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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2018
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US home construction rose 1.5 percent in October
This undated photo shows a paperbark maple tree in New Paltz, N.Y. The coppery-red, peeling bark of paperbark maple is but one of the ornamental qualities that make this small tree well worth growing. (AP photo)
Maples run the gamut from lovable ... to not S
ome maples are to love (sugar maples) and others not (Norway maples, because they’ re an invasive species). But there’ s more to maples than those two —including some you might like or dislike depending on where they are growing. I once lived in a house where two stately silver maples graced the front yard. Aside from their enormous size, these two trees had little about them to love. Silver maples have soft wood, tend to drop branches and big flakes of bark, and the leaves have no color worth looking at in autumn. The roots can be frightening large and shallow, as I learned upon encountering what looked like an elephant’ s leg pushing into the crawl space of the house. On the positive side, LEE REICH silver maples grow very fast, tolerate almost any soil, and look nice in wild settings and swampy areas. I just wouldn’ t want one near my home. A VERY GOOD ONE, AND A BAD ONE You’ ll also find red maples in similar wet and wild settings. Red maples are very variable, and the best have much to offer: sturdy wood, cosmopolitan disposition, and reddish young leaves, flowers and seeds. In autumn, the color of red maple foliage rivals and complements that of sugar maple. This tree is deservedly popular, so much so that superior varieties have been identified and named, some with upright form, others with leaves that stay red all season long or have particularly flamboyant autumn leaf color, and still others with various combinations of these qualities. Before moving on to other lovable maples, let’ s backtrack to another less desirable one. Although maple is not in its name, boxelder is a maple, one that, like silver maple, is fast-growing and weak-wooded. The only things this tree has going for it are that it grows just about anywhere and its overall form is pleasing. MANY MORE MAPLES Striped maple is another maple that I would not recommend planting, but that can be loved in its native, woodsy settings. It grows poorly outside of forests, and is not particularly notable in form or autumn leaf color. But you can enjoy its bright green leaves in summer and its distinctively striped bark as you walk in the woods year-round. Sugar maple hardly needs mentioning because it’ s so familiar for its strong wood, stately form and fiery fall color. On the downside, this tree is finicky about soil conditions, not faring well if the ground is re-graded near its roots or where road salt is used. Across the Pacific are some other lovable maples. SoSee Garden p. 2D
In this July 23 file photo a construction worker puts down roofing paper on a new home as he works outside in Houston. On Tuesday, Nov. 20, the Commerce Department reports on U.S. home construction in October. (AP photo)
Groundbreakings for apartments up, but down for single-family homes since May By JOSH BOAK AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON —U.S. home construction improved a slight 1.5 percent in October, but in a troubling sign, ground breakings for singlefamily houses fell. The Commerce Department said Tuesday housing starts rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.23 million, up from 1.21 million in September. The gains came entirely
from apartments. Starts for singlefamily houses slipped 1.8 percent last month. Housing has stumbled in recent months as mortgage rates have climbed, putting the ability to buy a home or move up to a nicer property out of reach for more Americans. A sharp increase in mortgage rates has led to a marked decline in home construction since May, such that ground breakings have fallen 2.6 percent
over the past 12 months. “The housing construction cycle has peaked, but we’ re not expecting a meltdown,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Some construction in the South might have been disrupted by Hurricane Florence striking the Carolinas in September and Hurricane Michael See Homes p. 2D
RIGHT AT HOME:
Above, these undated photo shows a pillow available at Target. These Opalhouse toss pillows bring in some fresh, festive berry and candy hues to holiday décor. Below, this undated photo shows Anthropologie's macaron ornaments. These realistic glass ornaments would make a lovely boxed gift for a sweets lover or Francophile. (AP photos)
Holiday décor offers sweet sugarplum hues By KIM COOK Associated Press Amid a seasonal sea of red and green or silver and blue, there’ s a sweet, alternative palette in holiday decor. Think of fresh fruits and delectable candies, and you’ re on the right track —it’ s an enticing, enchanting array of sugarplum hues that home decorators can have fun with. “Pair candy-apple red, plummy pink and berry-bright florals with winter greens for a centerpiece,” suggests Melissa Benham of the Chicago interior design firm Studio Gild . “Ornaments in these hues provide an unexpected color pop on the Christmas tree, or a fun twist on the classic menorah when used for Hanukkah candles.” Los Angeles-based designer and author Orlando Soria says color is
key to making your holiday celebration shine bright. Even if you’ ve got a rather motley collection of decorations, “adding in plum and berry-hued fabrics, candles, accessories and ornaments is a great way to create a cohesive color scheme,” he says. Target has Opalhouse’ s soft cozy throw pillows, with either a plaid pattern or “Oh, What Fun” typography, in fresh and festive hues. The Merrily collection at Pier 1 includes hand-blown stemless wine glasses painted with kicky modern trees in pink, peach and berry. A candy-blue throw pillow is embroidered with the phrase “Merry & Bright” and decorated with tassels. For the tree, there’ s a garland of felted gumballs. See Sugarplum p. 2D
2D The Mining Journal
Friday, November 23, 2018
House to Home
Homes from 1D
then hitting Florida and Georgia in October. But ground breakings recovered somewhat in the South last month, increasing 4.7 percent. Homebuilders are feeling slightly less confident, even if they expect to keep building. The National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo housing market index was released Monday and fell 8 points — the biggest monthly drop since 2014 —to 60 points in November. Any reading above 50 points to continued growth. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage has shot up a full percentage point in the past year to 4.94 percent, according to
mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. This benchmark rate is at its highest average since February 2011. Permits, an indicator of future activity, declined 0.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.26 million. This pullback in construction has occurred as sales of new homes have begun to stall. New-home purchases have plummeted for the past four months, including a steep 5.5 percent drop in September, according to a Commerce Department report last month. The annual rate of home sales has declined 15.3 percent since May, a striking reversal from the growth seen during the first five months of 2018.
Sugarplum from 1D
Sets of wool-wrapped or bottle brush trees in gently hued macaron colors would look pretty on a table with other soft textures and coordinating taper candles; find them all at World Market . Also in sugary pastels is an array of cute little deer at Homegoods , complete with fluffy, marabou-feather collars. At Wayfair, you’ ll find tinsel trees in a range of sizes in fruity shades like grape, plum, raspberry and orange. At Horchow , find trios of similarly hued bottle-brush-style trees for display. And Walmart has 40inch-tall plastic lollipop ornaments in cotton candy, key lime and blueberry; they might be fun on a garden fence or front-porch railing. Dress up the tree, mantel, staircase or holiday table with Anthropologie’ s colorful, felted-wool berry garland. Deck out the Christmas tree with glass ribbon candy or rock candy ornaments in yummy hues, and top it off with a Ferris wheel tree topper festooned with brightly hued tassels. Also
here, a boxed set of delicate glass macarons; the ornaments would make a lovely gift for a sweets lover or Francophile. You’ ll find more faux sweet treats for the tree or holiday display at Barney’ s New York , where Kurt Adler’ s peppermint-candy garland, sprinkle-topped ice cream cones and wrappedcandy ornaments bring all the sweet dreams of the sugarplum season home in style. Christopher Radko’ s glass Candy Castle ornament at Horchow depicts detailed candy canes, peppermints and ice cream in hand-painted Polish glass. A tastylooking, 9-foot gumdrop garland can be had from House of Holiday. And finally, sweeten the front yard holiday display with Hammacher Schlemmer’ s Thousand Points of Light indoor/outdoor tree. Available in several sizes, its fiber-optic lights in bright candy colors can be set to swirl and play continuously or set on a timed display. Now that’ s visions of sugarplums truly dancing.
Garden from 1D
called Japanese maples, which actually represent more than one species and hundreds of varieties, are known for their pleasing forms and for their leaves. The leaves have a delicate beauty both in summer and autumn. Less well-known are such Asian gems as trident maple and Amur maple. Both are small trees whose leaves turn a rich burgundy in autumn. The trident maple has bark that is made orange, gray and brown as small flakes naturally peel away. Amur maple can be trained as a small tree or a large bush, and has fragrant, white flowers in spring that are followed at the end of summer by seeds with burgundy wings. A YEAR-ROUND FAVORITE I saved one of my favorite
maples for last, and that is the paperbark maple, which asks to be both looked at and touched. This tree tolerates all sorts of soils and would, no doubt, be more popular if it was easier to propagate. Let’ s first look: This handsome, small tree is vase-shaped like our American elm and has dark green, slightly bluish leaves. In autumn, the leaves turn a brilliant red color. The autumn show is fleeting, but no matter. Even after the leaves drop, the tree more than earns its keep with its reddish bark, which wraps around the trunk like burnished copper and peels away in paper-thin curls. Now let’ s touch: Fondle the smooth bark; it won’ t disappoint. Online:
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In these file photos, a Google Home, left, and an Amazon Echo, right, are displayed. Digital assistants like these products don't always understand questions or serve up useful answers, which some parents say is a good thing. But these in-house virtual visitors do create challenges and opportunities for parents, especially those raising younger kids. (AP photos)
Goo-gle gaga: Parenting in the age of Alexa and her ilk By MELISSA RAYWORTH Associated Press Hey parents: What if there was a machine that could respond to your kids’ every command, never tiring, even if they ask it to tell jokes for two hours or answer all their homework questions? It’ s a blessing and a curse for moms and dads that machines kind of like that do exist in the form of Google’ s Assistant and Amazon’ s Alexa. These in-house digital assistants don’ t always understand questions or serve up useful answers (which some parents say is a good thing). But they do create challenges and opportunities for parents —especially those raising younger kids. Even as Amazon and Google are adding options that control access and require kids to speak politely to their voicecontrolled speakers, devices like the Echo Dot and Google Home can make a big and unexpected impact. It took Mary Beth Foster a few days to notice, but it was undeniable: Her son’ s first words weren’ t “goo goo.” Her 1-year-old was saying, “Ok, Google,” after hearing his parents say it over and over. When she realized that, Foster says, “my husband thought I was nuts. Babies say ‘ goo’ all the time, right? Until he heard him mimic us talking at the Google Home in context.” Meanwhile Foster, who lives in Mint Hill, North Carolina, says the device has created some confusion for her 4-year-old daughter over who, exactly, is in charge. Because the family accesses Netflix, Amazon Prime content and YouTube TV through their Google Home, their daughter has begun asking questions like, “Mom, can you ask Google if we can watch ‘ Beauty and the Beast’ ?” Speed bumps like this have led some parents to avoid these devices.
Suzanne Brown, mother of two boys ages 7 and 4, is keeping Alexa’ s seemingly easy answers out of her Austin, Texas, home while her boys are young. She’ d prefer to visit the library or search the internet together with her kids to build their “curiosity and problemsolving muscles.” When they have a question, she says, “we try to work through it or go figure out how to find the answer. And we actually go searching for the answer, and sometimes that leads us to other questions.” But for parents who have invited a digital assistant into their home, here are some of the challenges: ANSWERS CAN COME QUICKLY, BUT MIGHT BE WRONG OR INCOMPLETE Are the kids calling out questions and accepting a single response as the entire story, without questioning where that answer comes from? Alexa’ s info most often comes from Wikipedia, which kids may not know isn’ t always accurate. On the bright side, if a child is calling out a question —rather than silently typing it into a device —a parent can hear it and engage. Also, it’ s a welcome change in some households if the child isn’ t looking at a screen (though some devices, including the Echo Show, include a screen that
shows question prompts and video). Without screens, children have to process information aurally, which “could make you think a little bit more because you don’ t have the visual,” says Erin Boyd-Soisson, professor of human development and family science at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Kids can get frustrated because digital assistants don’ t always hear highpitched voices correctly, or might be confused by a child’ s diction or phrasing. Parents can use this to encourage clearer use of language and better diction. But be aware that digital assistants “may privilege some dialects over others,” says Shannon Audley, assistant professor of education and child study at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. SHORT ANSWERS WON’ T ENCOURAGE CRITICAL THINKING, BUT PARENTS CAN If a child is asking Alexa to answer a math problem, that instant answer “takes away their own strategies for problem solving,” says Audley. One option is to use parenting controls so kids can’ t access the device during their homework session. Teach young kids that they need to be able to arrive at answers and synthesize information through their own methods and thinking, says Boyd-Soisson.
As children get older, this naturally gets easier. Amber Norwood, who is raising two children in the United Kingdom, says she loves that her 8-year-old son engages with both Google and Alexa. “He watches a lot of videos about rockets and space, requests cool music, and connects with buddies from school,” says Norwood. He’ s also building some research skills, she says. “I think he’ s going to be ready for the kind of world he’ ll grow up in. I’ m a writer, a teacher of writing, and a lover of books, but I also feel like this is what the future of learning and engagement looks like,” she says. “I want to teach him to do it well, and critically.” YOU CAN HEAR IT ALL, AND SOMETIMES THAT’ S TOO MUCH It’ s delightful to see a kid discover just how much incredible music and information is floating in the virtual cloud. But all that access can induce overload. “This spring we stayed with my parents for six weeks while we did house renovations,” says Jillian Kirby, who lives in Burlington, Vermont. Her son is not quite 3 and was delighted that his grandparents had Alexa at their house. “If we had ever entertained any ideas of getting one,” Kirby says, “they would have been extinguished by that experience.”
Mortgage Index 30-YEAR Rate-Fee/Pts.
15-YEAR Rate-Fee/Pt.
High rate
5.000
1
5.375
1
Low rate
4.875
1
4.250
1
Average rate
4.916
1
4.666
1
This graphic represents a Tuesday survey of regional lending institutions. Figures are based on rates at Range Bank, First Bank of Upper Michigan and Marquette Community Federal Credit Union.
The Mining Journal 3D
Friday, November 23, 2018
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4D The Mining Journal
Friday, November 23, 2018
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING
During this season of gratitude, we would like you to know how thankful we are for our association. There are many professionals in this field - and the fact that you have placed your confidence and trust in our services means more to us than you can imagine. Thank you from all of us at Northern Michigan Land Brokers.
40 Acres, Furley’s Road, Republic 40 Acres of high ground with a nice mix of softwood timber stands including aspen, spruce, and balsam with solid gravel road access just off a County Road $39,000 MLS#: 1111677
TBD Off Dishno Road, Champion Prime hunting on 80 acres bordering vast areas of State and Commercial Forest Lands with a rustic hunting camp $74,900 MLS#: 1110527
TBD US2 Highway, Naubinway Nice wooded parcel approximately five miles east of Naubinway in Mackinac County with 93+ feet of frontage on the Black River $22,500 MLS#: 1112037
ROB SULLIVAN
BRIAN OLSON
3200 Co Road 476, Champion
3065 Chief Lake Road, Republic
Chippeny Lodge 30th Rd, Rapid River
Unique well built “A Frame” construction year around home nestled on 20 acres located 20 minutes from Ishpeming $156,900 MLS#: 1112098
Camp or year-round home on more than 35 acres situated in a terrific recreation area $79,900 MLS#: 1111102
Hunting Lodge with 90 acres on the Whitefish River in Delta County $299,900 MLS#: 1110761
BOB ANDERSON
BOB SULLIVAN
ROB SULLIVAN
1761 Lake Haven Drive, Little Lake
40 Acres, County Road 432, Rock
166 Pine Street , Republic
Year round camp/home with 600’ of frontage on Little Lake $249,900 MLS#: 1106231
Central U.P. hunting camp on 40 acres in Delta County $99,000 MLS#: 1109358
Nice family home in Republic close to school with attached and detached garages $239,900 MLS#: 1106885
BOB SULLIVAN
ROB SULLIVAN
SUE FELDHAUSER
54 Blue Road, Champion
2011 County Road 456, Little Lake
N5130 Winters Rd, Sundell
Immaculate and move-in ready home with 180 ft of frontage on Farmer’s Lake $339,900 MLS#: 1107316
98 acres on Dorsey Creek Pond…. Great place for a hobby farm or a new home $152,900 MLS#: 1111405
BRIAN OLSON
DON WILLSON
Marvelous Lake Michigamme waterfront Lodge on a premier site with a westerlyview of nearly the entire main lake and many Islands dotting the long water views $788,800 MLS#: 1108908
BOB SULLIVAN
SUE FELDHAUSER
3557 Co Rd FFB, Champion
Year round access on a private Estate-type property with approximately 700’ of frontage on Fish Lake. Motivated sellers... $430,000 MLS#: 1109420
128 Kawbawgam Road, Marquette Seven unit apartment building in Chocolay Township – good investment rental! $225,000 MLS#: 1109952
BOB SULLIVAN
ROB SULLIVAN
Love the Land!
Bob Sullivan
A s s o c ia te B r o k e r / O w n e r C e ll: 9 0 6 - 3 6 1 - 4 2 1 2
Rob Sullivan
A s s o c ia te B r o k e r, O ffic e M a n a g e r C e ll: 9 0 6 - 3 6 2 - 3 3 3 7
Brian Olson
A s s o c ia te B r o k e r C e ll: 9 0 6 - 8 6 9 - 6 4 4 6
Sue Feldhauser A g e n t C e ll: 9 0 6 - 3 6 0 - 2 8 9 1
Charles Drury A g e n t C e ll: 9 0 6 - 2 3 5 - 3 1 9 8
Bob Anderson A g e n t C e ll: 9 0 6 - 3 6 2 - 8 3 8 8
Don Willson
A g e n t C e ll: 9 0 6 - 2 0 2 - 0 4 5 7
Toll-free 1-866-231-LAND • www.northernmichiganlandbrokers.com • 2552• 2552 USUS 4141West, Marquette 906-225-LAND (5263) • www.northernmichiganlandbrokers.com • www.premiumupproperties.com West, Marquette