Where has the month gone?

Years ago, one of our retail customers exclaimed , "You are so lucky! You are in business for yourself, so you are free to take time off whenever you like and work only when you feel like it!" Hmmmmmmmm... Those of you in business for yourselves know that statement is far, far removed from reality. Self-employment gives you freedom, no mistake. The freedom to work well into the night and then to rise at 5 am to start all over again. Such has been the case the last several weeks and therefore a neglected 'blog'. I could have opted for a 9-5. I admire the folks that do. Our social order and economy could not function without them. However, my planned 'retirement'; me thinking that I was going to cut back and not work as much? It's not happening. Those that know me are laughing themselves silly. I'm really enjoying myself and can't imagine doing anything else. I'm laughing too, not 'all the way to the bank', as the saying goes. Not yet. The goal is to be lucky enough to be laughing all the way to 80.

Happy Birthday, Beem!

My Gram would have been 117 years old today. I called her my 'Beem' as I was learning to talk and it stuck. She was the champion of nicknames. Her name for me was 'Narmi'. I have no idea where that came from. Her children, my siblings and cousins had equally intriguing names which were hard for us to answer to as teenagers. My sister Poo put a stop to her nickname when she turned sixteen, but Gram never called her by her given name that I know of. The endearing pet names have become fond reminders of our youth as we matured and many of us still use them today. Chip, Tessie, Nonie, ChiChi, Bonnie (her name was Constance), Buddy, Skeetzie, Flakes, Bing and Penny will light a candle in the sky and sing the 'Happy Birthday' song to you with the spirit of this momentous occasion today. My cousin Suzer and the rest of your family will lift skyward a toast of love and laughter to our Beem! Happy Birthday! Love, Narmi

New Year...New Business...New Job... Welcome 2011!

Winter temperatures have been hanging around for a while and the waterfall in the larger pond has created a sculpture of this statue. Most of the year, the cupped fingers just touch the surface of the water. Check out the hair! .... .... .... Now I move at warp speed into a new year. Exciting changes... no illusions of retirement for me ... and I am back into growing a business. Literally ... growing a business of growing flowers. I've spent most of the 3 months of 'retirement' working on a business plan and getting all the 'ducks in a row', as they say. I'm blessed with incredible support from family, friends and business associates that do make it possible to start again at 61. Oh My! So, as we turn the corner to spring, (the daylight hours ARE increasing and I'll need every one of them) stay tuned for the next chapter. The adventures of my 240 months between Sixty and Eighty continue with 221 thrilling months to come.