Deb Brooks, Lake Livingston Real Estate

Ever feel as if you're missing something? You probably are!

I think we're missing a lot by not going one step further than the dashboard. There are features beyond that one page!

What's the point of the DASHBOARD?

The DASHBOARD. Up front and suppose to be seen. Attention getter, the front cover of the book, the tuxedo or gown of the ball.

If you're like me you may only get to the site once or twice in a very busy day.

First of all I check in on all my favorites and then proceed to the dashboard to read the features.

I read and comment on the posts that interest me and then I move on.

I just realized I need to go one step further! The reason they call it the dashboard is because the good ones (in this case, posts) just dash on by! We are likely to miss valuable and useful posts with lots of good reading unless we check and double check.

We may never get a chance at reading them again.

HOW TO OVERCOME THIS DILEMMA.

Schedule of success....

1. awake ....check the features.

2. turn on coffee, go to restroom...check the features.

3. brush teeth, groom, get dressed, check the features.

4. make bed, tidy up, gather work for the day, go to office...but first check the features.

5. Enter office, sit down (or not) and check the features.

6. Leave puter screen on Active Rain and refresh at least once every other hour...

or....

You could use the CLICK OPTION we all seem to overlook and click on More featured posts...

There they are. Days and days and days of featured posts that just dashed on by without being seen or being read.

So, if you are away for very long be sure and check the More featured posts... and scroll your way into featured land.

Easy as a dash of salt! Remember if you spill your dash of salt pick up some salt and toss it over your left shoulder...this is a sure fire way to remain lucky enough to catch all the great reading!

Enjoy and never miss the best!

Later in the rain~Deb

I am about to share a crazy story about an EVIL crazy lady.

Good vs Evil provails.

Please meet Freckles.This is my grandchildren's pet, friend, and family member. He's my little friend too.

Our little Freckles has a bad habit. The neighbor directly behind his home has only a fence between himself and three dogs that want to be friends too. Digging under the fence goes on between all parties till Freckles crawls under and follows his friends into the doggy door in his friends house.

Crazy EVIL lady does not like this.

A week ago Saturday night I stayed with the kids while my daughter attended a wedding in Austin.

I was instructed toNOT LET FRECKLES OUT OR HE WOULD GO UNDER THE FENCE SINCE HE WASN'T TRAINED YET TO THE ELECTIC FENCE...yes, she had been dilligently training Freckles with the flagging so he wouldn't continue to shock himself.

Saturday time line:

Good day, all day. I did the girls nails...played puter games with the boys and we rented a movie.

Early evening before dinner the kids were riding their scooters in the side yard. I let Freckles, Jill (my dog) and Shannon (a visiting dog friend) out into the back yard thinking I would run right out to tether Freckles.....

I was distracted. My fault...I forgot. It's that Sometimers disease....

Next thing I know we were all saying..."where's Freck?"

Oh no! A fresh hole was dug at the fence line.

With light in hand, all dogs whining and worried about Freck and all kids saying "come on Freckles".....he was trying with all his might to get back underneath the fence to his family. We couldn't pull him through without hurting him.

We were relieved he was there! We rushed into the house and I had all the kids put shoes on so we could retrieve our Freckles. We marched around the block (with light in hand) and knocked on the neighbors door!

Bark, bark, bark, bang, growl like we're going to eat you... at the window looking out at us were her three dogs...but, no Freckles. We walked around the house to call in the back yard...no Freckles. He was just there ten minutes (maybe fifteen minutes) ago and now there was NO LADY AND NO FRECK.

I was concerned but I took the kids home to feed them dinner. We talked about the fact that we probably just didn't see him and when the lady got home we could get him back.

Immediately after we ate, the kids brought me a pen and paper and I wrote the neighbor a note. I apologized for letting him get out of my site and asked her to call as soon as she got home. We marched around to the front of her house and knocked on the door. No one there. Not even the dogs. We left the note taped to the bricks at her front door and said a little prayer.

I settled the kids in front of the TV with their movie and began to really worry and pace. I walked out to the back yard, hoisted myself up on the fence and began to call for Freckles.

LOW AND BEHOLD OUT COMES THE EVIL CRAZY LADY....I smiled and said, "Oh thank heavens you're home......

She screamed at me..."I DON'T HAVE YOUR DOG LADY." and slammed her door.

My blood pressure skyrocketed to a boiling point. How dare she? And what about the dog?

I left the kids in front of the TV and marched back around to her door. I knew she was there now. Knock, knock, knock...the note was still there....nothing. So my knocking went to banging...bang...bang...I was mad as &^$$ then! Finally, she screamed again "I don't have your dog and if you don't leave I will dial 9-1-1.

She didn't have to. I DIALED 9-1-1.

I waited in front of the house for the policeman that so nicely showed to help. The kids knew nothing about this excess trauma.

As I was showing the policeman the hole and was giving the story and explaining that we just need to know what she did with Freckles...we saw the lady walk through her house. He saw her too and said he was going to pay her a visit.

CRAZY LADY CALLED THE POLICE ON THE POLICE. Yes, really. The officer named Lane was banging at her door because she wouldn't answer. Lane received a call stating that a woman was calling in about a person banging on her door and he said...."Yep, it's me...tell her to step outside." Ha! She thought it was me...

She bold face lied to the police. No she hadn't seen the dog at all. And then kicked the policeman off her property...really. He spent the rest of his shift looking for Freckles. Truly a good guy.

No Freckles. I called for him most of the night. I felt a sickness in my stomach. I lost the kids dog.

Sunday morning we drove for miles looking for Freckles. They posted Lost Posters with his picture and we called the vets and the animal shelter. The world was on alert.

Sunday.....nothing.

Monday....nothing.

Tuesday...nothing.

Wednesday...I got a phone call...my heart leaped with joy when the animal shelter said a GOOD WOMAN had called and described a dog that looked like Freckles in her care.

OMG, I prayed it was him. The GOOD LADY found a dogin the middle of the street in a lake community within three miles of our Elkins Lake Community at about 9:00pm.

OMG, it could be him.

But a neighbor of the GOOD LADY said the dog had been in the middle of the street barking for two hours....hum....maybe it's not him.

Freckles had a brand new wide collar with rabies tag and a red heart tag....

The barking dog had no collar.

My immediate thought was that it couldn't have been Freckles because he would not have had time to run for that many miles to get to a neighboring community and where was his collar?

THANK GOD IT WAS FRECKLES...THANK GOD FOR THE GOOD LADY.

BEYOND ALL ODDS THE GOOD LADY NAMED THE DOG FRECKLES.....

But, what does this mean?

THE EVIL LADY TOOK OFF HIS COLLAR AND DROVE HIM AWAY FROM MY GRANDCHILDREN.

EVIL? CAN YOU IMAGINE?

***Gotta love a neighbor that would steel his collar and take the family pet away from five children and drop him off to starve or be run over????***

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Freckles home...

But we look back at that fence and that person and feel sick.

Is there anything we can do? Is there any recourse to take? How can they ever feel good about letting Freckles and the children play in their back yard?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHAT CAN WE DO?

ANY ADVICE IS NEEDED. MY MIND CONJURES UP SO MANY WILD SCENARIOS...HELP.

Later in the rain~Deb

With each dark cloud there is a silver lining. I was gone for the last couple of days and I came back to quite a surprise! First I read a post of Brad Andersohn's explaining that there is a teenie hitch in the AR getalong.

It's okay with me. We all go through glitches don't we? When I navigated to Diary of a Realtor to feature some new posts (since we get awesome submissions daily) and the site was really bright! Everyone of our posts has a gold star. Even mine!

How fun was that to see us all lit up and shining bright! I want each of you to know that you DO DESERVE A STAR...and it was a dream of mine that came true. Every post on AR seems to be featured.

Congratulations to each and everyone of you! We are a star for at least a day.

Later in the rain~Deb

I listened to Rain Radio today on BlogTalkRadio.com!

I feel like I'm getting geekier and geekier each day and loving it. I have recently joined the ranks of TWITTER and am a novice with how it all works. So for me, this was valuable listening.

It was so much fun hearing my friends voices again such as Rich Jacobson, Brad Andersohn, Ron Chaney, Jeremy Blanton, Kim Wood and a various assortment of Active Rainer guests. Woohaa.

I am such a geek now that I subscribed to the RSS, signed in and worked on paperwork while listening to the show. I learned and began to understand the value and significance of the use of interacting and socializing on TWITTER.

Do you TWITTER? Do you TWEET? Have you ever TWOOSHED?

See, I know geek speak...

Now for starters you need to get signed up for R.A.I.N. Radio...an easy task. Activate your RSS (see I don't have a clue what I'm talking about here but it worked for me so it will work for you).

And, voila, you are able to choose radio shows from just about any and all subjects and you can meet up with lots of fellow Rainers!

Come join @Paul Chaney, @Kim Wood, @Jeremy Blanton, and many other @special guests, as we discuss and unfold everything about "Twitter", the micro-blogging Social Network. How to get Business ...

using one of the latest "viral" tools in Social Media Marketing. Tweet This!

Join me on TWITTER and let's visit and network!

My handle is @TexnDeb Join me.

Later in the rain~Deb

What led us into the 1960's Music Revolution? The 1950,s. If you weren't there please take a moment to watch this presentation by SergeantPepper27, Emily Maddox, and enjoy the transition that was so spectacular to witness and enjoy...

The 1960,s was a very special time for me. I was a child and the entire world was a learning experience. My friends and I were wide eyed, curious, feeling the freedom to let go and dance to the music. During the summer of 1966 in little Edinburgh Indiana the pool parties were going strong! I could crack the storm windows in my bedroom and hear the music wafting through the neighborhood with a beat that was calling me to turn to my wild side and let it all loose. Of course I would only have to crack the window once or twice during the summers...if I were grounded. Yes, that phenomenon did occur so I would dance in my room. Otherwise, I was right there eating out of the bands hands...dancing, twirling, feeling the beat and feeling so free and young and perfectly wonderful and full of music.

I grew up in the time of the "basement" bands. Everyone had one. And, at least at the time, they all seemed pretty good to me. Life was good and our lives seemed to be centered around music.

WLS Chicago was the most progressive radio station on the US Airwaves and I was lucky enough to pull the station in strong! The music was fantastic, innovative, progressive and heavier than the earlier Beatles, Buddy Holly and Elvis.  We were beginning to hear what I called "real" rock and roll. Chicago, Louie Louie, Jefferson Airplane, Janice Joplin and more and more songs and artists found their way into our lives. Every Sunday evening I would get my shower, crawl into my pj's and plop in front of our black and white TV and watch Ed Sullivan.

I love the fact that my memory can take me back. Back into my little living room with my mom and dad and Ed and other greats such as Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Monkeys, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Four Seasons...and yes, I do remember them!

How cool is that?

Ed Sullivan moved on and later in the 1960,s came my favorite show! Talk about walking on the wild side. It taught us some of the greatest music in history. It taught me a new twist in humor and made me laugh out loud. It provided roll models and humor and fun. And how to wear mini-skirts and wear flowers in our hair and made it mandatory to get our ears pierced...

Speaking of piercing ones ears...here it comes...I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this. This has been so much fun and I've enjoyed reliving the greats but JASON CROUCH is making me do this and for that I humbly apologize....really. Really. I mean really.

Here comes the absolute WORST, OBNOXIOUS, TASTLESS, DISCUSTING, DISTURBING, WASTE OF BREATH AND TIME AND LACK OF TALENT EVER TO BE DELIVERED TO THE BIG SCREEN.....

HOLD YOUR EARS OR MUTE the PUTE...but it's worth watching till the end for the glimpse of Goldie...

Will you ever forgive me for this?

Now, there simply is no song worse than this...

And, to show you why I loved this show...Rowan and Martin's Laugh In, I am including a short of the end of this particular segment. At the end they all had so much fun and it still makes me laugh today.



I hope you enjoyed this...most of it anyway. Later in the rain~Deb