What’s a Bow Got to Do With a Dulcimer?
What do you think of when you see the word “dulcimer?”  If you know anything about traditional musical instruments, particularly those familiar to our area, you may think of what we call an “Appalachian” dulcimer.  That kind is laid on your lap horizontally and strummed with one hand and noted with the other.  There are a few musicians who actually finger pick them like a dobro.  Other people will think of a “hammered”

Now, Can We Start the Christmas Season?
Call me old-fashioned, but I just can’t get adjusted to the idea that Christmas starts after Halloween.  I know the retailers are anxious to start the Christmas shopping as early as possible.  It’s probably going to be somewhat of a slim gift-buying season, so I get it.  But dadgumit, if this keeps up, we’ll be seeing decorations going up after Labor Day.  There’s just got to be a reasonable limit, otherwise, you’ll lose any benefit from the Christmas “warm and fuzzy” factor that, apart from the true religious aspect of Christmas, is why people love the season so much.  You just can’t successfully mix pumpkins and Christmas

Economists’ Predictions
In the last few days, we’ve seen quite a few statistics reported by various groups that measure how the economy is doing.  Being a Realtor, I especially look at reports having to do with housing- particularly sales volume and prices.  What inevitably goes along with these reports are the opinions of the pundits, both media reporters, and economists.  The problem you’ll see with these is that whatever opinion you want to see, whether optimistic or pessimistic, can be found reported somewhere in the media.  It’s like Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.&#

Another World in North Iredell
From the middle of Iredell County, Statesville, on down through Troutman and Mooresville, the character of Iredell County is defined by small cities, small towns, small farms, and Lake Norman.  Above Statesville, Iredell County becomes something very different.  Last Friday afternoon, I accompanied Elizabeth Barnhardt, our Realtor Association Director of Government Affairs, on a brief tour of the northern part of our county so that she could see the very different life and priorities of the residents of that area, the better to understand the issues that our local government has to address in overseeing the needs of such a diverse county.  Yes, we have retail, indust

Working on Troutman’s Future
I live in Mooresville and enjoy life here.  However, I grew up in Troutman, have deep roots there, ran an office there, have a brother who lives there, and have many friends and relatives there.  So, I’ve stayed involved with what’s going on in Troutman since I ran the Century 21 Real Estate office there.  I love that community and want to see it prosper.  That’s one reason why I’ve stayed involved with the Troutman Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.