To run or pt to run? That seems to become a burning question whenever one hits a baseball.   Last night a young man seemed to be frozen on second base.  He stood there as a runner from first thundered down upon him.   The second base resident looked right and left where the base coaches were screaming instructions and gesturing wildly.   Just as he was about to be overtaken by the first base runner,  he took off with great purpose and made it to third.    With no time to really think about things the young runner took off again in pursuit of home base.   I am delighted to announce that the run home was a success.   Success is so often fueled by previous successes.  How often have we all allowed moments of indecision to steal our successes?   Next time that squeamish feeling guts you ,  ... 04/14/2012

Have you ever paid attention to what the shouts of the maddening crowd seem to do to the players?   It is amazing to hear what well meaning parents scream at their children from the comfort of the bleachers.   Last night was an especially tight game.  The boys were playing their hearts out.   Each at bat seemed to be a nail biter.  It was easy to pick out who was the parent of the batter.  Of course most everyone was caught up in the moment.   After all the cheering was complete,  one gaming parent shouted "hit them in,  you can do it!"  No pressure!   The child looked over his shoulder at the shouter as if to say.... "yeah right!"   In case any of us ever think that what we scream out during a sporting event,  is lost on the children involved,  let this be a reminder that they DO hear,... 04/13/2012

When you see young aspiring players, it is cause for the question,  "will he still want to play when he gets to be old enough"   The child in the photo seems to be totally absorbed in the game.     His older sibling is one of the truly outstanding hitters,  who is also incredibly accurate at catching the ball at second base.   It is my guess that since the brother playing obviously has invested hours of practice,  the younger brother has been observing for a while.   I cannot help but wonder if all that observation is silently teaching some of the subtle skills.   On the other hand,  judging from the attire sported by this young fan,  he might be studying a rodeo career on the side.     Studying our beginnings in each thing we achieve is usually sub and total of all our experiences.  En... 04/13/2012

One of the most apparent skills gained by the players on the young baseball team we spend so much time watching, is the ability to slide.   This recently acquired running enhancement is fun to watch!  It also adds a great deal of drama to the normal base attacks.   It also has the potential to add great income for all the laundry detergent companies.   The active pursuit of getting to base before the ball gives the players numerous ways to get there.   Sliding can be done feet first or hand first.  It takes major effort, coordination and extreme desire to succeed,   Is there a transaction in your past or present that has taken this degree of dedication? It is always gratifying when the extra skills slide us to victorious goals.   04/10/2012

Observing the team getting ready for the big event can give you insights into what will be the intensity of the game.   When the players are highly alert and react quickly, it is a sign that they have come to give the game their best efforts.   While watching them tonight, it occurred to me that the warm up should be a part if our every day too. Do we plan for the day?  Do you check to be sure the callers can hear the smile and enthusiasm on our voices ?  Are we up on the latest listings in our market area?  Of not,  perhaps we should study the tendencies of the winning agents around up!   This entire industry profits from the outstanding work that makes every buyer and seller served feel as if they came out of the transaction as a true winner! 04/07/2012

We observed a beautiful life skill illustrated last night at a little league game.   The opposing teams first baseman did not have the catching or throwing skills usually possessed by players in that position.   This young man was not to be slowed down by this situation.   After several players gained base positions due to his over throwing or failures to catch,  the  baseman changed tactics.   The next time he needed to get the ball from first to third base,  he utilized his running skill.     It was indeed a spectacle to observe this long legged extremely focused young man racing through the middle of the field to tag a runner headed for third base.   There is a lesson for all of us here.  There are seldom times when there is only one way to achieve a goal.   When the most popular met... 04/07/2012

Consider the hours that little league coaches put into practice, and attending games.   They do not get paid for their efforts and even when they are very tired they still spend the required time with aspiring athletes to impart knowledge and skills!   Now granted they get to spend that time with precious, precocious prodigies,  But it is still time they could be doing more leisure or cost effective things.   Occasionally we observe a coach with an ego problem who is on a power trip.  For the most part though the guys out there on the field week after week are the cream of the crop!   Many learned the skills they are now sharing while enjoying the sports as children.  Many played in high school and college.   Now that they have young people in their lives, they share.  The result is tha... 04/07/2012

After watching the young mothers attending the baseball games,  I have been astounded with what is required to be carried along.   Even when there is only one child to provide food and entertainment for,  the diverse assortment of stuff that comes out of one back back is truly amazing.     It had never occurred to me that packing a small bag could be considered an art form,  but it certainly is!   Out of one bag at a recent game, came:  art paper and markers,  play dough,  bubbles,  several kinds of candy,  goldfish crackers,  gooey strips of sugary treats,  several small tonka trucks,  a package of baby wipes, a bottle of sports drink and a cloth doll.   The child never wanted for anything during the hour and a half his sibling was playing the baseball game.   Motherhood and the planni... 04/07/2012

  It’s time to take another look at short sales As recently as a few months ago, if you would have told a real estate agent who specialized in short sales that they’d be raving about a lender’s stellar service and rapid approval times—not to mention significant cash incentives for financially strapped homeowners for pursuing a short sale—you’d have gotten some strange looks. That’s all changed.  And it’s changed faster and to a greater extent than most real estate professionals ever could have imagined. With a glut of bank-owned properties dragging down the recovery of the real estate market, as well as the national economy, major lenders are more eager than ever before to avoid foreclosure. So they’ve sharpened their focus on short sales. Big time. The biggest lenders in the country ha... 04/01/2012

Young ball players usually have siblings and parents along for the experience.   Since the last time we spent considerable time at the ball park,  it was as parents.   My how things have changed in the past fifteen years!   Our perspective is totally different now.  So are the siblings and the basic parental thought processes.   Several of the children who travel with the team come equipped with advanced playing equipment (toys) and a backpack full of snacks.   In an average game time of about an hour and a half many of these smaller gulden go thru packages of "goldfish", skittles, sweet tarts, crackers and cheese plus several large lollipop like rings.  This is often in addition to a McDonalds snack pack of chicken parts.   The children are in constant motion while the game progresses.... 03/31/2012

The days where little league teams are named after the big league teams are over!   Today some of the teams have been named things like, "diamond cutters,  "surge" and battastic.  Sort of a departure from what we were accustomed to.  We can adapt to that.   The rules have changed in some of the leagues too.   A great deal of confusion was evident last week when a young umpire decided to enforce a rule whereby if the runner over shoots the base going to first and turns right to return,  he is safe.  If he turns left and approaches it from the other hand... He is most likely out.   Is this a case of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing?   It certainly seems that having everyone who is engaged in a situation should be aware of what the rules are.   It is easy enough for things... 03/31/2012

SPRING FEST Wine & Art Festival A weekend event, March 31 - April 1, 2012, from 10-6 on Saturday & 11-5 on Sunday. This is the 14th annual SpringFest in Old Town Spring.  The vineyards that will be represented include Bernhardt Winery, Calais Winery, Fall Creek Vineyards, Landon Winery, Maydelle Country Wines, Piney Woods Country Winery, Pleasant Hill Winery, Red 55 Winery, Enchanted Manor Winery, Cork This! Winery, Three Dudes Winery, Fairhaven Vineyards, Clear Creek Winery & Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards.   The festival itself is free to check out the vendors & view the art.  Wine tasting tickets are $20 in advance (advance tickets end Thursday March 29) or $25 at the gate.  The ticket gives you a commemorative wine glass and five tastings.  Additional tastings are $1 each.  The proceeds ... 03/28/2012

A new twist on just taking your ball and going home!   Sadly our season of observing grandsons playing little league has been plagued with some dismal displays of poor sportsmanship.   The poor conduct is not from the young players, but  from one of the coaches from the opposing team (now granted our coach did not take the high road on this one either!)  What sort of example is that setting?   Last weeks game was a second contest between our team and an opposition who had played poorly a few weeks ago.  The result was that we won the game by a large score.     I wondered at the time if perhaps there should be some rule by which when too large a score had been run up,  the game would just be gently over and both teams could just practice for the remaining time.   This time the score was ... 03/27/2012

Here are photos of the anticipated Exxon Development just south of The Woodlands, Texas in Spring, Texas. For those Exxon employees looking to relocate to The Woodlands, TX area, visit Keller Williams The Woodlands and Magnolia. 03/11/2012

Gary Henson with Leader One Financial will be providing the limo bus home tour on Thursday, March 15th for agents of Keller Williams The Woodlands and Magnolia. The tour area is the Rayford Road Corridor. For KW The Woodlands and Magnolia agents interested in attending, please sign up starting Monday with Roxanne at the front desk. The limo bus will depart promptly at 10:45am from the Fitness Connection parking lot and return no later than 1:00pm. 03/11/2012

Once upon a time, someone once said "it is not whether you win or lose, it is how you play the game."   If that was ever really anything people believed or not, it is definately not true of the teams in "Select" little league.   The members of these teams are selected based upon their  ability to play the sport.   Up until last night, this team had not had a losing game.  Last night they learned all about it.   The other team was on their game.  They hit well, they fetched balls out of the sky, and they out fielded our kids.   It was difficult to believe that our kids were the same young men who had played the previous four games so very well.   The group on the field last night did not come with the winning attitude they had been projecting.     It did not appear that the boys enjoyed... 03/07/2012

Tonight it feels like Spring!  Chill in the air makes the sitting on  bleachers a little more comfy!  Very little!   Under overcast skies with every tree within miles in full fluff , with the sneezy stuff, we anticipated the beginning of tonight's main event .   Watching the kids warm up is always a fun feature.  Such a lot of energy being expended at 5:45pm!  Did we ever have that much?   Do these youngsters realize what impact this sport will have on who they ultimately become?  Probably not!  Do they understand the hours their folks have sacrificed so they could have this adventure?   The fact that each child has his own bat and other equipment makes a profound impact on the economy too!  Bats did not cost $300 Dollars when our boys were involved in Baseball.  They do today.... it's ... 03/06/2012

Who you watch makes all the difference.   No longer Is it just a game.  There are leagues , such as this one,  where at the ripe old age of seven, the absolute purpose for participation in the sport is honing skills. Game?  Not quite!  This is strictly business.  Parents, coaches and participants are all totally focused upon doing whatever they are assigned to do.  And they are committed to do it best! These young men hit, run and field as if life depended on it.  Hours of practice are evidenced. The first inning  we saw consisted of three hits and three spectacular catches!  Out one, two and three...  Inning over!   Then our team was up to bat. Our grandsons  first hit was a casualty.   Lesson here is, If you dish it out, you have to take it too!  These teams appear to be equally match... 02/28/2012

  It is spring!  Nothing brings that fact he as strongly as the fact that we are sitting on a bleacher with the strong smell of mildew and freshly mowed grass watching seven year old boys warming up to play the great American sport, baseball!  Wonderful opportunity to swat Mosquitos and listen for the resounding "thwack " of a ball connecting with a metal bat.  Actually its more like a thweink than a thwack.   Seven year olds come in an assortment of sizes and shapes.  They also vary widely in the intensity with which they approach the game.   Some have had hours of practice and coaching!  Some just play.  It is a great chance to study the building of social skills and team instincts.   Meanwhile pixie like siblings run around all the adjacent areas playing their own sports!   First at... 02/21/2012

Open House This Weekend in Spring Forest | Saturday, January 21st, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2343 Hickory Hollow Ln., Spring, TX | 3 Bedroom Home, Nearly 1/2 Acre Lot $219,500 Take a Tour and Enjoy Light Refreshments!2343 Hickory Hollow Ln. | Homes for Sale in Spring Forest Are you a gardener? Do you love green space and life outside the city bustle? Looking for a backyard that can accommodate a pool and a play set? Seeking an affordable and attractive home for sale in Spring Forest to keep you approx. 10 minutes drive from Hardy Toll Road, I-45, and The Woodlands? …This may be the home you are looking for! Location, outdoor space, interior elegance, and affordability all bring 2343 Hickory Hollow Ln. to the forefront of homes for sale in Spring TX! Description on HAR.com (MLS #2476568): “Custo... 01/20/2012