Just for Fun

We all knew this day would come; it had to. It was simply a matter of time. After twenty-one years, my most recent career is ending.I’m not dying, nor am I heading out to pasture, but as of right now, I am no longer a Realtor®. While my Arizona real estate license will remain valid for a few more months, I have no plans to continue selling homes.Some of you may have noticed my recent absence from activerain (although it is hard to notice something that isn’t there), but rest assured I am still here, hovering around.I don’t like to use the term retirement; it implies I will not work any longer. I may not be selling homes but have plenty of things on my plate to keep me busy for a long time.Coming to the end of my real estate career doesn’t mean I’m writing, “The End.”So, what’s next? It’... 01/03/2025

El Arroyo stands as an iconic Austin gem, renowned for crafting the finest hand-squeezed margaritas and serving up delectable Black Angus beef tacos, among a plethora of other Tex-Mex delights, since 1975!Situated at the corner of West 5th and Campbell, this local favorite boasts a quirky marquee that captures attention. Daily, the billboard transforms with a fresh pun—spanning the spectrum of wit and humor—making it a delightful fixture at the heart of Austin's culinary scene. The laughter doesn't stop there—they share these puns on Instagram, drawing in admirers like our very own Myrl Jeffcoat, Kathy Streib, and chef Endre Barath, Jr.! Notably, Debe Maxwell, CRS, is also in on the fun. In a world where a daily chuckle is a necessity, following El Arroyo's Instagram for the latest pun ... 01/10/2025

Timmothy's Cartoon for today is a good jumping off point for ActiveRain’s January 2025 Challenge: Planning for Success  hosted by Leanne Smith and Will Hamm   and my first of four entries.Joe's plan to turn the driveway into a slip and slide is a BAD plan, take from someone who had to have his shoulder replaced last year from a slip and fall AND someone who slipped on the ice on New Year's Day and landed on his back (squarely on my shoulder blades) and am currently in plenty of pain yet today.True story, I sold a home to a pastor who moved here from South Africa. He had no snow removal tools so he got the bright idea of getting the garden hose out and connecting it to the hot water heater. He washed the snow away from his driveway. Like Joe he ended up with a very treacherous slip and s... 01/03/2025

Trivia questions for Thursday January 2, 20251. In what year was the first Air Jordan sneakers released? 19842. Which US First Lady founded a center for the treatment of addictions? Betty Ford3. What is the official currency of Russia? Ruble4. What are male honeybees called? DronesTrivia questions for Friday January 3, 20251. What is the largest fish living today?2. In which country was the Rosetta Stone found?3. What is the official animal of Wisconsin?4. How many Great Lakes are there?Enjoy your day. 01/03/2025

A beautiful sunset in Ellicott City, Maryland Often I am working in my home or in meetings at sunset, so it's easy to miss the beauty.   This afternoon I had to update an account at my local bank and it took a bit longer than I expected.  It was fine, I wasn't in a hurry, the service rep was lovely and was working to get the issue resolved for me. I walked outside to this beautiful sunset!  How lucky for me that I had an issue at the bank and it took longer than I thought it would to resolve! I may have gotten home sooner and missed this!  Surely THIS is something to be grateful for today!  When was the last time that something didn't go as planned for you and it worked out better than expected or you got a gift like this sunset? 01/02/2025

Every year before Christmas. decorations go up and then after the holiday season is over, the decorations come down. Some are put away for next year and some are repurposed for continued use but not as decorations. One such large example of re-purposing is the large Rockefeller Center Christmas trees.I was amazed to find out this information for the first time during this holiday season.What I found out from a few sources is that ever since 2007, large Norway Spruce Pines are cut, delivered to NYC and decorated for the holiday season at the Rockefeller Center in NYC. Then once the holiday season is over the trees are taken to a mill and the wood is milled to be used by Habitat for Humanity, usually in the state where the tree originated. Since Norway Spruces are a softer pine, they are ... 01/02/2025

Cate has a great blog about this paint colors, check it out.  Why Taupe Paint Colors Are a Surprisingly Brilliant Choice “Taupe is like that friend who always brings the perfect dip to the party—reliable, versatile, and secretly the star of the show.” This unassuming shade has been dismissed as boring by some, but let me tell you, taupe is having its moment. It’s neutral, yes, but not neutral in the bland, wallflower way. Taupe is more like a seasoned diplomat, effortlessly bridging the gap between gray and beige and creating a harmony that works just about anywhere. If you’re skeptical, hear me out. Taupe is the paint color you didn’t know you needed, and by the end of this, you might just be heading to your local paint store to grab a swatch or two. What Exactly Is Taupe? Let’s clear ... 01/09/2025

Friday Fun… Are Yours Packed Up? Are the holidays over yet??? Some people are ready for the holidays to be over…they’re ready for the new year to begin. Christmas decorations are down the day after Christmas! While I’m not dragging my feet into 2025, I admit that I love Christmas decorations.  That said, the de-Christmasing has begun in the Streib home. My saving grace is that I pack an inventory list in each box, which makes it easier when I repack everything.   So…what about you?  Are all your Christmas lights and decorations packed away??? And if not… when are you planning your de-Christmasing?? 01/03/2025

2024 was a VERY interesting year in real estate...  The challenges for buyers centered around the lack of inventory and the rise in interest rates.  Sellers had the challenge of keeping up with buyer behavior as response time cooled off a bit.  Meanwhile, real estate professionals had the challenge of juggling it all within the seemingly endless notices about industry changes as related to THE NAR lawsuit.  And in the midst of it all, life happened too.  2024 was my 15th year as a Realtor and I'm proud to say that the challenges didn't win.  Last year was my career best. Beyond production statistics though lies the real treasure.  I'm super grateful for the wonderful people that this business has connected me with... the clients, attorneys, lenders, inspectors, vendors & amazing cheerle... 01/02/2025

I don't know anyone who likes being awoken from a sound sleep and I'd even say that would be grounds to be annoyed BUT there are plenty of things that annoy us that we should let slide.I'm not one that can let an annoying fly slide by... it's got to die. However things like unwanted emails are easy to delete and I don't let them bother me.Many thing that happen behind the wheel used to draw out my worst vocabulary and sign language but today I say "I might have done that myself".Broken English and misspellings in blog posts used to bother me BUT I am the worst speller in the world and even confuse spell check often. I'm over both of those annoyances as long as I walk away learning something from the post. I'm hoping to find more and more things that no longer annoy me in 2025. Care to s... 01/02/2025

Why Taupe Paint Colors Are a Surprisingly Brilliant Choice“Taupe is like that friend who always brings the perfect dip to the party—reliable, versatile, and secretly the star of the show.” This unassuming shade has been dismissed as boring by some, but let me tell you, taupe is having its moment. It’s neutral, yes, but not neutral in the bland, wallflower way. Taupe is more like a seasoned diplomat, effortlessly bridging the gap between gray and beige and creating a harmony that works just about anywhere.If you’re skeptical, hear me out. Taupe is the paint color you didn’t know you needed, and by the end of this, you might just be heading to your local paint store to grab a swatch or two.What Exactly Is Taupe?Let’s clear up any confusion. Taupe isn’t a single color but a range of hues t... 01/02/2025

Pizza Plus Cold Torpedo Cold IPAChef Dolores served pizza for our lunch at home. Our beverage selection was the Sierra Nevada Cold Torpedo Cold IPA. This was a good combination. If you enjoy IPAs, this is a beer that you will want to sample. Drink responsibly. 7% Alc. by Vol.Cold Torpedo delivers the hop intensity you’re after with unreal drinkability. Our Cold IPA brewing process keeps the malt character restrained and ultra crisp, letting hops own the spotlight.  Anemone Chrysanthemum morifloium, 'Yellow Vesuvio', Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania USA IMG 6714Canon PowerShot G11 CameraPhotograph by Roy KelleyRoy and Dolores Kelley Photographs 01/06/2025

January 3rd Puzzle - National Drinking Straw Day:Enjoy your day!Directions: Click on the link below.  Your puzzle will open in a new window.To locate a word, please hold down the left side of your mouse while dragging your cursor over the letters of that word. Release your hold when all of the letters of the word have been selected. If your response is correct, the word will change color on the word list.Please check back for future daily puzzles.Enjoy and have a great day!Click Here To PlayIf you are looking to purchase a property or home on Long Island, New York, I hope you think of me, Linda Blumenthal. 01/03/2025

January 2nd Puzzle - National Science Fiction Day:Enjoy your day!Directions: Click on the link below.  Your puzzle will open in a new window.To locate a word, please hold down the left side of your mouse while dragging your cursor over the letters of that word. Release your hold when all of the letters of the word have been selected. If your response is correct, the word will change color on the word list.Please check back for future daily puzzles.Enjoy and have a great day!Click Here To PlayIf you are looking to purchase a property or home on Long Island, New York, I hope you think of me, Linda Blumenthal. 01/02/2025

January 1st Puzzle - New Year's Day:Enjoy your day!Directions: Click on the link below.  Your puzzle will open in a new window.To locate a word, please hold down the left side of your mouse while dragging your cursor over the letters of that word. Release your hold when all of the letters of the word have been selected. If your response is correct, the word will change color on the word list.Please check back for future daily puzzles.Enjoy and have a great day!Click Here To PlayIf you are looking to purchase a property or home on Long Island, New York, I hope you think of me, Linda Blumenthal. 01/02/2025

Oh Boy! Joe has it half right as far as I'm concerned. Where he and I differ is he says 2025 is finally here and I say WOW, where did the time go! Like Joe I wanted to start the New Year on the right foot. Yesterday I took my dog Baby for a walk. The temp was near or below zero so I really bundled up and wore my snow boots... not my ice boots with cleats. You guessed it, I stepped on a sheet of ice (it was dark out) landed flat on my back and my head hit a fence.My prayer for 2025 is/was to stay out of the hospital this year. The good news is I was able to get up after a couple of minutes and walk a half mile home under my own power. Once again I got off pretty lucky with only strong pain and no permanent damage (I think).Back to the comic strip above, I went to bed at my usual time, 10... 01/02/2025

🐈Tango, Trey, and Tom Boy 1-9-25☀️For ALL of Your East Valley AZ Real Estate Needs📞Call or 🙋‍♂Text Brian at 480-773-2370📨Email BrianI know that there are many cat lovers in the Rain, so now you can follow the adventures of Tango, Trey, and Tom Boy if you love pictures of cats!  I welcome everyone to share photos of your cats along with your comments.☀️For ALL of Your East Valley AZ Real Estate Needs📞Call or 🙋‍♂Text Brian at 480-773-2370📨Email Brian 01/09/2025

👩‍Trish's Splash Photography 1-8-25💦For ALL of Your East Valley AZ Real Estate Needs📞Call or 🙋‍♂Text Brian at 480-773-2370📨Email BrianI am sure all who follow my blog are familiar with the talents of Trish, especially with a camera in her hand. A few years ago she created a series of photos from photographing drops of water and the splash that they would make. I absolutely loved what came from this and I am sure that everyone else will too, so I wanted to share them in the Rain. If you missed the inaugural post for this series and thus did not get a peek behind the scenes, you can go back and check it out here: 📸Trish's Splash Photography☀️For ALL of Your East Valley AZ Real Estate Needs📞Call or 🙋‍♂Text Brian at 480-773-2370📨Email Brian 01/08/2025

Trivia question answers for Wednesday January 1, 20251. What Pennsylvania city was the capital of the US for one day? Lancaster2. Who was the first US actress to be featured on a US postage stamp? Grace Kelly3. What is the leaf of a fern called? Frond4. What company was formerly named Cadabra, Inc.? Amazon1. In what year was the first Air Jordan sneakers released?2. Which US First Lady founded a center for the treatment of addictions?3. What is the official currency of Russia?4. What are male honeybees called?Enjoy your day. 01/02/2025

Today, 1 January 2025, is a blank slate and we can choose what to create on that slate. It's a new day and a new year. My hope is that we will ALL create a blessed year for others. The rest will take care of itself..I hope it is the best year of our lives. You know, that was the name of a 1946 movie starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, & Dana Andrews, about 3 WWII veterans and the struggles they each faced upon returning home from war. The movie received 7 Academy Awards. Here's a Public Service Announcement. Be safe this winter. 01/01/2025