Flying the Flag

Since the 4th of July is approaching this coming weekend - can you believe it is coming so fast - we found this great information on how to fly our flag. We thought it was pretty informative and that it would be great to pass on. Here it is:
How to Fly The Flag

• Raise the flag briskly. Lower it ceremoniously.
• Never allow the flag to touch the ground or floor.
• Do not fly the flag in bad weather, unless it is an all-weather flag.
• The flag can only be flown at night if properly illuminated. Otherwise, it should only be flown from sunrise to sunset.
• The flag should always be allowed to fall free.
• The flag should never be used to carry, store, or deliver anything.
• Never fly the flag upside down except to signal an emergency.

We hope you all have a safe and Happy 4th of July.

Pool Safety

Since Summer is officially here, we thought we would share with you some great tips for pool safety. It is so important at this time of year to be aware of the dangers that can happen.

Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim--this includes adults and children.
*Never leave a child unobserved around water. Your eyes must be on the child at all times. Adult supervision is recommended.
*Install a phone by the pool or keep a cordless phone nearby so that you can call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
*Learn Red Cross CPR and insist that babysitters, grandparents, and others who care for your child know CPR.
*Post CPR instructions and 9-1-1 or your local emergency number in the pool area.
*Enclose the pool completely with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars. Openings in the fence should be no more than four inches wide. The house should not be included as a part of the barrier. The gate should be constructed so that it is self-latching and self-closing.
*Never leave furniture near the fence that would enable a child to climb over the fence.
*Always keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool and know how to use it. Pole, rope, and personal flotation devices (PFDs) are recommended.
*Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.
*Pool covers should always be completely removed prior to pool use.
*If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area.

-Information taken from various magazine articles.

The State of Things.

The cost of oil is driving up the price of everything. It is costing the trucking companies to drastically increase the price to deliver products because of their fuel costs. In other words the cost of food in our markets have sky rocketed. It has hurt the construction trade because of the cost of materials has increased for the contractors and because of the state of the economy it makes it tougher to afford new construction. This has also effected us personally because we are Realtors who have two fantastic pieces of property on the market, one on 3.9 acres in Carlisle and a piece of property sub-divided into 3 build able house lots in Westford. Builders are hesitant to buy because of the cost of materials, would they be able to recoup? This coupled with the rise in foreclosures have this country in a bit of a state of emergency. Somewhere, somehow something has to give and we hope it happens sooner than later.
As we are waking up this morning we are hearing that the postal service is in trouble because of the price of fuel. Now this sounds like another increase in postage is on tap soon. When will this all end? Everyone is affected some way or another.

Gas Prices ...Where Will They End Up?

Gas prices...who would have ever believed that this could happen. Unfortunately we don't believe we will ever see gas being $2.00 or even in the $3.00 range again. It certainly doesn't make us fee any better to hear that in England they pay $7.50 a gallon and in Germany it is $10.00 a gallon. All we know is that it is pretty painful when we fill up and it costs $85.00. We looked back and here is a range of prices we found:
In 1998 gas was $1.00 a gallon
In 2003 gas was $2.00 a gallon
In June of 2007 gas was $3.00 a gallon
In June of 2008 gas is $4.00 and counting a gallon.

When is this going to stop? The thing is we will pay it because we have to- but we don't have to like it.

June is National Safety Month

June is National Safety Month. We do our Monthly Newsletter and anyone who receives it will note that one of the informative stories for June is about the new Hands-only CPR for adults that we found in the Costco Connection. We decided that it was worth repeating for those of you who don't receive our newsletter. It goes as follows:

THE NEW HANDS ONLY CPR

The American Heart Association has simplified cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines, calling for a hands-only approach with the goal of saving more lives. The previous guidelines called fro a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions, but many potential responders failed to take action because they feared doing those procedures in the wrong order or for the wrong duration, or feared mouth-to-mouth contact. Only about 25% of Americans who experience cardiac arrest receive CPR, but it does make a huge difference. Quickly getting CPR doubles or triples survival chances. The new hands-only approach is aimed at bystanders who witness sudden cardiac arrest. If you see an adult suddenly drop over, be quick to do the following:
1) Have someone call 911 immediately, or do it yourself.
2) With the patient flat on his or her back, place the heel of one hand on the center of the chest and the other hand on top of the first. Lock your elbows and perform fast, forceful chest compressions at a rate of 100 per minute, lifting your hands slightly after each push to allow the chest to recoil. Take turns with a partner if one is available, and continue until paramedics arrive.
3) If an automated external defibrillator is available, attach it to the patient and follow the voice prompts. Otherwise, keep compressing the chest.

A child who collapses is more likely to have breathing problems, so mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should still be used with children.

We thought it was very interesting and a good thing to know.