Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life! 

Each morning, when I open my eyes and welcome a new day, I see it is an opportunity!
An opportunity to make it the best day that it can be.
This opportunity means that I try to live each day as if it were my last!
One day it will be -- but until then -- I'll be sharing with you a variety of things that I've learned,
discovered, and even laughed at along the way.  Enjoy my journey with me as we live it One Day at a Time!    Read more

How a small Town mindset can grow your business

Have a Small Town Mindset in Your Business

During my lifetime, I’ve lived in towns and cities of all sizes.  Large cities like Washington DC and Berkeley, California.  Mid-sized cities like Pensacola, Florida and San Jose, California.  Small cities like Santa Cruz, California and Flagstaff, Arizona (where I finally landed).  But since my husband was a … Read more

Used Coffee Grounds Have Value

Used Coffee Grounds Have Value

Are you dumping your used coffee grounds into the trash or down the sink? Don’t!  There are better uses for them that you have probably never thought of or known about. 1. How about using coffee grounds as to feed your plants? Coffee is highly acidic and makes … Read more

The Dfiference Between Talents and Gifts

The Difference Between Talents and Gifts

When I was in elementary school (many, many years ago), I was assigned to a choir for a school play. When the teacher told me to just mouth the words, I discovered that singing was not my gift.  That was confirmed once again in the ninth grade when … Read more

The Benefits of Making Mistakes

The Benefits of Mistakes

Mistakes aren’t always bad.  They can actually be very good sometimes.  And they can even prove to be very profitable. A well-known example is the accidental discovery of pencillian.  Two other, but lesser known, examples are “Post-It Notes” and “Chocolate Chip Cookies.” Post-It Notes, sometimes called sticky notes … Read more

What Might Have Been

What Might Have Been?

Some people fold after making one timid request. They quit too soon. Keep asking until you find the answers. In sales there are usually four or five “no’s” before you get a “yes.” Jack Canfield There are a number of reasons why a business folds and closes its … Read more

A Life Secret Learned from the game of Monopoly

A Life Lesson Learned from the Game of Monopoly

Ken Blanchard, author of “The One Minute Manager” and other business books, told the story about the little boy who really wanted to beat his grandmother at Monopoly.  He studied.  He practiced.  He learned.   Until one day, he beat her at the game and told her, “Finally!  I … Read more

Two Secrets of Success: From A Very Special Lady

Way back in 1961 or ’62, I met a very special lady who taught me two secrets of success that I still remember today. My husband and I had been married for about a year. Ron had just got out of the Navy and we had returned to … Read more

Charlie Brown and Franklin

Charles Schultz and Charlie Brown

I’ve enjoyed creative writing ever since my freshman year in college when the professor was a published fiction writer in Saturday Evening Post magazine.   He required us to submit one ceative piece each week and I was hooked. As a result, years later I  discoverd the Santa Barbara … Read more

Summer Home Farm

Memories of Summer Home Farm

History is important and it is incredibly sad to see it disappear only to be seen in old photos and memories.  Last year, Big Basin State Park, filled with ancient redwoods and historic buildings, became a victim of the ongoing fires in Santa Cruz County, California.  Most of … Read more

words of wisdom

Nuggets of Wisdom for Both Life and Business

I grew up in the South where nuggets of wisdom were a fact of life.  Here are some ones for life as well as business.  They may be tongue in cheek but each and every one of them is oh so true! Don’t name a pig you plan … Read more