What to do on a Hot Texas Night

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Bryan-College Station has many options to keep you busy. There are tours of A&M, museums, parks, and much more. However, as summer temperatures begin to rise, you may want a cooler option than a park. You are in luck; you purchased your new home in a vibrant city with plenty to do on a hot Texas night. Below are some of the more popular choices.

Dinner and a Movie
This is a classic. Dinner and a movie are always sure to please everyone in your family. There are scores of delicious restaurants in the Brazos Valley from the very casual taco stand to fine dining options. You could get the family all dressed up and go to a fancy dinner, then to a fun kid's movie. Or you can grab a quick bite and head to the theater for a double feature. No matter the choice, it will be a fun night. 

Dancing
If you love to dance, you will have a blast at any one of the many options Bryan-College Station has to offer. There are country and western dance halls, rock night sport, trendy nightclubs, and everything in between. You will be out of the summer heat, but you will still work up a sweat dancing the night away. 

Wine Tasting
Spending an evening at a wine tasting is a great and even romantic way to spend a hot summer night in Central Texas. There are places such as Messina Hof Winery, which offer evening tastings. 

There are couple and family-friendly options for beating the hot summer nights in Texas. You can make it a fun filled adventure for the whole family, or a romantic date night for your spouse. One thing is for sure, you will have a great time getting to know your new city.

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A Fundamental Guide to Home Recycling

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Recycling is a positive contribution towards sustaining our local and global environment. 

Household recyclable trash comes in several basic categories, Paper and Cardboard, Plastic, Glass, Metal, Electronics, and Automotive, which are broken down into sub categories. There is an alternative to segregating your recyclables yourself, it’s called COMMINGLING. With commingling, most recyclable items are put in a single container(s) without sorting. 

When sorting and saving Paper and Cardboard, newspapers and corrugated cardboard should be stored by themselves. Newspaper inserts, glossy printed flyers, magazines, phone books, old letters, and the like should be saved together, staples in paper are OK but plastic wrap and rubber bands should be removed. Lastly, plastic-lined paper drink cartons should be should be saved separately too. 

To keep plastics out of landfills, effort should be made to choose products that are most suitable for reuse. Efforts should be made to recycle all plastic waste because it does not break down in landfills. Plastic recycling is done by numbers. Understanding the differences between types of plastic will help you make better decisions in choosing and recycling plastics. For a more comprehensive breakdown of plastics, follow this link, http://eartheasy.com/blog/2012/05/plastics-by-the-numbers/. 

When storing glass for recycling, store sheet glass, mirrors, and pyrex separately from bottles. Paper labels can be left on glass. CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) should be separated as well. 

When segregating metals for recycling, there are 4 basic categories, food cans, aluminum (including foil), paint & aerosol cans and copper (and its alloys). Paint and aerosol cans are recyclable but they are also considered hazardous waste and need to be kept separate with their labels and their lids. Recyclers need to know the former contents. 

Electronic items such as computers, printers, TVs  should be recycled. If you have a working computer,  consider donating it to the National Cristina Foundation, which provides computer technology to people with disabilities, students at risk, and economically disadvantaged persons. Local governments also offer electronic recycling services. Check online when and where there is a drop off. 

Automotive recycling includes a variety of manufactured parts and fluids and are dealt with separately from the rest of your trash. Tires, parts and fluids have drop off points. Motor oil and hydraulic fluids (brake and power steering for example) should be in a non-glass container with the lid screwed on tight and a label that clearly states what it is. 

To make the most of recycling, we must choose products with recycled content and packaging. It is for our children’s benefits.

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Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor Bryan-College Station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell of your home. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station Realtor that has a long list of the finest homes in College Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904

Brazos Valley Wildlife

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Families moving to the Brazos Valley may wonder what types of animals they’ll run into if they go fishing, camping, hunting, hiking, or some other outdoor activity to do in warm weather. Brazos Valley is richly blessed with a wide variety of wildlife. This blog will list some of the most frequently seen and/or asked about wild life in our area.

SNAKES OF SE TEXAS 
You’re likely to encounter snkaes if you spend a lot of time outdoors. First on the list are venomous snakes. All four types of venomous snakes found in North America can be found here, several species of Rattlesnakes, the Southern Copperhead, Western Cottonmouth, and Texas Coral Snake. It’s advisable to wear protective footwear when out in the wilderness. 
There are many species of non-venomous snakes. One of particular interest is the Louisiana Milk Snake, because it is similar in marking to the Coral Snake. There are dozens of other non-venomous snakes of many markings and sizes. Even though most snakes are non-venomous, a bite may leave a wound that will develop a nasty infection, take every precaution. 

PREDATORS (both carnivores and omnivores) OF SE TEXAS 
 A medium-sized cat with reddish-spotted fur and a black-only on top at the tip of a short tail is the BOBCAT, who feeds primarily on small mammals and birds and is mainly nocturnal and solitary. MINKS, a medium sized weasel-like carnivore with dark brown fur and a white chin patch, preferring stream, pond, and lake habitats feeding small mammals, birds, eggs, frogs, fish and crayfish; mainly nocturnal. 
OTTERS are a larger weasel-like carnivore with brown fur above and silvery fur in the face, chin and belly areas with webbed feet. They are aquatic and feed fish, frogs and crayfish. LONG-TAILED WEASELS are small and streamlined carnivores with yellowish-white under parts and brown to reddish brown fur over the rest of the body, a black-tipped tail and some have white patches between eyes and under ears. They feeds on rodents, rabbits, birds and other small animals. There are a couple members of the dog family to be found roaming our neck of the woods; the GRAY FOX and the COYOTE (sometimes confused with a wolf). And then there are several species of SKUNKS you may want to avoid… The last predators I’ll list in our area are RACCOONS, OPOSSUMS, RINGTAILS, and ARMADILLOS, who shouldn’t need descriptions. 

Some common HERBIVORES OF SE TEXAS to be found in the Brazos Valley include the EASTERN FOX & EASTERN GRAY SQUIRRELS, BEAVERS, NUTRIAS, BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBITS, and SWAMP & COTTONTAIL rabbits. 

GAME BIRDS OF SE TEXAS you will encounter if you are persistent; A few non-migratory game birds in our area are Quails, Northern Bobwhites and Turkeys. We are the winter home of hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, including many species of ducks and geese. It is important for hunters to properly identify birds before shooting. There are many protected species of birds in the Brazos Valley.

OTHER BIRDS OF SE TEXAS to be found in Brazos Valley include Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Kestrels (sparrow hawks), Owls, Reddish Egrets, Meadowlarks, Roadrunners, the American Coot, Snipes (there really is a snipe), Sandhill & Whooping Cranes, Plovers, Mourning Doves, pigeons and so many more. 

This blog post barely scratches the surface of available information on the CRITTERS we are so blessed to have in the Brazos Valley. For your further reference, the TEXAS WILDLIFE IDENTIFICATION GUIDE (in entirety) can be found on this link: 
https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_k0700_0517.pdf.

Featured Land for Sale in College Station, TX

 

Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor Bryan-College Station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell of your home. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station Realtor that has a long list of the finest homes in College Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904

Ways to Stay Cool This Summer Indoors at Home

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Purchasing a new home can be an exciting adventure. Therefore, you will probably want to enjoy it and soak in all the new memories. This is the perfect time to put your new College Station home to use. There are many family-friendly activities you can do right at home that are sure to keep everyone out of the heat and entertained. Below are some of the top ways to stay cool this summer indoors.

Indoor Picnic

This can be done in your living or family room. Pack a picnic basket, brag a blanket, and cop a squat just as you would do in the park. Turn off the TV, and enjoy each other's company. You can even have the little ones help have finger sandwiches and mix up tasty dips.

Movie Series Day

There are many places in Bryan-College Station where you can swing by and pick up some great movies. Look for movies with several sequels such as Star Wars, Lethal Weapon, Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter. Then, you can plan to have a day of movies with a lot of great snacks.

Game Night

Summers in the Brazos Valley can be steamy. Therefore, a family game night is always a popular option for beating the heat. Have everyone pick his or her favorite board, video, or action game then let the fun commence. Everyone will be kept entertained for hours.

Hide-n-Seek

Everyone loves a good game of hide-n-seek. This is one activity that anyone, at any age will enjoy going. If you have small water guns that don't spray much water, you can even put a twist on it by having the seeker squirt the hider when they are found.

These are just a handful of indoor activities you can do at home to beat the Texas heat. Be creative and keep it fun. This way no one will feel bored because it is too hot to go outside.

Featured Land for Sale in College Station, TX

 

Sarah Miller, your RE/MAX realtor Bryan-College Station can help you discover a lot of great tips for making a profitable and fast sell of your home. She is one of the RE/MAX Bryan-College Station Realtor that has a long list of the finest homes in College Station, Call her today at 979-255-1904