted for them. I found myself calling them quitters and basic in my head and having a really hard time dealing with how those labels made me not like them. I eventually found myself in simple confusion. What would changing course like this do to their future, to their present, to their life?

My realization…IT AIN’T MY FREAKING LIFE!

I want something extraordinary for them because I love them so very much. But what if they just want something normal? Is that so horrible? Worth throwing shame, blame, and guilt in their faces? My own life has been pretty normal, with some moments of extraordinary sprinkled around, and I say time and time again that I would never change any of the decisions that I made because those decisions have made me the person I am. And I happen to love the me that I am.

As a matter of fact, I made a similar decision in school. I had a similar long fight with my mother over that decision. I wanted to follow my own arrow and she did not. My father, a man of few words though they speak volumes when they are spoken, told her to give in. That decision literally changed the course of my life. It placed me in an environment of acceptance instead of judgement, life lessons instead of book lessons, friends instead of bullies, freedom instead of restriction. I absolutely would not be the human I am today, as their mother, as a wife, as a friend, if my mother had forced me to follow her chosen path for my life.

We want our kids to grow up to be strong, independent humans. Have their own thoughts. Make their own decisions. That is what makes them contributing members of society. How can they do that if we spoon feed them through their adolescence? How do they learn the skill of making a tough decision if we make it for them and tell them to just shut up and do it? And isn’t it a sign of being human to want to make your own path in life? Wanting to follow your own arrow wherever it points instead of blindly following someone else is what separates us as humans from the rest of the mammals. So that’s a good thing, right?

The letting go of control is the hardest part of parenting. The commercials and movies show it happening when they go off to college, but it has to happen much earlier in order for you to be certain that they will survive while they are in college or working 80 hours a week making their own decisions every moment of every day. We need to know they can make their own decisions when they have to adult, because that’s what adulting is about. It’s not easy to figure out which arrow to follow. But at least it should be your very own arrow.