About Crow Wing County, MN

OK, so we are in the middle of another Minnesota snowstorm and I have white on my brain, Anyhu - here I go.

A monochromatic background needs some skillful help to not be perceived as bland. Various shades of white with loads of textures will keep it interesting. Texture will add a dimension to an otherwise flat color scheme - now you see depth and definition. Keeping it still neutral - you can bring in organic materials from the natural world outside , which is quite plentiful here in Northern Minnesota and for the most part free. Some pieces of wooden furniture sprinkled with age and wear add character, worn upholstery on the other hand is just tacky and altogether gross. Can you add rustic pieces to a sleek modern design? Please do! It will help the over all impression to go from cold to comfortable.

As soon as the snow melts (again) I will be starting my forest quest hunting for flowering branches and pussy willows. Add in some slender reeds, budding cat tails and native grasses. However, it doesn't look like that will be anytime in the near future.

photo by randysonofrobert

June of 2001, twin twister sisters hit our home, horse stable and roofing business. Life is still in the "picking up the pieces" stage but no human lives were lost. Because I know from experience how quickly and how efficiently tornadoes can kill and destroy everything in its path I will continue posting about our experience to get the information out.

Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this hazard.

Tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible.

Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.

The following are facts about tornadoes:

• They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.
• They may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.
• The average tornado moves Southwest to Northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.
• The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 MPH, but may vary from stationary to 70 MPH.
• Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land.
• Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water.
• Tornadoes are most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.
• Peak tornado season in the southern states is March through May; in the northern states, it is late spring through early summer.
• Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.
• Do not take shelter in your vehicle

According to data from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, 49 of the 705 deaths - about 7% - attributed to tornadoes from 1997 to 2007 were people who were in vehicles when the storm struck.

"They can cover more ground that you can in your car, so unless you know you are moving away from the tornado the best thing you can do is find a strong structure," said weather service meteorologist Andy Foster. Nothing in sight, then hit the ditch or lowest spot you can find and get face down.

To the students of life -

As we 'round the bend in the school year and start chugging towards the Spring finish line, we know that there will be obstacles ahead that have to be seriously considered now - FINAL EXAMS
Do you totally freak out on test day or are you a last minute crammer? How has that been working for you so far?

Do you want less stress, higher grades and more return for your time and effort? Studying is the key - not studying your X- Box - studying subjects that you are actually enrolled in and hoping to get credit for taking.

Here is a handy list of some sites on studying and test taking.

How to Study

http://www.how-to-study.com

Test Taking Tips

http://www.testtakingtips.com

Study Skills Self Help Information

http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html

Six Steps to Smarter Studying

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/studying.html

With the present economic troubles, we have lost a few Brainerd/Baxter businesses. I was pleased to hear that Papa Murphy's in Baxter has made a committment to the area by buying the building that their business is in presently. We often purchase their delicious pizzas for take home to bake perfection. I will even stop in on a busy work day to get a salad to eat at my desk at Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes where I am a REALTOR/Staging Specialist. Yes, I usually work right through lunch but if you have a home you want to list or buy - we can eat lunch out or just have coffee. Brainerd/Baxter has many places for that as well.

photo by; Baclava

For those of you who know me, I am quite anti-smoking and have several dead and dying relative reasons. Besides, smoke gives me an instant migrane headache and sometimes even the smell gets to me. However, when I get good news I like to pass it on. This good news is for smokers or at the very least their survivors. The Phillip Morris company will probably be ordered to pay more than $130 million to the widow of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer. This could be history in the making as a trail will be blazed for about 8000 other cases with similar circumstances in Florida alone.

So if you've got 'em smoke em and your survivors could make millions. Of course, there are no guarantees and I am not qualified to offer legal advice. This is more like a suggestion.

photo by loreli