Eagles Wings

Our little nectarine tree is starting to bloom...it is over 2 years old and last year we got about two dozen small nectarines from it....this year, I think we will thin them out a little and try to have larger ones.....the bees are really enjoying them too.
Alan and I walked around the yard this morning and noticed that the fig tree is starting to leaf out too....its about 9 ft. high and this is its third year also....we got tons of figs off of it last year for several months...they are so sweet and good..and it also grew about 2 ft. last year. The fig tree we started in the pot is growing well too
The lawn is growing and needs to be cut soon...the guys put some "weed and feed" on it like we did last year....our weather has been just wonderful, in the 70s...today it got up to 80 and very nice.
Alan hasn't had much work and its been really tough. We're owed over $3,000 from various realtors and have sent out late invoices to all of them....but have only had about 2 calls all week.
we are in all the local phone books, in all the local websites, Google, advertise on Craigslist and even have gotten linked up to Brinks Home Security and are giving out free installation certificates to new home owners.

I heard on the radio this morning that there have been alot of break ins on foreclosed homes with kids getting into them for drug parties, raves, etc.

I personally blame this on the banks...not all but some of the banks (Countrywide is one of them) use their own "teams" to "secure" these homes....they use the cheapest way possible...they don't use a professional locksmith but a handyman who simply either breaks the existing locks out (usually with a hammer), or is able to remove them (good quality, expensive locks) and replaces them with the cheapest foreign made lock possible. Easily broken or picked...
Many times the expensive handle set front door locks are destroyed and thrown away. The new homeowner then has to buy a completely new set which runs from $45 to over $200. Crazy huh?
Other banks have taken to only re keying the front door....this happened at one property Alan was called out to...the previous owner was paid "cash for keys", she took the $4,000 the bank offered her, gave them two sets of keys but kept another set for herself. Moved out, then came back, got in through the garage and took all the granite countertops, oak cabinets, carpeting, and tile in the house... The bank lost thousands and thousands of dollars just because they didn't want to pay to have one other door re keyed which was a whopping $10.00.

No wonder they need bailouts...I don't think they really deserve them, do you? They do not have common sense....

We had a realtor call us for a REO home in Oceanside today, so I tagged along. When we got there, it turned out the house was completely furnished so the realtors had to put a tag on it for 28 days requesting the owner get his stuff....otherwise it would be declared abandoned property. so we got a trip for nothing.....the realtor wouldn't pay for the trip charge.
a 50 mile trip for us.
Anyway, that is my venting for today....sometimes you just have to get it out.


If you get the chance and want to read something interesting...please check out Alan's brother Jeff's blog Are We Having Fun Yet? When he was young, back in the 1980s, he went with a church group down into Mexico to help build a local village church....he kept a journal.....he is transcribing the whole adventure on his blog with photos and I am finding it very addictive. I
just have to go back for the next sequel every day...

Last but not least..I joined the 9-12 Project yesterday and it's growing so fast! In less than a week, there are already over 50,000 members! Please join if you believe as so many do that Washington needs to be cleaned up.....you can find out more about it by clicking on the"Unite or Die" logo on the left hand side of the blog.....there are local chapters and I joined the California one....