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Shirley Parks, North San Antonio TX Real Estate 210.414.0966

Would you like to foster a puppy for a good cause?

Would you like to foster a puppy for a good cause?

TSA Canine Breeding and Development Center

The National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program

Would you like to join others in the community who are helping to fight the war on terrorism? You can do so by fostering a TSA puppy. Potential puppy foster homes must be in the San Antonio and Austin communities and have

  • a secure fenced yard
  • a vehicle in which the pup can be transported
  • no more than 2 other dogs in the home
  • the patience to raise a pup from 10 weeks to 12 months of age

Vist the website at www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/programs/puppy_program.shtm or call 210-671-1624.

graphic: tsa.gov

San Antonio homes for sale ~ Deerfield ~ 78248

San Antonio Homes ~ Deerfield ~ 78248

Deerfield is a well-established neighborhood located inside Loop 1604 off Huebner and Bitters. Here you will find homes with mature trees with easy access to shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and great schools. There is a community center in the neighborhood with a pool, tennis, and park. Deerfield is convenient to the South Texas Medical Center, Stone Oak, Valero Energy, and USAA.

There are currently 22 single family detached homes for sale in Deerfield. To see any of these homes, give me a call at 210-414-0966.

Halloween Costumes and Candy

Halloween Costumes and Candy ~ What kind of candy do you hand out? Do you wear a costume?

Each year our neighborhood has lots of trick-or-treaters on Halloween night and I enjoy handing out candy almost as much as the kids enjoy getting it. The scary masks my husband and I put on are always quickly removed since the little kids are easily frightened. Maybe this year I will buy something friendlier to wear.

I decided to hand out mini M&Ms this year since I end up treating myself to the mini Snickers bars that I traditionally hand out. Actually, I also like M&Ms or any chocolate candy.

The most popular Halloween costumes this year are:

  • Michael Jackson
  • (Harry Potter) Gryffindor
  • The Vampire
  • Miley Cyrus
  • Star Trek
  • Zombie
  • GI Joe Ninja
  • Hermione Granger

(About.com)

I find this kind of hard to believe but who knows...

From the www.hersheys.com website: "To help trick-or-treaters map their routes this Halloween, Hershey conducted a national survey to find out which houses were handing out their favorite Hershey treats. Following are some "tricks" to increase the odds of receiving desired "treats":

  • Houses with black shutters are 77 percent more likely to hand out Kit Kat Wafer Bars and trick-or-treaters have a 37 percent greater chance of scaring up a Kit Kat Wafer Bar from a ranch house.
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Cup lovers should forego ranch houses and opt instead to ring the bell of two-story houses where they'll have a 26 percent greater chance of receiving the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
  • Knock on brown doors if seeking Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars. Trick-or-treaters have a 32 percent greater chance of receiving a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar from homes with brown doors."

Check Out ClipartJungle.com for free clipart!

Butterfly Invasion ~ They're not what you think

The past couple of days have brought us an invasion of butterflies all over San Antonio. Although they are smaller than Monarch butterflies, we at first thought they were Monarchs migrating south to Mexico. They have similar coloring to the Monarch.

Well, we were wrong. It turns out that these are American Snout Butterflies that are born right here in San Antonio. The sudden population explosion is simply a sign that our drought is now over. During a time of drought they don't breed but after a drought is over they breed on the leaves of the Hackberry trees. It takes about 10 to 15 days to produce the butterflies; first the eggs hatch, the caterpillar eats, and they then turn into butterflies.

Sadly, some of them have sacrificed their lives on our windshield. They should be around for about two weeks, according to a zoo spokesman via Randy Beamer, WOAI. I don't know where they go after that... maybe south to Mexico?

A reminder for Texas disabled vets

A reminder for Texas disabled vets

Under a new tax exemption approved by the Texas Legislature, military veterans who are totally disabled or cannot work because of service-related injuries will no longer be required to pay property taxes on their homes.

House Bill 3613 provides an exemption of the total appraised value of the homesteads of Texas veterans who have received a 100 percent disability rating or are considered unemployable by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The new law is effective for the 2009 tax year.

Eligible disabled veterans must apply for the tax exemption through their county appraisal district. An application form for veterans and appraisal districts to use can be found on the Texas Comptroller's Web site at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/vetexempt.pdf .

Veterans should also contact their mortgage lenders to adjust their escrow payments if needed.