Brigita's Blog: October 2008

The other evening, I attended a Northampton County 4H Leaders Meeting.  It was held at the Grange Hall in a small village of Moorestown in Northampton County, PA, a few miles outside of Nazareth. 

I have been in the Hall years ago when my kids were small.  It is a really neat place with a lot of history behind it.  Ribbons that were won at different competitions are displayed on the walls in frames dating back to 1928.  Plus, framed photos of the members of the Grange are hung throughout the meeting hall. 

Now, before I continue, I want to explain, for the benefit of those that do not know, what a Grange is.  A Grange is an association of farmers.  It is designed to further their interests and particularly to bring producers and consumers, farmers and manufacturers, into direct commercial contact, without a middleman or traders.  It was first organized in 1867.

The Grange Hall was where the meetings and social activities of the association of farmers was held. 

The downstairs of the Hall basically has the kitchen and dining area.  Upstairs, is a meeting hall complete with a stage.  The floors are the original wooden floors that have been maintained throughout the years.  In reality, the whole building has been maintained as close to original as possible.  All the woodwork in the building looks original.

I found out while attending my meeting, that the Grange Hall is being considered for sale.  Why?  Because all of the members are getting up in age and no young members have joined to carry on.  The Northampton County 4H has an interest in purchasing it.  It would be a great place to hold 4H meetings, events, etc.  Unfortunately, the 4H does not have the funds. 

The 4H is a non-profit organization and is looking for a way to raise the money to purchase this building.  It would truly be a shame to lose it to development.  If anyone has any ideas on raising funds for the 4H to purchase the building, or are willing to help in any way, please let us know.  It would be a shame to lose this building to development.  It is a part of the area's history.

The statistics for September, 2008, were just released for the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania.  What it showed was that the number of sales have gone down from August, 2008 by about 14.4%.  520 sales were reported in August, 2008, while only 445 were reported in September, 2008. 

The average sales price for the Lehigh Valley went down by 3.1% in September, 2008, when compared to August, 2008.  The average sales price in August, 2008, was $228,000 while in September it dropped to $221,000.

Now, the median price for both months was $200,000, meaning that it stayed the same for the Lehigh Valley. 

The average number of days it took to sell in September, 2008, was 67.  That was a decrease of 1 day from August, 2008, which was 68 days.

The way the sales were distributed in September, 2008, are as follows:

SALE PRICE                                                   NUMBER OF SALES

UNDER $70,000                                                      25
$70,001 - $100,000                                                26
$100,001 - $150,000                                              70
$150,001 - $200,000                                             110
$200,001 - $250,000                                              83
$250,001 - $300,000                                              43
$300,001 - $350,000                                              36
$350,001 - $400,000                                              24
$400,001 - $450,000                                               8
$450,001 - $500,000                                               6
$500,001 AND ABOVE                                             14

If you notice, the highest number of sales took place in the $100,000 - $250,000 range. 

 When comparing the median price of homes of September, 2008, to September, 2007, the price change has increased.  The median price in September, 2007, was $192,000 as compared to September, 2008, of $200,000. 

My Thoroughbred, Text Edition, better known as Eddie, went to another show yesterday.  I took him to the Open Youth Schooling Show at the Northampton County 4H Center.  One of the 4Hers from my club rode him.  I've been teaching her to ride this year and this was her first show.  She was nervous and excited at the same time.

When we arrived at the Center, and as Eddie was unloaded from the trailer, he yelled out his greeting, as if to say, "Hey, guys!  I'm back to show here again!"  I have to mention that it's been several years since Eddie was at the 4H Center.  The last time he was there was when my kids showed him and that was quite a while ago.

The 4Her walked him around the area and he checked everything out.  Once he was tacked up, she warmed him up in the ring with other horses.  Being that she was nervous, he didn't seem to listen to her because his attention was on everything else going on. 

After coaching the 4Her for a short while, she settled down and so did Eddie.  Things then went a lot smoother.

They entered 3 classes and they both looked great.  Eddie's done so many shows, that he knew what to do.  I must say that the 4Her looked great.  They walked away with 3 third place ribbons. 

The last class Eddie and the 4Her were entered in was a lead line class where the youth led the horse and an adult rode.  The 4Her led Eddie while her mom rode.  Would you believe they came in first?  No kidding.  They were the best ones there and her mom hadn't ridden since she was a child.  (Don't want to give ages away, but it has been quite a long time.)

It was a great day for everyone involved, including myself.  Like Eddie, I've been to so many shows with my kids, that it felt like deja vous only with different faces.  The 4Her is looking forward to more shows with Eddie next year and I'm sure Eddie is looking forward to showing again, also.

Part I of this segment covered barns and stable areas.  Part II discussed what horse's like and need in regards to pastures and paddocks.  This final part will cover the different types of fencing.  Now, remember, this information all comes straight from the horse's mouth.

I'm handing it over to Eddie now.  Listen carefully.

"Hi, I'm back.  I hope you learned something from my previous discussions about barns and pastures. 

"I was asked to talk to you about fences.  I love fences.  My favorite sport is jumping fences.  But, I know those aren't the type of fences I'm supposed to talk to you about.  The type of fencing I'm to discuss is the type you put around the property to keep me in. 

"I've been to many different places and been exposed to many different types of fencing.  The type that is around my pasture now is a wood fence that is about 4 1/2 feet high.  I'm sure I could jump it, but I know my buddies couldn't.  So, I don't want to leave them.  It would be too boring and lonesome without them.  Anyway, the wood fence my buddies and I can chew on if we are bored.  Doesn't taste very good, but it's something to do.  We always get yelled at if we do, though.

"Another type of fencing is one that tends to bite you when you touch it.  Plus, they make this clicking sound.  I don't like those.  I believe they are called electric fences.  There are several different types of electric fences.  They are made of plain wire, or a tape in either white or orange, or it can look like a piece of rope.  I really don't care what they look like.  They all hurt when touched.  Once in a while I don't hear the clicking and it doesn't feel like it is on, but I'm not brave enough to find out.  I'd rather go with the wooden fence.  At least I can use it as a scratching post if I need to.

"There's another kind of fencing that from a distance, looks like it may be made out of wood.  But, it is not.  It's as hard as wood, but doesn't feel like wood.  It has some sort of slippery coating over it and tends to last longer than wood.  I have to admit, it looks nice.

"The last type I want to mention is a rubbery fence.  It has posts that are wooden, but then the rails are one long piece of rubber tacked onto the posts.  When you push on it, it gives.  I don't know what to make of it. 

"These are the fences that I've experienced in my lifetime.  There are probably more, but I don't know about them, yet.  I'm sure I'll find out in the future. 

"Got to go.  My buddies are calling.  They want to play tag.  I love to run so I'm all for it.  It was nice talking to you."

So, there you have it, a horse's view of ideal barns and stables, pastures and fences.  If anyone has any questions, I'm sure Eddie wouldn't mind answering them as long as he's not at play or napping.