Ruthie's Corner

Winter Dates Winter Dates (for you ….. & the kids too, if you’d like) It’s easy to come up with things to do during the warmer months, isn’t it? Or is it just me? I feel like the colder months make things harder… lol. Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to offer up some suggestions of fun things you can do with your partner, friend or even as a family! Check them out below: Ice skating Victor has an amazing Ice Rink at Bryan's Park!  Fire up a bonfire & toast marshmallows  Go sledding Build a snowman Go for a drive looking at Christmas lights  Check out the local events & go do something you haven’t yet done before See! Coming up with fun winter dates isn’t so bad. Just use some imagination and don’t overthink it. Many of the above ideas can easily be adapted to family activities as well. During this busy season, we need to remember to stop and enjoy… so I hope these winter date ideas inspires you to set some time aside and do something t...

 Old-Fashioned Potato Soup I don’t know about you, but I look forward to enjoying delicious homemade soup every fall! And when I think of one of my all-time favorite soups from my childhood, it’s definitely my Mom’s old fashioned potato soup! So I thought I’d share the goodness with you. And if you’re like many these days that try to stay away from carbs/potatoes, you can replace the potatoes with cauliflower… mmmmm, it’s absolutely delicious!! Happy Souping  Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter 1 large chopped onion 8 diced & peeled potatoes 4 carrots, chopped 4 cups of water 2T chicken bouillon powder 3T flour 4 cups milk  Parsley & pepper to taste Preparation: 20 minutes Directions: Place potatoes, carrots, water & chicken bouillon powder in pot and bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 7-9 minutes. Season to taste with pepper & parsley. Melt butter in saucepan in separate pot and stir in the onion and cook for about 4-5 minutes...

Don’t List Your House Until You Do These 3 Things As an agent, people always ask me for the “truth” with respect to what is most important when selling your home. I guess as opposed to what is a myth…? Anyway, I thought I would share within this blog the 3 most important thing that can’t be overlooked when wanting to sell your home for the most money! 1) Clean & Organize – Did you ever wonder why Nordstrom’s has such a HUGE following? Well b/c it’s clean and organized is in the top 5 reasons in a recent survey. We all have busy and hectic lives, so when we think about an exceptional shopping experience or a place we’d like to call home, we need it to be a respite, a haven for order which will allow relaxation, thus clean and organized. I suggest getting your home deep cleaned by a local cleaner just before listing your home. It allows you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re putting your home’s best foot forward. As for organization, keep in mind, prospective buy...

Grainger - 429 from James Martin on Vimeo . Please Contact Ruth Grainger-Starr for more information.

Happy Saturday! It is a busy day here today. Between Real Estate and Ranching I think I am going to hit my 10,000 steps before 2! Taking a quick break to wish you all a happy Saturday! I think instead of busy I should say Crazy. Seeing a lot of thing’s I haven’t seen for years or ever in my short life! The wind is howling today so that is making the showings of land a little tricky but at least I am able to regain my senses in the truck! Stay safe and have a great day!

My Niche What is my niche?  A tough question for me to answer but I will give it a shot. I have found that I really enjoy working with land. Any type of land! I love going out and looking at the views and the potential that piece of land holds. I am not sure that is because I am a rancher and I love to see my cows out in the pasture or if I just like land but regardless that is what I put the most effort into.             I think one aspect that sets me apart from other agents is I am always willing to learn. I enjoy taking classes and talking to the older more seasoned agents to get their advice and wisdom. I research a lot on many of the parcels of land for sale in my area and I enjoy driving by them and seeing what my clients might see. With land in my area there are a lot of regulations regarding the water and usage depending on the area it is in. To water livestock out of a domestic well you must have 35 acres or mo...

Snow day in the mountains! It’s a snowy mess up here today! While Victor doesn’t have the totals yet that the rest of the county does, we have the wind for sure! Glad to see the moisture that is for sure but if traveling in the area please use caution when traveling. Check local road cameras or reports before traveling!

A beautiful Thursday Morning here at 9494 Ft! Gotta love the mountain air before a storm blows in! Waiting to see if much comes out of this storm, Not sure if we are in for a blizzard or a dusting... Gotta love Colorado weather! However, we have everything prepared in case it is a big one so feeding the cattle will be done with ease, I can work from the house and by the fire place so I don't have to try and drive with the snow plows. Over all I am more excited to get some moisture in the ground! We need it fire dangers are high here and there have been a few small fires already this year. With the warmer months coming I am hoping that the people who come to enjoy our little slice of heaven are smart about fires and we avoid another big one. Hope everyone has a wonderful day today! If you are expecting a storm, hope you stay warm and safe! 

Today, while a normal Wednesday in many ways is also bittersweet. Yesterday we loaded up a bull that was a bit too dangerous to have on the ranch.  He would get on the fight almost anytime you had to deal with him. I will not miss being chased over the fence that is for sure but it is still sad to see him go. A few months back he ran over my fiancé and that was the last straw. So after months of eluding capture he was caught and yesterday hauled off to his fate. Why I say it is bittersweet, I love my cows and I hate to loose a wonderful bull who did give me good calves, but I am looking forward the check I will get in the mail tomorrow! That will really help with wedding planning and fixing my truck! Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! (picture is not of the bull I sold but of one of my favorite bulls  Ferdinand!)