Glacier View Meadows and Red Feather Lakes, Colorado Weather

Last Friday it snowed and it snowed …and it snowed a lot!  “They” say it’s unusual for us to get this much snow in February!

There is something quite peaceful about being snowed in, but after one day of it, it’s great to get out of the house and drive.

So far, my travels have only been up and down the Red Feather Lakes Rd. to the office.   It’s a nice drive and I think the land covered in snow and our beautiful cerulean blue skies are so pretty.  

Winter provides Glacier View Meadows and Red Feather Lakes residents many opportunities to enjoy outdoor sports like ice fishing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and riding snowmobiles.  Many of those activities are almost right outside our back door!  You can ice skate, go tubing,  go for a sleigh ride, or my all time favorite winter sport- snuggle up by a warm fire inside.

So don’t just think of us as a great place in summer, because it’s fun and beautiful in winter too!

By the way, your cross country skis called me – They want out of the garage.

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Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

800-531-2195

“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

Never ask a puppy to style your home

A professional stager has an eye for making the best features in your home stand out.   By using the things you already have …or not (packing away items that would be distracting to most buyers) or bringing in some of their own elements stagers know how to present a home in its best light.  I believe, their skills help" sell a home faster and at the highest possible price."

I know this, because I read about them on Active Rain!

I’m always amazed by the” before” and  “after” photos that I see here.  It’s still the same bathroom, or living room or kitchen but after staging  what was a perfectly good ordinary room now looks like a PERFECT GREAT ROOM-  one that a buyer wants to buy!

Every seller could benefit from hiring a professional stager  but I definitely would not ever recommend a home stylist like our Josie when putting your home on the market…

….But you should see for yourself and decide:

Josie Says:

 “I love the idea of adding texture to a room, so I brought out the shower mat.   After a week of having to drag the shower rug back into the great room everyday and even sometimes twice a day, I think I’ve finally won the battle.   The owner’s are beginning to see my vision.

In order to visually enlarge the space in front of the shower, I brought the towel that had been placed on the floor in lieu of the mat, out to the great room also - to add just a pop of color.

A few old shoes and slippers carefully placed near the shower mat say ‘Welcome! Take your shoes off and sit a spell’.  I want visitors to feel relaxed and comfortable in the space.  I think it's a beautiful vignette.

The plastic bottle and toys that I like to play with add a touch of whimsy, as well as the label from the plastic bottle that I’ve shredded and artfully scattered in a random pattern around the room.

One of my puppy friends is coming over on Friday, I KNOW she’s just gonna love what I’ve done with this place!”

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Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

 United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

 www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

 800-531-2195

 “A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, unlike Josie, I’m here to help you! :-]

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

Happy Puppy New Year!  From Red Feather Lakes, CO

We got a new puppy on New Year’s Eve! Her adoption was through A Puppy’s Voice,* in Fort Collins.

A puppy brings so many gifts! 

It's been a wonderful way to start off the New Year for her and for us!

I hope your New Year will be filled with “puppy stuff” too, like:

Unconditional love, boundless energy, learning and growth, determination, playfulness, joyful adventure and peaceful quiet moments.

I wish you all these things and more-

I hope 2012 will be kind to you and may you have a "Happy Puppy sort- of New Year”!

*"A Puppy's Voice is non-profit organization which rescues homeless and abandoned dogs and puppies from high kill shelters. With the help of our committed volunteers, foster homes, donators and local veterinarian we are able to rescue hundreds of dogs each year, provide them with loving foster care temporary families and find them forever homes. We also serve as a resource to our community by providing the importance of spay/neuter, responsible pet ownership, training and good nutrition."

By the way, Your dog called me- he wants to spend the rest of his life in the Red Feather Lakes area…but said that a weekend  cabin  or camping lot would do.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

800-531-2195

“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

It’s been a busy November and December up here near Red Feather Lakes:

We had the monstrous wind storm in November and about twenty inches of snow so far.

The Greening of Red Feather weekend brought frigid temperatures and some icy roads so there’s been plowing and sanding by the folks who do those things to keep Red Feather and Livermore residents plus our many visitors moving right along.  They are some of my favorite people, I have to say- they do a great job on our roads.

The Christmas Tree cutting in the Forest and at Beaver Meadows is in full swing and nearly every car going down the hill on the weekend has a tree on the top of their car or in the bed of their truck!

And I’ve been busy selling houses!

One in Crystal Lakes, One in the Village of Red Feather and Another in Glacier View Meadows!

In fact, 6 home sales have already closed in December and 9 more sales are pending.

The Forks Restaurant is scheduled to re-open in February and rumors are flying that the Pot Belly will soon be open too!

It may be peaceful and quiet up here. 

You may not hear a sound but there is a lot going on!

Thankful to be here and thankful that I could be a part of helping these buyers find their new homes. Please let me know how I can help you!

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Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

800-531-2195

“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

Red Feather Lakes Historical Society will hold their annual

GREENING OF RED FEATHER festivities on the weekend of December 3 and 4, 2011. 

The Craft Fair will be open from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 3 pm on Sunday.

All Events take place in the POA Building, Fire Barn and Library in the Village of Red Feather Lakes, 23 miles west of Highway 287 off of County Road 74E.

(Look for the sign to the Village and turn right off of County Rd. 74E)

This HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE will highlight craft booths offering hand-crafted items, clothing, paintings, carvings, photography, jewelry and home-baked goodies, Library events and much more.

LIBRARY EVENTS include a children’s craft table (11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and a Silent Auction.

 SANTA will be there from 11:00a.m. Until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday

This year, the Red Feather Lakes Elementary School will be offering hot cocoa, coffee and cookies at the Chapel in the Pines Fellowship Hall, too!  This is something new! 

The Chapel in the Pines is right on County Rd. 74 E- stop in and support our local Elementary School- they might also have some trees for sale.

~

Cut your own Christmas Tree at Beaver Meadows, approximately 5 miles northwest of the Village, stay right as County Rd 74E turns into County Rd. 73C (The Creedmore Lakes Rd) and travel until you see the Beaver Meadows sign on the left.  You can reach Beaver Meadows Resort at 970-881-2450.

The cutting area is open weekends 9 am to 4 pm and midweek by appointment.

Call Beaver Meadows to find out about their special Sleigh ride, Hot chocolate and Christmas Tree deal – I cannot imagine anything more fun than this!

For information about tree cutting in the Forest, visit the website, or call the Visitor’s Center at 970-295-6700

Smokey the Bear will be there 10:00 a.m. to  2 p.m. on weekends!

                                                                                     .

There’s not a lot of snow here today, however tire chains or four-wheel drive vehicles are required to enter the tree cutting area.   Cutting times are 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and no chainsaws are allowed – only handsaws or axe.

To get to the tree cutting area, from U.S. Hwy 287 and County Rd 74E (the Red Feather Lakes Rd.),  go west on County Rd 74E approximately 16 miles to the Boy Scout Rd., turn left and follow the signs to the tree cutting area.

Put the Greening of Red Feather and a fresh Christmas Tree on your Calendar for next weekend. 

My family is going to the Greening and then we’ll have our annual Gingerbread Man Decorating which is always a lot of fun.

Fill your Holidays with Happy Memories!

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Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

800-531-2195

“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour before going to bed tonight.  Most of the U.S. will return to Standard Time on Sunday November 6, 2011 at 2:00 a.m.

At first, it's difficult to adjust to those time changes!  At least for this time change, we will be EARLY instead of LATE and      Sunday's sundown will be early too!

Now is a good time to change the batteries in your Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide CO Detectors. 

Stay safe and enjoy that extra hour of sleep tonight!

**********************************************************************************************

Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

800-531-2195

“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

Nature’s Drugstore & Cowboy Toilet Paper

It started out with a few photos of these curious plants; I thought they were pretty, especially with the fall colored scenery behind them.   

A few days later, at the Glacier View Meadows office, I learned the plant’s name:  Common Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus) -sometimes called the Great Mullein because they grow up to 6 feet tall.

!

At the GVM office there was a small handout stating some concern that this Common Mullein is cropping up more frequently in our meadows and on our hillsides.  

Just one Mullein plant can produce 300,000 to-500,000 seeds and those seeds can survive 50-80 years in the soil before germinating!  

!

 A little more research on this unusual plant revealed that it has healing properties and is used as an herbal remedy for sore throats, coughs, lung disease and a variety of other ailments. 

Mullein tea is made from the leaves (the seeds are poisonous) and a tinture made from the flowers can be used to help migraine headaches.

In Nature’s Drugstore, you can find a cough, sore throat and headache remedy on Aisle 3 County Rd 74E in Livermore, Colorado.

I could have lived the rest of my life happily unaware of this fact;

but in the mid-western United States (including Colorado) Mullein is commonly known as Cowboy Toilet Paper (because the leaves are soft and velvety). 

I hesitated to include that information here but, you never know when this tidbit of knowledge may come in handy

and Real Estate Agents have a duty to disclose all known facts. :-]

************************************************************************************

Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

800-531-2195

“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

The higher you go…the more you’ll find snow

 The higher you go - the more you'll find snow....

Everybody know this, it’s just a fact of nature that the higher elevations get more snow – that’s why the ski slopes are already open and that’s why my new listing in the Crystal Lakes Subdivision in Red Feather Lakes, CO  was covered in a blanket of snow last week.

This land is mostly level and has some very cool rock outcroppings that lend an additional sense of privacy from “the rest of the world”.  It also has a great circle driveway for coming and going in your RV, although it’s impossible to photograph that when it’s covered in white!

The red reflector on the tree and the snow reminded me of Christmastime. This land would make a great Christmas present.  I know, it’s not a gift you can easily wrap and put under your tree, but last week it was already wrapped in glistening white under many trees- all it needed was a bow!

Lot 102 Crystal Lakes 13th filing

1921 Osage Trail

Red Feather Lakes, CO  80545

1.4 acres 

Just  $32,900.

MLS #666551

Elevation – approximately 8400

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 Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

 United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

 www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

 800-531-2195

 “A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.

Red Feather Lakes, CO - The willy wacky world of wheel estate and the wife

“He thinks he’s going to move me to Colorado to be out in the middle of nowhere so that he can hunt and fish all day,” she said.  “But, I’m not going!”

My first contact was with her husband who said he was looking for hunting land; I was calling him to make sure he had received the listing information that I’d sent.  He hadn’t mentioned his delightful wife or any plans to build a home on this land …

He wanted hunting land.

When his wife answered the phone we had a nice conversation about the type of property she wanted and it sure wasn’t hunting land! (read: opening line)

What we have here is a failure to communicate!

Now, I have no intention of jumping into the middle of the marital real estate fray.   I’ll send some other listings that may work for both of them but I worry….

Why didn’t he tell me about his wife?

Or building a home?

Or that nearby shopping might be nice?

Maybe he just wanted the hunting land and intentionally forgot to tell me the rest?

Call me silly, but if you’re married and you intend to stay married it’s generally a good idea to consider your wife.

But then again, because he wasn’t home, I don’t really know his intentions and that’s disturbing.

Visions of Jeremiah Johnson, riding away alone into the wilderness, flash through my mind.

Real Estate/Relationship Tip:  When an issue is critical and you both are passionate about it, make a point to examine the pros and cons so that you can come to a compromise with each other and your real estate agent will have all the necessary information to help you find the right property.

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 Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

 United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

 www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

 800-531-2195

 “A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.