Build Your Brand

Big Dogs And Summer NIghts

Last night belonged to the Big Dogs.  My husband and I were out in the front yard enjoying the slight drop in temperatures, kind-of-sort-of pulling weeds from one of the flower beds and between the spaces of our front walk when one of our neighbors and her new to her dog came into view.

She had a Big Dog at the end of her leash.  My husband, who had met her previously and filled me in, had explained that she'd adopted this big guy out at Lollypop - that someone in the previous family had developed Lyme disease and was no longer able to care for the dog.

He was rumored to be "about 6 years old" and, as near as anyone could tell, he was a mix of lab and Great Pyrenees.  You could certainly see evidence of both. 

He boasted an all white coat that came out in handfulls as my husband raked his fingers through it.  Typical for all of those double-coated dogs.   What my neighbor had discovered in the two months that she had him was that,  given his choice, he'd chase cars and trucks and he didn't seem to know how to walk on a leash. He came with the name "Cain" and my neighbor, deciding he'd been through enough unsettling changes before she adopted him, decided not to change it.

And, he  was an absolute love-bug; a 140 pound, hail-fellow-well-met, easy-going kind of dog. 

Children loved him.  Their faces would light up when he came sauntering down the sidewalk.  He maintained his part of the bargain of "meet and greet"  by standing perfectly still while they came up to him, stroked his neck or buried their faces in his furry neck. 

We spent a long time enjoying his company and talking about dogs with our neighbor.  I hadn't seen her in quite  a while so playing catch-up was fun.  She was used to big dogs and, having had to euthanize  her boisterous, chocolate lab not too long ago, had made up her mind that her next dog would be a 20-pounder and female. 

And, as it always happens, sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men are cast aside when something else comes along.  For her, the "something else" was Cain.

According to Roger Caras,  only very special people should be allowed to have Great Pyrenees. He writes:

Great Pyrenees are giant dogs with more good qualities than we can catalog.  They are loyal unto death to their family; they will tackle anything that threatens them.  They are very affectionate and responsive to human moods.  They take to children naturally and are generally safe and reliable.  They are incomparable baby-sitters.  Gentle and considerate with strangers (although cautious at first), they are not usually quarrelsome. ... They are especially appealing as puppies, and once grown, they move with enormous purpose and self-assurance.

This is a breed with so many special qualities one is tempted to urge restriction of ownership and breeding to to people understanding and deserving enough to be granted those privileges. (pg. 139 of The Roger Caras Dog Book.)

We somewhat reluctantly ended our conversation and my neighbor and Cain headed down the sidewalk.  A short time later, my husband's eyes lit up as he spied what looked to be an English Mastiff and its owners headed in our direction.

What better bliss than this?

 

 

Be Inspired

Women shop.   We shop a lot.  Occasionally.  When the spirit moves us.  On and offline.  We shop sales.  We really like that!  We shop when we're happy.  We shop when we're sad.  Or, we pretend to shop, which means that we pick a favorite store and wander the aisles window-shopping all the while soaking up energy vibes and inspiration.

Book stores do that for me.  The mall (sometimes) does that for me  -  at off-shopping times when nobody else is there and I can leisurely wander through all of the eye-candy. 

Eye candy.  Shoes.  Hand bags.  Clothes.  Jewelry.   Nothing that we need.  Everything that we want.

Lately,  I've been a regular customer of Be Inspired,  tucked away in Bushnell's Basin, a mere 10 minute drive from my house.  The two women who own this shop,  Denise and Laura,  have taken the store through a series of re-inventions,  starting when they bought The Pitcher of Health, which was located in the village of Fairport,  in a stand alone, small brick building just north of the railroad tracks. 

They talk about that on their web site so I don't have to do that. 

They sell the most amazing, organic skin care.   Skin care (I would argue) is NOT eye candy.  Which means:  I need it. 

See the bottles and boxes on the middle shelf?  The brown bottles with the purple labels?  That line.   It's called OHA.   And it ROCKS! 

Be prepared to take your time when you first visit.  There's a lot to see and research,  as the owners have put together quality health and beauty products along with some fabulous eye candy!

Do I need it?  I do not.  But, do I WANT it?  Without a doubt.

What I like best are the thoughtful conversations that I have with Denise on the days when she's minding the store or with Laura when she's there.  They take turns.  

Denise introduced me to New Chapter, a whole food supplement line that they carry.  After listening to me describe some of my health challenges,  Denise picked up the phone and called the company that makes this line to get some fast answers to some of the questions I had.  

I really liked that. 

Ask Denise (or ask Laura)  about how they came to carry this supplement line when you come to see them. 

And, keep wandering around the store.  There are lots of choices.  Lots of products to check out.  All of them healthy for you.   Which was the vision and the plan that Denise and Laura had when they decided to become business partners. 

And,  in addition to offering their customers lots of healthy choices, they wanted to create an inviting, nurturing space.

Speaking of Denise and Laura - they're a bit camera-shy.  Denise just happened to be minding the store when  I stopped in to have my husband take pictures of the shop.  I promised to keep her out of the photographs.  

But, don't think that being camera-shy means that she's in any way shy about running the store.  She's  quietly gracious and well versed in product knowledge.  Neither Denise or Laura will "hard sell" you anything.   They've worked hard to put together a shopping experience that will appeal to women (and men) who want true organic products  with that little bit of "something extra"  that they call inspiration.  

Be sure and let them know I sent you!

 

Gentle disclaimer:  once again,  this is a raving fan testimony.  Raving fans never receive financial reimbursement of any kind for their testimonies.   Never.  Ever.  They fall in love with a product or a service (or a company) and want to share that  love with the rest of the world.

 

 

 

 

Guest Post: Ethics Matter

Making money and gaining prestige too often drive business decisions and are the enemy of “doing the right thing”. The solution? Leaders and business owners must create an ‘ethical compass’ that provides direction for both strategic and day to day decision making.

What makes business ethics so important? Without them three behaviors result: people feel follow their own preferences without concern for the impact on others.  Second, individuals lose their sense of purpose and fall victim to other’s motives. Most importantly, one cannot set the right priorities for dealing with day to day demands and stresses. 

Small businesses can develop a strong competitive advantage with a deliberate focus on ethics. Setting ethical priorities requires deliberate thinking and open debate about choices and outcomes. This intentional process is essential to a business culture of decisions based doing the right thing. It provides employees a shared ethical compass.

A business owner focused on ethics will have passionate stories to tell about the difference they are trying to make through their product or service. That passion and meeting a customer’s need is what drives every decision in a business focused on ethics.

On the other hand, a business focused on hard selling or managing exclusively by the numbers will tend to deemphasize ethics. The result – a self-centered passion becomes very obvious. A sale may be closed, but is unlikely to generate repeat business or lasting customer relationships. And as a result, these businesses often rely on constant advertising to attract one time customers in order to stay in business.

In the long term, ethics do matter! It’s what drives repeat business, customer loyalty, and sleeping well at night!

Jerry Elman is the owner of Schoen Place Auto in East Rochester. Schoen Place Auto is the 2010 recipient of the Rochester Business Ethics Award, in the small business category. Jerry can be reached at 585-381-1970 or [email protected].

 

MacKenzie-Childs - How I Connect the Dots

 

I'll bet you thought that today's post would be all about what A and I saw when we climbed the stairs to the attic floor of the farm house.   I thought so too.  And then I started thinking about some of the people I'd met this past week  - it's eight days after our day-trip to MacKenzie-Childs - and it seemed to me that it was time to bring the larger focus of what I do into play here.

The genius of what I do is  to "connect the dots".    And, I am very good at this. 

Sometimes,  it starts with a seemingly black-and-white  idea.  This time,  the idea was to take a day-trip:  to get out of Dodge (so to speak) and have a mini-adventure,  just A and me.

MacKenzie-Childs as the destination was a deliberate choice.   I've been a longtime admirer of the designs and as Grossman's Nursery - a mere 10 minute drive from where I live - has been carrying some of the products for quite some time now - each time I visited Grossman's, my desire to make the longer trip down to Aurora, New York  grew stronger. 

I'd been poking around the MacKenzie-Childs web site and knew that as a business model, the company had reached some remarkable benchmarks.   They have stores in Manhattan and in Palm Beach,  an extensive online shopping catalog, a bridal registry and a corporate gift program. 

They got their start (literally)  deep in the Finger Lakes region of New York state, surrounded by rolling hills and farm country.  

This is not the MacKenzie-Childs story.   They do that very well as you'll find out when you explore their web site and take your own day-trip to emerse yourself in "all things MacKenzie-Childs".    (Disclaimer:  I receive no monetary "embellishments" about MacKenzie-Childs.  I am, however, a "raving fan" and that, my friends, is priceless!)

This is about having genuine conversations with people (absolutely NO hidden agendas),  listening more than talking and remembering what was said. 

Listening more than talking.

As A and I followed our tour guide from room to room in the farm house,  our conversation with her was as much a ramble as the tour itself.  During the just-over-an-hour tour, we learned quite a bit about how MacKenzie-Childs got started,  who the several owners of the company had been,  style and design changes over the years,   some of the farm house history,  the names of some of the decorative pieces in each of the rooms and their creative stories;  some of the local history of Aurora, NY and some of our tour guide's own personal story - how she came to be an employee of MacKenzie-Childs and then we talked about  her own family:  how many kids (six or seven) and what they were all doing. 

Everyone does have a story and stories are powerful.

We talked about color -  especially it's affect on mood.  Our tour guide grinned and confessed that when she was having a bad day, she might come over to the farm house, pick a room and just sit for a while.   It's hard to feel gloomy when you're surrounded by such eye-popping colors.   

Color was definitely on my mind.  Over the next six to eight days, there  would be this lovely spill-over from the MacKenzie-Childs road trip onto everything else that happened. 

One of my friends was preparing for a women's event coming up in another six days.  Interestingly enough, her business,  A New Hue,  is all about color.  She and I had been talking about women and color - women's perceptions of themselves and how they use color or their lack of understanding how to correctly choose colors that work to their advantage.  "It's almost as if," Julie surmised,  "some women are afraid of color."

On a similar theme,  I've been having on-going conversations with my direct sale team about the use of color in decorative accessories;  how women gravitate towards certain colors (and scents) and what that means for developing a color-play home decor party theme. 

And, to keep my own level of energy upbeat,  I would find myself coming back to the photos that A had taken when we were visiting MacKenzie-Childs, marveling at the connection between mood and color.

These are not brand new concepts.  But. They are bullet points for what happens next.

The day of the women's event I set aside a few hours to stop by to be supportive of Julie - she was a vendor - and to satisfy my curiosity.  I''m nosey and this was too much too good of an opportunity to meet new people and have another  mini-adventure. 

So, off I went to the Burgundy Basin Inn.   The place was packed.  The parking lot was filled to almost capacity -- and -- stepping inside the lobby,  it looked to be standing room only... with good crowd control. 

Lots of give-away raffle baskets, lots of women standing, sitting,  milling around,  greeting friends and taking a moment before plunging into the open doorways leading to the event itself. 

Taking a moment for my glasses to unfog (it was 6 degrees outside),  I wandered over to the coat check place,  bought a few raffle tickets and went up the steps, then through the doorway where it looked like things were happening.

As I reached the last step, immediately to my left was a colorful display for the SHEN YUN Performing Arts.

As  I stood in front of this display,  I caught the eye of one of the women standing nearby.  She was beautifully dressed in a richly tailored, ceremonial gown.  She smiled. I smiled back.  She stepped towards me and we began to talk about this performance that's coming to the Rochester Auditorium Theatre on February 19th.  

As she described how different audiences had been responding to the performance, she mentioned that when the show played in NYC,   what delighted several  members of the fashion industry - who came up afterwards to talk with the performers - was the use of color:  the costumes and the staging. 

Color.  (That triggered my MacKenzie-Childs day trip and I immediately started filtering all of what I'd listened to when A and I were touring the farm house.) 

When the conversation moved to what I did,  I looked this lovely person in the eye, and said,  "If you and I were meeting at a networking event,  I'd tell you that you should be sure to give me your business card because if there was someone you were looking to meet - someone that you wanted to get in front of - I might be able to make that introduction." 

Her eyes lit up and she scurried behind the table display and came back with one of her business cards.  "Can I give this to you now?"  

During the next five minutes, we talked about her role as a volunteer with this performance group and the kinds of people she wanted to meet - people who might want to support the continued success of this talented organization.   I thought back  to everything that the MaKenzie-Childs tour guide had told me and was able to pull one or two names out of that conversation into the conversation I now found myself having. 

Later, after I'd wandered around and found out where Julie's table was located,  I brought Julie around to meet this woman and Julie was able to add to the short list of people who might be good contacts -- good connections -- for her.

Sometimes,  everything is about how well you remember to ask questions so that later you can connect the dots between what you've learned and what someone else is looking for. 

 

 

 

 

MacKenzie-Childs - The Farm House Tour - Part 2

What I loved about this tour was that it was "just us".  Me, A and our tour guide.  Like most of the employees at MacKenzie-Childs,  she lives in the area.  Although there was a time when she traveled to Rochester where she worked in finance, she'd been working here for twelve (?) years.  Or was it sixteen?

No matter.  It was time to go upstairs.

Quite the contrast to all of the color - this table-plus-more butts up to the second floor hallway window that looks out towards Cayuga Lake.   Typical of most farm houses,  this floor is a narrow hallway with large bedrooms to the right and left.  

What's a bedroom without a bathroom? 

Any self-respecting bathroom has a shower area ...

Across the hallway:

is bedroom number two.

 

And, in no particular order,  more of the second floor:

Just when we thought we'd seen everything,  we found ourselves climbing yet another set of stairs up to the third floor.  

The Farm Tour - MacKenzie-Childs Re-Visited

Hopeless voyeur that I am, when someone says,  "The farm tour is free,"  I'm right there.

This is the side of the house as we walked up the flagstone sidewalk.   The front porch still wears its festive green holiday garlands.  Keep in mind, as you stand, facing the front door,

that, if you turned around so that your back was facing the gorgeous-beyond-words, square-shaped wreaths, you'd be staring at Cayuga Lake.   A and I were the only ones to take the tour which meant that we had the undivided attention of our guide.  She opened the door

and this was our first glimpse into the 100 year old farm house that sits proudly overlooking the lake.   The dining room was to our left and the living room to our right.

The doorway behind the dining room table brought us to a less formal sitting area.

A better close up:

 

A more cozy seating arrangement, perhaps?

Are you speechless?  I was.  And still am.  And, you haven't seen the rest of the house yet!

MacKenzie-Childs: If You Build It, They Will Come

Living in a place where the winters are long and, sometimes bleak,  means that you have to take advantage of every day that the roads are dry, the sky is blue - These two conditions have to be in place for the next puzzle piece to slide into place.  What's that?

A road trip.

I'd been online scavaging for about a week - taking writing breaks and nursing the "I've got the deep-freeze blues-need-an-inspirational-dose-of-color" to carry me through the end of January into February.   And, if I could tack on a body of water to feast my eyes on,  I'd be very close to heaven.

Fortunately,  living in the Finger Lakes region of New York,  there are plenty of choices for driving to nearby bodies of water.   How to offset the grey pallet of winter becomes the challenge.  Just like Seattle, Washington,  we have more than our share of grey. 

Not that it doesn't have it moments.

Especially when the sun is out.   And, that hint of lake in the distance: 

makes my heart sing and quiets my soul.

That's Cayuga Lake.    It's the second largest of the glacial Finger Lakes - just  under 40 miles in length,  3.5 miles wide at its widest point, and approximately 435 feet deep at its deepest point.  We drove south, on the west side of it and arrived at MacKenzie-Childs around 2PM. 

 

When you want a POP of color in the wintertime, it's hard to beat MacKenzie-Childs. 

 Underneath the arch and into a sheltered courtyard we found ourselves here:

It's as if someone tapped you on the shoulder and whispered, "Turn around."  And, so you did.

 

We were in luck.  Walking into the show room and getting into conversation with one of the staff, we were told that the tour of the farm house would be in 30 minutes.  Yes, it was okay if we took photographs.  I'm not sure if the photos you're about to see will actually do justice to the overwhelming gorgeous display of color:  of vibrantly mixed patterns, of whimsey and unabashed celebration of glorious designs. 

Now that you've been set up, see what you think.

And then there's this:

Perhaps not one of my finest fashion statements. That's me layered in gortex ski pants over leggings with my dark green Carhart jacket, looking a bit shell-shocked despite the fact that I'd been wandering around for at least 20 minutes... literally speechless.

 

Halloween Weekend Gone

Turned the calendar over last night after the last trick-or-treater faded into the cold mist of lightly falling rain, dinner was done and the dogs fell quiet. 

Well, Tessa stopped barking.  Jasper continued to lay patiently facing the entrance hall, waiting for someone to knock on the door or ring the bell.   Halloween is his special time as he thinks all of the nightly visitors come just to meet him. 

Saturday was the warmer night to be outside running across lawns.  Unfortunately, the temperatures dropped late on Sunday afternoon and the resulting rain banished most of the hob-goblin visitors.

All things considered, it was a quiet weekend.  In between methdodic searching for a small wallet that I'd mis-placed (the wallet with both bank credit cards tucked inside), which required a lot of turning bags and briefcases inside out,  having endless conversations with myself followed by visualizing, followed by peering underneath beds,  and then reluctant acts of cleaning,  I closed out the month of October sales,  read far enough into Sara Paretsky's  Bleeding Kansas to decide it was worth my time to stick with it,  and took enough of the framed artwork off of the walls for dusting purposes to reaffirm my delight with having artwork that belonged to my in-laws and to my mom placed where I can see them every day, along with the pieces that A and I have picked out over time. 

Cleaning.  I've always thought this was an overrated activity except that living in clean swept, uncluttered spaces has its appeal.  And, Lord knows, somebody has to do it!  

******

The talk in the village is all about the proposed plans for a new library.   It's been the undercurrent  swirling around the village for years;  a "hot topic" because those of us who live in the village are adamant that whatever decisions are made keep the "new" library in the village.  I suspect that it's not just "those of us who live in the village" who feel strongly about this.   The library staff asked, and continued to ask the community what we wanted.  What we all wanted was for the library to remain in the village.

Plans have been drawn up - the result of the Library Board's work with two architectural firms:  SWBR,  located here in Rochester and Tappe Associates,  a nationally recognized expert in library design.  (Information included in the handout you can pick up at the Fairport Public library.)

One meeting to up-date the public has already been held and a second meeting - for those of us who couldn't attend the first one - is scheduled for November 16th.

There's a lot to be talked about before we are asked to vote on a $16.3 million bond to relocate the library. 

But.

What's important is that finally,  we have a plan in place that gives a physical shape to the dream.  Now,  all we have to do is believe.

Believe. 

See.

See it in your heart first.   Know that you'll find what you believe is there. 

Just like my "lost" wallet that deviled my waking thoughts for almost two days.   I believed it was somewhere in the house despite the fact that I couldn't see it.   Patience and visualization.  Mentally retracing my actions. 

Getting closer to figuring it out.  Looking.  Finally,  my eyes spied the wool jacket I'd worn a few days ago now hanging on the closet door knob.  Before I pulled that jacket off the door knob to reach into one of the pockets,  I knew that's where I'd find my wallet.

The energy shifted from broad swirls of unknowing to tight worls of recognition.   Reaching into one of the pockets, my fingers closed around the smooth surface of my wallet.

Patience and belief. 

See.

 

It's About Time! Standard Time & Lights in Fairport village

Everything old is new again at John and  Fran Fadden's funky and fun lamp shop in the village of Fairport.   If you thought that your grandmother's brass lamp stand was frumpy and out-dated, you need to waltz it in to see Fran and be quick about it! 

What?  Bring my lamp? 

"Absolutely," smiles Fran.  "You'd be surprised how much  easier it is to find the perfect new shade when you can try out different shapes and sizes.   It's not just a matter of individual taste. Proportion counts too."

When you visit for the first time,  leave your lamp at home.  However, be prepared to be swept off your feet by the eclectic selection of, not just vintage floor lamps, but clocks.  Wall clocks, desk, mantel and shelf clocks. 

Everyone of them ticks and tocks, chimes the hour, if not the half hour.  The collection dates from the 1860's to 1930.

Ah.  Be still my heart.  Wanna see?

 Upon closer inspection:

Some of these clocks are "30 day clocks" - which means that they wind monthly.  Others wind every eight days, and,  some wind once a week. 

The ticking and tocking, and the occasional chime, makes for a wonderfully rich musical background. 

I spent my first visit to Fran's shop asking her what was old?  What was new?  The clocks and lamp stands are antiques.  The lamp shades are new.  Relatively speaking, the lamp shades are new.   Some of them are exquisite  reproductions of  "old"  to give new life to the stand itself.

Like this one:

The photo doesn't do justice to the richly woven beading that arches across the individual panels of the shade.   The fringe is quite lush and thick,  providing a pleasing contrast to the bead work. 

Is this old or is this new?  The shade is brand new. 

 

And then, there's this:

The lamp shade panels are incredibly detailed and accented with such a lovely cascade of loose and knotted fringe.  Is this old or is this new?  The lamp shade is new.  The brass stand, however, is "old" (antique).  Step back and take a look:

Fran was quick to point out the sold card on this one,  but, don't despair.  She and her husband have a collection of lamps (and clocks)  that they have assembled from over 20 years of serious antiquing.   Fran is constantly rotating her stock as individual pieces sell. 

The idea for the shop grew out of Fran's love for antique clocks and fine lightning and from her husband's  interest in clock repair.  After 27 years of corporate sales and six moves to six different cities  across the United States,  they were both ready to settle down.  

They knew that whatever they decided to do next would have to include their passion.  Certainly, the ground work for opening a store had been laid mid-way through Fran's sales career.  That was when she became interested in antique clocks and she and John started to attend antique shows. 

They became vendors - doing as many as 15 shows a year - over a 20 year period.   They've scaled back to approximately five shows a year with Fran taking responsibility for minding the store. 

From the idea to physical reality -- thinking about the idea of the store to finally opening for business -- was a five year process.  Fran  retired from that corporate sales job and spent another two years putting together the business plan to open the store.

She knew the inventory was going to be the easy part.   Adding the service component to the business - providing clock repairs - provided a natural outlet for her husband, John.  

Early in Fran's sales career,  when the couple realized that John needed some kind of transferable skill if he was going to move with her as her job required her to relocate,  he decided to keep himself in business by repairing clocks.

The logical expansion of the store brand became to offer the finest in antique clocks and lighting with clock repair as the additional service.

Just two and a half years ago,  John and Fran Fadden opened their doors for business two doors down from MB Book-Tique.

Floor space is approximately 400 square feet.  Fran's discerning eye for detail and her ability to stay on top of design trends,  creates a wonderful store ambiance and a delightful shopping experience for customers.

Something's new!

Do you frock?

Tucked away towards the back of the store is an unassuming display that looks like this:

Each of those tiny bags holds one frock.

One what?

One frock.   You can give new life to an old shade when you pick out a snazzy frock!  Look carefully:

Hum drum, boring white lamp shade instantly transformed into very upscale designer shade! Voila!

How about taking a quiet, sedate stripe pattern, like this:

and turning it into a bold yet whimsical statement?  Like this:

Is it new or is it old?

Something new and one of the most popular selling lamp shades is this green Mica shade:

So.  Are you eyeing that drab-looking floor lamp that your mother dragged out of the attic and gave to you?  That lamp you were embarrassed to have in your living room so you banished it to the spare, back bedroom? 

Don't waste another minute! It is SO about time to take that lamp to see Fran.

 

 

 

Random Thoughts

It's early.  I can hear the heavy sounds of a freight train rolling through the village as I sit gathering my thoughts and planning out my day.   A slight turn of my head and the view from the window is dark:  midnight blues, dark, purple-ing into black shadows meld together.  

The computer hums.  Black fades to blue.  The tree line is more distinct.  I'm guessing we're in for another glorious autumn day where the vivid splash of reds and oranges will create its own  panarama of color.  

Last weekend, as A and I rambled through the village,  down along the canal where the shops are,  I watched parents with toddlers,  adolescents with friends,  grandparents,  walkers, joggers, and people on bicycles  meander themselves up and down Main Street. 

Standing, facing west, away from the crowd,  feet planted on the iron grid floor of the canal bridge,  I saw this:

 That shadow on the water near the bottom of the photograph?  That's the canal bridge shadow.  If I close my eyes and imagine an earlier  time when packet boats were a frequent sight,  I might see this:

Who could possibly imagine the crowded scene behind me?  What I wanted, sitting here watching the almost inky blackness of the morning before sunrise, was the assurance that bright days are still coming; that one might be here in just a few hours.  

What I wanted too, was to get my brain fired up, to go through "mental warm ups" for lack of a better phrase, knowing that the bulk of my day was going to be devoted to writing a press lease.

A different kind of writing.  And one I was going to have to force myself to start.  Knowing that once I started,  the words would take off and make their own reality.

1:30PM

The view out my study window is lighter, but lighter without clear blue skies.  Lots of yellow splashes from leaves still clinging to branches;  green grass and wet pavement - it's been raining. Slightly. 

I've got the beginnings of a rough draft going for that press release, have made a few business calls and have eased into what feels will be a productive writing day.  The story behind the press release is teasing itself out -- and that's good.  I've moved beyond the "forced part" of just getting started.

The mind over matter that says, "Just do it,"  kicked in and things started happening on paper.   Words marshalled themselves together.  Ideas, out of logical sequence, clamored for space and words re-arranged themselves.  I can take a break now, knowing that there's enough written for me to come back to later.