Saturdays are made for reading
“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”- Confucius Saturday mornings belong to me. Of course these mornings start about 5 am and go until 9 ish – or until a prior appointment is made. I drink coffee at home, listen to…
Small Biz Friday: Grounded
There’s a little place in Clarion, Iowa called Grounded. You can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there. Mel and I went for brunch one Sunday. There was an area buffet – potatoes, gravy, hot beef and more. Of course you wanted a muffin or scone or bread pudding – and they had it. Coffee! I…
Need Ideas? Conduct a Quest!
Barbara Winters is joyfully jobless, and one of my favorite people to listen very close to. Today she is guest blogging for us. You can follow her at www.joyfullyjobless.com During the Middle Ages, knights set out in droves in search of the Holy Grail. Many of these quests lasted for years and, as you may…
Small Biz Friday: Shaggy Baggy
I was surfing Facebook one night and ran across a picture of an extremely cool, hand sewn bag — asian inspired, padded, perfect for an iPad. JUST what I needed! It was on sale on the Thursday night special, on an etsy store called Shaggy Baggy. I went to the website, browsed for a long…
I Remember
11 years ago this country was attacked. Thousands died. We went to war. Things as we knew it changed. Today I ask that you reflect on how those changes have affected you. Do you hug your loved ones more? Are you saying ‘thank you’ for services rendered? Are you taking more risks and pursuing dreams…
Small Biz Friday: Enchanted Acres
It’s that time of year. Cool mornings just perfect for a walk or run. We’re wearing longer sleeves and even a light jacket. The heat coming up from the ground no longer burns our knees. It’s Fall! This year we have a new, local business in the county. We’ve been graced with a little bit…
International Dot Day – Changing the World
I am a big fan of Angela Maiers. She has championed the You Matter cause and is literally changing the world. In April she brought a group of students to the 140 Character Conference/State of Now in Des Moines and they made me cry. Me and a room of full people. Because they showed us…
Corn Shocks – A Rural Tradition
A corn shock is a group of corn stalks tied together. Tuesday I spent the morning helping chop down corn stalks, put 12-15 of them together in a shock and tied them up with twine. Then we threw them on the back of the pick up and I headed off to town to deliver them…
Partnering with Crafters – in rural Iowa
TownsEnd Winery is a little, family owned and operated operation located in Hansell, Iowa. It’s also a small town success story. I’ve written about them before and today I want to show you how they’ve partnered with other small businesses in North Central Iowa. September 1 and 2 was the 2nd Anniversary of the TownsEnd…
Ending Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome has run in my family for generations. I’ve made a commitment to end it with me. This involves exercise and diet. It involves saying no when you want to say yes. It involves believing that you deserve to feel good. So what am I doing? 1. using GC Control products from Melaleuca 2.…