quote by an irishman

You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.

rascal flatts

this makes me giggle.

bryn christopher

I've always wondered why suffering and affliction exist. Admittedly, television turns your brain into cottage cheese, but I was watching Grey's Anatomy last night, and they offered a suggestion at the end. Which was? It's in the bad times that you know what's important. It's when you step up. I guess that's where the phrase defining moments comes from. Not from Grey's, mind you, but from affliction and suffering.
It's like the lyrics in this song:

-Laura

food for thought

I think as many people as possible should read this article about genetically engineered (GE) food.

I realize that putting this on my blog doesn't mean as many people as possible will read it, but maybe we can spread the word.

--Laura

aretha franklin

(oo) What you want
(oo) Baby, I got
(oo) What you need
(oo) Do you know I got it?
(oo) All I'm askin'
(oo) Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit)
Hey baby (just a little bit) when you get home
(just a little bit) mister (just a little bit)

carl jung

There is no coming to consciousness without pain.

--Carl Jung
1875-1961, Swiss Psychiatrist

rainy days

The only bad thing about rainy days is if they mistakenly occur during the week. Rainy days are for vacations and weekends.

They are for waking up late, wrapped in cool sheets with a snuggly comforter, listening to the sound of the wind and rain pattering on the glass of your bedroom window. Rainy days are for rolling over in bed, pulling the comforter up around you and dozing.

They are for slow mornings, with a full breakfast and time to linger over coffee.

They are for lighting candles and avoiding electronic equipment.
In the spring, they are for wearing shorts and flip-flops and standing under the carport, putting small seeds in pots. They are for leaning against a rail, watching the rain come down. They are for resting, and for making plans.

-Laura

Eleanor Roosevelt

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

W.B. Yeats

From an Irishman:

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
W.B. Yeats

you can never hold back spring

It's been pretty here lately. Spring is a shaky proposition, even in the south, so it's important to enjoy each day, as a cold snap can easily return at any time. Two weekends ago, it was cold and raining. Last weekend, I got a sunburn from working in the yard. But I was able to visit the Cobb County Vegetative Waste Center. Talk about one-stop shopping: you can drop off branches and yard waste so it doesn't take up space in the landfill, then you can load up your car with compost for free. I don't have a way to tote my branches over there -- I have until May 1 to burn my branches -- but I did get a large supply of mulch. My next stop was Mama Rose's house.
Mama Rose has a raised bed we affectionately call The Coffin, because we painted it with deck sealant when it was first built to protect it from the weather. It looks just like a coffin for an exceptionally tall person. And Saturday I arrived at her door and together we turned the soil and loaded the box with mulch. But that was just the beginning. Next, we cleaned out an old flowerbed and planted pansies, geraniums and sunflower seeds. As we did this, Mama told me all about how her neighbor loaning her a shovel that just worthless. Laura, it was so dull, I did a better job with my hands and fingernails.
I listened politely, and continued to plant. What I didn't realize was that she told me that story because what she wanted more than anything was to use the shovel I had brought with me to put the compost in the coffin. While my back was turned, she went to the back of my car, grabbed that shovel, and when I turned around, she had already broken ground on her NEW flowerbed. Before I left, we had it planted with more pansies and stargazer lilies.
It's wonderful, she said when we had finished. It looks like it's been there for years.
The next day, she was at my house.
You can't hold back spring. This year, that's also proving to be the case elsewhere. This morning, I had a meeting with the account manager. Last week I sent him an email about my future role with the account, and returning to a role I had served in before and wanted to do again. I won't go into detail, but at the end, he called my proposal a Win-Win. I know from experience that salesmen LOVE Win-Wins. I'm enthusiastic about making this happen. It's going to serve the account, it's going to improve my work environment dramatically in the short term, and it's going to open doors for me in the long term. I won't go into THOSE details now, but I hope to be able to communicate good news about those open doors eventually.
Spring: quickly becoming my favorite season.

-Laura

trauma

There's trauma in the household. Its name? Self-watering system.
I was thrilled by the thought as I stood in the Wal-Mart. See, having two dogs is kind of challenging logistically. Most doggie accessories provide these cute trays holding TWO, count 'em TWO cute doggie bowls. You've seen them, the ceramic kind that say GOOD DOG inside. One is supposedly for food, the other is supposedly for water. That doesn't work when there are two hungry dogs in the room. They both want their own bowl. That means you have to use a piece of throwaway tupperware for the water dish -- the piece that lost its lid a few months ago.
But no more. Standing in the Wal-Mart, I decide the dogs need an Obama-like change. And today, it was worth $11.97 for a cute self-waterer. A gallon jug sits upside down in a recepticle and as the dogs drink, the jug refills the reservoir.
This is the Martha Stewart of doggie self-waterers.
It terrifies them.
It began with Petey. I heard the clicking of his toes as he entered the kitchen two nights ago. I heard the lapping of water as he began to drink. Then I heard the ominous bubbling sound as the jug emptied to fill the reservoir. So did Petey. And then I heard the clicking of nails again as he bolted out of the kitchen. His little bug eyes turned to me with a clear, What the hell was that noise expression. About twenty minutes, same thing. About twenty minutes later, same thing, only it was Mollie.
So today, the dogs spent the day in the yard. They were exhausted. Happy. Thirsty.
They won't drink. They tried to fight their way into the bathroom so they could jump in the tub and drink from the faucet. I shooed them out.
So now, standing next to the Martha Stewart of doggie self-waterers is a tupperware bowl with water in it. I lost the top to it months ago. I'm just afraid my dogs are going to take my quote from yesterday to heart.

--Laura

thought from a friend

Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.

listen to this

Wednesday night, I had a fascinating conversation with the nicest guy. Granted, he was married and 60 years old, but still... nicest guy.

Mr. Striker owns the Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company in Blue Ridge, Georgia, home to the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, an out of this world rail line that takes you all the way to Copperhill, Tennesee. It's stinking cute, from the engine to the caboose.

Anyway, back to my conversation. In an earlier post, I mentioned that I'd contacted SCORE Atlanta, the counseling arm of the SBA. My counselor told me about a store owner in Blue Ridge who'd left Bellsouth to start his own store. I went to the website and contacted the owner, telling him about my interest in franchising and wondering if I could ask a few questions.

As it turns out, Mr. Striker had once considered the very same franchise I've been researching, then decided to go out on his own. I think he had to be the perfect first contact for me to make. We spoke for almost an hour -- about franchising, about birds, about his business profile, about his supply chain, about site selection, financing, the size of his operation, about marketing and trade shows.

And he gave me some excellent leads, complete with names. And some excellent advice. And encouragement.

I have spent so much time focusing on being the ideal franchise owner that it was a real wake up call to see the business from the perspective of an independent owner. And he made it sound.... well, wonderful. True, he had some business experience. He had collateral when he started. He also was able to buy an existing store. In fact, he started with 300 square feet in an antique mall. Today, he has a 1500 square foot store. That's progress.

He's given me so much to think about.

--Laura

Make Me Your CEO

Here's my pledge. If you make me your CEO and the stock for our company goes into the toilet and is trading for $.83 a share, I will turn down my bonus.

You can pay me $.83 cents.

Some people have told me that this is evidence that I don't have what it takes to be a CEO.

Too bad.

--Laura

Of Concern

I don't always get my birdseed at Wild Birds Unlimited. In the non-seed category, I recommend suet they sell with cayenne pepper inside. Because squirrels have taste buds and birds don't, it keeps them allllllll away.

Not so for the seeds. They attack the seeds. They bang the tube bird feeder and let the seeds drop. Bonanza.

But I want to let everyone know something. Some of the same peanuts that caused sickness in humans can cause the same sickness in birds. Here's the press release.

While there's no definitive answer about the salmonella contamination, because birds naturally carry some in their digestive tract, this article also lists a few things you should do to keep the bird feeders clean.

For your consideration.

--Laura

giving air to my thoughts

SCORE Atlanta is an arm of the Small Business Administration, teaming businessmen, counselors with people who want to get into business.

Last year I thought of contacting them. Not yet, I told my friends. I will wait until I've retired my first debt. I'm in no position to talk about my plans to buy a franchise. I'm not in a serious position to do anything.

Meanwhile, I research. I read the newspapers in Ft. Collins and Longmont. I should be reading the Loveland paper too, but I tend to run out of time before I get that far. I've read about Urban Renewal Areas in the cities to appraise each city's vision for the next 5-10 years. I've been getting business updates from each city for months now.

I've "driven" down Main street in Longmont and down College Avenue in Ft. Collins, using the street view feature in google maps. I contact realtors to find out how much I can expect to get for my house. I keep hitting my credit card, I send a little check each paycheck to a credit union in Colorado to establish history with them. I buy kitchen faucets and topsoil to upgrade the house and get the yard ready for renters or buyers.

It's a lot. I'm alone. I need help.

So today, I contacted a counselor from SCORE. He got back to me immediately. And I emailed him my story. I don't know yet what he'll tell me. But today I put some weight behind my ideas and I shared them with someone besides supportive friends. I have this feeling that telling him WILL help me. It feels like saying something out loud for the first time. The air listens and makes the plan real.

-Laura

State Capitol

A Georgia man was executed today.

While I was sitting in choir practice, lethal injection took the life of Robert Newland, who killed a woman in 1986. He was 65 years old when he died. When he killed the woman on St. Simon's Island, I was living in South Carolina, near Savannah, quite close by. By accounts, he was on a drinking binge, he tried to kiss her and she rejected him. He stabbed her repeatedly. She was able to identify him before she died.

As of April 1, 2008, the Death Penalty was authorized by 37 states, the Federal Government, and the U.S. Military. Those jurisdictions without the Death Penalty include 13 states and the District of Columbia. (Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin). Nebraska and New York both have death penalties, but recently passed legislation declaring certain types of execution unconstitutional, this essentially eliminating the death penalty in their states.

The publicity about the number of people executed in Texas is loud, but Georgia is 7th in the country for executions. From this article:

"Debate over the death penalty has undergone key shifts over the years. During the past decade, the discussion has focused on accuracy and fairness, with exonerations of dozens of Death Row inmates sparking calls for reform and abolition. Now, with the nation's economy slumping, the issue is cost.

Several states, including New Mexico, have introduced measures to abolish the death penalty, many of them citing its costs. In Colorado, a bill would take money usually spent on capital cases and use it to help clear unsolved cases. In Kansas, a legislator wants to use money for capital cases to close a budget shortfall."

In Georgia, the cost of trying Brian Nichols surpassed $2 Millon dollars.

You may have guessed that I oppose the death penalty. My reasons are mainly spiritual, though I'm often surprised by the number of fellow Catholics who disagree with me, even priests who've told me that abortion is wrong but the death penalty is okay because the adults who kill aren't innocent babies. I get where they are coming from. I do not doubt the guilt of Mr. Newland. I do not diminish the value of his victim's life or the grief of her family. I just don't see the justice in taking his life. I don't see how killing him makes it clear that killing is wrong.

It was a sad note to end the day. I don't think I would ever show up on the capitol steps to light candles or pray with protestors. I respect the families for whom each case is an intensely personal issue. But I can disagree with the people who find this a fitting end to a life, whether the person be a hapless victim or a convicted killer.

And so I do. On my little blog. I protest.

--Laura

bovine sex when the lights went out in Georgia

Sunday night, Georgia was hit with a blinding blizzard. The heavens opened up and released... oh, easily 3 inches of snow. More, even. Hard to tell, it coated my lawn, but I wouldn't exactly call it drifting.

Well, in Madison County, the lights are still out. It's Wednesday.

This might sound pitiful. Well, it is. But to be fair, the problem is that most of the downed lines are back in fields, and when these large trucks go out in those fields to fix the lines, they sink up to their axles. They need other trucks to come pull them out. This tends to slow the process.

The news this evening interviewed people in the area. One man let it be known that, owing to the loss of electricity, all the electric fences in the fields were also down.

Bulls are mixing with cows and cows are mixing with bulls.

We all know the end of this story.

Business Week says that Atlanta is the 10th Unhappiest City in America. But tell that to the cattle in Madison. It's all about perspective.

---Laura

Patience

As the local Atlanta news focuses on the $50M Delta could spend on reducing its workforce, there's another hit for our neighbors to the south. In Milledgeville, we are losing another 1200 jobs as a Rheem plant will close by the end of the year.

You have to wonder where safety went. I guess it's no wonder that the Atlanta Journal Constitution posts a "Breaking News" banner on their homepage when someone picks the winning numbers in the Mega Million, because the jackpot reached $212 Million this week. THAT at least is good news.

Given the dire circumstances for so many people, given that the south seems particularly hard hit these days, I have to count myself pretty lucky. I have money in savings, more than I think I ever have. I'm paying down my largest and last debt. My house is still worth more than I purchased it for in 2001. I also have a focus for my future, which helps me stay pretty grounded.

It's just taking too long. It's taking too long. It's taking too long.

I want a shortcut. Maybe that $212 Million. Maybe I know the person who won it. They wouldn't miss $5K, would they? Nope, they wouldn't miss it a bit. It would be nice to be rewarded for my discipline with a little boost to get me the rest of the way.

Hang in there, right? Just as you tell that to the people who've lost something important in this economy, just as you tell that to the people who have work to do to get back to what they had, I guess you have to tell that to me too. I'm not trying to retrieve something I wanted. I'm trying to let go of what's been holding me back. Does that mean I'm trying to retrieve myself?

Sounds cheesy. I need to hang onto some patience. I imagine it's just as difficult for them as it is for me. They want to get back to what they had and I want to move forward. Can't we just get moving? I think we all just need to take a chance on each other. We all just need a little faith in positive things happening if we make the effort. We all just need someone to take a chance on us.

Me too. Just like you.

---Laura

Recharging the batteries

Since Sunday, I've had a little intestinal problem. It began in church that morning, and by the time I got back to my parent's house, I could barely stand. Even when I got in the bed, I couldn't relax enough to sleep, so I got up and wandered back through the kitchen.

"Would you like hot tea?.. Can I get you a pill?.. Honey, can I fix you some grits?.."

"Laura, I have some Tylenol, would you like one?"

These questions were all posed as I stood in the kitchen, hoping to find something appealing to eat. I began to laugh, one of those hysterical laughs you can't stop once you start. "I wish you would all stop asking me so many questions," I said between giggles.

Long story short, I rode home in the passenger seat, leaning forward to keep the cramps under control. I spent Sunday night early into Monday morning with my head hanging over the toilet bowl. I lost 8 lbs in two days. Today, I've had an orange, a glass of warm tea and yogurt.

I had a great visit with my parents. I was able to get my mother a gift she's wanted and spending time with her was priceless. I could tell that both my parents enjoyed the visit.

I would like to have something more astute or significant to say, but I'm still enjoying the afterglow. I have people in my life who love me, and being with them helps me become the person who can love others and express that love. So I took time out to recharge my batteries.

---Laura