When we bought this house over thirteen years ago the front and back yards were dried out, weed-laden lawns on hardpan with virtually no topsoil. It's nearly a quarter-acre, and as I wandered about looking at it it just seemed to challenge me to do something with it. I went to my desk, facing out into the back yard, and drew out a plan.

Now, we have no grass. We created berms to plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in various locations around the yards separated by sand-filled walkways....

Technically it is Friday however, I have not yet been to bed so for me it is still Thursday. Not that it really matters to anyone but me and my lack of a regimented sleep pattern.

I was just on the phone with my husband and as usual the call was dropped. He drives a truck for a living and is gone yet again. Not that this is a different scenario than most every other day of our lives I just tire of being alone sometimes. Believe it or not after all these years it is worse right after...

Yet another night sitting on Skype. You can only sit on the phone and talk for so long. Why not SKYPE! Nothing like finding the home of your dreams over Coldwell Banker.com

I mean, how do you base the love of a home over bad pictures and "Property Highlights" This might be harder than naming my son, and that my friends was HARD!

As we speak we are in the process of narrowing out favorite 16 homes down to five...everything is starting to look the same. My...

Interest rates a little higher this morning with global stock markets improved. The 10 yr at 9:00 at 1.83% +2 bp with 30 yr MBS price down 15 bp frm yesterday’s close. News out of Europe continues to improve with increasing belief that some kind of plan is taking shape, as long as that is the thinking the interest rate markets will find it very difficult to decline while keeping US and global equity markets well supported. Recent improvement in US stock indexes, although on low trading volume,...

Yesterday morning was overcast and cooler than the previous week (of 90s and 80s), so I decided to walk some paperwork down the hill to Edward Jones, rather than drive. Big Finn Hill is roughly 500' where our home is located, and their office is at sea level. Taking the "scenic" route through the neighborhoods (instead of Juanita Drive's direct route) is just short of three miles. Bigun needed his walk, so he joined me.

Walking down has its steep places, where I wouldn't...