Meals with a Friend: Combatting Isolation One Meal at a Time

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Hey, thank you very much.

Welcome back.

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65

65 high in the mid 60s.

Okay.

I gotta ask this question.

Why?

I'm just assuming because of the Pope the other flags were at half mass yesterday Okay, that's cool.

That's very cool.

Yeah, all right Um, we got a very special guest here.

We got Chad Francoor Meals with a friend and Chad get up at about three o'clock this morning drove down from Marinette Okay, did not complain about what a long day he's going to have the way some other people in the studio complain about what a long day they had yesterday

Todd?

All

right.

Chad, well done.

Chad, good morning.

So you have to be a part of this,

Chad?

Chad, this is a great program.

And we're glad you're here.

Meals with a friend.

Right.

We've talked about COVID and that

people

have lost and the socialization.

We've kind of lost some of that.

And isolation has kind of taken over.

You started a program up in Marinette.

And tell us about

it.

OK.

So what Meals with a Friend is, is more than just a meal delivery service.

a community driven program that delivers connection along with every plate, every time we connect with the phone.

So we pair volunteers to bring quick to meals or bring with a

little conversation with them.

Yeah,

yes.

And

the camaraderie.

Yep.

And they share a friendly.

whether it's a friendly visit, a shared story, or a meal, or walk around a block.

Meals with a friend is about replacing isolation with companionship.

Love it.

That's awesome, because there's the meals on wheels, and you know, I think we all know, but somebody drops it off.

And they're in a hurry.

I mean, they've got another, you know, 30 meals in the back of the van, and they just don't have that time.

And I think some people would wish they could talk.

Yes.

And you offer that.

Yeah, and my grandfather, who passed away this past summer,

Voice that to me when he first when he first experienced it that that's exactly what he what they said They just give it to you and they leave Well, they have to I mean

they would like to visit too, but that's nice that you address that through your program.

Yeah, so you started this.

Yeah, I'm really impressed.

How do you get?

Both sides of it, right?

You got to have people like you like to visit or me or John or Todd or the intern we like to talk But then the recipients and how does that work?

Well?

So,

well, starting out, I mean, so this is brand new.

So

we,

we, we kind of, we're kind of in the works.

So, I mean, you just get started,

get the word out that this

program

is available.

Yes.

And so, and are you the contact?

Yes.

And you're starting in Marinette and then hopefully it grows from there.

Yes.

Okay.

Well, Marinette, Menominee and Pestigo.

Okay.

Yep.

and then hopefully it will get picked up by someone else that will or we can get someone that actually knows how to do things because I only know so much that that's part of my crutch.

Well, you're lucky because we know everything.

I was going to say,

we know nothing.

So thank you for coming

in.

I love the concept.

Welcome to our club.

I just think because we talk about this loneliness with veterans.

And I see that's on your list.

But just loneliness in general is, and people who have socialization actually live longer.

There's statistics to prove that.

Yeah, they're drastically in.

OK, so.

It's the site and the only reason in isolation is it's not epidemic.

So in the 2023 the US surgeon Surgeon General found that loneliness is dangerous to health.

It's equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Think about that.

Yeah, that's unbelievable.

Got a nice texture chat from Jamie.

I heard about this on Facebook.

I can't wait to get more information.

Jamie.

Thank you, Jamie.

And I mean

just just the the the the like media or the response that I'm getting from people like they're they're they're saying hey hey help help me I'm like I would love to but I I only know so much and I only and I need help so

so let me ask why you're here that's right here we want to help too there's two sides right there's a bit in the we have big brothers on here there's

a

lot more

Little's

and

they're looking more for mentors, but what are you hearing are there more people that would like someone to visit or do you have people Are you looking for people that can deliver the meals and have the conversation both well?

Well, we deliver more than meals low.

We understand that companionship like friendly visits is it two things we do we deliver meals and then and then we do friendly visit right

and

friendly visits are about four five minutes to an hour

And with the meals so and they just in the friendly visit is just interacting with them and asking them about what are the what are they excited about for the next week or so and What are they looking forward to and stuff like

that?

Well, I would think one of the things you'd look forward to would be those visits.

Yeah, I mean, it's great to have So

with the people who would sign up would you look like them to commit to once a week?

Yes,

oh at least and

Or

more?

I'm asking, I don't know.

Yes,

more than likely, yes.

And currently, we have about four to six volunteers that I can trust.

But obviously, this is a volunteer mission, so we need that to grow substantially if we want to affect the population.

that we want to serve.

Okay, let me ask you this, Chad.

Just as far as how it works, just the mechanics of it.

When you say meals with a friend, does that friend bring a meal to that person or where do those meals come from?

I mean, just, you know, that part of it.

Yes, the volunteer makes it at their home.

Got it.

And it takes it to the clients.

Got it.

And I'm in discussion with the Department of some, like,

regulations

in

Wisconsin and there

are too many.

Let me tell you, at least it's better than it used to be.

Let me tell you something, I tried doing things back in the day when I was at a different radio show and we would have brought fries downtown here and parks and stuff for our listeners and the city inspector on orders of the mayor shut us down.

Well, we can't meet.

Yes, Chad.

It was

him.

And you know that

that's

illegal.

You can't share meals with another.

Well, we didn't know that, Chad.

And we didn't know we had a Nazi as a mayor.

And I can't serve rats

either.

But I would caution you to

just tell it as much as you can.

Hope you have a better mayor up there than we had here.

Well, as long as you're not selling them, I would caution you to stay away from.

You got to make

a buck, Jim.

But if

anybody, you know that more

than us, you say, I say that.

All right, so this is this is great.

And you're going to start off and once the word gets out.

And I think you should also go to your local parishes there and tell the pastor that you're offering this program to get people to sign up.

I mean, I think there's people who want to do this.

And I think the recipients are definitely

I think there'd be people who.

You know, you talk about bringing it to somebody else, but I think there's people out there that would like to have that chance to interact with somebody else, too, in a good way, a very meaningful way.

And you get these individuals who have kids or that their spouses pass away.

Absolutely.

And they're

lonely, too.

And they may have siblings or they may have kids.

in the air, in the town, but loneliness and isolation affects us all different ways.

And even though we can be in a crowded, crowded room, we can still feel alone.

Yeah, totally agree.

I mean, this, I experienced this firsthand with my traumatic brain injury 21 years ago when I got hit by a truck.

I deep depression and we're had a

Six weeks in a coma and then I Spent 120 days in the hospital when I was 16 years old and I had a Downing Green Bay, so

Yeah, do you mind describing what happened?

Well, yes, I got hit by a truck while crossing the highway on a snowmobile up in Marinette Wow, yep, and that was stabilized phone down to

to, uh, to Green Bay, St.

Vincent Hospital, where I spent 120 days.

And out of the, at six weeks after the coma, I came out of the third grade re-level.

So I had to really hard to walk, talk, do the simplest things that we all had.

At 16 years old.

Yes.

There you were, a high school

kid, going to be gone.

University of Minnesota on a hockey scholarship Going to pharmacy school.

I mean I world

changed.

Yes, and just like that and Now I'm just trying to I graduated college in 2013 with the degrees with the BS in psychology and human development good for you.

Yeah, and I mean I Don't let my disability affect how I live my life

For example, you're showing it and drove down here.

Yeah.

That's great.

You started this program.

Yeah.

And for example, I, I bite, I rode my bicycle, my, my, my road bike.

3600 miles last year.

Wow.

Yeah, exactly what I did.

Look at this guy, John.

I did three miles less than that.

Yeah, 3500 and something.

He believes you, John.

You don't know

that.

I would have done 3600, but my seat was so bad that I got a terrible rash.

I'll be honest with you.

Let me tell you if you'd have bought a bike.

So just being honest, that's great.

Nobody likes to brag or chat.

Oh, okay.

What did you play hockey for?

Well, then I'm thunder.

Nice.

Yeah.

So I mean, just life happens and what I want to like summarize this up as.

Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah We're gonna keep

you around.

Yes.

We'll talk to you after.

Thank you.

We'll drive all the way down to Marinette.

We're not kicking you out of here.

You know, Tom Watson, because he's a mean producer.

Yes, yes, I agree.

You saw that too.

Quick break.

Back with more on Meals with a Friend with Chad Francoor.

Back right after

this.

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listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

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Well, let me tell you something Chad Frank or from Marinette, Wisconsin is rocking some people

and

I'll tell you what overcoming your horrible injury from a getting hit by a truck when you're on a snowmobile and You know, we talked about people who can do one of two things that can say woe is me or they can say bleep it Yeah, but you know what I'm gonna just say something that we're talking about you're a hockey player.

Okay.

I talked to so many

Trainers physical trainers medical people and it's like hockey players They are there's such a man code or women called with a hockey player with the hockey women He said but there's like if you're gonna play that sport you better be tough

Across the board true.

Yes.

Yes, and you're a great hockey player And you're overcoming getting hit by a truck and everything you've been in a coma for how many days?

Six weeks six unbelievable and here you are Getting up at four o'clock this morning driving down for Marinette to get the word out about this program You're doing called meals with a friend.

So Chad you've got center stage.

Go ahead again, buddy

Okay, so if you want to like get connected with us check us out online

We're at MuseWithTheFriend.com or MuseWithTheFriend.org.

We transferred the .com to the .org, but we're still in the beginning process of making sure this stuff gets...

Well,

if you need help with that, let me

know.

Because I'm

a genius when it

comes to

computer stuff.

A little over 200,000 people have downloaded the one pass to get into the NFL Draft.

Johnny's been working on it for what, two weeks now?

So hopefully we can get that done today.

Not two

weeks.

Week and a half.

Okay, we can have, sorry.

So

they can go to this.

They can go to this mealswithafriend.org, mealswithafriend.com.

If they want to volunteer if they want to be a recipient or if they want to give money, it's all there

Yes,

okay contact information for you if they want to talk to you.

Yep, and okay.

I this is important that we get

yeah, and I think if I Think the first step you can go do is contact me right I because the website is just so brand new and everything else.

I mean we have a Facebook page

means with a

friend right and and

I mean we can kind of garnish a lot of support through the Facebook because I mean but

again how like if somebody says I want to do this yeah is there like a minimum of like well could you do it once at least once a week or once every two weeks or do you have any restriction or not restrictions but suggestions on that

well I mean we have a I like I want to develop a like a promotions

If someone volunteers five times, they get X, $20 to a guest ticket to somewhere, and then $10 promotions.

Could we, okay, let me just throw this out there for our listeners.

We really have, they're very snarky and insulting at times.

But our listeners are phenomenal when it comes to great causes.

Okay.

Um, and they're only snarky and insulting to me and him, but in general.

But what we're saying is they got big hearts and would you, is there a way people could donate some cash to buy, buy, you know, quick trip or whomever gas cards or some things like

that.

Yes.

And the, and so if you like, we could appreciate like gas cards, like, cause incentive for, um,

I'm some of the the volunteers like if they volunteer if they refer a friend Yeah, and then they serve at least three times to get they get a $10 gas.

Yeah,

absolutely.

We'd love to do that

at $10 Starbucks card, okay, or stuff like that.

Okay,

then okay So I know you're still waiting to get some things up and running as far as you know social media everything like that.

So we're gonna hold off

I'm directing people and you just let us know when you want us to start

But I think we can go to this meals with a friend org that that website

up, but

it's just it's not It's

not no,

it's not it's not up.

No It

needs to

be like right developed

for a

phone number.

You could you're willing to give out?

Yes, it'd be seven one five nine two three seven seven one six

So Schwab are gonna be one of your

people

Oh, yeah, we got to get his lazy butt out of bed.

I totally

agree.

He's a Hollywood star.

He made a lot of money

out there.

He could call George Clooney up.

He could call him right now.

You guys know

that I was here a month or two ago and I was on his show first and he

And he didn't offer me anything.

No, no, that's problem.

Yeah.

Oh, Hollywood.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I totally

agree.

Yeah.

Yeah.

He travels in that circle.

So

no.

I

totally agree.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, this is a great thing you're doing here, Chad.

And just so impressed.

Again, you got that hockey player mentality of, OK, I've taken a few bumps and bruises and whatever, but I'm not backing down.

I'm still going into the corners, as I would say,

right?

And we've been doing this for.

couple years and it's people like you that make communities work.

You know, I mean, people sometimes don't know the politician or this business and that all helps.

But it really, it's people like you.

Thanks for doing this.

And I hope this does franchise out.

I hope you do this other places, but we got to just make it really, really work up in Marinette where you are.

And the final thing, the way to end isolation and loneliness is to connect.

That is the premise of the whole.

Open up.

I mean, we don't live in a glass bubble and we need to connect with people.

I think that's awesome.

Did you experience that Chad?

Yes,

okay

So this comes from the heart and Jim and I talked about some Todd We talked about this all the time the people we appreciate so much on this show are people that are doing something for others

but because it started with them.

And that's where you know the passions from versus somebody who's just hired to promote something.

When it's from their heart, their own experiences, those are the real, those are the ones we take real serious.

So for a situation like yours, man, we're gonna back you as much as we possibly can.

You're all in.

Yep.

Thank you very much.

You got my bro.

This

is gonna be fun to watch you.

Absolutely.

We'll

get this

promoted.

You gotta stay in touch.

All right.

715-923-7716.

Chad, and you can

Get them connected, either donations, if they want to get, if they want to be a recipient, if they want to be a donor to this thing.

Or volunteer,

yeah.

Absolutely.

All

right, cool.

Jim's a great cook.

I think he could cook something here, drive it up to Marinette, still be

hot.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,

hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

WGBW and WISS News, I'm Lisa Hale.

After a year of preparation, planning, and waiting, one of the largest events to hit the Greater Green Bay Area will kick off tomorrow near Lambeau and Titletown when the NFL Draft opens.

Three days of activities are planned for the draft and the draft experience, and in the downtown area, Touchdown Downtown features the Draft City Music Fest, which is tonight

and Saturday night.

The bars and pubs in the Shipyard District along South Broadway and State Street will feature free concerts all throughout the draft.

See our story at WGBW.fm.

For links and information on the events planned throughout the draft and the weekend.

Due to road closures and the festivities themselves, getting to the NFL draft stage in Green Bay may be a little difficult this week.

So Green Bay Metro Transit Director Patty Keywitz says take the downtown to Titletown bus.

You can park anywhere along that route and get on.

We do have some designated stops.

However, our drivers are awesome.

They will watch for people if it looks like they

want to get on the busses.

The free shuttle buses will run continuously in a loop between downtown Green Bay and the area near the draft from noon until 11 p.m.

Thursday and Friday and from noon until nine on Saturday.

The big event starts tomorrow and the Green Bay Packers are stoking the excitement for the NFL draft coming to Lambo and Titletown with a Packers virtual draft party tonight at seven.

Fans from all over can visit Packers.com or the Packers official social media accounts to attend the free event featuring Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy, Packers players, and more.

See our story at wgbw.fm for links and information.

I'm Lisa Hale for WGBW and WISS News.

For news anytime visit civicmedia.us.

And don't forget coming up this morning around 850 will announce the top craft pick winner with the minow and the mayor's top craft pick promotion.

So one of those great crafters, all 10 of them, you were voting for him over the last several weeks.

We'll find out who won this morning at around 850.

Plus we'll announce the winner of the $250 and gift cards for the participating sponsors.

That's coming up this morning around 850 with John Minow and Jim Schmidt.

Once again, it's Minow and the mayor.

Hey, welcome back one of the mayor here special thanks to a very inspirational gentleman Chad Frank or meals with a friend starting it in Marinette We want to back them as much as humanly possible

amazing kid.

Yes.

Oh, it's standing.

What a tragedy.

You guys have a chance to meet him?

Just on the way out, but so meals with a friend up in Marinette

16 year old scholarship to Minnesota

to play hockey, he's going to, the sun got in his eyes, he's crossing the highway, he got hit by a truck.

Oh

my gosh.

Was it in a coma?

16 years old.

Yeah.

Was it a coma for Star Hockey player?

Yeah.

The hospital for four months.

Yeah.

Wow.

There's a Berkshire Hathaway branch up in Marinette, so we'll have to tell them.

That is their

very giving branch.

That would be fantastic.

Just getting it started,

we

really want to get them.

Gas cards or something, huh Todd?

Yeah, anything we can do, we'll do it.

Great kid.

Yeah, so those are kind of people we love to support.

I know what you guys do too.

Oh yeah, you love hearing those stories.

I mean, you don't like it how they get there,

but it's such an inspiration

in what they do with... Like again, there's two types of people.

You could sit back and say, what was me?

Or you can say, okay, this happened.

Why am I gonna take this and turn it into something else?

He's one of those guys.

Yeah, which is

amazing.

A whole different course in his life that he thought he was

gonna take.

But yeah, look

at what he's doing with it.

Yeah, and I've been in Malkor, moving with the Malkors, and you're moving into your great new digs.

I'm sorry I couldn't come to

your- Yeah, yeah, we missed

you.

Shin Dig, Jim was there.

And I tried past your place, even walk past it on my train.

Beautiful, I love that building.

It's real, it's really nice.

We had a great, we had a great turnout.

I

think

we had well over 70 people there.

Wow.

And it, you know, it's our nice little office space.

Everybody made it up the stairs.

Yeah, I did.

Ben, that's it when you're-

retire out of that business, I'd convert that into, that's a pretty good living up there too.

That's what we said when we look at it.

Like, that's what I

could live here.

Put it in the

kitchen, you're good to go.

Oh my God, that, yeah.

Yeah, I know.

It's a nice space.

It's a great view,

it's quiet, it's happening.

Do you know

the history of the building at all?

You know, other than, you know, Trepman Hardware,

it used to be at the corner, which I believe is still the only business in downtown Shirley.

Yes, yes, uh, not

too close to the highway.

Yeah A zero

lot

line The street from it that used to be a bar that's got to be a hundred and fifty years old that that

bar

to

get off again I think people left that out for like a week or something.

Yeah, that's a beer you order out of the

bottle.

Yeah Try to be quick, but go to L cart like that's the way I go

But all of a sudden, there'll be people standing on that porch.

That's a

cool little part of town.

But your building is awesome.

It's an awesome building.

I mean, there was Racine office supply, which was in that building, too, which I used to go into all the time as a kid.

And then, of course, Johnson Fish Company

was

at the corner.

And my mom used to drag us little buggers in there.

you know, grab something for dinner.

Oh, yeah.

Did you live downtown?

No, I mean, just general.

No, no,

no, you know, our family business was downtown.

So I spent a lot of time down.

I used to, you know, work for my dad as even

I probably shouldn't say this, through grade school.

You know, I used to work at paint windows.

I think it's okay

when it's family.

When it's family, washing wax cars and things like that.

They just didn't call us indentured servants to our face.

Yes,

yes, exactly.

I

don't think you needed to work from

here.

You did, yeah.

I worked for my brother at his gas station for baseball cards.

True story.

That's the honest and God truth.

I can get free packs of baseball cards for working.

Wow, wow.

And did you make any money on him?

Yeah, anything.

The baseball cards?

Yeah.

Oh, I sold most.

So yeah, did you down the road?

Yeah cash check right?

Yeah,

this this real estate market

although although I gotta say one thing Jim knows his story Jim knows his story for the football cards I have paid football cards yeah where the Packers would get beat by somebody if I had some of their players in the cards I tacked them to a tree in our backyards and I shoot their eyes out with my baby

If

there's any psychiatrists

out

there, call in.

So when we question anger issues, it goes back pretty

far.

First of all, I have to say that's a really good shot.

I

know,

right?

That's impressive.

Exceptional sniper level.

And exactly

what the Christmas movie was

about.

car moving with the mall cars you got new digs and a beautiful old wonderfully restored building yeah what is going on in the world of real estate because this is obviously a hot month you know

Yeah, to get it going.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's it's it's prime time Deanna Deanna had actually looked up some statistics before we came here what between?

200,000 and 400,000 the inventory and is it

in Brown County

and Brown County is

36 active homes

normal,

you know

You know what, it's low.

Our inventory is low.

When you hit April, that really

kicks in that

spring market, but we had a lady stir and we have the draft.

So I think our buyers are gonna see a lot of homes hit the market that they can start going through after this draft.

Okay, not to belabor the same old things we talked about, but I think it's at the point now where interest rates are, they are what they are.

No more sitting around, oh, once that happens, I mean, let's just accept they are where they are.

And if you want to buy a house or sell your house, that's what you're dealing with.

Yeah,

I think so too.

If they end up going down, I know there's a push for them wanting to be lowered, but if that happens, that's a gift at that

point.

But yeah, consider

where they are, where they are.

It is.

Yeah, not to talk politics, but we

You may have a new Fed chair.

That ain't going

to happen.

That ain't going to happen.

That ain't going to

happen.

I think you always look at Jim.

I

hate to

talk politics.

And the other thing is that the fact that the market's down 14%, like Buffett said, just come on.

Hang in there.

It's a long game.

I mean, that's a

long game.

Yeah, I just like

I'm with John.

You just come on if it's the time to do it.

Yeah, the family needs a bigger home.

You're right.

Let's find something that works.

You can always refinance.

I like the neighborhood.

I like the school.

Yeah.

I like the municipality.

I'm going.

Yeah.

Well,

and that's just it.

When you're looking for a place, location is one of the only things you cannot change about the house.

Yeah, right.

So.

find something in the location that you want.

Even if it is not your ideal house, you can make changes while you're

there.

So, you know, most people buy a house to live in at long term.

They're gonna be there at least seven years, if not a little bit longer.

But it does happen where, somebody on my show yesterday that,

for the show that's on Sunday.

She just, the kids, she goes, it's too small now, we love the house.

She goes, we really don't want to move.

But I said, that's why we moved.

We didn't move, but she's just looking for something with, it's amazing what another bedroom can do though when you have kids, right?

Oh my God.

Or like

a finished basement.

Right.

It's

funny, she mentioned those two things.

Yeah, it

is.

You know, you will always find whether you are younger and a growing family or just, you know.

whether you have roommates, however, your life is always gonna change.

You might need something bigger, you might need something

smaller.

Yeah, and, you know, I knew her, we worked together, but, you know, two little kids, but they get bigger.

Yeah, they do.

And then she's just, we just gotta do something soon.

I know, and then they

also want their own space.

I mean, it's

really interesting.

And then, you know, downsizing on the other end of it, you know, we were just talking about this, you know.

when you've lived in your house for a while at this point, because we had such a drastic change in price over the past, you know, five years or so, you know, you are going to downsize in the size of your home, not in your mortgage payment, you know, and I

think

that's really hard for people to consider.

Smaller, is it necessarily cheaper?

Correct.

It's

easier, you know, there's, there's less stress, there's less yard work, look for something that makes your life easier, even though the payment may be a little bit higher, because on the flip side, you're now going to have something.

of higher value to sell.

Isn't it kind of ironic though?

I mean, years and years ago when I was looking for my first house and it's like the ranch houses were like, well, those are starter homes.

The rich people have, you know, two, three, blah, blah, blah.

And it's now that that's completely flipped.

Everybody wants the ranches, right?

Everybody

wants the

ranch.

Everybody can live in them.

They're usable for.

Everyone,

whether

you are, you know, have young kids, whether you're seniors and everything in between, everyone can live

in a ranch.

But you know what?

When you're talking to buyers and sellers, it's hard for them to grasp when you compare the square footage to a two-story, to a ranch, and then the ranch is more expensive.

It's more expensive because of the accessibility, you know?

It comes at a premium.

You've got everything you need on one floor.

Yeah.

That hoity-toity aspect kind of has gone out a little bit with home buyers, hasn't it, though?

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

Where there used to be such a, you know, who's has the bigger, whatever, whatever.

Yeah.

32, 35 bits.

It's like, what's usable?

What's

usable.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Great point.

Yeah.

Well, and I think there is this, you see this kind of, you know,

cross everything but you know our first-time homebuyers are getting older and they are now at an age where they know what they need in life they know what they want in life

and what they don't need and what they don't need and

so and they're buying homes kind of that fit those needs versus just it's the biggest one on the street

what do you guys find is like the room

most unused that everybody thought was gonna be so great to have.

Dining room.

100%

that formal dining room.

You know, I honestly, that kitchen island has taken that away.

Now that islands are so big, that's where everyone sits.

Well, they've become different too.

I interviewed one of my, for my book, A Vietnam Veteran.

Nice how he had built it in Swamco.

You know, very nice, whatever.

And we said at the island, I said, this is like the size of the old, what do they call them, the farm tables?

Or we could have like 10, 12 people.

That's the way they're building islands now.

It's crazy.

Huge.

Yeah.

Sometimes the whole length of the

kitchen, we've seen

some huge islands.

But you know, who, who even eats at their table anymore?

If you have an island, if you have one of the islands, you know, I mean, do they even build houses with dining rooms anymore?

Well, they will custom build, but, you know, most of the spec homes are kind of a dining area where you have room to put a table if you want it.

Although like you are, you got a diet.

Well, I love

a full dining room, but we're, yours is for entertaining.

That's what we do.

Sure.

Yeah, right That's kind of funny when we sit on the opposite They got the candle

But I would say, if we had what the kids, we didn't use it as often.

Yeah, yeah.

I would have raised it when the kids would want it.

We

built, when we built our house, which we sold last year, we put a dining room in it.

Yeah,

we did.

And

we did, I loved using

it, but

we didn't use it very often

because

we also had the kitchen island.

So unless it was Christmas or a company or whatever, we sat in the kitchen,

you know, and had our dinners.

Oh, definitely.

Even as a

family.

Yeah, yeah.

What are

people converting

those

to?

Offices

primarily, you know another sitting room You know we had some friends just a few doors down from us.

They kind of converted it into a TV room

Yeah, they well they kind of yeah, they made it into well They had their TV in the other room, but and actually a couple

Steven Jennell.

Yeah

I'm not gonna say older, because they're about our age.

When you don't have your kids at home anymore, and you don't need that dining room table, they had an island, they ended up just putting, because everybody congregates in the kitchen

when you have

people over, so they made it into a little sitting room,

which

was perfect.

So she's like, it's when we have parties, everyone sits in here anyway, now

they

have a comfortable seat.

All right, when we come back, and we talk about this before, if somebody's looking specifically,

What's hot out there right now?

If you're thinking about selling and listing with you guys, what types of houses were you just?

Sounds good.

Cool.

All right.

Ben and Deanna Malkor.

Moving on to Malkor is the mind of the mayor back

after this.

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WG-

Wednesday morning, draft preview, draft anticipation.

Got a nice text here.

Good morning, guys.

Tommy out.

Tell everybody who Tommy is, Todd.

Good friend of the show.

From old 31 Spirits, right?

Yes.

Old

Station 31.

Yep.

And she's one of the top craft pick folks.

We're going to announce.

We

will

announce those at 8.50 this morning.

Somebody's going to walk away the winner of the minor and the mayor's top craft pick.

It could be Old Station 31 Spirits.