"One Step at a time"

"I hope that battery is still working on that electronic lock box"!

I know I can do this...just "One step at a time"

(Thanks to my LLBean Tubbs!) ....Gotta love Maine Winters!

Especially On Long Pond, in Acadia National Park! Life is good :)

Realtor:gramEpat

technorati tag

I Love to Show Kitchens

I get such a kick out of it when new agents say "I want to be a real estate agent because I LOVE to show kitchens" :)
I was thinking about that yesterday when I went in almost blizzard conditions (15+ inches of snow predicted)...to meet a buyer's agent and building inspector at one of my favorite listings (Higgin's Store in Somesville, Maine).


The first thing I had to do at my office was shovel my way to the car. (Couldn't snow shoe because the LLBean Tubbs were in the trunk of my car)...Then I had to 'de-ice' the car before I could take it down the highway. Good thing I have front wheel drive because the snow plow driver had not yet made his afternoon swipe through my door yard.


When I got to the listing, I parked out front because....again....LOTS of snow in the normal parking areas behind the building. (Probably the guy who plows my driveway also plows Julie's...He's also a fireman...so I wouldn't be surprised if he was in still in Northeast Harbor, helping clean up after the most recent fire!.

Good thing the seller left a shovel, broom, and sand and salt for the ice...(Thank you , Julie).

Once the walkway was shoveled, the back steps and apartment steps shoveled and swept...and sand and salt put down over the ice,...I was ready to try to retrieve the hidden key and unlock the door.......While all of this is happening...my car is again covered with snow and ice. (Which means that ,after we finish with the inspection,....I start all over again...shoveling the door yard, 'de-icing' the car, etc...)

The other hearty souls arrived....high spirited...with chats about ice fishing, skiing, and the other fun winter sports that were on the agenda for the 'snow day'....We all decided that when the inspection was completed, we would just call it a day and either settle in by our wood stoves and/or fireplaces, or opt to don the winter gear and play in the snow.

Gotta love selling real estate in Acadia National Park in January.


I LOVE Maine Winters and buyers, sellers, agents and affiliates who embrace change and challenges!
I find myself reminiscing about why so many Realtors got into this business in the first place. "They love to show kitchens" :)
Realtor GramEpat
technorati tag

Misery Loves Company in Paradise

Hard to be too miserable with a nasty head cold when you live in Acadia National Park and are surrounded by so much beauty.










...Hope the typical time frame is applicable for this nasty virus..."3 days coming, 3 days here, 3 days going"..."During the three to five days it takes your body to vanquish a cold, the irritating little invaders can make your life utterly miserable. Unfortunately, experts say, once you’re sick, there’s no better prescription than the one your mom gave you when you were growing up: Eat right, rest and drink plenty of fluids". ("Feed a cold, starve a fever")
Realtor GramEpat
technorati tag

Where there's a will, there's a way

Maine Winters in Acadia National Park!....Gotta love it!

Acadia Council of Realtors are a hearty group!...Especially if you are a seller's agent...have an appointment to show your listing... and have to get INTO your office to get the listing information, keys and/or card reader before you meet at the property...before you attempt to get INTO your listing to show it. Better allow an extra few hours between appointments!

Seasoned Maine brokers on Mt.Desert Island know that 'where there's a will there's a way'. Not only do they have to shovel their way into their office, they travel with shovels in their cars...and quite often have to shovel their way into the property they plan to show. LL Bean Snow shoes and ice grippers are standard equipment...salt for the ice.....shovels, ice scrapers...and flash lights...(it gets dark mid afternoon!). Other standard equipment includes extra scarves, mittens, hats....granola bars, water...and jumper cables..(never know if that diesel will start after it's been sitting still in sub zero weather!)...Thank goodness for AAA...and polar fleece!..and friends with plow trucks and sanders...but...'where there's a will, there's a way'!....Serious buyers rarely cancel an appointment just because there's a little blizzard or 'Nor'easter'...Hiking boots and fluorescent gear help when you're trekking down the highway in a blizzard (because the diesel should not be 'out and about' in sub zero weather).....hoping to arrive in time to shovel, sweep, and de-ice ...to get the door open and the lights on before the buyers and their agent arrive.

...It's no wonder that on Mount Desert Island it is common for the listing broker to meet the buyers and their agent at the property. Buyers' agents in Acadia National Park are 'wicked smart'....They don't mind giving the listing agent advance notice to show a property...that allows plenty of time for shoveling decks, sidewalks, and entryways.

(Thanks, Betty, for serving us hot cocoa this AM at your Bar Harbor Hostel listing.....very much appreciated after coming back from seeing Gail's unheated shorefront home near the Maine Seacoast Mission at the Colket Center. (7 degrees this AM....... Burrrrr) ...(Gail...loved your full length racoon fur coat and red hat!)

Gotta love this winter wonderland!...."Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow"

Realtor GramEpat

technorati tag

Put another Log on the Fire

Dear Santa:

GrampE Bob and I hope that you have a fun time delivering gifts in Acadia National Park this year.

It should be easy since we have SO MUCH SNOW.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We hope that you bring us a new snow shovel

so we can keep the snow off the roof at GramEpat's Cabin on Long Pond! We gave up trying to shovel the decks!!

I bet our summer guests cannot begin to imagine what the little cottages on Long Pond look like this time of year.

We hope you also bring some new snow shoes and some new batteries for the electronic lock boxes. I would hate to have to snow shoe to a listing with my 'key card' only to find out that the battery quit on the computerized lock box systems.. (PS:Santa...Please don't forget to bring the little tool gadget that's needed to change the battery!)

Thanks for the ladder last year...GrampE Bob really appreciated it. He practically wore it out, getting on the roof during each snow storm to clean out the snow in the satellite dish.

This year, he wants a wireless router for his new DLS service. (He gave up on the dish service!) Says he's too old to be climbing on the roof whenever he wants to go Internet surfing (one of his favorite winter sports).

However, he still loves the ladder that you gave him....without it, how would he be able to use his roof rake..?(Raking snow off a roof ?...Gotta' love Maine winters... Ho! Ho! Ho!)

He said to remind you that GramEpat wants a new tea pot , an ax, a log carrier and a wood splitter. He knows she really want those things because she has been recently going around the cabin singing the song 'Put another log on the fire'..

(Thank you, GrampE Bob, for putting up with my foolishness, for being such a good sport , and for being my best friend for the past 42 years)

We left some snow on the roof for you and some of GramEpat's homemade yeast bread warming by the fire. Hope you have a safe trip to Mt.Desert Island.

"Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow"

(Thank you, Gail, for sharing your talent)

Realtor GramEpat technorati tag

Fishin' for ideas

I was wondering how to repurpose the empty milk carton this AM (other than some of the obvious art projects)...When it dawned on me how my mother used to freeze seafood in repurposed milk cartons.

When I was a little girl, I used to love to go fishing with my father. When we came home with our 'catch'...and the fresh fish was prepared for consumption, my mother would put the fish in empty milk cartons, fill them with water (making sure that all parts of the fish were completely submerged in water) then place the containers in the freezer. The fish would stay fresh tasting for months that way. (Of course, with our large family, I should have said 'weeks' that way :)


I also remember that she would freeze large blocks of juice to put in the bunch bowl, make frozen decorative ice candles, and freeze blocks of soup stock.
(As they say in Maine: My Mom was 'wicked smart'. I miss you Mom!)

Realtor GramEpat
technorati tag

Jackie "O" How Extraordinary

This morning as I was replacing the paper towel roll, and about to toss the cardboard tube, I knew there had to be a zillion uses for what I was about to throw away. So I googled ‘cardboard tubes’ and came across an interesting ‘advice and how to’ web site: “Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things”
I knew there were many craft projects just waiting to happen…but wondered what other practical purposes there might be for the tubes.
Here are a few re-purposes that sparked my interest:

Trying to stay warm this winter? Don’t toss out your Cardboard tubes!
Use as kindling and logs!
Turn toilet paper and paper towel tubes into kindling and logs for your fireplace. For fire starter, use scissors to cut the cardboard into 1/8-inch (3-millimeter) strips. Keep the strips in a bin near the fireplace so they'll be handy to use next time you make a fire. To make logs, tape over one end of the tube and pack shredded newspaper inside. (or dryer lint w/wax) Then tape the other end. The tighter you pack the newspaper, the longer your log will burn.

Another re-purpose that I found helpful….(and if you ever saw GramE’s closet, you would know why the light bulb went off in my head when I read this one .)
Keep pants crease-free!
Ever go to your closet for that good pair of pants you haven't worn in a while, only to find an ugly crease at the fold site from the hanger rack. It can be frustrating and time (and energy) consuming to have to iron the pants each time. It won't happen again if you cut a paper towel tube lengthwise, fold it in half horizontally, and place it over the rack before you hang up your pants. Before hanging pants, tape the sides of the cardboard together at the bottom to keep it from slipping.

And I must confess that I also remember the ‘good ol’ days when we used to use cardboard tubes to roll our hair…So that we could give it that ‘Jackie O’ look back in the 60’s !! An extraordinary outcome using ordinary things!

The website article mentioned above also included detailed ways to:
Extend vacuum cleaner reach
Keep Christmas lights tidy
Preserve kids' artwork and important documents
Keep electrical cords tangle-free
Make boot trees
Make a plant guard
Start seedlings
Store knitting needles
Store fabric scraps
Store string
Keep linens crease-free
Protect fluorescent lights

Realtor GramEpat.com technorati tag