VanDyk Mortgage - July 2020

JULY 2020

Letters From the Hart Give us a call! 239-437-4278 Or visit www.TimHartJr.com WHAT’S THE BEST KIND OF ICE CREAM? (Hint: There IS a Right Answer) Corporate NMLS #3035 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

D id you know July is National Ice Cream Month? This is one of those weird, made-up holidays that I don’t usually care for, but I’m willing to make an exception for this one because ice cream is a major weakness of mine. Banana pudding might be my kryptonite, but moose tracks ice cream is a really close second. My love of ice cream stretches back to early childhood. When I was around 2 years old, my parents gave me my own ice cream cone as a treat. I was excited about it that I promptly jammed the entire cone right into my forehead. For a long time, my dad loved to laugh and tell that story, saying that at the time he couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with me. My brother and friend Jake enjoy telling this story too, though he likes to make it sound like I was 15 years old when it happened. Though I love ice cream, I’ve never made it myself. Even as a kid I thought it looked like a lot of work, but I was more than happy to stand around in the parking lot in front of a Twistee Treat to get some ice cream on a hot summer day. That giant, ice cream cone-shaped building was a dream come true to me. It was one of the first places that really did soft serve ice cream. Sure, there was Dairy Queen, but to me, nothing compared to Twistee Treat. I lost my mind when my parents took us to Twistee Treat.

see some sale signs and end up going overboard because it’s BOGO. Then our freezer will be full of moose tracks ice cream. Sure, that sounds great in theory, but two of my boys have dairy allergies. I can’t be sucking down ice cream while they’re eating lemon sorbet — at least, I can’t do it more often than I usually do. I don’t think anyone needs a reason to enjoy delicious ice cream, but if you’re looking for one, then feel free to use National Ice Cream Month as an

I imagine that childhood love of ice cream wanes in most people as they get older. That hasn’t happened for me. I once posted about moose tracks ice cream on Facebook and a client came by the office a few days later with a gallon of moose tracks ice cream. That made my year. When I go to the grocery store, I have to purposely avoid the ice cream aisle. If I walk past those frozen treats, then it’s all over. I’ll

excuse. As far as made-up holidays go, it’s pretty solid in my book. P.S. Please don’t send me moose tracks ice cream after reading this. I appreciate the thought, really, but my waistline can’t afford it!

NMLS #354676

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As more people opt for online shopping, the number of home deliveries is skyrocketing. Almost every item ordered comes in its own cardboard box, and nearly 20% of these boxes end up in landfills, while the other 80% require significant amounts of energy to recycle. Here are four ways to reuse those boxes instead of just tossing them out. Garden Bed Starters Because cardboard boxes are loaded with carbon and not contaminated by many other chemicals, they’re great for starting new plants or flower beds. They help reduce weeds and protect weak or young plants from the elements, and when the carbon in cardboard combines with the nitrogen in the dirt, a nutrient- rich soil emerges for plants to flourish in. Compost Clean corrugated cardboard — what most Amazon boxes are made of — is another great source of useful carbon. Cut your boxes into pieces and place them in your compost pile so the carbon combines with the nitrogen from food scraps. The process helps break the pile down into nutrient-rich humus for healthy soil. Toys or Art Supplies Kids tend to play with the box their new toy came in rather than the toy itself for a reason. Cardboard boxes spark creativity, and the possibilities are endless! Boxes can be used as forts, spaceships, building blocks, art canvases, and more. Empty boxes can provide hours of fun with a little help from a vivid imagination. Storage Boxes are meant for holding items, so use empty ones to organize a cluttered garage or attic or safely store less frequently used items like winter jackets or holiday decorations. If the brown cardboard aesthetic on a shelf just won’t cut it, paint the boxes or wrap them in eye-catching gift wrap, then label them. If you’re not sure how you want to use your boxes, just hold on to them until you’re ready. The beauty of cardboard is that you can break it down, store it easily, and reconstruct the boxes later when you find a use for them.

DELIVERY BOXES PILING UP?

4 WAYS TO REUSE INSTEAD OF RECYCLE

Be Your Best Self With the Help of Others HOW TO IMPLEMENT A VIRTUAL WELLNESS CHALLENGE

out virtually, participants have more freedom and flexibility in their routines without missing out on any of the social interaction that makes it fun.

A lot of people struggle to keep up with a regular wellness routine because they lack accountability to hold them to it. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, or healthy eating, if you go through the process alone, it’s that much harder to will yourself to see it through. But at a time when isolation is still one of the best ways to stay healthy, how can you involve others in your wellness plan? The answer is simple: Create a virtual wellness challenge! UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS A wellness challenge cultivates healthy competition among participants that keeps them motivated to stick with their wellness regimens. Challenges can be fully customized depending on the goals and abilities of those participating, and when the challenge is carried

GET STARTED Every challenge should have a quantifiable goal depending on the theme. Challenges like working out for 30 minutes a day, getting seven hours of sleep at night, eating 1 cup of leafy greens with every meal, or meditating for 15 minutes every day are all great examples. Whatever it is, the target should be clear and reasonable in order to encourage maximum participation and low burnout.

STAY ACCOUNTABLE Treat the challenge like you would a weekly book club. Set a time every week to meet via a video call to share wins and setbacks, discuss necessary changes to the challenge, plan for the next week’s challenge, and offer encouragement. If you really want to up the inspiration, determine a prize to be awarded to the person who actively participates the most. Just be sure you have a tangible way to record and share those results, like video evidence of the activity. A wellness challenge shared among friends and family is a great way to work on your physical or mental well-being and stay connected with loved ones when you aren’t able to visit them in person. That kind of consistent personal connection can be wellness in and of itself.

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Concerns relating to attracting rodents should be addressed by restricting wild bird feeders, which entice rodents and other animals into your yard. Skunks and raccoons frequent backyards regardless of whether chickens also occupy these yards.” Myth No. 9: Chickens are only kept for eggs, so the size of the flock should be limited to how many eggs a family needs! “Many people do keep chickens for eggs, but not every chicken is going to lay an egg every day,” Heather explained. “Additionally, chickens are kept for a lot of different reasons. I know we have a big 4-H group in the area that raises chickens as a project and shows them as a show animal. They’re not just for eggs. Groups like 4-H should be able to continue what they do. It’s really beneficial to have our kids involved in an organization like that.” There are a lot of great reasons to allow backyard chickens in Lee County. If you’d like to learn more about what goes into raising backyard chickens, then I recommend following Heather’s page, Backyard Chickens of Lee County, Florida. It’s a great resource, especially if you support legalizing backyard chickens. “We want to encourage sensible regulations,” Heather said. “I think it’s going to help feed people. I think it’s a great idea to help us be more self-sufficient.” In addition to busting myths, Heather and I also talked at great length about what would go into legalizing backyard chickens in Lee Country. You can catch the whole conversation on my Facebook page at Facebook.com/TimHartJr . "A lot of companies promote the team approach, however, Tim Hart's team truly represent working as a team. You become part of that team to successfully process your loan. We had one on one weekly updates, in addition to training videos to explain the advancement level of your loan. GO TEAM TIM!!! -Dean Williams

“A Forbes list of the top 10 housing markets appreciating in value shows that all 10 actually permit chicken keeping,” Heather explained. “A lot of real estate agents are concerned that having chickens next door to the house they are trying to sell could cause problems. It’s only going to cause a problem if the coop is not maintained well. But that’s true with anything. There could be junk in someone’s backyard that causes a problem. It’s not a chicken-specific problem.” Heather made a really good point here. I’ve found that if someone lets their chicken coop get run down and ratty, then there’s a high probability that their entire backyard and front yard are going to look just as bad. It ain’t a chicken problem — it’s a human problem. Myth No. 7: Chickens require a lot of land! “Every once in a while, I hear people say, ‘Oh, you don’t have enough room for chickens if you live in the city,’” Heather told me. “The fact is that chickens require no acreage to be kept well. Residents of all major U.S. cities, including New York City, Denver, and Los Angeles, keep chickens with no acreage at all. The number of chickens a family could responsibly raise in a backyard is ordinarily much more than they wish to keep. I think it’s very reasonable to have four or five hens in an enclosed coop with a run.” When people hear about backyard chickens, they imagine chickens just running wild in their neighbor’s yard. This isn’t accurate. Chickens are kept fenced in a coop with a run area to protect them from predators, like foxes, hawks, or neighborhood dogs. When I got a permit to have backyard chickens in Fort Myers, we sent in a picture of the coop and where it would be. City ordinances define how big or small coops can be, how far it has to be from your house, and how far it has to be from your neighbor’s property. Myth No. 8: Chickens attract rodents! “Rodents and wild animals reside in every single neighborhood,” Heather stated. “I know I've seen them in mine, rats right on the palm trees. They’re attracted to food sources, like seed from wild bird feeders

Myth No. 2: Chickens are noisy and loud! Another big objection people have about backyard chickens is the noise. To be clear, roosters are noisy and loud, which is why cities that allow backyard chickens don’t allow roosters. Hens, however, are pretty quiet. “The decibel level of a hen is about the same as a human,” Heather added. “You and I talking in a backyard would not be louder than a chicken … To go a little deeper into the noises that chickens make, it’s important to note that chickens sleep at night when we sleep. They’re not going to be making noises at night when it’s quiet. They’re also not going to be making loud noises at six o’clock in the morning like a rooster would.” Myth No. 3: You have to have a rooster to get eggs! “You only need a rooster if you want those eggs to be fertilized,” Heather explained. “Most people who are doing backyard chicken keeping in the city aren’t interested in having chicks. They just want to have enough eggs for their family.” Myth No. 4: Chicken poop is messy waste! Here’s a fun fact for you avid gardeners: Chicken waste is a great fertilizer. “Chickens produce valuable waste that can be used as a valuable garden amendment, like fertilizer,” Heather explained. “Five hens produce about 5 ounces of valuable garden fertilizer daily, compared to an average dog that generates approximately 12 ounces of pathogenic, unusable feces per day.” Myth No.5: Chicken coops are ugly! “Chicken keepers view their coops with a sense of pride,” Heather said. “We see some beautiful coops out there. They can look like a small house in your backyard, or even a playhouse. Some people don’t even realize they’re chicken coops.” Myth No. 6: Chicken coops hurt property values! Considering my line of work, I completely understand why people might be concerned about how chickens could impact property values. But as Heather stated during our interview, there’s never been any evidence to support the claim that backyard chickens hurt property values.

or garbage cans that are left out.

Trivia Question: How long has Bonita Springs allowed chickens within city limits?

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Inside This Issue Tim Hart, NMLS #354676 8280 College Parkway Suite #101 Fort Myers, FL 33919

Give us a call! 239-437-4278 Or visit www.TimHartJr.com

We’re Going to Twistee Treat! PAGE 1

What to Do With All Those Boxes

Stay Accountable With a Virtual Wellness Challenge PAGE 2 When Will Backyard Chickens Come to Lee County? PAGE 4

9 Myths About Backyard Chickens LEGALIZE CHICKENS IN LEE COUNTY

This month, I’m going to get a little political. That’s right, it’s time to talk about backyard chickens. This is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. I’ve had backyard chickens twice, at two different addresses, and I loved them. Chickens are a great source of eggs, which let you be a little bit self-sufficient with your food. They’re also really entertaining pets. The kids loved them. As I write this, Lee County doesn’t allow backyard chickens, but individual cities within the county have their own rules about chickens. For example, Fort Myers and Bonita Springs have allowed chickens within city limits for the last eight years. There is a movement to legalize backyard chickens in Lee County as a whole. This movement is being spearheaded by Heather Scutakes, who runs the Facebook page Backyard Chickens of Lee County, Florida. Heather and her organization are petitioning the Lee County Board of Commissioners to change the current ordinances (Chapter 34 Sections 1291 and 1294) and allow citizens in Lee County to raise backyard chickens. When I heard about Heather’s mission, I didn’t hesitate to throw in my support. I fully believe that backyard chickens offer a lot of value and should be allowed.

People who don’t have chickens or have never been around chickens believe a lot of negative myths about chickens. Heather joined me on my podcast, “The HartBeat Show” and helped me debunk a lot of myths people use when they object to allowing backyard chickens. Myth No. 1: Chickens are dirty and smelly! “Like any other bird, chickens spend hours a day dust bathing and meticulously preening themselves to maintain good hygiene,” Heather clarified. “As for the coops and runs, when they are managed and cleaned properly, they don’t smell, just like any other animal that might be outside.”

Basically, the only time a chicken coop smells is when the humans aren’t cleaning it up once a week.

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