Lodi / Stockton CA Homes For Sale & Real Estate Information

Strawberries, Pumpkins, and Bagels, Oh My! And a Squirrel?

If you’re fortunate enough to have a local farmers market where you work

and/or live, then congrats to you!  Make sure then that you visit it and visit it often.

Well, I’m lucky enough to not only have a local downtown farmer’s market in town, but it’s actually only 4 blocks from my office.  So, I decided to take a quick break earlier this evening and stroll on down there and see what was fresh.  Uh, just about EVERYTHING!  I mean, that IS the whole idea isn’t it?

I tasted a few different products such as black bean spicy hummas, garlic marinated olives, and some fire-roasted corn on the cob.  Before I left I ended up purchasing some freshly picked sweet strawberries, a loaf or

cranberry-pumpkin bread, and some Italian pizza bagels.

While walking back with my bag of tasty goodies, I came upon a squirrel drinking out of a puddle of water that a sprinkler had created.  I watched a few moments and then as I started to walk closer to him, he darted up a nearby tree, but only seemed to go far enough out of reach, but still remained close enough to either head back down to the drinking hole, or perhaps could smell what I had and wanted to wait and see if I’d be leaving any food behind.  Either way, I took out my trusty iPhone 4 once again and snapped a quick photo and I think he knew what I was doing because he just sat there while I snapped a few photos.

I really enjoyed my little trip to our Downtown Lodi Farmers Market this week, and I’m looking forward to visiting it again next week since the weekly event ends this month until next year.  So, check your local events calendar and see if you have a farmers market in your area and go see for yourself what goodies or wildlife you might find.

Also remember that we not only have great deals on homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton area local real estate market, but we also have great local events as well.  Lodi is a beautiful place to live, work, and shop.

Image via Wikipedia

I came across a good article by Stephanie Andre and posted by RISMEDIA yesterday that hits on a subject that we’ve all heard and read about many times in the last few years…water conservation.

Summer is nearing the end soon and here are some tips that we can all adhere to in order to use/consume less water and do our part to make a difference.

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. An easy test to tell if your lawn needs water is to simply walk across the grass. If you leave footprints, it’s time to water. (An added benefit of watering less often is that fewer, deep-soaking waterings encourage deep root growth and stronger turf.)

2. Water in the early morning. As much as 30 percent of water can be lost to evaporation by watering during midday.

3. Set your lawn mower one notch higher to make your lawn more drought-tolerant.
4. Use drip irrigation hoses to water plants, and water in the early morning or evening.

5. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your sidewalk, driveway, or patio.

6. Forego the hose and wash your car with a bucket and sponge instead. According to EPA WaterSense, a hose left running can waste as much as six gallons per minute while a bucket and sponge uses only a few gallons to do the job.
7. Keep a bottle of cold tap water in the refrigerator. You’ll avoid the cost and environmental impact of bottled water and you’ll have cold water available in the summer without running the faucet.

8. Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are full. If you have a water-saver cycle, use it.

9. Adjust the water level of your clothes washer, so that it matches your load size.

10. Regularly check your toilet, faucets and pipes for leaks and have them fixed promptly. An easy test for toilet leaks from EPA WaterSense: Place a drop of food coloring in the tank. If the color tints the water in the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak. Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.

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There are many homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton areas that are now empty due to foreclosure and/or a short sale situation, and since no one is living in the house, then no one is watering the lawns or flushing the toilets.  This can of course cause damage to the grass and plumbing of these homes.  This is not the same as water consumption.  Some of these homes are unsightly in their appearance, but it won’t take much for them to be brought back to life and beautify the neighborhood once again.

Well, I hope you can use at least a couple of these tips and implement them into your routine.  It WILL make a difference.

Make it a great day!