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        <title>SATXBlog</title>
        <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/</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/sorting-out-the-spring-garden-in-san-antonio.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/sorting-out-the-spring-garden-in-san-antonio.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Sorting out the Spring Garden in San Antonio</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Spring in the Garden





by Celia Hayes


Yes, we know very well that the official date for 'last frost o' the season' for San Antonio is March 15th – but the trees are tentatively beginning to put on new leaves, the new grass – or what passes for the grass in weedy fields and verges – is already thick and green, and so it is time to get back to the garden. The suppliers have gotten the early spring vegetables starts in already. So – we went out this last weekend to get started in a bigger way, especially since the early lettuce and greens that we put in pots a couple of weeks ago did very nicely.


The topsy-turvy planters had been emptied of last year's plants and the soil; we were so encouraged by the success of growing peppers and tomatoes last year that visions of beans, eggplant, zucchini and more tomatoes are dancing in our heads. It's time to start with the seasonal herbs again, things like basil, which never, ever last through the winter. Sorry – the first time the temperature drops below 40 degrees, the basil is gonna croak, and hauling the pot indoors will not help. After (gulp) thirty years of growing herbs on balcony, back garden, or patio, this is akin to accepting that the sun will come up in the morning and go down in the evening.


Last fall, we found three earth box planters put out on the curb for bulk trash pick-up. I guess someone was going to move, or had just said the heck with growing mass quantities on the back porch, so we took them to our San Antonio home, and I looked up the website to find the manual. Hmm ... as Mr. Spock so often observed, 'Fascinating.' So – first on the list: several massive bags of potting soil, granular fertilizer, plastic to cover the tops with; hey, just the regular garden stuff and kitchen string will do.


We did over-spend on plants. Lettuce and greens; eight tomato plants, some cardoons and an artichoke; I so love artichokes, very likely I will go back and buy some more. Herbs; oregano, parsley – two kinds of each, and my daughter discovered all the different kinds of mint that there are at the Antique Rose Emporium. Mint is an invasive plants – as persistent and unkillable as kudzu or crab-grass once established, although the various disasters that my back yard has been heir to for the last five years has eradicated the mint that I once had growing wild in the ground. Among the army of empty pots is a strawberry urn, with the eight little side pockets ... which we have tried to plant twice times: first time with strawberries, of course.


Second time my daughter had a go with mixed herbs – with disastrous results. Oh, the plants did very well at first, but the trouble is that the water runs into the top of the pot and carries out the soil through all the little pockets. You have to water the darned thing pretty often, because of all the plants in it – but this time, my daughter had an 'ah-hah!' moment, considering the sheer, persistent toughness and durability of mint, and I suggested cutting circles of coir matting, with a slit in it and a small opening for the plant stem. So, my daughter spent her money on different flavors of mint plants – and some coir inserts – and we'll see if the third time is the charm.


But ... in all the excitement, I forgot to get basil. Darn.
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            <pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:10:37 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crossword-puzzle-3-answers.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crossword-puzzle-3-answers.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Crossword Puzzle 3 Answers</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
"It's a Number Game" Crosswords Puzzle #3 Solution


NO PEAKING, NO CHEATING! ... Click here for the Crossword Puzzle 3 without the answers filled in.



 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:47:15 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crosswords-puzzle-2-answers.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crosswords-puzzle-2-answers.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Crosswords Puzzle 2 Answers</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Papa's Gems Crosswords Puzzle #2 Solution


NO PEAKING, NO CHEATING! ... Clickhere for the Crossword Puzzle 2without the answers filled in.



 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:47:11 -0600</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crossword-puzzle-1-answers.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crossword-puzzle-1-answers.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Crossword Puzzle 1 Answers</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Crosswords Puzzle 1 Solution


NO PEAKING, NO CHEATING! ... Click here for the Crossword Puzzle 1 without the answers filled in.



 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:47:02 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/printable-crosswords-puzzle-number-4-from-satxblog.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/printable-crosswords-puzzle-number-4-from-satxblog.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Printable Crosswords Puzzle Number 4 From SATXBlog</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
SATXBlog Crossword Puzzle 4-"Tricolored"


Print and Solve the Crossword Puzzle. We also have a daily interactive crosswords puzzle, too!





Tricolor by Myles Mellor








Across1. Driven transport5. Jewish teacher10. Kind of instrument14. "By yesterday!"15. Betelgeuse's constellation16. "Cogito, ___ sum"17. Rarely20. Back21. Outdo22. Annexes25. Dates26. Chop (off)29. Piques31. Can't stand35. "The ___ Daba Honeymoon"36. Andrea Doria's domain38. Arabic for "commander"39. Fab Four film43. Otherwise44. Character45. Poetic meadow46. Mideast capital49. Goose speech50. Time zone51. Froth53. Big laugh55. Astronomer58. Choker62. Destination of the disgruntled?65. Dirty coat66. Sea gear67. Ball field covering68. Barley beards69. 1980's-90's ring c






Down1. Golden Triangle country2. "___ She Lovely?"3. Disabling spray4. "La Bohème," e.g.5. Howard of "Happy Days"6. Victorian, for one7. Food collectors?8. Dense mass9. Accustomed10. Learn again11. "Aeneid" figure12. These may be inflated13. Family head18. Deep blue19. Old weapon 23. Attracted24. Taste, e.g.26. Cake part27. Ancient editorial marks28. Buddy-buddy30. Pole position?32. "South Pacific" hero33. Trig functions34. Foot the bill37. Dislike intensely40. Flyers41. Like old recordings42. Obliquely47. Slay48. Most healthy52. Compassion54. Licks55. Cultivate56. Long, long time (var.)57. Sonata, e.g.59. Daunting exam60. "Buona ___" (Italian greeting)61. Glimpse62. Fed. construction overseer63. Blood group system64. Gabriel, for one








Click for the Answer to Today's Crosswords Puzzle #4. | Press Here to PRINT





 
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            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:34:14 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/san-antonio-shows-the-signs-of-a-healthy-market-in-2012.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/san-antonio-shows-the-signs-of-a-healthy-market-in-2012.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>San Antonio Shows the Signs of a Healthy Market in 2012</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
San Antonio Board of REALTORS  January 2012 Sales Statistics


A five percent increase in sales shows the steadiness of the San Antonio market,” said Angela Shields, President and Chief Executive Officer of SABOR.


January 2012’s average sales price for single-family residential homes registered at $174,789 while the month’s median price was $141,200.


“This month, we saw a slight decrease in both the average and median sales price, but nothing to be alarmed about,” said Liza Reyes, SABOR’s 2012 Chairman of the Board. “Slight fluctuations are very common to the San Antonio market. San Antonio is known for being a healthy market and any healthy market will reflect little ups and downs, it is very natural.”


According to recent Newsweek comparison of the 200 largest U.S. cities, San Antonio was ranked third for its strong scores in business development; transportation and infrastructure; sustainability; and livability. This ranking comes just on the heels of the Boeing and Eagle Ford Shale’s announcements for plans to create more jobs in San Antonio within the next three years. The economic impact from Boeing alone to San Antonio is over $500 million dollars annually. Shields is optimistic. “It is easy to see why San Antonio is such a great place to live. With the expected job growth coming in from Boeing and Eagle Ford Shale in 2012 and San Antonio’s affordable home prices, SABOR is anxious to see the many benefits the housing market will most likely yield in the upcoming spring season.”


Market data is compiled from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service report. The San Antonio Board of REALTORS® is the largest professional trade organization in San Antonio and represents over 7,000 REALTOR® members. SABOR is one of over 1,600 local boards and 54 state and territory organizations of REALTORS® nationwide that make up the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).Please visit SABOR.com for more information
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            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:40:09 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/master-wellness-volunteer-training-for-bexar-county.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/master-wellness-volunteer-training-for-bexar-county.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Master Wellness volunteer training for Bexar County</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Texas AgriLife Extension Service offers Wellness Training


The Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County will present its 2012 Master Wellness program volunteer training March 8-April 19 in Suite 208 of its San Antonio offices in the Conroy Square business complex, 3355 Cherry Ridge Dr.


Training will be 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on March 8, March 15, April 5 and April 19. The deadline for registration is March 2.


“Participants in Master Wellness program training receive 40 hours of health and wellness education,” said Dr. Connie Sheppard, AgriLife Extension agent for family and consumer sciences and Bexar County training coordinator. “Once they graduate, they’re required to give at least 40 hours of volunteer service back to the community.”


Sheppard said the training focuses on basic nutrition and dietary guidelines, food safety, health education, weight management, health and nutrition trends, food preparation, healthy lifestyle choices and children’s health. Instruction is provided by experts from AgriLife Extension, an educational outreach agency of the Texas A&amp;M University System.


“This program provides training for volunteers who will go out in the community to give Bexar County residents objective, science-based information needed to make healthy lifestyle choices,” Sheppard said. “Volunteers are critical to helping us deliver our wellness programming to the community.”


She said some of the reasons people become Master Wellness volunteers include a desire to give back to the community, learn more about nutrition and wellness, and live a healthier lifestyle.


Sheppard noted that while health and wellness professionals are among the county’s current Master Wellness volunteers, the training is open to adults of all professional and non-professional backgrounds.


“Our volunteers also include social workers, homemakers, civic leaders, human resource managers, students and retired people,” Sheppard said. “All volunteers need is the desire to learn about health and wellness, and the ability to share with others in the community what they have learned.”


Master Wellness volunteers provide instruction to adults and youth in small group settings, such as community centers, service or volunteer organization locations, schools, churches and businesses.


The cost is $50, and participants receive a binder with copies of all training presentations, as well as healthy recipes to share with their community.


For more information, go to http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/ or contact Sheppard at 210-467-6575 or csheppar@ag.tamu.edu.



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            <pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:23:06 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/saturday-in-fredericksburg.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/saturday-in-fredericksburg.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Saturday in Fredericksburg Texas</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Chocolate Covered Bacon





by Celia Hayes


It's one of those odd side-effects of having knocked around the world for three decades that there are places that feel more like a home-town to me than the town where I actually grew up. This is compounded by having had to research certain places down to almost the sub-atomic level, with the unsettling result that I finish up knowing the history of certain places in the Hill Country almost as well as a long-time native does.


Last Saturday, my daughter and I had to be in Fredericksburg for the German Heritage Foundation; a breakfast meeting at the Kuckucks' Nest shop to talk about certain historical things, and what was going on with the planning for this year's Pow-wow? Was it still going to be held at Fort Martin Scott, as per usual? Looks like it: the Pow-wow commemorates the signing of a peace treaty between the new residents of Fredericksburg and the Penateka Comanche, when the town was first founded in the 1840s. The Kuckuck's Nest sells German clothing and accessories, and there was a generous space behind the sales floor for the breakfast buffet.


When the meeting was done, my daughter – the queen of all thrift-shopping - wanted to check out the Hospice Thrift Shop on Granite Avenue, just by 87 as you come into town from Comfort. Alas, the various antique stores on Main Street have all gone so very up-scale that the only way that we can afford antiques from Fredericksburg is to shop at the Hospice Thrift Shop. She was not disappointed: a nice little green Indiana Glass candy dish, a blue iridescent tumbler, and a tiny green perfume bottle made up for having to get up at 6 and drive for an hour and a half without any breakfast.


Then a promenade along two or three blocks of Main Street to check out our favorite stores; Der Kuchen Laden, and Dogologie. The Kuchen-Laden is hands-down the finest cooking gear store in this part of the world. If they don't stock it, you probably don't need it. When we first discovered the store, they were at the far end of Main, but soon they moved to the old Keidel Memorial Hospital – just the one wing, at first. Every time we returned, they had converted another tiny room on the ground floor into yet another specialty department, and now the entire ground is crammed full of every kind of kitchen accessory and gadget. So many things! So little money!


Further on down Main Street, there is a candy store with a giant cowboy M&amp;M outside, offering every sort of delicacy covered in chocolate. But chocolate-covered pickles? Just because something can be done, doesn't mean that it should be done.


Dogologie – we love this store, since you can actually bring your dog inside! Everything for the discriminating dog-owner, wanting to spoil their pooch with every accessory and treatsie known to man; last Saturday, the cashier actually had her own dog with her: a long-hair Chihuahua puppy with enormous ears. They usually say that a dog will grow to the size of his feet: this pup will grow to the size of his ears. Dogologie is undergoing renovations, and the storefront next to it is empty: could it be that the store is expanding? We'll know for sure later this spring, I guess.


We dropped into a couple of other stores, including the Double R Drygoods – which was unique in that there wasn't a single thing there that I admired that I could afford. Nope, not even the scented candles ... which is sad. But there was one nice thing at the Double R; the manager was giving out a single red rose to every woman who came in to shop, or just look around. Valentine's Day, y'know. That was an incredibly sweet gesture and marketing strategy. Should I ever become the Margret Mitchell and buy my dream Hill Country home, I will definitely come back and buy something ... but not the stuffed squirrel with a holster belt and a drawn toy pistol. Some nice accessory for myself, I think – like a pair of boots or an embroidered sheepskin vest.



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            <pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:56:38 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crosswords-puzzle-number-3.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/crosswords-puzzle-number-3.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Crosswords Puzzle Number 3</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
SATXBlog Crossword Puzzle 3-"It's a Numbers Game"


Print and Solve the Crossword Puzzle. We also have a daily interactive crosswords puzzle, too!





"It's a Numbers Game" by Myles Mellor and Sally York








Across1. More than some5. "___ Smile" (1976 hit)9. Spray setting13. Lou Gehrig, on the diamond14. Donnybrook15. Knowing about16. Artist Bonheur17. Be part of the cast18. Brought into play19. Simple addition22. Elton John, e.g.23. ___ souci24. Mozart's "L'___ del Cairo"27. Like a bunch29. Debonair32. Undergrad degs.33. Catches36. Whole alternative37. Ecstatic42. Old German duchy name43. Ready for anything44. Wrath45. Layers47. It's found in banks49. Blonde's secret, maybe50. Vex, with "at"52. Word from the decks54. Literary homeowners62. Shades63. Roundish64. Christiania, now65. Tropical fruit66. Rewards67. Simpleton68. Some beans69. "___ quam videri"(North Carolina's motto)  70. Chops






Down1. Big do2. "Crazy" bird3. Yorkshire river4. Snares5. Jiffs6. Karen Carpenter, for one7. Checks, with in8. Trojan hero9. Greek dish10. Acad.11. Potpourri12. Big deal14. Gibb brother20. Ceiling21. Occupied, as a lavatory24. ___-Wan Kenobi25. Art able to26. Very, in music28. Australian rock band30. Clear31. File material34. "Harper Valley ___"35. Jerk38. Textual interpretation39. "From the Earth to the Moon" writer40. Signals41. Society page word46. Strauss opera48. Storm part51. Other halves53. Age54. As a result55. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" writer  56. Bank57. "Little piggies"58. All alternative59. "Cast Away" setting60. Worm or lamp61. Creates a lawn


 








Click for the Answer to Today's Crosswords Puzzle #3. | Press Here to PRINT



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            <pubDate>Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:36:26 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/best-of-us-cities-are-in-texas.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/best-of-us-cities-are-in-texas.html</link>
            <author>randy@satxproperty.com (Randy Watson)</author>
            <title>Best of US Cities Are In Texas</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
 Best of Texas - Newsweek Says Texas Cities Can-Do


Five Texas cities “have it going on” even in the face of economic worries, according to a 2011 Newsweek comparison of the 200 largest U.S. cities.


El Paso leads the pack with strong scores for business development; transportation and infrastructure; sustainability; and livability. Assigning each of those categories a point value, Newsweek ranked its list of “Can-Do Capitals” while considering emissions, education levels and unemployment.


Texas Best Can-Do US Cities






City

Ranking





El Paso, TX


1



San Antonio, TX


3



Austin, TX


10



Dallas, TX


13



Fort Worth, TX


14






Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts



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            <pubDate>Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:06:28 -0600</pubDate>
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