The San Antonio Newsmedia has been spending alot of time in Bandera lately.  The Bandera City Council and the Bandera Police Department have been going head to head for the past 2 months. The conflict has divided the town, to say the least.  The entire Police force has been suspended and the Bandera County Sheriff's Department has been handling law enforcement for the City of Bandera.  Investigations are on-going, tempers are flaring, and some in the town are circulating a recall petition for Council member Maggie Schumacher, who is being blamed for the fiasco.  I have not attended any of the council meetings in question, but am only reporting what I hear second hand, and you know how reliable that information can be!

The Press and the Attorneys have been very busy trying to sort this whole thing out. Fortunately, there hasn't been a rash of crimes in the city to scare it's inhabitants.  I suspect that things will calm down and a solution will be found, and Bandera can get back to being the "Happy Go Lucky" Town that it is! 

Big, Big weekend in Bandera, Texas!!!  The Cowboy Capital Rodeo Association is holding its 28th Annual PRCA Pro Rodeo on  May 27, 28th, and 29th at 8 PM at Mansfield Park.  Events include, Bull Riding, Barrel Racing and Bareback Riding.  For more information, here is a link to the Rodeo website:

http://www.banderarodeo.com/

Also on tap for this weekend, a parade down mainstreet Bandera, Arts and Crafts booths on the Courthouse Lawn, food booths and many other events. For more information on parade and other events, please look at the Convention and Visitors Bureau website:

http://www.banderacowboycapital.com/index.cfm

I hope to see you all there this weekend. Bandera is only 30 miles from Loop 1604 in San Antonio.  A mini-vacation that saves gas. And we all want to have fun and save money, right?

Searching for that special home can be as easy as picking up your cellphone!  Yes, Sweetheart Realty has it's own REAL ESTATE APP!!!   Just TEXT HEART to 87778 and you will receive a text with instructions on downloading your REAL ESTATE APP for Bandera County and Surrounding Counties (BEXAR, COMAL, KENDALL, MEDINA, ATASCOSA) right onto your cellphone.   Depending upon the type of phone you have,  you can search for nearby properties for sale, land for sale, and even solds in your search area. Works on most phones, you don't have to have a smartphone.

If you have any questions, please call me at 830-796-7448. Begin your search!!

Seeing that cap on BP's well in the Gulf of Mexico was a relief for Gulf Coast residents and Americans in general.  We all should breath a sigh of relief and pray that this cap will hold, and the cleanup will be successful and all the oil will be cleaned up and everyone can get back to normal.

If the cap doesn't hold, or if there is a leak, BP may have to remove the cap and gallons of oil will spill into the Gulf again, jeopardizing the livelihood of millions of Americans.  The tourist industry in 5 states is badly damaged, the fishing industry will take years to recover,  and birds and sea creatures in the area were harmed by the floating oil.That would be disasterous for the Coastal area.

The only seemingly good thing to come out of this disaster was the low price of gasoline, especially during this vacation season.  That helps working families who could ill afford to pay $3-$5   for a gallon of gas. The low price keeps Americans in their cars, driving to tourist destinations, or local weekend trips to the country.  That is good for the Real Estate Industry, already badly damaged by the financial crisis of 2007-2008.  When I see the cars and motorcycles coming into Bandera for the weekend, I am thankful.  That means some of them will like it here and want to stay, want to buy a home here, land here, and that is a very good thing.  Please do get in your car and come on over- Bandera is a great place to visit.

Think about what July 4th means- what it is we celebrate.  Yes, July 4th is a great family day of get togethers and bar b ques, parades, fireworks,  and brass bands playing marches and toe-tapping tunes.  We wear our red, white & blue- we wave and display our flags. For the most part, we take this day for granted- have we ever thought about the price that was paid for the freedoms we enjoy?

Would we  be willing to pay that price again if our country and way of life was threatened?  How many of us would step into danger for the sake of others as our Armed Forces do every day.  Do we even help our neighbor when in distress?

I know it's asking alot to put ourselves in danger unless it's for one of our loved ones- but the question needs to be asked and each of us should know our answer- FREEDOM IS NOT FREE- how willing are we to pay the price? 

After Memorial Day has passed and all the parades and bar b ques are over, most of us start to look forward to the Fourth of July, when more parades, fireworks and family gatherings are planned and anticipated.

But, almost forgotten is June 14th- FLAG DAY- not a big day for parades and family gatherings, but very important in the history  of the USA.  All of us had learned in elementary school about Betsy Ross and how she sewed the first flag of the newly formed United States of America.  On June 14th 1777 the Continental Congress passed a resolution specifying that the flag carry 13 stripes and 13 stars- the colors would represent hardness and valor (red) purity and innocence (white) and vigilance, perseverance and justice (blue).  Many states celebrated June 14th as Flag Day, but it was not until 1949 when President Harry Truman designated June 14th as National Flag Day.

The Flag represents the United States of America and is worthy of respect- wear and display it proudly, for it is a symbol of the freedoms we enjoy  in this country.

Spring is one of the most wonderful times of the year-all the trees and plants start to bud, flowers burst forth, rain drops from the sky, and rivers and creeks flow.  What could be better than that! The Texas Hill Country is like a beautiful bouquet meant for all to enjoy.  That is, if you're not allergic to everything green!!!  Instead of beauty and pleasure, I have pain, discomfort and nausea.  Totally not good, especially for a Real Estate Broker trying to sell the great Texas Hill Country.  This week was oak pollen an inch thick on my car and driveway, then rain and more rain to bring out the mold spores that torture my soul. I could barely get out of bed, let alone be super salesperson. I feel numbed by Zyrtec, Benedryl, Nasonex and whatever else I can get my hands on, to no avail, alas, there is no cure!  I just have to tough it out and hope my clients don't notice the bags under my eyes and the puffy upper lid. I can smile through anything, but carrying around a barf bag on a showing?? I'll take my Zofran instead! The good news is that Spring turns to Summer soon- tomorrow is not soon enough for me!!

The temperatures have been in the 70's for the past week and it feels great! Does that mean that Spring has finally arrived in the Texas Hill Country?   The grass is greening, the trees are budding, the deer are running and the phone is ringing!! Are those things connected??  You bet they are!  The tourists have arrived in Downtown Bandera and the cash registers are ringing, the bars are full of revelers and special events have been scheduled to increase the traffic count, and I'm happy with that!

Warm weather and green grass is required for contracts to be written, rain and wind does not make for happy, spending tourists and RE buyers.  Not that I'm saying that people won't buy real estate in the rain, but that happy purchasers make better decisions and that makes for happy owners, and every agent/broker likes that!  I want my clients to be happy, during the sale and after, when they will tell their friends and relatives what a great experience it was working with Sweetheart Realty!!

It seem as though winter is longer this year- maybe because the phone hasn't been ringing with people wanting to make the Texas Hill Country their home.  The weather people say it's because of La Nina or La Nino, I'm not sure which, but it has been consistantly cold here.  And that affects the phone ringing, to be sure.

Who wants to get out of their warm bed or warm home and trek out to God's Country?, when you can look at it on TV, much easier I'd say.  Lots of San Antonians and Houstonians and "We Love You" Snowbirds, want to live here full time, but we need the sunshine to make that happen!

So I'm making an appeal to the clouds and the wind, to "Move On Outta Here!".  We need sunshine to be more effective at our job- that is, to sell houses and land.  So Spring- come hither- I'm ready to do my job, do yours!

February is upon us, a wonderful time of year for most of us.  The grey skies of January make way for the delightful sunshine and hope of February, with Spring not far behind.

Valentines Day, the day of love, brings out the best in friend and foe alike, not just by giving cards and flowers, butr with appreciation and good will towards others.  The earthquake in Haiti, tragic as it was, has unleashed an outpouring of generosity from this country, even tho the economic times in the US are not good.  The images of little children hungry and alone, have touched our hearts and our pocketbooks.

The Month of Love should be our theme every month, not just February when hearts and love songs flood the airwaves. Let's try to be more giving, understanding, compassionate and forgiving during the month, enough so that it becomes part of our nature and it carries over to March, April, May.......who knows?  Anything is possible.