Thinking About

Nine Years Ago This Week I Started My First Blog

/ Ally Bean / 21 Comments

YES, it is true.

I’m probably more amazed by this fact than you are.  Who’d have thought that I’d stick with blogging, more or less consistently, in one way or another, for this long?

My immediate answer to that question is: not me.  But that’s a bit too flippant.  In reality, I think that the reason I have continued to blog is that it’s a quiet way to make your mark on the world.  To question and learn.  To reflect and inspire.  To laugh and enjoy.  To connect with people in a casual, easy way.

At least, those would be the reasons why I keep a blog at this point.  Any dreams I might have had of making money or of getting noticed by a publisher are long gone.  Now I write about what happens in my life because I can– and because I want to.  Very simple.

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In honor of this auspicious occasion I’ll do something that I rarely do.  Today I’ll point you in the direction of a few of my previous posts about blogging.  I’ve learned a few things.  I’ve experienced a few things.  And naturally, I’ve talked about them all.

To Comment Or Not To Comment

Blogging: Then And Now [Subtitled: In Which I Explain How I Came To Be A Blogger] [Sub-Subtitled: Blame It On The Dirt]

My 5 Suggestions For Writing Better Blog Posts

An Explanation Regarding The “Absurdities Of My Week” Post That Is No Longer Here– Absurdly

An Inconvenient Blogging Truth

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So what does the future hold for me and blogging?  If I am entirely honest I have to answer: I haven’t a clue.

Throughout the course of my illustrious blogging career I have never felt the need to have an overarching plan with a mission statement, monthly objectives and weekly goals.  Instead I have always done whatever makes sense to me in the moment.

And right now it makes sense to me is to say thank you to all my gentle readers.  I appreciate that you make the effort to visit here on a regular basis.  Your comments make my day and keep me on my toes.  You’re the best.

THANKS for stopping by.

Springing Forward, Feeling New

/ Ally Bean / 19 Comments

Birds are chirping outside our front door this morning.  They nest in the river birch trees that create a barrier between our front yard and the neighbor’s front yard.

Then, because the little birdies feel so safe, they like to flit and hop around on our bushes, concrete bench, front stoop.  Sometimes they even look in the window at me.

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They are cute, but not all that melodic.  No surprise.  They are little birdies whose primary purpose in life is to build nests and procreate.  And to not get eaten by the neighborhood cats.  I’m sure that figures into their nest-building.

I find their presence outside my front door to be the most immediate and clearcut sign that Spring is here.  Last week, Winter.  This week, Spring.  The change of seasons happens quickly and easily in this part of the world with Daylight Savings Time underscoring what is already going on naturally.

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I find March, and the shift into Spring, as inspiring and focusing as New Year’s Day.  For me, this is the time of year to start new things.  To say: “Today I will begin  ______.”  And then go out and do it.  Rather like NY resolutions, without the formality and fuss, but with the follow-thru.

So with that in mind I plan to start anew today.  To follow the lead of the little birdies who are happy as can be doing their own thing.  To embrace change.  And growth.  And adventure.  And fun.

Definitely fun.  Care to join me?

Odds & Ends

/ Ally Bean / 19 Comments

::  I’m waiting at home today while my car, Olivia, is in the shop.  She is a 10 y.o. Honda Accord Coupe.  Yesterday I went in for an oil change, knowing that there’d be more to it than just that.  At ten years there has to be.

Apparently at year 7 something involving the timing belt [belts?] was to be done.  But I didn’t do it then.  Probably because no one at the dealership told me to do it.  Whatever.

So I’m having it done now.  And this, people, is why I like Honda Accords.  They are very forgiving about maintenance schedules, which is a good thing when they belong to a person such as me.  That would be a woman who means well, but often forgets to have the oil changed on a timely basis.  A woman who maintains her car based on whims– and prayers.

::  I got a new slow cooker [aka crock pot] for Christmas.  Did I tell you this before?  Probably not.  Exciting news such as that I usually keep to myself because I wouldn’t want you, gentle readers, to be jealous of my good fortune!

My new slow cooker is shiny and bright red– and works about a hundred times better than the old one.  Considering that I have the time today, I’m going to research some new recipes to make in it.  Clearly I know what herbs +  spices are available in our kitchen.  Plus we have a busy weekend coming up, so fixing and forgetting a meal sounds like a good thing to do.

Anyone got a favorite slow cooker recipe that I should know about?

::  I’ve mentioned this before but as a refresher: Murphy Brown had Eldon, the painter– while I have Greg, the landscaper.  And it being on the cusp of spring here, Greg has been in touch.  Actually he first phoned me in January, but I dodged his calls because I didn’t want to talk about gardening.  Couldn’t I just have one month off?

However, Greg is nothing if not clever.  He started emailing Zen-Den, who then started forwarding me photos of shrubs and bushes and such– so that I’d decide a thing, or two, about this year’s spring garden clean-up & replacement ideas.  [We’ve been at this residence close to 14 years now, so lots of the original bushes are near the end of their vitality.]

And you know what?  Much to my surprise I’m rather pleased to be looking at photos of + details about green growing things.  I think that I’m ready for spring.

Of Salesmanship And Sequestration

/ Ally Bean / 14 Comments

Did you know that at one point in my life I worked as a sales representative for a greeting card company?

That’s right, the woman who would prefer to be at home grooving to her own beat had a job dragging samples and order forms around her three-state territory convincing store owners to buy the products that she represented.

In spite of the job being a lousy fit for my personality and energy level, I was moderately successful at sales.  Early on in my career as a sales rep I figured out a few basic principles that helped me focus on what mattered– that is, getting things done.

Here is what I learned:

  1. Getting buyers to feel comfortable with their decisions requires the insight of a family therapist, the explanatory powers of a college professor & the enthusiasm of a family dog.
  2. No one gets everything that they want.  That is why dealmaking requires negotiation– which requires stepping outside your comfort zone and adapting to each unique situation.
  3. Details make it happen.  Chit-chat and generalities, while pleasant, are pointless when it comes time to sign the contract.
  4. Every person you meet could be your next lead, so be polite and listen actively, at least for a little while, to everyone.
  5. Say “thank you” to the buyer no matter what happens.

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Why, oh why, am I thinking about this topic today?

Well, it is because as I watch Washington NOT find a way to make reasonable deals about managing national finances, I am taken back to my days when my paycheck was tied to my ability to get things done.  Sell more cards, make more money.

Very simple.

And while I was not always enthusiastic about all the deals that I made when I worked in sales, I did make deals.  Lots of them.  Because I knew that was what was expected of me.  It was part of the job.

Very simple. 

So as a way to help our poor [overpaid] Senators and Representatives learn how to focus on what matters and start making sensible deals that are not tied to unrealistic party lines, I have shared my five principles of salesmanship.

Perhaps if all of these Washington jackweasels would apply my principles to their discussions about the impending sequestration they would be moderately successful at their jobs.  And get some things done that benefit all of us… not just their oversized egos.

Very simple.