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        <title>SATXBlog | San Antonio Real Estate and South Texas Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/author/randy-a-watson/</link>
        <description>Articles in and around South Texas including San Antonio real estate trends. Focus on San Antonio and South Texas area events, festivals, places, food, cooking, happenings, even some Texas history and  folklore. Collaborative thoughts and observation</description>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/south-texas-spring-vegetable-garden-prepping.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/south-texas-spring-vegetable-garden-prepping.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>San Antonio Spring Vegetable Garden Prepping</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Never Too Early Garden Start


 … in the spring to begin reviving the garden. 





But if I knew then what I know now about the topsoil in the yard around my San Antonio home, when I first moved in, I would have hired someone to come in with a small bull-dozer and scrape off the top few inches of topsoil. Then I would have had a third of it put back into place, and mixed with another generous third of sand and a final generous third of well-rotted compost. 


This is what I have finished up with in most of those places where I have plants growing, by the way – doing it at the very start would have saved a lot of time and trouble. The prevailing topsoil around my neighborhood is clay – splendid for making adobe bricks from. It’s dense, heavy and soggy when wet, and as dense as a conblock brick when dried out. With a pick and a shovel you can plant things in it – but getting them to thrive and grow is another thing entirely.


In any event, one either has to amend the soil considerably – or just say the heck with it and plant things in pots. Growing things in pots has the advantage of being able to move them around, to arrange for best effect – rather like trying out various bits of furniture inside the house.


Anyway, last summer’s project to revive the garden is continuing – it’s not at all too early to begin planting a vegetable garden. We went out to the San Antonio home of Antique Rose Emporium on Evans Road and invested $20 or so in leafy vegetable starts: lettuce and mizuna, red sorrel, bok choy and spinach, and so on. I had excellent results a few years ago, growing salad greens from seed (in pots, of course!). It was really nice to be able to go out with a pair of kitchen scissors and harvest a few leaves of mache or baby romaine for a fresh salad. 


This is just a start; we have three huge grow-boxes on hand, and will use them for more vegetables, later in the spring. I finally took a close look at them, for the first time that my daughter brought them home. Now we know why they were in the trash – someone had drilled drain holes along the bottom, which I suspect pretty much destroyed their usefulness. Ah well, this is what duct-tape and plastic cement were invented for. 


So much for using them to for the salad greens; I just hauled out an assortment of good-sized pots from the vast collection, filled with potting soil plus a peppering of fertilizer … and there we are, all lined up along the south-facing wall of our San Antonio home. This is prime gardening territory, as far as my yard goes: it gets sunlight most of the day – when the sun is shining, of course – and is sheltered from winds. So far this year, we haven’t lost anything to cold winter weather. I actually believe that my yard remains about ten degrees warmer than the forecast winter low temperatures. 


Eventually, this area will be wall to wall vegetables, just as the frame for the topsy-turvys will be. That’s how I’ll be spending the next couple of weekends – what about you?


 


 

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            <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:31:28 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/san-antonio-homes-for-sale-2100-year-to-date-market-report.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/san-antonio-homes-for-sale-2100-year-to-date-market-report.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>San Antonio Home Sales 2011 Overall Market Report</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 



Overall 2011 San Antonio Home Sales Show Stability


by Randy Watson


The San Antonio Board of Realtors summarizes the 2011 San Antonio real estate market, stating that 2011 ended on a slow and steady note, but like the old adage says, “slow and steady wins the race”, and it looks like San Antonio is doing just fine.


The year to date median sales price of San Antonio home sales increased over 2010, up very slightly 1% to $152,000. The total number of sales for 2011 was 17,914, no change from 2010. The 2011 average sales price for a San Antonio home, sold at $185,516. No change from the 2010 average home price.


Mayor Castro expects San Antonio to create more jobs than any other Texas city. Angela Shields, President and CEO of SABOR said, “With no tax incentives, 2011 was San Antonio’s year to prove just how stable it is. Consistency in the real estate market is key to a city’s strength and San Antonio is a city that shows that time and time again.”


Reference: SABOR Press Release
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            <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:26:08 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/maars-wants-pizza-in-san-antonio.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/maars-wants-pizza-in-san-antonio.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>MAARs Wants Pizza in San Antonio</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
 MAARs Pizza Restaurant Review-2 Thumbs Up!


by Celia Hayes


Well actually, MAARs doesn't want pizza – they actually want you to want their pizza. The Red Hat Ladies group that we belong to tries to rotate around to various local restaurants in the north-east quadrant of San Antonio. We have a monthly dinner event once a month; nothing fancy or expensive, just good eating for a reasonable price. We swap gifts now and again, and dress up for Halloween, all good fun. My daughter insists that I need a social life with real people off the internet now and again, and since it was her birthday month, and since the birthday celebrant gets to pick the restaurant for that month, my daughter opted for pizza at MAAR's Pizza.


It's right around the corner from where we live, in a building at the end of humongous strip mall at the corner of O'Conner and Nacogdoches which has been a restaurant of some sort for as long as we have been living here. When we first moved it, it was Salsalito, but they soon moved across the street and up a block or two into splendid new digs of their own, then it was something else, and then Pizza Bella, and – hopefully finally - it has become a family pizza place. Family in both senses of the word; family run, and catering to families ... of which on a recent Saturday afternoon there were a good many. There was even a birthday party going on in the corner ... and on Tuesdays they have a karaoke night. When we go past in the evening, the joint seems to be jumping, every night. Which is all to the good; too many restaurants simply can't make it past the three-year mark, and it is not a good sign for a location when eateries open and close with the regularity of clams at high and low tide. There was a time when we began to think the building on Nacodoches which now houses the Checkers Diner was cursed, as nothing until they took it over seemed to last for long there.


The menu at MAAR's Pizza is simple and uncomplicated; pizza and various combinations of bread-dough, red Italian tomato sauce and all of the ingredients customary to pizza. Oh, and fried dill pickle slices, which came sizzling-hot and crispy on the outside, tart and sour on the inside. The pizzas at MAAR's come in every size from 8-inch, all the way up to something that looks like a wagon-wheel and sends the waiter staggering out from the kitchen under the sheer weight of it all. The proportions of everything else are generous, also. It's a rare customer who doesn't leave with a go-box containing the leftovers. Which are even pretty good when warmed over – the ultimate test of good food. And the wait-staff is attentive in a way that would do credit to a white tablecloth, fine china and silverware sort of place.


You simply can't miss the building, driving up Nacogdoches between O'Connor and Judson. The outside – and the inside as well – is adorned with lots of murals in a cheerfully colorful UFO and space-alien motif, although I did wonder why a multi-tentacled space critter would have a belly-button. Eh – maybe it's where he put the marinara sauce when he wanted to eat Italian cheese breadsticks in bed.







Compare Mortgage Rates


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            <pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:02:14 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/hanging-gardens-of-spring-creek-forest.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/hanging-gardens-of-spring-creek-forest.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>Hanging Gardens of Spring Creek Forest</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
The Splendid Hanging Gardens of Spring Creek Forest


 by Celia Hayes


As the backyard of my Spring Creek Forest home is small, I must make the absolute most of it when it comes to plants both ornamental and vegetable. Space is at a premium, and those places which offer a favorable exposure to maximum sunlight are at even more of a premium. The back yard of our Spring Creek Forest home looks to the west south, but half of it is shaded by a very large mulberry tree planted by the original owner … and a couple of Carolina laurel-cherry trees that planted themselves. There are only about three places in the back yard which get hours of afternoon sun – and I can only hang so many topsy-turvy planters and hanging pots from the edge of the back porch, which gets the best of it.


The other place is from the outer edge of the mulberry tree – and most of the limbs of it are too far from the ground to suspend much from. We wrote off using that space until we saw something in the back yard of one of our neighbors – a long 2x4 beam hung by chains from a pair of stout limbs, with a row of hooks set into the bottom surface, and a number of topsy-turvies. A light went on – why didn’t we do that? And better yet – make it a double-decker, with a second beam suspended below the first!


As soon as we could afford it, we hurried off to Lowe’s for the necessary materials: one 14’ 2x4, which they very kindly cut into equal 7’ lengths, the hardware, two lengths of vinyl tubing, and four lengths of chain – also cut to length for us. I guesstimated that 2 lengths of 4’ chain and 2 of 5’ would be sufficient to hang our vertical garden from the boughs of the mulberry tree and leave enough room for plants in the turvy to grow. We could have done with less, but having the longer lengths makes it possible to adjust and even move the hanging frame higher in the tree. Six threaded eyebolts with nuts, a packet of stout s-hooks, another of screw-hooks and two quick links completed the list of necessary materials.


The only tools needed were a drill and a length of kitchen string. It went together in about twenty minutes. I drilled a hole about six inches from the end of each beam, and two more in what would be the top beam about eighteen inches in. The eye-bolts for the inner set of holes in the top beam went in with the eye up, and those in the outer went in, eye-down. Then I drilled a series of smaller, starter-holes on the lower side of each beam for the screw-hooks, and my daughter brought around the ladder.


The string? That was to attach to the end of the longer length of chain, and draw it through the length of tubing, to pad the chain where it went over the tree limb. If I was old-school thrifty like my father and grandfather, I could have used a length of old garden hose for this. So we looped the chains over two adjacent limbs, secured the end of the chain to itself with the quick-links. Then we attached the top beam eye-bolts to the chain with s-hooks, and then used the shorter chains to attach the lower beam. All the extra lengths of chain made it possible to adjust it all to hang level. The empty topsy-turvy’s fit perfectly, although I think we will have to do some adjustment, once we plant them with tomatoes for the new season. It will make a hanging divider of plants, once spring comes. The only downside, as far as we can see is that in a high wind, we’ll need hard-hats to venture out there.


  
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            <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:04:54 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/spurs-lead-division-but-manu-out-with-broken-hand.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/spurs-lead-division-but-manu-out-with-broken-hand.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>Spurs Lead Division but Manu Out with Broken Hand</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Spurs Lead Division; Ginobili Out with Broken Hand


by Randy Watson


The good news for Spurs’ fans is that, due in part to an underperforming division as a whole, the Spurs are in first place in the Southwest division. The bad news is that Manu Ginobili broke his hand in the recent loss to Minnesota, and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. In this year’s condensed season, that comes as very bad news to a team made up of aging veterans and many untested younger players.


There is no way to sugarcoat the loss of the Spurs most dynamic playmaker and emotional leader. Ginobili is the best defender on the team, and the player that makes the Spurs’ pick and roll work efficiently. Without him, untested or role wing players like James Anderson, Daniel Green, and Gary Neal will have to step up their games and fill in. Ginobili’s absence will give these players the opportunity to mature—hopefully quickly—and gain some needed experience for the playoffs. Playing without him, however, places a heavier burden on the rest of the team than Coach Popovich surely wants.


Although early in the season, none of the other teams in the division seem to be off to particularly good starts either. The defending champion Mavericks have struggled out of the gate, perhaps from a championship hangover, perhaps from some chemistry issues from new personnel. The other teams in the division do not seem capable of mounting a challenge to San Antonio and Dallas, so hopefully the Spurs can manage to win enough games in Ginobili’s absence to hang around for his return and then make a push into the playoffs.


For what it’s worth, the Spurs are among the highest scoring teams in the league, ranking 9th with 99 points per game. They are 13th in points allowed, giving up 94.4.

Coming up, the Spurs take on the mediocre Golden State Warriors, the defending champion Mavs, and the high-scoring Nuggets, so it will be interesting for Spurs’ fans to see what direction the team takes with #20 out of the line-up. ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:28:45 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/looking-ahead-to-2012.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/looking-ahead-to-2012.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>Looking Ahead to 2012</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
 Looking Ahead – 2012


by Celia Hayes


It's axiomatic that the year seems to fly faster, the older you get. Someone explained it to me, thusly: the year is merely a portion of your total life. When you are four years old, a single year is a whole quarter of your entire life. By the time you are forty, that year is only one-fortieth of your entire life. This makes sense, if you don't think too hard about it. But 2011 was a year of events, portents and wonders. Sometimes I felt as if we were skidding from one extreme to the other, in between every kind of loss and gain imaginable, both personal and professional. We lost my father, for one – the day after Christmas, 2010 – and I spent a month in California early in the year, helping my mother adjust.


I had a book to launch early in the year, and another to finish in time to launch at the New Braunfels Christmas Market, so spent many hours slaving over a hot computer. I severed a professional relationship with one publisher, and moved over to another, smaller and local publisher. This which meant doing a second edition of a third book many, many months before I had expected to do so. I took on a number of paying projects as a free-lance writer during 2011, some of which did rather well. Between, the freelancing, my books and partnership in the local business that publishes them, I didn't need to take on a job such as I had to take some years ago, in a telephone call center – and I probably won't need to do so in 2012.


A bitter freeze last just after I came back from California pretty well demolished just about all of the tender garden plants and hanging baskets: but over the summer we worked to revive it all – and wonder of wonders, I finally managed to grow tomatoes. We found three grow-boxes put out for bulk trash – and we have ambitions for growing even more in them, come this spring.


At long last, I paid off a long-time debt in 2011. Another long-time debt will finally be paid off in April. Of course, the mortgage on my San Antonio home still has another eight years to run – but 17 years ago when I made the leap from renting to owning, I took good note of the conventional advice – that paying for a place to live ought to consume absolutely no more than a quarter of your income – and shopped accordingly. I bought only as much house as that one-quarter of my military pay and allowances would absorb.


My daughter brought another cat home, in January: the Moo-Cat, so-called because she is brown and white. Poor Moo is elderly, half-blind and not terribly social, but she has adjusted to the point where she will tolerate the presence of two of the other staid and elderly cats. And in September, we found ourselves another dog; a Maltese-poodle mix what my daughter also found, running loose in a neighborhood where no one recognized him. We thought sure that he had escaped from a fond and indulgent owner and returning him would be a piece of cake – but no, he was never claimed and so he is mine, now. We named the little lost dog, Connor, mostly because we found him near O'Connor Road.


The Christmas ornaments on the outside of the house were taken down this weekend; we're ready to face the New Year – with good cheer and high hopes.
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            <pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:52:42 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/starting-fresh-new-year-quotes.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/starting-fresh-new-year-quotes.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>Starting Fresh New Year Quotes</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Starting Fresh New Year Quotes


by Randy Watson


Here are some of my favorite quotes to start the new year. If you have any favorites, please use the comment form below:


Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again. Og Mandino


The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year.  It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes.  Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions.  Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.  ~G.K.Chesterton


We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.  ~Ellen Goodman


Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past.  Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.  ~Brooks Atkinson
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            <pubDate>Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:04:20 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/holiday-evening-with-tapas.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/holiday-evening-with-tapas.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>Holiday Evening With Tapas</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Christmas Eve With Tapas


by Celia Hayes


Our family was long in the habit of having pizza on Christmas Eve; it’s easy to organize for a crazy, mixed-up and chaotic evening, with about three generations present. Either take-out or deliverer - even a selection of frozen or ready-made grocery store pizza would do. There’s a variety to suit every taste, everyone can have as much or as little as they like, eat it off paper plates, and clean-up is a snap.


This year, we varied the program, mostly because my mother sent us a massive gift basket from La Tienda, which specializes in the classic foods of Spain, where my daughter and I lived for six years. We fell upon it with cries of happy delight,  reminded of certain foods that we loved. There was a box of turron: a slab of almond nougat that was ubiquitous in Spain at this time of year,  a box of marzipan, even some dried figs dipped in dark chocolate; dried fruit in dark chocolate was a specialty in Aragon.


There were three kinds of Spanish chorizo - spicy cured salami, not raw sausage - a bag of Spanish-style potato chips (not any different from the usual that we could see), and four little pottery serving dishes called cazuelas. I had the idea to serve a tapas dinner on Christmas Eve, with some of our favorite tapas that we remembered, with a loaf of fresh-baked European-style bread and some roasted garlic on the side. Which is what we did - I loaded up a tray with all kinds of goodies served up in cazuelas; little chunks of chorizo, and a dish of tuna-stuffed red peppers in tomato sauce from the gift basket, some fresh cantaloupe melon – and a fresh-made tortilla. Which is actually a frittata made with potatoes and garlic. I would have liked to make ensalata del pulpo, but ran out of time.


The tortilla is simple enough: one large potato, cooked, peeled and cut into chunks, 4-6 eggs beaten together, one clove garlic, finely chopped. Heat about 1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter in an 8 inch omelet or frying pan. When the pan is sizzling hot, pour in enough of the egg to cover the bottom of the pan, and cook just long enough to solidify. Then quickly scatter the potato chunks and the garlic on top, and add the rest of the beaten egg. Turn down the heat so the bottom layer will not toughen but the remainder is cooked until the top is just beginning to set around the edges. Put a plate on top of the pan, and holding them together, quickly flip the pan and plate, so that the omelet/frittata is on the plate, bottom-side up. Add a little more oil and butter to the pan, and slide the omelet/frittata back into the hot pan, so that the other side may cook. When done, cut into bite-sized wedges to serve.


Ensalata del pulpo, or octopus salad is just about as simple. This is bar food, not haute cuisine. The recipe is from Cooking in Spain


Dice cooked meat from 2 medium octopi (or 2-3 cups cooked frozen octopus rings) and combine with 2 small green peppers, 1 small onion, 1 small tomato all chopped finely, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and two cloves minced garlic, ¼ cup olive oil and the juice of half a lemon, with salt to taste.


Bon appetite – and happy new year!
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            <pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:15:40 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/here-is-a-healthy-new-years-resolution.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/here-is-a-healthy-new-years-resolution.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>Here is a Healthy New Years Resolution</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Take a Hike


Forty-Plus Texas State Parks to Offer Hikes on New Year’s Day as Part of National Program


Written by: Bryan Frazier, Texas State Parks Media Contact (512) 826-8703, bryan.frazier@tpwd.state.tx.us


Committing to a healthier lifestyle continues to be one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions for millions of Americans. And this year, Texas State Parks are providing more than 40 places where folks can do just that—many of which are located close to major metro areas.


 As part of the national umbrella First Day Hikes program set forth by the National Association of State Parks Directors (NASPD), 48 state parks across Texas are scheduled to offer a wide variety of hikes and nature walks this New Year’s Day.


“Hiking outdoors is great to do any time, and a novel way to ring in 2012, especially with a group or as a family,” said Chris Holmes, director of interpretation for Texas State Parks. “Hiking not only gets people outdoors to experience nature, but it’s also healthy. Participating in a First Day hike is a good opportunity to begin a New Year’s resolution for healthier living right off the bat.”


The concept of having an official “First Day Hike” in a park on New Year’s Day originated more than 20 years ago at the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park in Milton, Massachusetts, with the intent to promote both wellness and year-round recreation at parks. Since then, other states have offered similar New Year’s programs; however, this is the first time all 50 state park systems have joined together to officially sponsor First Day Hikes.


 “What better way to kick off the New Year than with a hike at a state park?” said Ruth Coleman, President of NASPD. “Think of it as the start of a new and healthy lifestyle for the whole family. Whether folks are staying close to home or traveling, they can join us at one of America’s State Parks on New Year’s Day, just about anywhere in the country.”


First Day Hikes vary in difficulty and fitness levels, and range from short, leisurely nature walks through forested trails and along boardwalks, to special bird watching hikes, to climbs into the mountains of the Chihuahuan Desert. Most all hikes will be guided by state park staff and volunteers and feature an interpretive message about native plants, animals or park history. The walks average one to two miles in length, but many also offer shorter or longer trek options as well.


Participants will want to make some modest advance preparations. Some hikes warrant call-ahead reservations, and in most instances, folks will want to wear sturdy shoes, and bring drinking water and a hiking stick. Park entrance fees apply in most places, and many parks are leading the First Day Hike at no extra cost.


Recent on-site visitor surveys in Texas parks revealed that hiking and trails were the No. 1 most sought-after amenity by park visitors. And according to State Parks Director Brent Leisure, hikers in the Lone Star State have even more incentives to be outside come year’s end.


 “Outdoor recreation during the holidays has been a popular activity for a long time, and here in Texas, it makes even more sense because the weather is often mild enough to do most anything. And many of our parks have either just completed or are in the process of renovating and improving their hike and bike trails. We’re proud to offer folks a lot of choices with an organized network of First Day Hikes, and proud that we have so many wonderful places in our state park system for people to enjoy them. ”


For more information about First Day Hikes in Texas State Parks, visit the Web site athttp://www.texasstateparks.org/firstdayhikes, where you’ll find detailed hike locations, descriptions, and park contact information. Or, visit the NASPD Web site at http://www.americasstateparks.org for nationwide information on First Day Hikes.






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            <pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:08:13 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/tis-the-season-of-giving.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/tis-the-season-of-giving.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy A Watson)</author>
            <title>Tis the Season of Giving</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
‘Tis The Season…


By Celia Hayes


 


To consider the 153,000th way in which I do not resemble Martha Stewart. Today, I am running a medium-warm iron over sheets of tissue paper, to take out the wrinkles and fold marks. Yes, indeedy, I reuse Christmas tissue paper, which was only slightly crushed and added to the top of a gift bag which we received last year. It’s only slightly used! It’s perfectly good.


 


I also re-use the heavy paper gift bags, as is our family custom. Some particularly sturdy ones have been circulating for a decade or so, and there are cardboard cartons and a large bag of Styrofoam popcorn in the garage. With a little forethought a sensible person with sufficient storage space need never be caught short of packing materials. Have you seen how much they charge for packing materials at the post office, the Container Store, or your friendly neighborhood accommodation address/UPS Drop/ Kinko-Klone? Why pay for things that your spendthrift friends and retail outlets are sending you, gratis? Most people will never notice, and those that do and hold it against you, those are people whom you are best off without. If you are related to them by marriage or economic bonds, my sympathies; unfortunately, I do not think Amazon.com offers “A Life” as a mail-order gift option, but at the rate things are going, this may be possible in the near future.


 


Number 1 or 2 in the ways in which I do resemble Martha Stewart? I am organized, and do my Christmas shopping early and all during the year; ever since I bought a Japanese porcelain tea set for my sister and stashed it under my bed in the barracks in Japan for six months until it came time in October to mail it home. This became a habit which sustains me yet.


 


We all know that gifts are obligatory for those we are bound to by ties of affection or duty. We know we will have to buy gifts; why not be sensible and organized, and purchase suitable somethings throughout the year, as we see them by chance and opportunity. Why be bludgeoned into buying any old thing at the last minute, or even… gasp (the last resort of a person who has no clue at all) dashing off a check dated December 25th. Even a gift certificate is better than for, in that it shows a grasp of which retail outlets the giftee prefers. It’s Christmas, which comes every year about this time; not like it’s a big surprise. But if you enjoy being packed into a mall or big-box store, jammed in cheek-by-jowl with a million other shoppers, attended by exhausted retail associates … whatever floats your boat. I shall think of you as I leisurely wrap my own Christmas presents in slightly used tissue paper.


 


You probably don’t want to hear about how the thrift store is the best place for baskets and picture frames… or that Half Price Books is the best place for books to build pretty Christmas baskets around. (Buy a basket at the local thrift store, and a cook book at an off-price outlet. Mark a nice recipe, and fill the basket with all the ingredients to make it. Package and ornament as your budget allows. When all else fails, buy people on your list something to eat. This does not fail. Number 3 in the way that I do resemble Martha Stewart.)


 


Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to All!


 


For all your San Antonio Real Estate needs Call Randy Watson of Mission Realty at 210-744-4514


 
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