Neighborly Chat - Try It

Are you one of those people who run hurriedly into the house/car/garage the minute you glance your neighbor next door?

It’s okay to admit your neighbor phobia because of course you’re not alone. But really do you think it would be that bad if you were to stop and talk for a minute?

I’m not being Mr. Rogers or anything but I happen to be married to a man who was not naturally the neighborly type. Before meeting me I think he believed neighbors were not of this world (or at least his).

Maybe he thought his hair might ignite if he spent 30 seconds talking to some of the people who live closest to us. Whatever it was, I got him out of it about 10 years ago and while he is no chatty Cathy he never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of who moved in where and who’s getting work done on their house, etc.

The other morning he and I were sipping our coffee on the front porch when all of a sudden I heard “Hi C!”

I asked hubby who that was and he informed me that the voice was coming from our newest neighbor and it didn’t stop there. Hubby was able to tell me all sorts of interesting facts about our new neighbor’s love life and renovation plans (he’s engaged).

Even if you live on acres of land in a rural area, it’s still nice to have a neighbor in your vicinity to share a warm drink in the winter, or to call upon when you need a hand with something. City life and suburban life are truly better if you’re among acquaintances, instead of strangers. Don’t you agree?

Tags: Featured, New Urbanism, Your Home, community, garden, neighbor, new urbanism

New Urban Mom Podcast Show 10 - A Visionary Builder

Eat local, protect our green spaces, stop urban sprawl, rebuild our cities, drive less, work closer to home (or at home) - are all buzz words today that are making front page headlines in most major news papers across America. Listen in to today’s show as we talk to one of the leaders in the new urbanism development movement, David Pace of New Broadstreet Companies.

David Pace, was Director of Real Estate Development for Walt Disney when the much talked about early new urbanism community, Celebration was developed in the late 1990’s. He later joined Pritzker Realty Group to lead the redevelopment of the 1,100 acre Orlando Naval Training Center into Baldwin Park, a $3 billion project comprised of houses and apartments for 4,300 residents and 1 million square feet of commercial space. Today David is president of New Broad Street Companies.

David represents the expertise that goes into re-shaping inner city neighborhoods and suburban/rural areas into welcoming and rejuvenated communities that bring residents together for social and business benefits. These “sustainable” communities are also designed to make it easier for residents to not only work and carry out their businesses close to home, but to lead their personal and family lives in ways that are healthier for them and the environment.

Website references:

www.newbroadstreet.com

Tags: Featured, Green Living, New Urbanism, Podcast, Your Home, Community, David Pace, Work from Home, Work Local

Squirrel Man’s Wife

My husband is following me on my journey to being green in our new urbanism community, but he is no treehugger…yet. That’s why I was excited (at least initially) with his developing interest in our “wild life.”

I don’t know if it has to do with hitting the big “40″ (a little while ago) but in recent years he’s taken a real liking to squirrels. I love animals but squirrels aren’t up on my list of wildlife I’d like to get closer to.

Case in point: Today he picked me up from my 2-day meeting in the city and surprised me with a decision to stop at our local market for some fresh items for lunch. I stayed in the car as I was exhausted. Then as I waited I hoped he would think to pick up some other grocery items that I know we were running low on at home.

That was wishful thinking. Unless we are specifically shopping for household groceries my husband can’t run into a store for one item and then change gears and pick up other things that might strike him as items that need to be replenished in our home - like toilet paper, milk, orange juice, cereal and fruit.

He’s a one track guy (personally I think this is a male gene thing - any guys reading this blog are free to argue with me in the comments below).

Anyhow, the point of this post is that not only did my husband not come out of the market with some useful household items instead of just some items for our Saturday lunch, but he bought an item that was for the consumption of someone other than his family or dog. He bought peanuts for his new found, wildlife friends - our backyard rodents squirrels.

They actually anticipate his return to the house. Just as we came up to the house two ran across the driveway. I thought I heard one squirrel say to the other:

“Big guy’s home Morton - go get the kids it’s lunch time.”

Now as I write this post, my husband is in the backyard on the bench under our maple tree with a glass of Chardonnay, and a bag of peanuts by his side.

He’s going to be one of those odd old men that the kids nickname “squirrel man.” YIKES - that makes me squirrel man’s wife.

Tags: Green Living, New Urbanism, Recreation, Your Home, back yard, community life, new urbanism, recreation

What Does Home Mean to You?

With all the talk and angst around the economy and specifically around the housing market I thought I’d share some information about a new book coming out this month that for me celebrates the notion of what a home means to a person, a family - a life.

Can you imagine as a parent of two small children, living on a modest salary falling in love with a leaky old house that was infested with wildlife and had no functional plumbing or electricity? Probably not.

But if you’re the kind of person that is drawn to a home because of all the factors not related to the price of real estate but instead related to the people, history and experiences that define the community your home is in then you just might give this home a second look.

David Giffels is that person. After finishing college he didn’t join his friends and colleagues who picked up and left his home town of Akron, Ohio for greener pastures in larger cities and communities across the country. Instead he became a columnist for his local paper, the Akron Beacon Journal.

David began to deepen his understanding of his home town and in the process fell in love with it. Akron at one time was known as the Rubber Capital of the World. Firestone, Goodrich and Goodyear had their head offices in the city and during the early part of the 20th century the city thrived.

Being a rust belt city the Rubber Capital title crumbled as did the economy in the 1970’s and 80’s. David is one of those writers who covered the experience of change and decline that was so much a part of small town America during the last 15 to 20 years.

Given that new urbanism is a tender nod to the past, when I found David’s columns and publications a few years ago I was drawn in. Here’s a person of my generation who defines home in terms of people, memories and community.

A new urbanism champion if ever I saw one.

The New York Times did a feature on David’s experience in deciding to move his young family to a dilapidated old home 12 years ago. You’ve got to read it. Not only do you get a glimpse of the home through pictures, but you get to understand a little bit about David’s romantic but I argue very valid notion of a home and family life.

By the way the home he bought was a Gilded Age Mansion (owned by a rubber company executive). He got it for $65,000. He borrowed not one penny for the renovation. He had two toddlers as he embarked on the journey of fixing up this home while he continued as a small town writer and champion for his home town.

You’ve also got to read the book All the Way Home. The official release is May 27th but if you purchase now through Amazon you can get an additional 5% off of their already discounted price.

The photo above is from the New York Times article about David’s book, photograhper Jeff Swensen.

Tags: Featured, New Urbanism, Your Home

The Sunday Recharge

We’ve had rain the last couple days and like most mornings following a rainy evening, it was slightly misty and very quiet and still outside. Usually the birds are up with me (5:00 a.m.) but this morning they seemed to be sleeping in. By about 5:45 their chirps became a little more frequent.

For an old neighborhood with a lot of mature trees that attract many birds, I was a little surprised by the relative silence this morning. It was like everyone, including the birds, was recharging.

Thank goodness for Sundays. I know many people still have to work and hopefully they have other days off in the week. But for the majority of us Sunday is a much needed day to connect with our families and enjoy a day without tight schedules and appointments.

Any of you who took English 101 in college may be familiar with the following spring poem by William Wordsworth. I thought I’d share. (See kids you do end up having some use for the subjects taught to you in school!)

Daffodils

William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills.
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a boy:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company;
I gazed–and gazed–but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Tags: Family Life, Featured, New Urbanism, Your Home

Buying and Selling vs. Buying and Living

Well now that so many homeowners have over renovated and over purchased, the housing market bust is doing a couple things for us.

It’s bringing prices back down to the chagrin of many who paid too much but to the great joy of those who can now ENTER the housing market or finally move to the home they’ve always wanted and that is now within their means.

For the rest of us maybe it’s time for us to just enjoy LIVING in our homes.

For a fresh change of pace why not regard your home not as a place that needs this or that upgraded, but as a place that thank God you own and now have some security for your family. Put a halt on the spending and focus on the people around you in your community.

Are there ways for you to get more involved in your town/city to further some activity or issue that will make life better for everyone living there? How are your public schools doing - might your feedback help?

Are you happy with your parks and recreational facilities and is there something you could do to push a project along?  Speaking of recreation maybe this is the year you join a softball/baseball league.  I haven’t played in over 25 years but I use to love it and my girlfriend has been on me for too long to join our local ladies’ softball league.

Is there a spring festival coming up that you or your kids might want to be part of?

We actually purchased a booth at our community’s spring festival last year and promoted framed black and white photographs of historic homes in our community.  The pictures were taken by my teen daughter.  It was really a lot of fun and my teen earned some money to boot!

Community living can be so satisfying if we just take the time to look at where we live as the center of what gives us joy or can give us joy in our lives.

Tags: Family Life, Featured, New Urbanism, Your Home

Tax Season Bright Spot: Home-office Deductions

I’m a happy camper. According to my accountant I’ll be getting some decent money back for a change this tax season. Part of the reason for that is I’ve finally decided to itemize deductions for my home office.

If you manage a business at home either full time or after your full time job as an employee, and you use dedicated space in your home to manage your business, you might be able to deduct some of your home operating costs as a business expense.

This is a good issue to discuss with your accountant to verify your allowable deductions.

Kevin McGormally of Kiplinger.com reports in his tax tips column that in recent years taxpayers deducted more than $7-billion in home-office expenses.

In the 25% tax bracket those deductions would have saved $1.75-billion!

Who ever thought this liberal arts major would like tracking numbers so much!

Tags: Featured, New Urbanism, Your Home, Your Work, entrepreneurs

The Mortgage Crisis and the Silver Lining

The mortgage crisis in America has created a huge challenge for many families and individuals who are now at risk of losing their homes.  Bloomberg.com reports that California had the most foreclosure filings in the U.S. last year and the biggest fourth-quarter decline in prices. The state had a staggering 481,392 foreclosures

Other states like Maryland, Florida and Ohio are also feeling the pressure.  Carol Cohen of Cleveland Real Estate News.com is maintaining an ongoing report on homes for sale and in foreclosure for both urban and suburban communities in this north eastern Ohio region.

Many states have since put in place measures to ease the stress and provide some assistance that may help homeowners to hang onto their homes. There is no doubt that this is a sad story - let’s hope it comes to an end soon.

In the meantime this is also an opportunity for others to enter the housing market and contribute to the rejuvination of the economy and the neighborhoods impacted by the current economic crisis.  Do you know that there are many homes in very desireable neighborhoods across the country from California to Ohio that are within the $100-200K range (see Carole Cohen’s link above)?  These are homes that in some cases may have been double or triple the price only a year or so ago.

There is a risk that prices may drop even a further so if you are going to see if this is your opportunity to enter the housing market or make a move to neighborhood that you’ve always wanted to live in, do your research and time your entrance into the market accordingly. 

Whether communities hit by this mortgage crisis are in affluent or struggling areas, they all can likely benefit from the investment that may come from those who can take advantage of this affordable housing market AND make a contribution to the communities that they will be calling home. 

Tags: City Life, Featured, New Urbanism, Your Home

Keeping it Together with the Signs of Spring

To all my northern friends: Are you going a little stir crazy from all the snow that’s getting dumped on us this year? Sure when I was 10 I would have had a ball with the amount of snow we’ve had already. But my patience is wearing thin and I’ve done all the forced winter activities that I can stomach this year.

I’m ready for SPRING!

Just this morning my husband and I had a great talk about all the things we’re going to do with the back yard this year. One of the things I want is a really comfortable patio set. No more cheap-0 sets… I want to be able to work outside in comfort and entertain guests there more often than not - especially when the family room is overrun with my messy teenagers.

The one good thing I can say about winter is that it makes us so unbelievably thankful for our spring and summer seasons. It’s like all is right with the world when those first spring buds start to open up.

It’s probably nature’s way of trying to keep up sane. Push us to the brink with never ending snow, gray skies and more snow, with some freezing rain thrown in for good measure. Then just when we’re about ready for the straight jacket…tease us with some sunny blue skies and warmer breezes…

Even now, just a few steps behind me, my big, burly husband is about to break into tears of joy because he’s just spotted a beautiful red cardinal feeding from the bird feeder out back. Note to self: take husband out for a drink tonight.

Not quite straight jacket time yet…but spring better get here soon!

Tags: Gardening, Your Home

Where are You Walking to Today?

Last week I was shaken in a good way by a major national news story about a scientific health report confirming that it is not only poverty that leads to tragic health circumstances like diabetes, but the way our communities are designed. If your income and lifestyle doesn’t support health club memberships, golfing, swimming and the like, your only other form of exercise might be the kind you get by walking to a store to get milk, or strolling to the park to relax.

If there is no market, or community center, or park that is within safe, walkable distance to your home, many less advantaged folks who could best benefit from this kind of recreational walking, won’t. Unfortunately many of our depressed urban centers and even inner rung older suburbs, are designed to facilitate driving and that is about it. Here’s a link to the story if you’re interested.

Yesterday I decided that my daughter and I would walk to her tutor. She wasn’t thrilled about this as we usually drive (I’m always running late on a Saturday morning - bad mom). There is no reason for us not to walk more often than we do since we live in a community that is ideal for walking. We have an historic village within a few blocks of our home (where my daughter has her tutor), a conservation park is just one block south of us and no less than 2 state of the art libraries and community/fitness centers are within a 2-5 mile radius of our home. Interspersed in between all of this are various walking and biking trails, excellent, fresh food supermarkets, a seasonal farmers market, numerous art galleries, one museum, two central gathering squares for outdoor music and seasonal festivals, and shops of every kind.

I feel blessed to live where we live and I think whenever possible we should encourage our civic leaders to be champions of new urbanism and to look at their communities not just as sources of residential or commercial tax revenue but as living, organic souls that nurture and affect the health and wellbeing of the children, adults and wildlife that live there.

So, where are you walking today?

Tags: New Urbanism, Your Home

Next Page »