We wanted to take my niece out for burgers and Vera's was going to be closest to her hotel.  I love Vera burgers.  The company is located in Vancouver and has several outlets but only one outside of Vancouver and that is here in Ottawa.  It is located in a meat market, The Butchery, in Bells Corner.  Now, what an excellent partnership - a burger place inside a meat market!!! Vera's hours are the same as The Butchery so we knew we had to pick her up and then get in with enough time for the meat to cook and us to eat before 6:00.  Whew - we made it out to Bells Corner in rush hour traffic with time to spare.  Vera's is in the corner of the shop and has only three tables and a counter along the window and a wall.  You go to the cooking counter, fill in the order form so that your burger (... 07/11/2012

Meet Liz.  She is a trained and certified  Aesthetician at The Spa in Bells Corner.  I have been going to The Spa at Bells Corner for several years.  Liz has been my aesthetician for so many years that she knows my stories, has listened to my real estate rants and, in the past year, has been providing my husband with foot treatments.  If you send family then that is a HIGH recommendation.  I am here to say that so few people are allowed to touch His Nibs' SACRED FEET.  Liz is young, energetic, has an infectious laugh, has made me laugh and cry at the same time, pays attention to detail and leaves my feet feeling like a million dollars.  She is prompt and always on time.  She remembers my stories between appointments and I have remembered hers.  I got to hear about the baby shower for h... 06/26/2012

This is a story about House Seller Mark. Now that the house was going to be listed through a real estate brokerage, there would be requirements for the grow op history of the house to be disclosed.  Before determining what would be said,  Real Estate Agent Valerie asked House Seller Mark and wife Lou to tell her everything they knew about the history of the grow op and any fixes or changes they had made as a result of that knowledge. Mark and Lou had bought the house a couple of years after the discovery of the grow op.  In fact, they were the second owners after the raid.  Lou and Mark were told by their agent that the then owners had done the work to make the home safe after the grow op.  Mark and Lou were a bit naive and bought the house based on taking the Sellers' word that all was... 03/05/2011

When last we talked about Mark, he was unable to sell his home for his high asking price and by trying to do it himself.   He had asked Agent Valerie to come back and talk about what may be limiting the sale.  As we heard, he listed too high, the house was on the market too long and Mark had thought that all the good houses would eventually sell so that his would start looking good.  Agent Valerie left Seller Mark with some things to think about as she headed out for another appointment. After leaving the house, Valerie noted that the next door neighbour was sitting on his stoop and seemed to be waiting to talk to her.  She went over and introduced herself.  It turned out that Mr. P.T. Barney and his dog Bailey had lived next door to Mark's house for several decades.  P.T. told Valerie ... 02/06/2011

All neighbourhoods can be locations for homes turned into Grow Ops and drug distribution.  To maintain the value of your current home (for now and future sale) and to make your area safe, it is important to know some of the signs and to phone the authorities if you have concerns.  Closing your eyes to these problems will not make them go away - in fact, you are assisting the perpetrators. What should you notice?  For drug distribution: Look for a number of cars arriving at the house, staying for short periods of time, and then leaving. Maybe there is a lot of foot traffic going in and out of the house.  Look for people who park a block away and walk to the house.  Everyone has visitors but is there an unusually high number and people who do not look like they are just dropping in for c... 01/29/2011

I have no idea what motivated me to buy this snowman.  No idea!!!  It is now in a box with other ornaments that are looking for new homes.  Can you say bye-bye?  Well, at least it makes a good photo of one of the more tacky things for Christmas.  If, by and chance, you want a copy of this photo, let me know and I will zipfile a better image.  I now understand the need for a light box for photos like this.  11/30/2010