Kathy Judy

As part of my husbands's job as an implement salesman (that's tractor guy for you non-farmers) he gets to go all over the Northwest delivering things. Sometimes I go along. This time a guy in Boise bought a tractor in California had it shipped to Nyssa Oregon where Carl works, they installed a snowblower and we took the tractor to the customer's second home in Tetonia. Most of southern Idaho is high desert and unless you are a desert person it can seem boring so I'll skip the Boise to Pocatello part. Pocatello to Idaho Falls is basically more farm country interspersed with going in and out of the Shoshone Bannock Indian Reservation multiple times. Idaho Falls is a pretty place with a river running through it that is taken full advantage of. Heading NE you arrive in Rexburg which is all about potatoes and BYU Idaho, you can see the Tetons from town easily. You head due east on Hwy 33 and very gradually and through HUGE potato farms you rise to 6000 feet. Tetonia is a tiny town right on the Wyoming Idaho border - beautiful little valley and the Teton Mountains are RIGHT THERE! I've seen them many times over the years but this was truly the best.

Maybe it's because I spent 10 years in the carpet business and have no carpeted rooms in my home, but I am glad to get rid of the snow and especially the ICE and have good old mud. The Treasure Valley (border area of Idaho and Oregon NW of Boise) is high desert so the mud won't last long. In fact the farmers will be out in the fields in the Sunny Slope area SW of Boise any time. AND ARE WE EVER READY FOR SPRING! Renewal, hope, flowers, sunshine, love, romance, enthusiasm, all things that will help our area and our country smile again and regain our spirit! Now if our marketing people can figure out ways of making thrift thrilling, prudence perky, earnestness exciting and caution carefree we'll be "cooking with gas".

I look of signs of spring ridiculously early. One sunshiny day and I am convinced that winter is over. This has been a real winter. Lots of snow ice and then more snow. That's important here in the Treasure Valley (the are on the border of Idaho and Oregon nw of Boise) We grow a lot of crops here and irrigation is EVERYTHING. The irrigation water comes from snow and rain but mostly snow. The runoff is collected in reservoirs that also provide our fishing, boating and ELECTRICITY.

One of the best signs of spring is the Chinook wind. A warm strong wind will come in from California and start melting things. Usually our weather comes in from the NW so it's easy to tell the difference. I have no idea how or who named the wind "the Chinook". It's just something I've grown up with.

I'll be truthful. This particular year I would rather have read about winter than experienced it. We usually have mild winters but this is that once in a while exception. In fact one of the ways I talked my husband into moving here was to tell him this area was the "Banan Belt of the West"

I have been discouraged lately because I have had to take the step of reducing my valued teammember Daniela from a licensed full time person to an unlicsensed very part time assistant. That was a toughie but necessary. HOWEVER yesterday I continued my calendar/gift handouts and I realized that instead of being conscious of the money clock ticking when I had either of my helpers with me as in the past 3 years, I could take my time and visit with the past clients one on one. That is a plus!

Yesterday I did a big loop through Nampa, MIddleton and Caldwell Idaho. I had multiple stops topped of with taking a listing! There are some very good buys in this area as it overbuilt. i particularly like a Hubble Homes (big boxes) sub out of Middleton built really attracitvely on an old gravel pit site. They've incorporated the big holes nicely into ponds and have placed the houses around them. These are no frills homes for the mid to low end but this sub has some sense of place to it.

Company party tonight! Enhanced potluck at a B $ B in Ontario Oregon The Creek House. - we like this because we can relax and be ourselves in a lovely elegant but comfortable setting!

Nyssa Oregon has seen some good buys lately. We are closing on one today. 2 bedroom decent area decent lot good room sizes and my clients are getting it for between 36 and 37 thousand!!! That pencils people! I am lucky to have sold this house though. I had seen it in the mls listed by an agency I never heard of, described in such a way that I thought it was trashed. It had been listed 15k higher for quite a while. Well I was WRONG. I should have checked this house out earlier!! It would have taken me 10 minutes. I especially should have checked it because it's my job to know what the bargains are. The house could be moved into as is! The buyers are going to do some changes but they wouldn't necessarily have to. Wake up call to Kathy - just do your job!!