Shirley Parks, North San Antonio TX Real Estate 210.414.0966

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 ~ 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."

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

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.

Gardens by Moonlight

presents Music Legends and Rising Stars

at the San Antonio Botanical Garden

It's time again for Gardens by Moonlight at the San Antonio Botanical Garden with live music performances and delicious culinary treats under the glow of the moon on Saturday, September 26 from 7 to 11 p. (Botanical Society members enjoy early entrance at 6 p.m.).

In the Fall moonlight, you can enjoy an array of culinary treats for sale by Central Market. There will be something for everyone, from specialty sausages to lettuce wraps to fajitas, plus dishes for vegetarians to enjoy. Drinks for sale include beer, wine, soda, water and coffee drinks.

"While the music plays on, Gardens by Moonlight guests can wander through the unique areas of this vibrant San Antonio landmark...there's not a better way to spend a fall Saturday evening," says Bob Brackman, director of the San Antonio Botanical Garden. "Visitors can experience every area of the Garden: night-blooming flowers in the formal gardens, exotic plants in the conservatory, the Art in the Garden sculpture installations, the new Big Bugs exhibit, and the natural landscapes of the Texas Hill Country and East Texas Piney Woods surrounding a small lake. Gardens by Moonlight is a perfect night out, whether it is with friends, family or a special someone."

Proceeds from Gardens by Moonlight benefit the non-profit San Antonio Botanical Society. For more information on membership benefits, go to www.sabot.org/sabs/benefits.htm.

Venue and Ticket Information:

Advance tickets for Gardens by Moonlight are $15 per person and are available through September 25^th at the Botanical Garden's Garden Gate Gift Shop, and at San Antonio area Starbucks. Tickets are $20 at the gate; $15 for Botanical Society members. Tickets are non-refundable. In case of rainy weather, an alternate rain date is set for Sunday, September 27.

The gardens are open to the public at 7 p.m. There will be free and parking with attendants at the Garden all along Funston Street. Overflow free parking will be offered at the Brackenridge Parking Facility, next to the Witte Museum at Tuleta and Avenue B. Shuttle service from the Brackenridge Parking Facility to the Garden will start at 6 p.m.

Gardens by Moonlight is a Marsha Milam Music Production.

The San Antonio Botanical Gardens is located at 555 Funston at North New Braunfels Avenue. The Botanical Gardens is operated under the City of San Antonio Department of Parks & Recreation. For more information, the public can call the Garden at 210-829-5100 or visit its website at http://www.sabot.org.

The website says "Visitors can enjoy a lively, fun-filled night complete with different varieties of music that will suit everyone's taste. Concert goers can explore the music on five different stages, spread through-out the 33 acres of the Botanical Garden.

Headlining Gardens by Moonlight on the main stage is crowd favorite Doyle Bramhall. Any discussion of Texas Blues--be it T-Bone Walker or Stevie Ray--is incomplete without the mention of Doyle Bramhall. As a singer, songwriter and drummer, he has been an integral part of the state's rich music for almost 40 years. He wrote the hit "Change It" for Stevie Ray Vaughan and has also co-written music with Stevie Ray Vaughan's brother, Jimmie Vaughan. He is indeed one of the founding fathers of the blues/roots resurgence synonymous with the Lone Star State. Considering the impact Texas--the state and state of mind--has had on music around the globe, Bramhall's importance cannot be overstated.

The complete band line-up playing from 7-11 p.m. at different stage locations includes:

Main Stage Headliner : Doyle Bramhall, http://www.myspace.com/doylebramhall1

Amphitheater Stage: T-Bird and the Breaks, http://www.tbirdandthebreaks.com/

Frontman Tim Crane growls and belts out the soul and the blues in the best tradition of Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, and Texas blue-eyed soul sensation Roy Head. The nationally-acclaimed band lays down R&B classic tunes and originals that keep the audience dancing, James Brown style.

Main Stage: The Krayolas, http://www.thekrayolas.com/

The Krayolas have been hailed as the Tex-Mex Beatles, just as the Sir Douglas Quintet had been a decade earlier -- connected in spirit, their love of rock 'n' roll and their hometown roots. The Krayolas have always championed their San Antonio connection. Now they are winning new fans with two new CDs: last year's "La Conquistadora" and this year's "Long Leaf Pine (No Smack Gum)." But their albums only hint at the Krayolas' onstage power. Its direct-to-the-brain power pop and garage band rock -- young, raw, energetic, upbeat, charming, campy and fun. Always melodic, the Krayolas easy-to-hum sound puts a smile on your face.

Jazz Stage on Fountain Plaza sponsored by KRTU Radio: Richard Oppenheim's A & R Band and Katchie & LeMonde Cache, (both on http://www.katchie.com/)

Richard Oppenheim's A&R Band matches some of San Antonio's finest improvising artists with rare repertoire composed by some of the greatest jazz musicians of the past fifty years.

Katchie & Le Monde Caché ("the Hidden World") offers treasures from the "Great Global Songbook"; Katchie plays flutes and sings songs of life and love in French, Portuguese, Yiddish, Spanish, Italian, and German.

East Texas Piney Woods: James Hyland of the South Austin Jug Band. Formerly the lead singer with the acclaimed South Austin Jug Band, Hyland has emerged on his own as a talented vocalist who continues to expand the horizons of Americana and Texas music and roots music.

Conservatory Stage: Galo Gutierrez, http://www.galo-gutierrez.com/ABOUT_ME.HTM

This Panama-born guitarist currently resides in San Antonio and plays a wide range of music on his guitar, from classical to jazz to flamenco to country."

graphic: sabot.org