Thought

Of the Month

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What Are You Doing

For Others?’”

- Martin Luther King

April 2010

If your home is currently listed, this is not intended as a solicitation.

This Newsletter Brought to You By:

Joan Boudreau-

Alexander,

REALTOR®, ASR, GRI, SFR

(770) 356-4656

Email:

joan.boudreau@kw.com

Catch Me On The Web At:

www.MyRealtorJoan.com

My Blog is At:

www.JoanRealEstate.com

Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners

2170 Satellite Blvd., Duluth, Ga. 30097 678-775-2600

[ÉÅx fãxxà [ÉÅx Ztéxààx[ÉÅx fãxxà [ÉÅx Ztéxààx[ÉÅx fãxxà [ÉÅx Ztéxààx[ÉÅx fãxxà [ÉÅx Ztéxààx “Crunch, Crunch” Or “Knock, Knock”?

Crunch. Crunch. That was the sound of Joe Markham’s problem. The three-year-old Ger-man Shepherd he’d adopted, Fritz, loved to chew rocks. So much, in fact, that his teeth were one-third their normal size.

In every other way, Fritz was a wonderful and loving companion. But Markham knew the dog’s one bad habit was endangering his health. So Markham, a partner in a motorcycle/auto repair shop, encouraged Fritz to try softer substitutes: radiator hoses and mo-torcycle tires. But the dog didn’t favor either of these items enough for it to become a rock replacement.

One day, Fritz stretched under a workbench, pulled out a part from a car, trotted over to Markham, and dropped the part on Mark-ham’s foot. With this rubber-knobbed gizmo it was love at first bite. Fritz forgot his beloved rocks. His new obsession had cus-tomers asking what kind of toy was making the dog so joyful.

That’s when Markham speculated that if his dog loved this type of rubber so much, other dogs would, too. And so began a long journey of prototypes, rejec-tions, manufacturing woes, ridicule, and late-night commercial slots. But Markham perse-vered because he knew his real customers – the furry, four-legged ones – would prove him right.

Today Markham’s toy, the KONG, has sold 50+ million worldwide, and according to the company’s Web site, “Millions and millions of dogs have con-firmed that KONG is the world’s best dog toy!”

Is that “crunch, crunch” of a problem really the “knock, knock” of opportunity?

- Joan

Take Time For Poetry

Are you a fan of poetry? If your response is, “I don’t know much about it…” then this is the month for you. April is National Poetry Month in the U.S. and Canada, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and the poets themselves band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in our culture.

there’s such breadth, depth and variety in poetry that there really is something for everyone to enjoy and appreciate. Learn more about National Poetry Month at www.poets.org .

Low Interest Rate Home Loans

Southeast Mortgage

Wharton Smith

770-279-0222, Ext. 438

INSIDE THIS ISSUE • The Mighty, Majestic Redwood

• Learn the New Jargon Now

• Featured Listing

• Time to Play Ball !

• Gardening Tips

• Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource (SFR)

ARE YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, &

COLLEAGUES INTERESTED IN

WORLD-CLASS SERVICE?

SEE INSIDE!

Home Sweet Home Gazette Page 2

March Trivia Answer

Question: In honor of March, Women’s

History Month, who was the first woman to

win the Nobel Peace Price for economics?

Answer: Elinor Ostrum (in 2009). Source: nobelprize.org

Congratulations !

Linda McPherson in Norcross is our win-ner. Your name was selected at random from all of the correct quiz entries. Enjoy

your night at the movies!

The Mighty, Majestic Redwood

European Ranch 4 Bdrm, 3 Bath on 3/4 Acre Private Lot next to Lake Lanier in the Sweetwater swim/tennis community. Open

Floor Plan, , READY for MOVE-IN. ALL THIS FOR JUST $299,900.

STILL TIME TO GET IN ON THE $8,000 TAX CREDIT

1963, the National Geographic Society recorded the tallest of all

known trees, a majestic California redwood that stood 367.8 feet.

These trees’ longevity may be partly due to the fact that redwoods are

not vulnerable to disease or insects, and their one-foot-thick bark often

protects them from fires. Even if one is burned or cut down, a redwood

is capable of sprouting a new tree from a burl at the base of its trunk.

Redwoods have been known to live for as long as 2,500 years, but the

average span is 500 to 700 years. Typically, the trees, which have

shallow root systems, are blown down by strong winds.

The Spanish called them “palo colorado” or “red trees” after their red-

dish bark. Early settlers kept their poultry in burnt-out redwoods – the diame-

ter of which could reach 20 feet – and called such trees “goose pens.” The

first railroads in California were laid on redwood ties, and today California

wines are kept in redwood vats to preserve the flavor of the grapes. Learn

more about these fascinating giants and the Redwood National and State

Parks at http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm.

Some of the most creative thinking in the workplace comes from the desire to avoid saying

what we really mean. Check out these innovative euphemisms for typical workplace antics:

Blamestorm: A discussion centered around finding an excuse – or a scapegoat – for failure.

Data transport system: A briefcase.

Ohnosecond: The fraction of a moment between hitting “send” and realizing you’ve just sent an embarrassing email to everyone in your organization.

Percussive maintenance: Hitting a computer or other electronic device in an attempt to get

it to work.

Free Reports!

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Learn The New Jargon Now

Page 3

Gardening Tips for April

Home Sweet Home Gazette

Time To Play Ball!

Presenteeism: The opposite of absenteeism; an obsession with being visible at work regardless of how productive you are.

Run it up the flagpole: Hoping someone with real authority will give you permission to do something if you ask po-litely.

Stress puppy: Someone who thrives on pressure.

Vulcan nerve pinch: The awkward hand stretch needed to reach all the keys necessary for certain computer com-mands.

Xerox subsidy: Using the office photocopier for personal reasons.

• It is safe to plant tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in your garden now that the soil is warm.

Mulch tomatoes immediately after planting to prevent early blight fungus from splashing

from the soil onto the leaves.

• Plant Easter lilies outdoors after removing their faded blooms.

• "Flowering Annuals for Georgia Gardens" is a free booklet available at your local Extension

Service office. Call 1-800-ASKUGA-1 to get local office phone numbers.

• Plant the seeds of annual flowers such as marigold, cosmos, zinnia and celosia. Mix lots of

soil conditioner in beds to help them be drought tolerant.

• Look for aphids clustered at the tips of fast-growing crape myrtle branches. Blast them off

with a water hose and give a ground-dwelling spider a nice lunch.

Source: Month-By-Month Gardening in Georgia, Walter Reeves

It’s time to play ball! As a salute to the start of baseball season, here are some quotations to remind us why we love this game:

That’s the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses, or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball. – Bill Veeck, 1976

A critic once characterized baseball as six minutes of action crammed into two-and-one-half hours. – Ray Fitzgerald, 1970

A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings. – Earl Wilson

I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. – Roger Hornsby

Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can’t get you off. – Bill Veeck

Sandy’s fastball was so fast, some batters would start to swing as he was on his way to the mound. – Jim Murray, on Sandy Koufax

You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time. – Jim Bouton, Ball Four, 1970

April

Trivia Question What is another name

for an apiarist?

Everyone who emails or calls in the

correct answer by the last day of this

month will be entered into a drawing

for $25.00 Gift Certificate to Lowe’s!

2170 Satellite Blvd., Suite 195

Duluth, Georgia 30097

Joan Boudreau-Alexander

REALTOR®, GRI, ASR, SFR

“You Make It Home;

I Make It Happen”

Direct: 770-356-4656

Fax: 770-200-2682

Email: joan.boudreau@kw.com

Web: www.MyRealtorJoan.com

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STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 32

SUWANEE, GA.

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Recycle This Newsletter!

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recycle it by passing it along to your

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Help a Family Member, Friend, or Neighbor In Need

I have added another specialty to my real estate business. In light of what is going on in our economy and in the local housing market and with so many people facing foreclosure or finding themselves upside down in their mortgages, I have taken special training on helping homeown-ers in distress.

According to statistics, one of the biggest problems is that most people do not know of their options if they are facing a financial difficulty. One of the issues I’ve been trained in is explaining those strategies to the homeowners so they can make the best decision for their future.

If you know of anyone who may need some help, please give me a call. I assure you I will give them the finest professional service available and confidentiality.

When it comes to having a financial difficulty paying your mort-gage, please KNOW that the advice you are given should al-

ways be initially FREE. You should never pay someone who says they can do a “loan modifica-tion” for you for just $2,000. There are just way too many scams out there. Please be careful. I want you to save more money so I can help you make your dreams come true. - Joan