inspired by nature: It's Pansy digging time at Weidners Garden! - 10/29/09 04:27 PM
One of the most unique plant nurseries in all of San Diego County is Weidners Garden at 695 Normandy Road in Encinitas.
Weidners Garden is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill garden nursery.
They are not always open, closing at specific times of the year to replenish their stock, and when they re-open, it's always fun. You often get to dig your own plants directly out of the ground, they often have free food and drinks, and their educational chats with the owners are not to be missed if you have a question that no one else can answer.
Weidners Garden has the … (10 comments)

inspired by nature: Speechless Sunday: Sunset at the beach - 10/11/09 11:37 AM
I was out near Pacific Beach the other night during rush hour, so I took a page out of my marketing guru's book and simply went to the beach to watch the sun go down:


********** If you're looking for a great condominium in Mission Valley,the heart and soul of San Diego, please give me a call.
I'm available 24/7, so feel free to contact me by phone or email.
********** Jim Frimmer, RealtorCentury 21 Award Mission ValleyCalifornia DRE License #01458572619-729-5701jimfrimmer@century21award.comMission Valley Condos Information
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If this is in your front yard, call The Orkin Man … (8 comments)

inspired by nature: San Diego Zoo's "Name the Panda" contest starts Saturday! - 10/07/09 07:09 AM
Not too far from Mission Valley in San Diego, California, is the world-famous San Diego Zoo, one of just a handful of Zoos in the world that have some giant pandas.
The San Diego Zoo has been at the forefront of working with China on research to try to save the giant pandas from becoming extinct, and the Zoo's results in breeding the pandas here has been nothing short of amazing, with several pandas being born here. Our newest giant panda arrived on August 5, 2009, although at a mere four ounces, he was anything but giant.
Following Chinese tradition, cubs are … (8 comments)

inspired by nature: Speechless Sunday at the San Diego Zoo: May I have a ride? - 10/04/09 08:48 AM

I like fish ponds, especially when they are stocked with koi.
The San Diego Zoo has a very large koi ponds right by one of the restaurants, so I guess one could eat fish while watching fish. Actually, I've never eaten at the restaurant there, so I don't know. What I do know is that the fish are fun to watch, especially since there are also are lots of ducks and turtles in the pond, too.
Recently, I guess one of the ducks needed a ride, so he called a Yellow Taxi:

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If you're looking for a great … (8 comments)

inspired by nature: Is that a potted plant? Does it go or stay? - 09/23/09 10:19 AM
I recently wrote a purchase offer for some Clients whom I think were more interested in the land and the plants than they were the house.
They had all sorts of ideas about installing a gazebo, some garden walkways and sculptures, a pond and waterfally, and some plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
As we were looking around at the landscaping, the soon-to-be (hopefully) Lady of the House exclaimed, "Is that a potted plant? Does it go or stay?"
Of course, the Man of the House and I walked over to see what she was looking at, and this is what … (21 comments)

inspired by nature: My contribution to Speechless Sunday: African lions at the Wild Animal Park - 09/13/09 02:22 PM
One of the reasons why it's useful to get an annual pass to your local Zoo or Aquarium is because different things happen at different times of the year. In addition to that, the Zoos and Aquariums are always trying to make a visit more interesting each time to keep you coming back.
Out at the Wild Animal Park, there is a breeding pair of African lions. They had three cubs last year, but the problem with their exhibit area, which is huge, is that they prefer to stay in one spot which is rarely visible to the public....
....until now.
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inspired by nature: Nature & Marketing contest - Still time to vote! - 09/04/09 02:22 AM

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Click here to join the new NAR 2009 Convention in San Diego Group.


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Jim Frimmer, RealtorCentury 21 Award Mission ValleyCalifornia DRE License #01458572619-729-5701jimfrimmer@century21award.com
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Buy your own piece of paradise in Mission Valley, the heart of San Diego.
I can help you find the best just the right home or just the right buyersto meet your real estate needs, wants, and goals.
I'm available 24/7, so feel free to contact me by phone or email.
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Free translation tool New ActiveRain Group for NAR 2009 Convention in San Diego San Diego … (3 comments)

inspired by nature: Don't be lounging around.... - 08/14/09 10:29 PM
The ActiveRain "Nature & Marketing" contest endstomorrow at midnight central time. Enter today!


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inspired by nature: Not poop - 08/07/09 09:29 AM
Note that in California, according to Section 597 of the California State Penal Code, you have to be kind to wildlife:

Here's the wildlife that I was kind to today:

… (11 comments)

inspired by nature: Dont' let the sun go down on you.... - 08/04/09 02:29 AM
Recently I took an evening cruise on the Bahia Belle on Mission Bay. Each evening along the coast, the "marine layer" comes ashore. The marine layer is a low-lying layer of clouds, and when they are just right, you can watch them march across the sky while the sun is shining high above them. Those are exactly the conditions I got at the time.
If the slide show here doesn't work on your computer, click here to watch it at slide.com.


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inspired by nature: Stand tall.... - 07/22/09 02:09 PM
I've always found it interesting that pruning a tree or a bush causes it to put out a ton more branches than what were just cut off.
I guess it's the plant's way of getting back at people for taking part of it away.
In some cases, pruning can cause new branches to grow at extraordinary rates, something else that I've never understood.
After the hedge in the following picture was pruned, you can see that several new shoots are outgrowing everything else in sight. One way to get a leg up on the competition is to stand tall.

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inspired by nature: Nature's forces - 07/10/09 03:54 AM
Walking along the beaches in San Diego County provides one with the opportunity to see an abundance of wildlife -- birds, whales, dolphins, dogs -- as well as the many forces of Mother and Father Nature, especially wind and water.
Over in La Jolla, about 15 miles north of downtown San Diego, are some tidepools.
If you've never had the opportunity to visit tidepools before, La Jolla is a great place to experience it for the first time. Along with finding starfish, crabs, fish, anemones, and lots of other wildlife, the tidepools themselves look like a landscape from another planet.
So … (9 comments)

inspired by nature: Are you taking care of your weeds? - 07/06/09 04:13 PM
While my dad was inside cooking (he was a cook in the military), mom was outside gardening.
One of the things she taught me was the definition of a weed: "Something that grows where you don't want it to grow." That left her with the privilege of growing "weeds" if they had unusual foliage and blossoms -- like thistles and purslane, for example.
Following are five pictures. Which ones do you think are weeds?





In this case, all five pictures show weeds, i.e., a plant that is growing where it is not wanted. Yes, that does … (14 comments)

inspired by nature: SST (Speechless Sunday with Text): I can too get up early! - 06/21/09 03:50 PM
My marketing guru got up very early the other day and went to the San Diego Zoo.
Without me!
Can you believe it?
Without me!
He claimed that I'm not a morning person. Well, okay, he's got a point there. However, he also told me that he discovered that the best time to go to the Zoo is in the morning when they first open because all the wildlife is being fed, or has been fed and is eating.
So he told me last night that he was going to go walking at the Zoo again this morning. Ha! Did I … (7 comments)

inspired by nature: SST (Speechless Sunday with Text): Pink flamingo nesting season - 06/21/09 03:08 AM
On this Father's Day, let's talk about mommies -- LOL.
It's nesting season at the San Diego Zoo for the Pink Flamingos.
Although three mommies apparently got started early and have little one-month old chicks, all the other mommies seem to be following through on staying together as a community to lay the eggs and keep them warm.
When I was there a few days ago, every nest had a big bird sitting on it. Suddenly a flock of mallards dropped down out of the sky looking like one big predator, which obviously upset all the mommies. The immediately stood up … (5 comments)

inspired by nature: The Flying Seagulls - 06/18/09 06:27 AM
Usually my Clients come to my office. Today, though, I went over to my Client's house since she lives out near Mission Bay. That would give me a great opportunity to get my daily walk in on the sands at the beach.
So I got up very early to miss rush hour traffic and headed to the beach. I got a three-hour casual stroll in before heading over to my Client's house.
I found two seagulls that were playing with each other, and when I walked up, they decided to play with me. They would fly off the shore and come … (12 comments)

inspired by nature: Anyone you know? - 06/10/09 05:01 AM
There are a lot of cliches that we use to describe other people, some flattering and some not so flattering.
One of the not-so-flattering cliche is "slow as a snail." There are some advantages to being slow, such as being deliberate in one's deliberations.
Some would say that perhaps the Federal bailout of the banks and AIG, the "cure" for an ailing automotive industry, and even the Federal Stimulus Bill might have needed a little more deliberation before action was taken.
Some would say that action wasn't taken fast enough.
Do you know anyone who is as slow as a snail? … (11 comments)

inspired by nature: Is everything you try being blocked by someone? - 06/08/09 02:10 PM
It seemed like there was a preponderance of blogs last week concerning things not working out, roadblocks everywhere to that successful purchase offer, or close of escrow, or loan funding.
It does happen to everyone occasionally, just like someone put up a roadblock for this tree:
    

If necessary, reach out to someone, perhaps even those who are blocking you.

If that doesn't work, go ahead and strangle them:

If you choose to strangle them, do it nicely.
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inspired by nature: Sometimes we need a little help.... - 05/25/09 05:32 AM
We all know that spring time is a time of renewal.
Heck, there's even an ActiveRain group that ran a contest to see who could write the best springtime refresh and renew post.
Mother and Father Nature do a pretty good job of getting their little fauna and flora to refresh and renew.
Some animals hibernate, some migrate, some stay put and just dig in for the winter months.
Sometimes we have to help Mother and Father Nature along:

That's alright, though, since we can learn here that we can also help each other refresh and renew, and we really don't … (8 comments)

inspired by nature: Quail Botanical Gardens: Topiary music & dance festival - 05/21/09 03:36 AM
 
I've always enjoyed topiary, which is the practice of forcing plants to grow into specific shapes, usually people or animals.
I had the privilege of going to Quail Botanical Gardens recent, where I found the topiary garden with its topiary musicians and dancers:
    
    


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