7-1/2" of snow🙂I seldom pay attention to the weatherman on TV or the radio as they are so seldom correct. So as usual I ignored them last night when they said we were going to receive a lot of snow. To be fair they said and showed us that Minot ND was on the very edge of this front and most likely would not get buried like points East of Minot would.I live 1/2 a block from one of Minot's arterial main streets so I was not concerned about getting to the office. After Timmothy and I spent an hour cleaning out our driveway I drove to the office. Much to my surprise Main Street had not been plowed. There is a reason it's called "Main Street"... it's the main street for downtown business. The picture above is where I got stuck this morning in my 4 wheel drive Yukon (time to purchase tires wi... 01/14/2022

Looking for the Best of the Best in North Dakota - is that you? North Dakota Preferred REALTORS North Dakota Preferred REALTOR 01/10/2022

I've always enjoyed learning... schooling not so much.Even into my 60's the schooling has yet to end. Even after formal (State) education it seems that every occupation I've had has kept me going back for more. As far as I know every State has requirements for all Real Estate related professionals.Did you know that it also applies to Notary Republics who are certified signing agents? Yup! Annual requirements are mandated by the industry itself. Although not a State or Federal agency few Title companies or mobile notary services will use a Notary Public who is not a member of the NNA (National Notary Association). As the certificate implies, an annual background check is also required. I am proud to be Certified and screened.  01/06/2022

The Sertoma Christmas in the Park is their best show yet. I am not sure when the tradition of light displays through Oak Park in Minot North Dakota started but I know it was well before I moved here twenty years ago. Over the years it has been pretty static as who (what businesses) participated in it with the exception of a good boost during the "oil boom" years.HOWEVER this year it's seemed to have boomed once again. The little clip below is from my dash-cam and is of low quality but it gives you a little idea of all the action going on this year. There are 58 businesses involved this year.The show goes on through January 1st 2022. 12/24/2021

This is very last minute and there is NO WAY a purchase today is going to be shipped before Christmas but Timmothy Timm and The Titus & Philemon Art Gallery is having it's first ever 11" X 17" Originals art sale. Original 11" X 17" Titus and Philemon art work will be sold at half price ($50.00) from now until Christmas Eve.50% OFF Timmothy Timm's TITUS & PHILEMON 11" by 17" hand drawn original panels. Can you imagine what a similar drawing of Charles Schultz's PEANUTS or Jim Davis's GARFIELD would be worth today? Timmothy Timm's comic strip has been running for over a year in the Minot Daily News and is poised to take off just like Schultz's and Davis's comics did years ago. It's not hard to imagine today's purchase being worth thousands of dollars later on in Timmothy Timm's career whe... 12/17/2021

We have been very lucky this Fall of 2021 that this is our first real snowfall of the season. We were predicted to get 5" to 8" of snow but I think this was more like 3". Because the temperature was close to freezing the snow has pretty much stayed put and not blown around.One of the members of our church drives past the Minot Air Force Base to get to worship said she only saw one Airman in the ditch on her way to worship... that's pretty good. There are times that the first snowfall will cause a dozen or more cars from the base to be in the ditch. Keep in mind that many of these Airmen/women have never even seen snow before today much less driven in it.   12/05/2021

Originally I was going to title this "Put your money where your mouth is" but I'm old enough and wise enough to know that the following demand is someone asking the government to use my money, NOT theirs.In the 1970's the City of Minot took on a huge project to thwart the damage from future flooding of the Mouse River which flows through the heart of the city. Part of this monstrous project was to "straighten out" the river by cutting a new, wider and straighter path to let the water get through the city ASAP.This was a great and effective idea (until 2011) BUT what do you do with those now cut off sections of the original river bed? The answer, back then, was to label them as dead loops and to manage the water flow in and out of them to add to the over-all flood mitigation. Sounds good... 12/04/2021

Carol and Timmothy are done decorating the house and it looks excellent. Carol's Christmas mug collection (a very small section shown above) is out. The tree and everything else is in it's place where it will decorate the house until what ever weekend follows New Years Day.I, however have just gotten started at the office. At least I got the tree up.In the interest of full disclosure the tree is always up and the hearts are always on it. Even the mouse is a permanent fixture so all I really did was throw some lights on the tree and add the Christmas mug.  Normally I bring in several totes of stuff but this year I'm a bit concerned about clutter as the art gallery keeps growing with works from our resident artist (Timmothy N. Timm). 11/29/2021

Jacks Back.Grab the scraper!Jack Frost has actually been busy for a couple of days now but today I decided to get the camera out because I'd never seen him do a full wrap around my car like he did today. More typically I only see the windows covered but today his work was very noticeable on the body of the car as well.The awe of Jacks' art will wear off fast after scraping it off our windows day after day for months but it's always fun to see at the beginning of the season. 11/04/2021

Don't forget the Downtown Minot HauntsIf you are looking for well decorated properties or for Halloween cards and gifts don't forget about Downtown Minot. Here are a few window scenes I shot just this morning. We don't have much for window display space at the Titus & Philemon Art Gallery but Timmothy did create this 11" X 14" acrylic painting on canvas featuring Titus & Philemon for Halloween. (You can own this original Timmothy N. Timm piece for just $50.00).A special thanks to Kathy Streib for encouraging me to write this by offering a October Challenge- Help Us FALL In Love With Your Area!. Check out the other posts joining in the challenge HERE. 10/28/2021

I'm afraid that the BEST show of Fall colors in Minot may be past already, or at least near it's end by now, but I'm sure can still find some remnants if you "get on it" right away. The shot below was taken at the Game and Fish pond a couple of weeks ago in the middle of The ND State Fairgrounds. It's a small spot but if you get out of your car and walk around you will be sure to enjoy it.This next shot was taken a month ago in the center of Oak Park. The bridge in the center of the picture is the bridge that leads to the Girl Scout Camp in the very center of Oak Park.Through out Minot ND are several "dead loops" which were once part of The Mouse River.  They were part of a huge flood control project in the 70's where the Corp of Engineers "straightened" out the river so it would flow t... 10/27/2021

The words are flowing freely here, for me, on this Wednesday October 13th. I'm on the air and on the phones as I usually am twice a year to help support keep Christian Radio in Minot ND.This has been a labor of love for me for approximately the last 20 years. I credit Christian radio with my salvation over 40 years ago. Because of that I think nothing of shutting down my business for five days to support my local Christian radio station.Today is a little extra special as it is my sons 20th birthday so I made a special pledge, the stations first pledge of the drive, in honor of his birthday.If you have a Local Christian radio station I hope you support it, even if you prefer to listen to a national station instead. All through out my career as a Real Estate professional I found my best a... 10/13/2021

In the City limits of Minot and in the heart of The North Dakota State Fairgrounds is a little oasis maintained by the ND State Game and Fish Department. They maintain two little ponds that they stock so families can enjoy time together fishing (catch and release).The area around the pond is a wonderful place to have a picnic, meditate, read a book, or anything else that helps you forget about the pressures of the day.This Cormorant was also enjoying the pond as we were.Although this area is, what I would guess, only four acres it's a great place to "lose" yourself from the city. It is open spring, summer, and fall. Bring the family, a picnic basket, and a fishing pole for a time of R&R.  09/30/2021

HAPPY ASK A STUPID QUESTION DAY!  "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask is a fool forever." Mark Twain There's always something that appeals to me about Ask A Stupid Question Day! Is it stupid to ask how many people don't know today, September 28th is  Ask A Stupid Question Day? Nonetheless, as it is a day that "gives you permission" to ask a stupid question(s) without fear of ridicule, why not take the opportunity today to ask all those burning questions you've been afraid to ask because you didn't want any one to think you're stupid? "Don't be afraid to ask the dumb question. Everyone else will be relieved you had the guts to ask."... Sheryl Sandberg  Are you thinking it might be stupid to ask just how Ask A Stupid Question Day came about? Here's your not-st... 09/28/2021

I'm back into the photo walk mode thanks to my son's new photography class. Timmothy is in his second year of college (majoring in Art) and this semester he has a photo class.Ever since Tina and Timmothy could hold a camera I've made sure they each owned a good one but that spark did not really take off for Timmothy until this year. He rented a Canon EOS7 for the class and it's been a real challenge for him but he is enjoying the challenge.Yesterday we walked through Oak Park in Minot ND and here are a few shots I took along the way.  09/20/2021

I came up with this yesterday and I have yet to ask Timmothy if I could use his characters, Titus & Philemon, so if you don't like what I did please do not hold it against the author of the Titus & Philemon comic strip... it's not his work.This is NOT a political statement. In my office you are free to mask if you want to and free not to if you do not wish to. My personal default is NOT to mask but if anyone entering my office requests that I do while they are here their request WILL be granted. 09/01/2021

With the Great Plains States our predominate winds are from the Northwest but they can blow straight down from the North pole or straight up from the Gulf of Mexico as well. In the Fall of the year we never know what we are going to get. On Monday we set a record high for the day, 104 degrees and yesterday was around 88. Take a look at the high temps for rest of the week coming up.60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, & 104 all in one week. 08/18/2021

A challenge has been put forth by Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist  to write a book review for all to read on the ActiveRain website. To read more about the challenge and see the many entries CLICK HERE.This would be a nearly impossible task for me as the only book I’ve read in the last 20+ years is the Bible. Of course the Bible is composed of 66 books and I could just choose one of the 66 to do my review on BUT I’m not about to give a review/opinion on the inerrant word of God (I do highly recommend the Bible if you are not familiar with it). When I think about it I have read a couple other books… technical manuals for electronics and programs. NOT fascinating but believe it or not I prefer them over most current authors.I could also write a review on one or both of my son... 08/08/2021

If you have ever strolled along the walking path of Minot's Oak Park you surely have seen the story boards along the way.  The story boards are maintained by The Minot Public Library and typically have a pictorial story by Dr. Seuss or another popular artist. The storyboards have been in place for many years and well maintained. They have never featured a local author/illustrator... until NOW! Timmothy N. Timm, Author of two comic strip books, will be the first with his art being installed this week on the Oak Park story boards. Timmoth's books are about two guinea pigs, Titus and Philemon (fi-lee-man), and their owner Joe. Timmothy created individual panels for this special project as opposed to using the strips in his two published books. Here are some samples.  08/05/2021

The best recipe I know for summer fun and enjoyment is The North Dakota State Fair which starts tomorrow, Friday July 23rd 2021.The North Dakota State Fair serves up a great appitizer that lasts all of Saturday morning with the North Dakota State Fair Parade. Each year the number of entries grows but it's usually around 200 entries.I may not know the specific ingredients in the fair food I do know there are treats that delight my taste buds.While the carnival rides are no longer a key ingedient to my summer fun it is obvious from the long lines at each of them that they are a key ingredient to many.So what are the key ingredients that keep me coming back for more every year? I love the crowds during the hottest time of year. I love the free stages (like the band pictured below), the com... 07/22/2021