A couple of weeks ago I had a bout of terrible back pain - so severe I wound up in the emergency room and had to see a back doctor in follow up.  I hadn't hurt myself, no falls, no heavy lifting - it just came out of nowhere.  I got put on muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory's, the whole 9 yards.  I took them for the first couple days but they really weren't helping me so I stopped taking them.  I had a gift certificate that had been given to me by a friend a few months back so I figured this was the perfect time to use it.  It was for a massage at Scotchtown Chiropractic.  They have two offices:  one in Middletown, NY and one in Chester, NY.   I went to the Chester office and had an appointment to see Jenny, their massage therapist.  Those of you that know me, know I also suffer from te... 03/10/2012

For years, New York State has passed laws, often called mandates, that add to the costs of local government.  Public employee pension costs are one of the most expensive of these mandates.  For example, over the last ten years, public pension costs in our state have risen over 650%. The Governor’s proposed modification of the state’s pension system alone would save Orange County more than $26 million. The proposed pension plan would require future employees to pay more into their own pensions and would begin to bring our pension system in line with other states. The pension changes do not affect any current employees. Orange County will also save over $11 million from Governor Cuomo’s proposed 3-year takeover of the growth of Medicaid costs. Click here to read more about the Governor’s ... 02/29/2012

Yesterday I wrote a post about not being able to keep up with return comments.  I had hit post and my phone rang within seconds and I answered to find Margaret Rome on the other end.  She was calling to tell me how much she liked my post and to offer her suggestions. What she doesn't know is even though I was able to converse with her I was in shock.  Margaret Rome called me!  She made my day and brought a smile to my face just when I needed it most.  Now while I know quite a lot of people from Active Rain, some who I speak to all the time, I have never really called anyone myself spontaneously.  Gary Coles had recently written about just this and it has been on my mind ever since I read his post titled Get Connected in the Rain.  So after getting Margaret's wonderful surprise call and ... 02/20/2012

Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2012 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved.  These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Goshen, New York.  If you would like to use an image please contact me directly.  Thank you for not plagiarizing!   02/14/2012

Whitney Houston - a beautiful lady with a spectacular voice.  Someone who will always be remembered as having one of the best voices in history.  She had it all - everything that most people can only dream of.   She was admired and revered by millions all over the world.  We will never know what her demons were that haunted her in the last few years of her life that sent her downhill. Whitney you were always one of the best from day one and you will be sorely missed by the music industry.  Rest in peace for you will never hurt again. 02/12/2012

In today's temperamental economy no matter what your business is you must always continue to Lead Generate and Prospect for new business.  This requires a firm daily commitment on your part - with this commitment your business is guaranteed to succeed.  If you time block your day for this prospecting and adhere to the time block you are well on your way to building part a of well planned business strategy. Each time you are face to face with the general public you always want to remind them of exactly what you do and how it can help them in their business or personal lives.  As you go about your business and personal lives remember what can be lead generating opportunities for you, whether you are in Real Estate, Staging, any other type of sales, and so on:  Holiday Celebrations       ... 02/06/2012

Turkey Buzzards are commonly found in the Hudson Valley but usually when you see one, there are at least 10 to 15 more around close by.  This was sitting in the tree right outside my deck.  The picture probably doesn't do the size of the bird justice as this is probably at least 6 or 7 times the size of my dog.  Now let me clarify that my dog is only 3 pounds.     :-) Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2012 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved.  These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Goshen, New York.  If you would like to use an image please contact me directly.  Thank you for not plagiarizing!   01/25/2012

This week I think anyone who has been using Picnik got the terrible email - They are shutting down effective April 19th.  I am going to be so sorry to see them go.  I am a huge user of Picasa but an even bigger user of Picnik.  I went back into my posts from last year and pulled up the post I did about Lunapic.  Lunapic is similar to Picnik and does just about the same things.  There is a little less of a learning curve but it may take a few more steps to accomplish what you were able to accomplish in Picnik.  At least for the time being until we find something else this will serve you until you do or maybe this will become your new "Picnik."  Picnik I will miss you! This week I discovered quite by accident a site called LunaPic for Photo Editing. It is a FREE site which of course caugh... 01/22/2012

As usual this was taken up the street from my house on my way home from work one day.  Sometimes you will see too many to count and other days just one or two.  No matter how many, for me, they are always a pleasure to see!   Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2012 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved.  These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Goshen, New York.  If you would like to use an image please contact me directly.  Thank you for not plagiarizing! 01/19/2012

    January 2012  Market Update 2012 shows signs of an improving housing market as the U.S. economy continues its forward-moving yet slow road to recovery. Although there are economists projecting housing prices will decline further, aided by distressed property sales that sell at a greater discount, these prices are expected to rebound considerably later in the year and continue into 2013. Factors that continue to impede a speedier recovery in the housing are consumer confidence, job-growth uncertainty, and tough lending standards that keep many otherwise qualified buyers from financing a home purchase. However, consumer confidence may be showing signs of improvement according to a report released by Fannie Mae on December 7, which revealed that consumer sentiment toward home prices is... 01/17/2012

To help larger numbers of low-income households cut their energy bills in the coming year, funding for EmPower New York will increase by $18 Million, providing a total of $46 million in 2012, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced today.   EmPower New York is a NYSERDA program to help low-income residents reduce their use of electricity, improve the efficiency of their heating systems and increase the comfort of their homes.  Funding in 2011 totaled $28 million.  The additional funding for 2012 is allocated through the Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard Order of Oct. 25, 2011.  Families that receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) spend 25 percent of their income on utilities, while median-income households spent 4 percent, acco... 01/13/2012

Lately I have been getting an increasing number of LinkedIn connection requests.  As long as I know the person, no problem.  If I don't know them they generally don't get accepted unless there is a way of checking them out and verifying.    Today I got one and I quickly clicked on it to look at the profile like I always do because I thought I recognized the name and was going to accept it because I was in a hurry.  As I skimmed the profile (because again I thought it was someone I knew) this is what I saw among other things: CEO of xxxx xxxxx's life Greater New York City Area Real Estate EDUCATION Phd in persistence 19xx- 2011 Now maybe this is the way this person wants their profile to read or maybe they are thinking no one will bother and will just accept all invites.  This got me to ... 01/12/2012

Eric Cooper & Russel Ray are running a contest with a prize of Corel PaintShop Pro X4.  I have worked with Paint Shop Pro before (but not recently) and it has always stuck in my mind as a program I would love to have.  This is my 2nd entry for a 4 picture entry contest.  This was a photo I took when I was at the Renaissance Faire this summer with Leah Stern.  We had a fabulous time and it was even better because they had animals and birds of prey.  I never miss an opportunity to be around animals.  This would have been a great picture of this beauty EXCEPT for the darn fence!  I have been trying to learn how to get a shot like that without the lens seeing the fence.  I am still working on it but in the meantime this is perfect for the contest.  Thank goodness I can't make myself throw c... 01/11/2012

Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2012 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved.  These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Goshen, New York.  If you would like to use an image please contact me directly.  Thank you for not plagiarizing! 01/07/2012

Every year for the past 10 years or so one of my favorite clients brings me homemade cookies at Christmas.  She is one of the most giving people I know.  This year has been a very busy year for her, and her family has kept her busy with its ups and downs. So when I didn't get cookies this Christmas I never even gave it a second thought.  I would never expect her to do extra work for me.  She works extremely hard and I wish she would take more time for herself. The other day she showed up at my door with a huge tin of homemade cookies for me and she touched my heart.  I want her to know I love her and I am proud to be her friend.   Everyone should have someone in their life like her.  So Arlene this THANK YOU! is for you! 01/05/2012

Eric Cooper & Russel Ray are running a contest with a prize of Corel PaintShop Pro X4.  I have worked with Paint Shop Pro before (but not recently) and it has always stuck in my mind as a program I would love to have.  You have to post a picture for the next few weeks that has an issue or several issues with it and they will pick a "bad" picture as the winner and that person will win the Corel Paintshop Pro.  As most of you know I live up the street from a farm with all kinds of animals.  I took this picture not too long ago and was lucky to get this close and this expression.  However the picture was essentially ruined by the shadow of the barn, the fence and the thick wiring on top.  It was too good of a shot to throw away however.  Now I can enter it into the contest and hope for a w... 01/03/2012

FRUGALDOO   The act of saving money shopping, using your mobile phone Getting the deal you want, when & where you want it!   There are two ways to use Frugaldoo - the text message version or the mobile web version.  For the text message version text to 378425 with a key word.  For example if you use House & Garden you will receive key offers from merchants LOCAL TO YOU for House & Garden items.  Choose any keyword you like using the same text number (378425) and you will receive offers from your local merchants pertaining to the keyword.   Frugaldoo accesses your location with Veriplace Universal Location Service after you give permission so they can send you offers for YOUR AREA. To use the mobile web version just go to frugaldoo.com using your phone's browser.  01/03/2012

New Year's weekend started off with me having a flat tire.  2011 was definitely the year of flat tires.  I had more flats this past year than I have had in over 40 30 20, well a long time!  So I got air into the tire and headed off to Tire Discount Center in Middletown, NY.   It is close to my house, they have great hours and they always do a good job.  Once they find the problem with your tire they plug it up get it back on and you are good to go in minutes!  Cost?  Just a few dollars!  No one else can beat their timing or their price by a longshot.  They have four locations; 2 in Middletown, NY, 1 in Monticello, NY and 1 in Woodridge, NY.  So if you need tires or have a problem with one, Tire Discount Center is the place to go! 01/02/2012

01/01/2012

Photos by Debra Walsh, Copyright © 2011 Debra Walsh. All Rights Reserved.  These photos may not be reproduced, used or transmitted without the express, written permission of Debra Walsh of Keller Williams Realty in Goshen, New York.  If you would like to use an image please contact me directly.  Thank you for not plagiarizing! 12/26/2011