Foster Children - Grants Pass, Oregon Could you have imagined spending Christmas in a shelter or foster home as a child?  I can't, but Bea Ryan of Grants Pass can.  Mrs. Ryan is the founder of "Our Foster Kids" and was a Foster Child herself from the time she was 11 until she "aged" out of the foster care system at 18. Bea was a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation for eleven years before she founded "Our Foster Kids."  Bea's goal is to "zealously and enthusiastically protect the childhood of each Foster Child we touch" by concentrating on some of the unfulfilled needs of Foster Children, and to raise the community's knowledge about the difficulties that Foster Children must take on.  Bea knows well that these children have great potential to become an essential part of our society,... 12/15/2009

Paul Harvey Writes...  We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.  For my grandchildren, I'd like better.I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches.  I hope... I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.  And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister.  And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle ... 12/15/2009

Evergreen Federal Bank & Brady Adams - Grants Pass, Oregon  Grants Pass Santa is at it again! Brady Adams and Evergreen Federal Bank is inviting the public to come into the bank and pin a "promise to do" something on the Christmas tree.  Hand-write it on a piece of paper and attach it to the tree with a clothes pin (furnished). The promise may be complicated or simple, but it should be a promise to do something that will positively affect someone else.  The most simple is a promise someone made to "smile at everyone" they meet. Santa Adams said, "the purpose of the tree is to reflect that our community clearly cares about people." Your promise doesn't need to be signed, and you don't even have to identify yourself.  Just promise to do something that will help others and keep the promise... 12/15/2009

Finding the Perfect Christmas Tree in Oregon's Forest.  The Pacific Northwest offers plenty of tradition during the holidays, like collecting holly, mistletoe, pine cones, and cutting down your own Christmas tree in Oregon's forest.  The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) encourages Oregonians to check with local agencies first before harvesting items from the forest and/or cutting down the perfect Christmas tree. Oregon's forested area of 30.5 million acres - roughly half of the state - is controlled by several different owners.  About 60 percent of Oregon's forests are under federal ownership, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs or other federal agencies.  The State of Oregon owns 3 percent of our state's... 12/13/2009

Recycle and Reuse - Coffee Sleeve Wreath.  This very Simple Coffee Sleeve Wreath is a great way to recycle and reuse your cardboard coffee sleeves to create a unique wreath for the holidays.  Siobhan and Lindsey of Magpie and Cake provide a step by step tutorial on how to create an environmentally friendly wreath from salvaged cardboard coffee sleeves.  If you need some cardboard coffee sleeves, perhaps you might convince your family, friends, co-workers, and even your local coffee house to recycle a few for you for this project.  The coffee sleeve wreath is a fast and easy project to make, and a very green way to reuse an ordinary coffee sleeve!  Enjoy! 12/12/2009

Grants Pass High School - District 7.   Grants Pass High School originally opened in 1885 in a wood building located at Fourth and C Streets.  The first graduating class was in 1888.  The new school was built in 1911 and the English building was added in 1939 with various other additions occurring between 1948 - 1969.  Grants Pass High School has seen a total remodel in recent years and now resembles that of a college campus.  GPHS is a state of the art high school, complete with a Performing Arts Center, which is also used as a convention center and theater for the community.  In addition to the Performing Arts center, GPHS offers the commons, an arts/science building, vocational/technical building, and the new Heater/Newman Gym.  The Competition Gym was constructed with ‘pit' style s... 12/12/2009

Another Grants Pass Southern Oregon Short Sale Approved! This adorable NE Grants Pass cottage was recently remodeled and is move-in ready!  This vintage cutie includes the appliances, natural gas heater, washer & dryer, and ceiling fan.  Newer windows, exterior siding, paint and beautiful custom stamped concrete porch are just a few of the recent upgrades.  RV parking & 16x16 shop.  Walking distance to District 7 Grants Pass High School.  $99,500.  MLS# 52902412 Another Grants Pass Southern Oregon Short Sale Approved! 12/12/2009

O' Christmas Tree The poor Christmas Tree is always getting flack at this time of year.  Even though we recognize it as a symbol of Santa Claus and commercialism, the Christmas Tree gets chased out of malls, schools, public buildings and other places because some religious and non-religious groups take offense to its' presence. I have Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist friends who put Christmas Trees in their homes for the children.  Where else can Santa Claus bring presents to?  Should Santa change his date?As far as I always knew, Christ wasn't born anywhere near December anyway, so why all the fuss? Merry Christmas! 12/12/2009

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas in Southern Oregon! Okay, so it might be a little wishful thinking, but I am hoping for a beautiful white snowy Christmas morning in Grants Pass, Oregon.  Not an impossible dream, considering the weather we have been experiencing in Southern Oregon for the past week.  It's FREEZING!  So, maybe I won't be dreaming when I wake up and see a blanket of white snow on the ground on Christmas morning.  And if I do, I will remember that dreams really do come true! 12/11/2009

Phil Knight - Another Great Duck Another great Duck who has done so much for  the University of Oregon is Phil Knight, owner of Nike, Inc. The University of Oregon opened in 1876 (the year George Armstrong Custer and Wild Bill Hickok met their ends.) Phil Knight  graduated from U of O in 1959 with a B.S. degree and went on to Stanford where he earned an MBA. In 1964, Mr. Knight and his former track coach Bill Bowerman started Blue Ribbon Sports. Their idea was to build a better "track shoe." They did! In 1972 the "Nike" nameplate was formed, named after the Greek goddess of victory.  Phil Knight  and his wife Penny have given millions upon millions to charities and other noble causes, including $100 million to the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, $105 million to Stanford's... 12/11/2009

Pennington Farms - Applegate Valley Oregon.  In a renovated rustic barn on their large berry farm, the Pennington family, of Southern Oregon, work together to produce a wonderful variety of berry jams and "old school" style baked goods, as well as fresh berries in season.  This 90-acre farm and bakery is located in the heart of the beautiful Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon.  Cathy and Sam Pennington moved their family from their Colorado farm in 1994 to the Applegate Valley, just eleven miles south of Grants Pass, Oregon.  Initially, the family planted 7 acres dedicated to berries.  What they ended up with was a harvest beyond measure.  All of the berries are grown herbicide-free, and the baked goods are all made from scratch, using only the freshest ingredients available.  With the... 12/10/2009

Aggressive Or Passive? One always wonders how much is too much when it comes to being an aggressive salesperson, but to not come across as being pushy. Naturally, we must be concerned with coming on "too strong" but also, we need to be concerned with not being strong enough to be convincing. A lot of Realtors have always impressed me with being more laid-back and non-aggressive, but maybe that goes with the territory.  I'll find out as I go. Anyone working in a retail store however, especially just before Christmas, had better be focused and on the ball! My wife and I have decided to purchase a new flat screen T.V.  We stopped at a local big box store last week and pretty much settled on a 46" Samsung model 650 after looking at all of the different makes. Since we live in a small city, ... 12/10/2009

Beaver Builds  Oregon Ducks Home! - Oregon                                        Autzen stadium, the Oregon Ducks home since 1967 was built by a Beaver! Thomas J. Autzen was a well known lumberman, sportsman and philanthropist who created a foundation to build the Oregon Ducks a new home.  He started the 2.5 million dollar foundation with a personal donation of $250,000, which was enormous back then.  The stadium was named for him. Mr. Autzen was an alumnus of Oregon State University.  He donated to the University of Oregon because his son attended U of O in the late 30's and early 40's. The Autzen heirs are still huge supporters of U of O.  I worked for Debbie Autzen's husband, Scott Thomason, (a Portland, Oregon mega car dealer) and Scott even changed his corporate colors on all of h... 12/09/2009

Christmas Decoration Causes Traffic Jam.  I received this funny email today from a friend.  I am sure by now it is has made its rounds on the Internet.  Enjoy! "The good news is, I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations.  The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days.  More people came up to my house screaming than ever before.  Great stories though.  But two things made me take it down.  First, the police advised me that it would cause traffic accidents (even they almost wrecked when they drove by).  Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder against my house and tryed to climb it (almost killing herself), not realizing that it was fake, until she climbed to the top (she was not happy).  By the way, she was one of many people who attempted t... 12/09/2009

Cold Hands, Warm Pipes.  Over the past couple of days, Southern Oregon has seen freezing temperatures down into the teens.  Freezing temperatures present challenges for vacant homes that are listed for sale.  Some short sales listings and bank owned REO properties may have the power turned off, so there is no heat.  If the home has not been properly winterized, this can be disastrous.  Is someone checking your vacant home during the winter months? If you are an absentee owner of a vacant home, or you are a Realtor  who is marketing vacant homes, you may want to regularly check these properties for broken interior and exterior water pipes.  If the power is shut off (but the water is still on), you could turn on a faucet to allow a small trickle of water so the pipes don't freeze.  It's o... 12/08/2009

The Old Time Radio Players - Grants Pass, Oregon The Old Time Radio Players of Grants Pass Oregon are benefiting the Josephine County Food Bank. When I grew up in the 1940's, there were no television sets -- The family gathered around the radio and listened to programs like "Fibber McGee and Molly,"  "Gangbusters," "The Shadow," "Amos and Andy," "Inner Sanctum," and others. Your imagination filled in the scenery and faces, kind of like TV in your mind! For those who wish to reminisce or for those who'd like to see "how it was," The Old Time Radio Players are having their Winter Variety Show featuring "Fibber McGee and Molly." Performances will be December 11, 12 and 13th at the Grants Pass Community Center on the corner of 4th and "L" Street.  Come join The Old Time Radio Players for an... 12/08/2009

DIY - A Growing Trend?  From home improvement projects to filing income tax returns, America is seeing a new generation of do-it-yourselfers (DIY).  Perhaps the renewed interest in do-it-yourself projects surged with the advent of the Internet.  Anyone with access to the web can pull up a "How-to" guide with a few keystrokes in the privacy of their own home or office.  Just a decade ago, that was not the case.  You either bought a book and studied the desired topic or you hired a professional to complete your project.  Oh how the world has changed in just a few short years.  Fast forward to real estate services.  As we all know, the typical DIY in real estate is the For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO).  These folks, for one reason or another, have made a conscious decision to sell their home witho... 12/07/2009

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day As I take time out to remember those who lost their lives on this date in 1941, I wonder how many of us are left who were directly affected by that war. It seems that America is always in a war. On December 7th of 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan, my parents had been married five months and I wasn't due until June of '42.  My father received a deferment until I was born and then he went to war.  I saw him as a total stranger when the war ended in 1945. How many of our young people grow up without their fathers or mothers or are separated through periods of war? Maybe it's time to get the job done that we went to do and stop trying to build democracies in the countries we conquer?  We seem to have lost sight of our goal, and after we win various w... 12/07/2009

Here are the latest Grants Pass, Southern Oregon Real Estate Statistics for November 2009. 1007 - Active Residential Listings 79 - Homes Sold 27 - Listings Pending 134 - Average Days on Market $222,223. - Average Sold Price Statistics provided courtesy of Real Estate Cafe.  Source of information is Southern Oregon MLS - Monthly NAR Statistical Report.  Information herein has not been verified and is not guaranteed. Click Here for more information regarding Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate 12/06/2009

The Grants Pass Oregon Barnstormers Theatre presents; It's A Wonderful Life.  For those of you who don't know, this happens to be one of my favorite Christmas movies.  And for those of you who haven't seen the film, it's a story about a man named George Bailey, whos boyhood dreams of adventure are squelched by his family obligations and civic duty.  When George is feeling like his life has been a waste and the world would be better off without him, an angel appears on the scene to remind George that life is good, and in fact, It's A Wonderful Life!    The Grants Pass Oregon Barnstormers Theatre will feature this wonderful play each weekend, December 4 through December 27. 12/06/2009