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Archive for the ‘All In A Day's Time’ Category

French Garden Memories

Posted in All In A Day's Time, tagged , on February 11, 2011| 11 Comments »

french thatched roof cottage

My father was in the United States Army, therefore, we traveled frequently.

One blessing in my young life was to live in France for two years.

Many memories of France linger, such as our visit to Paris, French pastries (nothing compares), learning the French language in grade school, school field trips to château’s – the mazes and moats that surrounded the beautiful stone buildings, gypsies travelling in covered wagons, and open-air city markets. 

I stumbled across this photo and felt a surge of abiance.  Goodness…for someone that does not want to travel, I could definitely visit a place like this!

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Missing Sunshine

Posted in All In A Day's Time, tagged , on January 28, 2011| 6 Comments »

We were in a hardware store today, being helped by a cheery associate.  I felt as if I would rather be home, sleeping, which is something I seldom do during the daytime hours.

As I thanked the employee for her assistance she said something about how much better we would all feel if the sun would shine.

It dawned on me – I was dragging along.  Tired of the overcast skies, the frequent snows, the fog, the slush.  The cold.  The damp.

I began to look around me.  Everyone looked rather under-the-rug. 

Doesn’t this dark season drag on?

If Mr. Groundhog reports 6 more weeks of winter next week, I’ll take it.  We’re on the better end of the calendar now…on our way back to feeling the warmth of sunshine.  Can you just smell the ground warming up now? No more winter doldrums!

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Up With the Roosters – Tired Doesn’t Count

Posted in All In A Day's Time, Goat Care (and General Farm), tagged , , on January 20, 2011| 14 Comments »

farmer sunrise

Being tired appears to be a catalyst for reflection.

Recently my sister said, “I hope you can sleep in on Saturday.  Catch up on your rest.”  Sleep in? Not.  I am a farmer.  I have an internal alarm clock.  It goes off each and every day before daybreak.

If I sleep in, in theory only – because I cannot (will not?) do it, a couple of orphaned young goats receive late bottles, the goats do not get their hay, I milk the does late (which can set their internal clocks – actually hormones – into an irreversable mode of “okay, time to shut the milk down”).  I don’t get the milk filtered, frozen, or thawed.  I don’t get the soap and lotion made.   Not to mention the crazy cat – whom was also a bottle fed orphan – that now has to be fed (all in the same morning) canned food, then dry, then water…or else.  The day is rushed into a mode that I do not want to be in.  

Lately we have worked extra hours at the soon to-be new farm.  Being a small person in stature, I am lifting beyond the normal bales of hay.  Moving concrete blocks, helping to dig holes, hauling wood, you name it.  Then there is the frozen water bucket situation, oh yes, always a winter joy with farm animals.  I am tired.  We are tired.  We have help, but there are some things a couple simply does on their own.

We are happy.  Why? We GET to work each day.  We wake up and are granted one more day to serve the animals, make nurturing soaps and lotions, and are given the gift to work the small farm and our independant businesses.  

What more can a human ask for? Not much!

Morning is when the wick is lit.  A flame ignited, the day delighted with heat and light, we start the fight for something more than before. – Jeb Dickerson

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In A Hurry?

Posted in All In A Day's Time, Humor, tagged , , , on January 15, 2011| 12 Comments »

Who is going to win the race? Ready, set, go! Off to the finish line.  But, where is that finish line?

Can we not get there, or get it done, fast enough?

As we stop for necessary things during the race, don’t dare talk to a cashier for a few moments.  The unwritten rule is keep the line moving swiftly, no real conversation allowed.  A simple, “Thank you, have a good day,” suffices.  Ooops…scratch that.  Have a good day is now considered cold, not personal.  Better not say anything at all? Instead, turn to text messaging.  It isn’t so cold, so impersonal, and goodness…you can walk about and text all at the same time!

Drive the speed limit.  Not! Only if you want to be the target of obscenities and scowls, or worse.  Oh, why not, don’t you like that sort of abuse?

Time flies fast, perhaps because we are in such a hurry?

I was listening to a comedian a few days ago.  He said, paraphrasing, “When we pass on, standing in line to get through heaven’s gates, will we make it to the line, but be dismissed when we become impatient and snarl or cuss at those waiting in line in front of us?” I can see it now, “Move it, buster, I have things to do…I need to get through that gate.  If you cannot keep the line moving, then move over **** and let me in!”

Someone close to me used to say, “Patience is a virtue.”  Isn’t that statement worth a mint?

Today I commit to working harder at slowing down.  I will work towards patience, realizing that every moment of life is precious.  When you find me laying flat on life’s tracks, smashed by those that have passed me by in a flash…oh well, I’ll be taking a break.  Care to join me? Tea, coffee? Cream?

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As The New Year Starts

Posted in AGH Business News, All In A Day's Time, tagged , on January 1, 2011| 12 Comments »

Comical…busy…not so relaxing.  Humor was definitely a must.

How about your start to the new year?

Over Christmas weekend my husband was ill.  He asked me, “Why does it seem I am always sick at Christmas?” I don’t know.  One time we spent Christmas Eve in the emergency room.  He looked like something from a movie, like a swollen thing that had risen from the dead.  It was nice.

The Christmas ailment was passed on to me.   The night before last I was miserable with a fever.  Mind you, I don’t get sick often.  I sent a one line email to my sister, told her that I wasn’t feeling well, that I loved her.  I proceeded to tell my husband, “In case I don’t live through the night, I love you.”  He chuckled, “I think you will live.”  I did.  Amazing.

The next day I noticed product images missing from our website.  I was too sick to try to fix the problem.  My husband, not the one that keeps the site going (he helps in many other ways), was speechless.  I opened a help ticket. 

All of the product images in our online store had been deleted.  Not one or two.  Each and every one, gone. 

I made a phone call on New Year’s Eve.  All advanced support staff had left the building.  Lucky souls.

Today I sat down at the computer, thinking to self, “This is what a small business owner does…the fix-it-all person…even on a holiday,”  After several mis-haps I began to see a number of images load to the website.  Yes! The correction will take a few days.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I can say this, bring on the challenges.  If 2011 is any better than 2010, we are blessed.  After a few years of wondering where our lives were turning to, 2010 brought work and busyness our way.   Bring it on!

I hope you and your loved ones are also blessed with whatever you need in 2011, that is, everything you need!

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Dropping The Fear

Posted in All In A Day's Time, General Reflections, Inspirations, tagged , , on December 23, 2010| 10 Comments »

Have you had experiences in life when you have had to tell yourself to “drop the fear”?

Recently I climbed a ladder, which was more than twice as tall as I am.

As my husband stood outside of (what will be) our new soap studio on his ladder, I climbed my own ladder inside.  Together we tugged on the huge electrical wiring until we got it fed through the much-smaller conduit.

As I climbed the ladder my heart began to thud.  I thought I was not going to make it.  I repeated the old saying, because that was all that I could think to do for myself at the moment, “Don’t look down.”

Then I remembered what I did last summer, something that made me realize I could climb ladders as long as I put the fear aside.  I remembered something as simple as the motorcycle safety class. I had to put my fear away to pass the course. I nearly allowed fear to change the outcome!

Suddenly the fear of being up in the air, high up on the ladder, went away.

Facing the fear came as clear to me as life itself.

Next time you are facing something that seems enormous, something that you feel you cannot accomplish (that you could easily say “no” to) and allow someone else to do, remember to believe in yourself.  Have faith. Claim the ownership.

Beat the fear…drop it like a hot potato…what you can achieve by doing so can really help you climb ladders – even those that seem to reach up into the clouds – hands down. Goodbye obstacle!

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Farm and Soap Shop Progress

Posted in All In A Day's Time, Goat Care (and General Farm), In The Soap Shop, tagged , on December 10, 2010| 10 Comments »

It isn’t very pretty, is it?

This is what we have been working on all week, each morning before sunrise, every night after sundown, in single digit temperatures on a few occasions.

Two 1000 foot long trenches along the driveway, each 4 feet deep were completed for water and power lines. 

Our legs hurt.  Our backs hurt.  And perhaps our heads hurt too, I say with a sense of humor!

Progress!

Someone was watching over us today as we finally got the electric connected to the meter box on what will be the new soap shop.  The temperature broke over 30 degrees today, which helped us bend and pull the heavy wiring.  I stood inside the shop on a 10′ ladder, my husband stood outside on another ladder, as we pushed and pulled.  We got it done! The power company can now energize us at any time.

We definitely have been hard at work.  It is a very busy season for Annie’s Goat Hill, my husband’s business, and with the preparations at the soon (to be) new farm.  It is all good!

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Musings – Christmas Soap and Lotion Business

Posted in AGH Business News, All In A Day's Time, Products, tagged , , , on December 5, 2010| 5 Comments »

Cyber Monday Goat Milk Soap Sales

My husband and I have been tag-teaming in the soap shop.  He has taken over many animal duties to ensure we are able to stick with our one to two-day turnaround with retail orders.  He has also done an excellent job of boxing soaps and labeling lotions and packages.  I am blessed to have a wonderful partner, my best friend, who brings the extra gift of a lot of laughter to the soap studio!

Despite the busyness, I have done a lot of thinking.  The big broom came out and swept away my idea that we should never run out of any particular type of soap.  My new philosophy, the early bird gets the worm.  I had to beat it into myself, seriously! But…the fact is, if I were to shop at a big-name department store very late in the season, I may not find everything that I want, but if I shop early enough, I will find full shelves, with a huge selection!

With that being said, and without sounding like a running advertisement, we do still have a bounty of holiday soaps available.  Also fully stocked are the favorites, such as Cherries and Berries goat milk soap.

My parting words (also derived from the big sweep that I did on myself), remember to take a break and enjoy the season! I strongly believe a person accomplishes much more by resting appropriately.  Nobody can enjoy life itself while feeling stretched and stressed!

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Thanksgiving

Posted in All In A Day's Time, tagged on November 24, 2010| 2 Comments »

Wishing you a warm, safe and peaceful Thanksgiving, filled with good things!

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Who Do You Serve?

Posted in All In A Day's Time, General Reflections, tagged , , on November 6, 2010| 7 Comments »

 

Recently I have spent many hours handling my husband’s business scheduling and telephone. 

Speaking with the public on a daily basis, both on the telephone and in person, has led to a surfacing of observations.  The biggest of those is the word demand.  There seems to be little consideration for careful scheduling, heavy workloads, and human attempts at kindness.

Sadly, it seems that people in general are pre-disposed to expect the worst.

It brings questions to my mind, such as, is the cause today’s world? Is it the economy? Is it poor customer service across the board (which I’ve noticed myself) that causes people to not have patience?

I am serving the public now, no doubt about it.  The customer is always right, unless a legal liability is involved (due to the nature of the business). 

Are we, as human beings, all of one, simply branches working together? Do we serve each other, or do we serve ourselves? Do you serve yourself, or do you serve other people? Who do you serve?

Many of us serve our own God (first), I know I do, but in this article I am talking about serving others.  I am not talking about a physical act, like delivering meals to those in need, I am talking about common courtesy, compassion for others.  Do you truly serve others?

We may not be able to change the world, but we can change our own world.

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