Most of you are aware of my love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with winter. The lack of green, the icy wind, oh, and did I mention the cold? It seems the cold is trying to pass us by this year. It’s not all bad as the summer’s lack of rain was very hard on my pastures and as a result we have had to feed much more hay this winter than last. The colder it is, the more hay the cows consume. Also, I have been working on a major greenhouse project that has been a twinge in my stern (the nicest way I can put it in this missive). Problems with wrong parts and slow shipping over the holidays has pushed me to the limit. And my tolerance to pain and aggravation is nearly limitless! Although as I age I find more things less tolerable than in days past. Am I alone in that?

One of the potential downsides to the lack of sustained cold spells is the insect larvae overwintering just beneath the soil or the leaves. They can handle a bit of sub-freezing temperatures just fine but to really knock them back a bit we need a certain number of days-in-a-row of really cold weather. Flies can be a problem for me and my cattle. We employ fly predators, as well as a variety of traps for a variety of flies so the cows won’t have to suffer with swarms of blood-meal seeking flies.

For the rest of you flies can certainly be a nuisance, but skeeters are the real problem for most. Did you know mosquito larvae can overwinter in moist soil? If that soil freezes solid for a length of time then a depressed population would be the result. This applies to many other creepy-crawlies as well. Those of you with pets should be on the look-out for fleas and ticks once the warmth begins.

It is disconcerting to find myself wishing for some good cold spells, but it would be for the best. Of course, I would be happy living where the cold never comes but Patti likes the seasons. If not for that I might be in some tropical paradise but we can’t have that, can we?!?

The Buzz Is…

…about to return. Yep, it’s that time of year again. Time to think about Carpenter Bees.

After the rousing success of last year’s trapping, we are gearing up early to keep your home from being riddled like Swiss cheese. Our target for setting out traps this year is the middle of March. If the traps are in place before the bees come out, then we are ahead of the game. It’s best to capture the bees when they first emerge from winter’s hibernation instead of trying to play catch-up after they are already scouting out new places to drill into your homes exterior.

Also, the capture of the bees seems to have a cascading effect as far as the attraction of new bees. They can sense the presence of the bees in the trap and decide to drop in to see if they can exploit the situation to their advantage. At this point they become trapped themselves and continue to attract more bees to their doom.

With the winter being unusually warm, we expect the bees to emerge a bit earlier than usual. We have already seen the Pileated woodpeckers chiseling away at the exterior of some homes to get to the tasty morsels inside. The more bees we trap, the less of that we will see as well. Unless the woodpeckers discover how to get into the traps. Then we will have to come up with a trap for them. Just not made out of wood.

If you are interested in signing up for our Carpenter Bee Trap Service this year then contact us without delay so we can get you on the schedule. It does take a bit of time to get out to all the locations and hang all the traps. Luckily, we have the tall ladders needed to reach the lofty heights that are crucial for proper placement in order to entice the bees into the traps in the first place. Our service includes placing the traps, monitoring, emptying and removal at the end of the season, usually around September.

The average home, sans outbuildings, takes at least 4 traps to provide adequate coverage. Some larger homes with chopped up rooflines can use 6 traps. Same with homes with outbuildings that need protecting. The longer you wait, the less effective the traps will be.

Hey there kiddies! It’s time for another exciting installment of…

Did You Know?

Whilst there are plenty of food scares out there, there are the little everyday things that often go un-noticed. Take lemon wedges for example.

“What would you like to drink?” asks the waitress. Being health and weight conscious you say, “Water, please.”

The waitress brings you a nice glass of water. In said water floats an unrequested wedge of lemon. Not that you mind the lemon, after all, you can simply remove it if you wish. But what exactly resides on that wedge of lemon?

That is the question that was in the mind of Anne LaGrange Loving, assistant professor at Passaic County Community College in New Jersey. After a similar encounter at a local restaurant she decided to do a study. They sampled a total of 76 lemon wedges served with water or soda at 21 eateries for microbial growth. The study found 69.7% of the lemon wedges sampled produced some form of microbial growth from the rind and/or flesh, encompassing 25 different microorganisms including bacteria and yeasts. The study noted that “The microbes found on the lemon samples all have the potential to cause infectious diseases.”

Now the study, published in the Journal of Environmental Health in December 2007, did not show the likelihood of one actually contracting an infectious disease, nor did it identify the source of the contamination. But that is all beside the fact that it was present on food served to a customer! Lemons certainly aren’t grown locally in most locales of the United States. Imagine how far they travel and how many hands touch them on there way to your table. Not to mention, although I will, all of the road dust, bird poop, bug leavings and various other fragments the lemon picked up in it’s travels. Did anyone wash the lemon before they served them? Of course this brings to mind all of the other fruits, vegetables and garnishes we consume on a daily basis.

As someone who has raised many types and numbers of animals, I am no stranger to the plethora of bacteria oozing around. My immune system eats E. coli for breakfast. I can hardly remember the last time I was sick. But what about someone with a compromised immune system? Whether one knows it or not?

The bottom line is there are microorganisms everywhere. In, on and around everything. Most of them won’t hurt a relatively healthy person. Many actually help you. In fact, without many of them, you could not exist!

So, far from being an alarmist, I just wanted to know… lemon anyone?

…a note from Cindy

Spring is in the air a little earlier than usual this year! This weather always reminds us of spring cleaning, so with the thought of cleaning in mind I am pleased to announce a change which has taken place within Complete Home Services. Rebekah Hunter whom many of you know as “Bekah” is now the manager of the cleaning department. She will be the one to schedule cleanings, let you know cleanings have been completed, monitor quality control and a variety of other tasks which fall upon that department. In addition, I am hoping we can convince her to contribute an article or two for the newsletter.

Bekah was born and raised in this area, knows every back road, half the population and could probably teach Paula Deen a thing or two about country cooking. She is very conscientious and well loved here in the Complete Home Services family. Her promotion will help us to continue to run efficiently. For your records her e-mail address is beka@gahomeservices.com and her direct number is 706-994-4850. Of course you can still direct your correspondence to me as I love hearing from ya’ll and I will get the information to Bekah. Daffodils are springing up, birds are singing! Come on up to the mountains!

News From Them Thar Hills!

Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2012

Happy New Year!

Well, another year has come and gone. They just seem to keep coming, don’t they?

There are some signs that the economy is trying to struggle forward. That is fairly evident by the increase in winter activity here at CHS. This is the busiest winter we have had to date. In fact, the whole of 2011 was pretty dang busy! Our company has grown quite a bit this last year. We have several new employees and a plethora of new clients, with more each week. So much for the winter downtime!

We are busy training new employees as well as bringing greater efficiency into our business routine. Our website has figured greatly in the growth of 2011, as well as our top rating on the search engines.

One of the greatest assets we have these days is our top-notch customer base. Word of mouth is a great asset. If the referral rewards we offer are any indication, it seems we are doing a pretty good job. We constantly strive for perfection! Although ultimately an un-attainable goal, it is the continual effort that trumps the actual attainment. We are always working to improve our service, constantly looking for innovative and economical solutions to the challenges presented by an ever varied and growing customer base.

So a great big hearty THANK YOU goes out to all of you for making 2011 a great year! We seek to return the favor by taking the lessons learned and applying them in the coming year. We appreciate the trust you place in us and plan to reward that trust by living up to your expectations of Complete Home Services while always working to exceed them.

Archeology in the Appalachians!

You may (or may not) be familiar with Archeological Zone 9UN367 at Trackrock Gap but it is a nice place to visit and a pretty good hike to boot. There are some ruins there that have been partially explored/excavated. One of the mounds, which has yet to be excavated, have qualities that make it unique when compared to other mounds found across the US.

A writer for Architecture & Design Examiner, Richard Thornton, has made the assertion that this is possibly a Mayan settlement. It has been previously established that the site dates back to a time prior to Cherokee settlement of the area. Also, the Cherokee never claimed to have built it. They referred to it as a “sacred place.”

Well, as one might imagine, this has created a bit of a stir among the scientific community, especially with the researcher cited in the article, archaeologist Mark Williams of the University of Georgia and Director of the LAMAR Institute. Mr. Williams dismisses the story out of hand and many others have even less nice things to say about the claims by Richard Thornton.

Rather than inserting my opinion regarding the matter, I am choosing instead to post a link to the story, Maya Ruins in N. Georgia?, so you might peruse the story and read the abundance of comments following same and come to your own opinion.

Either way, it is a bit exciting to think there could be a link to the once-powerful and vast Mayan civilization right here in our own backyard. The scientific community consensus that there is no factual evidence to support the assertion the Maya settled in this area is correct… thus far. There doesn’t seem to be anyone with credentials looking for said evidence at the moment. That could very well change in the near future.

Please Insert Input Here

All right folks, it’s time for a little company/client interaction. No, we’re not going to hold hands and sing Kumbaya (unless you really want to), we just need to ask you something.

Having spent some time in the service industry in my short time on planet Earth, I have found that many people are not easy to please. However, most of our clientele seem to be very flattering and amenable to working with us as far as scheduling, etc. (you know who you are).

Now, I know that you can’t please all of the people all of the time, which brings me to the heart of this article. Please finish these sentences: I like the way you (clean house, windows, etc.) but I really wish you would ________.  All of the services you offer are great but we would like you to offer ________.  The newsletter is fine but could you write more about __________?  I hope you get the gist of what we are trying to find out. We want to know what you want!

Of course, we could be achieving the aforementioned perfection and you have no lacking needs in regard to our services (which means the psychics I talked Cindy into hiring really are working!).

Please be frank when responding, our skin isn’t too thin. Well, mine isn’t anyway.

…a note from Cindy

This winter has been so mild compared to the freezing, snowy winter of 2011.The year has started with warm temperatures and a lot of rain, even a thunderstorm or two. I sit hear pondering the New Year I cannot help but wonder what a mild winter will bring to the North Georgia Mountains.The first thing that pops into my head is BUGS.Being in so many cabins during the course of the year we see many insect patterns.Last spring with all the rain we were routinely finding ants in the houses.Last fall when the Lady bugs usually start invading the houses there were virtually none.One thing we have been seeing a little more than usual is Scorpions. If you have found them in your house do not be alarmed as we usually find them in everyone’s house at one time or another.

Scorpions are best known for their sting.In some areas of the world they are very dangerous however those found in Georgia have a sting equal to that of a bee. Stings typically produce a burning pain but it usually does not last long.However, anyone allergic to venoms should immediately seek medical attention. Here in the mountains we have the Southern Devil Scorpion.

To minimize your scorpion population reduce their habitat such as stones, bricks or firewood on the ground, wood debris, buckets, etc and other places where they can hide. You will find scorpions most appear in cool damp places. entry points and when necessary there are insecticides labeled for scorpion control.

In closing, scorpions play an important role in nature and prey on a large number of insects which could easily become “pests”. They especially like those scary looking mole crickets that like to lurk in your basement areas.They are not looking to sting you but only out venturing for food or mates during the hours of darkness.So, even though they look scary you do not need to panic as they are a part of these mountains.

I hope each and every one of you has a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012!

To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here.

Questions or comments? E-mail us at donald@gamtnhome.com or call 678-439-9125

Copyright 2011 by Donald Caraway and Cindy Cohen.

Have a Happy Holiday and New Year

News From Them Thar Hills!

Volume 2, Issue 10, December 2011

Complimentary Home Services

When was the last time you received a free examination of any kind? The last time there was ice skating in Hades? I thought so.

Actually, it was the last time you had Complete Home Services perform any service at your home. When we are performing any task at your vacation/rental home, we strive to keep our eyes and ears on full alert for sights and/or sounds that are out of place. Sometimes it’s just the little things like that tiny dark spot in the corner on the floor that, upon closer inspection, just so happens to be a lonely mouse dropping. It doesn’t take very long to find a few more and a quick email later we are setting traps, removing the offender and finding and sealing the entry points. Cleaning gutters and rooftops are no exception. On a recent gutter clean job, one of my crew was on the roof and called for me to come up and have a look at a possible issue. Sure enough, the siding under the eave of the roof was beginning to show some signs of water-induced rot. Upon further inspection we found a couple of more spots as well. Later that afternoon the client had an email, with pictures, informing him of our findings. He informed us that he wanted a full inspection of siding and molding and to replace any offending pieces. Small spots like these often go un-noticed until a wet spot appears on an interior wall or someone notices the smell of mold inside the house. By that time wall studs and drywall may well need replacing, increasing both the scope and cost of what could be a significantly smaller job.

Ongoing inspection of both home and property are just one of the benefits of being a client of Complete Home Services. A little lagniappe goes a long way!

Season’s Salutations!

With Thanksgiving’s gluttonous repast entrenched in places we’d rather others not see, we are off to the second celebratory commemoration in this year end trifecta of festivities and merriment. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Chanukah as part of a religious observance, gift giving holiday or just to spend time with family and fiends (or is that friends?), I think we can all agree that, for most, it is a special time of year.

Here at Complete Home Services, we want to let everyone know how much we appreciate their business and the kind words offered up throughout the year.

We hope that the time spent with friends and family brings you all the warmth and joy that one comes to expect at this most propitious time of year.

The Chill Cometh!

As I sit hear tapping away at the keyboard, wind blows and snow falls. It is down right raw outside! Pretty early for these here parts (Nov. 29). The forecast lows for the next 10 days range from the mid 20’s to the mid 30’s. Highs will be mid 40’s to mid 50’s.

If you recall last months’ missive, it is definitely time to winterize! Fall has been surprisingly mild. My hopes are for an equally mild winter. But, alas, my hopes are often dashed upon the rocky shores of reality. Don’t let those rocky shores be your reality! Old man Winter is unmerciful! Mitigate his glacial wrath with the warmth of preparedness.

If we may be of assistance, please contact us.

The Unmitigated Gall!

We have cleared out literal mountains of leaves so far this year. Our hand-held blower just wasn’t making the grade so we had to get one of those raucous back-pack models. What a difference! It can really move the leaves.

While dealing with so many leaves from so many species of tree, one can’t help but notice that there are many oddities afoot. At one locale in particular I found some perfect little orange golf ball sized galls. The picture on the left depicts the intact gall of the gall wasp Loxaulus maculipennis. The picture on the right of a gall (dissected by yours truly) shows the empty egg casing suspended in the center of the gall by fibrous strands. The larva has already pupated into an adult gall wasp and emerged, shown in the left half of the dissected gall.

The picture above shows two kinds of gall, the aforementioned gall and the Eastern oak bullet gall. It is normally formed from the twig section of the oak, hence it’s tough exterior shell. While some view the gall wasp as an invader of the oak, and many other species of plant, there appears to be something more mysterious at work. After the egg has been laid inside the leaf (or stem, bud, bark) the larva hatches and begins to feed. The activity of the feeding causes a chemical reaction that results in the formation of the gall. In the example above, the gall is actually leaf material, although it is sometimes made up of stem or bud material. The “not fully understood” mutation is the mysterious part. As the larva feeds and continues to grow, likewise grows the gall. There are at least 750 different galls that have been identified on oak. That’s more than any other type of plant! It’s a good thing the oak is so tough and long-lived. Gall producing insects do not seem to cause the tree much distress. Some limb galls can kill limbs if numbers become excessive. For some it is a matter of distracting from the aesthetics of the tree. To each their own, I suppose. They kind of have an attractiveness all their own, like tiny Christmas ornaments.

Galls can be caused on virtually any species of plant from several causal agents. Wasps, mites, beetles, etc. Some are even formed by bacterial or viral infections. I find the wonders and intricacies of nature sublime, both in their complexity and simplicity, great and small. As should we all.

One More Tree Tale!

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it makes a sound? While this philosophical query obviates the need for an answer, I can say with certainty that the tree pictured below emitted a thunderous crash upon its irrevocable descent to the waiting earth.

We discovered the monolithic White Pine soon after purchasing our land here in 1999. Since most of the land around and below the tree was covered in white pines ranging from seedlings to 70 feet in height, we dubbed her “The Mom Pine.” She was truly spectacular! Just over 11 feet in circumference and close to 100 feet in height she was the second largest tree on our place and the largest tree I’ve ever had to fell. Just a few months ago she was a vibrant beauty without a flaw. Then one day I was inspecting a pad we had leveled out for a hoop-house we are installing when, lo and behold, there were brown branches all over the top. Shortly thereafter the brown spread to the entire canopy. Dead! We supposed that lightning from a recent storm must have committed the murder most foul. Just this past weekend I brought my work crew over and felled the tree. We then limbed her and chopped her trunk into 10 foot lengths. Upon closer inspection of her carcass, we found her upper bark and limbs riddled with tiny holes. The dreaded pine beetle. There were signs of other invaders as well. Since the holes were at the top, that would explain why she died from the top down. The top of the trunk and the limbs were very dry and light. Under the bark, the phloem layer was grooved with the pathways that wood-burrowing larvae cut as they consume the nutrient rich tissue that moves sustenance up and down the tree.

It was a sad day at the Caraway house.

…a note from Cindy

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye.One of the things that is different about my life here in Blairsville versus Atlanta (my previous residence) is holiday shopping.You can’t just run over to the mall to pick up this or that or stop somewhere on the way home from work to grab a gift on your list.You have to do some real planning!Once you have purchased all the tools your husband wants from Home Depot and you have scoured the halls of Wal Mart, where is one to go?

One of the things we do not have here in the mountains is a large selection of stores. Not that I am much of a shopper but during the holidays it can be a challenge.So, after I have purchased as much as I can from the local small stores I hit the internet and then as a final resort I have to make that dreaded trip to the big city to finish my shopping with my list securely in hand so I can get in and out as quickly as possible.I always liked living in Atlanta but now that I live here in the mountains, I love it so much more.No traffic, friendly people, beautiful scenery, and nothing is more beautiful than seeing Christmas lights on a mountain side.

So, yes shopping here can be a challenge but how can I complain.I have the best gift of all, living somewhere I love.BUT…….It is difficult to make a fashion statement dressed in Camo!

Larceny Afoot!

At the risk of repeating myself, I must once again relate a cautionary tale.

Just down the road from me there have been several break-ins in the Loving road area. I just learned moments ago, from one of my sources, that the offending party has been apprehended. While that is certainly good news, there has been a rise in burglaries as of late. I know I have said it before, but, if your yard/lot is overgrown and there is no presence at the house, it makes it appear abandoned… or as a foreclosure. If there is no garage then it is much easier to see if anyone is home or not. Sometimes even having a garage provides no surety to confuse a would-be thief as to whether the home is occupied or not. Case in point: One of our clients in this same area was at his vacation home when he heard the rumble of a pick-up in his drive. When he went outside to have a look-see, there were two old boys helping themselves to his pile of firewood. When asked, they replied that someone had told them they could have the wood. He informed them they most certainly could not and they left empty handed.

So don’t leave the “Rob Me” neon sign on at your place. If you don’t get us to keep your lot clean then, for heaven’s sake, get someone to do it! This, in and of itself, will not necessarily prevent a visit from the late-night flat screen tv dealer, but it would help!

News From Them Thar Hills!

Volume 2, Issue 9, November 2011

Is Your Abode Prepared?

As Fall sets in we realize that old man Winter is waiting in the wings. With Winter’s arrival comes all of the trials and tribulations one comes to expect… and others we never see coming. As the temperatures drop everyone and everything wants to find a warmer place in which to seek shelter. This includes all of the rodents and creepy crawlies that we all work so hard to keep out of our homes. They, too, want a warmer place in which to sit out Winter’s cold breath in relative comfort. This can make for a crowded domicile. For most, stowaways are not welcome.

There are a few things you can do to avoid this Winter-time migration. Sealing off all entry points is a good start. These can range from openings about the size of a quarter to the cracks around your windows and doors. Not only will this keep out many of nature’s residents but it will increase your home’s efficiency as well. Unlike many things you can do to accomplish efficiency, this one is pretty cheap!

Unfinished basements and crawl spaces are a weak point for many homes. Spiders are helpful in keeping other insect populations under control. There is the problem of their laying egg sacs with the resulting hatching of copious amounts of baby spiders. That and my wife would rather not see a spider… EVER! There are a dizzying array of poisons that one can spray or spread about to keep the creatures at bay. There are non or less toxic alternatives that work as well.

Another thing to consider with Winter’s inexorable encroachment are all things water related. Disconnecting water hoses from outdoor faucets is a must! If the interior pipe leading to the faucet is not drained then covering the faucet with a styrofoam cover, or some suitable proxy, is a good plan. Be sure and drain your hoses, roll them up and store them away. UV radiation is still present in the winter and will continue to degrade your water hoses, weakening their structure and shortening their useful life. When storing in an covered, outdoor locale, you might consider connecting the ends of the water hose together. As a farmer I have occasion to use my rather sizable collection of hoses. It is a bit irritating to hook one’s hose up to the faucet and turn the water on only to have about a million ants shoot out of the end of the hose covering every thing I was going to water with angry, biting fiends! Did you know that this, and dirt particles, are probably the number one reason those hose end attachments, the ones that have assorted spray patterns, fail? You’ll never get that flotsam out of there. If your hose ends have been left open, it’s a good idea to briefly flush the hose out prior to using hose-end attachments.

Unless you plan on draining all of your pipes and putting anti-freeze in your toilets you will need to leave you heat on with a setting between 40 and 50 degrees. Besides a tornado, nothing has quite the destructive potential to the inside of your house as unrestrained water.

If you find yourself too busy to get everything done, you can always give us a call, email or text and we will cheerfully get the job done for you!

The Mast is Down!

No, there’s no trouble with my sailing yacht (I wish!). The mast of which I speak is the nuts and fruits of certain forest trees, especially when it refers to hog feed. Of course, not only hogs eat the forest mast but so do squirrel, deer, turkey, bear and countless other of natures’ inhabitants.

According to the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) the forest mast yield this year is poor to very poor. So what about the poor, little animals, you might ask? Not to worry. They also like lawn grass and landscaping, and just about anything else that is sitting around your home.

I have noticed a plethora of turkey about this year. They are everywhere! We have a big tom with a harem of 8 hens in our front yard everyday for most of the day. There is another flock in my cow pasture. Flocks everywhere I drive, some eating the grass along the road.

We had a doe with a fawn living at our place but the doe hasn’t been around for a few weeks. Bow season claims another, I suppose. The fawn, past the spot stage, has taken to hanging with the turkeys. Any port in a storm. There is also a large herd of deer that makes the rounds through my place a night. They gleaned the tops from my radish and beets we are growing for the cows and pigs, as well as the tops of the carrots. The reports of bear are also sharply up, beginning back in summer. And, to the chagrin of at least 3 of our clients in the Richard Russell Hwy. area outside of Blairsville, wild hogs are also making a most un-welcome appearance. They can tear through pasture and landscape plantings with ease. They love the grubs and various other invertebrates found in the soft soil around plantings, ponds, gardens and in pastures. They can also learn to love baby lambs and calves, as well as the young of more exotic animals such as alpacas and llamas. Love to eat, that is.

As far as the deer, bear and hogs go, the bear is the most dangerous, the hog the most destructive and the deer some where in-between. Hogs are probably the toughest to get rid of. According to the DNR, trapping and hunting, especially with dogs, is the best way to eliminate the problem, with a combination of the two being the most effective. While some reading this may find these ways distasteful, you probably haven’t experienced them ripping apart your land. Did you know these critters are a non-native invasive species? They also cause beaucoup dollars in crop damage every year! There is no limit on the number one may take when hunting them and no closed season. The following is an excerpt from the DNR website:

“Damage caused by feral hogs has been reported in many Georgia counties.

Hogs compete with over 100 species of native wildlife for important and limited

natural food supplies, including hard and soft mast (especially acorns). The

native competitors at risk include high profile, high demand animals such as

deer, wild turkey, quail, black bear and ruffed grouse.”

Since they compete heavily with deer, hogs can be extremely detrimental to deer management programs. They will destroy quail and turkey nests and consume their eggs. In addition to consuming supplemental feed on some private intensively managed areas, wildlife feeders often are damaged or destroyed by feral hogs. Feeding also can contribute to the spread of diseases among hogs and between hogs and native wildlife. Hogs also destroy, eliminate and prevent the re-establishment of valuable native plants and animals including threatened and endangered species. All of the above reasons are why hogs are not desired on public lands in Georgia.

So, if you leave food outside for the cats and/or dogs or you have a lot of birdseed out, you might get a visit, and some consequential destruction, from one of natures’ many hungry guests. Of course, they might just visit you anyway. One can only hope it will be an enjoyable experience!

Peeper Update!

Did you get to make it up and see the leaves at peak color? No!?! Well, not to worry. While the peak is just past prime, there are still many wonderful views and visions to behold. Them thar hills still have a cornucopia of color to perceive. While all of the poplars stand naked, ready for winter’s onslaught, the maples are still rife with color, albeit partially undressed. The oaks are full of leaves and filling the hillsides, and your ocular cavities, with the splendor that will all too soon fall to earth and be blown away.

Hurry and get up here before the vivacious view fades into a memory too soon forgotten, swept aside by the travails of the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. I know that you are busy, as am I. At least I get to view the grandeur as I hurry from work to the field then home, thankful for the work and the beauty while mindful of the insignificance of the worry and fear that surrounds us all.

…a note from Cindy

The sad secret of the Mountains

The North Georgia Mountains are a wonderful place where most of the people are kind and the beauty of nature is all around.Unfortunately there is a situation here which is not so wonderful. A couple of weeks ago Beka and Junell (whom many of you know) were at one of our clients homes that rents on VRBO.This particular side of the mountain is mostly all vacation rentals with a few full time residents and in an area where bear and coyotes are quite common.The girls were cleaning the cabin and outside they find 2 puppies. The people who rented the cabin had been kind enough to put out some food for these starving and malnourished pups.So, the girls call me because they do not know what to do and I know that with the cold weather coming in, the age of the pups and the fact that the wildlife is prevalent in the area the odds are that these dogs will not make it.I told them to bring me the pups and I get on the phone making calls to everyone I can think of who may want another dog. You have to understand that if you live here full time the odds are real good that you have taken in a dog or cat or two.We have so many stray animals here it makes your heart sink.The reason here is twofold, one is because many of the local residents do not spay or neuter their animals and as I am sure you have witnessed most domestic animals here are not on leashes.The other problem is that people will come up from the city and drop their animals.It makes me so angry that I wish someone would drop them in the forest and see if they can survive.

In April of this year we lost our 2 best friends 2 weeks apart due to age and health reasons. While I was still not quite ready to take in pets, I knew that it would just be a matter of time before some lonely staving animal would walk into our lives. Sure enough, we now have 2 pups who have stolen our hearts and taken over our house!Thank goodness we had the room and wherewithal to take care of them.

BUT…Many animals here are not so lucky. The shelter is full and there is just no place to put all these abandoned animals.

SO, the next time you want to do something kind consider donating to our local shelter or donating items to one of their 2 thrift stores and if you have room in your house and heart maybe you would even consider adopting.For your information the Mountain Shelter is located at 129 Bowling Gap Circle which is located off Hwy 76 going on the East side of Blairsville. Their web site is www.humanesocietymountainshelter.org. In fact, I know of someone who is trying to find a home for a house cat that was left at the home after the owners moved out.

And in case you are wondering the pups are now named Pearl and Ziggy.Their breed is a Heinz 57 and they are great!

Bovine Broadcast!

Many of you have asked about little Norman after our initial story on his troubled beginnings. Thus far, things have turned out pretty well for old Norman.

My best cow, Blackie, has allowed Norman to sneak some drinks. Blackie had a beautiful calf, Maggie, a couple of months after Norman’s birth. She had the largest birth weight of any calf I’ve had to this date. At first Blackie resisted Norman’s attempts to nurse. Being the crafty little devil, Norman figured out that if he waited until Maggie was nursing he could run over and sneak a teat from the back. This strategy has served him well. Blackie has a bag nearly as large as a Jersey milk cow so, with adequate nutrition, she can support two calves.

Norman is almost 7 months old and starting to exhibit bully behavior. That means it’s about time to calm him down. He has put on a good bit of weight and size. He’ll definitely make a fine steer. He’s still pretty sweet, mostly. He likes to be scratched and petted but mostly he eats and tries to push the other calves around. The pushing will subside somewhat  when we relieve him of his testicular burden.

One of the age-old stereotypes in business is the pushy salesperson. But what if we told you that the real issue in sales today isn’t that salespeople tend to be too pushy, but that they’re not pushy enough?

In our first post in this series, we introduced you to a special type of high-performing sales rep called the Challenger. One of the defining attributes of Challengers is that they take control of the sale by being assertive.

What does this look like in practice? Challengers take control in three important ways.

First, as we discussed in last week’s post, Challengers use proprietary insights to change the way customers think about their business and that highlight the suppliers’ unique ability to create value. If customers respond, as they invariably do, that the insights don’t apply in their situation, Challengers don’t back down. They know that if they want customers to buy differently, they’re first going to have to get them to think differently — and that they may have to get a little scuffed up in the process.
Second, knowing that today’s complex deals are often just as difficult to buy as they are to sell, Challengers actively guide customers through the purchase process. They maintain the momentum of the sale by pushing customers to engage the right internal stakeholders at the right time with the right message. Challengers don’t ask customers how the deal is going to get done, waiting for the customer to “coach” them. They teach customers how to drive consensus for the purchase — as more often than not, customers themselves don’t really know how to do it.
Finally, Challengers take control in negotiating commercial details — especially at that crucial moment when the customer looks them in the eye and says, “If we could just get a 5% discount, I think we could get this done by the end of the week.” Unlike most reps whose response to a discount request is either to “consult with a manager” or to “meet the customer half way,” Challengers table the discount request altogether and instead push the conversation back to the value they’re providing to the customer. They acknowledge the request for a price concession, but defer a decision and, if pressed, offer other less costly concessions.

Now, of course, in all of these situations Challengers push back respectfully, professionally, empathetically and in a manner consistent with local culture (the way you challenge in Japan is different than the way you challenge in the U.S., for example). But, make no mistake, Challengers do push back.

When we present this research to sales leaders, we hear a common refrain: “If we tell our reps to sell like Challengers and be more assertive, they’ll go too far. They’ll take it as a license to become aggressive.” But more often than not, this concern is unwarranted. In reality, most reps are far more likely to be passive than aggressive with customers. Guided by years of training and a deeply seated but mistaken belief that they should always do what the customer wants, reps seek to resolve tension with customers quickly, rather than prolong it. But maintaining a certain amount of constructive tension is exactly what Challengers do.

Why do most reps fear tension? We see two reasons. First, they feel they have no choice — it’s either acquiesce or lose the deal. Yet, in a recent survey of sales reps and procurement officers, BayGroup International determined that while 75 percent of reps believe that procurement has the upper hand in the rep-customer relationship, 75 percent of procurement officers believe that reps have more power. What does that tell us? At the very least, if reps give in simply because of a perceived power imbalance, they’re conceding way too easily.

Second, most reps adopt a passive posture because senior management has told them to. How so? In ongoing efforts to differentiate their companies, virtually every leadership team has exhorted their team to “put the customer first,” or “place the customer at the center of everything we do.” It’s not a bad strategy, mind you, but it backfires when leadership is vague about how this translates to specific behavior. Without clear guidance, most reps simply slip into “order taker” mode, closing small, disaggregated, price-driven deals at a discount all in the name of “giving customers what they want.”

How would you describe the best reps in your organization? Do they acquiesce to customer demands and passively take business that’s given to them or do they push their customers and use tension to their advantage?

More blog posts by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

Can we build our way out of this recession?

Anders Lewendal, a builder in Bozeman, thinks so. He’s about halfway through building what he’s pitching as “The All-American Home,” a 2,000 sq. ft., two-story house constructed entirely of U.S.-made materials.

Now it’s probably true that the bulk of building materials that go into the average American home are sourced pretty close to home already. In fact, you can probably build a 70-percent American home without even trying. But Lewendal is out to make a point: By paying attention to where products are made, and incrementally pumping up American suppliers, builders (who are still building) can rev up the economy.

5% could make a big difference

By his calculation, if builders reallocated just 5% of their construction spending to American-made products, they’d add $14 billion to the U.S. economy. So on a Facebook page for his cause, he’s asking fellow builders to register for what he calls the “5% Club.”

It’s not a nationalistic idea, nor a partisan one, Lewendal emphasizes. He’s a small builder who constructs a half-dozen homes in a good year, and acknowledges heading up a national cause is good publicity. But he’s also using this as a learning experience, for himself and for other builders encouraged to do the same thing, and he’s started work on a database (see below) of American-made products used on this project.

“We don’t need every builder to build every single home with all-American products,” he told me. “That’s not practical and it’s not necessary.” But before handing over less money for a foreign product, he suggests considering the true cost. He makes a point with collated nails. American-made Maze orTrueSpec cost him more per box, but they don’t jam his gun the way the cheaper Chinese-made ones do. So it’s like this: spend money=save time=save money=save economy.

“It may be a little naïve or optimistic,” he says. “but it could happen.”

Products used in the “All-American Home”