Paul Campbell

My wife Kathy and I have spent 37 years living in a rambler. So why did we buy a split level when we moved to Lexington?

Here are our top ten reasons.

10. We both have good joints. Very few aches and pains. Maybe that is because we have always lived in a rambler.

9. The property is only 2 miles from our daughter and 3 from our son.

8. The people selling this house liked our adorable cocker spaniel.

7. The light filled house was so cheerfully inviting on a windy, cloudy day.

6. We loved the idea of having our entertainment center downstairs removed from the main part of the home.

5. The freshly painted neutral shades made it easy to picture us moving our own things into the house.

4. The house had been updated throughout.

3. It would take very little time to make this feel like home.

2. The price per square foot is such a great value.

1. The addition of a large foryer made the house seem so much larger, warm and inviting.

These two pictures show how the owners were able to really open up this split level and make it so much more inviting. The addition of the foyer not only allowed for room to enter the house comfortably with a large coat closet. The addition also made it possible to expand the master bath and add a full bath below in the basement. If you have totally discounted the idea of a split level you may want to think again.

This evening an intermittent chirp interrupted my frantic attempts to fix a leaking toilet. Was it a cricket trapped in the walls? An audible signal to alert the neighborhood that plumbing malpractice was about to occur? And why did the chirping seem to lead me in circles around the house?

Perhaps a story (lifted from Wikipedia) is in order: In the late 1930s the Swiss physicist Walter Jaeger tried to invent a sensor for poison gas. His device failed: small concentrations of gas had no effect on the sensor's conductivity. Frustrated, Jaeger lit a cigarette--and was soon surprised to notice that a meter on the instrument had registered a drop in current. Smoke particles had apparently done what poison gas could not. Jaeger's experiment was a precursor of the smoke detector. (Aha! the chirp!)

It was 30 years, however, before progress in nuclear chemistry and solid-state electronics made a cheap(no pun intended) sensor possible. While home smoke detectors were available during most of the 1960s, the price of these devices was rather high. Before that, alarms were so expensive that only major businesses and theaters could afford them. The first truly affordable home smoke detectors were invented by Duane D. Pearsall in 1967, featuring individual battery powered units that could be easily installed and replaced. The first commercial smoke detectors came to market in 1969. Today they are installed in 93 percent of U.S. homes. However it is estimated that any given time over 30% of these alarms don't work, as users forget to replace, or remove the batteries.

I can accept that the previous homeowners of our house were cautious. But in a 2400 square foot house are SIX smoke detectors excessive? And how is it that ALL of the batteries malfunctioned simultaneously? But thanks, Walter -- and good work, Duane. A little beeping is a small price to pay for home safety. (And hey -- since some people remember to change their smoke detector batteries when we "fall back" and "spring ahead" for daylight savings time -- do yourself a favor and be among the 63% of U.S. homes with functioning smoke detectors. Consider that a cricket reminded you.)

We just returned from a delightful meal of real southern hospitality. Kathy and I were just sharing last night about how difficult it has been to transition from a community church of which we had been committed and involved for 29 years before moving to Lexington.

This morning we visited the same church for the third Sunday in a row. Debbie and Rick took time this morning to really connect with Kathy and I. We took the risk of being honest about how we were missing lifelong friends and having difficulty connecting in our new community.

Debbie and Rick were genuinely interested in who we were and how we were doing in our new home. Then they invited us to their home to share a delicious meal.

Kathy and I feel as if Debbie, Rick and their son 17 year old David could become those lifelong friends that we miss from our home in Woodinville.

Today's experience reminded me of a few essential things about deep friendship.

1. We must not expect others to be the first to reach out to us. The rewards of friendship are often earned through perseverence and being available. Going to a church or any social function a couple of times without intentionally being available will not gain friends.

2. Building deep relationships quickly is dependent upon how willing we are to share the pains and joys of our lives with strangers. Superficial dialogue will only result in surface friendships. I expect most of us have "friends" that we really only know superficially. Our deep heartful friendships are based on sharing the longings, pains and joys of our daily lives. Transparency will allow a peek into the windows of our soul.

3. Sharing a home cooked meal is such a great way to open doors of communication. Kathy and I would have accepted an invitation to a restaurant. The nicest restaurant settings somehow pale in comparison to the love and care that goes into preparing and serving a meal in your own home.

May all of our lives be enriched by taking the risk to reach out to our commuity. God Bless, Paul

This morning I took my dog Abby on a walk at about 7:00 eastern time. Abby and I had a conversation about the economy. Abby had some very wise words this morning. Walking and talking with Abby is often the most productive time of my day.

"Abby how does a cocker spaniel know when to invest in more dog cookies?"

She gave me one of those trust filled endearing looks with her brown saucer like eyes and replied. " WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

My interpretation: Those barbecued rib bones you brought home last night made me completely forget dog cookies. Keep bringing the real thing and I really don't give a woof about dog cookies.

Interpretation/Application: Forget investing in the stock market and buy the real thing. Yes, gold is real. But try buying enough to build a house. NOW is the time to buy a home if you have good credit and a little savings. Go to a local bank such as Traditional Bank here in Lexington. The smaller local banks around the country did not get caught up in sub prime loans. Read this article about Mass. http://www.wbjournal.com/news41708.html banks.

This is just one of many articles you can find on the safety and wisdom of using a local bank in every state in the union.

When Kathy and I moved here less than three weeks ago we sought out a local bank with private ownership. We are very happy with Traditional.

Today I viewed four homes that are going to absolute auction in the next two weeks. One of the four had been cleaned and some new doors had been hung. The other three were dirty, completely out of date, the yards were not well kept and they had some rooms that needed to be completly stripped to the studs. This is my first experience with auction properties. Is this typical of aution properties? If so, no wonder the properties never sold while on the market.

One can probably assume these distressed properties are owned by distressed owners. But if so how can they let them be sold at absolute auction? If they owe money the bank will not let them sell the house at auction. These are not bank owned properties.

Please help me understand why the owner of these homes did not at least hire someone to clean the property and maintain it so that it had a chance of selling.

Another thing that was perplexing to me is all three homes were in neighborhoods of homes that had well kept yards and there was obvious evidence of pride of ownership.

I am looking forward to attending these auctions. Their listing prices are 110, 115 and 120 K. Anybody want to guess what they will bring at auction?