July 2019

Dear Friend,

Summer is hitting its stride and most of us are enjoying some vacation time. For that reason, this month’s newsletter is devoted to time off! Here are some of the fun articles you’ll enjoy as you sip your lemonade in the shade:

• A heart-warming story about an Irreplaceable Summer
• Wilderness Survival Tips
• Unique Vacation Ideas
• A simple and easy recipe for a Summer Pie
• And an informative article on how to Help Children Gain Perspective

Remember that late summer and fall are excellent times for real estate moves. Home buyers are pushing to get into a new home before winter and home sellers are anxious to make a deal before the start of school. 

If you’re thinking about selling, please contact me now, (650) 346-7366 so we can work towards a smooth transition. Talk with you soon.

Your friend in the real estate business,

Cliff Keith
650-346-7366 Cell/Text
Cliff@SFBayHomes.com

An Irreplaceable Summer

Daniel was a very clever boy who liked school well enough but was happy to be on summer vacation. With July half over, his mom reminded him that he was supposed to be reading every day. She suggested that he take the assigned summer book over to his Grandma’s house and read to her, thinking that it would benefit both of them.

A week later, Daniel still had not started his reading. That night, at bedtime, his mother sat on the edge of his bed and asked him three questions: Who won the World Series thirteen years ago? Who is the wealthiest person in the world? Who has been given the Pulitzer Prize in the last five years? Daniel could not answer her.

Second question:

She then asked him a second set of questions: Who is your favorite teacher? What makes Ryan your best friend? What is the best thing about Dad? In answering those questions, Daniel ended up talking with his mom for almost an hour.

As she finally tucked her son into bed, Daniel’s mom told him: “Applause dies, awards tarnish and celebrities come and go. However, the people who matter stay with us forever. Appreciate your teachers, love your friends and enjoy spending time with family while they are still around because those are the people who make you who and what you are— they are irreplaceable.”

The next morning, Daniel grabbed his bike helmet and practically flew out of the driveway. That fall, when he was inevitably asked to write an essay about what he did on his summer vacation, he wrote about how he spent all of August talking with his Grandma. It was the best vacation of his life. ~ Cliff

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• • An Irreplaceable Summer • Wilderness Survival Tips • Help Children Gain Perspective • How Early Farming Affected Language • Night Owls & Early Birds • Not Your Usual Safe Deposit Box • Special Order • Unique Vacation Ideas • Recipe: Summer Pie

  • The Thirsty Trio

Wilderness Survival Tips

Could you survive being lost in the woods? People all over watched the news coverage in March 2019 when two sisters ages 5 and 8 survived almost 48 hours alone in the wilderness. According to the girls, who are both comfortable campers and hikers, they survived because they used the survival skills that they had learned from their local 4-H club.

As soon as they realized that they were lost, they found shelter from a fallen branch, started a fire and huddled together for warmth. They kept up a constant flurry of noise, singing nursery rhymes in the hopes that someone would hear them and stayed positive so that fear wouldn’t get the best of them.

The girls followed the four basic tips you should follow:

If you find yourself lost in the woods. If you have a hiking or camping excursion planned, commit these tips to memory and make sure that any young children in your camping party know them as well:

1. Shelter in place. When you realize you are lost, stop and don’t go any further. Stay where you are and look for a tree, bush or brush that can be gathered to create a barrier against the elements or other areas of the landscape where you can take shelter.

2. Stay warm. It’s always best to have an idea of the terrain and climate you’ll be exploring so you can dress in the appropriate layers of clothing. When you venture outdoors you should be prepared for the elements and have protection in case the weather changes.

3. Be visible and audible. Wear bright clothing to set yourself apart from your surroundings. Carry a flashlight, mirror and other personal objects that you can use to create a signal or mark your location. Bring a whistle or some other item that can make noise and lead help to you.

4. Keep your wits about you. You’ll probably be scared, but don’t allow yourself to panic. Stay positive and mindful of your surroundings and believe that there are people out there looking for you, because someone probably is.

Help Children Gain Perspective

Sometimes, a bit of perspective is all that someone needs to overcome conflict in their life. The next time you see a young person you care about struggling with conflict, see if talking it out can help them gain perspective and come up with solutions. Ask them the following and see what comes up in conversation:

• Do you dislike the other person?
• Do you distrust him or her?
• Do you want to “win”?

Answering “Yes” to any of these questions may be a signal that they’re overreacting to personal issues

How Early Farming Affected Language

Scientists from the University of Zurich have a theory: the words we use today are heavily influenced by the rise of farming some 6,000 years ago. The scientists working on the study explain that when humans eat tough food, such as game meat, their jaws shift to remove an overbite as they grow up. When they chew softer foods, the overbite remains. Having that overbite allows us to make the “f” and “v” sounds, (called labiodentals) more easily. In other words, having access to softer foods changed how our jaw structure affects speech.

Linguists studying the evolution of language have found that labiodentals began to increase around the world over the past 6,000–7,000 years, especially when milled and dairy products became more common due to farming. Computer simulations support the theory, showing that the shift from an edge-to-edge bite to a slight overbite makes it easier to pronounce labiodental sounds.

Night Owls & Early Birds

The early bird gets the worm… as well as other benefits, according to a story on the New York Post website. A survey of sleep habits involving 2,000 people found that self-identified early birds generally make more money, are more likely to work in an office setting, and describe themselves as happy. They’re also more likely to be married with children in their home.

On the other hand, night owls are typically shy and sarcastic, more likely to believe in ghosts and are more often single.

Both groups actually sleep about the same amount— seven hours a night for early birds and six hours for night owls. However, early birds are light sleepers and they tend to feel more well-rested.

The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there. —John Buchan

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Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work. — Horace

Not Your Usual Safe Deposit Box

Looking for someplace to hide a precious heirloom? Try some of these quirky places:

• Bookcases. Many bookcases have a few extra inches of space beneath the bottom shelf, hidden behind some molding. Remove the molding and store valuables there.
• Ironing Boards. You can hide important documents between the board and the padding. Also, the hollow area inside the legs (pull off the rubber or plastic pads) can be used to store rolled-up cash or small items.
• Spice Jars. Pour the spice into a bowl, then coat the inside of the jar with glue. Refill the jar, then empty it again. Make sure the jar looks like it’s full of oregano (or whatever you used) and place money, credit cards, or other valuables inside.
• Trash Cans. Place important items at the bottom, then use a liner to conceal them.
• Vent. Your heating and air-conditioning vents can make useful hiding places.
• The Hamper. Nobody likes to dig through dirty laundry… not even thieves.

Special Order

The general manager at a local drugstore overheard a seasoned employee tell a customer, “Hmm. We haven’t had any for quite some time. We probably won’t get any until the end of the month.”

The customer thanked the clerk and was headed to the exit when the manager rushed to him and said: “Come back next week. We should be restocked by then. If not, we might be able to make a special order for you.”

As the puzzled-looking customer left, the clerk dropped his head in embarrassment.

The manager approached the employee. “How many times have I told you not to let anyone walk out of this door without having a reason to come back? Even if it is something we no longer sell, give them a reason to come back. Now what was this customer asking about?”

The employee looked at his boss. “Rain.”

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. —Carl Sagan

Unique Vacation Ideas

Thinking of taking a summer vacation? Check out these top trends for vacation plans!

• Unique accommodations, including RVs, castles, luxury tents, islands and treehouses.
• Hotels with unusual offerings such as art classes for guests, outdoor showers and pet-friendly accommodations.
• Food tours of a particular region or type of cuisine with personal instruction from a local chef so you can duplicate delicious dishes when you get back home
• Wellness vacations with limited access to technology, a focus on personal nutrition rather than indulgence and scheduled time with a personal trainer.
• Packages that promise a new skill such as learning how to surf or a few weeks dedicated to a language immersion program.

Summer Pie

Nothing says summer like a berry pie! You might want to bake this in the cool hours of early evening and enjoy it warm as a late-night snack.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra handful

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter

6-8 tablespoons ice water

Pie Filling:

4 cups fresh berries

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C. Make pie crust by mixing all dry ingredients, then adding butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Slowly add ice water, one tablespoon at a time until just blended. Gather dough into a ball, roll out onto the extra handful of flour and form into a pie pan.

Loosely mix all the ingredients for the pie filling, then pour into crust. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Enjoy with a friend!

One of the most important universal truths is that to speed up effectively you must learn to slow down. — Michael Gelb

Look How Amazing Your Brain Is!

Here’s an interesting experiment in brain function, sometimes used to test if a person has mental deterioration. Warning: if English is not your native tongue, you may naturally have problems with this exercise.

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Take Action

To get in shape and stay in shape, you don’t need to do everything at once. Put one or two changes into practice, such as controlling your portion sizes or cutting back on added fats and sugars in your food choices. When you feel comfortable with your progress, try something else. 

Add physical activity to your day. Nice weather makes it easy to get outdoors and get your recommended amount of daily physical activity.

These activities can count toward your day’s total exercise: 

• Go for a brisk walk during your lunch hour or after dinner. 
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator whenever possible. 
• Skip the drive-thru car wash and wash the car yourself. 
• Engage your green thumb by doing some gardening. Consider growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. 
• Walk in place while watching TV. 
• When possible, ride your bike to school or work — or use it to run errands. 
• Plan an active family vacation or a weekend outing. 

Like good eating habits, regular physical activity needs to be part of everyone’s healthful lifestyle. Remember, your goal is to make changes gradually so you can stick with them and won’t have to repeat this process next year. 

Imagine me as your real estate consultant…

What I do for you is invest my time consulting, negotiating, and organizing the details of your transaction because I want you to have a superb experience that will cause you to want to introduce me to the people you care about most.

The purpose of my business is referrals, which means I must bring the type of value that makes you feel comfortable introducing me to the people you know that need my help.
I thank you sincerely, and so will the people you introduce to me.

Cliff Keith

Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere. —Albert Einstein

The Thirsty Trio

A man was wandering through the desert with his horse and his dog. After several hours under the heat of the sun, the dog sat down and said: “That’s it. I’m not taking another step until I get some water.”

The man gasped and said: “I didn’t know dogs could talk.”

The horse looked at the man and says, “Me neither.”

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw

Some Colors Make Sense Together

Both science and and conventional color wisdom say that colors on opposite sides of a color wheel—complementary colors—look good together in your home decor.

The most common sets of complementary colors are red and green, yellow and purple, and orange and blue, derived from the Red-Yellow-Blue color model. If you use a different color model, you’ll have different sets of complementary colors. For instance, in the additive color model, the complements are green and magenta, red and cyan, and blue and yellow (IKEA, anyone?).

Colors:

Complementary colors work because different types of cones (photoreceptor cells in your eye) perceive different colors of light. If you stare at a block of color and then quickly look at a white wall, you’ll see a light afterimage in the complementary color. For instance, if you stare at a blue square, after a while the cells in your eye that process blue light will become fatigued, making the signal they send to your brain weaker. Since that part of the visual spectrum is suppressed, when you look at a white wall after staring at the blue square, you’ll see a faint orange afterimage—the complimentary color.

So what does this mean for your decor? It means that combinations of primary and complementary colors are dynamic together. Choose a color model to start with, then pick one of the complementary pairs to decorate with.

When given an opportunity, deliver excellence and never quit. —Robert Rodríguez

Sleep? There’s An App For That

We use apps on our smartphones for all sorts of things, and there are some that will track sleep patterns. In a survey of 934 mobile phone users by the NYU School of Medicine, 28 percent of participants reported that they use a health app to monitor how long they sleep, what time they go to bed, and whether they wake-up in the middle of the night, as well as whether they snore, have breathing problems while asleep, or change positions.

Thirty-five percent of men and 20 percent of women reported tracking their sleep, and the average age of sleep trackers was 34. The most popular apps (of 24 named in the survey) were Fitbit (10 percent), Lose It (3.5 percent), and Apple Health (2.6 percent).

Quotes to remember…

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will. —George Bernard Shaw

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. —Paulo Coelho

It shouldn’t be easy to be amazing. Then everything would be. It’s the things you fight for and struggle with before earning that have the greatest worth. When something’s difficult to come by, you’ll do that much more to make sure it’s even harder—or impossible—to lose. —Sarah Dessen

Sometimes I feel like relationships consist of telling your same life stories to different people until someone finally appreciates them. —Kate Rockland

Do you wait for things to happen, or do you make them happen yourself? I believe in writing your own story. —Charlotte Eriksson

People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. —John Maxwell

This newsletter is intended for entertainment purposes only. Credit is given to the authors of various articles that are reprinted when the original author is known. Any omission of credit to an author is purely unintentional and should not be construed as plagiarism or literary theft.

Copyright 2019 Cliff Keith DRE #00605874 dba SF Bay Homes with Today | Sotheby’s International Realty DRE #01069814. This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical, legal, financial or tax advice. Any and all decisions and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a qualified physician, attorney, financial advisor