Garden of the Gods Hike in February 2015
During the last few weeks, I did get a short hike at the Garden of the Gods during one of the sunny breaks in the weather with my hiking friend.
And yesterday, I would have loved to have gone out in the sunshine, but just couldn’t break away. Had people coming to my home, and one didn’t show up, who rescheduled for Friday.
Plus a webinar to end the night.
Today I have a Transition Street meeting and hopefully get the proofed Commonwheel member business cards finalized and to the printer.
On February 9th it was a blue sky day at the Garden Of The Gods.
I am always amazed at the beauty of the ancient cedars here.
This rock formation makes many people think of Devil’s Tower.
Contrasting colors and types of rock formations.
Two views of Pikes Peak on this short and often overlooked trail in the Garden of the Gods just minutes away from my home in Manitou Springs.
Looking forward to more hiking soon. But another snow storm is on its way for this weekend. Gotta love this wild ride of weather in Colorado.
Seriously Weeks Have Passed Since Posting
Ah, how time flies! And meetings have filled so many of my days.
Colorado weather has had its usual wild ride of sunshine after snow and then snowy again.
I have been to an interesting Branding workshop that had ideas for all lines of business am involved in.
I have been the point person for sending out info to people who are interested in the new position at Commonwheel -Marketing Manager/Shop Coordinator that came out of discussions and meetings last month. Then I have been collecting the applications and getting them to a file at the shop. Now they need to do the interviews. No one has gotten back to me on how they want the info for contacting these folks, so not sure where that stands.
I am ever so glad I created about a dozen masks to put at Commonwheel. I sold a few and will have a good stock for the next few months.
Now if I can just get into my studio this Saturday to create masks for ETSY, that would be good.
I took some of the estate jewelry down to Commonwheel for the Display Art Again, a Secondary Art Market in hopes it might sell there. Mostly rhinestone jewelry and pieces that were signed.
One of the Handbook To Health books sold off the web site. Wondering how the person found that, but glad she did. Reminds me that I need to get my focus back on my own business and books.
One person I have given the “unproofed” copies of “How To Plan A Sustainable Event” actually went on Amazon and did a nice review! Thank you Beth!
My roommate has lost her job due to the death of the person she was care-giving. Not unexpected, just a new challenge to find a new position. And she is on a job interview tonight, so hoping it goes well.
Transition Streets Pilot Program is very interesting, but I really haven’t been able to give it the time it really deserves. And next week I am hosting the session on “Wasting Away”, which fits well with my “How To Plan A Sustainable Event” book focus. Really enjoying getting to know the people in the group. And two couples live just up the street across from my house.
On Valentine’s Day Morning the sky was blue and the air was warm, and I had a lovely surprise in my yard. 
A visiting Deer.
This was also Carnivale in Manitou Springs which is always great fun! But being Valentine’s Day and a long President’s Day holiday weekend, it might have cut into the attendance and participation of Carnivale.
I went into the Soda Springs Pavilion filled with people enjoying Gumbo.
I took photos at the Gumbo Cook-off, which I had never done that before.
Perhaps I had an inkling that I’d get fewer photos later as the parade was shorter than normal. I didn’t even get many photos of people in costume on the street. Also, not many bars had good or any Cajun cuisine. I actually had a bowl of soup to sustain me at Swirl while catching up with D from Communidance. We talked of Essential Oils and what could help a fussy baby at her daycare. (And she bought a bottle of Peace and Calming later this week and it did help.)
I checked in at Commonwheel to see if more masks had sold. Just a couple, but these sales will get me a decent check for February.
I went to the Townhouse, but never ordered a drink or food there. But did dance to 2 sets of music. And went home to take the night off. Got lost in wicked TV shows. Not really peaceful things to watch, but that’s what I did.
I went to an appointment with an Audiologist. Yes, I need hearing aids. Now how to afford them and which level to buy at. $500 each is where I probably will go. The ones that cost $3,200 total are better, but I don’t really want to use up all of my Marston money on just one thing, so will look at the lower cost ones and hope to have some hearing improvement that will make me happy for many years.
I bought a used iPhone 4S. Now I need to learn how to use the iPad2 and this. Just haven’t had time to focus on these items. Lannie gave me some lessons on both at different times. Still, I need to sit down and learn how to use them soon, so can be adapt by the time I go to Atlanta.
I worked a full day at Commonwheel on President’s Day. Had hoped to catch up with some Festival things, but the computer acted badly and then Juergen came in to fix it and that was distracting. There were people in the shop that I engaged in conversations and had some good sales for the last day of the 20% off sale.
Aine is back from John of God healing journey. Would love to learn more about the group’s adventure there. Was a lovely session. Two weeks ago just 3 of us showed up to hold the space. So it was good to have a real healing session again. Been doing this for many years now. My one time of meditation that I really miss when I can’t be there.
Chamber Marketing Task Force had a very small attendance this week. But we got lots discussed. I made some suggestions for changes on ads that were well received.
The Festival Committee meeting also had low attendance. Again, got things discussed and tasks taken on. Still am waiting for others to respond to the minutes and questions about tasks that they did last year and asked if were willing to do this year. Met with one member to take on the Grant task and forgot to ask her if she had had any response about getting sponsorships. My brain is on overload for all the things I have been juggling.
I finalized two more ads for the PPB for the ending of “Display” and “Snow Softly Falling” that opens 3rd Friday in March. Still need to get the desk card done. Then work on the Colorado Journey’s ad that is split between us and 2 other galleries. Next week’s project!
A major task is almost complete. Getting business cards created for 8 new members is at the final proof stage. One came in that was not what I sent them, but might have had on file from when W– was doing the marketing. Asked them to change that. This has been an interesting learning process. Got the instructions in bits and pieces, so took longer than it would have if I had known all the requirements from the beginning. So it goes.
And I will be getting a sizable check for Marketing the last two weeks of work.
Really wish I knew what was going on with Marston. I might just bother Judi with an email or phone call to find out if it is on schedule to be sold and distributed.
Both my brother and KM questioned their Springs Hosting bills. I had to go in and send them the invoices and explain to them that it was exactly billed as it should be.
Then KM needed updates to a flyer and her web site. Next schedule time to work on her manual for her Craniosacral classes that haven’t been updated yet.
And one MSAC meeting. Need to change the day we meet on to Mondays for one of the members who is the Treasurer. So now 3 of my Mondays will have meetings. I guess I am kinda happy that will free up more Wednesdays, which is a day I do like to hike.
Writing this amazes me of all I did get done.
Meetings, Meetings and More Meetings
The changes at Commonwheel have inspired many meetings. Two groups of meetings. One for the web site and one for the Marketing Manager/Shop Coordinator position. Each one of these have met at least once a week. This is on top of my regularly scheduled meetings for the Commonwheel General and Board meetings. Then there is the Art Festival meetings and Manitou Springs Art Council meeting.
This weird little cold that keeps on hanging on is very annoying. Keeps me tired, but I am grateful it isn’t complicated with any other real symptoms. No coughing or sneezing, and although my voice sounds very sexy, my throat isn’t sore. Thank you spirit!
We also had some snow storms and very cold weather. This, added to not feeling 100% healthy, has kept me from hiking. Even on the sunny days, I just couldn’t get myself up and out there. Tooooo tired!
Though I did go out one night and take photos which I shared in another post.
And then the next morning with the snow clinging to trees so beautifully I walked up the street and took more photos. 
Did that also the next morning after the second snow storm.
That was almost a hike . . .
I did go to the Millibo Art Theatre for 2 shows with my Greek hiking friend. Both shows were totally enjoyable. Bill Bowers had us laughing so hard our jaws hurt when the show was over. The one-woman show was very different. She played many characters. Her body movements, facial expressions and voice changes were exceptional. Sorry I missed the first show in this series, but the heavy snow storm kept me from venturing out at night.
I also skipped a Deja Vu Singles dance night and B-Positive Reggae at the Townhouse. Kept thinking if I stayed home and rested a lot this cold would be totally gone quickly. Nice thought, not reality though.
Manitou Springs had a Manni Award community potluck on Thursday. This conflicted with my plans to go to a Sustainable Event to promote my book. I had helped get some of the awards made by Commonwheel members, and really didn’t want to miss this night to honor the most special artist in our town Charles Rockey. Was glad I went. Easier to walk there than go to the CS event. And I did get a little walk on a lovely night.
I had leftover hummus dip and chips, so took them to the shop job meeting on Saturday afternoon. Others had brought food the last time. I was the only one with food this time, but someone did bring wine. And another walk. Afterwards one of the newest members to Commonwheel and I went to the Keg and had hot buttered rum. The waitress came and told us someone had bought our drinks. It was her studio partner who came over and chatted for a bit. Interesting artist, he does performance painting and very big paintings. Was nice to get to know Sarah a bit away from the meeting environment. She grew up in McHenry, Illinois and we both talked of how we don’t miss the Midwest with its snow that stays forever, grey days, bugs and humidity.
Sunday, Feb. 1st was interesting. The day started with a morning meeting for Transition Streets with lovely muffins and hot chocolate served. (This is the new thing I am taking on.)
Then the person I have been masterminding and helping with her web site called and asked if I would like to come up for lunch and do the meeting at her house. Lovely turkey soup, homemade bread and fermented water. Healthy and relaxing. Unfortunately she couldn’t get to where she needed help. And wit out my cheat sheet, I couldn’t remember how to get there either. When I got home I figured out that we were typing .com instead of .net, which caused the misdirection. I sent her that correction and did look to see that the problem she was worried about was not a problem at all.
A friend who I have watched the Super Bowl with for years emailed me with a last minute invite to her home to watch the game. She said they had plenty of snacks and just bring myself. I did bring some spinach and cheese dip that was a hit. We played ping pong during part of half-time. It was a lovely way to end the day.
On the way home, police lights came on behind me. I hadn’t had much to drink, I wasn’t speeding, so had no idea why. The officer told me one of my headlights was out. I had no idea. Brought up memories of when Keith had fixed this problem a few years ago. I handed him all my papers. Luckily he decided not to ticket me, but cautioned me to get it fixed as soon as possible. So no driving at night until I get that done.
During these last few days, I had a bad run-in with the person doing the Facebook. She “has a plan” that she won’t share with anyone and wants me banned from posting. After last year of doubling the # of likes to our page, adding over 1,500 Likes, she thinks I am getting in the way of her “plan” that she won’t share.
I have had many classes that relate to Facebook and what is a good way and number of posts to do. For her to tell me I am “spamming” people is ridiculous. I engaged people enough for them to share and Like many posts, and as I said, more than double the number of Likes to the page in just one year.
Both people who ran the last 2 Commonwheel Gallery shows: Holiday Market and Pottery by the Pound constantly complained to me that she wasn’t doing the types of posts they requested. That was why I put posts on and did some Tweets. Many of my Tweets got reTweeted. None of hers had. I know, because that info comes to the festival email. She actually said she was giving Twitter a rest. That made no sense at all. You quickly lose your followers interest if you don’t connect with them on a regular basis.
Some of L’s reasoning was our web site isn’t worth sending people to now. Well, that is just crazy talk. We aren’t trying to send people to the web site, but to the gallery. We haven’t had a good eCommerce situation ever, so why would we send them to the web site. She had told S-m that 80% of the people on Facebook were from out-of-state. Where she got that idea, I can’t imagine, since the Likes that came in were from people who actually came to the gallery or the art festival or saw posts from local friends. And they share local events relating to not just Commonwheel but Manitou Springs that I posted about last year.
I have 4 posts with my masks and text as if they are talking. I had two posts scheduled and two more to schedule. Now with Carnivale coming on Valentine’s Day, I think these posts need to go up.
They tried to tell me I was banned from posting. I got upset, angry, emotional about this. Not the best way to handle any situation, but damn! I do know what works on Facebook and this is one of the times that my FantaFaces masks sell well. So I will do some self promotion, then step back from Facebook for 2 months. I really want to see her “plan” though.
I had avoided going to get more kitty liter and food. On the Monday of the Commonwheel meeting I kept working on the eVites for the next 2 shows so they could possibly get put up on the web site before the person who took it on until the new one was built could post them before he left and in time for the public to know about the 20% Off Sale and Display Art Again. I made a quick run to the bank to deposit the cottage check and get kitty litter, it just couldn’t wait another day. I got home later than planned, but realized I couldn’t drive to the meeting, not that I wanted to do that.
So I came in to the Commonwheel meeting a bit late and had forgotten I had promised to make copies of some information about what the grants could be used for. Got confronted by a member about the FaceBook, started to tear up. When I get angry, I often cry instead of yell, though I can still talk and make my point, just doing with tears in my eyes. Not very helpful to sounding rational. The meeting got to a late start also, for other reasons than this confrontation. Was able to sit where I wasn’t facing the group, just the person at the other end of the Board table.
After the meeting, I didn’t want to talk more about the FaceBook situation. Did go to the Keg and had another hot buttered rum and ate some of M—ca’s offered food. There really hadn’t been a great spread of food at the meeting and I was still a bit hungry.
After this small social gathering, S– did talk to me about the FaceBook situation again out on the street. I told her I planned on posting the mask posts for Carnivale and the 20% Off Sale. I didn’t think “banning” me from posting was a very helpful way to address the problem with the person who really isn’t doing a good job. I asked her if she had seen L’s “plan” and she said no, she hadn’t and L– wasn’t sharing it with anyone. At the end, we agreed I could do the 4 or 5 posts if I get the video made, then I will not post anything but Festival related posts on the Gallery Facebook page. That doesn’t stop me from posting Gallery posts on the Festival Facebook page, as the other person refused to post there from the start of time when she took on the Social Media for here committee job.
Meantime I have been trying to keep up with creating ads and other pieces of marketing for the gallery shows that need to be done while we search for a marketing manager/shop coordinator. Just posted the job listing with a few papers, festival Facebook, Craigs List, ArtBar, etc.
And then my brother needed some Parish Gap web site changes. Plus my Sharing Inner Health friend needs some brochure updates.
Some day I will get back to my own business. The Sleep Journals are way out of schedule for getting completed. And perhaps if it is sunny enough on Thursday I will take my car and get the headlight fixed and go for a walk in the sun somewhere. I know not hiking has me a bit out of sorts.
I think I am kinda caught up to today. I plan on awaking with a clear head and lots of energy in the morning, so heading of to get a good night’s sleep now.
Atlanta Here I Come
A few weeks ago I sent out emails to 2 friends who live in Atlanta. The last time I had heard from either of them were a couple of emails in 2010 announcing they were each getting married. We lost contact after that. We had met when sharing a Condo in Snowmass for Peak Potentials “Seminar of the Century”. That was a very inspiring event and we all connected well during the times the event wasn’t going on.
I had visited with Deb when I had a UFirst event in Atlanta at least one year before 2010. She had let me stay at her home and use her car to get to and from the event. Very generous of her. We met with our other friend for dinner one night and had a lovely visit.
So after 4 other people told me as much as they would have liked to used my extra ticket for the NAMS 2015 March event, they couldn’t swing it for those dates. So I thought of my friends living in Atlanta. And just for a lark sent out emails to them asking if either of them would be interested in using my second ticket. Deb emailed back and said it was perfect timing for her. She was really interested in learning more about marketing on the internet.
We set a time to talk by phone and it was if we had just seen each other a day before. So many changes in both of our lives. Some sounded like we mirrored each other in some ways. My “Hell” years were 2013-14 with the suicide of Keith and all the deception that followed. Then the flooding of Manitou Springs the next summer just before the Commonwheel Art Festival.
Neither of us went into much details about these things. Leave that to another talk. We did talk about our learning experiences and where we wanted to go.
She needed to look a bit closer at the web site, but was saying yes to going to this event. She can give me a ride from the airport and I can stay with her what ever nights I chose.
I didn’t mentioned I was considering staying at the hotel for some of the nights, but wanted to think about that. I forgot to ask her how far from the venue was her home. In an email she told me it was 30 miles away. And the venue was in downtown, rather congested area.
When I did ask that, I called to reserve a three nights at the hotel, since 30 miles was a bit far to actually have time to do networking and get rested. The reservation person only booked me for 2 nights. When I called back I was told that the Sunday was only at the full rate, but I could have the group rate on Monday night. And what good would that do me? I asked.
Tonight I again tried to get booked at the group rate after seeing and email telling us make our reservations and if we had trouble getting the group rate to write a ticket to support. So I called the hotel and asked to extend my reservation by 2 night and was told the group rate would not apply to either of those nights. So I have a ticket into the support team.
Will have to wait and see if support can really fix the rate. I can’t imagine staying both of the nights if not. But may do the Thursday and leave on the Sunday. That would be the same cost as all 4 nights at the group rate.
Gonna email Deb again and set another time to chat. My world has been filled with meeting after meeting and have had the cold that won’t go away. Mostly just very tired, no coughing or sneezing. But my voice sounds very sexy and that is a dead give away something isn’t right with my health.
So ready to make a change in my financial situation!
Another Snowy Day Really Snowy
Today we are experiencing a snowstorm like we haven’t had in quite some time. It is reminiscent of storms in Illinois where I grew up. I went out and shoveled a bit in mid-day, just to make a dent in it. My MSAC meeting was canceled and resceduled on top of my next week Tony Laidig Tuesday webinar that will actually be held by Jay Boyer. Many marketers are on a cruise together. Dang it would have been a nice winter break.
Sort of all over the place today. Got all my emails written and sent out to Festival sponsors to check in with them for their interest in the 2015 Commonwheel Art Festival sponsorship. That was good. Always takes longer than I expect. Make them very individualized invitations.
My brother wanted to know if I could pay back the $400 I was holding onto from the loan. Really wasn’t wanting to do that until Marston got sold. And that sale is postponed until end of February, but does sound like it will happen then. I decided to pay him half. That may mess up my ability to pay half of my Property Tax at the end of February. But will see how other payments happen and how expensive my utility bills are next month. And I need to get $300 back to the car loan account before the end of February also. Really had counted on the sale of Marston happening sooner . . .
I created a dozen masks for Carnivale over the weekend. When I do early Spring Cleaning up there, I use mis-matched feathers to create masks I will sell for less than my regular masks for Carnivale. They actually take me longer to create, but use up feathers that have been cut up and not used because there is only a few of any color remaining. I will share some in the next post. I do need to crop and size them to post in Facebook and here. I have some ideas for having them with “talk bubbles” in posts for the Commonwheel.
Really cleared out lots of feathers that were mismatched. Cut some up from a couple of bags. Can’t really see that I did that much clearing, but I did. Making space to create masks in 2015 without so much clutter in the studio.
On Monday, when the sky was perfectly cloudy, I first tried photos of them with a normal background. But didn’t like how they turned out. Want to do some fun posts on the Commonwheel Facebook for the shop and Carnivale leading up to the 20% off sale all wrapped around Valentine’s Day.
I did play a bit with some miniatures to see how they photographed. Turning them a little bit at a time and snapping shots makes them look very different. Can understand how one might use characters that have no moveable parts to look different in various scenes. Will be interested in seeing what Tony teaches about taking photos of miniatures in a couple of weeks.
On Tuesday I brought down some different pieces of cloth and decided to use the brown one for a backdrop. Will see how that worked later and post images of what I discovered.
I had been having some flushing problems with just my toilet. No other drain was acting problematic. Earlier on Monday, I had tried putting drain cleaner down the shower drain that I don’t use to see if that would help. But no, a little later in the day, my cottage tenant called to tell me water came up in his shower. I called Budget Rooter and he was able to come over right away before it got dark. Roots! at about the same place as when he came a little over 2 years ago. On unexpected $100 expense that didn’t make the call from my brother any easier to handle.
Yesterday I wrote up all the invoices for people I did work for in 2014 and I had not created. I need to send them out now. Haven’t heard from Zo since he ordered his books. Should probably send him an email and check in with him. This task might have been inspired by Tom’s call and the Rooter bill . . .
I also got the comparison done for our web site meeting coming up. I sent it off to SK to add to whatever other info she got from other people. I had done the research before the first meeting, so just needed to put it in a comparison mode rather than long paragraphs.
Tony’s webinar started with him talking about why presentations were important. Then he demo-ed a piece of software that makes creating them very easy. I had seen the end of a sale pitch about this last week and bought it from someone else with interesting bonuses offered. Tony rarely pitches anything on his free Tuesday Expert Media Shows. And he really did explain how to use it to its best advantage. So I enjoyed getting that training. And it is an amazing software that creates so much finished products from one answering just 43 questions. I need to play with it.
But right now, I am going to take a break and watch a bit of TV. Not something I do often, but want to see how the Mentalist is ending soon.
Visioning Into The New Year of 2015
And it snowed enough on Monday the 29th to cause all sorts of havoc. Then it cleared up the next couple of days, but was FRIGID!
Tuesday, worked on ads and other gallery tasks.
Tony Laidig did an end of year talk. What he had done, asked us to reflect on what we had done. How were we going to move into the new year. Reflecting on what to do next, always a good way to enter into another year.
New Years Eve Day, I got some more ads finalized and then went to work at the gallery for another member. I moved the food items around for Holiday Market that had been marked down. Not many people in, but engaged in some nice conversations. One led to the couple keeping adding food items one at at time until they had 5 to buy.
It was a really cold day. I was tired at the end of the day.
Walked home, thought about going to the Townhouse for dinner and dancing, but fixed dinner instead. Then fell into watching TV shows that were not very uplifting. Went to change clothes to go dancing and just couldn’t do it. Felt very alone. Didn’t want to go out on New Year’s Eve alone. And some bad memories of the one with Keith came floating into my mind, making it even harder to get motivated to go out in the cold alone.
Snuggled into bed with a book and read until midnight. My usual bedtime. Greeted the New Year with a few affirmations and went to sleep.
On New Year’s Day, decided I wanted to create some Vision Boards. I missed doing this when 2014 began, but have done them many other past years.
Went to see if I could get the items for this that were stashed in a closet in my roommate’s room. But no, a large framed picture was balanced on a bookshelf in front of the closet. And this item was about to fall out of the frame and I didn’t want to risk breaking the glass.
So I went up to my studio and found enough mat board to make at least 3 Vision Boards. More smaller ones if I was so inclined. Then down to the basement where boxes of magazines were stashed. Discovered all the glue sticks I had were dried up, but decided I could lay them out and finish them another day. Got into music and cutting out words and pictures.
One is focused upon writing and publishing books. No surprise there.
I couldn’t find some of the words I wanted, such as “masks”, “Best Seller”, “camera”, “transition”, “feathers”, etc. Realized I was using only two types of magazines, whereas in the past, I had had more variety of magazines to find different images and words within.
Still I was able to create three Vision Boards I am very happy with.
One is focused upon traveling. Adventures both near and far. Hiking and trips to visit with family and friends. I would love to get to drive to Arizona to visit with my cousins and stop in the Grand Canyon where one of my past tenants is living again.
And to go snorkeling off a warm island. Bask in the sun and float gently in the ocean to discover the many wonders below.
And a new, better Canon camera. One that shoots at 300 dpi and takes good night pictures.
Then there was the one focused upon making changes in my life.
Creating abundance on many levels. Perhaps a bit of true love. The bull is the symbol of Taurus, my sign. Saint Michel is Archangel Michael who I call upon often to keep me safe, so seemed appropriate to ask his help in keeping me safe during the times of changes. I loved the lion roaring “You can now.”
It was interesting trying to recreate them when I got new glue sticks. I took photos of them completed, then took them apart and tried to figure out which image was on the bottom to rebuild them. I am sure some things got shifted, but mostly got redone close to the original layout.
All in all, I had a fun day off the computers and visioning what I would like to see change in my life over the next year and in the not too distant future.
Occasionally took a moment to get up and dance when a song came on that inspired me to move a bit. I had some special treat foods for my brunch and dinner. Easy to prepare and enjoy on my breaks from visioning.
And baby, it was cold outside . . . so glad I was able to stay warm inside.
Getting Caught Up In The New Year of 2015
Friday, January 2nd was the first tune-up day of the new year. My shoulders and neck really appreciated the mini-massage after all the time I spent cutting and leaning over the table laying out three Vision Boards the day before. And my Greek friend was there with a gift of some homemade sweet breads.
And my holiday loneliness and sadness funk had been worsened a bit just before this. The hiking friend I had tried to get to go see the movie “Wild” with called to ask me if I was “feeling spontaneous” as she and a friend were going to see “Wild” in an hour. At the theater she said she wouldn’t go to on a Friday “Happy Hour” time downtown CS which would make parking crazy difficult and the movie crowded. All the reasons she said she wouldn’t go when I asked. When I talked with her a few days later and told her this had left me a bit disconcerted. I mentioned that it had been the first time I had wanted to go to a movie since Keith. She sort of apologized, but said she could change her mind about things at any time, and her friend really wanted to see the movie before leaving town. Then told me that neither of them liked the movie and how glad she was that we hiked the way we did.
Meanwhile, I had asked my plumber friend to go to the movie, and he had gotten very ill that morning, so we planned on trying later in the week. That time did work. Had a nice visit with him and we both really liked the movie. The ending had me in tears as she spoke of looking back on her life and wouldn’t have changed things as they had lead her to where she was standing now at the end of the trail with her whole life ahead of her to do as she envisioned on this journey.
But before the movie escape time, there was the two Commonwheel meetings. Both were on Monday, Jan. 5th. First, I had to go in and help take down Holiday Market that morning. The coordinator thanked me for all I did to help market it and make it successful, including spotlighting the food items that had been marked down.
The meetings were challenging.
At the Board meeting we needed to have someone step into the role of President. No one came forward easily. Finally one of my Festival Committee members stepped up, but that meant she would leave that committee . . .
Discussions about what to do about the web site with the web master/mistress resigning and it being in a program that is based on HTML and not web based were all over the place. Decided we needed to set a meeting for a smaller group to look into this. And Russ had not gotten me his proposal. Though when I called him the next day, I learned he had sent them to the Festival email, but somehow they were not arriving there. He tried to send it off again while we talked and it never showed up, so had him send it to one of my personal emails and it arrived quickly.
The discussion about hiring a Shop Manager to also do the Marketing got very heated. One member who rarely speaks up did with a very calm and reasonable suggestion. Since we are only committing to doing this for a year, and we have the funds, we have nothing to lose, lets give it a try. Then more discussion, a vote to do it for a year, with another committee being formed. That committee was the one that was to have met tonight, but didn’t due to lots of snow and foggy conditions making driving very challenging.
As much as I would like to step away and not attend these meetings, I just can’t. So will hope the rescheduling of the Manager meeting will work for a time I can attend without having to miss any trainings.
Tuesday the sun was out and I took advantage of it to run errands, including getting food for the Festival meeting. I stopped at a friend’s house for a visit to catch up which was fun and relaxing. At Costco, I decided to buy a “Bullet” and lots of veggies to get a healthier start on the year. I haven’t exactly fallen in love with what it makes. Too much pulp, but working on it. And how else could I get myself to eat 2 carrots and an apple, plus some greens. Drinking them is so much easier. Will keep trying new amounts of water and items to put in it in hopes of making the drinks more tasty. I got home in time for my Laidig training, but had forgotten about the Chamber Marketing Task Force meeting earlier that day. I hadn’t made it on any of my 2015 calendars.
The Festival committee met on Wednesday night, without the President member, but with a couple who always do everything together. I was not as prepared as normal. Still had been working on ads until that day. Had to spend the morning getting the agenda done. Walked to the gallery to make copies and sign checks.
The meeting went well and the new members stayed and we chatted a bit. Their daughter had had a major concussion and I told them some of the things that had helped me heal and get back on track with my brain. They really liked some of the things I told them. (And yes, that is one of the stories I had hoped to write this winter. Well, winter isn’t over yet!) I asked them where they lived and the asked me if I knew the rock formations Gog and Magog. I said yes, I had always wanted to hike to them, but not up the very challenging and not well-marked trail that starts at the end of Ruxton. Well, they live at the top of Crystal Park and there is a not too challenging trail of 2 miles that they hike often. We will have to make a date when the sun is shining in the Spring to hike it. Something really fun to look forward to when the weather gets better.
I did get to see the “Wild” movie on Thursday with my plumber friend and home in time for Tony Laidig’s training on Easy Books Illustrations: Miniatures. On Tuesday, when I was running errands, I had stopped in at the Dollar Store by the Natural Foods Market and saw a bunch of animals. I bought 10 or 12 with the idea they would work well in a story that I used miniatures to photograph to illustrate it. What that story will be, still not sure. And Tony assigned us homework to come up with a story by the next Thursday. So he put a fire under me to create a story. I do have some in mind, just not sure they are ones that would use miniatures to illustrate them. Still have a couple of days to figure this out . . .
More ad work on Friday. Sent one off and the person who got it made a suggestion that she thought would make it look better. Tried her idea and I liked it. That meant going back and make a similar change to all the other ads I had created. Got that mostly done, plus the changes suggested by the Festival committee to an ad for Sunshine Artists. Have to admit, I like them all better now.
On Saturday, I was scheduled to work all day for Pottery by the Pound. The weather on Friday had been pretty nasty, so we expected people who had not made it to the opening day would show up on Saturday. We had 3 people in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. We never got that busy. Disappointing. I had dreaded working on the new POS system for this sale. But our now ex-Pres had figured out how to make this work really well and she worked the computer for the morning shift and the other person who was there all day took it for the afternoon shift. All in all, an easier day than I had anticipated.
I was a bit disconcerted by an email from someone trying to set up a meeting about the web a week out. Especially since I had sent out an email asking people which one of 3 suggested days would work for them this coming week. I called the new Pres and we talked it through. I sent out another email mentioning that 3 people had already said they could meet this coming Wednesday, so could we make that happen. So far most have responded favorably. Now it the weather just gets a bit better so we can meet, that will be a good thing.
My Mastermind for books friend came over on Sunday. She had finally gotten her domain to mitigate and wanted some help getting a WordPress site up. She brought me some Kombucha and another fermented water. Perfect timing to go with eating healthier and the “Bullet.” She is a strong advocate for this type of “juicing” and told me about many of the benefits of using this versus a regular juicer.
After she left, I worked on my Sales Tax Report some more. I had started this last week, but not gotten it finished. This is complicated. And when I got it to the point I wanted to put it on the real form, I pulled it out of the envelop only to discover it looks totally different than it has in the past. Not even sure all the lines are the same . . . so need to get that finalized tomorrow and then file it online, which is also different from past years. But all this work gets me closer to having the information together for my IRS & State Taxes.
My roommate was scheduled to fly somewhere on Monday, today, buy the weather was so bad they closed the airport. This was the trip she had to cancel when she got the flu before Christmas. She hopefully will get to take off tomorrow. This really bad weather is what led to the canceling of the meeting for tonight that I did not get the email about the cancellation.
One of the emails I looked at for marketing reminded me that I need to create some masks to put on the “Journeys” web site for sale. Plus need to make some less expensive one’s in anticipation of sales for Carnivale. I really am looking forward to getting in some studio time this weekend!
Caught another email I missed about the web site. Replied to it. There has been lots of conversations by emails about what we should build it in. I am an advocate for WordPress, others don’t like it and have suggested Weebly, which I find to be very weak and some other site building programs I have never heard of. And with all the coaches I have taken classes with over the last 2 years, they all suggest WordPress and steer people away from Weebly for internet marketing purposes. Should be an interesting meeting on Wednesday.
And yesterday the author of “Sinister Frog” said he would be happy with any of the 3 covers I had created and sent to him to look at over a month ago. Another project someone else’s book on Kindle . . .
Snowy Winter Night of Reflection
So much time has passed since my last post. Think I’ll just do one for today and see where I go after that.
Got up and tried to find a doctor that takes Medicaid patients. Don’t recognize any of the names, the DO I called doesn’t and a Naturopath told me Medicaid won’t pay for their services. Quit after about 5 phone calls. Another day’s project.
I also sized up some images for our Pottery by the Pound Sale going on in the Commonwheel Gallery so I can easily do some posts tomorrow morning.
Emailed a couple of friends to see if they want my extra NAMS ticket. Would love to find someone to share a room with and learn together.
Emails were flying about the web site for Commonwheel and what to do since the web master/mistress quit. Have a meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
I missed an email canceling the Shop Manager meeting tonight. Walked to MAC in the wintery snow. Wished I had brought my camera. Especially when I spotted a snow covered bicycle. I had a bowl of spicy chicken soup. Chatted with Natalie. Called someone and was told the meeting was canceled.
As I walked home I realized how much I have been missing getting out for walks due to the cold and all the Commonwheel tasks that need tending to and I have taken on since the marketing person became ill, then resigned.
So I went in and got my camera.
Walked up Ruxton Avenue a bit and took some photos.
I need to learn more about night photography.
And I really want a better camera, but that will have to wait a bit.
Played with a couple by turning them into black and white so they would look more like what I saw.
It was such a lovely walk. Really enjoyed the stark beauty.
That made the rocks look bit more spooky and the branches more graceful.
And posted them on Facebook for fun.
Am going to try to get up early enough to get some photos in the daylight before it all begins to melt.
I have gotten way off track for what I had planned on doing regarding books and marketing. Need to figure out how to get back on track for my own business.
And need to have fun in my feather studio and create some masks for Carnivale which will be on February 14th this year. Yes, on Valentine’s Day. Should be interesting. Wonder what the weather will be like that day. Yesterday it was 54 degrees and today a lovely gentle snow. Never can tell what Colorado weather will be very far in advance. Looking forward to sun on Thursday, but then that could change when we see the next forecast.
As The Year Draws To A Close
On Wednesday the 17th took a short ride to some friends home after a day of computer work. Here we shared a Mexican based meal we each create a part of and drink margaritas. Ended with Cherry Pie and ice cream. Then on to the entertainment of watching the Survivor Finale together. Glad to have this down time that is just relaxing and time to catch up with all of our lives.
These last few weeks are kind of a blur in my mind. Been in my studio some, working on Commonwheel marketing and holiday gifting and celebrating. And working on some Festival tasks.
I had ordered gift certificated for a restaurant my family in Oregon loves to eat at. It took until Saturday for them to show up in my email for me to be able to print them. I finished wrapping presents and making up packages on Friday, then added the Gift Certificates in cards and closed up the boxes. The Post Office wasn’t very busy, so was able to get them sent off in time to arrive before Christmas. Next week my brother sent me an email saying he had put $ in our joint account for me to spend on something I would enjoy as a family gift back to me. I am going to put it as “mad money” to spend on meals and/or a movie in a real theater.
Continued to work on Marketing pieces for Commonwheel and trying to catch up with my business world. Discussing ways to look at how to get marketing done in the next year beyond the first few shows that I and our President can handle. The idea of having a manager who would also do most of the marketing and use that salary as the base pay is being discussed. How to sell it to the membership or just the Board will be a challenge. But it is time to look at this very seriously.
I also did some major clearing of the laundry room that is also my walk-in closet area. I was able to get rid of some items and cleared 3 shelf spaces that I thought I could use to put some items in my roommate’s room into that are hidden on shelves that I could use if I could get at them more easily. And I do remember watching the finale for “Amazing Race” that evening and being so proud of the girls that won.
On Saturday the 20th I went into my studio to make some FantaFaces masks, but instead got into sorting out feathers in a couple of big tubs. There were some real treasures there. And I moved some bags of feathers that had more treasures. On Sunday, I created some masks and earrings from those finds. I had done some curling of the long Ringneck Pheasant tails not too long ago and finished those masks with these feathers.
When 8pm approached, I quickly changed and headed to the Townhouse to dance to Starburn with Deja Vu Singles. Here I treated myself to a burger with Calsitrate beef and French Fries. Having worked all day in my studio, I needed an easy meal. Lots of people showed up and we danced until about midnight. My knee began to give out and my leg felt a bit swollen, so I headed home. And for some reason the next day my shoulder was sore. Took a few days to get that unkinked.
Began to feel a bit down as Christmas approached. Missing family and friends a bit I think. And it has been cold and I haven’t gotten out for a hike recently.
Still, I worked very hard and got both versions of “How To Plan A Sustainable Event” finished and back on CreateSpace and Kindle. I have about 15 copies with all the errors in it to do something with. Will be giving them away with the caveat of not a perfected version, but ask for a review on Amazon of the concept.
I had asked my dreamer friend to help me with some wording for my Blank Book Dream Journals. She gave me lots of feedback, but with the twist in my world for the gallery marketing, and being so determined to get “Sustain” updated and republished, I haven’t had a chance to even look at that. Maybe tomorrow . . .
Took some inventory, including the newly made FantaFaces masks and earrings, down to Commonwheel on Monday when the Prez was being interviewed for the CS Business Journal. Now, I had gotten that interview to happen, and brought our history books down, but wasn’t invited into the conversation. Seemed a bit odd, but didn’t want to force myself into it. Our accountant had brought in checks, including one for me. I handed mine to the Prez to sign and realized later she hadn’t given it back to me. She had given it to the accountant who left with it. Annoying challenge. I called and texted for her to mail me my check so I could have it by the weekend.
Decided I needed some play time in PhotoShop and looked for more clouds to be used in the Dream Journals, but also did some marketing work, looking for things needed for ads for Pottery By the Pound and found the
Display It Again” ads from last year on my personal computer. Then got lost for awhile in Facebook.
Continued on catching up in other ways leading up to working at the Gallery all day on Christmas Eve.
And I did drive to Costco one more time when saw how little eggs and Rice milk we had. Lunched there and bought myself a couple of treat foods for the Holiday.
Tony’s training on Tuesday was about creating backgrounds and patterns. This was something I really wanted to watch and learn as that is what I had decided I wanted to do with some of my texture photos I have been taking the last few years. He had said he would include some marketing tips, but the training in PhotoShop went long and he just glazed over some ideas of where to sell these types of items. Still, it was a good lesson and I better understand how to create patterns. One he worked on was creating “marbled” patterns. I have dozens of marbled pieces of paper I created years ago. So am inspired to make these into digital images and play with them in various ways to offer for sale. AFTER I finish the Dream Journals!
I was scheduled to work all day on Christmas Eve day at the Gallery. A couple of people said they might show up for back-up shifts, but neither did. A couple of people had said they would come and work as back-ups, but neither did show up. Luckily a recently ex-member showed up when there was a rush of people and helped me out by packing items, getting bags from the back and showing some jewelry pieces when I was tied up making other sales. He even replaced some burnt out light bulbs. He invited me to the family “Shrimp Boil” that I have attended a few times in years past. It is his cat that I am fostering while he and his lady are building a new home in the San Luis Valley.
Then a couple of new members who wanted to add inventory came in and helped to move things along by showing jewelry and packing items for me. They needed to use the same computer as sales are done on to add inventory, so made themselves useful when sales were being done. Later I was told I did as much in sales almost alone as they did on Sunday with two sets of 2 people working each shift. And my sales were many “stocking stuffers”, as in small items. Many a person shopping that day gave me a great big smile and huge “thanks!” when I offered them gift bags or boxes for their purchases.
During my Christmas Eve gallery shift, Commonwheel’s Prez called to tell me that our marketing person’s husband had called her and let us know she was resigning. He wanted us to get things from their home and off her computer on Saturday before she came home from the hospital so she wouldn’t have to watch things leave. I said I could do that on that day with the Prez.
When the ex-member was there, I had talked about feeling rather depressed the night before due to no relationship and missing family, etc. He said he had all those things in his life, but was also feeling blue the night before. Perhaps it was just in the air.
Soon after the ex-member left, My roommate showed up with early Christmas gift for me. It was a gift certificate to a restaurant I consider a “date” restaurant. It took a lot of strength to not answer her question, “Do you know this place?” with “Yes, it is a date place” and not burst into tears. Instead, I was able to step back and breath, then thank her for it. She was in a rush and I had customers, so I would have time to get past that reaction. And, when I thought about it, I decided I wanted to take my friend who is helping me with the Dream Journals and we have tried to get together for drinks and food at least a couple times a year. So this should work for that type of relaxing time together if I can just pin her down for a time after the new year begins.
The Shrimp Boil meal was fun as always. Lots of shrimp, potatoes, onions and carrots to enjoy while conversing and catching up with each other. And way too many desserts afterwards. I brought up some catnip for his sister’s Mane Coon Cat who is so very beautiful and huge. Got to see some photos of the new house under construction and just relaxed for the night. Talked about when Little One could move to her new home. Probably not until mid-January when the walls are up inside.
On Christmas morning, I decided to clear out some of my sculptural art work from my roommates space to give her more shelf space. Started with one, then discovered more things I could remove from the shelves I was moving them to, and cleared all the shelves. Then did a bit of rearranging in my bedroom, but decided that needed more time another day. Feeling exhausted, I discovered the fish I had taken from the freezer was still solidly frozen. Had the not so tasty, but easy to reheat gluten-free pizza I had made 2 of a couple of nights before. Caught the “Grinch” on TV, then watched another movie, ate some chocolate from my roommate and rested into the night.
I made some phone calls and did a bit of computer work on Thursday. But was still in a bit of a funk and called on another friend to try to make a movie “date” for “Wild”. She wasn’t up for the movie, but let me talk through my funk. Went to take some items into the basement and decided to tear down the metal shelf unit that had collapsed. Something from my Dad I had moved many times. When taking it apart, realized the bottom 2 shelves could be rebuilt and used. Did that. Took me about 1.5 hours and about midway through wondered why I was doing that. When finished. it was very useful in getting things off the floor and making space to store some other items. So was glad I had done that. Even brought some other items down out of the hallway so I could put more things in their place there. Sort of efficient, but the hallway is still filled with things that narrows it down a bit. I fixed a very “snacky” meal with my smoked salmon and special cheese. Then went to bed early to do a “coning” that I had meant to do on Christmas night, but hadn’t.
Friday the Prez got back to me about Saturday and that 10 am would work for everyone. And I learned by and eamail that our Web Master was also resigning without giving 30 days notice. She also does many high quality photos of member’s art for the web and marketing purposes. That will be a challenge to replace her in both capacities. I emailed a friend whose son does web sites to set up a discussion about him helping us get the site moved into WordPress so other people could work on it and what his fee is for doing this work. He’ll talk with me when he gets back from a trip to California.
After my marketing check arrived in the mail, I took a drive to the bank with the Apartment Rent check and got my “mad money” for future fun. It got sunny enough to lunch on the porch, but then took a turn for the cold again. Started clearing some space in my bedroom and putting things away that have hung out in piles for quite some time. Breathing space and maybe even stretching space was created. Put the ceramic heart on my heater that acts as a humidifier when I fill it with water. That felt really good!
Saturday I met the Prez at our marketer’s home at 10am. She had thought it would take an hour or two to download the info from the computer. At 1:30 we encountered files saying it would take 2 hours to download. We set the computer to work and went to lunch. I rationalized that it would be better for the Co-op to buy us lunch than just have us sit there getting paid to watch files download and she agreed. We discussed ideas for how to grow the Gallery sales and how having a manager could be very helpful. Returned and did another 45 minutes of file transfers and left with what we hoped was everything we would need on the little hard disc.
I was really tired and laid down to nap for a few minutes and woke up more than an hour later. Tried to get some work done by checking emails, but got lost on Facebook and then had some sweet popcorn and watched another movie. Just didn’t have any energy.
Sunday got up and took a little walk through town and to the shop to see if I had sold anything I could relace when I worked on New Year’s Eve. It felt so good to be walking in the sunshine that I headed up to Waltham and took the long way home. Had a snacky lunch, then I started working on getting my studio space cleaned up and more workable. Put away all the holiday gift wrapping items and created 2 shelves on the long table. Found boots in the storage area that I decided to take down and see if any fit, and if not, they were headed to the ARC. I discovered 2 boxes with inventory of pendants and earrings that I had totally forgotten about. Some can go on Etsy and some can go down to the Gallery without my having to create more. And I have decided my “stone” pins can go to Pottery By The Pound Sale next month along with all the Hat Clips I discovered in the boxes and the ones at the Gallery. I then took a TV and dinner break. After that, I headed into my side of the office to clear it up that out a bit. I got lost in that project and looked at the clock and it was 12:19 am. And I wasn’t totally finished! Well, Monday would be another day.
At 8:05 am on Monday, my phone rang and the shop worker could not get her car started and it was snowing. She asked if I could work the shop for pay, and I said “yes.” So I hurriedly got dressed and grabbed some food to eat there. People showed up to shop just as soon as I opened the doors. I was fairly busy all day long with customers and getting some things unpacked that arrived and cleaning up a mess left from the Sunday worker. I had brought the Festival computer, which was very lucky. I didn’t get much work done on it, but got into the conversation about the Board meeting that was scheduled and got canceled due to bad snow. I am not happy with the time the Board meeting is rescheduled to, but it seems set-up against my reasoning of why it is a bad time and that 2 people will not be able to attend – one’s last meeting and another’s first Board meeting. And right before the general meeting which makes it hard to have an agenda created and let the new President, who ever that will be have time to prepare to run the meeting. Maybe the current Prez will handle all that . . .
When the afternoon shift person arrived, we got into conversations about marketing for PBP which she coordinates and then ideas for rearranging the front room of the shop. Time passed swiftly and it was 4pm. My roommate had called and wanted to fix us dinner before she had to go to work if I would be home. I said I was trying to leave, and yes, I would love to share a meal with her.
Came home and got the trash out. Had a call from one of the places with a deadline for an ad in early January for the Gallery. We have a plan to make sure that deadline is met. Shared a meal and listened to what my roommate had been up to and her plans for a future trip she was to take in a couple of weeks. Then sat down on the computer. Checked my emails, bought the next Tony Laidig course on using miniatures to illustrate books. Got a little lost in Facebook and then writing here.
Now it is time to head off to sleep so I can work on marketing ads for Pottery By The Pound tomorrow and catch up with that before the Expert Media Show Tuesday evening.
Escaping The Flu And Other Illnesses
So on Saturday the 6th my roommate calls from work and tells me she is really sick and has to leave her job to come home. She has a horrendous version of the flu. I go take some Thieves and then gather the little diffuser and fill it with Purification to help keep the air filled with essential oils to help ward off as many germs as possible.
I know I got distracted with other things, and never got to doing the Festival ads. But heck if I can remember what I actually did. I think I did get in my studio that evening, but what else . . .
My roommate just barely got home feeling so very sick. She was going to stay in her room other than getting to the bathroom and some things from the kitchen. She had the kitchen phone as her designated phone. I kept taking Thieves and running the diffuser with Purification.
She was suppose to have flown off to a training Sunday morning, but that was not going to happen. Her boyfriend brought her things to stay hydrated and hopefully get well as quickly as possible.
Sunday I wanted to go to the Colorado College Holiday Craft Show and take a hike. The morning started with a call from our Marketer’s husband and we talked for over an hour. I then did some work on gathering info for Pottery by the Pound and emailed a couple of people about what I needed from them and what I was going to do. Time slipped away and after I grabbed a bite to eat when I headed to the CC show, decided to go on the hike first. It was a gloriously blue sky day. And I got the last parking space in the tiny parking lot at the trail-head.
I started on a trail that would be a short loop, but got distracted by a side trail off-the-beaten path. Got to be among the Cedars, so very soothing to my soul. This trail was as wonderful as the one I have taken many times that is now a bit dangerous after the heavy rains in 2013. I had to force myself to turn around, and besides, I was running out of battery on my camera, so didn’t want to be tempted by more photos I couldn’t take. And then, I had not realized how far I had gone and kept thinking I should be back at the main trail. But as long as I kept the park in view to my left, I knew I would find my way back. There just seemed to be so many more choices about where to walk coming down than going up. Found the main trail and headed back to the car.
I found a really close to the building parking space and headed in for just an hour of time to visit with friends. It sounded like most did well and it was filled with lovely art. It was an enjoyable afternoon off. I came home and watched an episode of Amazing Race to end my day of rest.
Monday I worked on getting the flyers done that were needed at the front desk of the shop. And walked to the shop to make copies and put them out. Made some phone calls and emails to schedule times with the Indy and PPB advertising folks for ads. Learned that our marketer had never actually worked out a plan with either of them in the past and both thought they could give me some good deals, so set future appointments. Put some posts for Holiday Market on the Festival Facebook page also.
Tuesday started with an Aine session, then I started working on the Festival “Call For Artists” ads. When the time for the Laidig webinar came around, I was not finished. Took that break, then went back and got the “Calls” finished late that night. Each one needs different ways of doing the information. A couple could have images, but of course they needed to be different sizes. The descriptions have to be either under a certain character or word count, or they can be very long. Was so glad that was finished.
On Wednesday, I worked on various things, including Galloping Wind’s corrections. I went to look to see what I could gather together for gifts for my family and found enough in my gift cabinet to get a good start. And then searched through cards to find ones to send to them and one to DJ and for my hiking buddy. I watched Survivor in real time.
I continued on working a bit on my Journals and sent an email to a Dreamer Friend to see if she would look at them. She agreed. I tried to create pdfs, but they came out huge! After many tries, turned of “transparency” and they became a size that I could send off to her. I set up my lunch for the next day when I had a hike scheduled.
Thursday morning my roommate was feeling better and needed to have a conversation about what happened at City Council. That was a good thing and cleared the air. She had thought about some things and wasn’t as upset as she had been. Even admitted she had been a bit more angry, so not on track at the meeting. As time slipped away, I broke away and called my hiking friend to ask if we could meet a bit later for the hike at the Garden of the Gods. She was agreeable, so I didn’t have to rush as much to get dressed, but I forgot my lunch. We took the same route as I did on Sunday. Again, it was a beautiful blue sky day. Being among the Cedars was really wonderful. Afterwards I headed to Costco to do a bit of shopping. Then headed home realizing I was going to be late for my Laidig webinar. Missed the 1st half hour, but listened to the rest and then took the night off.
Friday, just as I was getting ready to leave the house, my Sharing Inner Health person called and was trying to get a flyer to print in color, but it wouldn’t. I tried talking her through some things to look at on the computer, but still only printed in Black & White. So I suggested she put the file on a thumb drive and a copy of the printed flyer and drop them in my mailbox, as I had to leave. I ended the day with going to the Independent’s 21st birthday party. It was not very well attended, but I enjoyed free champagne, someone’s cold french fries and a lovely piece of chocolate cake. I kept going up to a small group and introducing myself and everyone was either an Indy employee or a relative of an Indy employee. A couple of people I did know showed up and we had interesting conversations. The reporter from the PPB was there and we talked about the last Council meeting and other Manitou related issues. Drove home safely, but felt really tired so headed to bed early.
Saturday at 10am I had a meeting with our CMWL President and a person talking to us about the Grant we had received. When I got home, I decided to do some gift gathering for my family. I also do some house cleaning and laundry. I wasn’t going to open the computer, but my remembered I needed to get the flyer printed in color so opened the computer. There was an email from the Galloping Wind author and he hadn’t seen I had sent the corrections to him earlier in the week. I replied and sent that off to him again. Later we connected when he couldn’t get it loaded into CreateSpace, so walked him through that or I did that from my computer. I went into my feather studio and used the weird feathers I had ordered on Amazon to make 2 pairs of earrings and three hairclips. I also set up 2 Aztec masks and 2 Curled ones. But one of the curled ones I curled the opposite way than normal. Will be interesting to see what I do with that one.
Sunday I did some more gathering of presents and worked on the computer a bit. Commonwheel’s Holiday party was scheduled that night. I cooked a gluten-free green chili cornbread. It was not very well attended, but again had some nice conversations. I had wanted to bring wine, stopped at one store and bought a Pinot Gris, then realized it wasn’t cold, so stopped at another store and bought a nice Riesling. The weather had turned very cold, but no snow that was predicted, so the roads were clear, just chilly outside.
Monday I had a 9:30 am phone call with the Indy Ad rep and she offered me a great rate, but I also realized why we didn’t advertise much with them, the ads are expensive. Then a 11 am meeting at Adam’s Mtn Cafe with the PPB sales rep who bought me breakfast. I really enjoy her and we talked of many things beyond Commonwheel and I gave her a copy of my book that needs corrections and was clear about that with her. As I was leaving, I saw one of the Deja Vu singles ladies sitting with other women. I turned out both of them also knew me, artists from Cottonwood. And one I had traveled to Spain with years ago who also is friends with our marketing person. We talked about that situation a bit as discretely as possible.
I then headed out on errands. Office Depot, Hobby Lobby, Ackley’s, Lowes and Costco. I headed back to get some supplements and they had just sold the last White Willow Bark, so stopped at Mtn. Mama’s for that which I really needed the most.
Got home with about a half hour to get ready for the Chamber’s annual Holiday Crush Party. That also was not as well-attended as in the past. But I got to meet some new business owners and talked with people about the City Council meeting and prepped some for the one I had to attend tonight relating to getting the Festival approved to be back in Memorial Park. I left the uneaten bit of cheese and crackers to have at the Marketing Task Force meeting the next day.
Tuesday, the 16th, I worked on the ad for the PPB that was due at noon. There was nothing I needed in Dropbox, so I had to recreate it and didn’t get it looking quite how I wanted, but since I had been told I could have color, created it using some color. I so would have liked to have had more time, but even at that, I was 20 minutes late. Zo called and I had to tell him I would call him back after I had the ad done. He needed help ordering Galloping Wind, so that was easy to do. At 2pm I had a Chamber meeting. I spent some time working out a chart to see how much $ Commonwheel will save by not having Wendy work right now. I don’t put in as many hours as she does, so that savings could be applied to more ads and I will work on emailing that out tomorrow. Then at 5pm a Laidig “Success in 2015 Plan” webinar that didn’t end at its usual time, so had to dash off to City Council before it ended.
Nicole was walking across the street when I pulled up and she asked me about the Tattoo Studio. She had seen there was a “For Rent” sign still in the window . . . and now when I think about it, I think that is for the cottage, not the building . . . will have to email that info to her tomorrow. City Council was a bit of a challenge, but not for allowing us back in Memorial Park, but a discussion about why the grass would not be planted as we hoped. Some citizens spoke about this and had ideas how it could work better. Then there were two parking conversations. One before the Festival request and one afterwards. Since there had been a big discussion at the Chamber meeting about the “unfriendliness” of the workers, it was interesting to hear the Council’s view about what a good job the company was doing. There is a Parking Authority meeting tomorrow that I will not be at as I am having my Survivor Finale dinner with friends that I am totally looking forward to enjoying.