Those that know me personally know that I have had a hip problem for a number of years and have just lived with it. Well lately, the pain has been so grueling that I now find myself in the position that I can no longer avoid the inevitable. I have lived with pain for so long that I’m not sure how life will be afterwards but I am looking forward to finding out!
One of the things that I have found is pain has many friends. I recently discovered one friend has had a broken back for several years that has only been recently diagnosed from a MRI that was done in 2003! FYI – it was a local chiropractor at Eastendchiro.com who found the problem when other doctors missed it. It’s the same chiropractor who helped me come to the conclusion that it is time for a hip replacement. Another associate of mine who happens to go to the same chiropractor is having better results for a bad back then he has ever had with anyone else. He told me he is exercising again after five years of not being able to even touch his toes! I guess the message is; if you are living with pain, see somebody because you may not have too.
With the death of Michael Jackson raising the awareness of the dangers of prescription drugs and the fraud that surrounds this issue, there are a couple of things that you can do to help eliminate any of your prescriptions from being abused by someone you know or a stranger. Here are some easy things that anyone can do.
- Keep prescriptions, especially pain medications, locked away or put somewhere that is not easy to get to. Placing them far away from where children can reach them and don’t let everyone know where they are.
- When you have pills left over, DO NOT flush them down the toilet! These medications can get into our water supplies and taint the water. They have done tests and found large doses of medications and hormones in certain places that have affected the wildlife, especially frogs and water fowl. Instead, empty the vials and place the pills, etc in the trash. Peel the labels off the pill bottles and shred them and recycle the plastic or glass bottles the medication came in.
- Shred the labels when you are done but also shred the pharmacy receipt since it also lists the medication, the doctor and your personal information as well. You don’t want anyone to be able to get a hold of all that sensitive info.
It’s up to you to be smart about the situation and keep your records out of the hands that could potentially harm you and your medications away from those who might want to take them from you.
One of the many benefits of living on the lake is being able to share it with friends and family. Today has been that kind of day as over twenty of us met and traveled from our dock to the Gallatin Marina for breakfast. If you have never been to the Gallatin Marina, you are missing a treat! It has one of the best breakfasts on the lake is fun whether you travel by boat or land.
As far as our group goes, we have a wonderful group of friends and business associates that I have met through the BNI Metro Chapter that meets in East Nashville on Tuesday mornings at 7:45 am at the East Nashville Community Center at the corner of Woodland St and 6th St. If you are a apart of a business who would like to get involved with a referral based group, please contact me as I would love to arrange for you to visit our chapter. We do a lot of things together to support our community as well as promote the BNI Chapter and our individual companies and we always strive to make it fun!
If you were to listen to the news you might think that the economy is in a perpetual slump that will not come back for several years. However, I happen to have a friend who is a HR consultant who works with several large HR and corporate entities around the US, Canada and Europe who tells me that the work load she experiences is always about six months ahead of the economy. It was from discussions with her that I got a heads up in 2007 that the economic picture was softening.
In a recent conversation I found out that her workload has increased to the point that she has to turn down work because she cannot get to it. If past experience holds true then the economy should start turning around toward the end of this year into the beginning of the next. That certainly doesn’t mean we are out of the woods and everything will be great overnight but it does give me some hope for better days ahead! I will be watching to see if my friend is a better indicator than the news. Thus far she has been 100% correct in the past 12 years that I have known her.
One of the most important things you should know about a Good Faith Estimate or GFE is that it is an estimate of costs associated with your loan closings as well as your overall monthly payment. Many people look at the payment and the amount they are to bring to closing and nothing else, and though they are both important, it is a mistake not to look at everything.
If you have locked your loan the principle and interest part of your payment should be accurate, however, the overall payment could easily change as the information comes in from the title company as to the actual taxes, homeowners insurance and any association dues that may be a part of the payment. This is why it is called an estimate.
Another misconception is that the charges on the GFE are all from the lender. Though the lender fees are a part of the document, the lender has the responsibility of disclosing all the fees to the buyer whether from third parties like the Title Company or appraisal, or from the state and city government’s stamp taxes and recording fees. The lender has the obligation to give you as all the information so you can make a good decision and see if you can qualify for any given loan.
I know, I know. I have heard all the negative talk about employment figures and its most likely going to get worse before it gets better. However, houses are selling at a very good pace in and around the Nashville and surrounding areas. We are not at the heyday pace that we were and the home prices have leveled and in some places dropped. But did you know that there are also places where prices have risen, if only a little bit. That means that there are some pockets where prices have held and there is a demand from people to buy in those areas.
It’s hard to see a silver lining when the clouds are overhead and at their darkest but I believe if we can just hang on through this, Nashville will be back in full force. We always need great places to live and work and I can’t think of another area as wonderful for both as Middle Tennessee. If you’re ready to buy, it’s a great time but if you aren’t, don’t fret, things will change for the better so hold on until it does.
I think this past year has been really hard on a lot of individuals, families and businesses. We all know it’s been hard on many people financially but what no one talks about is what that financial hardship does to the minds of those who are not only going through it but are close to those going through it.
Every parent wants the best for their children and it’s heartbreaking for a parent to watch their children struggle. It’s also hard for a child to watch a parent or parents who have always been able to make it on their own struggle to pay the bills. For the younger children it is especially difficult as they find themselves the brunt of unintended anger and frustration. That is why it is so important to seek help and advice if you are struggling in any way. Only through open communication and right action can you overcome the feelings that difficult financial situations bring. There are many free or inexpensive options for mental health care. Don’t be afraid to tackle the big issues in your life!
This is the time of year when those tomato plants that you grow on the patio on in the garden start to ripen and your mouth waters just thinking about those ripe juicy tomatoes that only you can grow. If you have ever had a tomato right off the vine, you will never go back to the store bought tomato you buy at a grocery. I have never been able to figure out why they taste so good, I just know they do.
If you are lucky or smart enough to have grown fresh basil along with your tomatoes then you will be enjoying a variety of dishes that are based on the tomato/basil combination. You can find a bunch of these in most Spanish or Italian cookbooks. If you like Mexican food, making a salsa with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, onions and jalapeno peppers for a bit of hot to put over fish to chicken to enchiladas and just about everything you can find. Italian food is so much better with freshly grown, vine ripen tomatoes in red sauce and salads. Start with good food and end up with a masterpiece!
This may sound a little bit crazy but I have known two families that thought they needed an exterior paint job before they put their home on the market to sell and found out that all they needed was a good power wash. There are a couple of things you do need to know before you just go out and rent or buy a power washer and go to town on your house.
The first thing you will need to do is walk around your house and see if there are any places with open areas of peeling paint or areas where the paint has completely worn off. If you have those types of areas, you will most likely need to pain the house. However, if all you see is a lot of dirt and grim, a good wash just might be the ticket to a cleaner and brighter home. The second thing to watch is the power sprayer itself. You will want to stay back a little bit and not pry the boards apart with a high powered spray or peel paint away that shouldn’t be pealed away. In other words, don’t hold the nozzle directly against the wood.
It’s also a great way to clean brick or stone houses as well and can be a wonderful way to spruce up your home for any occasion. Considering the fact that the competition is so great for sales right now, any advantage you can get at a great cost can help.
I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! I am always amazed at how much fun I have with family and friends in and around the holidays. A big part of our activity surrounds games and puzzles. It doesn’t matter what the game is or how many of us are around, we all have a great competitive time with one another. What I have come to realize is the games give us a great way to interact and laugh the evenings away.
We do have several in our group of family and friend that really like to win! They have made it even more fun because of there enthusiasm for the art of the game. You know the maneuvering and skill some people have are simply amazing and I find it fascinating to watch and experience. I hope you have a group of friends and family that you can have as much fun with as I do. If you want to know what they are made of, grab a game and start playing!
