In our area of Minnesota, Oak wilt is a devastating disease that affects the red oak family.    We have been told for many years not to cut down or prune these hardwood in June and July. Well, with the early spring we are having, that pruning should stop closer to the middle of may this year.  Pruning for most trees should stop around that time.  Leaving an open wound in a tree invites insects to move in and can have adverse results on your trees. Check with your local DNR station about time lines for pruning in your area! 04/17/2010

Now, I used to own a pet shop and have seen all kinds and sizes of dogs.  But I will say, this one takes the cake.  The lady is selling him for financial reasons.... DOG FOR SALE  Free to good home! Excellent Guard dog.  Owner cannot afford to feed him anymore, as there are no more Drug Pushers, Thieves, Murderers or Molesters left in the neighborhood for him to eat! Most of them knew Jethro only by his Oriental street name... HO LEE SCHITT !!! Unless this lady is a midget...This is one big dog!!!! I just had to share this.  Have a safe evening! 04/15/2010

Well if you don't, I DO!!!   Did it look kinda like this? (Not the best photo) I had over 1000 birds in my yard, well OK I had 100 Robins in my,   Um, my wife said there were 67 to be exact.  I asked her how she knew the exact number.  She said..." Well, I just counted the wings and divided by two!" Hard to argue with great math!. Anyway, with the temps in the low 80's today, the Robins are on spring break, and there is a lot of hanky panky going on.  So, if your bird is missing, Call and I will see if I can find it! If you want a great deal on wooded land, just follow the Robins, or call me! Have a great Easter! 04/01/2010

But I really like looking through clear eyes.  Why would I want them checked.?  Well, the lead balloon fell from the sky and into to the eye Dr. I went.  Once in there, the assistant starts on me..."Your glasses are scratched, how do you see through them?" I replied..."I look between the scratches."  "How long have you had these glasses?"    "Well, since I bought them, OH, about 2-3 years ago."     "HMMM, it says in 2003" she retorted.  (If she already knew the answer, why did she ask.)                                                                                                                                                                                                 "The Dr. will be with you soon," and out the door she went. After and eternity, the Dr. came in.  "Mr. Feela, how... 03/30/2010

I Love my in-laws, but some days I do wonder.  One of them was complaining about a tooth ache...They have false teeth.   Brought to mind this funny! Two elderly ladies were talking about their husbands... "I wish I could get Fred to stop biting his nails." "I finally got Bill to stop." Said the second. "HOW?" "I hid his false teeth. I may have to take this lesson to heart! 03/28/2010

It is a never ending battle.  Weight.  Most all of us battle it at one time or another.  The other thing we battle is our spouses.  Much of this battle is out of Love, but, some days ... Pam was pissed.  Sam had forgot their anniversary, AGAIN!~  "You have until tomorrow morning to have my anniversary gift.  I want something that goes from 0 to 200 in under six seconds...sitting in the driveway, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" "Loud and Clear", replied Sam. The next morning, there in the driveway was a nicely wrapped box.  When Pam opened it, she found a bathroom scale.  Sam, Well, he was never seen again! 03/20/2010

With the snow and ice of the last 7-10 days, many people are running way late.  Some spouses are very understanding and other haven't a clue.  A case in point... Adam had been out late a few nights and Eve got real suspicious. "Your out late again tonight, are you seeing other women?!" "Eve", replied Adam.  "Get a grip..you are the only women on this entire planet."  The quarrel continued until Adam fell asleep.  He was awaken to something poking him in the chest.  "Eve, What are you doing poking me in the chest and waking me?!" "I am counting your ribs," replied Eve. 02/09/2010

My dad is my best friend.  Always has been, just when I was young , I didn't realize it.  We were talking about the olden days not long a go and about all the dumb things that had happened.  It brought to mind this story... Will had overturned his wagon of corn.  The Farmer who lived nearby heard the commotion dn yelled... "He Will, come on over here and for get your troubles." Will replied, "That is mighty nice of you, but I don't think that Pa would like it very much." "Aw, come on, it'll be OK." "Well, OK", said Will, "But Pa ain't going to like it." The neighbor fed him a great dinner as they talked. Finally will thanked his host, "That was very nice of you, but Pa ain't going to like it." "Where is your Pa anyway", asked the Farmer. "He's under the wagon!" Some things just can't wait! 01/21/2010

Today in Minnesota I have 26 degrees ABOVE zero.  This is the warmest we have had since Christmas when we were hit by the storm.   With the sun out part of the time, the snow is melting off the roofs. What does this have to do with Real Estate?  We are in a warming trend.  The next week is going to be great!  Mid thirties on some days.  For those looking at land, it's a great time to tromp through the woods.  It will be warm enough to spend time with nature and be able to take you time to investigate the property thoroughly with out freezing if you don't like the bitter cold. So, What are you waiting for.  Call me!  It is even a nice time to look at homes.  With the water dripping, it feels like spring! There are still some GREAT deals our there.  Cash in before the interest goes up! 01/12/2010

Many of you, especially on the east coast, have had your cities deal with the removal of snow.  We call them Snow emergencies in Minnesota.  You have to park on certain streets on certain sides or your car will get towed.  Ticket and tow will cost between $175-$235.  Make sure you listen for instruction in your area.  If you are unsure of where to find them, contact me and I will help you find the authority in your area. Ole and Lena, Lifelong residents of Minnesota, were having morning coffee.  After 5 inches of snow during the overnight the radio blurted out the snow emergency for Ole's area as parking on the even side of the street. "Well, OK" said Ole, and went and moved his car. About a week later, another storm had hit.  During their morning coffee, again the radio announcer came ... 01/08/2010

Located in the small town of Harris Minnesota...Is a quaint little cafe.  The Decor is of a Scandinavian culture, but the food is Minnesota Farm Style. Be it, Turkey, Beef or Ham dinner, or BBQ Ribs that fall off the bone, Some of the best cooking goes on in this little cafe.   Come in for a home style meal, coffee and pie and you will be full and still have change from your 20 even after a generous tip. Don't drive by this great stop only a mile off the freeway between Mpls and Duluth! 06/03/2009

Mow I am no Stranger to this deed, except...I am usually the giver.  So, when my wife and I went to our favorite small town dinner we were surprised when we left and was told that the "bill" had already been paid for.  We usually see one or two couples in there that we new, but, we had commented during the meal that we new no one. To be honest, I am more comfortable being the giver...But, it was nice being on the recieving end this time! Thanks to the anonymous giver! 02/06/2009

Well, I know that the vote is technically over and the elctorial college had it's job to do, but it's not over in Minnesota yet!  Nope, our hottly contested Senate race is haning with Norm Coleman ahead of Al Franken by less than 500 votes! By State statute, anything less than a 1/2 % margin is an auto matic recount.  So, know we sit.  The projectins are early Dec before we will know the results.  Here I thought I was going to have to quit the election process Cold Turkey! 11/06/2008

With the fall harvest fast approaching the finish line, I ran across a picture of my fishing buddy, Roy, from the year before he died.  He had a small garden and called me over one day to halp him with his cabbage heads.  He was going to make sour kraut.  When I got there I almost fell over... Roy was confined to a wheel chair most of the time, but had stripped these heads so they were ready to shread.  the smallest weighed 20 pounds, and that was after the outside layers were taken off.  This made some excellent kraut!!! 10/21/2008

Two fellas are fishing in a boat under a bridge.  A funeral procession crosses the bridge and one of the fellows stands up in the boat, takes off his hat and bows his head.  After the procession passes, he puts his hat back on and sits down, grabs his fishing rod and goes back to fishing. The second fellow said..." I didn't know you had it in ya... "Well", said the second guy..." I guess it was the thing to do, after all, I was married to her for over 40 years!" 09/05/2008

Having people take you at your word is to say the least, very gratifying.  To be able to respond to others and not have the question you is also a great time saver in this business. But....do you find that if you know the persons occupation, it will someties slant you in your opinion of them, if you have not gotten to know them personally.   That is one of the reasons, being honest in this business is so important, not only to yourself, but to all the agents out there.  I takes only one "Bad Apple" to make it that much harder for everyone.   So take the high road and be honest with everyone, no matter the outcome! You will be doing yourself and others a great service! Late one night my fried Ole was pulled over by the Police and asked if he had been drinking. Ya, sure I have. It's frida... 07/24/2008

For many years a man was having an affair with an Italian woman.  One night she confided in him that she was expecting.  Not wanting to ruin his reputation, he paid the lady a large sum of money and asked that she would move to Italy to have the baby secretly.  If she would stay in Italy, he would also send support until the child was 18. She agreed, but wondered how he would know when the baby was born. He said, "Send me a post card with the word spaghetti on it and I will start the payments.  One day about 9 months later he came home to a confused wife, "Honey, You recieved a very strange post card today." "Oh, just give it to me and I will explain later."  The wife handed the post card to her husband and watched as he read it, turned white and fainted. On the card was written... Spag... 07/21/2008

City of Harris, Chisago Co. - MN20072006Δ Change# Homes Sold2147-55.32%Average Price$211,411$244,474-13.52%Median Price$200,000 $239,900 -16.63%Total Volume$4,439,650$11,490,291-61.36%Based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE OF MINNESOTA, INC.For the period of January 1, 2006 thru December 31, 2007It is a great time to buy a home and there are great deals in all price ranges available.For more information about my services, guarantees or how I can help you find your next home,sell your home, buy a business or investment property - Just call me today at 763-548-1418!To view my interactive on-line real estate magazine with listings, click the banner below: Click the banner below to send this information to your friends or family!  Associates of Science Degree in Geo... 02/09/2008

HarrisMinnesota Real Estate Market Conditions We here at Team PROgressive continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep our clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends. Below you will find Harris’s real estate statistics for June 17 – June 23, 2007. New Homes on the Market: 0 Number of homes accepting offers (pending): 1 Number of homes closing (sold): 0 Number of homes Expiring from Market: 0 Average Days on Market: 0 To find the value of your home with a free, over-the-net home evaluation, please click here. If you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area/neighborhood, would like more information about Harris or would like to know about hot new listings before other buyers do, then give us a call at Team PROgressiveMike & Tammi VanGrinsvenGreater Midw... 08/06/2007

HarrisMinnesota Real Estate Market Conditions We here at Team PROgressive continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep our clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends. Below you will find Harris’s real estate statistics for June 10 – June 16, 2007. New Homes on the Market: 0 Number of homes accepting offers (pending): 1 Number of homes closing (sold): 1 Number of homes Expiring from Market: 2 Average Days on Market: 70 To find the value of your home with a free, over-the-net home evaluation, please click here. If you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area/neighborhood, would like more information about Harris or would like to know about hot new listings before other buyers do, then give us a call at Team PROgressiveMike & Tammi VanGrinsvenGreater Mid... 08/02/2007