Lori Rivero, Realtor Coldwell Banker Realty

I decided it was time to write about one of my passions... BACON!  Apparently a lot of other people share the same passion!  I mean you really can't go wrong with bacon! Have you heard the term "Bring Home the Bacon"?  Well, it was not a phrase coined by the commercials in the 80's with the sassy blonde dancing around the house... it actually originated during the 12th century from a church in Dunow, England.  The church offered a side of bacon to any man who could swear before God and the congregations that he had not fought or quarreled with his wife for a year and a day.  Any man that could "Bring Home the Bacon" was respected in his community.   In the 1770's a man by the name of Jon Wiltshire was the first man to produce bacon on a large scale. He named the company Wiltshire and to this day is still considered the bacon capital of the world. In 1924 Oscar Meyer introduced prepackaged bacon to the United States... and the obsession...

In Florida we have so many creatures that cohabitate with the human creatures.  Some are cute and cuddly.......... others not so much.  There are species that are native to Florida only, and are on the threatened species list and require government intervention and relocation before a home can be built on a parcel of land. Southwest Florida offers beautiful views, beaches and boating activities for everyone, and it is a retirement paradise.  However, make sure your Realtor checks into the possible scrub jay and gopher tortoise residents before buying your land.  Those little guys need a new home and the Fish and Wildlife agents will relocate them.  The new land owner will need to pay for permits to have this done, and it can cost upwards of $4,000 for the scrub jay mitigation and up to $2,000 for the gopher tortoise.  Now, on to our not so cute and cuddly residents........... the alligator.  In my family we define the alligator as a meat e...

With the hustle bustle of the work week...... the never ending connection to cyberspace...... social media and more sometimes I forget to stop and enjoy the beautiful place I live.  It is winter in Florida... while for some of you that means lots of the white stuff and frigid temperatures in your home states...... my home state enjoys humidity free days and highs on 79 degrees.  This is heaven!  My eyes were hurting, my neck was getting stiff..... I had been working on the computer most of the day........I needed a break.  The sun and the wind was calling.  It was a top down kind of moment. Nothing like fresh air and the wind in my hair to bring me back to life! Don't forget to enjoy what you work for!  Get off your phone, out of your house and enjoy life.... give yourself the break you deserve. 

My secret obsession is the art of thrift shopping... garage sales... and Buy/Sell/Trade websites.  I love a bargain... and I love the thrill of the hunt.  Finding that one item that is begging for a makeover.. or the perfect piece to compliment that open space on the wall.... or a new outfit for a day at the parks. Who knows what you will find?? Garage Sales are the BEST!   Here is where you get to practice "The Art of Negotiation"........   I love it...... Hellllloooo.. Realtor here!  Anyone that has had a yard sale knows....the price written on the items is not the final price... but your job as the consumer is to get the lowest price possible and the seller wants the highest price possible...... sound familiar? My husband and I will often empty out the trunk of the car... to make room for the possible treasures... throw on a ball cap....... grab the coffee to go...... and head out early to make a day of it.  It is a great opportunity to meet...

I was at our local Publix shopping center...... and I noticed the variety of chairs sitting among the complex and palm trees...... and I had to stop to take a picture.  It spoke to me.... it was an invitation to sit down and have a conversation...... an invitation to sit down and slow the pace of the day.  So, I did.  I sat down...... I took a break from my list of "To-Do's" and looked at the beauty that was around me. I watched the shoppers coming and going.. mostly admiring the sweet senior citizens... holding hands as they walk into the store... smiling at the young mother who was wrestling with the 2 year old to get her into the seat of the cart.... shaking my head at the cars fighting for the front row parking spot; even though they are about to go into the same store and walk a mile......I noticed the beautiful palm trees growing tall in the parking lot and the hibiscus blooming on the bushes.     I did not have anyone join me in the other se...

I, like many people out there, am the parent of fur babies.  I love them... now that we are empty nesters they have taken the place of the kids since the last child flew the coop.  My husband says I am the type of person that if anything happened to him.... I would become the crazy cat lady.... he is probably right.... except I hate scooping the box......... so it is his job.  LOL Our fur babies sleep with us......... we have a King Sized bed......... and last night the bed finally felt too small.  I found myself pulling my one leg out of the covers to cool off... as both cats and the husband were using me as their pillow........ I flung my leg over my husbands..... and tried to carefully position myself as not to disturbed the sleeping critters in the bed (husband included)  I laid there awake and listened to everyone snore...... while I started thinking about the comfortable sofa in the living room.  The bed just isn't big enough!  I dou...

Holiday travel proves to be a challenge of patience, compassion, and tolerance for the human animal. The holiday security lines are a great place to start the rise of the frustration meter... It is always a challenge for the Type A personality to tolerate the "meander-er"  the one in line who refuses to pay attention to the movement of the line and stands there updating their Facebook account while the gap of 50 feet continues to grow........ the people behind them begin to grow more and more irritated...... and finally the brave person taps them on the shoulder to wake them up to the fact that the line has moved on without them.  I personally love the group eye rolls when the delayed group looks at each other as they begrudgingly move their luggage forward..... finally.  When you finally reach the TSA agent sitting at their stool and "podium of power" to proudly reveal your boarding pass and ID.....their attitude is just the icing on the cake of the securi...