The Westchester View » Just for Pets

Waiting for the sun to shine…

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:00:09 +0000

Anyone living in the northeast has been having a week of what can only be called “miserable” weather. We haven’t really seen the sun shine for about a week. Each day this week has been served up as humid, hot, soggy and foggy mess. The air has been so thick you could cut it with a knife. I think everyone is kind of down in the mouth because the weather has just not given us a break. So with a bit of trepidation – I took a peak at the forecast for tomorrow. Lo and behold! Is that a little sunshine that I am seeing in the forecast! I took this screen shot from the wunderground.com site for my zip code. Just seeing that sun peeking through the cloud on that forecast helped bring me out of my funk. I have to be out on the road a lot tomorrow – but I will be packing my camera looking to take advantage of a day that promises to usher in our first taste of fall!

Have a very happy and sunny Friday!!

Just for Fun – Simon’s Cat – A great You-Tube Channel….

Ruthmarie Hicks — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:15:48 +0000

Sometimes you run across things that are just too cute not to share. I want to thank my cousin Janet for putting this video up on YouTube because I have never run across this channel. Most people know me to be a dog person. I don’t have cats because although I like them – they don’t like me. Allergies But the videos really seem to capture the feline personality. The second video makes me wonder what’s behind my refrigerator. I haven’t been back there in a while. Hmmm…. I sense a chore in my immediate future…..

For those who like these videos here is the link - Simon’s Cat by Simon Tofield.

My Sidekick on the Road – Jade…

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:24:47 +0000

Real estate agents are known to spend a lot of time on the road. I am no exception. My car is my second office and depending on what I am doing on a given day – I sometimes bring along my social secretary, and friend – Jade. I have two other dogs but they are not what you would call great work companions. They are lively and active and a real blast – on a hike or any other doggie adventure - but not at work. Jade, however, is so mellow and relaxed that bringing her along actually makes the day run more smoothly. Gentle and quiet – and a bit shy, she makes any trip – work or otherwise – more fun.

Today was cool and comfortable. So Jade tagged along when I went out in the late afternoon….I was taking some photos quickly and when I came back to the car to put my camera away – there she was – apparently she had been tracking me and was looking out the back window…..I actually was able to grab a quick shot….since I already had the camera handy…

Remembering Our Veterans on Memorial Day

Ruthmarie Hicks — Tue, 31 May 2011 04:09:40 +0000

On this Memorial Day I think it is fitting that we take a look at how our Veterans are fairing. After all, we have been at war for nearly 10 years and many serving our country have been on multiple deployments. Sunday Candy Crowley of CNN addressed Veterans issues in depth on her show “The State of the Union”. She had several segments on Veterans affairs – two of which I have embedded on this post. These interviews revealed some shameful facts:

1. Suicide rates among veterans returning home run higher than mortality rates on the field.

2. It can take in excess of one year for Veterans to receive the benefits that they need. What they are supposed to do in the meantime baffles me. But that might well explain the suicide rate above.

3. The unemployment rate for Veterans – specifically young veterans is a staggering 27%.

In a fair, just and moral society this is just simply unacceptable. We need to do better. So remember, if you an employer and you are in a position to be hiring – consider a Veteran.

Remembering Our Veterans on Memorial Day

Half- Price Vaccination Program at Yonkers Animal Clinic…

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 27 May 2011 03:48:18 +0000

If you love your pet – and don’t we all – you need to take proper care of him or her. Having 3 dogs in these hard times – I have to say that this isn’t easy. Vaccinations are easy to “skip” but you are truly tempting fate with your pet’s health if you do. Well here is something that can help. My Veterinarian is associated with the County Animal Clinic in Yonkers NY. They offer vaccines for your pets at half price on specific days and times. They started this right after the crash and it has proved enormously successful. It has helped many pet owners keep on top of their vaccination schedule.

The hours:

Monday, Thursday, & Friday 9-1 PM

Tuesday 2:30-6:30

The Place:

County Animal Clinic

1574 Central Park Ave – Yonkers NY 10710

914-779-5000

By Appointment ONLY!!!

I took all my dogs in and saved a little over $80…That’s not chump change….

Pets and the economy – A Plea to Westchester’s Condo and Coop Boards…..

Ruthmarie Hicks — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:56:13 +0000

It seems as though every single day I hear another story about pets being put into shelters as a result of the sour economy. These may not even be foreclosures, but may be families forced to scale back from a single family home to a condo or coop. You guessed it – the condo or coop nixes the pet. This is particularly hard on our canine friends and I’m getting e-mails and pleas almost daily begging people to spare their beloved pet from the animal shelter. Most of the time it is to no avail and many of these wonderful companions are put to sleep.

In the meanwhile – I’m seeing condo after condo and coop after coop nixing dogs. Complexes that were once an oasis for those in need of a home that will take their beloved dog have put up MORE restrictions not less. The same holds for rental complexes.

Westchester Condos & Coops & Pets:

I’m going to be very blunt. Westchester condos and coops are about the MOST pet UN-FRIENDLY places imaginable. Manhattan, Riverdale, most of the Bronx, Queens and Fairfield county are ALL more flexible than Westchester are all more pet-friendly than Westchester. Personally, I’m sick to death of seeing – “no restrictions” chaining to “restricted weight” or “no dogs.” We already have a crisis I think it is unconscionable that complexes are making this matter worse.

Dogs are not filthy dirty creatures that are going to turn a complex into a slum. But it seems as if it only takes one disgruntled resident to turn a complex from pet-friendly to “no dogs” in an instant. And the places that allow pets….some ban specific breeds in an almost random way, some will let you have a bull mastiff but God forbid someone brings in two Yorkies. The ban on more than one dog is counterproductive because two dogs together are more likely to be quiet when an owner is absent. (Dogs are social – so canine company will keep them happy and quiet). In other words, it would be helpful if those who made the rules about pets actually understood something about dogs.

About one year ago I got an email from a newly elected board member from a complex on Garth Road in Scarsdale. She was crowing about how she was the new head of the coop board and noticed that I had written a blog back in 2007 about “her” complex being pet-friendly. She wanted me to rewrite the blog to reflect the new rules – because the complex no longer allowed dogs and offered to send me the offering plan about the rules of the house – so I could be more accurate in future. She was very proud of these new rules and felt they would make the complex more “upscale.”

She got a very chilly response from me:

First – my interest in “her” complex began and ended with the pet-friendly factor as I had a lot of clients who have dogs. I would not be promoting or writing about the complex in the future since had nothing more to offer than any other complex on Garth Rd. and in fact less -since there were far nicer complexes on that Street.

Second - this new rule was nothing to be proud of. The dogs were disturbing no one in that building. I had been in and out on many occasions and hardly heard a sound.

Third – The dated carpeting and wallpaper in the common spaces (c.1985) was a huge turnoff to my buyers who would tolerate it because they could have their beloved pets with them. So I suggested that they were on the wrong track if they thought that banning dogs would take care of this issue.

And no – I wasn’t editing blogs like that.

The point is that we have a desperate situation. Dogs have been a part of my life since I was a small child and they are amazing companions. In this hard economy, Westchester condos and cooperatives that allow pets – with the appropriate rules in place – will have a real edge in attracting buyers – which is good for EVERYONE including the pets…It’s time to rethink the draconian rules.

For the latest information – Please register…..

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:35:48 +0000

Over the past year or so, I have set up numerous web pages for the convenience of buyers and sellers a like. This information takes time and energy to compile and it is my pleasure to do so. HOWEVER, a girl has got to eat and pay the bills. I’m finding that although my readership has gone way up over the past year (people seem to be gobbling up the data) registrations to the site have actually declined significantly. When I found agents were using the site as a source for their clients, I realized I had to call a halt to giving it all away. So I have very reluctantly decided that with the exception of city-wide or town-wide stats – I will have to require registration for all updates after June 2010.

There will still be gobs of free information for people. I am starting a mapping feature for those who are not strictly local but are thinking of moving here. This will be absolutely free and will help consumers understand where the towns, villages and cities are located with respect to each other as well as what major roadways run through each area. There will be a new school section and I will also be adding a lender, contractors and stagers to the mix. The registration requirement will be limited to specific market reports that cover highly local market conditions.

I’m sorry I had to take this step – I was very much in the “paying it forward and I will reap the rewards with loyal clients and happy home buyers and home sellers a plenty!” But it is not working out that way. So the price for the latest information from now on will be YOUR information. And yes, I will – gently- try to coax you in to using me as your agent when the time comes for you to pull the trigger. There will be several sign in sheets going up throughout the site. If you don’t want to sign in – feel free to call or email me – or – just use the site as it sits, but you will not be getting the advantage of the valuable updates that I have at my fingertips. Sign in and you get all that great information – and a great agent besides. (No false modesty here!)

I do not spam your email – and I never, ever sell your information to any other vendor – so you can sign up with complete confidence that your information will remain private.

About that ice – be afraid – be very afraid

Ruthmarie Hicks — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:36:34 +0000

Those of you who read me regularly know that I generally post something about weekend events….This week didn’t blog much and there was a reason. I happen to live in a home that has a “challenging” driveway. It’s a long winding gravel driveway. This driveway became the bane of my existence during the last ice storm – and a near death trap before I was done.

The ice was so thick, the person who usually plows my driveway couldn’t quite manage the curve and as a result there was a lot of ice between me and the road. I was able to get the car on the road on Thursday to do some errands, although I knew getting it back UP the driveway was going to be problematic – I proceeded with my errands. When I got home – as predicted, there were problems. The car got mired in the ice and yours truly spent over 2 hours trying to free the wheels. in the process – I suddenly heard a very ominous hissing sound…Yup – somehow I punctured a tire!

So far this was somewhat funny though very frustrating. It was definitely impacting a client of mine – though that person waited until today to go out – which was very kind of them.

The next day we got the donut on the car and I tried to go about my business…. There was a salt shortage county wide and so I was still dealing with a solid block of ice for half the driveway. When I got home I had a couple of bags to remove from the car. I could not get the car all the way up the drive – but that didn’t worry me. What I didn’t expect was that the ground was so slippery that the brakes wouldn’t hold. Unfortunately, the car started to move when I was out of it pulling groceries from the passenger seat. I was pulled down to the ground and almost run over by my own car! Fortunately the skidding of the car stopped just in time. I was damn near killed…

At the end of the day – I had quite a few bruises and severe muscle strain from struggling to escape from the car. In truth from trying to shovel and chip ice off the driveway and from trying to dig my car out a solid block of ice and being thrown to the ground by my moving car – I still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck….which is why I haven’t written much over the past few days. I may need a new car door and I needed a new tire and about 200 lbs of salt for the driveway. But my point is this: Snow is one thing – but this ice is another matter. Right now it is slushy but things are supposed to freeze up again towards the middle of the week. BE CAREFUL.

On a more positive note: As everyone knows – I am an avid walker. I take my dogs for walks all the time and huskies like to pull. The best thing for icy pathways is Yak Trax. The pair that I have now keep me stable even when the dogs want to chase rabbits and squirrels. Truly they are the best for keeping stable on slippery terrain. I don’t know how practical they would be for running – but for walking they are terrific.

Fotos On the Fly – Westchester NY – Siberian Husky Heaven???

Ruthmarie Hicks — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:25:15 +0000

With all the shoveling and salting - this crazy winter has managed to load me with so much extra work that I didn’t get the chance to show just how much my huskies are enjoying the weather. To be honest, I’ve been too busy grumbling about how much shoveling I have to do and whining about my aching shoulders. But my dogs have an entirely different take on this weather than the rest of us. Although this season has been rough on people, its kind of amazing to see these guys in what is as close to their natural habitat as we are going to get unless I move next door to some Emperor Penguins. They truly love and really built for the snow!

In case you don’t have Adobe Flash on your system – you can access this Siberian Husky winter wonderland in lower resolution on YouTube by following the link.

Westchester Christmas Light Displays – White Plains NY & Westchester Video (Fotos on the Fly)

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:32:38 +0000

Welcome to another Christmas lights display post for the holiday season. These two photos were taken on Gedney Park Drive in White Plains NY . There are several homes on either end of that street that are known for their large displays. I took two photos near Ridgeway – but that shouldn’t stop you from looking at the other major displays near Heatherbloom Road.

Lower Westchester Christmas Light Displays Video:

After starting on this series in December, I realized that I had a library of photos from this year and from holiday seasons past. Here is a video that I put together from the past three years of Westchester holiday season Christmas light displays and general holiday photos.. The areas featured include White Plains, Scarsdale – Hartsdale - Larchmont - Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. There may be a picture or two from other communities – but those areas dominate.

If your computer lacks Flash – you may not be able to view this video. You can see a slightly lower resolution form of this video on YouTube by clicking here.

The shaded area shows the cluster of Christmas light displays. They are at their strongest at near Heatherbloom and Ridgeway. Also, be aware of the one way streets. You have to enter via Gedney Esplanade in the middle of Gedney Park drive. You can go southbound on the south side of Gedney Park Drive and northbound on the north side of Gedney Park Drive.

View Gedney Park Drive Christmas Lights Display in a larger map

For more Christmas Displays:

Westchester Christmas Light Displays – Tarrytown NY (Fotos on the Fly)

Westchester Christmas Light Displays – White Plains NY (Fotos on the Fly)