Today we grieve
Today we lay to rest my nephew Eric Leaman. I was blessed to know him for the last ten years as he was the fiance of my niece Sarah. Certainly at 35, he was too young to die. (The reasons why are still unknown, but it’s believed its tied to Kawasaki Disease he had as…
Body of Work
Pam Slim is a Misfit. Yes, a misfit – someone out to change the world. She’s written a book called Body of Work. She said at the Misfit Conference “the purpose of a good life is to create a body of work that you are proud of.” I heard that in May and thought ‘what…
My Happy Place
This is my altar, my place to sit and relax, meditate and be thankful. In fact, I often sit on the couch across from this area and gaze upon this scene. It brings a smile to my face every time. The magazines on the bottom of the bakers rack include an Ikea catalog. I can…
Becky and Deb, Left Alone
A couple of weeks ago Becky McCray, www.beckymccray.com, came to Webster City. Becky lives in Oklahoma, is a small town enthusiast and expert, and was on her way home from a speaking engagement in Canada. It made perfect sense to us that she should stop in Webster City, Iowa on her way. Becky and I…
Carl Sagan Said It
Carl Sagan said “Who are we, if not measured by our impact on others? That’s who we are! We’re not who we say we are, we’re not who we want to be – we are the sum of the influence and impact that we have, in our lives, on others.” I’ve had some interactions lately…
Winter Projects from Houzz
It’s the season of staying at home … dreaming of projects to do during the winter. Houzz gives us many choices! Dumpster Decorating: Furnishing Your Home With Repurposed Pieces What does all of this have to do with small business? One of the hottest new trends of architectural salvage, reusing furniture and resale. We’ve got…
Four Websites to Spark Your Brain
Brain Pickings .. what a great title! I get their enewsletter and it taps into my creative side; the side that wants to ‘think about things’. The core ethos behind Brain Pickings is that creativity is a combinatorial force: It’s our ability to tap into the mental pool of resources — ideas, insights, knowledge, inspiration — that…
Perspective Defines Happiness
Brandon LaPlante is a fellow misfit. We met in Fargo, ND and stay in touch via Facebook and some email. The misfits are out to make a dent in the universe. I’m working on a Happiness Project. Brandon posted this in our private group and I wanted to share it here, as part of the…
The Happiness Project
I’ve been called relentlessly optimistic. That’s okay by me. Consider the alternative! We are on this planet but a short time, why would I want to be pessimistic? That doesn’t make me happy. However, I do believe some people are quite happy being unhappy. I have this friend Jimmy who was in a bad marriage.…
114th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count
I receive lots of press releases and most of them go into the garbage. This one caught my eye — it’s sounds like a very cool thing to do, a good way to help shape conservation and steer Congress in a good way. 70,000 Hawk-Eyed Volunteers Gearing Up for 114th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count NEW…