Sheron Cardin - how2homestage.com

I can't tell you how stunned I was when a forty something woman said she had never heard of global warming And quite honestly, I believe she would never have found out had she not dropped by my home Saturday night.

All my lights were out and candles were glowing all over the house. She asked "whats up?". When I told her that it was Earth Hour, you would think I just told her they found a new planet with people on it and she was the last one to know. She came in and sat down anxious to hear all the details.

How could an American with two children not know the plight of the polar bear or what the new squiggly light bulbs are for? How can this be!!!

My friend said she does not watch TV...nor does she read the newspaper. (I wondered how many people really don't know about global warming?) I happily explained in the warm candlelight all that I could to help her understand. We had such a nice time sharing what ever popped into our heads after the initial update that our girls said they want to do it again...every Saturday. We settle for every other Saturday.

Earth Day is a world wide event where large cities as well as individuals live without electricity for one hour a year. Why once a year I thought! Why not as often as we can...?

Because of this experience, my family and friends are going to have an ongoing opportunity to share with each other and help the planet at the same time.

Today is the day I weed out what I want to write about and what I will just toss. I have always had piles of torn pages from decorator and food magazines but now, because of my awareness gained through Active Rain and the Eco group, I have a GREEN pile and it is the tallest of them all.

At the top of this pile of greenness is an article from one of my AARP magazines and have been hanging onto it for a few weeks now. The photo depicts a tree standing on the side of the road with it's suitcase in one hand and the other with a thumb out. It speaks volumes to me of our grave global warming situation even though it makes me laugh every time I see it.

I often think about our early blooming trees here in the San Joaquin Valley and how fragile fruit and vegetables are. The farmers fear frost every winter and early rainfall in the spring. The weather spells out success or failure every year for them.

This picture epitomizes the fear for the future of our farms and landscapes in general...

I know what you are thinking and I suppose vegetation has been moving around since the beginning of time, but what used to be a gradual migration has accelerated dramatically and never before were there businesses and families/towns/cultures so dependent upon what is produced on their land for survival.

The article points out the concerns of the ranchers wanting to know if there will be grass for grazing...how hard will it be to move those cows? How about nursery owners and botanists who make a living growing flowers for special occasions, what will they do when the land is too hot...use the empty cow pastures? How IS this all going to work out???

What I hadn't considered was how extreme weather conditions give adaptable plants an edge, and some of the most adaptable plants can be trouble. Hundreds of plants are on U.S watch lists because of invasive tendencies. Among them:

1. Kudze - Visitors to the 1876 Centennial Exposition if Philadelphia found this Japanese cousin to the pea charming. It's now rampant in the South
2. Purple loosestrife - Its blossoms may be hard to resist but loosestrife is reviled in most of the nation, where it invades wetland and crowds out native vegetation.
3. Pampas grass - Dramatic plumes make this a real prize in Connecticut, but in southern Californa it spreads vigorously and catches fire easily.
4. Spotted water hemlock - It looks like Queen Anne's lace, but this carrot relative spreads rapidly in waterways and exudes a toxic sap. In most of the Southwest it's considered a noxious weed.

Footnote: 28 states could lose an official flower or tree to climate change, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Growing up in LA meant that you did your shopping within a one mile radius from your house. We did our grocery shopping, clothes shopping, went to the dentist and doctor on the corner and belonged to the closest church We were loyal to our local businesses and they trusted our loyalty and often laziness.

Selma, Ca where I live now, is very much the same way. With a little more than 24,000 residents, I would say most of them grew up here, went to school with the local store owners, and a walk down the street is reminiscent of Mayberry or Little House on the Prairie with howdies and did you hear the so and so died. Everyone does their business within a one mile radius here too or they stick to whomever they have used till the end.

Now check this out these new guys from elsewhere; I have been watching this Tax store pull in the business every day since January. I pass by their new little store about 8 times a day and it is packed with couples. Selma already has a tax consultant that probably graduated high school with 70% of its residents so not to worry...their clients are friends...friends are loyal, right? NOT!!! I took a picture of the local tax guys store and I have taken some pictures of the 'new guy in town' and his marketing genius. See what you think happened:

This is the local tax consultant that has been in this location for years, confident that he has a loyal client base.

This picture was taken early in the morning before they open at ten.

This is the new guy in town...right around the corner...most likely here until April 15th...this picture was also taken early in the morning before they open at nine.

Now here is the new tax store in action during their long open hours:

Notice the Statue of Liberty costume with an American flag? There is a person like that on all 4 corners at the main traffic intersection in town.

There isn't a person coming into Selma or going out of Selma who does not know about Liberty Tax Services.

Every chair is filled all day long.

Their marketing tells me they know what they offer is important to us and they are here for us, they love what they do and they are excited about what they do.

Who wouldn't want to do business with a person or company that is this lively!

I think they are a genius and if I did not already retain a tax company, I would let them take care of me. Oh, here is a picture of the local guy when the business office is open:

And the lesson is...

One of the hardest things for a family to deal with is living in a product. Here are some tips to help speed up the process.

1. Keeping the house 'up' while it is on the market; Often times tidy spaces are the most difficult to maintain. One of the best benefits in staging is ridding yourself and your family of the clutter that makes the messes. Mom, Dad, if it is left out and not supposed to be there...throw it in the box labeled misc. and be done with it. Eventually the messes will end :)
2. Keeping the faith; Doubting that your house will sell can kill a sale. Fill yourself up every morning with words and phrases that set the positive wheels in motion. Surround yourself with positive thinking books and read an excerpt from each throughout the day. Get your families support including your relatives and friends.
   
3. Promoting the house; Change you answering machine and brag about some features in your house that make it special. You can say something like "Our home is on the market for $000,000 and one of the things we will miss the most is the built-in surround sound in the great room and the large fireplace. Are you or someone you know looking for a family home?"
4. Just as you refer your favorite restaurant, refer your home, your agent and home stager; Creating a positive buzz around the selling of your home will help it sell.
5. Tell your sphere of influence your home is for sale; This includes your insurance agents, store clerks, postman, everyone you come in contact with in your daily life. Share with them a family moment in the beautiful pool or how the sunset can be enjoyed from the dining room, and make these types of statements in conversational tones. You've got to talk about something so why not talk about the good stuff!
6. Visualize, visualize, visualize; See yourself shopping in your new local supermarket, test the bath water in your mind to see if it is the right temperature, set the timer on the sprinklers. Get into it!
   
7. Pack away all the objects that you are attached to; And I mean everything! you will never leave if your energy is still attached to your home. One of the most important steps in preparing for the sale of your house is to un-stick your energy/emotions/love/hate. Everything must be moved and rearranged, even if that chair and ottoman in your bedroom is the perfect location...move it, otherwise when you look at that chair and ottoman, you will attach your emotions to it all over again.

The best way I know how to teach someone how to home stage from the internet is through photos, so I am offering this opportunity for our members only to send me a picture of an actual house you are working on or selling and I will show you how to convert it into a beautifully STAGED room. Please limit one room per member! I will upload your picture and show you what should be done.

Please send them to californiamoods@sbcglobal.net or upload your pictures on this blog. Try to describe the room in as much detail as possible as well as the price of the home, it's location, purpose of the room, and the size of the house

Lets have some fun with it! MORE FREE STUFF! My response time will depend on how many requests I actually receive.

Stage It Forward!