YourHome-YourMoney.com Blog - Madison, Wisconsin Real Estate Lending

Continued, For No Real Purpose

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:04:44 -0700

(Come to think of it, JellyBellys just might have that flavor - believe me, you don't want it. But if you DO, you do, so let me know in the next 30-seconds and I'll sell it on eBay and include free shipping to the CONUS.)

My Eyes Are Burning

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:02:23 -0700

Typing hurts my eyes. Typing and listening to political speeches exacerbates the situation. Or it may be the gum I'm chewing - it had lost any hint of flavor - unless my tilapia, corn, and rice apres-dinner breath mixed with saliva is a flavor - two or three hours ago...

Who Loves Ya Baby? - Rock on!

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:55:40 -0800

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Talk Like A Pirate Day - But Which Pirate?

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:34:18 -0700

Avast!

Unlike many of ye scoundrels. me and the lads have been a'celebrating "Talk Like A Pirate Day" for three years now. But what do I gain from it?

Hard to tell. But this day celebrates one of my favorite characters and seems intent on teaching the language of the "traditional" pirate, not the more celebrated pirates with British accents and gentlemanly ways.

Worst pirate accents? A list will follow, but my heart belongs to the one and only "real" pirate from Disney's Treasure Island - none other than Long John Silver, He could drop his H's (remember Jim "Awkins?) like a limey without sounding pretentious or sophisticated.

Now for a few so-so and nasty pirate accents from the movies:

Jack Sparrow- sorry ladies, but the slurred drunken speech is probably accurate, but he has more the mannerisms of a circus carnie than a true pirate.
Dread Pirate Roberts- cool accent for the movie Princess Bride - and easier to understand, but the runt never had a cutlass nor a blunderbuss. Didn't he cry for his Mommy when tortured?
Errol Flynn - Captain Black. Can we say "finishing school?"
Captain Hook - Mr Mumbles with a prosthetic hand. Intimidating as a bag of marshmallows.
Jean LaFitte- The Buccaneer. Yul Brynner was very cad-like, but he even helped Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans during the second War of Independence - the War of 1812. Bah!
Sinbad the Sailor- Douglas Fairbanks. Scary in a "don't make me come up there" kind of way. Great athlete, however.
The Crimson Pirate - Burt Lancaster. Can't obey a skipper who smiles like a toothpaste commercial. Boo!
Pirate Movie - Gena Davisis the baddie. Considered one of seafaring's worst movies. Davey Jones is rolling over in his watery grave.
Captain Feathersword of the Wiggles - scarier than the above lot as he dances AND tickles. A multi-tasker if there ever was one.
The Pirates of Penzance - well, this wasn't meant to be terrifying, but Kevin Kline and his band sure had a way with the colonial ladies, and any pirate alive (or dead) would have to respect that.

That's it - I'm at a loss for more. Throw me a few of yours and we'll compare - have a "hearty" day

Who is FREDDIE MAE and What Have They Done With FANNIE?!? - Yahoo BooBoo-Part 2

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:43:11 -0700

From Ike-Watch Central

Sebastian, Florida

YAHOO was SO excited about the scoop! They called their friends from all over, including the Freddie family, both Freddie Mac AND Freddie Mae.

Yup, good ole FREDDIE MAE. But what has happened to Fannie? Could it be both Fannie and Freddie have been the same person all along?!? Well, since the US Govt will be taking over the operations of these flailing mortgage giants, might as well be. It won't be long until they are one and the same, probably with a name like Uncle Sammie Mae or Bushie Mae or even DIS-MAE.

Oddly enough, my wife - whose name is Lottie Mae - didn't get a mention. Guess she's from the wrong side of the family.

Great story about a couple of soon-to-be-unemployed CEOs and the future of the mortgage industry ensues. Read it below and here: http://www.yahoo.com/?r36=1220668157

A little detail in crude yellow highlights:

I Cashed-In My 50,000 Points in at Northwest Airlines and Got Two Roundtrip Tickets to Zillow.

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:47:39 -0700

After a long absence, my heart grew fonder...

I Cashed-In My 50,000 Points in at Northwest Airlines and Got Two Roundtrip Tickets to Zillow.

50,000 Points Doesn't Buy Much - but with the price of fuel, I understand. I think - when I look over my blogs - I should have booked a Hot Air balloon.

Yahoo BooBoo

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:28:27 -0800

We all make mistakes, but Yahoo?!?:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080123/sc_nm/mexico_sacrifice_dc

Ancient Maya scarified boys not virgin girls: study

But nobody caught "scarified" when they meant "sacrificed?!" I had to search an online dictionary just to be certain. You can be scarified, but I don't think that's what those ancient Mayas were doing. And if they were being scarified, it was apparently for a very short duration. Gruesome article.

My mind is now sacred for life - I mean - "scarred" for life. (Maybe it is "sacred" and scarred - at least my knees are scarred. Whatever...)

Theresa Gail Lussier - Birthday Girl (1/14/2008)

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:05:13 -0800

Theresa Gail Lussier of TBR and BHB and AR fame has a birthday today! Wish her well.

OK Guys, Let's light the rest of Teri's candles now...

This Is The Year...

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 07:29:33 -0800

This is the year you've been waiting for - make it happen.

Happy 2008!

Merry Christmas

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:43:02 -0800

Merry Christmas to all, with all it means to you.

Discovering My Florida #2 - Boas Along the Highway

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:44:31 -0800

Sebastian, Florida

Ahhh, the fauna of Florida...

The headline read:

16-foot python bushwhacked by roadside mower in Vero Beach

The above article appeared on the website TCPalm on December 11th. The incident occurred on a road I drive almost daily - along a two-lane highly traveled north-south route between Sebastian and Vero Beach, Florida. Seems they ran over yet another large boa as they were maintaining the grass between the canal and highway.

As mentioned above - this was the second 16-footer found along this road in two years. Between that and the wild boars I think indoor pets are a good idea.

I just can't imagine walking along and seeing something that big snake slithering through the underbrush. Now I understand why there are so few speeders in that stretch of roadway - no one wants to end up off the road in that canal! I measured it off in my dining room through my kitchen - that was a lot of snake!

Just thought I'd share this bit of what I hope is unusual news. While you're shoveling snow up north we're fighting for our place near the top of the food chain down here.

Florida. This is an interesting place - ya gotta love it!.

Art Blanchet

Public Relations Nightmare or Opportunity - How Would YOU Respond?

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:51:54 -0800

Sebastian, Florida and Madison, Wisconsin

It's been said there's no such thing a bad publicity. I don't know, but I found a scenario from Publicity Hound founder and author Joan Stewart that certainly gives every one of us the opportunity to test that postulation ourselves.

Joan sends me an emailed tip sheet and maintains an informative blog. In both this week she included a link to an Investigating Reporter's report of nasty housekeeping practices in several major hotels that needed to be addressed. Even when shoved in their faces, it was mostly ignored by the guilty parties and left out there dangling in a very ugly breeze of bad publicity.

Joan decided to ask for comments as to what any of us would do to address the issue if WE were approached with such damning evidence. She even made a contest out of it.

I have included the video AND added my response as the first comment to this blog. What I want you to do is consider something like this happened to a business you owned or managed. A real estate-related business, perhaps? What would you say to the press?

Can you see how sometimes an ant (in this case, the housekeeping staff) can drag down an elephant (the hotel chain) if left unchecked. In life, love, and business, the little things are indeed the big things.

Art Blanchet

Bill Quigley

Your Home-Your Money

Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year - Number Four

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:20:53 -0800

Green Bay, Wisconsin and points south

Only four quarterbacks in 54 years have been named Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" - this year it's Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers. Catch the story at SI here.

The story is not all about Brett Favre winning football games, it's about his leadership and teamwork. It's about making those around you better through example. Through study. Through hard work. Through praising everyone when things go well - and blaming no one when they don't.

And other things...Here's a quote from the article, so articulately composed by Alan Shipnuck:

"It is for his perseverance and his passion that SI honors Favre with the 54th Sportsman of the Year award. But there is more to his story than on-field heroics. On game day the whole of Green Bay may live and die on Favre's rocket right arm, but his greatest legacy lies in how many people he has touched between Sundays."

How many people do we touch between Sundays? What do I do?

Congratulations to Brett Favre and to the lucky recipients of his commitment to excellence and character - the Green Bay Packers and their millions of fans.

This has been a tough year in the real estate industry - our industry - and fingers are still being pointed as to where to place the blame. We're searching for a scapegoat. We need to stop it, stand up, and focus our gaze inwardly. I think we could all be better at what we do and how we live - even just a little - if we plug ourselves in and lengthen our stride.

You work on you, I'll work on me.

Art Blanchet

Your Home-Your Money

Stained Glass Windows in Wisconsin Churches

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:07:13 -0800

Green Bay Wisconsin

Most popular stained glass window ever seen in Wisconsin:

Big game tonight which 70 million homes won't be able to see. Packers vs Cowboys. Brett Favre - Quarterback of the Green Bay Packers for you hermits and monks - has revitalized his career and team to the point of religious zeal (hence the window) and frenzy.

Perhaps tomorrow the glass will be slightly cracked - or maybe brighter than ever. But to the Packer Faithful - forever loyal in pro football's smallest market - it's all true.

Go Pack!

Bill Quigley

Art Blanchet

Your Home-Your Money

With a Capital C.

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:55:08 -0800

Sebastian, Florida to Madison, Wisconsin

Is this offensive?

GO FISH is the group and they have an opinion to express.

It IS a good question. We don't say "Happy Holidays" in any other month (as pointed out in the song).

Now I realize Christmas is specifically Christian, but the holiday is as much a part of of of our American culture as Independence Day (also known as the 4th of July, at least at the time of this bloggette). Much of the western hemisphere celebrates Christmas - are we Americans the only ones weaseling out of celebrating an event full of religious significance just to be PC?

So is saying "Merry Christmas" offensive?

Mortgage Meltdown? Vamos A La Playa!

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:34:17 -0800

Loudonville, New York

My much younger and hipper brother (I'm not much of a challenge there in the hipness department) turned me on to this YouTube phenom. According to my nephew in Westchester County, NY, the group is Italian, sang this in Spanish and ?? (translator wanted!), recorded it in Germany. and the subtitles are German.

I searched the phrase Vamos A La Playa (Let's Go to the Beach) in Urban Dictionary and it's a slangy nothing response. Irrelevant and irreverent, it expresses a complete lack of concern over anything of substance. So in the popular video - at least it was in the 80's - speaks of nuclear bombs and the two artists sing and pose in their suits and skinny ties, talking to their wrist radios - Let's Go To The Beach.

Ya gotta love these guys - Righeira!

Yet again - they were still reprising this thing 20 years and 30 pounds later:

Mortgage Meltdown? Vamos A La Playa!

Lyrics (Spanish?) Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa, oh, oh Vamos a la playa La bomba estallò Las radiaciones tostan Y matizan de azul Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Todos con sombrero El viento radioactivo Despeina los cabellos Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa, oh, oh (repeat) Vamos a la playa Al fin el mar es limpio No mas peces hediondos Sino agua fluorescente Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Vamos a la playa, oh, oh (repeat)

Flying North For Thanksgiving

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 09:10:21 -0800

Sebastian, Florida

Some of my blogs lately have been leaning toward the irreverent, so I thought I'd share a simple thought or two. In a few hours I'll be flying to upstate New York to visit my family. Whenever I reference "my family" it seems I need to clarify just who I'm talking about, at least to me.

Is it MY family, the one I created when I married and sired children and worked to guide, protect and love? Or is it my FAMILY - the group I was born into, the siblings and parents I grew up with - the ones you don't choose, but love just because ...you do? I think it's probably MY FAMILY, which is a combination of the two - and all those beyond blood and genetics who have contributed to the quality and variety of my life.

But this week I'm visiting my first family - the "clan where I began." My Dad says I coined the phrase "Obscene Mob Scene" to describe the holiday gatherings. I don't know - not much obscenity (never, actually), but plenty of mob. He reminds me every year - our little tradition.

So when I visit MY FAMILY, I am grateful for the privilege of sharing my time on earth with them - there is no other WHEN I'd rather be. I'm in the right place, but I'm also in the right time.

The other gratitude I have is for the freedom I have to go - on any given day - anywhere I want without restriction. Even the annoying-yet-necessary security at airports, where I'll have to partially disrobe to prove I'm not a risk, is an inconvenience to ensure these open-travel conditions continue. This is not a universal freedom in the world.

So, that's me and my thoughts. I'm certain you have thousands of your own. Just wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with memories of memories, as well as football, food, and family - YOUR FAMILY. May God bless and keep you and yours.

Ill-Fated Turkey Promo - Don't Try This At Home

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:42:36 -0800

Sebastian, Florida to Madison, Wisconsin

Nearly everyone over the ripe old age of 40 remembers the hit TV show, WKRP in Cincinnati, The beloved sitcom was about a group of misfit characters working at a Cincinnati radio station and ranged from neurotic newsman (Les Nessman), clueless salesperson (Herb Tarlek), quirky DJs (Venus Flytrap and Dr. Johnny Fever), producers and station managers (Andy Travis) to and absent-minded, incompetent owner (played by MayTag Repairman Gordon Jump) and a dumb-as-a-fox trophy personal assistant Jennifer Marlowe. Talented writers could move the mood from wacky to poignant in a heartbeat. WKRP had it all.

One memorable Thanksgiving episode centered around a special holiday promo - based on a real-life event - involving a helicopter, a radio announcer on the scene, and a bunch of live turkeys. Sometimes folks don't think things through, especially promo people. It's best explained using YouTube...

And the aftermath...

Welcome to the KIVA.org Group!

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:25:43 -0800

Welcome to Katie, Rich, and Gregory - the newest members of our KIVA.org group. To each of you - your posts and interest are appreciated - and most welcome.

On behalf of the group, I extend a hand of fellowship.

Art

Cy Young, Tom Seaver, Real Estate, and You

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:58:24 -0800

Real estate is like baseball. Now, I didn't think this until an hour ago, but sometimes these epiphanies come at the strangest times - and they all begin with a story...

I had just been reading in Yahoo Sports about the baseball's National League Cy Young award winner, Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres. Peavy was the unanimous winner this year, and posted some great numbers. There was one notation in the article that caught my eye: Peavy didn't pitch a complete game (CG) the entire 2007 season! In fact, only he and Roger Clemens are Cy Young winners with that particular - and peculiar - statistic attached to their names.

That little stat - plus a quick look at Peavy's career ERA - motivated me to Google one of my two favorite pitchers in all of baseball - Tom Seaver. I needed to see just how many CGs he had. No comparison, as there seldom is when comparing records in different sports eras. But how glaringly different it was - that's what surprised me.

I looked at Seaver's numbers from his first year - 1967 - through 1973 - no other stats were available on the website I found. Seaver started between 35 and 36 games every season and pitched all nine innings for half of them, averaging about 17 complete games every year. In this era of middle relievers, short relievers, and closers, Seaver would have been an anomaly. In fact, even in his own era, he was such.

But again, you can't compare eras in baseball. In Seaver's day, athletes used Spring Training to get in shape. Today, there is no real off season, so they arrive in condition and ready to go. So many other differences - higher pitcher's mounds, larger strike zones, physically inferior batters, etc all played a part in Seaver's game, just as incredible microsurgeries, scientifically balanced nutrition, supplements (legal and illegal), and home plate armor affect Peavy's game.

And the game is played differently with teams carrying fifteen or more pitchers when they used to carry eight or ten. Players, coaches, scouts, and fans all adjust to the new game. Yet the purity of the game remains - nine innings, three outs per inning, and nine guys take the field at a time. High score wins.

I liken this implausibility of era comparison in sports to era comparison in the real estate industry. "Back in the day' it was a sellers's market and mortgage money flowed to buyers smoothly. Transactions were almost effortless in their relative ease. Business was plentiful.

But today's market is different - and in ways we all know, so I won't list them here. So we need to adjust to today's market, this era of real estate. All the players - title, mortgage, appraisers, inspectors, Realtors, etc. - and the customers (our fans) - need to understand this new game. The rules have not changed - market, meet, educate, guide, and - finally -close the deal. We still need to do what it takes to play - and play well - in our own era.

Tom Seaver would have been a super star in any era of baseball. He would do everything it took to perform at his highest level, to be a success. He was said to have a "combination of raw power, pinpoint control, intelligence, and, perhaps most of all, an intense scrutiny of performance." Regardless of conditions and variables.

Are we willing to do the same in real estate? For ourselves, our clients, our families? Are we true superstars of integrity and performance in our era? Any era? It's up to each of us to determine the answer.

Art Blanchet

Bill Quigley

Your Home-Your Money

A famous quote about Seaver is attributed to Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson: "Blind men come to the park just to hear him pitch." I love that.

The Dancing Avatars

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:48:16 -0800

Sebastian, Florida

Well, I think I might have a tad too much Christmas spirit- and it's here early. Maybe I'm excited about going north to see my parents and siblings in Upstate New York for Thanksgiving, or maybe I'm just such a giver.

So, what I've done is prepare - with the help of OfficeMax - a little Christmas video as sung my my social media and blogging avatars. At the end of the presentation, you'll find how you can present it to your friends as well.

Without further ado, I present in all their fabulousness:

(For additional engagements, contact their agent, Art Blanchet, at 555-555-5111.)

Think about the fun you could have with your real estate clients, friends, and family. Show your lighter side and give them a gift that they can use as well.

SANTA UNDER ATTACK DOWN UNDER

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:03:38 -0800

Sydney, Australia

Santa in trouble. Christmas in jeopardy.

As reported by Yahoo.com, Santas in Australia are being told to change the HO-HO-HO to something else, like HA-HA-HA. The reason: HO-HO-HO is said to be derogatory to women because of the American slang. (At least were exporting something these days...)

(THANKS, Don Imus - First the NCAA Women's Tourny - Now you've ruined Christmas, too!)

The report also stated HO-HO-HO frightens little children.

Hmmmm. Maybe, just maybe - it's the 280 pound whiskey-breathed Santas wearing the unlaundered 35-year old RED costumes and those grotesquely fake beards that's scaring the kiddies - they terrify me!

Well, that's enough. I'm trying to come up with new Santa phrases to fill the void created by the death of HO-HO-HO and save Santa's job. We gotta DO something! Feel free to help me...

Santa's new "catch phrase" suggestions:

· HEE-HEE-HEE - Nope, gotta throw a "HER" in there.

· TEE-HEE-HEE - That's REALLY scary! Picture that emanating from Santa's mouth.

· YO-HO-HO - Give him a parrot and a cutlass - Santa brought his own rum.

· LA-TI-DA - Sure, if Annie Hall's coming to Christmas Dinner.

· MAO-TSE-TUNG - Naaaw - Too Political.

· HAR-DE-HAR-HAR - Heard THAT before as the nasty elf scampered off - after leaving me a lump of coal in my stocking and discovering my baseball glove and piggy bank missing. Funny man.

· HI-DEE-HO - Now, now - let's not bring that little Swiss girl into this...

· HEY-HEY-HEY - Well, he IS fat. Maybe Bill Cosby will license it this year.

· HI-HI-HI - I don't think so - reminds me of a soundtrack to a Bruce Lee movie (dubbed).

· HOWDY-HOWDY-HOWDY - Was that in Toy Story 2?

· OW-OW-OW - Keep the larger kids off Santa's bum knee. Followed by...

· OWE-OWE-OWE - The January credit card Mantra

· FE-FI-FO-FUM - This might not be kid-proof, either.

· OH-OH-OH - Only dyslexics will get this one...it's in code for the rest of us.

Well that's all I have. If you want to help, send donations to SAVE SANTA c/o my PayPal account. For your contribution, we'll tell him you've been nice. Just how nice depends upon nothing. Zero. Lots and lots of zeros in that donation.

TEE-HEE-HEE.

Foreclosure Sheriff's Auction Flushes Out Bitter ButtHead (Humor)

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:12:51 -0800

Sebastian Florida

One Saturday morning Bill Quigley and I were talking about Home Inspections on our weekly radio show - this time in conjunction with foreclosures and sheriff's auctions. We were interviewing our guest and exchanging stories on air about the importance of home inspections prior to sale, when Bill relates the unusual story of a client of his having bought a home at an auction.

Apparently the buyer didn't have the time to pre-inspect the property and apparent was hoping for the best. He won the bid, but when the lender sent the appraiser to the home, he found a toilet sitting in the middle of the living room floor. And it was plumbed and fully functional!

On the show we speculated that the previous homeowner had installed it to facilitate his Saturday football TV-watching. We mused about the neighbors hearing him shout, "Hey Honey, bring me a beer and a baloney sandwich, will ya? Oh yeah, and can you grab me some Charmin..." or similar. PBS fan? Health needs? NASCAR enthusiast? No library in town? We had fun guessing, as you can well imagine.

Truth is, this guy had apparently just been upset about the foreclosure, and had put the toilet there for spite. (Took some work to install - would take more to uninstall it.) Guess it beats the fish-behind-the-drywall and the Sakrete-in-the-toilet tricks, but it was nasty.

The buyer was lucky, very lucky. Apparently, that's all that was wrong with the house. I DID find out the new owner removed the commode (WHY!?!?) at considerable expense. A happy "ending" - so to speak.

Moral of the story - Get access before you bid on a foreclosure at auction. The consequences can be a pain in the butt.

Art Blanchet

Bill Quigley

Your Home-Your Money

In Flanders Fields

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:29:40 -0800

Sebastian, Florida

One of the world's most popular poems - due to its personal origins, its visual power, and its sentiments about war and death, is "In Flanders Fields."

According to sources, the author was an officer in the Canadian military and wrote the poem the day after witnessing the death of his friend. Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields" on May 3rd, 1915 while still in the trenches, using the back of a fellow soldier as a desk as he memorialized his feelings upon a scrap of paper. Th poem was published later that year.

Here is the original text (and printed text) of that incredible poem:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
- John McCrae

Discovering My Florida - I Have Kumquats in My BackYard!

Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land (On the Outside Lookin' In) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:26:24 -0800

Sebastian, Florida

I'm new to Florida, at least down here on the Treasure Coast. I spent 25 years in NY state, 11 years in Utah, four years in CA, and four in Virginia. I know that doesn't add up to my age and I'm not sure where those other years went, but I'll start keeping track now, I promise.

For about nine weeks now I have been mowing my yard in complete awe - isn't this the grass we used to try to erradicate "up nort?" Now I invite it? Anyway, as a part of my routine I've been mowing around this little plant- not much bigger than a basketball - and wondering why I don't just mow over it and finish it off. It looks so stunted. But, as it has these little orange fruits on it and is growing where obviously planted, I figure I gotta keep it. And unlike some plants, it's never tried to hurt me.

I've been pondering the nature of this miniature beast and scanning my mental list of familiar flora - the Florida section of which is a mite lean - and had this vague recollection of a miniature fruit called a "kumquat" - so I decided to Google it. Sure enough, the pint-sized plant is a kumquat tree..er..mini-bush growing in my own back yard. A blog called Weird Eats is the source of much of what I have discovered about kumquats today.

Now, as this is a citrus fruit (see how Floridianistish I've become), I figure there's a way to eat this small, orange-colored fruit. So I present to you here - courtesy of the Dade City Kumquat Festival - a cool video with detailed and colorful instructions. It's cute, so give it a watch here or at http://dadecity.tbo.com/video.shtml.

By the way, no one has explained to me what happens when you eat the seeds. Any ideas????