DURHAM, N.H. -- New Hampshire residents say that the Granite State is an excellent place to live, partly because of public safety and the environment, according to a new WMUR Granite State Poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Out of 516 people surveyed, 64 percent rated the state as an excellent place to live, 31 percent said it was good and 5 percent said it was fair or poor.

Half of those surveyed said the environment in their area is excellent. People in the North Country were most likely to give high environment ratings, while Manchester-area residents gave the lowest ratings.

On public safety, 84 percent said they feel very safe in their neighborhood at night, 15 percent feel somewhat safe and 1 percent don't feel safe.

One area that residents weren't too happy with was education. Only 19 percent of those surveyed think schools are doing an excellent job, 39 percent said they are doing a good job and 19 percent said they are doing a fair or poor job.

People living in the North Country and in the central part of the state were most likely to say their local schools are doing a fair or poor job.

The margin of sampling error for the survey was /- 4.3 percent.

We all love living in New Hampshire!

Looking for some flower facts?

Flowers beguile us with their lovely scent and striking beauty, but many flowers have hidden attributes. Flowers and plants have been used medicinally for thousands of years. Some flowers, such as the lotus, have religious or historical significance. Many flowers may also have unusual characteristics or forms. Dive into the fascinating world of flower-lore and gain a fresh appreciation for these plants.

 

CC flickr photo of corpse flower courtesy of ingridtaylar

1.     Roses are related to apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears and almonds.

2.     Tulip bulbs were more valuable than gold in Holland in the 1600s. 

3.     Ancient civilizations burned aster leaves to ward off evil spirits.

4.     Tulip bulbs can be substituted for onions in a recipe.

5.     Chrysanthemums are associated with funerals in Malta and are considered unlucky.

6.     The very expensive spice, saffron, comes from a type of crocus flower.

7.     The largest flower in the world is the titan arums, which produce flowers 10 feet high and 3 feet wide. The flowers smell of decaying flesh and are also known as corpse flowers.

8.     Almost 60 percent of fresh-cut flowers grown in the U.S. come from California.

9.     Hundreds of years ago, when Vikings invaded Scotland, they were slowed by patches of wild thistle, allowing the Scots time to escape. Because of this, the wild thistle was named Scotland’s national flower.

10.  The lotus was considered a sacred flower by ancient Egyptians and was used in burial rituals. This flower blooms in rivers and damp wetlands, but may lie dormant for years during times of drought, only to rise again with the return of water. Egyptians viewed it as a symbol of resurrection and eternal life.

11.  Scientists discovered the world’s oldest flower in 2002, in northeast China. The flower, named Archaefructus sinensis bloomed around 125 million years ago and resembles a water lily.

12.  The juice from bluebell flowers was used historically to make glue.

13.  Foxglove is an old English name, derived from the belief that foxes slipped their feet into the leaves of the plant to sneak up on prey.

14.  Dandelions might seem like weeds, but the flowers and leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and potassium. One cup of dandelion greens provides 7,000-13,000 I.U. of vitamin A.

15.  The flower buds of the marsh marigold are pickled as a substitute for capers.

16.  Sunflowers move throughout the day in response to the movement of the sun from east to west.

17.  Moon flowers bloom only at night, closing during the day.

18.  Flowering nicotiana is related to tobacco, from which cigarettes are made.

19.  Gas plants produce a clear gas on humid, warm nights. This gas is said to be ignitable with a lit match.

20.  When Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, they subsisted on the roots of the Sego Lily Plant. This plant is the state flower of Utah.

21.  The cornstarch-like powder known as arrowroot is derived from the plant, Marantha arundinacea, and is native to India. It was used by indigenous people to draw out the toxins from a poisoned arrow wound. Today, it is used to thicken pies and jellies.

22.  Angelica was used in Europe for hundreds of years as a cure for everything from the bubonic plague to indigestion. It was thought to ward off evil spirits.

23.  Blue cohosh, also known as squaw root or papoose root, was used by Native American women to ensure an easy labor and childbirth.

24.  During the Middle Ages, lady’s mantle was thought to have magic healing properties.

25.  When Achilles was born, his mother dipped him head first in a bath of yarrow tea, believing it had protective qualities. Yarrow is still known for healing and was used during World War I to heal soldiers’ wounds.

The next time you walk through a flower garden, take a minute to consider the individual plants growing there. One of them may hold the secret for curing a dreaded disease. Another may have a long, illustrious history. Every flower has qualities and attributes worth admiring.

via gardeningchannel.com

Wed Apr 6, 12:16 pm ET

Study: Maine the most peaceful U.S. state, Louisiana the least

By Brett Michael Dykes

 

A study by the http://www.visionofhumanity.org/ Institute for Economics and Peace finds that Maine is the most peaceful state in the country, while Louisiana is the least peaceful.

The inaugural United States Peace Index purports to be the first state-by-state ranking of America based on levels of peace. The group's standard for measuring a state's serenity was rather simple: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/04/maine-ranked-... absence of violence." Using data compiled from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the group focused on homicide rates, percentage of population that is jailed, availability of small arms, number of police officers and overall violent crime rate.

And despite what you may think, with all the mass public protests going on around the country in the last couple of years, the index claims that America is getting more peaceful as a whole, with neither Republican nor Democratic states having any sort of an advantage over each other.

 "The USPI report reveals that peace in the United States has improved since 1995 primarily driven by a substantial decrease in homicide and violent crime, http://www.visionofhumanity.org/info-center/us-peace-index/ the IEP says on its website, adding that "peace is significantly correlated with factors related to economic opportunity, education and health."

The group lists the ten most peaceful states in order as: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota, Utah, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Iowa, and Washington. And here are the least (also in order, with Louisiana leading the unrest): Louisiana, Tennessee, Nevada, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Maryland.

It's worth noting that Louisiana was ranked as http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38382866/ns/business-bloomberg_businessweek/ the laziest U.S. state in a separate study last year. Apparently, kicking back and taking it easy doesn't amount to a life of calm in the eyes of some, though many Louisianians, this reporter among them, would probably argue that they're not lazy or non-peaceful, just misunderstood.

 

Open market proposed for Strawbery Banke

  

Amy Moy, director of Marketing and Communications for Strawbery Banke Musuem, and Nick Masci, manager of the open market, announce the new event at Strawbery Banke Musuem, beginning in June.Rich Beauchesne photo

By Charles McMahon

cmcmahon@seacoastonline.com

March 30, 2011  

PORTSMOUTH — A proposal to transform Puddle Dock at Strawbery Banke into a garden of local and regional artists and farmers every Sunday this summer is growing roots.

The Portsmouth Open Market at Strawbery Banke Museum, a juried outdoor independent art and farmers market, is slated to open June 5. When it does, 65 to 70 local and regional artists and farmers are expected to be the featured vendors at the historic property on an almost weekly basis through Oct. 30. The event will feature crafters and artisans next to one another, with jewelry makers and sculptors mixed among food vendors and farmers.

Open Market

Some of the vendors already accepted include:

Mrs. Beasley's Dog Treats of Weare

Jewelry by the Sea of Portsmouth

Handmade by Ali Wonderful of Litchfield

Robinwoods Design of Portsmouth

Dreamgirl Art of Portsmouth

Shoreside Chic of Portland, Maine

RedStaggerwing Designs of Hampstead

Jewelry, Pet Tags of York, Maine

DiNofrio Handbags of Woodstock, Vt.

Washed Ashore Designs Jewelry of Eliot, Maine

ABCD Originals/Fun Fakes and Funky Findings of New Castle

Alex Mitchell - Encaustic Painter of Portsmouth

The Write Stuff of Deerfield

Red Ginger Foods of Portsmouth

Megan Stelzer Design of Portsmouth

Everything from a diverse collection of housewares, to paper goods, handbags, jewelry, prints, ceramics, clothing, accessories, paintings/drawings, sculpture and more will be for sale.

The concept comes from New England Open Markets, a regional promoter of the open market in places like Boston and Providence.

Nick and Liz Masci have been appointed as market managers to oversee the daily operations and will be responsible for the overall management of the Portsmouth Open Market. Nick Masci said the open market concept has received considerable interest and has signed on more than 25 vendors of all types for the inaugural Sunday.

According to Masci, all but a few who have been accepted are from New Hampshire.

Masci said the Sunday events will be a far different type of experience than the Seacoast Growers Association's Saturday farmers markets. He said the open market will focus on crafters and artists of the region, while also allowing for some opportunities for local food vendors and farmers.

"Our market will be more about prepared foods," he said. "We expect to have between two to four farmers per weekend."

Masci said his group has developed a "constructive dialogue" with the Seacoast Growers Association and Seacoast Local, and he expects both will see benefits from the new event.

Hilary Niles, public relations director for the Seacoast Growers Association, acknowledged the distinction between the two markets and said the group will make sure to differentiate itself as time progresses.

"We hope to help customers understand what the difference is," said Niles. "All of our markets and our vendors grow, raise, catch and make all of the products and all of our vendors are from the immediate three counties."

Masci said he considers there to be a synergy between the open market and Strawbery Banke. "It's a great marriage," he said.

Liz Masci said she has many more vendor applications to consider, but encourages "a call to artists" all over the region. "This will be a great opportunity to meet the artists and chat about the products that they pour their hearts into," she said. "Supporting local artists and craftsmen is a great way to boost the local economy and celebrate their efforts."

Hours are set from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the open market is slated for every Sunday from June through October, excluding a few dates in August and September.

Amy Moy, marketing and communications director for Strawbery Banke Museum, said the event will also encourage marketgoers to take part in the 375 years of history in one of America's oldest occupied neighborhoods. Since it is free to the public, Moy said the open market will be separated from the rest of the museum. Moy said the museum is also hoping to offer dual promotions to visitors who visit the market.

"There will be so much energy mixed in with the aesthetics of Strawbery Banke," Moy said.

Calling Strawbery Banke an "ideal place" to hold such an event, Moy said it will surely bring together people from all over to connect with the Seacoast's artists, crafts people and farmers.

"We hope to redefine what local means," she said. "It will be wonderful to once again see hustle and bustle in the Puddle Dock neighborhood on Sundays with the unique aesthetic and energy created by the open market."

Larry Yerdon, president of Strawbery Banke Museum, said the open market will certainly have positive impacts on the community.

"Strawbery Banke Museum is very excited to work with New England Open Markets to bring an open market to Puddle Dock this summer," he said. "The museum works very deliberately at being a cooperative and collaborative partner in ensuring the economic and cultural health of Portsmouth, and it is truly our hope that everyone's experience with the market this summer will be positive."

I love the idea of this open market on Sundays in Portsmouth - what a treat this will be for area residents! I certainly plan to take part and enjoy the fun!

Apart from suburban tract homes, America still has a healthy supply of homes that make you go "hmm." These are homes with stories to tell and questions to answer -- there's intrigue and mystery.

Two of these homes are built in honor of a loved one. Some of them are open to the public, some are private homes, and most of these in the list are even for sale. Multiple homes on the list are energy efficient and even off the grid. Others are just off the wall, and some of those walls are constructed from some pretty unusual materials.

Slideshow: 10 Weird But Wonderful Homes

Here are a few of the weirdest, most wonderful homes in America compiled by TopTenRealEstateDeals.com for CNBC.

Bioscleave House Life Extending Villa
Location: East Hampton, New York
Price: $4 million
Bed: 3 Bath: 2 Sq ft: 3,700
Claim to Fame: The first U.S. example of reversible destiny architecture, or “architecture against death”

The Bioscleave House Life Extending Villa in East Hampton, NY. Photo: Dimitris Yeros

About: This house was designed with the goal that the occupants be disoriented, uncomfortable, and thrown off balance, because, the thought goes, when you get comfortable, death is not far behind. The thinkers behind this “life-affirming environment” were the artist-poet-architect/ husband-and-wife team Arakawa and Madeline Gins. This “life-affirming” was part of their plan to cheat the fate that awaits everyone else. Alas, Arakawa died in May, 2010. 

Built as an extension to a 1964 A-frame house based on principles of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, Bioscleave House also comes with its own set of directions for use.

The Dune House
Location: Atlantic Beach, Florida
Price: $1.4 million
Bed: 2 Bath: 2; Sq. ft: 1500
Claim to Fame: It’s a disco-era house in a dune!

The Dune House in Atlantic Beach, FL. Photo: Tansy Moon | Prudential Network Realty

About: This design by architect William Morgan is ensconced within the earth, forming two double-height apartments carved into a sand dune. The apartments are entered at street level and a common stair leads to the upper floor’s entryway, bedroom and bath. On the main lower floor, the living, dining and kitchen with mostly built-in furniture open oceanside to a covered terrace at beach level.

The building was constructed in 1975 using swimming pool technology, a gunite-concrete shell anchored to a cast concrete floor. It’s also one of the original green roofs, as it’s topped by a mantle of earth stabilized by native landscaping which helps to maintain a 70-degree temperature inside.

Mystery Castle
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Price: Not on the market
Claim to Fame: Built by a man who abandoned his family and disappeared after learning he had tuberculosis

The Mystery Castle in Phoenix, AZ. Photo: Rita Spears

About: Boyce Luther Gulley left his Seattle office in 1927 and was not heard of until 3 years later in the hills south of Phoenix. There he spent the last 15 years of his life creating a three-story, 18-room mansion crenellated parapets, turrets, and a tower. Gulley constructed the castle from found and cheap materials like native stone and adobe bound by a mortar of sand, cement, calcium, and goat's milk. The house’s curious features include petroglyphs, automobile parts, Depression glass dishes as transoms, windows made from Gulley’s Stutz Bearcat, and the Bearcat’s windshield as a wall panel.

Gulley built stairs over a boulder so as not to disturb the landscape, and for the same reason he hauled natural materials from over a mile away. The wife and daughter he abandoned moved in after Gulley’s death in 1945, and began conducting tours. Daughter Mary Lou Gulley just died herself in November 2010.

Coral Castle
Location: Miami, Florida
Price: Not on the market
Claim to Fame: Billy Idol’s 1986 hit “Sweet Sixteen” was a tribute to the Coral Castle and its creator, and the video was shot at the Castle.

The Coral Castle in Miami, FL. Photo: CoralCastle.com

About: Ed Leedskalnin spent 28 years secretly working alone, mostly at night, with just hand tools to move 1100 tons of coral to construct this monument to the woman who jilted him the night before their wedding. It remains a mystery how he accomplished the feat. Since no one ever witnessed the construction, some have speculated that Leedskalnin had supernatural powers. Leedskalnin himself claimed to know the secrets used to build the ancient Pyramids.

Coral Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and is now a museum listed under its original name of Rock Gate Park.

Hammargren Home of Nevada History
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Price: Not on the market
Claim to fame: Robin Leach called it “the most interesting home in the world.”

The Hammargren Home of Nevada History in Las Vegas, NV. Photo: Hammargren Home of Nevada History

About: This residence is actually three houses that form a compound of curiosities. The first is a planetarium and celestial observatory in one-third scale model of a Mayan pyramid, the center house is a full-scale model replica of the “House of the Governor” at a Mayan site at Uxmal, and the third house is a “Mayan Revival Style” architecture inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs in Hollywood.

The man living in Mayan style is Dr. Lonnie Hammargren, a neurosurgeon, former Nevada Lieutenant Governor and Honorary Consul to Belize. The houses contain thousands of oddities from 65 years of collecting unusual things like an iron lung, a Batmobile, a Liberace staircase and Bugsy Siegel's toilet, even a fancy Easter egg entryway that Liberace once used for an Easter performance. Also on the premises are an Apollo Spacecraft Capsule, a Space Shuttle replica, and a Stonehenge reproduction.

Jason Wakefield of Top Ten Real Estate Deals explains why he ranked this one the weirdest: "Just beyond Evel Knievel's Messerschmitt motorcyle under the garage, the doctor has an authentic Egyptian tomb where he is to be buried and become part of the museum. The museum features a full pulley system for opening and closing the sarcophagus. Other unique characteristics include a Clark Gable dummy jumping out of a plane over an authentic "Welcome to Reno" sign, a dolphin tank from the original MGM casino, and if you look out the right window you will see the back of a Space Shuttle replica. The home is as unique as the Nevada history it exemplifies."

Click here to see all of the Weird But Wonderful Homes

 

2011 may move Seacoast closer to robust housing recovery

Report pegs N.H. ahead of national curve

By Michael McCord

business@seacoastonline.com

January 23, 2011 2:00 AM 

How healthy was the Seacoast's residential real estate market in 2010? Despite a number mixed signals and varying swings from month to month, one Realtor said it was a tangible first step toward healthier times.

"It was the beginning of a multi-year housing economy recovery," said Jim Therrien, president of the Seacoast Board of Realtors.

According to SBR figures, single-family home sales were up 17 percent and condominium sales were up 8 percent over 2009. Despite a rise in foreclosures, from 123 in 2009 to 146 in 2010, Therrien believes the region's strength shows in comparison to statewide figures, which show a 2.6 percent decline in 2010 single-family sales.

"We won't have the huge spikes we saw in the early 2000s," said Therrien, who is also a Realtor with The Masiello Group in Hampton. "We are seeing a gradual recovery."

What could help that recovery in 2011 is historically low interest rates — the lowest, Therrien estimated, since "the Eisenhower era" in the 1950s — and a steady economic recovery that always provides the environment for greater real estate momentum.

One potential outlier is a dramatic increase in the number of million-dollar home sales. Therrien said there were seven such sales on the Seacoast in December, the most since June 2008, including a nearly $4 million sale in Rye, which was largest sale in the region since October 2009.

Nikki Douglass, a Realtor and owner of the Douglass Group at Keller Williams Coastal Realty, said the strength in the market depends so much on location, which has kept areas like Portsmouth, Stratham, Exeter and Durham in relatively high demand.

"There's a heavy correlation between the quality of the school district and the economics of the town," said Douglass on why certain areas on the Seacoast have more listings, sales and far fewer days on the market. She said she was surprised that even during the sluggish economic recovery that overall housing prices in Rockingham and Stratham counties have risen over the past year.

In Rockingham County, Douglass said, the median sale price (which would be higher in areas such as Portsmouth and Exeter) rose from $257,950 in 2009 to $266,950 in 2010. In Strafford County, the median sale price in 2009 was $195,000 and moved up to $199,000 in 2010 (in Durham prices are much higher).

In addition to end of the federal First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit program, another concern is foreclosures. While New Hampshire has been spared the worst of the economic fallout from the crisis, foreclosures rose 32 percent in 2010 in Massachusetts. Overall, foreclosures are expected to peak nationally in 2011 with a record 1.2 million homes being taken over by lenders, according to the foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac Inc.

Douglass said that certain areas such as Rochester, parts of Dover and Seabrook have seen the most foreclosures and had the most impact on the overall market. Stronger economic growth could be one protection against a foreclosure wave and a just-released report for the New Hampshire real estate industry shows a sustained, if modest, recovery is under way.

The report's author, Exeter-based demographer Peter Francese, said that according to a measurement by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, New Hampshire had the highest economic activity index in the country — at 189, a two-year high and far above the national average of 150.

"By this measure," he said, "New Hampshire is recovering from this recession better than any other state."

Francese also cited one reason why Rockingham County had a slight increase in sales in 2010 — it is one of "four counties in the state with the highest concentration of second homes" and there has been a boom nationally in vacation and second home sales.

While there are more listings and sales activity, houses aren't necessarily moving faster. Therrien said the normal listing to sale period is around 100 days, slightly up from 2009 but lower than the state average of 117 days. Douglass said in Strafford County the number average of listing days is also up, to 178 days.

Douglass said she is seeing more activity this January than a year ago at this time but believes a more robust recovery may be a year out.

"We've got two components," she said. "How many foreclosures will we be dealing with? And we've had so many people who have been hesitant, sitting on the fence and waiting to make a move. I think for some, 2011 may be the time to stop thinking about it."