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June 2009

7 -- Full Moon
14 -- Flag Day
21 -- Father's Day
21 -- First Day of Summer

Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.
-- Walter Anderson

Home Sales Increasing in Many Areas

According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), historically high housing affordability and low mortgage interest rates, combined with buyer opportunities in the distressed sales market, have increased home sales in many areas of the country.

“There has never been a better time to buy,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who presented the report at a recent Economic Issues and Residential Real Estate Business Trends forum. Yun commented on a convergence of favorable buying conditions while emphasizing how important it is for home buyers to stay within their budgets.

“Housing affordability is at an all-time high, mortgage rates are historically low, and interest rates are the lowest they’ve been since the days of Eisenhower,” said Yun. “Now that buyers will be able to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment, we should see additional buyers enter the market.” Yun said he doesn’t anticipate an immediate pickup in the coming months, but believes early summer will be a critical indicator of how home buyers are responding to the tax credit.

“The stimulus and falling inventory levels will help stabilize prices,” said Yun. “My projection is home sales will be 10 to 20 percent higher the second half of this year than last year and we will come out of this recession in 2010.”

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I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
-- Mother Teresa

Enjoy a Movie ... in the Backyard

Looking for something extra fun to do this summer that doesn't cost much or require long drives or crowds? How about a backyard movie? Setting up a backyard movie is simple, fun, and can deliver an experience similar to a drive-in movie of yesteryear. Here's how to do it:

1. Plan it in advance. Invite friends and neighbors if you're in the mood to mix socializing with a good movie.
2. Move your TV outside and place it on a sturdy stand. Or, if you have a laptop or DVD player and a projector, use that instead. You can usually rent a projector from your local library, school or college for fairly good rates (or purchase one online in the $200 to $300 range). Hook the laptop or DVD player up to the projector or TV.
3. If you're using a projector, you're going to need a screen. Use a white sheet, canvas or the side of your house or garage if it's smooth and a light color. If you use a white sheet or canvas you'll also need a blackout cloth behind it.
4. Layout out blankets, pillows and beach chairs, arranging them so everyone can see the screen. Have a few extra blankets handy in case it gets chilly out. If you have a lot of bugs in your area, you might want to spray the yard with an outdoor insect repellant several hours before movie time.
5. Set up a snack bar with popcorn, pizza, an assortment of beverages, and any other theater fare you know attendees will enjoy. Keep a clear path to the snack bar and the house so nobody trips in the dark; have a few flashlights handy if it's a really dark night.
6. Throw in a DVD appropriate for the audience and have fun.

Whether you just do it once to liven up a Friday night, or plan on doing it regularly throughout the summer, it's sure to be a hit. It's also a great way to have an inexpensive kid's birthday party or graduation celebration. Let's just say it's a good excuse to socialize and enjoy the outdoors while enjoying a good movie.

Freedom lies in being bold.
-- Robert Frost

Recognizing Common Insect Infestations

It's that time of year: lawn care, gardening, and -- bugs. No matter how diligent you are and how hard you try, when it comes to lawns, insect infestation is a likely possibility. Just like weeds, insects can turn your lush green lawn into an embarrassing eyesore. Following are some common infestations:

Ants -- We might think ants are a natural part of the yard, and they are, but be aware that ants can kill your lawn too. If you see lots of large ant hills in the same area as your dying lawn, there's a good chance the hills are smothering the grass or an ant nest below is smothering the roots and prohibiting growth.

Sod Webworms -- This insect prefers new lawns and feeds on the grass leaves at night, leaving ugly brown spots or patches across your lawn. If you notice new brown patches quickly taking over your yard, sod webworms may be the source.

Mites -- If your grass leaves appear spotted or blotchy, it may be because mites are sucking the sap and damaging your lawn. If several of your neighbors lawns are dotted with brown spots too, mites could be the problem.

Leafhoppers -- If your recently planted lawn suddenly takes a turn for the worse, or your older lawn starts getting whitish patches, consider the leafhopper. With an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 species, this insect sucks the sap from your lawn's stems and leaves. The leafhopper is very small and green, gray, yellow or brownish in appearance.

Ticks -- OK, ticks don't kill your lawn, but they can stop you from enjoying your yard. If your property is adjacent to a heavily wooded area or you have lots of deer, dogs, rabbits, or other small critters running through your yard, be sure to check for ticks as they can cause various health problems, including Lyme disease.

These are a few of the most common insect infestations, though there are dozens, if not hundreds, of other possibilities. The good news is that if you can identify the infestation you can go down to your local gardening center and purchase the solution.

109 S 38TH STREET

Total Sq. Feet: 2,002
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 1

1534 GLACIER PEAK CIRCLE

Total Sq. Feet: 2,032
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2

5441 DENALI DRIVE

Total Sq. Feet: 2,061
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 3

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
-- Judy Garland

Trivia Challenge

Question 1.) Which city established in the 1930s preceded Las Vegas as the most prominent place of casino gaming in the U.S.?
a.) Reno, Nevada
b.) Mashantucket Pequot, Connecticut
c.) Atlantic City, New Jersey
d.) Janet, Nevada

Question 2.) Ernest Hemingway wrote three of the books below. Which one didn't he write?
a.) For Whom the Bell Tolls
b.) A Farewell to Arms
c.) A Separate Peace
d.) To Have and Have Not

Question 3.) Which Australian band had a worldwide hit with "Truly Madly Deeply"?
a.) Savage Garden
b.) Meryl Bainbridge
c.) Taxiride
d.) Crowded House

Question 4.) Which film exploring the seedy world of high stakes poker starred Ed Norton, Matt Damon and John Malkovich?
a.) The Borrowers
b.) Rounders
c.) The Edge
d.) Fallen Angles

Question 5.) What is the name of the highest navigable lake in the world and is located between Bolivia and Peru?
a.) Titicaca
b.) Victoria
c.) Superior
d.) Tanzania

Change always comes bearing gifts.
-- Price Pritchett

How to Identify Organic Food & Beverages

According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S. sales of organic food and beverages has grown from $1 billion in 1990 to an estimated $20 billion in 2007, and are projected to increase an average of 18 percent a year until 2010. Obviously, more and more consumers are realizing the benefits of going organic. Following are several ways to help you identify organic products.

• Check the packaging and organic ingredients for certification by your state, as regulations and definitions vary.
• Check the point of origin. Buying meats, fruits and vegetables locally increases the likelihood you are purchasing organic products.
• Check the packaging to see if the company is living the organic lifestyle; for example, do they use recycled paper or plastic or nontoxic inks.
• Compare the ingredients and dietary info on commercially-produced products with those from an organic grocer. If they contain too many of the same ingredients, such as preservatives and dyes, they don't qualify as organic.
• Note that the United States Department of Agriculture allows the use of the organic label on products that are 95 percent or more organic; look for the USDA 100 percent label or at least understand why a product may not be labeled 100.
• Watch out for the term "natural" on any packaging without other references to organic production. Many products may be natural but still contain harmful ingredients.
• When in doubt, ask the store manager or an experienced clerk about the foods. Most of the time they will be familiar enough with their products to point out the difference between organic and natural foods.
• When looking at organic products, focus on the ingredients and signs of mass-produced items, such as dyes with a color number and long chemical names. These are not organic.

Kissing don't last:
cookery do.
-- George Meredith

Easy Lemon Pasta with Chicken

Ingredients - Serves 6

Exaggeration misleads the credulous and offends the perceptive.
-- Eliza Cook

Free, Powerful Synchronization Utility

DirSync Pro is a free, powerful utility for file and folder synchronization. It can synchronize one or several folders both bidirectional and unidirectional. The program can help you make incremental backups, saving you a lot of time because you don't need to copy all the files -- only new or modified files will be copied.

DirSync Pro is an open source utility that is not bogged down with commercial text, advertisements or spyware. In addition, it is platform independent and operates under most operating systems, including Windows, Macintosh and Linux. The utility is easy to use and can be configured in multiple ways to match your needs.

Check it out at: http://directorysync.sourceforge.net.

If it's not fun, you're not doing it right.
-- Bob Basso

Cool/Free/Fun/Trendy: Guerrillamail

We've all experienced it -- you know -- you're surfing the web, you come across something that interests you, you want the information or freebie, but it comes with a cost. It asks for your email address. In today's world, that's almost like asking for your social security number or driver's license.

A free and easy solution is to get a temporary, disposable email at sights such as Guerrillamail. Basically, you visit the site, it creates a temporary email address for you in one click, and you use it instead of your real address. For example, if you wanted to check out an email newsletter, view a whitepaper, or download a file, you would get and use the temporary address, receive the confirmation email, get your goodies and be done. The email expires after 15 minutes.

If you find it was a subscription or service you really like, and now trust, you could go back and subscribe using your real email address. There are dozens and dozens of these services but Guerrillamail is a popular one. Check it out at www.guerrillamail.com.

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Trivia Answers
#1. a.) Reno, Nevada; #2. c.) A Separate Peace; #3. a.) Savage Garden; #4. b.) Rounders; #5. a.) Titicaca

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Dana Wagenhals
2029 Grand Ave.
Billings, MT 59102

This eNewsletter contains information, facts and opinions from various individuals and organizations. This eNewsletter is provided on an "as-is" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. I/We are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Consult with your doctor, fitness consultant, attorney, accountant, or other professional advisor when necessary. © 2009 eNewsletterSolutions.