Marian Goetzinger Crystal Coast Real Estate NC

I live on a little island on the Southern Outerbanks of North Carolina called Bogue Banks. High rise bridges connect us on each end to the mainland. My firm and my home are right in the middle of the island in Pine Knoll Shores. We have no mall, no convention center, no huge food emporium and no airport. We have things much more valuable.

We have beaches as pristine as any you'll find anywhere. We have schools of dolphin brave enough to come just feet from the beach. We have a wonderful aquarium (but that's another blog). We have maritime forests protected by covenant. We have the sound where you can walk out and rake clams while trying not to disturb the egrets and heron and pelicans. We have the friendliest folk you'll find anywhere. ...And we have THE COUNTRY CLUB OF THE CRYSTAL COAST.

I love to play golf. My handicap hovers between 26 and 29 and I dream of getting it under 20. So, you can see I'm certainly no expert, but I have played quite a few courses, including one in New Zealand last year and I can tell you the course on Bogue Banks is awesome. The course is well-maintained and the staff are friendly and helpful and the views are incredible.

Rates are reasonable and after golf, you'll want to check out the private dining room where you'll find the best food around. The Country Club of the Crystal Coast is just one more reason to consider living and playing here at the Crystal Coast.

www.boguebankscc.com

I wrote last week asking for advice regarding my dog Casey. You may remember Casey had just been diagnosed with heart failure and pancreatitis. He is getting old (13) but he's a little Jack Russell Terrier who will always be a puppy to me. His doctor put him on medication and he seemed to be rebounding quite well. However, doctor also us his time is short. So...my delimna was - could I leave him in the kennel at my vets while my husband and I went on our planned Thanksgiving visit to Texas to be with one of our daughters and her family?

So many of you responded. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. Your advice really helped me decide that while Casey is my dear beloved dog, my family also deserved some attention. So crying as I left Casey at the vets, I was off for the family gathering. It was the right decision.

My stepdaughter, her husband and my two grandsons, Brian and Sean, were obviously delighted to have us visit. We had not been there in three years. Casey survived (and even thrived) his time at the kennel and we're all back home safely. Last night Casey burrowed under the covers and snuggled up to my tummy for a few minutes of affection before going into his kennel cab for the night. It's good to be home and good to have loving pets.

Wow! When I got the call and then found myself as a featured blogger I was so excited I wanted to call everybody but I contained myself and simply sent out a nice humble email. (Ok, maybe not so humble.) In any case, for the wonderful person who called and the wonderful genX daughter who talked me through salvaging my pictures, THANK YOU! Now I can't go to sleep for thinking of all the possible blogs that I should write.

I wish I was more proficient with technology and I wish I knew how to better use the wonderful tools available to actually bring in some business, but I am learning every day and I am getting so many valuable things from Active Rain and the relationships I'm growing. So, how do you become a featured blogger? I don't know! I guess, just do what I do and write the things you think are important and that might either interest or help other Active Rainers and keep blogging.

Thanks Margaret, Thanks Amy. Good night.

I really do love trees. Here's a great one in the back yard of my other Stepdaughter's home in Escalante, Utah.

How much is a tree worth? I guess the answer is like the answer to: "how much is any property worth?" It's worth what a willing and able buyer will pay. I pose this question because of a comment my step-daughter made this week-end. I was saying how much I love the tree in their back yard. It is a huge old oak with branches sprawling all over the yard. My two grandsons have swings and windchimes here and there and the deck is built to avoid any harm to the old tree. A tree specialist has told them the tree is at least 100 years old. The house and yard would not be the same place without that wonderful tree. We slept in Brian's room on the second floor overlooking the back yard. Upon waking the first morning I pulled up the blinds and was looking right at three squirrels playing on limbs just feet from the window. What a wonderful way to start my day!

My stepdaughter said, "We bought this house because of that tree." I'm sure that's true. I remembered when my husband and I were looking at lots to build our new home. We found one in MLS that was priced right and in the perfect location for us. It was bigger than others we'd looked at and we couldn't wait to drive over and take a look. We didn't even need to get out of the car. The lot had been totally cleared! What is a tree worth? Well, we just drove away from a $200,000 lot because it had none.

So if you have a home with no trees, please plant some today. It takes years for them to develop so hurry and get them started. And think carefully before you cut down a tree. If you won't protect it for the environment, then do it to enhance the value of your property. How much is a tree worth? It's Priceless!

New comments from author of blog:

Wow! I arrived back at the coast today after spending the holidays in Austin, Texas with stepdaughter Cory and her family. I couldn't wait to post the blog about the value of trees. Too Bad. My camera was broken and I had no idea how to retrieve the pictures. After a frantic call to my genX daughter who talked me through it, here are pictures of the wonderful tree that inspired my blog. Enjoy and please be kind to trees.

Maybe there's a book out there, but I haven't seen it and I'm a voracious reader. But, shouldn't there be some rules about how one behaves in public restrooms?

My office is in a large condominium office building that also houses the public library, so there's significant traffic in the public restroom. Don't get me started on the lack of housekeeping that is rampant, but come on, how hard is it to put the paper towels IN the receptacle, rather than just tossing AT it? And ladies, if you didn't think to take a personal product dispenser with you into the stall, surely you can manage to bring it out and place it into the large trash can provided. Many of you either stop up the toilet by trying to flush it down, or even (Yuck) leave it lying on the floor. Your Mama would be ashamed of you.

But here's the real question. When you're standing at the sink washing your hands and I walk in and say, "Hi" how about a response. Is it bad bathroom etiquette to greet each other? I may be the one who's in the wrong here, because I always say hello when I'm in close proximity to folks, but in the ladies' room, I'm getting a blank stare and a hurry away. Is it me?

And when one enters a stall, would it be too much to ask to latch the door. I am a very gregarious person, but I don't really want to see strangers sitting on the john. Oh, and while you're in there, could you be discreet. I almost called 911 today when the woman in the next stall was grunting and groaning as if in difficult labor. Obviously not enough fiber in her diet.

Could you please leave it like your found it? If everybody would clean up after themselves, all public restrooms would be forever clean because at one time or another they were cleaned. When you flush, take a peek. Maybe it needs a second flush. Did you dribble? Go grab a paper towel and clean it up. Make a little mess around the sink? Wipe it up.

Now, I really hope I have not offended anyone, but bathrooms are a fact of life and bodily functions are one of the things we all have in common and perhaps we all need to figure out better ways to manage them harmoniously. You know what would totally solve the problem? That little old Golden Rule.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."