Brookside Orchids in Menlo Park -- Hiding in Plain Sight

Source: www.inmenlo.com
A hyper-local Blog by Chris Gulker, Linda Hubbard and Associates

There they sit, row after row – the boarders whose owners have put them under the care of Mark Pendleton, manager of Brookside Orchids Boarding Department. “We have about 250 boarding customers,” says Pendleton. “We take care of the plants year round, delivering them to their owners when they bloom. How much of the year they’re in our care depends on the plant and the customer.”


Brookside Orchids is a Menlo Park enterprise that’s been hiding in plain sight for almost 30 years. Its seven greenhouses, packed with every orchid variety imaginable, sits on an acre of land behind the Webb Ranch produce market on Alpine Road. The business, founded by Jim Heierle in 1981, was the main supplier to Smith & Hawken, the specialty garden store that recently went out of business. That prompted Brookside to put on a more public face, including a new sign on Alpine Road welcoming visitors (Monday-Friday from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm). An e-commerce website is also in the works.

Brookside grows popular orchid species as well as a few rare flowers outside of the orchid family, including Bat Lily and Ornamental Ginger. Every flower is hand-cultivated, and special care goes into ensuring the plants receive the perfect balance of water, fresh air, and indirect sunlight. Orchids are grown in a mixture of fir bark, charcoal, and perlite and treated with a synthetic fertilizer.

In addition to his boarding manager duties, Pendleton is Brookside’s hybridizer – there are currently a half dozen or so hybrids on display – and resident orchid expert (with a caveat). “There are a lot of orchid experts,” he notes with a smile.

He lends his service to orchids in distress, brought in by their worried and anxious owners. “I can resuscitate an orchid but I can’t resurrect one!” he says.

Kepler's Mentions My Niece's Book in Their Blog

Source: www.thebookbind.blogspot.com  from Kepler's Books in Menlo Park

So the book I've just read about and want, really want to read right now is

Prophecy of Days by Christy Raedeke

Here's what the back cover says about it:

When her safe-cracker mom and code-breaker dad inherit a Scottish castle on the Isle of Huracan, sixteen-year-old Caity Mac Fireland is the only one in the family who's not happy about it. Ripped from her comfortable life in San Francisco, taken away from her best friend Justine whom she's known since preschool, and relocated to the dreary island fortress, Caity's secret fantasy of being discovered by a Hollywood agent, talent scout, or even just a pageant coach seems more unlikely than ever.

But when Caity stumbles across a hidden room in the castle, its walls covered in strange symbols, her life takes a bizarre turn. She finds herself center stage in an international conspiracy involving warring secret societies (complete with their own scouts, double agents, and assassins), the suppressed revelations of the Mayan Calendar and the year 2012, plus the fate of humanity. With the help of her friend Justine back home, and Alex, the mysterious and gorgeous boy next door, Caity must rely on her own courage and creativity as she races to decipher the code and reveal its message to the world before time runs out.

Sounds a book worth waiting for.

Borrone's is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Menlo Park

Our beloved Cafe' Borrone now has it's very own Facebook page

Go to Facebook and Search for Borrone's and click on the tab to join.

Check it out at http://www.cafeborrone.com/

Call me at (650) 888-6628 if you would like to meet there for a coffee in the heart of Menlo Park!

Menlo College Named a “Best in the West” College by the Princeton Review

Source: Excerpted from the Princeton Review

Menlo College, "Silicon Valley's Business School," is one of the best colleges and universities in the West according to The Princeton Review. The education services company selected the school as one of 123 institutions it recommends in its "Best in the West" section on its website feature 2010 Best Colleges: Region by Region that posted July 27, 2009. The Princeton Review, reported that students are "roundly positive in their summation of academics at Menlo, students prize Menlo's "incredible faculty" and say that, "the student to teacher ratio is awesome." The "small class sizes" and "close-knit community" work in conjunction to "provide a unique experience that wouldn't be possible at a larger university."

Says Robert Franek, Princeton Review's V.P., Publishing, "We chose Menlo College and the other terrific schools we recommend as our 'regional best' colleges primarily for their excellent academic programs. We also work to have our roster of 'regional best' colleges feature a range of institutions by size, selectivity, character and locale. We choose the schools based on institutional data we collect from several hundred schools in each region, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of independent and high school-based college advisors whose recommendations we invite. We also take into account what each school's customers—their students—report to us about their campus experiences at them on our 80-question student survey."

"Menlo College is riding on a positive wave of great news," said President G. Timothy Haight upon hearing of The Princeton Review recognition. "With our three new majors in accounting, finance, and marketing, reaffirmation of WASC accreditation, plus the addition of several highly qualified—academically and professionally—faculty, we are producing the next generation of business leaders.

At Filoli, Opening Celebration — Daffodil Daydreams

Friday and Saturday,
February 26 and 27, 10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Sunday, February 28, 11:00 am - 3:30 pm

Delightful and dreamy, daffodils are the first to bloom and lead the floral parade each spring. From the smallest to the largest, whether planted in a formal flower bed or naturalized in a field, their cheerful annual display brings enjoyment to all. They are one of the easiest and hardiest of the garden flowers, giving you more with each passing year.

This year Filoli has planted more than 50,000 additional daffodils throughout the grounds and has been named an American Daffodil Society (ADS) Display Garden. An ADS Display Garden displays a wide variety of daffodil cultivars and educates visitors about daffodils and how the bulbs can be used effectively in the landscape.

Source: www.filoli.org

Mortgage Update

Source: Ken Mason, Mortgage California

Wednesday’s bond market has opened in negative territory following slightly stronger than expected economic data and a positive open for stocks. The stock markets are extending yesterday’s afternoon rally, but to a much less degree. The Dow is currently up 44 points while the Nasdaq has gained 12 points. The bond market is currently down 9/32, but we may still see a slight improvement in this morning’s rates compared to yesterday’s morning pricing due to strength in bonds late yesterday.

This morning’s first piece of economic data was January's Housing Starts. It revealed a larger than expected increase in starts and an upward revision to December’s starts, hinting that the housing sector may be stronger than thought. Rising starts of new homes indicates more sales or stronger levels of optimism by builders. But, this data is not considered to be highly important to the markets or to mortgage rates. It is the week’s least important data and has not had much of an influence on this morning’s mortgage pricing.

Also posted this morning was January's Industrial Production data. It showed a 0.9% increase in output at U.S. factories, mines and utilities that exceeded forecasts. That indicates a level of manufacturing sector strength that is considered bad news for bonds and mortgage rates. However, this data is considered only moderately important, so it has not hurt mortgage rates this morning.

The third event of the day will be the release of the minutes from last FOMC meeting later today. Traders will be looking for any indication of the Fed’s next move regarding monetary policy. They will be released at 2:00 PM ET, therefore, any reaction will come during afternoon trading. I am expecting some volatility in the markets after the minutes are released.

The Labor Department will post January’s Producer Price Index (PPI) early tomorrow morning. It measures inflationary pressures at the producer level of the economy and is considered to be an important measurement of inflation. There are two portions of the report that analysts watch- the overall reading and the core data reading. The core data is more important to market participants because it excludes more volatile food and energy prices. It is expected to show an increase of 0.8% in the overall reading and a 0.1% rise in the core data.

Good news for bonds would be a decline in both readings, particularly the core data. Also tomorrow morning will be the release of the Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) for January. This Conference Board report attempts to predict economic activity over the next three to six months. It is expected to show a 0.5% increase, meaning that economic activity may rise in the near future. A smaller than expected rise would be good news for the bond market and mortgage rates.

Mortgage Update

Source: Ken Mason, Mortgage California

Tuesday’s bond market has opened in negative territory following strong gains in stocks. The stock markets are on the rebound with the Dow up 126 points and the Nasdaq up 23 points. The bond market is currently down 9/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point.

There was no relevant economic data scheduled for release today, so look for the stock markets to be the biggest influence on bond trading and mortgage rates the remainder of the day. If the major stock indexes remain near current levels, expect the bond market and mortgage rates to follow suit. If they give back this morning’s gains, the bond market may improve, possibly improving mortgage rates this afternoon.

The first economic report of the week comes tomorrow morning, but it is the least important of the three scheduled. December’s Goods and Services Trade Balance data will be posted early tomorrow morning. This report measures the U.S. trade deficit and can affect the value of the U.S. dollar versus other currencies, but it usually does not cause enough movement in bond prices to affect mortgage rates. It is expected to show a $35.5 billion trade deficit.

The two important Treasury auctions come tomorrow and Thursday when 10-year Notes and 30-year Bonds are sold. The 10-year sale is the more important one as it will give us an indication for demand of mortgage-related securities. If the sales are met with a strong demand from investors, we should see the bond market move higher during afternoon trading the days of the auctions. But a lackluster interest from buyers, particularly international investors, would indicate a waning appetite for longer-term U.S. securities and lead to broader bond selling. The selling in bonds would likely result in upward revisions to mortgage rates.