This crazy real estate market so many of us are caught in is frustrating and confusing.  We have seen the prices of homes drop throughout the Eastern Madera County area.  Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Raymond, Bass Lake, Fish Camp, Yosemite Lakes, O’Neil’s, and North Fork are no strangers to the dropping market.  What can we do?? It seems as there is nothing we can do.  Not only is finding a buyer a problem but once we have a buyer and start the escrow process we run into so many more problems.  A huge problem that is emerging is the appraisal process.  Appraisers are being quite conservative, as if that is not bad enough.  Then the lending institutions want to send out their own appraisers at the buyer’s expense.  This is getting to be ridiculous.  Sales agents are getting frustrated, buyers do not want to pay for an additional appraisal (of course), and sellers are finding it hard to get through the escrow process.  Is this vicious cycle ever going to stop???  I find an interesting article on appraising that you might enjoy reading just go to the following link http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/17/RELP12AF53.DTL

A first time homebuyer will now receive a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price up to $7500 maximum for the tax year in which they purchase their home.  A first time homebuyer qualifies as long as the buyer and spouse if any, has not owned a principal residence in the U.S. for the last three years.  The tax credit is available for homes purchased from April 9, 2008 through June 30, 2009.  For more specifics about this credit please consult with your tax professional.

Surviving the Heat Wave

With record breaking temperatures, what can we do to keep cool?  We are so lucky to live in the mountain community; there are many places to go and activities to do to avoid the heat.  Cooling centers are opened to the public at the Coarsegold Community Center, Oakhurst Sierra Senior Center, in North Fork and Mariposa.  If you are looking for some fun, indoor activities try visiting Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino for food, fun, and entertainment, going the Met Cinema to watch a movie, or visiting the local Oakhurst branch library.  If you have children, the Children’s Museum is a great place to take the kids as well as Have a Ball which is an indoor sports arena for kids of all ages.  If you are looking for an outdoor activity to keep you cool, consider driving to Yosemite Valley or Mariposa Groves for a hike, cooling off with a swim at Bass Lake or renting a boat or jet ski to enjoy, or you could visit the pool at Yosemite High School’s Baker Swim Complex.  There are many ways to stay cool in our mountain community.  Use your imagination and let me know what other ideas you can come up with. 

Hands-Free - It’s the LAW!!!

Yesterday, July 1, 2008, marked the first day of California’s new cell phone law!  We no longer will see drivers with one hand on their wheel and the other holding the phone.  Will this hands-free law cause less distractions for drivers?  I hope it will.  I personally cannot stand driving behind someone when they are talking on the phone and not paying attention to the road.  I think this law will make a difference and have a positive impact on reducing the number vehicle accidents.  Watch out because local law enforcement agencies, CHP, Sheriff, and Police, are looking for those with the phone to their ears.  Madera County Sheriffs and Highway Patrol said they would not be giving any warnings, you will just be cited. 

***Texting is also no longer allowed while driver

***Remember if you have a child under the age of 18 they are not allowed drive while using a hand-held device.

 What a miracle.  After 6 years of captivity 14 Hostages were rescued from the jungles of Columbia.  This daring rescue was unbelievable.  What bravery the national army exhibited.  I could not imagine the emotions the hostages felt as they were airlifted above the jungle and heard the words, “We’re the national army…You’re free.”  I will never be able to imagine the emotions those hostages experienced in that moment.  I wanted to share this story because it is unbelievable and it touched my heart to see some of the hostages as they were reunited with their families on American soil.  What an amazing and daring rescue.  Miracles do happen!! 

The Eighth Annual Fresno Flats Ragtime and Vintage Music Festival will take place over three days this weekend (Friday-Sunday). Venues for this festival are Fresno Flats Historical Park, 4977 Road 427 (School Road) and the Oakhurst Lutheran Church, Hwy #426 (38255 Black Rd.). You can call (559) 658-2342 or 408-842-4990 for more information.

The festival will feature Tom Brier, The Bradshaws, Shirley Case and The Drivons. The festival is happy to accept whatever you want tp give as a donation and the proceeds will benefit Fresno Flats Historical Park and the musicians performing in the festival.

People often refer to jazz as the first music form that was unique to the United States, but in doing so, they forget about ragtime. Both swing and jazz are musical genres that are descendants of ragtime. Ragtime came before jazz and like many musical forms of its day, it was not always written down at first. People played and danced to it before it was put on paper. Once music is put on paper and published, it is available for sale, meaning that in can become more standardized.

Ragtime music is known for its syncopation. To the listener it may seem as if the melody is subverting the rules of meter and going its own way. Musicians can compose original ragtime tunes or make already composed songs into ragtime songs by a process known as “ragging.”

Good things really do come in small packages.

The North Fork Women’s club will have their yearly Valentine mini sale on February 14 from 10 am to 2 pm. The sale will be right in front of the North Fork Post Office. This year the emphasis will be on a certain color. Can you guess what it is? That’s right, it’s red. Although they are known as the ladies in purple, they are going to be offering up all sorts of good things in the color of amour.

The ladies will be on hand to offer a variety of red edibles and collectibles. On the edible side there will be cookies, cakes, pies, fudge and breads (all miniature of course). Turning the collectible side of things there will be pot holders, doilies, scarves and other handmade crafts, along with plants.

Does your sweetheart like to read? They will also be selling bags of books—for the low, low price of $1 each.  You can’t beat that.

While you’re there shopping for your family and friends, you can enter a raffle for a $100 bill. Nothing says love like a crisp, green bill in your pocket. Of course, no one can tell you who or what to spend it on…maybe a fancy dinner with your sweetheart…or maybe you can get something fancy for yourself.

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back…

It’s that time again! Time for Little League…well, if you step outside you’ll notice that it is not quite time for Little League, but if you look at the calendar, you’ll see that it is time to sign up for Little League.

In Yosemite the sign up began last weekend at the Yosemite Lakes Park Recreation Center (Long Hollow and Glacier) on January 19, but there is still time to sign up and pay the regular registration fee. It is $70 for registration and there is a $5 discount per sibling. Registration starts at 9am on January 26 and goes until 2pm. Makes sure you get there on time because after 2 pm there is a $15 late registration fee.

You should bring birth certificates and medical insurance for each child you intend to sign up.

And you can consider signing up yourself: they need coaches, managers, announcers, scorekeepers, umpires, and people to help out in the snack shack. You can make Little League a family affair.

Volunteer applications for parents will be available on Saturday when parents go to register their children. Questions? Call 559-683-1588.

Sometimes when we are searching for something we forget to look in the most obvious places. Maybe you or someone you know has been looking for work, combing websites like Monster or CareerBuilder hoping to find that perfect job. Or you’ve signed on to get e-mail updates and everyday look in your inbox hoping that today will be the day that you find the message you’ve been waiting to see.

If this is you, don’t forget to look in your own backyard. The job you’re looking for could be posted on a flyer at your local supermarket or grocery store. It could be listed in the “Help Wanted” section of the local newspaper.

Another place you can look is the Human Resource section of the Madera County website. They have plenty of great jobs. The work you’re looking for could be working to help make life better right here in Madera County. There are open and continuous recruitments for a variety of jobs such as: Fire Equipment Manager, Pre-licensed Mental Health Clinician, Associate Civil Engineer, Correctional Officers, Special Districts Road Manager, Agricultural and Standards Inspectors, Office Assistant, and Registered Dietician.

Go to the website to check out some of the great opportunities that Madera County has to offer.

Colloidal silver has been touted as a natural solution for combating bacteria, virus, and fungi. In ancient Rome, silver was known to have antibiotic properties. But in modern times, doctors warn against using silver as a remedy. They say that it is dangerous to ingest or even apply the heavy metal to the skin. Yet many people still take it because they’ve heard about what it can do—ease sinus infections, dermatitis and other inflammatory issues, scarlet fever, shingles, and even pneumonia.

One gentleman says taking colloidal silver both internally and topically has helped alleviate some health problems and despite the fact continued use of colloidal silver has turned his skin a noticeable shade of blue, he still uses it.

Recently, I saw him on the Today show talking with Matt Lauer about his condition. His girlfriend accompanied him and there was also a doctor present for the interview. He admitted to getting some stares, some curious questions, and sadly even some less then kind treatment.
This man has actually decided to move to Madera because he felt our area would be more welcoming that where he lived in the past.

Isn’t it nice to know that we live in an area that is known for its great people? Hearing that someone moved her because he felt he would be more accepted just goes to show that we all are doing something right.