Johns report is in..........

Dear Family and Friends,
Once again we have the high honor of welcoming the weekend and God's Sabbath, a rest from the race we call life.
When I returned this evening from a property in Patterson I found the following email from Karen re: John's Bladder Cancer

Well, the wait is over!! After waiting a month for surgery – then waiting since Tuesday to hear the pathology report on John’s bladder cancer, his doctor called late this afternoon to say he had the report in his hand and after reading it was both relieved and disappointed.

Bladder cancer comes in one form but is presented on a scale from low invasiveness to high invasiveness. Because John is so “unique” he didn’t do the “normal” of landing on either end of the spectrum! Instead, he is what the doctor calls “superficially invasive” carcinoma. According to the “Final Diagnosis” in the Pathology Report (for you medical types):

“Papillary urothelial carcinoma, predominantly low-grade with focal areas of high-grade with probable invasion of lamina propria, muscular invasion not demonstrated.”

So what does this mean for our future? That John will be going through a variety of treatments over the next year or more with continual prayer that the threat of more cancer returning never happens! The recommended treatment has a “success” rate of about 85% - so we’re thankful that medicine has continued to stretch, test, evaluate and improve!! I’m sure there will be some lesson for life in all this – but that will have to wait while we work our way through the next year or more.

Our dear friend and former president, Jim Brauer, reminded us a short time ago of Isaiah 41:10,

“Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

God has us covered and we are SO thrilled that this disease did not go deeper – that medicine is advancing daily toward new and great discoveries and treatments! Is it as good as we’d hoped? No – but it is treatable and we’re good with that! So, as Sabbath begins, our hearts are relieved to at least know what we’re up against, and that the worst case scenario did not play out! Now that’s reason to praise God!! J

Karen Cress (and John)

So the news is mixed but could be worse like Karen says. John will need our prayerful support as days turn into months. He will face tests, treatments and a renewed sense of the fragility of life. This is a precious person who Jesus loves and who loves people with all his heart. Once again a good one is struck in a totally unfair manner and we have to accept and cope with it.

My day went well. I rose early to write a driveby in Brentwood, emailed it out and then drove to Brentwood to pick up the check. Then I drove directly to Modesto to perform yet another driveby of a nice little house in a quiet neighborhood. As I was heading home Lois called to let me know that an email had come in with an order. She stuck with it until she was able to reply and accept the order. When I came home I called, got an appointment and then after writing another appraisal this afternoon drove to Patterson and conducted another appraisal. The house was perfect and selling for just $145,000. This is mind boggling since 2 years ago it was over $400,000. This is a 1800 sf house with granite kitchen, perfect carpet and paint, nice floor plan and a corner lot. When will this declining value plague cease? At least I was able to notice in the appraisals I wrote today that nearly 100% of the sales I dealt with sold for prices well above the list prices, that is the first indication of a rising market, that and the end of the REOs will mean things are really turning around.

I was able to deposit $1,000 this afternoon which came in yesterday and today. No money has come in the mail for days so I expect some soon. I certainly hope so.

Now it is time to let the stress and strain of living in 2009 rest for a few hours. In the morning I have the privilege of taking Keanna to Sabbath School and since Sylvia is in town and will probably be helping with Sabbath School it will be a real win win.

I spoke at length this evening with my brother Jerry and his update on Suzie was heart breaking. Through an unbelievable set of events with a very uncaring oncologist and a state run health system Suzie has resigned herself to letting nature take its course. Since having Chemo was considered elective for Suzie per the doctor they ask her to put up a large amount of money before chemo could be given. Since she has no money that option basically negated her getting chemo at all. Mind you this is not some mean insurance company, no this is the state run system which she is relegated to. All care was to be directed from a physician located 150 miles from her and she had to make repeated trips there. She was told he would give her so many pain pills for the month, if she took them too fast then that was her tough luck. All of this non care was just too much so this afternoon Hospice was invited in. The lady who visited made a wonderful impression and set everyone at ease. Suzie is comfortable with her decision and feels she will get the support she needs. With Hospice involved she will get the pain control she needs, any transport to the hospital or medical care will be arranged through them, she will have support from both counseling and medical arms of Hospice.

I have decided that I will make a trip up to see her soon. I admire her courage in all of this and want to show my support to her journey. Her mother and sisters are lending incredible support and comfort and she is in the right place for this time in her life.

Here is hoping that your weekend, together time brings you great joy and peace.

love to all

Tim

The Lord is moving

Dear Family and Friends,
This day has brought pleasant surprises financially. I started the day praying over and over about the house payment and orders for appraisals. One name came to mind, a local accountant that in the past has sometimes ordered appraisals for date of death values for estate purposes. As I was lying away this morning at 3 am his name came to mind. Having not heard from him in a couple months I wondered if I had done or not done something to meet his needs. As I worked this morning my cell phone rang. Thinking it was another bill collector I checked the number as I answered, it was not an 800 number but a local one. Well it was Dale and he mentioned that he needed an appraisal for a client and that they would pay me on the spot. Well that was certainly a lift so I went to the garage and recycled some old files by dumping their contents in the trash, turning the folder inside out in preparation for its reuse. Then I came in to set up the file. Before many minutes had passed an email came in from a local friend and broker with an order for a FHA purchase in nearby Antioch. The email mentioned that I could pick up the check this evening. Well now I really started to perk up, all week no orders and now 2 in a row. Soon the phone rang again and it was Dale telling me to be ready for a phone call from a new client who needed an appraisal. In a few minutes it rang and the third order of the day was placed and yes I could come by this evening to pick up a check. The total for the three came to $1,100 which goes a long ways toward paying a house payment. I sort of walked on air the rest of the day and this evening instead of attending the ACN meeting as planned I did two of the three appraisal inspections, picked up some fruit for a fruit salad and came home. What a lift to see 3 orders in a 2 hour period of time.
Tomorrow morning I'll pick up the last of the three checks, get them deposited in the bank and hope that more will come in the mail.
I also conducted a tiny fact finding mission. I checked to see where my orders for this year stood in comparison to last year on this date. It was August 13, 2008 when I arrived at order 203 for the year so I'm slightly ahead of last years business. Now if I can find a way to break open the doors to the management companies and begin to access some orders things would seen a lot better.
Thank you for your prayers and thank God once again for His help with the real day by day challenges we all face.

Love to all

tim

I'm back to the group, John recovers in Denver, Keanna brightens my day!

Dear Friends and Family,
You know I've had better days and of course much worse ones too. I'm on this course right now that really takes a lot of discipline to stick with things. Tonight at group one man spoke up, he knew everything about the current appraisal crisis and explained it better than I could. I think the word is getting around in our country, just how badly it is hurting transactions everywhere. A contact is raising the possibility of some drivebys next week. That would be great. Pray that it will happen.
This morning with Ken locked into an early morning meeting and unable to walk I had a decision, sleep in or walk, well I'm listening to this great book, Younger Next Year and one of the three bedrock assumptions is exercise for at least an hour 6 days a week for the rest of your life. How could I miss the walk? So I climbed out on time, walked my three miles alone, no problem, says lots of cute ladies out walking (helps) and then came home to shower and begin work.
At 12:45 I picked up Keanna and we hit the McDonalds and then drove back home where she watched a Dora movie Lois had copied for her. During the afternoon she asked for and received a bag of popcorn, 2 jello cups, a bottle of water and crackers. She was delight and took turns either yelling at Starr or loving her as the dog tried her hardest to get to the food that was so nearby. It is so much fun and life affirming to interact with this bright and witty 6 year old, to see her in action playing with her dogs, creating envelopes with paper and staples, writing out words and constantly creating joy and surprising me with her insights.
After Nikki left with her precious cargo and I waved to them as they drove away I came back in and finalized my earlier decision to attend the grief group tonight. I am so glad I did. Unlike some sessions which I found ineffective tonight's sharing was filled with insights and gems, ideas that will live long in my thinking. It was all guys tonight and the things we discuss really only work if you have recently lost a spouse. There is so much common ground between us and as one of us speaks, sharing our hearts concerns others learn, are effected and gain insights. This group is made up of men who decided to stay and care rather than leave when our spouses needed us the most so we share that common bond. All of us had strong spouses who were heavily involved in the day by day living in our marriages and we are all floundering a bit as we adjust to the breakup in our teams, we have all lost the best part of the team. Some of the group have been able to get away and rebuild while others of us have needed to stay put and learn first hand how to cope with everything.
For me right now I'm missing the stability and strength that Nan brought to our marriage. She was not blown away by misfortune nor did she rise to the rafters with euphoria over good news. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground and she was practical. I'm not sure how she would have dealt with the loss of income and the shortage of work I now face but I know she would have helped us get through in some manner. She was always there making good things happen. Well now its up to me to decide what to do next on my own using the insights I learned from the 36 years with her to guide me now day by day. Not an easy thing to master. So once again I miss her.
So my friends and family, take a moment to reach out, touch the one God has placed beside you and treasure the moment of having them there. Do it, don't plan to do it or think about doing it, do it, make the effort so later your regrets will be few, your memories more rich.

love to all,

Tim
ps This evening I received an email from Karen re: Johns surgery and subsequent recovery. Basically he did very well with the ultra modern surgery, he is recovering at home and they must wait a few days to discover the type and severity of the cancer he has, then they will be able to move forward with a treatment regimen and a full recovery! Right!

Slow trip to Foresthill with safe return

Dear Ones,

Dr. George Miller just called to give an update on John's surgery. He is home and pretty comfortable. Surgery went as planned. Thank you all for your prayers in John's behalf.

This morning after I walked with Ken I did some final prep and left for Foresthill, a small area of development above Auburn off Highway 80. My GPS said slightly over 2 hours but the trip ended up being much longer. Traffic moved well until a few miles below Sacramento. For an hour I inched forward at no more than 5 miles per hour with frequent stops. Finally I reached the epicenter of the problem. An older motorhome had crashed into the back of a semi loaded with cans for canning season. Glass littered the highway in every direction and the motorhome was down in the ditch with its entire front destroyed. The car it was towing was jammed beneath the motorhome and had it lifted in the air. Of course when I passed the scene then traffic returned to 70 miles per hour. Oh how I love lookie loos, a whole lot of hours were wasted as everyone had to slow to take a look. I snapped a photo as I drove by but the photo is a bit blurred because I was speeding up as traffic was finally moving again.

Shortly after leaving Highway 80 I encountered the Foresthill bridge. This narrow bridge is straight across the deep ravine and a sign at the side of the road points out that this is the highest bridge in all of California, 750 feet to the floor of the canyon. Well I'm not wild about heights, you know the top of the former world trade center in New York where clouds were passing BELOW you as you looked over the side, the Space Needle in Seattle with its constant slight movements in the wind, not wild about heights and so I just kept my eyes fixed down the middle of the road and drove steady until I reached the other side. I have included a photo the moment for your nervous pleasure.

Once I arrived at the property I was to appraise I felt immediately at ease. This gracious 80+ year old lady had dressed for the occasion and was waiting with her over fed but very friendly lab. So I enjoyed the next hour measuring and photographing her home. It sits in the woods on an acre and has a quiet and peaceful setting. She had glorious music playing by the Jackie Gleason orchestra and is resounded throughout the home. Further conversation revealed that just a year ago she lost her husband from a long running heart illness, that her only daughter lives in Philly and she is still recovering. Photos on the wall recounted a much younger time and they made a stunning couple. We shares thoughts about survival after losing someone we cared about with our whole hearts and parted as friends.

As I was beginning to fade with lowering blood sugar I followed her directions to the only deli in town and had a nice sandwich. Revived I then set the GPS for all the comps and wandered around through the little roads until I had shot all of them. Then it was time to set the GPS for home. This time there were few traffic slowdowns and I made good time coming home. I enjoyed listening to Glen Beck on XM and then a couple old time radio show replays on XM as well. I arrived home hoping that the mailman had smiled on me, that was not to be the case today. As I checked the box there was just one card taunting me to take a cruise somewhere. Not just now I thought.

I sat down in the office and began to print out something from the Internet and the printer failed, then I checked my emails and discovered a new order had come in but when I checked in the order had already been taken by someone else. In 20 minutes my already waining spirits were totally deflated. Only a friendly IM message from Lois and Ray offered relief, cheese pizza and desert. Of course I said not but later when they said it was ready I jumped at the chance for a change in fortunes. We ate on the back deck with breezes wafting over us and good food and friendly conversation. Lois had finally been able to see the right doctor today, had a shot in her knee and finally a plan to help it feel better, that was good news as it has hurt for weeks after a fall.

This evening Jason called to report on Timothy's swimming lessons, he is enjoying them and to let me know he had spoken to Karen about John's surgery. They the world traveler Sylvia called with a brief report from her most recent mission trip. I firmly believe she is glad to be back and in her own bed for a few days before she hits the road again! Nice to know she is safe and sound with even more exciting mission stories to share.

Now I'm heading to bed. In the morning I'll help with the girls and get Keanna to her second day of school. Fun stuff.

So for now good night and God bless. I am thankful for a safe trip today. Every time I reach my own garage after one of these long trips I express my thanks to God for yet another safe and productive day.

Love to all

tim

Monday monday

Dear Family and Friends,
10:10 and Ray is watching the Batchlorette show I put on DVR earlier this evening. This morning I went to be with the kidos at 7:45. Kallie was up and charging about playing, smiling, sipping from her bottle, munching on a banana and mostly playing. Later Keanna rose and after breakfast we drove to the sitters where Kallie joined their happy day. Keanna and I came home and said goodbye to Art and Connie who were just leaving and then we headed to the park. She had brought her bike and she rode to the park, played on the monkey bars which totally scared me, rode to the other playground in the park and then back, sipping her water, munching on cheerios and a couple strawberries. Finally I peeled her away from the park and we returned home where we got her reluctant VSmile game to finally work and she played for a long time.
At noon I made her lunch and we ate. She watched a favorite movie about a fairy princess and then her mom arrived. This afternoon was meet and greet at the school and Keanna had her reservations about the whole thing. She is concerned about meeting so many new kids, her new teacher and the prospect of 1st GRADE. We talked a lot about things.
When I dropped her off I drove into Brentwood, turned in the old battery, drove to Home Depot and returned the parts I did not use for the new RV plug in and then drove back home.
Later I asked Ray and Lois if they wanted to go to Stockton with me to do a driveby appraisal and have dinner at Spaghetti Factory. Lois was not up to it but Ray went and he introduced me to a store I had never heard of, a store made in heaven with every tool and device a guy could ever want or need. It was wonderful and I just walked the isles in disbelief. Then we made a quick stop at CostCo and ended up at Spaghetti Factory to enjoy a meal of whole wheat pasta and salad. It was great.
Tomorrow is dedicated to a trip to Foresthill to do an appraisal and then drive back home. Should be a lot of fun! I am praying often that God will send orders, so far none but the week is young.

So I'm sending out good vibes to Lois for her appointment tomorrow with the expert on her knee problems and to John and Karen in Denver as John heads into surgery. They both need our prayers. How I wish I could be there in the waiting room with Karen to support her but I know she will be supported by two very wonderful young people, Jennifer and Tim.

love to all

Tim

A quiet evening

Dear Family and Friends,
Its about bed time but this has been a productive day. Art joined Ken and me in our daily walk around the lake this morning. Although he says we walk slow I think he still enjoyed the walk in the cool morning air. When we arrived back home Connie was up and around and we talked for a few minutes. A couple people have let me know I was not clear as to the length of their camper yesterday. What I meant to say was that the total length of trailer and truck was about 50 feet long, actually Art says it is more like 46 but that would still be rather tough to parallel park it seems.
Art and I sat on the back deck and watched the water fowl and observed the gentle breezes wafting over the lake. Then he and Connie left to spend time with Connie's mom in Tracy. This afternoon they spend with Ron and Lydia and friends.
I settled down to work knowing I had a couple that needed to be in lender hands and this evening I'm very happy to report they are both delivered. Neither one was easy but with enough time most problems can be solved and the reports completed. Rushing does not work, actually rushing nearly anything usually ends up with poor results!
I've really been thinking about my options and it seems pretty clear I need to consider doing more than waiting for the appraisal world to come to its senses. So I'm really looking forward to ACN and to seeing what is possible if I give it some attention and hard work. I think I remember how to do that!
How was your weekend? This evening has stayed very warm here, it is not cooling down like normal, bummer, the bedroom is going to be very hot since to save money I don't leave the AC on there. Oh well, another night without a sheet, that really confuses Starr, she likes to climb under the covers and she paces looking for an opening. Sort of cute except at that hour not so much.
I think we really need to unite our prayers for John and Karen as they face his surgery this week. It is never fun facing surgery yet it is so important that it be done. While we won't be able to communicate directly with them, there are just too many of us out here and we would overwhelm them we will hear through channels how things are going. How I wish I could be in the waiting room, people have been there with our family so many times and what a different it makes to not wait alone. You see I've waited alone as well, the worst surgery, the longest and most critical was in Boston and I was alone all day and all night, talk about getting things straight in ones mind. All that matters is the reports that come from surgery and then the recovery followed by the intensive care unit. Many of you joined in prayer that night that Nan would make it through the night, that the massive bleeding would slow and that she would live to see a new day. As the morning hours approached the word began to come from intensive care that the streams of blood leaking out were less and less and she was beginning to hold her blood pressure. Both batteries on our cell phones were dead from calls to friends and family. It was the longest night in my life. Oh yes I know waiting rooms.
John is a good man, Karen a good woman and ultimately they are in God's hands.
So good night my friends and family. Life chugs forward and of course my personal challenge this week is to find the funds to cover the house payment!
Sending love to all,

Tim

Art and Connie come to town

Dear Family and Friends,
Tonight there is a beautiful 5Th wheel trailer in my driveway. It is hooked up to a new 30 amp dedicated breaker that I just finished. I had help from neighbors on both sides and it felt good to have that kind of caring and advice from friends.
Art and Connie arrived about lunch time, just about the time I was beginning to consider eating. I had thought Red Robin for a garden burger but instead they asked for instructions to a nice little Mexican place in Brentwood where we have all eaten before. So I met them there and they had found a safe place to park their traveling rig which is nearly 50 feet long. We had a very nice lunch, I really like it when a place will use whole beans in a burrito. Then we came home and Art and Connie backed the trailer in perfectly and set it up. We hooked up water and electrical power and turned it on. Wow it worked, even running their AC which of course was the whole purpose of the dedicated line. I'm thinking of other uses for the plug, Christmas tree lights, electric edger, power tools for the side dog run area etc.
This morning I caught some of the worship hour at Loma Linda, as usual very thoughtful and inspiring and then this evening I caught their vesper hour which had some outstanding music, then I switched channels to find an organ concert at Andrews which was incredible.
I'm really trying to fix more substantial things to eat so my body is full instead of being constantly hungry. This evening I did Lima Beans in the microwave and some meal starter vegi burger in the fry pan. This time I broke an egg into the burger as it was simmering and a little soy sauce, wow was that good. Then I cut up two fresh tomatoes from Steve's garden and added some low fat cottage cheese for a very tasty meal. For drinking I had a bottle of green tea. Less any of you think I am starving well I'm not, I just rely on quick fixes too much, bread with peanut butter is not a whole meal yet many times that is what I end up eating.
This evening I've been enjoying the DVR which friends and family have taught me to use. I was watching CSI New York. I really enjoy the main guy in that show. Gary someone. He is very bullish on the troops and does a lot to raise money for their kids and in the show he really plays a believable role.
Tomorrow is Ray's birthday. He is my neighbor and friend and this afternoon many of his family have come to visit and enjoy time on the back deck. It is so great to see them have fun, Ray works so hard on very hot days when I wish he could just relax and retire so its good to see he and Lois have so much fun with kids and their friends.
I'm feeling much better and am just starting a book that I purchased from someone on the net. It is a book about discipline and I'm fully persuaded that I need discipline more than anything else in my life. I have so many blessings and opportunities before me and I just really need to get it together figure out what I want and then do it. I'm suddenly realizing that I've let ACN just go by the wayside. I'm totally sold on the products the company offers and I believe with hard work I can make a success of it. For example how would you like to be able to have your own video phone in your home? You pick up the phone and call your family any place in the world and if they have a video phone you can both talk and see each other. Now that is special and the nice thing is since it uses VOP your calls have no long distance charges. You can even leave video messages for others who have video phones. yes it costs something to get started but after that the cost of the phone the monthly charge is about $30 which is probably less than your land line costs right now and it has tons of features. For example you can set it to blast, meaning when the phone rights you can set it to call forward to several phones at the same time so no matter where you are you get the call. You can also set it to send a email message to your email account telling you about the message and even reads out a phone number. For those of you with grandchildren it is a super way to see what they are doing in school on a daily basis or keep a relationship strong. One can even carry the video phone in the suitcase and then plug it into any hotel high speed Internet and it thinks you are at home no matter where you are in the world and you have phone service. In addition I can offer cell service on any of the carriers, cheaper phones than at the dealer, ADP alarm systems, regular land line phone service for fax machines and such. And what we offer is growing. The only way to really know what ACN is about is to come to a meeting at the Hilton in Concord on Thursday nights and see it first hand. Hundreds of people gather to network and learn more of how to communicate good news to others and to make a living as well.
All of this makes good sense, I have a video phone line, a VOP business line, Direct TV and my fax line all through ACN now.
Well here hoping you have a great night and a good Sunday. My cell is 925 998 9855 so I can answer any questions regarding services. Its a super way to save money personally and also a great way to build your own business for the future.

Sending love to one and all,

Tim

Finally over

Dear Family and Friends,
As this week winds up I've got to say its been mostly a bore. Except for a time when I got to see each of the kidos this week and yes their parents too, well lets just say the week was unproductive for me. I'm feeling progressively rougher in spite of dumping a couple pounds.
I had a whopping two orders for the week and as government and industry forces trade comments and concerns many of us in the appraisal and loan industries watch our worlds contract at an amazing pace. I've never known a time when any concerns about quality or experience are thrown aside and quick turn and low prices have become the bottom line and this is progress, progress to what? chaos perhaps.
My personal health is at a low point. I spent several hours today debating whether I was experiencing heart issues but it turns out I was just very low on food. Once I was able to collect my thoughts enough to actually go to the kitchen and quickly microwave some veges and mix them with some vege meat meal starter I prepared in a fry pan with some olive oil and soy sauce, within a few minutes of beginning to eat my outlook improved notably and I was able to function better. Tiring of pushing paper back and forth I ventured out to tackle 4 goals, find a good quality battery for the van, find the right breaker for a new 30 amp line to plug an RV into, check up on meds and purchase some groceries. The battery came first and as of this evening it is installed, thanks for the help Ken, my meds were not renewed yet but Sandy, my favorite pharmacist gave me enough for the weekend and I arrived at the door of the electrical equipment store at 5:01 and found the door locked. I looked through the door with a pleading face and was let in, allowed to purchase the breaker and then ushered out. Since I was in Antioch I decided to try WinCo Foods for my grocery shopping. Aside from feeling I was shopping in a Greyhound Bus terminal I found good prices, decent selections and I swear for my $58 I got groceries that would have cost $75 at Safeway.
I came home and using the swifter tackled a couple spots in the kitchen that were sticky and disgusting. I also discovered that while I was out I missed my three favorite girls who had come by to say HI. That part made me sad. I can never see them enough.
Tomorrow evening I'm expecting Art and Connie to arrive pulling their 5th wheel which has served as their home for the past month. They will be here a couple days and then move on down the road. Then sometime next week Marilyn is rumored to be arriving.
So for now I wish each of you a great weekend, one with love and caring, time spent touching and listening. I'm starting to listen to Younger Next Year. Lois was kind enough to figure out how to download it after I purchased the book through Amazon. I have listened to it before courtesy of Rick, loved it then, desperately need it now.

love to all

Tim

Carol gets good news, Marilyn is on her way, Visitors coming

Dear Family and Friends,
Today was a different kind of day. It started with the alarm making its awful noise, moved forward with a chilly walk with Ken around the lake, then to the shower where the kind scales confirmed I've lost 2.5 lbs this week. This is no small accomplishment considering how I've been pretty bad a couple times with would you believe it, onion potato chips of all things. Last night was pretty awful with very little sleep, I just was not sleepy so the hours drug by. After breakfast of oatmeal and stripples I drove over to care for Kallie while Steve took care of his landscape business. What a hot day to have to wade through lawn after lawn. Miss Kallie decided that she did not want to take a nap after her play time. She made cooing noises and played with her toys for over an hour in her bed. Finally I went up and rescued her, diaper was still dry. She came down and played some more. She is so cute and she roams from the kitchen where she opens drawers and plays with tupperware, checks out the dog dish, she knows she is not to eat the food but forgets sometimes, she tries to close my laptop while I am typing and mostly just smiles and plays her games. Finally I decided that she did need her nap so I took her back up and a few minutes later Steve came home. I thought she had fallen asleep but he reports she never did nap.
As I left he provided me with dozens of wonderful tomatoes. He says no one there really likes them but he loves to grow them, oh they are good, so good.
I left and came home to regroup, invited Lois to ride along with me to do a construction inspection in south Tracy and then worked my way back home via CostCo for soy milk that lasts for a year! Then a stop at Petco for much needed dog food, then to Home Depot to pick up a few wiring items to create a dedicated plug which will provide power to Art and Connie's 5th wheel when they come to visit on Sabbath afternoon and then finally home. When I arrived home I found a single envelope in the box, yes, it was a check. That will help a lot toward the house payment.
Now I'm heading to bed.
Bob wrote to the blog today to report wonderful findings. Carols new test numbers are in and they indicate that she will NOT have to move back to chemo for a while longer. She is our miracle girl and we love her so much. I know Bob is very very happy to have her home for as much as he loves his freedom even more he loves to have Carol right there with him.
Marilyn wrote tonight that things are coming together for her and that she will most likely arrive next Monday or soon thereafter. Talk about great news. How I love guests, family, friends. I love them as much as I despise being alone. Have you ever noticed that the people who tend to go on about loving to be alone are ones that aren't alone, just an observation. Sort of like the best parenting experts are people who have not had their first child yet. Being alone for a short period of time is refreshing, cleansing but once you have had the good life of being with a true caring adult for many years then being alone is just that, alone, a partial person, a partial life.
This week has had some rough spots and I just want to mention again how precious and caring my kids are, in a time when I often hear about parents and kids being estranged I treasure the advice and concern of my kids very very much. In that way I am very rich and blessed. I know you feel the same for your kids.
So now its off to bed and tonight I plan to sleep and do so until I wake naturally, no walk tomorrow, just roll out and go to work on writing rebuttals, appraisals and trying once again to find new clients.
Good night all

Tim

Keanna brings a bright spot to a grinding day.

Dear Family and Friends,
Its 9:25 and once again I'm pretty tired and a bit discouraged. Imagine what it would be like to have a business and then someone turned your phone line off, that is exactly what I am experiencing now. No business calls all day, one order so far for the week, one check has come in. This is the change that government has brought me personally, thanks so much!
I am hard pressed to think of anything that government does well for the individual. Appraisers are the victim at the present of a meddling attempt to solve a non existing problem and everyone who is buying a home, working as a loan officer, appraiser, title company is getting hit with the bad results. Yesterday I received a very nice email from a seller of a home. I inspected the home as a FHA appraiser, was able to have conversations with her about the many improvements she had done on the house, looked through her scrapbook of before and after photos and completed the appraisal with all the information she provided as background for the report. If this appraisal report had been ordered through a management company I would have been forbidden to even have a conversation with her about her property and I would not have been given enough time to do a fair job. She was thanking me for going the extra mile, for including so many extra photos and for searching until I found comparables that were really like her home. She listed the property for a higher price than others had been selling for but she did it because she had replaced nearly everything in the home creating a beautiful place to live in the process. It was nice to be thanked for doing a good job.
Last evening and this morning I worked on a rebuttal to a review that was done on a property in Newark. The review contained so many mistakes it was hard to know where to start. For example she took the entire city of Newark and found that values had dropped for the city 22.7%. Yet my report contained the data showing that for the specific market area surrounding the subject property the values had dropped 9%. She wanted to know why I had not commented on freeway traffic since there were freeways in the area. All she would have had to do was take a quick look at the enclosed map to discover the subject was not near the freeways and had no traffic noise. Her review had page after page of computer generated numbers with no meaning whatsoever. Her suggested comps were much further away from the subject than mine yet she called me on the carpet for using distant comps. I hope and pray that justice will be done and that the underwriter will take a second look at my report and the review and see who has the most reliable story to tell. So I spent 5 hours and can't charge one penny for the time spent since rebuttals are done for free.
I honestly do not know what the future homes but tonight things seem bleak, nearly hopeless. Sorry to be that blunt but I think that's where I am at right now. Tomorrow afternoon I'll drive to Tracy to inspect a property for a construction loan. I'll only get to charge $50 for two hours work and so far they have not paid me for the 4 prior times I've been there.
Tomorrow I'll get a change of pace. I'm going to take care of Kallie at 9:30 so Steve can mow lawns. Keanna will be at her tumbling camp session so it will just be kallie and me. I love to watch her in action and then at 10:30 or so she will go down for her nap and I'll have some time to work. What a total blessing the kidos are. I got to see Timothy on Sunday evening, this afternoon I picked up Keanna from tumbling camp and then we visited McDonalds for some early dinner before I returned her to her mother. She was tired from the long days activities. What a sweet heart.
Well at this point I'm giving up on this day. I need to do groceries but I really hate to spend the money with a house payment looming in the next week. How tiring it gets to live at the edge all the time.
love to all,

Tim

sitting still, creating appraisal masterpieces!

Well one can hope at least. Ken and I walked this morning in the cool morning air and by the time I was home I was starting to fade. I had my breakfast and shower and then did a local appraisal, came home, prepared a deposit slip and headed to the bank to make a much needed deposit. Then back home to work. All morning I just kept nodding off and I wasted several hours in less than full production. Finally I woke and wrote two appraisals, the one I had seen this morning and and the one from last night in Patterson. Then I started work on a review of an appraisal in the south bay. I've been thinking about how to respond for several days and now I'm working on it. Poor reviewers get a black and white poor quality copy of the appraisal, sometimes not even all the pages and then they are supposed to decide in a few minutes if it is accurate or not. Well I think they should have done a bit more work on their end before lowering the boom on my report. Having just gotten word that the response to the review for Bethel Island was accepted and the value restored I'm getting more courage.
Just a little update on Direct TV. For some reason I called them again today and was amazed at the totally different answer. The lady said, of course we can put it on hold for several months, we do it all the time, a totally different answer than the lady yesterday. Same company, 180 degree different answer. So I put the extra receiver on hold for a few months. Nice to win.
Right now I'm heading to bed. I'm sort of tired of sitting here in this chair, dogs are resting at my feet like they have all day and I think the super heated air outside is finally cooling down.

Life is good, rough and tough but good and I'm thankful for many things, people, experiences.

love

Tim

A very long day

Dear Family and Friends,
I've been thinking of many of you today as I spent hours in the car driving. Ken and I walked this morning and then I put some finishing touches on an appraisal and emailed it out. Then it was time to leave for Pleasant Hill to see a very nice home with about 9 little dogs yapping and falling over each other. Then it was on to Oakland to see a little house mounted on the side of a hill and in the process of measuring the back park I brushed against a bush with thorns and suddenly I was bleeding all over. I truly have thin skin these days. I finally got most of the bleeding stopped but the nice lady who is about 100 years old put a band aid on the last leaking puncture. After finishing the Oakland appraisal I drove back to Pleasant Hill to shoot comps photos. Then it was on to Patterson which is about an hour and 1/2 away. When I passed through Pleasanton I found traffic at a standstill so I detoured over to Red Robin for a Gardenburger. Oh I was ready to eat having not eaten a meal since breakfast and it was 5:30.
I rejoined traffic which soon picked up and moved well as I headed south on Highway 5. In Patterson I found a well kept 2 story home which is in foreclosure. I'm doing a REO report for the bank. The home with its 5 bedrooms and over 3,100 sf of living area will probably sell for about $160,000. I found over 100 houses either listed, pending or sold in a 1/2 mile radius around this home. To say that the market has recovered in that area would be incorrect. It is pathetic right now. These homes would have sold for nearly $500,000 three years ago and now $145,000 to $185,000. We have huge problems in California and they are not fixed yet.
I was very thankful to have 3 appraisals to inspect today and I have another one that was called in for Discovery Bay for 9 m in the morning. It will be cash on the spot, always nice. And yes the postman was good to me today. A couple were paid for. Thank you Lord.
Ken says we walk at 6:30 so I'm going to run along to bed. I had a nasty encounter with Direct TV today. When I had the system installed I was promised by the person taking my information that at any time I wanted to turn off one of the receivers for the extra bedrooms I could do so and later I could have it turned back on. Well of course that is not true. I went to turn off the extra bedroom receiver today and save $5 a month but was told a box would come in the mail, I would ship it back to them. If I ever wanted one for that room again it would be $69 plus $19 to get it back. A totally different story from what I was told when I was signing up. Is there any company that keeps its word anymore? Somehow I doubt it.
Good night dear friend and family,

love

tim

A day of extremes

in temperature that is, from 107 locally to 57 at Moss Landing where I inspected a high end condo. At 2:15 this afternoon Biff, a local go to person for the complex, called to say he was available to let me into the unit. I told him 4:30 and I arrived on scene at 4:33. As I drove through Livermore my temperature gauge in the car read 110 and it pretty well stayed there as I drove through San Jose and then onto Gilroy. And then it happened, as a marine layer began to move inland the winds increased and in a few miles the outside temperature was in the 60s. So I turned off the AC and enjoyed decreasing temperatures until when I stepped from the car at the condo unit I nearly froze in place.
What a unit, totally remodeled with high end custom woodwork, hardwood floors and Berber carpets, indirect lighting and view of the ocean from nearly every room in the house. It was a splendid unit and you know it is high end when the monthly HOA dues are $750. When I was finally through with the inspection I called Jason and we agreed to meet at the Whole Enchilada, a nice mexican place that Nan loved over the years. Timothy was feeling fine and was happy, Jo and Jason were relaxed and enjoying a day as family. It was a great time together but all too soon we finished up our good food and parted ways. My trip home was effortless with no traffic and clear sailing. Now I'm home and Ken called to specify 6:30 as the time for our walk in the morning. Short night.
This morning after our walk I was feeling frisky so after drinking my 32 oz of lemon water I waded into cleaning the garage. After a couple hours I was able to park both the van and the bug side by side in a cleaner garage. Don't even ask about the 3rd garage bay. It is stacked to the roof with boxes for an upcoming yard sale, Christmas decorations and other general debris. But my mission was to have the cars back where they belonged and that mission was accomplished.
Tomorrow I'll need to get to Patterson and Pleasant Hill to see properties, get some things written and make a precious deposit of the one check that came in the mail.
Having dropped nearly 3 lbs last week I'm feeling less sluggish. Today I had nearly 70 oz of water which is much better than in the past. I also found time to get the fish tank filter working again, do deck patrol for collection of doggies gifts.
I hope your day went well. As I drove this afternoon I had a CD playing from Hawaii. It created a thought pattern about trying to find my way through the maze of loss of not only Nan but also of our combined dreams, our combined abilities and our combined faith. I've got to admit I simply hate living alone, being alone, stumbling along alone yet until I have something real to offer it is better than I remain alone.. The Hawaiian music took me to so many memory places spent with Nan, friends and family, I wondered would there ever be a future with that kind of great events and relationships? I've heard others speak about the ambilence in their lives as they tried to consider the future alone and I certainly feel it strongly. What does God have in store?
Ponder these things and then render your great advice to me, I am waiting.......

love

tim

VBS excitement

Dear Family and Friends,
Well I'm getting back into the groove again. Walked with Ken this morning and it actually seemed like work, not fun. Then I spent time with the Christian Dish programing and watched Dwight Nelson from Andrews University. I had my traditional oatmeal breakfast, showered and picked her highness. She was ready to go. Church was a little different. VBS children had taken over the church service and Pastor Jessica gave her talk in the midst of kids, music, decorations and controlled chaos. At noon Keanna indicated she wanted to head home so we left by way of the lemonade corner.
I drove directly to Stockton to meet up with Bob Sorenson at the Olive Garden, yes I know I had Olive Garden last night too and on Tuesday, so who is counting? Bob and I were able to catch up on each others lives and he showed me his new wheels, he buys slightly used cars from Hertz and this time he got a beauty. A Mazda 5 with nearly everything on it for a steal of a price. Bob is smart in finances. Carol is away on a mini holiday with her sisters up in Fort Brag so Bob was left to his own devising.
After lunch I drove home and fell into a deep sleep, I didn't get up until 6:30 and felt rested. The dogs enjoyed the chance to nap with someone and with Lady so pretty now in her new clip, she is fun to have near.
Finally today a check I have expected since Tuesday arrived. I had hoped for several but I'll take one and be very thankful for it.

Tomorrow will be a work day but I'm not sure at this point whether that means driving to Castroville or not, depends on access. Otherwise I'll stay right here and work.

I'm always thankful for the Sabbath, to me its not a duty I perform by stopping work for these 24 hours but a welcome change of pace as I'm more prone to remember how much God loves us and to enjoy the family and friends He has provided.

So good night my friends,

love
tim

Hello weekend!

Dear Family and Friends,

After several days of severe challenges the weekend has arrived. Primary amount this weeks challenges is the lack of checks in the mail. Every day the business account balance dropped and the need for income elevated. But nothing happened income wise. Its been a rough week in that regard. On Tuesday I watched Dana and the boys enter the airport for their return trip to Houston. What a big splash of joy they brought with them, I enjoyed every minute of it, noises, TV playing, water running, showers running, food smells, shopping bags, fishing poles, paddle boat rides, Tahoe excursion. Wow it just was over too soon.

This week I discovered that my weight had risen to its highest point ever. That spurred me into action and I've been hitting the salads, not eating at night, drinking a lot more water and being much more careful. So far I've dropped 3 lbs. Its the right direction but there are about 97 more pounds to go.

Today I've taken it real easy on eating since I knew I was to have dinner with Nikki and Kallie in Tracy while Keanna was at VBS. For the first time in a long time I was very hungry when we met up at Olive Garden and the food tasted great even though it was my second salad of the day, why not I love the stuff. At lunch today I went out and picked cherry tomatoes, brought them in, put them in my salad, talk about great tasting!

Today has been sit in the chair and work. I dealt with about 3 sets of conditions for past appraisals, wrote a new appraisal for San Jose that I saw last night and then waded into doing a rebuttal on one of the worst reviews I have ever seen. It took about 4 hours to respond to all the questions they had raised. Then it was time to set up orders for next week, do research and shut the office down.
This evening I met Nikki in Tracy for dinner and now I'm back home. At the moment I'm on the phone with Jason who is manning the gate at MBA during camp meeting. A nice way to make some extra bucks.
For now I'm heading to bed, the day is long, the nights are too short.
I have much to be thankful for tonight. I know you do too.
Love to all,

Tim

A day with the beautiful kidos

Dear Family and Friends,
9:50 and I'm really ready for bed. Things have been sort of stressful lately as day after day passes with no money in the mail. The business account is upside down tonight but all the vehicles are licensed for another year, my appraisers license came in the mail today and that little envelope cost me $508 for classes and $435 for the state. So there have been some real challenges lately, that coupled with almost no work coming in has created a siege mentality for me.
This morning I bounced out of bed knowing I would get to spend the day with Kallie and Keanna. I got there at 8:02 and Steve left to mow lawns. He wanted to get a head start to beat the heat which was predicted. He gave the kids a banana and some waffles and since they were still hungry I made some more waffles. Keanna can really pack down the food when she is in the mood and Kallie sort of carries her food around with her and eats on the run. I was so sleepy all morning that I pretty much let them care for themselves. Keanna is really good about watching to make sure Kallie is safe, not eating dog food, not climbing on chairs etc.
Steve arrived back about the time Kallie woke from her nap and had lunch on the table for both of them. Then he had to go back out to do more work and arrived back home about 4. I left, came home, did research and drove to San Jose to do a driveby appraisal, then turned around and drove back home and even then I've just got back. Think of it this way, would you drive to San Jose and back for $275? I thought so.
The house still seems very quiet with the wonderful family all back in Houston but the dogs certainly were glad to see me come home this evening. They are so genuine and welcoming. I love them, I really do.
I hope, I pray for money in the mail tomorrow. Its starting to get somewhat critical.
Love to all

Tim

Work day capped by fun

Dear Family and Friends,
Patty was just here. She is my brave neighbor who took in her 5 grandchildren to raise and who also lost her husband 2 years ago. She makes me feel like my life is a bed of roses. When Dana left the frig was brimming with things that had not gotten eaten by the hungry mouths. Since many of the items were until recently living creatures and I don't eat meat I decided to pass them along. Patty left with a huge box of goodies, hot dogs, corn dogs, fresh meat, biscuits, fruit etc. She was happy to get it and I was happy to have it used for a good cause, mainly hungry little mouths.
Now my frig looks sort of empty again which sort of symbolizes my life, quiet and empty during the day. It was like that today, I just cranked out appraisals all day and enjoyed the hard work of the air conditioning systems which held off the heat outside. Then this evening I had the honor of driving Miss Keanna to VBS in Tracy and then rambling around Tracy, CostCo, Best Buys etc until it was time to pick her up. It is a different perspective to observe the church in full activity motion and have no part. I can remember a time when Nan and I were pastoring the church we were in the middle of everything. Torches pass and I do not desire to go back. I think things are in great capable hands right now and the program is well planned and really works for dozens of little kidos and their parents.
Keanna amazes me with her grownup comments and phrases. When pressed where she wanted to eat, she put her hands to her head and said, I just can't decide, decisions are hard but she finally selected McDonalds. She announced, I suppose a sit down meal is out of the question referring to Olive Garden or Dennys. So now she is home and sleeping and I'm about to do the same.
In the morning I'll drive to Steve's house at 8 am and Steve will then be free to do his lawns for the day, getting an early start before it gets so hot. Sometimes he does up to 19 lawns in a day. I'll watch the little guys there, it is safer and better for Kallie in her own home and I can take the laptop there.
Then when Steve is done for the day I'll head out to do some appraisals. No checks this week and I'm running out of savings to cover the automatics that are cashing in at the bank. I'm ready for some checks again, really ready.
So from this lonely house to yours,

love

tim

And then they all flew away

Dear Family and Friends,
This morning Dana, Anthony and Jonathan flew home on Southwest and in spite of the spate of unscheduled landings from the last 2 days their flight was uneventful. Dana called from the Taxi as they were being driven home.
What a great time it was to have so much life and joy in the house. My frig is stuffed, my schedule is in shambles so now its time to get back to work and generate some income.
Dana made a very nice thing happen for Lady, my Scottish Terrier. She took her for shots on sunday and today she had arranged for me to take her to the groomers at PetsMart at 7 am. I could not believe I had to make the trip. This afternoon when Keanna and I picked her up she was so happy and beautiful. She not only had a good bath but was groomed to look like a Scottie again and she looks great. I think she can tell that something is different. I know Starr was not sure who was coming through the door when we got home.
Its been very hot here, we get days like this and the AC is cranking away both in the window and outside. These are the days of $600 a month PG&E bills. That will hurt.
When I left for the airport this morning I had no orders and by the time I arrived back home I had 3 orders waiting. They are spread all over, San Jose, Monterey and Patterson but I'm glad to have the work.
Right now I'm so tired that I'm heading to bed and will rise early in the morning to begin work again.
Its so quiet tonight, not good at all, miss the happy sounds of family but it could not last forever.

love

tim

6 Flags under the sun

Dear Family and Friends,

Just back from a very warm day in Vallejo at 6 Flags Discovery Park, used to be Marine World Africa USA. The whole family spent the day there and we enjoyed shows, rides, people watching, lots of junk food and drink, sketch artists and each other. My personal high point was some video I shot of Keanna sitting in her stroller. When some loud music started nearby she began to move around in time to the music with facial expressions to match. It was priceless and I just kept the video rolling to capture it all. Everyone else was busy, Steve and Jonathan were riding roller coasters, Keanna and Anthony were getting up close to the dolphins with Keanna even getting to kiss the dolphin on his nose while Dana and Nikki looked on. I was having some one on one time with Kallie and she was eating sipping water from a huge cup through a straw and just enjoying herself. We had found a spot with some shade and I was glad to be able to sit down for a minute. I am amazed at what a 1 year old can do and understand. Can we all say proud grandpa! Well its true.

The family drove over in the van this morning and I did some work here in the office and then drove over later. I found it warm with minimal wind and finally caught up with everyone. Sure is easier these days with a cell phone. Keanna and Anthony enjoyed going on some rides that she was always too small or too young to go on before. Of course some of the favorite rides were those that involved getting wet and then there were blisters, wet feet, the usual. I was surprised to discover that just because you pay this huge fee to get into the facility does not mean you are through paying, want to ride an elephant, $10, want to ride an exciting bungee jump thing, more money, want to drink for the day and keep your cut, just $10 for the cup and then there was the matter of food, forget anything really healthy but at least there was Subway with a decent sandwich for a decent $10 for the meal.

You don't go to the park if you are broke and if you do go you will be broke afterwards. Not only is there a huge fee for entrance there is another fee if you want to bring your car, cars must pay $15 for entrance and then they only get to sit in a big lot in the heat. Pretty hard to imagine that 6 Flags just had to file for bankruptcy, perhaps they should charge for drinking water or the air we breathe. Oh well I think we all had a good time, I know I did but the things I enjoyed the most were priceless, like seeing Keanna and Anthony walk away holding hands or gasping with delight as a little ride rose higher and higher in the air. My favorite was watching Kallie for I know these little pure actions will quickly give way to the next phase of growth and then the next and so on. I'm loving this phase.

I'm sure all will sleep well tonight and then in the early morning I rise to take Lady to the groomer for a clip, then back to the house to load the van and deliver Dana and her entourage to the Oakland Airport for a 1:15 flight to Houston, non stop. I will miss them very much. It seems like they only got here yesterday, its been great.

Right now I'm wishing you all a good evening,

love

tim

The spa that would not heat

Dear Family and Friends,
Ray has spent hours on the spa today but it will not heat, every time we get near to the heater coming on it blows the breaker. We've done all kinds of things to help it work but so far no luck. You would think with the warm weather the water would be warm on its own, its not at all. Cool nights keep it cold to the touch. I know Ray will solve it eventually, he is that kind of guy, tenacious.
Dana took Lady for a shot today. she paid $8.00 for it when our vet wanted $43 for the same shot but included a "visit". What a rip. Dana knows her way around finding deals, more power to her. she is set to leave us on Tuesday which is very sad. She is a kick to have around and she and Nikki are dangerous together. Keanna has had a blast with Anthony.
I'm wondering what this week will bring. I have no new orders, nothing to see. I have several to write up and ship out but at this point no new orders. It has finally come to this. It is amazing that non appraisers can decide things that totally destroy the relationships we've built for 20 years with clients, people who trust us to do our job well. Now they have to rely on no names who work cheap, quick and in many cases very poorly. If this was supposed to solve anything it is not doing so, only causing huge problems and destroying an industry of hard working people.
When government decides to solve anything, look out. Well meaning people working for government seldom do things better than the private sector.
This has been an interesting day. When Dana left to take lady to get her shots I left for Antioch and an appraisal assignment. The home was beautiful, perfect in every way and is selling with back up offers. Lets just hope they can get it through the lenders, that is a huge problem now.
Tomorrow we are off to 6 flags in Vallejo. It should be a great day.
Love to all

tim

Family is great

Dear Family and Friends,

What an interesting day! It started with total quiet as the rest of the family was still sleeping. I could not stay in bed any longer because my back begins to hurt. I wandered around in the quiet, picked up a few dishes and loaded them, sipped a hot drink on the back deck watching the lake as it stirred with the new day. Once I knew Lois was up and gone to McDs for breakfast I went out and hooked up the water connection and started the boat. Its been about 9 months since it started and it stumbled a bit but ran nicely. I did that just in case the family decided they would like a nice boat ride this afternoon. When Dana came down she suggested that we have breakfast at McDonalds. I jumped at the chance to return the motorhome to its official parking place which is near the shopping center. Once that was cared for we had breakfast at McDonalds. You never quite feel like you've had a whole mean at McDonalds but the food was actually good.

Once we returned home we decided that instead of taking the power boat out today and fighting the crowds we would sweep out the paddle boat and cruise the lake. Anthony helped with removing leaves and dirt and then Dana, Anthony, Starr and Lady climbed in the boat. I boarded last and we were off. There was just a bit of wind but it was very warm and Anthony put his feet into the water, Starr barked and Lady settled in to enjoy the trip. Dana and I discovered muscles in our aging legs we've forgotten but sort of fell into a rhythm as we steered our way out to the island and then around the island. Finally we headed back home and the gentle breezes helped us on our return trip. It was great fun and I think we all enjoyed it. Meanwhile Jonathan slept on. For some reason known only to him, he stays up all night and then sleeps all day.

This afternoon Dana rooted him out of bed as we had decided to go to Olive Garden while they were here. Nikki and the girls joined us and we had a great time fighting over the bread sticks, watching Kallie feed herself, even with a spoon. Then I stayed with Nikki and the girls while Dana and the boys went to check out movies. They could not agree on one so visited the video game store and came away with some new games. I like pushing Kallie around in her little stroller, she loves to see things happen and enjoys watching people. Finally I caught a ride home with Dana who was driving the van and Keanna came home with us to play games with Anthony. Eventually the evening caught up with us and I ran Keanna home so she could have a bath and get some rest tonight.

Dana and I watch a Nicholas Cage DVD that was pretty interesting and sort of raised your heart rate in several parts. Seems his stuff is usually pretty gripping. Now Dana has surrendered to sleep, Anthony and Jonathan are enjoying watching UTube clips on the little laptop and I'm ready to crash.

I had planned to attend church today but knowing that family is here a very short time led me to think of spending time with them and I'm very glad I did. Dana is heading home on Tuesday or Wednesday as she has things to do at home before the school year begins. Next up is Marilyn who will arrive on Wednesday or Thursday. How pleasant to have human voices in the house instead of silence. What a blessing family is.

I've had a chance to think a bit about family. Over the years I've observed many many families and sometimes I've seem them drift apart, due to distance, due to selfishness, due to long held grudges, due to tiny arguments that were never settled. What a terrible loss when families cease speaking to each other. I know first hand that for years Jerry and I were both so busy with our lives and work that we hardly ever got together and I've not had the chance to spend time with my sister Sibyl for many many years. Its not like she lives in Siberia, she lives in Ohio and had a very busy life with 6 children and we were on the coast and also had busy lives. How I love those chances when I can talk to Jerry and or Sibyl. Family matters.

During this awful time of loss Jason and Nikki have been perfect in their support for me. I really could not complain about anything. Their calls, their visits, time spent has meant my loss was eased, my new life has so much more meaning than if I did not have them.

I'm saying all of this for a reason! How is it with your family? Are there a few grudges that keep you from time with your loved ones? Is it tough being with the in laws? Have you just let distance and schedules keep you apart? In an impersonal world like we all live in now, give and accept all the love you can get from family, close or distant. God loves families, He blesses them and wants them to prosper, to provide a platform for kidos to grow up on. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, cousins, in laws. Love them while you have them, nothing lasts forever except God's love.

Got the picture, do the deeds, reach out to family and feel the warmth and richness of sharing.

love to all,

Tim

PS, the sunset over the lake tonight was beautiful. I wanted to share it with you.

Finally its Friday! Yea

Dear Family and Friends,
Well finally the long week is over. Its been great with visits to Tahoe, cool weather and incoming checks. The best thing is the family, what would this world be like without family. The Atwoods, Ronnie, Dana, Jonathan and grandson Anthony are visiting and are now back with me after spending time at Tahoe with Nikki and Steve. It was so exciting to know they were coming back and then they were here, noise from every room, showers running, good food smells, oh that is living. Dana reminds me so much of Nan and they both have the same huge hearts of love for their families. Like the rest of us Ronnie and Dana are aging a bit and none of us move as fast as we once did. Yet we laugh and share in a way that only families can do.
This evening Anthony is over playing at Keanna's house and Jonathan is watching movies on the little laptop. Once in awhile I hear him yell out in frustration as the wireless connection has quit and he is off the air.
This morning for breakfast we went to our new little Byron Inn, a tiny whole in the wall breakfast place near Safeway. the food is great, the service perfect and the prices very fair. It was nice.
A few minutes ago Dana and I were talking on the back deck while the sun was slipping behind the palm trees. Lois was trying to make Jazz her huge lab behave and of course loving Jazz just wanted to play. It was a tranquil time. Minutes before that Suzie called and we got a chance to catch up a bit. she finally was able to see the oncologist and her news is not good. After a new CT scan she will know more and then treatment will begin. She is having a good day and full of vigor and energy even driving to town by herself. Not all days are like that, most are filled with rest and pain.

We are looking forward to a great weekend. I'll tell you, this sure beats facing Friday night alone. People really make the world a decent place to live, I hope you enjoy your people this weekend, remember to love the one you are with, do it now while you can and before you are too old to even notice!

love to all

Tim

The family returns

Dear Family and Friends,
This evening the house is once again full of noise and laughter. The family made its way home safely from Lake Tahoe with happy memories, stories and recovering muscles. Everyone is getting used to having more air to breath again after spending days at 7,700 feet.
I spent the day working and trying to refocus my life. I started the day off with a huge glass of lemon water and it felt good, my body said what is going on.
I took care of issues, finished an appraisal and then drove to WC to see a very cute condo in a beautiful complex. Then I found diesel for a low price and even at that a tank now costs over $30.
Then I headed to Livermore to shoot some comps.
I had started the day off by calling a person named Jason who had done a review of an appraisal I had written for a manufactured home in San Lorenzo. The review had rejected my appraisal and cut the value from $350 to $115,000. As I began to read the review I began to see the lack of awareness of appraising manufactured homes. So I picked up the phone and called him, I've never done that before in 22 years. An old man with very broken English answered and said I could not talk to Jason, he was not there. This afternoon as I was in Livermore working the phone rang and I knew by the heavy accent it was Jason. I asked him how many appraisals of manufactured homes he had reviewed before mine. He sheepishly answered that he had done one before. I told him I was considering sending the review to OREA, the state agency that issues our licenses and investigates appraiser mistakes and that seemed to get his attention. The more he talked the more I just felt sorry for him. When he got the assignment and realized that he did not know how to do the review the law says he should have declined the work and turned it back to the one who ordered it but no one wants to turn away work these days.

In the morning I'll write my rebuttal to the lender who I had prepared the appraisal for in the first place and I'll lay out what I know and what happened. Then we will see what takes place.

A few minutes from this call another person called who is a rep for a major lender. I had called to ask her opinion on how to reply to reviews on two reports from her company. She basically said that the underwriters in her company were starting to realize that the reviews they had been getting had problems and she said I had a fighting chance at refuting their meat cleaver approach to values. It was good to talk to her, she has been a friend in the industry for about 15 years, gave money when Nan walked for GIST so long ago in New York and has been a great help over the years. I have done appraisals on her own properties many times. In spite of what one would think, that there are thousands of lenders and underwriters it is actually a very small world. I learned early on that there is never a time when being rude or brash is a good idea. You never know when you will meet that person again in the business world. Christian courtesy is always a good idea no matter what the issue.

So life goes on. This evening I got to see and hold Kallie as she charged around her home playing and helping her mom unpack and there is Keanna out riding her bike and attempting to jump the curb. Steve was watering his landscaping which is in full bloom everywhere.

Tonight Jason and Jo are tucked away at a cabin in the mountains above Denver with Jo's family, sounds like fun.

Well the quiet is gone for now, replaced with noise and human interaction. Its very nice!

love to all

Tim

Time moves on

Dear Family and Friends,
Another day with pleasant temperatures and limited production on my part.
I can't seem to settle down to really meeting some critical challenges in my work. I have plenty to finish and seem to fritter away the hours.
This morning Ray came over and we tackled the spa trying to coax it into working again. We finally ended up draining it as we thought we had detected a blockage in the suction line. The heater has several devices which cause it to turn off if the water pressure is too low or if the water temperature near the spa becomes to high. We can't seem to get the pressure high enough to let the pressure switch turn the heater on and stay on. Ray checked the pump expected to find some of the blades were damaged but that was not the case. When we opened the line which drains the spa we noticed the flow coming out was very limited when it should have been a 2 inch stream. We assumed that we were dealing with the suction side which draws water from the bottom of the spa. However after the spa had drained I discovered that it had stopped draining at the jet level which means I was not draining water from the suction side at all but rather at the pressure side. I continue to believe we have an obstruction somewhere in the piping which moves water from the spa, through the pump, then through the heater, then through the filter and finally back to the jets which massage ones back with heated water. So now I'm open to any and all ideas. I just want the spa to work.
I had a nice lunch appointment with a friend this afternoon which was a nice break.
Tomorrow I determine to work harder, be more focused and get some work done. Do I hear an amen?
How is your week going? Are you on vacation? Or still at work? What a nice place to live, this California where IOUs rule. Don't need money here any more just print up IOUs and live a relaxed life. Isn't it interesting to note what states and cities are in the most trouble in our wonderful country, they just happen to be where liberal policies have ruled for years, take from the achievers and give to those who arn't, great concept but it does not work in real life. There are not enough achievers to cover all those who won't work. And when there is plenty of money flowing around it seems to work but when tight times arrive then the millions for non citizens coupled with give away programs can't be funded. There is still no free lunch, at least not for ever. And yet what do we do with those who can't work, who are injured or handicapped in some way, they should be cared for with a safety net. The challenge of helping those with real needs and the sponges of society needs the wisdom of Solomon and I'm afraid we are pretty short on such people, such wisdom.
In my little part of the business world there is growing anger over the mess created by short sighted solutions to the mortgage mess. Now sales that should be closing, loans that should be funding are being held up by the decreasing quality of appraisals as the losers are getting the work as they can work quick and cheap and experienced appraisers are being thrust aside. I am beginning to think something will happen in the next few months as the few hopeful signs of improving values, better sales numbers are getting thrashed by the mess forced upon us by bean counters and large loan companies. Something has got to give.
Those are my little thoughts this evening from my perspective. Let Americans be free to do what they do best, work hard to fix things, get government out of the way, government does nothing well but it sure can be expensive as it tries to do things that are better done by private individuals.
love to all,

Tim

Change of plans

Dear Family and Friends,

Well here I am still in the valley. Nikki and I talked this afternoon and as she laid out the plans for the next couple days we both realized that the time I would have with family was actually going to be limited so the motorhome sits in the driveway waiting for a trip that is not going to take place. I'm not one who enjoys changing my plans so I had to come to grips with this but I think its right. I had some misgivings about the trip, lots of fuel and about 8 hours of driving in the motorhome for an uncertain place to park, just living at 7,700 feet is tough for me in this condition.

So tonight I'm home, I have Mahler playing on the Bose speakers by the computer, dogs are sitting nearby in hopes we are going someplace, sorry girls, not this time. Everyone is coming home on Thursday afternoon so I'll have my wonderful house guests back and great eating, fun conversations and perhaps I can talk them into dominoes, who knows.

Today I've seen two properties that were located nearby. This morning I had the honor of inspecting a house located just down the street and which backs to the lake like my house does. They were wonderful retired people and we had a great time. Then later in the day I drove to Brentwood, a whole 9 miles, and inspected a house that is nearly 4,000 sf. It is just beautiful in every room, perfectly landscaped but it did take some time to measure and it was very warm. That part is not so much fun but I guess every job has its downsides.

This evening Ray and I went for Pizza, its deal night at our local place. That was fun and of course I ate too much.

Now its time to wind it down and head to bed. My major accomplishments today involved getting the online classes paid for and then the certificates printed on my color printer, then I waded through the application for license renewal and finally wrote the check for $435 for the next two glorious years of appraisal license tenure. Finally I copied the whole stack of documents and mailed it away. Of course they want 90 days for processing and I need the license back in just over a month. Whoops. The 49 hours of class work cost $508. What a hit!

So my friends and family another day has passed, God is good, the family is safe, Jason and Jo are having a great time in Denver, Nikki and Steve are at Tahoe and I'm home working, Art and Connie are on the road again winding their way to Seattle to return two precious little kidos who they have had for 3 weeks.

So good night all, I've included a couple photos taken with my phone, fireworks at Tahoe, kids on the beach playing, walking hand in hand in San Francisco and trying on hats in chinatown.

love

tim

US mail to the rescue

Dear Family and Friends,
Its 9 pm and I do know where my children are. Jason and Jo flew to Denver today to spend Timothy's birthday with her mom while Nikki and Steve are enjoying a week of vacation at Ridge Tahoe. Meanwhile I'm cranking out work back here at home.

This morning Ken and I walked and then I made a quick transition to work clothes and left for Oakland. I found a beautiful home that survived the Oakland fires of a few years ago. The only problem is, its much larger than public record says so all my comps were worthless, it will require a return trip to finish. I picked up a partial payment at that appointment and then drove to Walnut Creek to a title company where a second check waited for me for the appraisal I was about to do in Pittsburg. When I arrived at that house I was amazed. The owners purchased it fairly recently and have updated everything except replacing the windows and doors. This little house is beautiful with new lawn, new paint, new carpets, new kitchen, new bathrooms, its really amazing how motivated people can change the nature of a house.

After completing that inspection I located a Taco Bell as I was pretty hungry and fading fast. Then it was a stop at Staples to redeem a coupon and purchase a box of paper. Then a direct trip home and the mail box yielded a very nice surprise. Todays checks totalled more than on any other day this year. I was delighted and quickly came in, made copies and went back to the bank with my precious deposit.

Then I hurried back to the office to complete an appraisal that was due today and then relaxed a bit. This evening I've been reconciling the business account and the deposit I made today was very timely to cover car payments, DMV checks, data expenses, medicines, fuel, you name it.

I feel very blessed and while I could use many more days of income I deeply appreciate what came today.

Sending my best to each of you. Please join me in praying for John Cress, this man of God has been hit with cancer and surgery is going to happen as soon as he can get the medical team into action.

love

tim

Did you miss me?

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm sorry that I was not able to blog last night. No matter what I tried I was unable to make a wifi connection so eventually had to give up and head to bed.

What a time I've had. On Sabbath morning I drove up to Tahoe and once again enjoyed the beautiful mountains, the fast running streams and snow patches on mountainsides. When I arrived some of the group had come down to look at a craft display next to one of the casinos. What a variety of wares these creative people offer, non were even close to tempting me to purchase. I sort of see a lot of the pretty things as pre garage sale items fearing that's where they would end up if they came home with me.

We drove back up and I do mean up to the time share called Ridge Tahoe. Aptly named it sits on the top of a ridge with panoramic views of Carson City on one side and Tahoe on the other. The complex is top quality and has large rooms, spacious windows and even a fireplace that can be lit with a flip of a switch. I spend some enjoyable time along with Steve as we kept an eye on the dynamic duo, Keanna and Anthony as they enjoyed a pool that was both indoor and outdoor. In spite of 90 degree temperatures a brick wind whipped over the ridge and kept things comfortable. Dana and Nikki whipped up dinner and Ronnie did his thing with the BBQ down on the 3rd floor. Then we began to plan for our descent to the sandy beaches adjacent to the dark blue waters of Lake Tahoe. Finally we decided on one car, the van, Nan would have been very very proud to see her selection of a "family" car do its thing once again for the family. They turned a 7 passenger car into a 8 passenger one and I ended up sitting in the luggage area behind the 3rd row seat. Nikki drove us down and we got our wrist bands from Tahoe Beach and Ski complex where we own a little time share that's on the beach. Nan picked it up years ago for $350 on EBay. Nikki has always paid the dues and taken care of everything and has used it several times. We used our beach there for our place to watch the fireworks. The kidos had a wonderful time digging in the sand. Gradually the heat of the day turned into the cool of the evening as the gentle breezes from over the lake turned cold. The fireworks were great and were set to music from a local radio station.

After they were over the mass of humanity that we encountered was pretty amazing. The roads were clogged with people and cars and our trip back was painfully slow. Nikki kept her cool and with Steve's guidance made it up to the Pioneer Trail and before long we were back to the condo. The kidos were sleeping, even Kallie with her sore gums from teething. Soon everyone was in bed and they found a hideabed for me so I spent the night.

This morning at 7 I slipped out and headed home since I knew I had work to do. The drive home was pleasant and packed with memories. Nan loved Highway 88 and I decided to come home that way. I remembered little spots she would love to stop at and even conversations from happier times past. Then it was home to work, be greeted by two very lonely dogs and wade through orders that had arrived.

Ken and I walk in the morning and then I'm off to Oakland to see a place, then back to Pittsburg and finally back home to write one up that is due.

Later in the week I hope to be able to take the motorhome up for a couple days to be with the family and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.

I took a small journey into the past on my way up Sabbath Morning. I stopped at what was once Pinecrest Camp, now Sierra Pines. I've included a photo of the lodge building, the place I first met Nan some 38 or 39 years ago. I still remember the breakfast where we first began to meet each other and my roomate Jim Edwards pointed Nan out, I was bowled over. The other photo is of Caples Lake. Its a high mountain lake with deep blue water and is located near the point where we often took back packing trips in our younger years. The photo of the mountains shows the actual mountains we often hiked and camped in. Nestled into the mountains are little trails winding past streams, meadows, forests and snowbanks. We would camp beside little lakes that even in August were far to cold to keep swimming for very long but the granite rocks protruding from the lakes were ideal places to sun and even sunburn. If you look carefully at the photo of the mountains you will see a peak just sticking up with snow on it. That is Pyramid Peak, a peak we climbed before we got married.

Our lives have been filled with meaningful days, it was a thoughtful experience to glide back through some of these places once again. Oh I have so much to be thankful for yet I am just selfish enough to want them to come to life now. Must be a design flaw in my makeup.

Hope your week is going to be a blessed one.

Love

tim

love

tim

Peace

Dear Family and Friends,
Well my family has disappeared into the Tahoe mist. They left mid morning today and after 4 hours of traffic arrived at the time share. Everyone is excited about all the features of the unit with its lock out, queen sized beds and 3 pools within the project. I've even found out that I can park the motorhome on the lower parking level. I'm going to drive up in the bug in the morning for the day to get the lay of the land and to join in the fun.
I decided to face the music today, that is the music of taking the required courses so I can apply for a license renewal. So I settled down after the family left and started working through the on line classes. While they were not easy by this evening I have the courses completed and am waiting for the certificates to be printed. It feels good to tackle something so vital and yet so challenging. I discovered that I know a lot about the subject of appraising in general but not so much about all the new laws and regs.
I had a mild meltdown this morning. For some reason I sent to the piano and started to play and as I played a heavy sadness came over me and I started to cry, no one saw, no one knew but after a few minutes the tears finished and could move on. To have all the family get together and yet miss the sparkplug who kept everything together for everyone is frankly very hard. I find no good in this loss. I am very relieved that she does not have to suffer but in the larger context of getting the disease in the first place I just find no peace at all.
This evening Jason called as he often does and as we talked he shared some alarming news regarding our beloved John Cress. Seems he has discovered that he has some sort of cancer yet surgery is not until the 28th of the month. My experience tells me, push the surgeons to do it now, not then, if someone is on vacation, get someone else. Thank goodness he will get the care he needs. I know he will appreciate your prayers in his behalf.
I've been reading some very sad stories of the much higher cancer rate in countries with government run health care and even now clinics are popping up in Canada where people that can afford to pay can go get needed CTscans and MRIs instead of waiting for months.
Just now I'm in from mowing the front lawn, some times I just can't take another minute of chasing paper and computer screens and have to get out and touch reality. I did that this afternoon, in the midst of taking one of the courses I drove to Tracy, inspected a new home that is under construction for the bank and then drove back. It felt good to just get out and feel the air, burn some diesel and be alive.
I think I will enjoy making the trip to Tahoe tomorrow. It will be tinged with sadness as Nan loved Tahoe even more than I did. We met there 38 years ago at a summer camp, we were guests at Barb and Gerry's cabin at Homewood many many times and camped in front of the cabin in first a tiny camper, then various motorhomes over the years. Gerry would always come out early in the morning and shake the camper waking us for the day. It became a ritual and we fumed but secretly loved it. A couple of times I even had boats that I owned at the time in the lake for early morning water skiing or wakeboarding. No matter what time of year you did not linger in the water for long when you fell as it was cold and clear. After Nan and I had become an item at summer camp one Sabbath we got permission to take a hike to the top of Pyramid Peak. Along with another couple we hiked even through snow fields until we reached the top. It was a great experience and it reminds me of how capable Nan was during most of her life until the cancer hit. We lost the trail coming down and ended up at the Highway 50 well below the point where we had started and it was growing dark. We were glad to make it back but how we loved the day, the views from the top were amazing and to be with this beautiful 18 year old blond with blue eyes that could penetrate your soul, well lets just say I thought I was in heaven.
Yes Tahoe will bring back some memories. A few years back Nan decided we should go to camp meeting at Camp Richardson. She was weak and suffering but she decided we needed the van there as well as the motorhome so she drove the van up Highway 88 herself behind the motorhome. Oh yes she was so tired when we finally arrived. We rented a scooter so she could ride to meetings which were about a 1/2 mile away from the spot where we parked. We had a wonderful time and I remember that Nan was able to create a Sabbath Dinner and George and Yvonne were able to join us for lunch. It was a magic day.
And so here I sit on a nice Friday night alone again. Its not unusual, its the way it is but I've not come to total peace with always being alone, its not me. Yet right now I have other things to consider, always finances, work.....
If I had a wish it would be that you and yours have a good meaningful weekend and that you take some time to reflect on what it means to be free, to be an American and to remember the terrible price that was paid by the fathers of this nation. I am fully aware that times are tough right now, for some these are the worst times you have ever experienced yet when taken day by day there are still pockets of joy, bursting moments of the human spirit that longs to laugh, to kid, to touch, to hug. For now we must just treasure the little bits of joy that come sneaking through the cracks of gloom and doom. Sunsets are still free, moonlight is still magic, kidos are the voice of God. I think of Timothy talking on the phone this afternoon, I love he says over and over, Kallie pitching her food off the edge of where ever she is, reaching up and saying Pappa, of serious conversations with Keanna about life, adventures, seeing her race her bike around her block, takes your breath away.
So love the one you are with and whisper a quiet prayer of thanks for this life, here and now.

love

tim