Laura Warden

OK, folks, who can tell what this one is?

I took it here in New Mexico on Saturday, but you sure wouldn't have to be in the Land of Enchantment to find one for yourself (unlike the flowery entry I made a couple of days ago, which no one has guessed yet!)

I've really been getting a big kick out of the "Name that Photo" group here on ActiveRain. If you haven't check it out yet, take a peak; there are some amazing photos out there, and some are real puzzlers!

(By the way, no one's identified the "hobbit hole" yet...)

Put on your deerstalker hats, get out the magnifying glass, and see what you can do with this enchanted image:

Here in the Albuquerque real estate market, our luxury home sales (say, properties over $1 Million) have virtually gone Missing In Action.

This year, in June, only one such sale closed in the entire Albuquerque MLS. This compare with six sales over a million in June of last year, five in June of '07, and seven in June of '06.

And these real estate statistics do not pertain just to last month. Overall, so far in 2009, we've had only sixmillion-dollar-plus sales in the entire Greater Albuquerque area, and number that usually occurs in a single month! Previous years have recorded 36-43 such sales annually, while 2009, if the trend continues, will book only about a dozen of these high end home sales.

It's seems a no-brainer to conclude that this must be having a substantial impact on the overall "Average Sales Prices" recorded by the Greater Albuquerque Board of Realtors, even if there were no change at all in the prices "average" homeowners (i.e., in "non-luxury" price ranges) were receiving!

Don't believe it? Think about it. It's just like grade point averages! How high an overall grade can a student achieve if they never have any A's or B's to figure into their average? How much difference will it make to their overall grade if they have several dozen A's to bring up the average?

Here in Albuquerque, it looks like at least some portion of the decline in "average home sale prices" is attributable to the combination of the facts that our high-end properties are largely being kept off the market by sellers who prefer to wait for a better market, and luxury home buyers are largely staying put for the time being as well.

If I get some time, maybe I'll try to do a statistical analysis of just how much of the "decrease" in property values is really attributable to this one factor...

Anybody elsewhere noticing the same artifical "decreases" going on in their markets?

Did you know that there is a quick and easy way to tell whether the fruits or vegetables you buy are genetically modified?

I didn't. In fact, I've thought for a long time that the government should require GM food to be clearly labeled as such. One of the folks I follow on Twitter tweeted yesterday that there actually IS as way to tell, quickly and easily, and provided a link to all the details. A big thank you to "jandreadis" for the tip, an for the full scoop, see www.plantea.com/genetically-modified-food.html )

According to this article, by Marion Owen, the key is in those lovely little sticky labels they so irritatingly attach to produce in the store. All those little numbers actually mean something, and part of the code they include will let you know whether the produce is organic, conventionally grown, or genetically modified!

Here's the code:

• Conventionally grown produce has a PLU code of four digits
• Organically grown produce has a five-digit code, and it always starts with a "9"
• Genetically modified produce also has a five-digit code, but it starts with an "8"

(So if you care enough about being "green" to be reading this post, be sure not to mix up your 8's and 9's!)

Think you've got it?

Let's try a little test (oh, the former teacher in me just keeps coming out now and again!) Decide whether each fruit or vegetable is organic, conventional, or genetically modified based on it's PLU code!

Of course, I can also be sure of getting high-quality, organic produce by picking it directly from my lush, green organic garden in Bosque Farms, New Mexico!

Interested in finding a home with an organic garden for yourself? Contact me any time for info about available homes throughout the Greater Albuquerque area!

(This information was initially published in the June 26, 2002 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer.)

What is it? Where is it? What is it used for?

Sorry, Frodo, it's not a hobbit hole!

Hints?

I took this photo within 50 miles of my house...

Let's see how the Activerain "Name that Photo" group can do with it. Care to take a stab at identifying it?

(If you've never been to the Land of Enchantment, an exact ID could be a toughie, but maybe you can come up with a more general description...)