Spring Has Sprung

[NS'Creter]

"Spring has sprung, the grass is riz...I wonder where the boidies is?" That's a very popular bit of local...uh...poetry that I've been subjected to...ah...heard every spring for as long as I can recall.
So are the calls rollin' in and the job calanders fillin' up for anybody? I sure hope so.

[alexwright]

I think I'm seeing some good light at the end of this very very long tunnel. Doing some small jobs and tomorroe start a motorcycle showroom 2500 sq ft and next week a new house indoors 2500 sq ft and some other stuff down the road. So hopefully with a few more commits I can be fully booked through end of May. I'm just happy with what has come in and is sitting at the door waiting for their turn on the schedule. With all said, I'm just taking it from project to project. Don't want to get my hopes up too high. However, I do sure hope this is a good sign of what is to come.

[Lindy]

As far as "spring has sprung, the grass is griz, I wonder where the birdies is?" ... I believe this is some sort of world wide common saying, since I to have heard it since I was a kid.

As for you Alex ... good things come to those that wait. You have had the patience of Jobe. Is the economy getting better out there on the west coast?

I have a 25+ year friend/customer in Kansas City that had a enough money socked away to buy up houses that were being sold way below their value (that is value based on a couple of years ago); he's been renovating them and stocking up on rental property. Having been down the rental property pathway in the late 80's and early 90's I don't think he knows what he is in for when dealing with some renters and the continuous breaking down of things that a landlord must fix ... but I wish him luck in this venture. As for his concrete resurfacing work, most of it is being done to update/renovate homes bought by people over the past few months that have snapped up real estate deals as well (instead of long time property owners in the same home they have been in for years).

Lindy A.

[NS'Creter]

Yeah, after I said that was "local" I kinda figured that it was more likely than not said all over. Guess so huh?

That's great news Alex! Keep at it buddy...it will come.

There are a lot of deals to be had because of recent economic developments. If a person had the liquid assets and a big set of...uh...shoulders ;D they could really clean up. It makes sense that the newer homeowners are doing the sprucing up. They've already gotten a great deal presumably and the improvements can only increase the value of their investment.

I'll even throw a little opinion in here about the economic mess...I believe that folks who panic and sell add to the turmoil and the problem.

[Lindy]

Doom and gloom can be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Since the beginning of the economic meltdown I have felt that the nightly cable news networks constant (day after day, month after month) preaching of "doom, gloom, real and perceived job losses, business closing, etc. that hypnotizes people to believe the world as we know it is sinking into a bottomless black hole is comparable to that children's fairy tale "Chicken Little" which is about a chicken running around believing the "sky is falling." People tend to go into panic when they only hear "bad news," causing them to liquidate their assets in order to ride out the perceived storm, hold onto every dollar like it is their last, and crawl into a cave sort of hibernating, until some governmental and news media groundhog tells them it is okay to come out again.

Unfortunately there are those that have "real" financial problems (some even losing their jobs, homes, cars, etc.); but, do they really need to hear the "little to no immediate hope song" that is sung by the news medias? I think for every "1 doom and gloom economic story they tell," the news should have to report "1 good uplifting news story" on the same topic.

I have over the years, served as a writer for our local newspaper; lately I have been prompting them to add a "good news section" (in addition to normal national, local, sports, etc. sections). All the news in the "good news section" would have to be articles that are pleasant, uplifting, and brighten peoples lives. I don't care if it is about a group of students painting the houses of elderly on fixed incomes, someone that rescues animals and finds them new homes, local organizations that provide various types of community support, someone that found a wallet with money in it and returned it to the owner (with the money still there), a family that has taken in someone that is less fortunate, new businesses that have just opened, etc/etc. It would be so nice to get the newspaper every day to see this type of reporting. What was there response?... telling me that was a great idea, would I be willing to take this new section on, obtain the stories, write them up, etc (in other words be the editor of a section like this ... I told them that I would be glad to do some of the stories, but I didn't have time to take something so monumental on as to being in charge of it. Seems that every night on the news we all hear about major national newspapers are going under since people are getting their news on TV and the internet for free... well, the internet and TV do provide the news, but they don't provide "LOCAL" good news that every cities citizens want to hear (our local newspaper is signing the continuous loss of subscribers just as newspapers across the country are doing; so I give them a suggestion onto how to save themselves and provide our 200,000 plus city with "good news section" but whether they will follow through with my idea or not I don't know.

Lindy

[aynet]

I agree with what you have said about the doom and gloom prophecies. Some of those things are self-fulfilling after people have heard them enough. And, unfortunately, it seems the public has become increasingly susceptible to and influenced by propaganda.

I'm happy for you Alex! Glad things are looking up. Diligence and perseverence are great qualities and you've exhibited both. God rewards the faithful and perseverence does its sterling silver work in us!

Maybe you've heard that the economy in Louisiana is fairing better than some other places. Our petroleum/chemical industry may pollute the air, but at least people keep their jobs. We are booked solid until mid-July at this point and the phone just keeps ringing. What we are finding is that although the new house market has slowed way down here (mostly because the mortgage lenders are so tight that NO ONE can get financing) people are investing the money they have in the houses they already own. They are fixing them up, and that helps us because they want to make their concrete pretty.

I'll have to say that it's God's blessings on us, really. I can't explain it any other way except His favor to us. I'm amazed how when we ask a potential client how they heard about us, it will be through some contractor they talked to who recommended us. We've never heard of any of these contractors! I don't know what's up with that! I don't know. But, it's a good thing. We seem to have a good reputation and people keep on calling us.

I'm hoping and praying that all of you have success as the summer months come. Things are going to get better as people wake up and realize that this is really a propaganda economic slow-down. What the purposes are behind it, I can't really tell you. But, folks just gotta get busy and do what they've always done. Everything will turn around.

BTW - I've never heard that saying about spring. Oh, well, I've lived in a hole most of my life, I guess.

[NS'Creter]

I find it quite amazing that we are generally like-minded about several things. Amazing and cool. ;D I agree completely with the "doom and gloom" statements. The naysayers seem to have the loudest voices...the teachers used to say, "empty barrels make the most noise"...seems to apply.
Glad that you're doing well in Cajun country and your preceeding reputation is a positive one. What else could it be though?
Lindy your idea for the news paper is a dandy! Wasn't there a song some years ago that said something like, "sure could use a little good news today"? I don't recall the premise or scenario of the song so it may not apply...but that line makes the same point I think.

[aynet]

We actually have a small publication in our parish that publishes nothing but good news. There are school and civic events/projects, hero stories, life stories, do-gooder stories, etc. It is quite encouraging to pick it up and give it a read. It's only half newspaper size and about 4-5 sheets. But, a lot of GOOD NEWS can be packed into that space. I wish more communities would do something like that. I think it encourages folks and gives them a better overall feeling of well-being to know that good things are happening in the lives of good people they call neighbors.