Random OKC Metro Ramblings

All those out-of-state or metro readers, please indulge me on this one. First out of the chute is the robbery at the Nichols Hills Cleaners of an "undisclosed amount of money" recently. For those not familiar with the cleaners' location, it's in the "ghetto part of Nichols Hills", in the Plaza (owned by Chesapeake) and directly across from the Nichols Hills Police Department. Are we safe at the salon, are we brave enough to go to the boutiques? If our noses are up in the air, then how can we spot robbers? Rumor has it, the police were tied up out giving tickets to people that had the gall to park a pickup truck in their Nichols Hills driveway.

Point number two — recently, four restaurants have closed on the Memorial Street corridor from MacArthur to Penn. That only leaves about 30 or so left. (Ha!) Oklahomans are a fickle lot — they know what they like and don't like. National chains do well sometimes, and often they are surprised that they don't pass the local muster. Barbeque is a strange animal, being that Okies consume a LOT of it. Smokey Bones (went out), Tony Roma's (went out two different times). Besides, didn't he have any old family Italian recipes to share with us instead of being a BBQ poacher? We like our BBQ from guys like Leo, Earl or George, who you know was up at night stoking the smoker. Carrabas never took off, but Bravo's is doing fine. Cheeseburger in Paradise was slow and mediocre but hey, everybody loves Jimmy Buffett (we forgive him because we know he wasn't running the darn thing anyway).

Lastly, all the TV stations are Johnny on the spot to cover a story (block the way at the scene, probably), but why if the "story" happens at 9 or 10 a.m. do they have a reporter standing in the same place at 10 p.m. (dark, so they have to have lights) reporting this story which is old news by now, because our interest is fixated on some other story that happened in the last 12 HOURS. If our legal system was better, then the perpetrators could be caught and had their trial by the late newscast.

Check out the Oklahoma League for the Blind — it's a fascinating story about what all they do and manufacture. Pretty awesome what these people are able to accomplish.

Chick-Fil-A is open in Moore now. Does that make Moore a Big League City???

You Think "It's Just Girl Scout Cookies"

This time of year, each and every year for over five decades, a plague worse than the one spread by those pesky Keebler elves, is when the market is flooded by Girl Scout cookies. The little lasses are at your workplace, in front of Wal-Mart, at church, at sporting events, or even door-to-door (your front door). Peanut butter, pecan sandies, chocolate chips, and the "heroin or crack cocaine" of cookies — chocolate mint! Most people slip those buggers in the fridge to put a cool chill on the chocolate mint.

These girls selling, distributing or shilling those taste treats were whipped into a frenzy with hopes of winning sales prizes, personal accolades or Troop Supremacy of the Western World (which now is international). 

What you don't realize as you reach for your wallet is that this is a carefully orchestrated plot by a Star Chamber of women MLMs (multi-level marketers), put in place years ago (could have been part of the women's movement) for subversive training. Womatrons representing Arbonne, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Avon, Home Interior, Sarah Coventry, Lingerie Lady, Mary Kay, Paula's Purses, Noni Juice, Prime America, or the big dog — Amway — all gathered in a secret spot to put together this coup d'état of the Girl Scouts to incubate little sample soldiers for their cause. The location of this meeting is not known for sure, and the only clues are: (1) it's at a really cool full-blown spa, and (2) it's in the close radius of some of the US of A's "prime shopping" areas.

They all realized a happy face, quality product and cute uniform would teach these lassies how to "ask for the order" without much of an opportunity for rejection. Just count on the fingers of one hand how many times you've said "no." Over the years, you've probably said no unless by chance two Scouts in a row tagged you.

So, my friend, I'm warning you — if you buy those cookies from her today, it's like getting a dollar sign stamped on your forehead. She put you in her internal database for the rest of your natural-born days. I hope you need make-up, vitamins or a really, really expensive set of cooking pots, because you're now like a deer in the headlights!

As the plot thickens, my friends, red-white-and-blue-adorned Camp Fire Girls start the second surge upon us, with the annual candy sale drive. Do you see a pattern, anyone??? Oh, well — pass those coconut cookies — they're my favorite....

There Is No Recipe for Leftover Chocolate

Give me your word, and then I'll let you in on the world's most highly kept secret. That's right, I trust you with this closely-guarded, cherished bit of classified info.

Gold, diamonds, stocks, bonds or currency are not the most valuable forms of exchange — no, our world runs on chocolate. All other wealth barometers like the Gold Standard, oil prices of resources, and money from all countries are smoke screens to hide the amount of chocolate that trades hands in the entire world. Kings (more so, their wives), queens, world leaders, PTA presidents, or your own wives, are all run by the effects of chocolate.

You may be saying, "He's a conspiracy nutball," but let me convince you. Think about who it affects, my friend — women, men, women, children, women, businesswomen, orphans, women, mothers, women, and all those who've tasted this addictive elixir of brain-sensor-triggering sweet or bittersweet substance. It's a worldwide conspiracy, with the key players going for dominance of the world. Let's take a look at the culprits: Godiva, Hershey, Nestle, Mars, Ghiradelli, Swiss, or numerous candymakers that are vying for world to-choco-tarianism. 

It's more addictive than meth, worse than a heroin junkie, and the number of choco-addicts is greater than the millions of ciggie smokers. As the plot thickens, let me explain the craftiness of these perpetrators. Chocolate for Valentine's, fudge, or Christmas bells/Santa Claus chocolate figures in catchy aluminum wrappings, hollow chocolate bunnies for Easter (do you see a pattern here?), sold and given to each other like lemmings running off a cliff.

How can chocolate affect you? Well, it makes grown women cry, yell, throw things or slam phones (and that's just lady Realtors). Guns are pulled, knives are waved, combs or brushes wielded, or even pepper spray shadow of use can make most people give over the chocolate. If you've ever seen the wild fire in a lady's eyes who's coming for the chocolate, you've seen SATAN (you've been warned, my friend, you've been warned...). 

Don't think this war is like the cheery little M&M characters — we're talking all sorts of devious worldwide covert operations. The CIA (Chocolate Intelligence Army), which you probably thought meant something else, will stop at nothing to spread their addiction and control.

Why am I writing this, you ask? Think about all the chocolate exchanged for Halloween this year and tell me I'm a "conspiracy wacko". Now they've got your kids, unless you took all the chocolate away and left your kids with the orange or black wrapped peanut butter candies. Don't laugh — mean mothers are hooked that bad. Just remember that vanilla is the most-sold flavor of ice cream worldwide. Why? Because you put chocolate sauce on it, my friend, because you put chocolate (hot fudge) sauce on it.

Eat-less in Seattle

My, oh, my! After all these years, the Glenster finally got to go up Seattle way. Been to Vancouver, which was outta-sight (bet you hadn't heard that in awhile!), but never to Seattle, which had me lusting for a visit after watching "Elvis at the World's Fair" as a mere lad.

Plus, as an avid watch of the Travel Channel, Food Network and internet roaming, my taste buds were exploding with curiosity before I ever reached the cab from the airport. All your friends bombarding you, telling you the seafood, salmon and wine are off the charts in Seattle — but I was on a "mission" to find more.

First off, the one place jumping off everyone's charts (Rachel Ray's Picks, America's Best Doughnuts, Phatt Frank's Hall of Fame, and a client from Seattle) is Top Pot Doughnuts, with its classic choices of just the old standby regular doughnuts and rolls, but done right with melt-in-your-mouth toppings. Not 50,000 choices, but 12 really, really good ones.

Of course, the coffee is fantastic, because in Seattle almost everyone's coffee is fantastic. I got my picture taken outside the first Starbucks, but didn't buy ANY Starbucks in Seattle because the rest of the coffee places are so good.

Fresh produce is plentiful everywhere, like the marvelous food at the Steelhead Diner. Updated comfort food as your choices, done with a quirky flair (bigger amounts than one person can [should] eat), presented appetizingly, so share with somebody. 

Speaking of comfort food, check out the Icon Grill with its rich history, downtown location, and menu they bill as "aroused Americana", showcasing the Five Cheese Macaroni & Cheese (feeds three people as a side dish), On-the Spot Fried Chicken or the Northwest Mix. Nice atmosphere with eclectic decor for a quiet, enjoyable dinner plus decadent dessert surprises. Get the refrigerator dolly to cart your friend out, while you're both smiling!

Maybe Asian fusion done with seafood jump-kicks your starter. Wild Ginger has some mean grub — shrimp, scallops or lobster blended with the freshest veggies in unforgettable sauces, prepared fresh just for you. Rice and lip-licking pot stickers done to perfection create a speed bump of taste for the cool after-work crowd which will slow them down every time. 

Speaking of speed bumps, the traffic is really bad in Seattle. If you don't believe me, check out the safety cones! On the way to a fantastic neighborhood Italian bistro, Machiavelli Ristorante, the highway bridge comes into play over railroad tracks, but it's a hip little area like the Paseo District in OKC.

As you can see from my pic, taking a rest chillin' out after the Experience Music Project (Jimi Hendrix museum) was a hard task because of the pressure of picking the next place to eat. Plus, remembering the time I dragged my best buddy, Randy Allison, to see Jimi Hendrix at OU in the late '60s. It was good and loud — a lot better than Randy's usual musical fare of the Lettermen or Fifth Dimension soft pop mushy jibberish.

It was a great trip — the fable of my introduction to "high tea" will be another entry...

Clapton, Page, Van Halen and Ocean Guitar Thunder

It's big and bad — it's Air Guitar!!!

Gas prices soaring, global warming, food skyrocketing, but who will be the new "King of the Air Axe Slingers"? You got it, people — grown (or is it "groan"?) men in spandex, grunge or hippie attire, traveling from all over to duke it out with each other, but never actually "playing" a lick on the air guitar. 

With the current problems in airplane travel chaos, not having to really carry a guitar is pretty advantageous. I'll have to admit, all of us real music fans have probably taken our turn on the ol' air guitar (most likely in the privacy of our own crib, with the volume up extremely high), or you persons of libations overload may have strummed in public.

The facial expressions are very important to pulling off this visual virtuoso performance. This massive national championship is no doubt sponsored by Cuervo Black (tequila, man — tequila). The defending champion, Andrew Litz, even has a "stage name" — William Ocean (sounds pretty Barry Manilow-ish to me), unlike the 2005 king (the Rockness Monster), or even the 2006 champ Hot Lixxx Hulahan.

It's not too late for you to go to San Francisco August 20-22 for your 60-second set of strutting, strumming and stunning. In the spirit of the Olympics, you could represent the good old US of A in Oulu, Finland, to bring home the world title. No hassles at customs with your Gibson or Fender, just keep your fingers and face limber on the plane. But remember the judges at the world championships tend to reward technique over theatrics — so practice, practice, practice...

In Memphis, I was hearing the real thing — BLUES — what a guitar was made for!

* * * * *

My favorite Food Channel program, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", featured the Tea Room Café in Memphis, Tennessee, and last week I got to eat lunch there. It was every bit or more than I had imagined — the choices overwhelmed me!

Narrowing it down, the meat loaf had a unique flavor with superb texture. Beets — I know most people don't like beets, but I grew up on them, as Grandma Cosper was the all-time best cooker. The Tea Room beets were way up there on the scale.

Now the killer — the scalloped tomatoes (no, I'd never heard of that before, either) were off the scale. Cheeses, spices, fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers all converged for the ultimate taste extravaganza. Topped off with corn fritters and Southern sweet tea, it all led to the sad part of no room left for dessert (I took mine to go). Peach cobbler — light, flaky, sweet and marvelous.

On a scale of one to ten, I only gained six pounds from this place. (Ha! Ha! Ha!)

Evil Spirits Possess Trolleys

I'm a real veteran of Downtown Oklahoma City. It was my privilege, and I do mean PRIVILEGE, to experience the "Old Downtown OKC" in my youth. 

First, as a newly-turned teen in Junior High, as spooky as it might seem, my neighbor Jack (one year my junior) and I rode the city bus downtown sometimes on Saturday mornings and spent the day there. No, our parents weren't insane (I'm 57 now) — in those times, it was different. 

We could go to the various hodge-podge of stores — Ben Franklins, Walgreens, Katts Drug Store (the Clara Luper sit-in site), more five-and-dime variety stores, big department stores such as John A. Brown, Rothchilds, Montgomery Ward and Kerrs. Lots of big and little clothing stores like Emmer Bros., Top Hat Haberdashery (cool name, huh?) or Streets. 

Are you getting the picture? It was our version of hanging out at the mall. It had its unglamorous but exciting places, also — old pool halls, domino parlors, Army/Navy surplus stores (all up and down Sheridan and California Streets), pawn shops (if you think they have crap now, back then it was before Best Buy or WalMart) loaded with jewelry, transistor stuff, musical instruments, golf clubs, and even clocks made like hula girls (woo-hoo!). 

There were cavernous book stores with walls of magazines and books — not lattés, frappés or even cherry Cokes. If you even thought about bringing drinks or food into a bookstore, you'd be "banned for LIFE" (I know there had to be a "blacklist"). Now, heck — people read the stuff free, but pay an arm and a leg for the drinks. It's 2008, and we've come a long way!!!

Now, to mention the best parts. First, back then there were nine movie theatres in downtown OKC. Five were very large, ornate, awe-strikingly beautiful old theatres where movies or stage shows had dominated in the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s. That evil spirit of Urban Renewal decimated these wonderful theatres, along with their lobbies, balconies, drapes, detailed sculptured walls and huge "David Letterman Show"-like marquees. We also watched Westerns or Elvis movies in the grubby, small movie joints.

Jack and I had our private playground roaming downtown OKC (without parental supervision) — exploring, poking our heads into places that told us real quick to retreat. Oh, yes, we saw the bums, winos and hookers, but framed it as a documentary in our minds (we couldn't end up like that — after all, we were born in the suburbs — HA!!!)

Last but not least, THE FOOD! It was everywhere in the form of soda fountains, diner counters, cafeterias, junk food places. The variety stores had aisles and aisles of penny candy, Jack's Deli had enormous sandwiches, Greens Lunch Counter had burger baskets with strawberry malts, and Anna Maude's Cafeteria had meat loaf plus a slice of the "Greatest Coconut Pie Ever to Exist on Planet Earth"!

Crash!!! Boom!!! Destroy!!! All this was whisked away with the "Curse of Urban Renewal". 

Now that our downtown is coming back, WE CAN'T RUN THE DARN TROLLEYS ON TIME!!! Our tourist trade, our own people visiting, and the people who live and work downtown everyday need for the gosh-darned trolleys to JUST RUN ON TIME. We will ruin everyone's experience in OKC if their vacation or convention plans are jacked around by the trolleys being unreliable.

I'm submitting the reasoning for the "evil spirits" possessing the Oklahoma Spirit trolleys. I hope the "curse of Urban Renewal" doesn't take a shot at the boats on the canal or Oklahoma River. WET CURSES are the worst kind!!!

As things get hotter, remember to water your foundation. Oklahoma is the BEST place in the nation to buy or sell a home — with "That Real Estate Guy," of course...

Are you Deep-Fried or Slow-Roasted?

Well, supposedly everything fried is bad for us. Being from the South (Southwest or South, if only being pegged for food purposes), our whole goal in life is to fry things. Throw it in some hot grease, lard or bacon fat and FRY that sucker!

Grandma's fried chicken, Uncle Fred's fried catfish or Aunt Wanda's fried pies are near and dear to our hearts. OK, I'll breeze by chicken fried steak, but how about the deal with veggies? We can't just eat our veggies, but have to fry okra, squash, green beans or even green tomatoes.

Upscale, downscale, diners, drive-ins or dives all have their version of assorted fried main dishes, side dishes or even desserts. How much crud of cholesterol can you cram in the ol' pipes without getting a "major stoppage"? The better the taste, the worse it probably is for us. If it's a two-paper-towel soaker, then you've died and gone to "Southern heaven". 

The State Fair is a smorgasbord of fried food just reaching out like the Sirens luring sailors to crash on the rocks. Yes, you are right — everything we can think of can be baked or broiled. Oh, yes, it's going to be good for you, but the taste is not the same. It's just not the same to dip a B or B piece of food into a decadent cheesy dip or thick, succulent, creamy, dripping, rich, calorie-laden and spicy sauce. You may be healthy, but can you answer these questions? Have you:

• Tongued a fried banana?
  
• Tasted a fried pickle?
  
• Popped in a fried tater tot?
  
• Peaked on a fried peach?
  

Some people from different parts of the country don't even know what okra is or tastes like. Up until the last few years, I thought we had exhausted the prospects of foods to fry, but now we have more choices. Our new beta-blocker bombs are fried Twinkies (they're not your light treat anymore), fried Snickers bars (frying and chocolate — who would have thunk it?) or fried ice cream (being a C student in chemistry, I thought this was impossible).

Death on a stick is a Pronto Pup (corn dog), Long John Silver's fish-flavored fried bricks, or now they have fried pizza. What will be next — fried M&Ms, fried crab dip or fried watermelon? (It's a Southern thing, you know!)

Have you tried fried jalapeños, onions and bell peppers mixed together? This is great! Try Papa Dio's local restaurant on N. May for fried cheese — it's heavenly. A lot of people are hooked on Outback Steak House's "Bloomin' Onion" with the dipping sauce. Another big fan pleaser is fried Chinese food from places like the Grand House on NW 27th and Classen. I didn't mentioned fried eggs (because I don't know if your brain is on drugs or not).

Make a friend — find some skinny person this week and take them out for some fried food! Tell them that if they order something healthy, they're not riding home with you.

Plant a flower, plant a tree, plant a friend — they'll bloom for life!

Oh, by the way — if you know someone buying or selling a home, have them call Glen Ray.

Pitch ’Til You Win!

We are an over-eating society, with Oklahomans at the head of the chute. Buffets, smorgasbords, all-you-can-eat, load ’em up nights, bottomless plate specials, endless choices and piles of pizza come at us like a freight train.

One of the busiest is Furr's Fresh Buffet on I-35 in Moore. Cars are parked on the grass, spilling out of the parking lot for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's been rumored that if you went all-out on all three meals in one day, that you'd explode or be on a Tums I.V. I'm not brave enough to try it out!

Now, to kick this food flood up a notch, Lambert's Café in Springfield, MO, combines devouring and dodgeball. This sport is buffet ball where your life, looks and appetite are tested to the utmost. Did I mention Lambert's is the home of "Throwed Rolls"? ZING! They just missed us!

That's right — the staff is wandering around with big pans of fried potatoes with onions, macaroni 'n' tomatoes, fried okra and black-eyed peas going through the crowd dipping spoonfuls onto your plate or wax paper constantly throughout your meal. The sneaky people in their red suspenders pile you up with food, food, mounds of delicious-smelling, eye-pleasing and tasteful Southern home-cooked favorites. All this in addition to your (so-called) "normal" order of an entree choice of such delights as meat loaf, chicken fried steak, chicken and dumplings or roast beef, with your choice of two of over 18 choices in side dishes. ZING! I think that roll grazed the side of my head!

Look over there — a young high school boy is running around the room, doing his best Brett Favre imitation. Zigging and zagging to avoid the lineman's rush and hurling a spiral (roll) to some unsuspecting gentleman on a seniors' bus trip. He misses the catch, but the roll never touches the floor so it's still in play.

Remember the guys in school that for some reason were never athletic enough to even catch any type of ball? Guess what? They still can't, and when they try to catch a roll, their wife or girlfriend gets pulverized with the tipped roll. I'm here to tell you, the Brett Favre wannabe can flat CHUNK those rolls!

Bring your appetites and maybe your old catcher's mitt. Good food — and prepare to loosen your belt!

The Aliens Are Organized — Are We?

A recent candidate for office in a Western state had as part of his platform to establish a plan in case of an alien landing, encounter, meeting or invasion. 

Don't laugh or scoff yet! If you don't believe in extraterrestrial alien beings, I can understand — but what does it hurt to have a plan? There is a plan if the highway is blocked by a wreck, a bridge collapses, or a bomb threat is made. There is a plan if you overflow gas at the pump, or a toilet breaks in a hotel, or they run out of nacho chips at Taco Bell. Why would we not want an Alien Exposure Plan (AEP)?

This AEP shouldn't cost much, but let's at least have one. Chucky Cheese has a lot of plans. Even stupid bank robbers have a plan — not a good one perhaps, but a plan. 

What if the aliens show up and we don't even have punch and cookies? What if you came this far and all you met were self-centered jerks that didn't have a plan? Couldn't you just look up in the sky and see (especially at night) that if somebody from up there comes here, don't I need a plan?

We are in luck — ol' Governor Brad Henry is a lame-duck governor, so he's the perfect guy to get our AEP started. Who cares if Oregon or Rhode Island has an AEP — we need to be the leader. Maybe Cleveland County should be the first county to have an AEP. If they showed up in Norman, there is not enough parking at the County Courthouse. If we are lucky, the aliens would know to go to the OU football stadium and get their pictures on the jumbotron.

Should our AEP include a meet-and-greet? Where do we tow them if it's a breakdown, or does Alien AAA cover it? Where do we put them up — at a hotel, motel or in private homes? Maybe the nearest bed & breakfast. Aliens probably don't know about bed & breakfasts — this gives us a chance to sneak up on them with the "Home Sweet Home" sweetness and homemade muffins. Muffins will get to the heart of their appearance.

Let's not make our plan too complicated, to overlook the obvious about our new friends. They won't speak Lebanese or French, so we need to have some Frank Sinatra music handy — everyone likes a little Sinatra. Finally, be sure and ask them if they need to freshen up a bit. After all, they may not have gone to the bathroom since Pluto.

I challenge Cleveland County to have the first AEP in Oklahoma, even if it means trying to find these aliens a can of Fresca.

If you catch yourself downtown in your car, go by Java Dave's on 10th St., just east of Broadway. Great locally roasted coffee, wireless access, baked goods, salads, sandwiches and desserts. A snack, quick lunch, or late night cup of joe. (It's just north of Bricktown, but easy to park.)

PS: The Pope recently said it's OK to believe in aliens. Maybe he knows something we don't......

Artsy, Fartsy — Where's the Food?

It seems like a zillion years since I first started attending the OKC Arts Festival in the 1970s. Its old location on the front grounds of the Civic Center Music Hall was quite the surprise back then once a year for winos and bums (before they became "homeless and indigent").

There are so many different formats of art such as paintings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, baskets, woodworking and leather to gander at. My personal picks are all the nostalgic-type paintings with old Oklahoma City landmarks highlighted, such as the Tower Theatre, Hollie's Drive-In, churches and Broadway Street in the 1930s.

Now for the truthful part — WE ALL REALLY GO FOR THE FOOD. Sure, the artists or even members of the several great bands or soloists think it's about them, but IT'S THE FOOD! Maybe Strawberries Newport is remembered the most from the early years until now, but it's not the Lone Ranger. Bread bowls with beef burgundy, shish-kabobs, plus one that needs no introduction — Indian Tacos. Or maybe here is where you tasted your first blackened chicken sandwich or fish taco.

It's tradition, by golly — it's tradition to search for the NEW FOOD on the food tent block, and this year for me it was Pork Loin on a Stick, glazed with apple cream sauce and served with sweet potato fries (yes, it has the potential to push your cholesterol number higher than your house address). I must say it was a divine choice, if I do say so myself.

Today I was hosting an open house, where 12 guests have visited. To paraphrase Mark Twain, "The rumors of real estate's death in Oklahoma have been greatly exaggerated."

Let's buy and sell, and I hope you are well.

Greetings!

Welcome to the first installment of Whaddaya Say, Glen Ray?, my entry into the world of blogging.

I hope to impart some real estate knowledge and information on educational issues, as well as share some humor, current events and commentary. I'll also have suggestions for things to see, places to go, music to listen to and restaurants to enjoy.

We all have the problem of setting a date to go out to dinner with friends, family or business associates and having to figure out the answers to the two big questions: 1.) Where are we going? and 2.) What are you hungry for? I will attempt to solve this dilemma for you, or at least increase the multiple-choice answers.

Oklahomans like to think we are known for our barbeque — but folks, we are the Chicken Fried Steak Capital of the World! Ours is the best in the good ol' U. S. of A. Over the years in my travels, I've tried so-called "chicken fried steak" in other states. Besides Texas or maybe Arkansas, it's just not the same. These pitiful desecrations, tarnished with brown gravy or made with Hereford Heaven cubes, are being masqueraded as a sacred food of our forefathers across the nation.

So if you have the chance, take your out-of-town visitors to a place like Soda Pop's Diner at SW 119th and Western. This U.S. Grant alumni Roy Mize has got it down to an art. The chicken fried steak with cream gravy is "slap-daddy good"! Soda Pop's has other great menu items, but for goodness sake, please make them order chicken fried steak! Don't you LOVE 'em?

As for real estate, this time of year, you need to check, caulk or seal your windows. Call for that semi-annual heating and air check-up/cleaning so your system will run more efficiently in the warmer weather. If you don't have a regular H&A jockey, call John at KMP Heating and Air, and he'll get somebody out for you.

Also, this time of year is a great time to check your roof. I bet you haven't been up there in awhile, and a little prevention on your roof and fireplace stuff goes a long way.