Mr and Mrs Matheson wrote;” Your associate did an excellent job for us in selling our home. We hated to leave Florida, but old age is tough away from your children, so we had to move. We were very satisfied with your associate, and CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty.”

Mr and Mrs Neger wrote;”Joe and I want to let you know how we feel about your associates. They are super professional in their work, and they are caring and kind. We were extremely pleased with their dedication to getting our house sold. They are a great team, and we came to look at them as family.”

Ready or not fall is here. That means it’s time to think about new plants for the fall season.

Mums are great for containers. The secret to buying mums to to make sure they are in the tight bud stage. That way you’ll be able to enjoy the blooms a lot longer.
Some other ideas for planter containers include marigolds for the great fall color and the Dahlberg daisy is also great for how it flows over the edges.
Make sure your container garden is in a sunny location. Also make sure it gets adequate water and a little bit of fertilizer.

Florida gardening expert Tom MacCubbin discusses some great ideas for fall plantings.

Watch Extra On Gardening with Tom MacCubbin on Saturdays on Bay News 9. The show runs at 53 past the hour, starting at 5:53 p.m.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

While you could make one without the other, Blue Ginger’s shrimp toasts go so well with this flavorful soup that the two recipes function as a pair. We think of the combination as an Asian twist on soup and a sandwich.

Servings: Makes 6 to 8 servings, or about 10 cups.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (3-lb) sugar or cheese pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 cup dry white wine
2 qt chicken stock, or 1 qt canned chicken broth and 1 qt water
6 lemongrass stalks (bottom 5 inches only), coarsely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece galangal (thawed if frozen), peeled and coarsely chopped
3 to 5 fresh (1 1/2-inch) Thai chiles or 2 fresh jalapeño chiles, trimmed and coarsely chopped (seed chiles if a milder flavor is desired)
4 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
Accompaniment: shrimp toasts

Preparation:
Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in 1 tablespoon oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add pumpkin and wine and boil, uncovered, until wine is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock and simmer, covered, until pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes.
Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté lemongrass, galangal, and chiles to taste, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Purée pumpkin mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Stir in lemongrass mixture, lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Pour soup through a sieve, discarding solids, and season well with salt and pepper.

Cooks’ note:
• Soup can be made 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered.

Dogs aren’t just our best friend,

Dog owner Tom Gayeski says you need motivation to exercise when you get a little older. And he says he got motivated to exercise and eventually lose 14 pounds by walking his dog max. The pair participated in a weight loss study.

Allan Green with Bassett Healthcare says he thinks a pet can make a difference, especially to people who might feel self-conscious going to the gym. Tom walked his dog up to 40 minutes every day and made modest adjustments in both their diets.

He says his weight fluctuated, for Max, weight loss was steady. The results were consistent with the rest of the study participants. Researchers say the dogs did better then the people, that’s because humans control what their dogs eat.

The study is now over, but Tom and Max haven’t given up their daily exercise.

Story from Baynews9.com

Crystal River City Council members are expected Tuesday to decide the future of the city’s law enforcement.
Council members are scheduled to discuss Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy’s proposal on a contract to provide law enforcement in the city, just as his office now does by contract for the city of Inverness.
Dawsy made his pitch at the council’s request before a packed meeting room Oct. 22. The council decided to wait a few weeks before deciding, because City Manager Andy Houston had some lingering questions.
Houston said he wants the sheriff to identify the go-to individual should problems arise in the city, as the police chief does now.
“I want one person,” he said. “I really don’t have that.”
Dawsy’s proposal says he can save the city $500,000 the first full year of the contract while providing response time and enforcement at or better than current levels.
The savings comes from reducing or eliminating administration that now is duplicated between the sheriff’s office and Crystal River Police Department.
Dawsy said he would offer jobs to city police officers who qualify for employment at the sheriff’s office.
The council is divided. Councilmen Jim Farley and John Kostelnick oppose the sheriff taking over law enforcement. Mayor Ron Kitchen and Councilman Phil Price favor it.
Councilwoman Maureen McNiff, who could not be reached for comment Friday, said last month that it would be hard to turn away from the potential savings of $500,000 — equal to one mill of the city’s tax rate.
Houston said the issue apparently rests with McNiff.
“We could pretty much ask Maureen McNiff to come to the meeting and make a decision and then we can all go home,” Houston said.
Houston said if the council approves the sheriff’s contract, the switch would begin in February at the earliest.
He said city police employees want an answer one way or another.
“They’re pretty realistic about the whole thing,” Houston said.
The city council meets Tuesday because today is a federal holiday.
* WHAT: Crystal River City Council meeting.
* WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday (preceded at 6 p.m. by a sewer workshop).
* WHERE: City Hall on U.S. 19.
* ONLINE: www.crystalriverfl.org.

By Mike Wright
Citrus Chronicle

Mr. and Mrs. Farnsley wrote to our associate and said: “Thank you for making our home purchase such an easy and pleasant experience. It was delightful to meet you and work with you. We look forward to seeing you again.”

Mr. and Mrs. Smith wrote; “We just wanted to let you know how helpful and kind your associate was during the selling of our home. She stayed in touch all through the sale, and was very patient and kind.”

The size and strength of our network doesn’t go unnoticed by consumers or industry leaders. The CENTURY 21 System was again recognized by Franchise Times as being among the top 200 U.S. based franchise companies across all industries. This marks the eighth year that the success of the CENTURY 21 family has been nationally noted by the magazine, which is a national news and information source for the franchise industry.

Mr. Williamson wrote; “Your associate showed me homes in Timber Pines. Her professional and courteous manner made visiting the homes a pleasure. Whenever there was a question to be answered, it was addressed promptly and fully explained. Her attention to the smallest detail showed me that she truly is a professional of the highest caliber. I would recommend her to anyone that is in the market for real estate.”