I spotted a ruby-throated hummingbird sitting on a telephone wire in the back yard of my Land Park home this morning. We have a lot of hummingbirds in Land Park, probably because all my neighbors grow spectacular flower gardens.
They are so small, and I rarely see them resting. Most of the time they flit about from flower to flower, but this hummingbird was calling for his mate. All alone, swaying slightly in the breeze, his toes securely fastened to the telephone wire. Have you ever heard a hummingbird sing? It's a soft melodic sound delivered in a series of chirps.
The hummingbird caught my eye because as he turned his head, the sun's glint shimmered off his jeweled neck. The light reflected a brilliant red metallic-like iridescent glow, like a lighthouse at sea guides sailors to shore.
Made me think about how we sometimes take for granted the simple things in life. Instead we get caught up in the frustrations and challenges of our days.
A few days ago, I finished entering photos of a new short sale listing into MLS and clicked on the link to electronically attach a lockbox. It wasn't my lockbox, so I called my co-listing agent, a brand new agent, to get his shackle code. He told me it was 48.
Without giving it a second thought, I went about my business of trying to attach it, but it wasn't working. I stopped to consider the fact that we have 5,000-some Sacramento real estate agents who subscribe to MetroList and use Supra lockboxes. Duh. Nobody could have a 2-digit code.
So, I tracked down the agent and asked him again for the shackle code. He gave me the same 2-digit code. I explained the code must be at least 4 digits. I believe English is his second language. He said, "It does. It's 48. It's 8888."
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout Sacramento. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available in bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com.
Sacramento Short Sale Agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, has the answers to your Sacramento short sale questions.
Photo of ruby-throated hummingbird by Big Stock Photo
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
Elizabeth: Only you could tie these events together. At least your day had balance. Pleasant and relaxing. Frustrating and confusing.
Elizabeth
That's funny, and goes to show you we can't take things for granted. I just love hummingbirds; I could watch them for hours providing they don't metabolize them selves into exhaustion.
Elizabeth - Only you could get away with combining Hummingbirds and shackle codes, and actually make it work:-)
That's a hillarious story about the shackle code. I'm guessing the other agent is Asian. The number 8 is considered lucky in their culture. . .The more 8s the better:-) GREAT PICTURE!
It's amazing how people perceive things differently, your co-listing agent saw four eights, you heard 48! Love the hummingbird!
Hi Elizabeth, I agree, we do tend to get caught up in the frustrations and not enjoy the simple things that are around us. We have several hummingbirds, and I never get tired of watching them! The shackle code story is too funny - thanks for the laugh today:-)
Great photo and funny story... Hummingbirds and shackle codes - I never would have thought of such a connection.
Elizabeth, I love the sound hummingbirds make when they are continuously dipping side to side! Thank you for an entertaining story! 48...funny!
I'm laughing right now. That story is sooooo funny. And I love the photo. I do sometimes get to hear the hummingbirds sing. I have lots of them at my office.
And to think I struggled with that shackle code for a while. I shut down Windows and restarted my computer. I quit out of MetroList and went back. I thought it was a bug in IE 8, which I recently upgraded. Tip for you Sacramento REALTORs: don't upgrade to IE 8. You may continue to receive IE error messages that ask if you want to send the message to Microsoft. I have a message for Microsoft all right, and it's not an IE error message.
I gotta say it: Macs rule.
Featured @ Club Chaos
I watch humming birds out my office window everyday. They are amazing acrobats and even if i have just seen on I still have to stop whatever I'm doing to watch again.
Just goes to show that we all have trouble listening sometimes.
Some time we just don't focus.
If given the choice between having to make a second call about a lock box code or missing a humming bird mating call, I think I'd quickly trade the inconvenience of the second call for the singular chance to focus on that bird.
Hummingbird feeders and colored sugar water are ablaze throughout the decks here...drink and fly at the same time...such acrobats....and to think I was trying to chew gum while writing a listing...blog on!
That's a funny story. I would have made the same mistake. The accent did it, I'm sure. We often get hummingbirds in our garage and they die because for some reason they can't figure out how to get out.
Humming birds are truly facinating. I was filling a feeder one day and had a humming bird and a wasp hover facing each other within 2 feet of me. Eventually they took off with the wasp chasing the hummer.