Co-Owners Keith & Evie Sellers Serving: Holland, Zeeland, Grand Rapids

"Drivin' down the road, I get the feelin' that I shoulda been home yesterday...yesterday!"

"War..... mmm..... uh-huh...what is it good for?"

"Get a rhythm, when you get the blues..."

"And I think to myself, what a wonderful world..."

When it comes to soothing the savage beast, my pallette is about as eclectic as my bride's taste in decorating. But neither my LPs nor my spontaneous singing are locked away in the pie safe in our house. I like to break out in just about any tune at a moment's notice. Of course the American Idol tryout solos are left for the shower, but music has a home here on the hobby farm.

I've wanted to write a couple of blogs on the subject of bridging the racial divide; or rather, healing the scourge of ignorance named racism. Maybe talk about some personal and professional experiences in life, like military service, my time substituting in Kalamazoo's Public high schools, and maybe even talk about the night in jail.

But this first stop along the way is just a small tribute to the genius of music, and what our ears don't see.

Ears have certainly less prejudice than eyes (thank goodness). The same people that may talk derogatorily about their neighbors with different colored skin don't have a problem memorizing the lyrics to the latest tune from their favorite artist across the color lines.

Artists from various backgrounds have had smashing success in music, which would seem to indicate that the listeners don't really care what color skin the artist has. The biggest names in music have "crossover" appeal on any side of the color coin. The genius of art, and especially music, is its ability to bridge the racial divide, making folks forget (and hopefully think) about their superficial differences.

There's a beautiful reenactment of the absurdity of racial bias in the motion picture The Pianist (2002). A Polish Jewish pianist struggles to survive the Nazi takeover in Poland's Warsaw ghetto during WWII. His musical genius affords him the center stage and applause of his oppressors. A moving memorial to the power of music to bridge the divide.

And Elvis Presley would probably be glad to point out that Rock N Roll he popularized found its strength in the swing and pop of the Rythm and Blues.

When you belt out your favorite tune along your life's journey today, I hope you find yourself completely forgetful of the artists skin color, and grateful that ears aren't as predjudice as eyes.

Artist Photos Courtesy: http://www.last.fm/music/

If you hang around the Sellers' house for any length of time at all, you'll see we like our woodstove for more than just heat. It's quite multifaceted, and accumulates a number of pots, pans, and laundry at different times of the week.

Today was daddy's slow-cook bean dip day, when I mixed up a 10# batch of hot and spicy turkey bean dip. It's an easy recipe, and feeds a big family, no problem. Make sure you use mild ingredients if you want it not too hot!

5# ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

5-7 cloves fresh garlic, diced

8 oz jalapeno peppers, diced

2 quarts fresh tomatoes (or tomato sauce)

2 small cans of tomato paste

Approx 100oz of refried beans

Start by gettin' the meat going on the stove in a big pot. I usually add a little olive oil and water to keep it from burning. To season the meat, I like to throw in Bragg's liquid aminos (or Kosher salt), a about 5 tablespoons of chili power, a little cummin, some black pepper, italian seasoning, all to what you like.

As the meat gets close to brown, I'll throw in the chopped veggies in and let them season the meat a bit more. Once those have all cooked together nicely, I throw in all the tomato and bean produce and let it simmer for another 30 minutes.

We like our easy to freeze and prepare meals here. With 3 kids under 4 and a hungry home-based broker, we need meals that are easy to prepare in bulk!

Since getting settled in a better acquainted with some other gents in my life, I purchased a turkey license this year and decided to get a turkey to put in the smoker.

My best friend and I launched out on some private land used for growing soybeans this year for the farmin season. Quite a blustry day, winds kickin' up, and a lot of cloud cover.

We settled in along the treeline looking like a couple of snipers ready to do battle (with the elements). Thankfully, our position was an already dug out foxhole, which made for a comfy hunt out of the wind.

After two hours of patience, there was little sign of hope. But we had both joined hands to pray and continue in expectation of an answer from Providence.

About the time we settled the matter, out walked no less than 8 big turkeys about 25 yards from us. They scratched and pecked their way over to our foxhole, where I tempered a pounding heartbeat long enough to draw and fire on a big, bearded tom.

My whole family celebrated when they found out, and this weekend, he will be all smoked and ready to eat!

Do you remember your first footsteps into the realms of real estate? Where did you hang your hat (and your license?)

Did you go big or small? Did you get a good split, or not much at all?

Did you get an office right off the bat? Was it in a Herman Miller in which you sat?

How many deals did you manage to close? Did you meet with many or just a few woes?

If you remember, then please indeed share? What made you leave, or what made you stay there?

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My login to the wide world of real estate took place at Prudential Preferred of Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2004. I had looked first into Jaqua Realtors, but I got the cold shoulder for inexperience.

At Prudential, I was quickly pigeonholed as a nonperformer and given the boot after a poor performance eval 3 months into it. I had only closed one buyer agency deal. Not exactly a high flyer was I.

They did provide an office free of charge, which is unheard of nowadays; as well, a brief intro to understanding our local contracts.

Only three brokers into it, I started Sellers Real Estate, and haven't looked back! Livin' the Dream!

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