Jody Jones Elkhart County Real Estate Agent

Maybe its because I still have just a smidge of Florida sand in between my toes, but it seems like the snow and winter have arrived very early this November in northern Indiana. Heres the proof, photos taken of my backyard on November 18th to be exact.No matter how long I live, I will never get over the thrill of seeing that clear blue sky behind the frigid trees. Bring on the hot buttered rum and my snow blower, winter is here!

What a difference a month makes. Here in Northern Indiana, you would think it's January 21st, not November 21st! The temperatures and fairly constant stream of snow we have been experiencing is out of the ordinary of the winters we have been experiencing in the last few year. I did see one wooly worm this fall who was scrambling to get into my garden shed and apparently that worm KNEW it was coming! I have spent the past few weeks raking leaves and doing all the other "fall" things in preparation.

So as we start the week heading towards Thanksgiving, what are you going to be thankful for?

My gratitude list includes:

I am thankful for my health and the health of all of my family members

I am thankful for my home.

I am thankful for the beautiful views out my windows. I never get tired of seeing the change of the seasons, do you? I know that some of you reading do not see much of a change in seasons, but even when I lived in tropical Florida, there was a slight..very slight shift in the air and you knew summer was at last coming to an end!

I am thankful for the great variety of birds at my feeders, which are very plentiful right now as the natural seeds are buried until spring

I am thankful that I will have family at the table with me on Thanksgiving

I am thankful for the recent classes I have been taking on SEO and how to further expand my business

I am thankful that soon we will have a new President and cabinet and perhaps they will be able to at least give the world and the country a sense that all is not doom and gloom that we hear constantly on the news.

Finally, I am thankful for Active Rain and all of its generous participants. I have learned more here in a year than I could have ever imagined when I signed up for my account. Thank you all for your thoughts, your arguments, your sharing of knowledge and oh yes, HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

You know, its not that I do not understand how precarious and delicate things are with the current financial crisis, My head is not stuck firmly in the sand, but I am not ready to be like Chicken Little either, running around shouting "the sky is falling, the sky is falling". I am getting to the point where I want to climb on the tallest mountain and scream ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

I would like to hear some good news for a change! I would like to send Katie, Tom, Wolf, Nancy and all the rest of the news folks to the GOOD NEWS network (http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/) since that seems to be the only place where we can read/hear headlines like this:

PENDING HOME SALES RISE or how about this one? VIRGINIA GOVERNOR TAKES PAY CUT AND SLASHES OFFICE BUDGET

or go on over to http://www.happynews.com/ and read about how the Texas city of San Antonio is going "GREEN" in a big way, to help " turn the stench of its residents' waste into sweet green cash and renewable energy" I not only have bookmarked these 2 sites, I plan on using one for my permanent home page.

Lets start turning our attitudes around and that collective energy will turn our world around. We Americans have always been our best when we join together to help each other, whether its fighting a common enemy or helping a neighborhood recover from a natural disaster. Lets show the world we CAN do it again and get our minds out of the mental dump that we have all been in lately!

No..no...nooooooooo can the summer be gone? How can it be? I am still fighting the bunnies and chipmunks for my tomatoes. Hands full of green beans for the pot and small mounds of green peppers turning red on my porch. My attention is riveted as I watch the cherry tree leaves falling like light snow to the ground.

Still in denial, at first I thought the premature drop was due to the severe lack of rainfall in this area the last 2 months. However with the crisp low 50 degree mornings we have had the tulip tree leaves are starting to turn and join the rest in their rush to the ground. Time to haul out the "Fall To Do" list and get started!

Let these suggestions get you ready for the change thats coming.

Call your heating maintenance company for a fall service check that includes inspecting and replacing filters.

If you have a fireplace, its a good idea to make sure birds have not nested in your chimney.

Nows a great time to disconnect and thoroughly clean your dryer vents, heating vents and cold air returns in your home.

Remove and store water hoses after the first frost or two. Remember to flood irrigate your tender or newly planted evergreens, they tend to get dehydrated over the long winter months.

If you haven't done so lately, take the time to check out your gutters to make sure that all are free flowing, because when the cold rains of autumn come, you will want to be cozy inside!

Plant some new spring flower bulbs! There is nothing more exciting than to see the first flush of crocus or early daffodils peeking through the snow. Put a small scattering of them near a window that you see out of often, like a kitchen or dining area window.

Divide your perennial plants like hostas, daylilies and so on.

Prune shrubbery and do any moves or transplanting of small trees.

Clean out the annual beds and vegetable gardens after first frost and mulch with chopped leaves, layers of shredded newspaper, Add a bit of 10-10-10 fertilizer to help with the breakdown and give the soil ready nutrients for next year. If you are fortunate enough to find some, bunny manure is a great addition as well.

When you are ready to pack up the mower for the season, DON'T. Take it to your local maintenance shop instead and have them service it. It has worked long and hard for you this year, you want it ready to go in the spring, with a newly sharpened blade, fresh oil in the tank and a new spark plug.

Don't let the snowblower be neglected either, at the first 6 inches of snow is not a good time to wonder if it will start!

These days in Elkhart, you can almost hear a collective SIGH as the dog days of August get even doggier with the ongoing saga of lost jobs and worry about the state of the local economy.

Being that I am a certified Pollyanna, I say that yes, it is hard to stay positive with the constant stream of bad news, BUT even if you can't afford a vacation this year, you can plan to attend the Elkhart Island of Blues Festival that will be taking place August 23,2008 at Island Park at the north end of Main Street and Beardsley Av. on the Elkhart River.

Last years festival was a great success, entertaining 4,000 folks with food, drink and great music, lets make this year even BETTER! Come on down and get in the blues the fun and easy way!

Tickets are $18.00 in advance … $20.00 date of festival.

For tickets, please contact The Elco Performing Arts Center at (574) 293-4469.

Entertainment:

Elwood Splinters Blues Band 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm

Blue Lunch 5:45 pm - 7:00 pm

Root Doctor 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Grammy Nominee Randy McAllister 9:30 pm - 11:30 pm

*Times are approximated

For more information, visit the website. See you there!

http://www.russellproducts.com/islandofblues/tickets.html