piedmont: 2013 FIRE RISK LEVEL HIGH FOR PEOPLE AND ANIMALS - 03/29/13 04:48 AM
People and Animals of Southern Black Hills Face High Wildfire Risk for 2013  

State Fire Meteorologist Forecast Yesterday South Dakota's State Fire Meteorologist in Rapid City, Darren Clabo, declared the people and animals of the southern Black Hills face a "Well Above Average" risk this spring and early summer.
Meanwhile, all of us in the northern Black Hills around Rapid City, Piedmont, Black Hawk, and Summerset remain on "Average" alert.  That's fine, except I have the needles and thin branches from 26 large ponderosa pines laying on the ground as explosive tender.  We need to get that cleaned up … (0 comments)

piedmont: STAGING: "IF IT'S TRUE IT AIN'T BRAGGIN' " - 03/18/13 04:06 AM
Isn't That a Quote Football Coach and TV Announcer Don Meredith was Famous for?..."If it's true it ain't braggin'. "  Well, something like that, anyway.
"Staging:"  Somewhere Between Braggin' n Lie'n?I'm all-in for staging.  I help pay the cost of an initial consult by my staging colleague.  But, I've had some challenging reactions to "staging." The word, as much as the act.
I am a realtor in a ranching area, having moved here from the east coast. I would describe the culture here as "proudly WYSIWYG." In fact, any one around these parts who isn't a WYSIWYG person may as well just hunker down over yonder … (0 comments)

piedmont: SENIOR FRIENDLY LIVING: I STUMBLED UPON STAYING YOUNG & DIDN'T KNOW IT - 03/07/13 12:45 AM
Senior Friendly Living:  I Stumbled Upon Staying Young and Didn't Know It  
My Accidental "Fountain of Youth" Now in my 60's, I feel younger than I did 13 years ago.  That's when we changed lifestyles from mid-Atlantic cities and stressful airports, to living on our own "Ten Green Acres."
Until now I hadn't thought about it much.  But after reading about a PBS special I reflected on various indicators I have discovered an apparent fountain of youth.  Here are some ways that I frequently enjoy a lifestyle more typical of men 10-15 years younger than me:
Stamina (lumbering all day, … (3 comments)

piedmont: LOSE THE MOOSE? CAST YOUR VOTES! - 03/06/13 04:59 AM

 Jessi Hall at Veterans United Home Loans in Rocheport, MO posted an interesting question on G+ about displaying a trophy moose head inside a home for sale.  Jessi's moose is now famous, if not infamous.  
Jessi drew lots of interestingly differing opinions, ranging from  H__L NO!  to  Yeh, man!
Most interesting to me is whether patterns of responses  align with the observer's perspective (e.g., male/female, rural/urban, stager/non-stager, etc.). 
But, out of all the many differing responses, the one I liked best, and the one that I think says it all (for me), was this reported exchange between a homeowner … (2 comments)

piedmont: List of Top Real Estate Agents Working in Rapid City and Black Hills MLS Area - 03/03/13 03:34 PM
List of Top Black Hills and Rapid City Area Real Estate Agents  
Many Good Choices Consumers are fortunate to have around 250 real estate agents in the region of the Black Hills MLS.  We agents often comment among ourselves that many home buyers and sellers just don't realize how different we are...and how many unique choices you have to choose from.
(By the way, we all are licensed to sell all the homes on all the MLS systems across the entire State.  And all of us MLS realtors have the same access to all the same data about the same … (0 comments)

piedmont: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO LIVE IN PIEDMONT, SOUTH DAKOTA ? - 12/12/12 06:05 AM
What Is It Like to Live in Piedmont, South Dakota? The short answer is, Piedmont is a great place to live, play, learn, explore, grow, and still remain relaxed and safe.
Piedmont is a place where oncoming drivers wave at you.  Where shoppers in the checkout line at Haggar's Grocery turn to make eye contact, smile, and really do care about "How are you are doing?"  Where you can buy a bluetooth headset for your phone and hay for your horse at the same store.  Where the Postmistress at the Piedmont Post Office  knows you by name.  Where the GenPro Renewable … (5 comments)

piedmont: VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION ACTIVITIES in RAPID CITY and BLACK HILLS - 11/09/12 10:27 AM
Where & What Are the Veterans Day Activities This Weekend Around Rapid City, Ft. Meade and Black Hills?  
Parades If we hurry we can make it to all three of the area parades.  Box Elder's parade will be 1 PM Saturday, and Deadwood's at 2PM.  Rapid City's parade will be 11 AM Sunday. 
Here are some other samples of Veterans Day celebrations and parades around the Black Hills:
Deadwood Military and veteran discount to Mel Tillis concert.  All day Saturday free admission to Adams Museum and Days of '76 Museum.
Piedmont Veterans dinner at VFW on Sunday.
Rapid City Lunch … (0 comments)

piedmont: WHERE DO I VOTE IN PENNINGTON OR MEADE COUNTY? - 11/04/12 03:46 AM
Where Do I Vote in Pennington or Meade County, SD?  
The South Dakota Electorate and Polling Stations Relevant to the U.S. general election this week, South Dakota statehood was sought because the prior Territories' residents were not allowed to vote on their representatives.  
In 1870 there were only 11,776 South Dakotans.  (Not sure how the Census Bureau knows that, since SD didn't even exist then.  And I suspect the Native Americans were excluded, too.)  Then it jumped 300%(!) to 348,600 by the time we gained statehood in 1889.  Why the 300% jump in 20 years?  Four words:  "Custer","gold",  and … (1 comments)

piedmont: SECLUDED HORSE PROPERTY HOME on 17+ ACRES, VALLEY VIEWS & BEAR BUTTE - 09/04/12 08:23 AM
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piedmont: SUPER-CLEAN SECLUDED FINE-HOME ON 9+ ACRES, VIEWS OF FOREST, PRAIRIE - 09/04/12 03:04 AM
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piedmont: HORSE-READY HORSE PROPERTY in PIEDMONT NEAR RAPID CITY in BLACK HILLS - 09/04/12 02:49 AM
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piedmont: THE VERY BEST SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON VACANT LAND & HORSE PROPERTIES - 04/27/12 03:22 AM
by Lee Alley. Find your Black Hills dream home at Rapid City Search .com
The Very Best Sources of Information About Vacant Land and Horse Properties Buying an acreage or a hobby farm?  Do you know where to get the absolute best information to help make a smart investment?
My clients and I have learned (sometimes the hard way) that buying rural acreages or homes for horse property, ranchette or hobby farm should be a lot more like a school research project than a shopping-cart transaction on Amazon.com.  Without going in to all the details here I'd just like to … (3 comments)

piedmont: PLANNING: FIVE MISTAKES TO AVOID IN BUYING BLACK HILLS HORSE PROPERTY (Part-5) - 04/26/12 06:17 AM
by Lee Alley. Find your Black Hills dream home at Rapid City Search .com
PLANNING: Five Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Horse Properties (Part-5) Why is real estate like a stray puppy?.   That's easy.
It's nice to adopt it, but then you have to feed, protect and develop it for years to come.  
You'll need a plan.  Even better, a Master Plan.  
It's not that anyone requires you to have a plan, or that other owners do actually wind up implementing every detail of the plan.   But it really does serve us well to have at … (0 comments)

piedmont: LOCATION: 5 MISTAKES TO AVOID IN BUYING HORSE PROPERTY (Part-4) - 04/25/12 02:50 PM
by Lee Alley. Find your Black Hills dream home at Rapid City Search .com
LOCATION: Five Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Horse Properties (Part-IV) Wouldn't it be great to live with your horses far away from the crowd, in the peaceful serenity of your very own heavenly acreage?  In short, "NO!"
Not exactly.  There are some practical issues to keep in mind when you are in the process of considering which property-location might be best for you and your horses.  Maybe Roy Rogers wanted "a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play."  But he had … (2 comments)

piedmont: ACCESS: FIVE MISTAKES TO AVOID IN BUYING HORSE PROPERTY - (Part-III) - 04/24/12 08:54 AM
by Lee Alley. Find your Black Hills dream home at Rapid City Search .com
ACCESS: Five Mistakes to Avoid in Buying Horse Properties (Part-3) Here are some tips for minimizing the risks of accident and property destruction from poorly planned "access" for your new hobby farm, ranchette or horse property.
Depending on the size of your trailer, you are going to need to be able to move it in and out of your property with ease, without putting fences or structures at risk, and without stopping in the roadway to work gates or try to maneuver so you can back … (0 comments)

piedmont: FENCES! - FIVE MISTAKES TO AVOID IN BUYING HORSE PROPERTY (Part-2) - 04/24/12 03:54 AM
by Lee Alley. Find your Black Hills dream home at Rapid City Search .com
FENCES: Five Mistakes to Avoid in Buying Horse Properties (Part-2)
What's so dag burn difficult about just a "fence," for heaven's sake?  Well, if you're a spooked horse next to barbed wire, it could mean serious injury and expensive bills from the vet.  If you and your friend are checking out the mare and accidentally touch the electric fence, will his pacemaker survive the lightning jolt? The acreage you bought already had a fence for his cattle, so why not just use it for your … (0 comments)

piedmont: FIVE MISTAKES to AVOID WHEN BUYING BLACK HILLS HORSE PROPERTY (PART-1) - 04/15/12 07:35 AM
by Lee Alley. Find your Black Hills dream home at Rapid City Search .com
Five Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Black Hills Horse Property (Part-1) Congratulations! You are ready to purchase property to share with your equine companions. You may have dreams of stepping out onto your deck with a cup of coffee each morning to look out over the fields where your horses are grazing in the early light of dawn, and you just can’t wait to simply leave the house and walk to the barn whenever you want. This is an exciting time for anyone who is preparing … (2 comments)