Almost Speechless Sunday--Gobble, Gobble on Anoka County Acreage!

Though I live on Minnesota Acreage, I have never been a hunter. But owning a few home with a few acres in Anoka County does present the perfect hunting opportunity now and then.

Living in slightly rural setting, we see observe deer run through the yard, eating crabapples and acorns off the lawn, or in darting front of our car now and then...And once in awhile there is an opportunity that is nothing short of GOLDEN!!

Just a few days ago, I heard quite a commotion in my backyard. It is only weeks prior to Thanksgiving and we have the good fortune to have a rafter of TURKEYS make a visit. We counted at least 40 of them.

Quite an opportunity to take a shot or two...with my camera! Enjoy!

FYI--A rafter is the correct term for a group or flock of turkeys.

Copyright 2009 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/

Snow or No Snow…Don’t be a Turkey and forget to Spring Forward Tonight!

Springing forward is a bit of a let down when snow is still in the forecast. Springtime is one of my favorite times of year in Minnesota. It is the time of year when the snow melts and the ground thaws so quickly that the winter white world seems to change overnight into an array of green shades from lime to emerald. Flowers start budding. Birds sing late into the evening. Everything starts anew again.

Like last year, we are springing forward earlier than we had in the past many years of daylight savings time. As March is one of Minnesota’s snowiest months, we will have a bit to wait before spring really arrives.
But having the sunset is an hour later starting tomorrow is a blessing in the spring real estate market. It means that showing those vacant foreclosures in the evening hours will no longer be an adventure! Viewing properties without an exterior light to shine on the ice on the unsalted stairway is treacherous. Starting tomorrow a bit of the challenge has been removed but the bargains are still available. The warm spring weather and green grass won’t be far behind!

Copyright 2009 terieckholm.com

Unbelievable! Guess Who Wants an Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?!

This one is too good not to share…Since living in Ham Lake we have had our encounters with wildlife but with less than two weeks prior to Thanksgiving, this is one for the books.
Moments ago, I was pulled away from answering emails and blogging on the computer in my home office due to a weird thumping noise. I was confused since it was just me and the pets at home. It wasn’t the dog with his thumping tail. He was next to me. I thought maybe the cat was playing with something in the bedroom. No…nothing upstairs. The noise was coming from the basement…maybe the cat had something downstairs…that can’t be good as in the country, we get mice from time to time.

Nope! It was this guy and he scared me out of my wits! He was tapping at the glass of our basement window. I had to get a photo to prove it to everyone.

This is my third encounter with wild turkeys in Ham Lake. The first one didn’t go so well and we are still cleaning miniscule shards of glass off the dashboard of the minivan. The second one was last year when one bird got trapped in the batting cage netting out back. But this one trying to get a free invite to Thanksgiving? Good thing I am not a hunter! :)



Featured homes in Ham Lake and Forest Lake:3608 Woodland Drive
20685 Georgia Ave N

If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional Realtor, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2007 www.terieckholm.com

Caution! Wild Turkey Crossing—On Every Major Roadway in MN!

Minnesotans have long been aware to keep an eye out on roads for wildlife hazards. Most state residents have had at least one family member encounter a white-tailed deer either head on or as a near miss. We learn as soon as we hit the road at 16 years old with the ink wet on our licenses, to keep an eye out for those 4-legged hazards that jump out of the ditch and can total a car with a direct hit.

But have you ever encountered a wild turkey? Although the wild turkey had nearly disappeared from Minnesota at the turn of the century, these birds have made a comeback as of late. It is estimated their population is over 30,000 according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Living in Anoka County I know this first hand. As a Ham Lake resident with a couple of acres, our wooded area has been home to a flock of wild turkeys for the past year. The eighteen birds are beautiful but we have a sort of love/hate relationship. You see, I know first hand how stupid these beautiful birds are.

OK. What would prompt such a statement? A few years back as I traveled with my boys home from a birthday party down Lexington Avenue, I had an encounter with a wild turkey. Or rather my windshield did. We were just coming up on one of the S-curves with almost no shoulder and a deep ditch. This is a two-lane, 55 mph road edged with tall grass. Another car was approaching us in the other lane when all of the saddened this stupid bird darted out onto the road. As the other car approached, the wild turkey attempted flight and was able to get just high enough to hit my windshield square in the middle and bounced off the top into the ditch.
We were lucky. Our new van only lost a windshield…The dumb turkey lost its life. And NO, we did not take it home with us to eat it!

It could have been much worse. A week later we saw on the news a woman who hit a wild turkey going 70 mph on the interstate. The bird went through the windshield and ended up in a pile of blood and feathers in the lady’s back seat.
As a Realtor, I am driving all over the countryside from Blaine to Chisago. And from North Branch to White Bear Lake. The wild turkey population is thriving in Anoka, Chisago and Washington Counties. If you travel through this area and see wild turkeys near the road, try to give them room as they cannot fly as high or as quickly as a pheasant. If I see them near the side of the road, I proceed with caution. I hope to never have hit a 30 pound dead weight with my car again!

If you are relocating to Minnesota, are looking for Homes for Sale in the north and east Twin Cities metro area and need help from a professional Realtor, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet. I specialize in acreage properties! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2007 terieckholm.com