Contact MargaretArchive for the 'Random Topics' Category
Not a Typo - $29,500,000 Historic Mansion for Sale
March 4th, 2010 Categories: Random Topics
If you win the lottery this week and have tens of millions of dollars you don’t know how to spend, let me help you explore Luxury Homes for Sale in Anne Arundel County MD.
Or, if you really want to go all out, it would be a privilege to help you purchase “Evermay Estate” – the last remaining private estate home in Washington, D.C., situated in Georgetown (of course) and overlooking Rock Creek Park. It’s listed with Jeanne Livingston of Long & Foster REALTORS for $29,500,000.
We all like to daydream, don’t we? And who knows… you could have the winning lottery ticket this week. Someone has to win!
If you promise to call me in the event you’re interested in buying the property (or if you know someone or some organization who might like to buy it), I’ll share the link with you to the website that Jean has created for this stunning property:
Evermay Estate for Sale in Washington, D.C.
In the event that property is beyond your budget, you’ll find more than fifty homes priced between two and twelve million dollars in Anne Arundel County MD when you click on the link in the first paragraph of this post. Many of them are waterfront homes for sale.
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Win $500 by Naming This Company
February 24th, 2010 Categories: Random Topics
This is a personal request, having nothing to do with Crofton MD real estate. If that turns you off, just scroll down to read the next post. If you’d like to win $500 or just learn about my sons’ new business venture, read on…
My two sons need your help to name their new business and you could win $500 if your suggestion is selected. I told the my FocusOnCrofton readers could probably come up with some good ideas, and there might even be some folks here who would like to become beta-testers of their product as it comes out of development.
Here’s a little background…
Do you know where your kids are?
They may be sitting right across the room from you at this very moment either texting or playing electronic games on their phone. …Or perhaps chatting on Facebook (instead of working on homework) at their computers. That seems harmless enough, right? After all, they’re in the same room with you so they couldn’t be exchanging inappropriate texts or emails…
Do you respect their privacy, or do you occasionally pick up their cell phones and take a quick glance at their recent activity - for example, the nature of their text messages? My son did that one day, and discovered that his 15-year old son was being solicited by a sexual predator - a 43-year old middle school teacher who (’til this moment) had never been caught.
This individual had “friended” him on Facebook and they subsequently developed an online friendship which spilled over into texting. Fortunately, my son interrupted this so-called friendship before it evolved into anything more serious. (Other families were not so lucky, it turns out.)
Now this former teacher is sitting in solitary confinement in a Maryland prison for 8 long years (32 of his 40-yr sentence was suspended at sentencing), after a plea deal acknowledging guilt to one count of sexual solicitation of a minor (my grandson) and three counts of third degree sex offense (other children discovered during investigation of the solicitation charge). He will be on probation for five years after his release and he will forever be required to register as a sex-offender.
One observant parent brought an end to this man’s years of preying on children and teens.
As a result of that experience, my two sons are starting a business to:
1) Educate parents about the danger of un-supervised communication technology in their kids’ hands and
2) Develop new technology that will track traffic on designated phone and Internet accounts to alert parents know if their child’s online communication is “inappropriate”.
This is an early stage start-up with lofty goals, the first round of funding under their belts, and much work to be done. Naming the company was not their first priority, but now the time has come… and I told them FocusOnCrofton readers might be able to help.
If you want to post a name suggestion in your comment, I will pass it on. BUT you must submit it online at NamingForce.com to be eligible for winning the $500. You can also view other name suggestions at that site.
Thanks everybody!
Originally posted by the author at Maryland Real Estate Blog.com
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How to Get Rid of Ice Dams on Your Crofton Home
February 22nd, 2010 Categories: Random Topics
An ice dam is “a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas,” according a University of Minnesota website.
The local CBS channel, WJZ Channel 13, reported last week that this snow melting and re-freezing on rooftops is leading to a whole lot of damage. They quoted Matt Smith of All About Home Improvements, who said “the water’s melting underneath the snow is still running down the roof. When there’s a dam, the water has no place to go, other than to just keep backing up and backing up.”
Concerned about the frozen mess covering gutters on my own home (photo), I did a little exploring online and found a report by Minneapolis home inspector Reuben Saltsman. He tried a number of different things to address this problem, so you don’t have to, and provided photos as well as the pros and cons of each. These include the following…
Axe, ice pick, roof tablets, salt filled panty hose, and heat cables.
I won’t tell you his conclusion about the best solution, because I really do think you’ll enjoy reading what he has to say about each in How to Get Rid of Ice Dams.
Why pay attention to this? According to Wikipedia, snow which cannot drain properly off your roof may result in
- Leaking roof
- Wet, ineffective insulation
- Stained or cracked plaster or drywall
- Rotting timber
- Stained, blistered or peeling paint
… not to mention mold. So take a minute to read Reuben’s blog (click on the link above),view his photos, and perhaps even read the following related posts:
RELATED POSTS:
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Ice Dams (University of Minnesota Extension)
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Fast Fixes for Ice Dams (This Old House Magazine)
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FocusOnCrofton.com is your one-stop source for information about Crofton, Maryland, and the surrounding area. It’s my way of keeping current residents informed about their community while also attracting relocating home buyers to the Crofton area (including Bowie, Crownsville, Davidsonville, Fort Meade, Gambrills, Millersville and Odenton). Please feel free to contact me any time for more information.
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Introducing Grandbaby Number Seven
February 5th, 2010 Categories: Random Topics
Cynthia Claire Woda was born two days after I left for Texas last month, so I haven’t seen and held her yet. Today’s “the day” as Susan and I detour off Route 66 in Arlington VA en route home. We’re looking forward to seeing Claire, big brother Jack (2) and their parents.
In the meantime, I’ve been looking at all the photos online and reading Sharon’s Facebook updates so I’m not too out-of-the-loop.
Claire’s daddy is our son, Steve, who you probably remember growing up and playing golf here in Crofton.
It’s been a long drive from Mansfield, Texas, and I’m looking forward to stepping foot in Maryland before the day is over. Fortunately, our trip has been relatively uneventful so I probably won’t have any road-trip stories for you next week.
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Tomorrow is National Popcorn Day!
January 18th, 2010 Categories: Random Topics
You’ll want to check your cabinets or visit one of the local Crofton area grocery stores sometime today to make sure you’re ready for National Popcorn Day tomorrow.
When I was preparing the January calendar of events for this blog, I came across the popcorn.com website and found many new ways to serve popcorn as well as some games, coloring projects, and books. If not tomorrow, this website could provide some great activities for the next snow day off from school.
Here are just a few of the recipes you’ll find:
- Bacon & Cheese Popcorn
- Ballpark Popcorn Crunch
- Double Chocolate Popcorn Balls
- Caramel Nut Popcorn Crunch
- Apricot Cherry Popcorn Squares
I suspect we may see a few more school closings for snow this year, and you kids may enjoy coming in from the outside to an afternoon of popcorn projects. What better time to prepare for this than National Popcorn Day.
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