April 9, 2008 Harper Texas

I always wonder what is so different about Texas? Many folks have made rude remarks about the State, but we have always loved the place, right from the first time we moved to Galveston in 1964. First off is the climate. We moved from Toronto where the winters are long and cold, but in Galveston there was no snow and the evenings were pleasant. During the summer we either stayed indoors or went to the swimming pool. Then we loved the people. Texans are very friendly and polite. In the Washington area people are polite too, but not like Texans. They go out of there way to be sociable. The wild flowers are worth seeing, but as the same as the cherry blossoms, timing your visit with the peak of the wildflowers is very difficult. Today the pinks and reds cover the median strips of the highways. Soon will come the bluebonnets followed by the Indian Hat and Mexican paintbrush. Then we love the rocks. The ranch is in the Hill Country, where the rocks are everywhere, and we like the look. I guess the best part of coming to Texas is to come and see David and Suzanne, and the four girls.The greet us as if we are providing them the thrill of their day. And for that we are grateful, even though we know they are very busy productive little people who live interesting lives.

For instance, after school Tuesday Samantha and Allison went to Robins. Suzanne is the leader and they made bird feeders for their yard. Sarah and Abigail went to their Tennis lessons, which they do twice a week. The drill session is for one and a half hours, and David picks the girls up on his way home from work. So never a dull moment in their lives. But they act with us as if they are greeting the King and Queen. For all these reasons, we love to come to Texas.

April 8, 2008. Bethesda, Md. Basketball.

The game has come a long way in just over one hundred years. A young man, Mr. Naismith, born and raised in Canada but teaching in Mass. needed a game to keep the boys busy. In addition to his teaching position, he worked weekends at the local Y.M.C.A. So he cut the bottom out of two bushel baskets, nailed them to two walls and called it a game. And what a game it became. I just love watching College ball. You never know how those young people are going to respond to the pressure of the moment. I seldom enjoy watching professional basketball, because it is so predictable, except of course for the Spurs. That team is always worth watching. But College ball is a horse of another color. Those Memphis players are kicking themselves today I bet. The game was well in hand, in fact, Ken predicted Kansas to lose by ten points. But not me. You just never know how those college players will respond under pressure. That of course is their charm.

Today we go to see our family in Texas. They have not seen Ken since his surgery so I will be interested in their response to his general well being. Our family tends not to fuss over difficulty, so we urged David to stay in Texas and not come up here to visit. Perhaps that is not fair to David and Suzanne, but they had the responsibility when I went loopy in Texas, so we asked them to take a break this time. But I know they are anxious to see him. And we are excited to see them and those four little girls. Also of note, we are installing a sattelite dish for the internet at the ranch. This a good thing for sure. Now we begin.

April 6, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Farm

You have never heard such a ruckus. Ken and I were sitting on the back stoop of the hill house, enjoying the end of day sun, when from the pond came sounds such I have never heard. Shrieks, honks, hisses,quacks, all at high pitch and decible and all from the area of the pond. The noise lasted a few minutes, and soon two Canada Geese flew past us over the field, heading for greener pastures. We walked down to see our resident Canada Geese, and they were very calm, having told these visiting geese in no uncertain terms that this pond is only big enough for one pair. The conversation was short but unforgetable.. I have never heard such sounds from two placid well behaved geese.

When you own a house that you don't live in all the time, many things go wrong. Upon arrival, there is no telling what you are likely to find. I have friends who worry about their other homes every time they are away. In other words, they always worry because they own more than one home. Because they can not be in two or three places at once, they always worry about the other house. Not us. We do what we can to have other local folks check the house while we are away, and then we trust in God. Friday afternoon we walked into our house on the hill to discover that we out of oil. We did what we usually do. We went to speak to our friend Alan Jay. They were in the midst of butchering and wrapping six head of cattle so they were busy but said they would bring oil in the morning from the Road Kill Cafe. This has happened before. The last time was not our fault. The company had sold their business to another outfit, and sent us a letter that we did not get, or maybe we did not read. Anyway, the automatic check for the oil did not happen. Last time, they delivered oil to us on the following Wednrsday. But not this time. That same evening, at eight o'clock, that good man had filled both oil tanks. And the best part, he has promised to never let us run out of oil again!! Now, should we depend on him, or should we check every three months ourselves?

Not so many things have gone wrong actually. Once we walked into the laundry room at the ranch in Texas to find water on the floor that resulted in a new hot water tank. We were lucky to find the small drip early on the life of the drip. Another time we walked into the master bedroom in Nova Scotia to find the master bedroom unbearably hot. We called the heating man and he came and fixed the valve the next morning. I did wonder how our caretakers could have missed the heat in the room. By the cost of the oil bill, I believe the valve had been stuck a long time. But the worst thing that ever happened was at the lake house in Texas. This happened soon after we bought the place with David and Suzanne, and just before Christmas 1995. Ken and I arrived at the lake late at night, having arrived from Washington at six or so, had dinner with David and Suzanne and Sarah, and than headed to the lake. It was eleven p.m. when we arrived. I was first into the house, and called to Ken that there are dead animals in the house. He thought that probably diapers had been left in the house. I went looking and sure enough, dead squirells were found in several places in the house. What a mess. It took until four o'clock before the house was fit to stay in. But can you believe it? A company in town came to shampoo the carpets the next morning, which was Christmas Eve, and we found a handy man to cover the chimney with screen to keep out the critters. The carpet cleaning folks moved every piece of furniture except one. Can you believe that we found another dead squirrel under that one piece of furniture. For a while I thought it cute to call the house "The Squirrel House". Ken over ruled. Our home in Texas close to San Antonio is called "The Lake House".

April 4, 2008. Bethesda, Maryland. Betty.

Our advertising co-ordinator was leaving. Her husband, who was an official with the Corps of Engineers was being transferred to Hawaii, and of course, she was going too. Betty was working with a competitor and heard we would be needing a replacement. She was aware of our reputation and size, and she was intriged. Betty called me and of course I met her and was immediatly impressed with her style and expertise and charachter, so I hired her immediately. She started work one week before our retiring lady was leaving, so Betty learned the system. The continuity was seamless. For busy agents this is important. Actually Betty had already met with Connie to find out all about the job and the office, prior to meeting me. She did her homework. She came to work with us to take over all the advertising. Her writing skills and general competence has allowed her to expand her role.

Now this is what she does. Of course, she places and c-ordinates all our print advertising. She writes and responds to the Real Estate Commission. She writes and responds to all written complaints from the buying and selling public. She assists the agents with their marketing program and reviews most marketing materials for compliance. She is responsible for special programs for the office. Before Betty joined us, the All Office Seminar was planned and implemented by me. Since Betty joined us twelve years ago the quality of the seminars has increased and all the organization is handled by Betty. Her attention to detail is quite remarkable. She is always pleasant and effecient, so much so you forget how effective she is and just take her competence for granted. I have suggested in the past that we transfer the typing the ads in th the Post be delegated, but she reminds me gently that she joined us to do the advertising and she would like to do it herself. The other thing she does is the keeping of the notes at our Gold Lunch. She then organizes the information, word processes the remarks, then e mails to all the agents the wisdom gleaned from the top agents. This passing through to all the agents from the top agents has been helpful to all the agents in the office. Before Betty, I took on that role. Since Betty, the information is more helpful.

Betty is even going to come to Nova Scotia for our 50th. I am so used to Betty being in charge of all the last minute details, that she has agreed to join us for the celebration. Betty is a wonderfully competent person, but sometimes we all overlook her. Being quietly effecient is a great asset to an arganization, who can tend to not notice the powers that be. But we pay attention and we are grateful.

She is an identical twin. But that is another story.

March 3, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Working.

I have always thought that even if I was wealthy, I would work. When I watch movies where the action takes place in the nineteenth century, I always wonder what on earth these ladies did with themselves . Of course perhaps I would probably be the lady cleaning the country home, rather than having to dress for dinner every night. There was no wonder the ladies drank too much or became addicted to laudanum. Virginia Wolfe always said that to be happy, all a woman needed was a room of her own. I have always felt that a woman needs a life of her own, aside from the family. The most difficult time to do that is when the children are very small. My solution for me was Book Club, and Picnic Group. Then when the children went to Nursery School I went back to school, and completed an undergraduate degree in Science in order to go to Graduate School in the field of Exercise Physiology, intending to go through for a PhD in the same field. I was a Teaching Assistant while I was at graduate school, and I found I liked the teaching part better that the academic part, so when I completed my course work and was ready to do my Masters research, I went out to lunch with my friend Linda Daisley, drank a liter of wine, and signed up for the Real Estate Course. My children still hold my lack of my Masters over me. Any time I had wanted the boys to complete a task, they reminded me of my failing.

I am not sure where this work ethic comes from, but I suspect it is genetic, but maybe that is too easy. I suspect also that it requires strong character to work hard if you already have lots and lots of money. Gerry and I at work were discussing the people both of us know who are very wealthy and also have a full career. I still see ladies who have no intention of ever returning to the real world of work. I see a lot of ladies in Texas in that catagory. I always think they forget they live in 2008, not 1908. The Salvation Army was early to keep the ladies working. It is still the fact today that in order to be an Officer in the Salvation Army both husband and wife had to be made Officers. This was done right from the beginning of the organization. In the mid nineteenth century this was not normal at all. Perhaps that why my Grandparents were attracted to the organization. What ever the reason, working hard and long is in my blood. My Mother dies the day after she had been working, and my Father died on the job. My Grandmother at 95 was still giving talks to women's groups.

I will never know the answer, but I always wondered how hard I would work if I was wealthy. But I will never find out. That is probably a very good thing!!

April 2, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Carol E.

Next came Carol E. Adrea was an agent in the office. We had worked together for many years. In fact she was one of the five agents called the Leper Colony that met together each week to try to get better at our job. I put the group together because I can not come up with ideas. My creative brain does not function, but I am good at implementing ideas. Adrea was a very exacting and difficult person, but she had zillions of ideas, so the group worked well. Then I became the Manager in the same office. Adrea is perhaps the most difficult person I have ever known, and when Adrea told me she had met a service person at the Chevy Chase Bank who actually satisfied her needs, I knew that service person was something special. Now Adrea and I were friends, but I know how she drives most service people to drink. During Adrea's meeting with the bank official, she asked why with such impressive talents, the bank employee hadn't been promoted. The response back was typical. "I have not been promoted because I am a woman and I come from St. Kits."

Adrea came to me raving about this person, Carol Encarnacion, who was able to deal with her issues. I listened and suggested that Carol E. call to talk to me. Once again, I had no job opening, and once again I interviewed Carol E. And I liked her immediately. Now that was 1988, just after Regina came to work with us. I sounds as if I was loosing my staff one after the other, but what actually happened was that I was trying to get our systems into a more effecient manner, and the two long time staff members were not quite able to see the benefits. One by one they resigned. Now I had another job opening, and I called Carol E. She came to work with us three weeks after Regina, and they have worked together ever since. Carol is the best cheer leader in the office. She is unfailingly enthusiatic and encouraging to the agents. She does not yell or get upset at anything at any time. But the best part is that she does not make mistakes. Now that is not quite true. In all the years Carol has worked with me she has two or three errors.

Her job is to handle anything with money and sales. When she joined us, our volume for the year was about one hundred and Fifty Million in sales. Now our annual sales volume for the past five years has exceeded one and a quarter Billion. And Carol still is able to process all the cases. In addition to her job with the cases she takes the minutes of our sales meetings, organizes the information and word processes the finished product for the agents. Of course, she is from St. Kits, so the additions and deletions are not quite as we did, but they are all interesting. Perhaps the most important task she performs for the office is deciding our monthly goal. At the beginning of each month, Carol E. stands up at the sales meeting and tells the agents what she expect the agents will do in volume this month. She has previously consulted her cards and last years volume, and then makes her announcement. Most of the time, the agents do as she asks. If they are slow to bring in their contracts, she has been known to change her goal in the middle of the month!!

Carol E. and Regina are very different from the other, but they work together very well and have done for almost twenty years. One other thing about Carol E. At a check up with the Doctor, she was told that she had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The Doctor wanted to start her on medicine, but she refused and made a deal with the good Doctor that she would change her diet and eexrcise for six months. If they were not down to normal, she would take the medicine. She still does not eat any fat, she is very thin and she runs many marathons. The Doctor is happy.

April 1, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. More Blossoms.

Come now!! The cherry trees in Kenwood are at their peak. The day was warm and sunny and every bud had opened. I snuck home from work early today to take a walk with Ken. Of course the streets were crowded with people and cars and children. I have never understood the desire to take hundreds of pictures of the cherry trees, but the cameras were in force today too. Many poor folks were waiting with their camera on the tripod, waiting for the cars to stop driving down that particular road, or waiting for the sun to come out at the same time as the street being clear. It would be a long wait because there many many cars and many many people and many many children. We just kept walking.

Now I do not have the whole story. I have a bit, and the bit I know is interesting in an American kind a way. Regina, like the rest of us had 8 great-grandparents. Two of those 8 great-grandparents were black. Either just before or after the Civil War, some ancestors were given land in North Carolina. The offspring of the owners of that land still own that land. With the migration out of the South after the Second World War, all the generation of Regina's parents and their siblings moved to New York city, where they got good jobs driving buses. The older generation stayed down south and farmed the land. The decision was made by all that when they retired, one by one they would return to their home town and live the easy life. And they did. One by one they built themselves a house on the same land they were given after the Civil War. Even now, Regina,though she dearly loves New York, expects that when she leaves Maryland will go to North Carolina, to Hendersonville. It is an interesting story.

When Regina first came to work with me, at holiday times, Regina's Father would hire a bus, and drive that bus himself and pick up all the relatives on the way to Hendersonville. So bit by bit all the relatives visited with each other as they headed home for Christmas. They had a good old time on the way. It seemed like such a good idea.

Tomorrow we are going to celebrate, and have "Cocktails with Ken" at the Hard Times Cafe in Bethesda. The agents and staff were so helpful and supportive throughout his surgery and recovery that we wanted to have a party to say thank you. Ken still fades a bit in the evening, so the time for cocktails is from four to six. We are going to celebrate. But I told you already.