About Fannin County, TX

In honor of Veterans Day, I am posting a poem my daughter wrote back in 2003 concerning our active duty military that had just deployed to Iraq.

She was 15 at the time and very insightful.

And I'm proud to say not only is she my daughter, she takes after her grandfather, my dad, a vet and another poet. I wrote this post in regard to his salute to Veterans. You can read it here:

Final Roll Call, a salute to our Veterans who've once again led the way.

For The Soldiers

By: Erin Michaud

Dedicated to all the brave men and women serving the USA. Thank-you!

Fly the flag so proud,

In remembrance of me.

Your brothers, your sisters,

The wounded you see.

They gave up their lives,

Futures, and dreams,

A perfect stranger to you,

Yet not so, I deem.

How much they gave up,

That you might be free.

The greatest sacrifice possible,

Given so lovingly.

And all they ever wanted

Was to serve, give, protect,

Yet there are those among us

Who show them no respect.

Then there are those

Who are safe and at home.

Complaining and griping,

And only bemoan

The fact that there are people,

Proud and strong

Willing to face evil,

Fight, and overcome wrong.

So for those who are giving

The ultimate sacrifice,

A little more caring

Just might suffice.

Why, then, do you complain,

If you’re not the ones dying?

They chose to protect you,

So stop your crying!

Yes, you have the

Freedom of speech.

But can’t you use it

For good, and to teach,

The youth of our nation

To strive, to serve,

To follow their footsteps

And to preserve,

The legacy that the soldiers,

Have thus so far nobly achieved.

They will not be forgotten!

Nor will their deeds.

So fly the flag proud,

In honor of those,

Fighting, protecting, and serving,

They are my heroes!

(copyright 2003, all rights reserved, Erin Michaud, used by permission)

When she wrote this, she was serving in the Texoma Composite Civil Air Patrol Squadron at the old Perrin AFB (now the Grayson County airport) in Sherman, Texas. She went on to become the Squadron Cadet Commander. Her unit was called out to search for wreckage of the Columbia space shuttle. She follows in a long family tradition of military service to our nation and before.

Stay tuned, there's more. Her younger sister has also taken after her grandfather.

It was a gorgeous day in North Texas. Every 2nd Monday of the month is Bonham Trade Days, the local area-wide sale weekend.

I was there with a lot of old doors which I use to make room dividers, armoires, tables, etc., mantels, wrought-iron work, barn doors, stall walls, roofing "tin" and some really cool ceiling tin that is stamped from flattened barn tin.

I build near-zero energy homes, which means that my clients are really into green. This includes using old materials out of other homes. This is good for recycling and for giving old charm and character to new homes.

Here's pics of some of what I brought to sell:

If you have any interest in the ceiling tin, let me know. I have this pressed to order in any quantity you like. These are 2'x2' and we've used this for: Ceilings, both inside and out on porches, wainscot, door inserts. Because this is from barn tin, you can specifiy that the rusted side go to the face. This makes a very interesting effect. The piece above has a white-wash that was applied and then wiped off.

I'm working on getting a die cut with the state seal stamped in the center.

If you're a RE agent or broker in Texas, particularly in North Texas, here's a very unique opportunity to promote your business, give your clients a reason to check out some awesome properties and generate some business for yourself.

You can sponsor slots on this county-wide hog roundup that will be taking place on some featured country acreage in Fannin County. You can use this hunting opportunity to give your clients a reason to go out looking at these beautiful properties while they enjoy the outdoors. You can even put together a team or group and bring them up yourself!

Here's the flyer:

The details for the hunt are at texas-re.tripod.com. If you sponsor some spots, then we will put a link back to your website as a sponsoring agent.

Its official: fly the flags. There's a reason for Texas to be proud. Another first in the real estate industry.

Fannin County is having a county-wide open house and Wild Hog Roundup. And you are invited.

The perfect storm has hit Fannin County, Texas that created this world's first:

1. We have lots of nice, unspoiled, "green", open land for sale in the county.
   
2. We are overrun with wild, feral hogs.
3. I am looking to promote Fannin County's natural resources and proximity to the DFW area as the "Outdoor Playground to the Metroplex".

Put all these things together, mix well and viola', making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, so to speak: a county-wide Wild Hog Roundup on featured listings!

Before you go "ballistic" on this idea, check out the links and information at the bottom of the page about the enormous problem and impact feral hogs are having on the southern US.

The idea evolved over a couple of months. I have a bad hog problem on my place. So do my neighbors. The county NRCS agent has told me they are getting to be a bigger problem every year. They're so bad that the State has offered to bring in the "Hog Airforce" and shoot hogs from helicopters!!! However, the money hasn't been appropriated by the state, so this may not happen.

Anyway, I've had friends wanting to come hunt. And they wanted to bring more friends. etc., etc., etc.

So that led me to the idea of enrolling more propeties in the hunt. Chasing them off of one property does not solve the problem. It just pushes it off on your neighbor. That led to the idea of making this a county-wide event. Which meant that we needed more property. Then the final piece of the puzzle fell in place and that was to ask property owners that had land for sale to let us hunt the hogs off of their land and showcase the property to all the hunters who come for the hunt. Want people to come to your open houses? Give them a reason!

As agents, we know the more eyes see a piece of property, the better the chance of making a sale.

Long story a little shorter, today the final OK came back from one of our beneficiaries, Fannin County Habitat for Humanity. They're in. So now we have Cabela's as a sponsor along with several local businesses.

Here's the flyer:

I've posted preliminary information on this a couple of other times to test the idea. I've gotten a very positive response from those likely to be involved or attend.

This event will do the following:

• Promote Fannin County as the Outdoor Playground for the Metroplex
• Generate economic activity for the local economy
• Provide much larger exposure for featured properties
• Boost real esate activity and interest
• Benefit local service organizations: 4H and Habitat for Humanity
• Help control a growing hog problem in the county
  

Now its your turn as an agent to get involved and boost YOUR business.

Here's how:

You can sponsor spots in the hunt. You can purchase tickets at a discount to the early registration price. You will then be linked to the website for more marketing exposure and Google juice. You can use the tickets as comps for your clients or as awards or incentives in your business. And if you send a client up for the Roundup, be sure to have them under a buyer's rep agreement.

Rules and details will be up on the Fannin Fun website in a day or so.

Please pass this along to your clients, colleagues and professional networks.

If you have any questioins, just drop me an email or call.

**************

As promised, here's the links to what's up with feral hogs: From the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/nuisance/feral_hogs

And here's a link to the "Pig Bomb" a video by the Discovery Channel on the hog problem in the US:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWWD4kEH02Q

So don't go feeling sorry for these critters. They are destroying food, ecosystems, wildlife and property at horendous rates.

My daughter, Micala, is really into graphics of all kinds. She draws, takes award winning photos, and . . . . carves!

She free-handed this design from a picture and carved this pumpkin. I think it looks pretty cool.

In case you can't quite tell, its a dragon, her favorite mythical creature. Here it is in daylight, and all lit up. I love fall in north Texas.