Silicon Valley BLOG

The headline says it all.

If you are in a position to purchase, the combination of low prices,
low interest rates, incentives and inventory all point to the best
time to purchase in years. Take advantage of it while you can.

(0) Comments

Reader Comments

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

R.S.V.P. (Realtor Service Volunteer Program)

This year's program took place the first week of May, and I headed up one San Jose
team and volunteered on another.

I met some incredible, beautiful women who have led inspirational lives.

Below are a few photos.

My favorite photo from last year:

(0) Comments

Reader Comments

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Looking for an HMO that offers outstanding service and costs less?

Look into the new guy in town; CareMore. They even have a care center
with specialized programs such as diabetes care, high blood pressure
management, wound care and nutritional consultations, in additon to
an excercise facility!

Visit their website at : www.CareMoreHealthGroup.com
Or call 1-800-499-2793.

(0) Comments

Reader Comments

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

I just received this email and thought this was a great story to add to this series.

As always, if you have a great story, reply to this blog and I'd be glad to add it to
WGDIST? (What Good Did I See Today?)

a true duck story

  A True Duck Story From San Antonio ...

  Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week.   Michael R.
is now an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works downtown in a second story
office building. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk.

The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.

Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch
in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48
hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her
babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off!

The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In his disbelief Michael
watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing
onto the cement below. Michael couldn't stand to watch this risky effort. He dashed out of his office
and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling was stuporing near its mother
from the near fatal fall.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands
before it hit the concrete... safe and sound, he set it by the momma and the other stunned sibling,
still recovering from its painful leap.

One by one the babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach
out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. The downtown sidewalk came to a standstill.

Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining 8 and set them by their approving mother.

At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey.
They had 2 full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs, and pedestrians to get to the
losest open water, the San Antonio River .   The on looking office secretaries and several San
Antonio police officers joined in.   They brought an empty copy paper box to collect the babies.

They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded them in the container.
Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood.   He then slowly navigated
through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River . The mother waddled behind
and kept her babies in sight.

As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping into the river and
quacking loudly. At the water's edge, he tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward
the water and to their mother after their adventurous ride.

All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma.

Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper,
and proudly quacking.

(0) Comments

Reader Comments

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Driving Safety For Older Adults
Through 45 years of driving, Ellen never had an accident. But last month, the 76-year-old was involved in two minor collisions, receiving a traffic citation for one. Ellen worries that she is not as good a driver as she once was. And she has read recent newspaper stories about accidents involving older drivers.

79-year-old Gregory’s children worry that with his poor night vision, it isn’t safe for him to drive at night any more. But Mom doesn’t drive, and the couple doesn’t want to give up the theater or their weekly bridge games with friends.

For most Americans, the automobile represents independence, control and mobility. We couldn’t wait to get our first driver’s license and access to the family car when we were teenagers?and we’d like to keep driving as long as possible. But the normal changes of aging can make driving more challenging. Impediments to safe driving include?

hearing loss
vision problems
decreased reaction time
memory loss
limited manual dexterity
loss of depth perception and peripheral vision

Older adults and their families should assess driving ability periodically, both to determine ways of improving driving skills, and to evaluate whether the individual is still capable of safely operating a motor vehicle.

MAKING CHANGES FOR SAFER DRIVING
There are several good ways seniors can improve driving skills and extend safe driving capability:

Take a refresher driving course for seniors, such as the “55 Alive Classes” which are offered through insurance companies and senior groups.
When filling any prescriptions, ask the doctor or pharmacist if the medications have any potential side effects that could hinder the ability to drive.
Have regular eye examinations.
Make modifications to the vehicle itself for enhanced driving safety. For example: improved side and rear-view mirrors; a rear-window brake light; a back-up warning buzzer; steering wheel grips; and pedal adjustments.
If the car is large and difficult to maneuver, consider trading it for a smaller car, which might be easier to handle and park.
Avoid the most challenging driving situations. If night vision has diminished, schedule car trips during daylight hours. Avoid busy highways and rush hour traffic
IS IT TIME TO GIVE UP THE CAR?
There may come a point when the changes of aging make it difficult and risky to keep driving. Some older drivers become increasingly nervous about their driving ability, and consequently become less mobile in the community. Some keep driving until an incident occurs-a scare, a minor accident, or worse-and then quit driving abruptly, without having made plans for what they will do without the car. And others are in denial, refusing to face up to limitations until family members or the department of licensing step in.

It doesn’t have to be that way. When you first begin to have concerns about driving ability, that is the time to begin planning a post-driving strategy. Think of this as just another aging challenge to be addressed, and then use your best problem-solving skills to keep yourself or your loved one active and mobile.

The first thing to do when considering becoming a non-driver is to add up all the costs of owning and maintaining a car. Car payments, insurance, repairs, gasoline, parking fees-all these should go into your calculation. For most people, the total is considerable. Think of those dollars as money available for alternative transportation.

Once you’ve calculated your “transportation allowance,” begin to investigate the alternatives:

Bus or rapid transit
Taxi cabs
Carpooling with family, friends or volunteers
Special transportation for seniors and people with disabilities.
With this kind of planning, many seniors lose their anxiety over giving up driving. It still may not be easy, but having a workable plan for getting around is a major step forward. If a loved one is resisting giving up driving, be creative in your approach. You might try suggesting that your loved one:

Leave the car in the garage for a while and see how he or she gets along not using it.
Set a trial period during which your loved one will try out transportation options.
Consider giving the car as a gift to a favorite charity or to a grandchild.
Investigate selling the car and setting the money aside for a transportation fund.
Help your loved one make a plan for being a non-driver if that time comes. Be proactive; don’t wait for circumstances to make decisions for you. Giving your loved one an extra margin of safety is the right thing to do for other drivers on the road, and it can, above all, be a gift to your loved one, yourself and family!
(c)2008 IlluminAge Communication Partners

Courtesy of Senior Helpers
www.seniorhelpers.com

(0) Comments

Reader Comments

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.