Martha I am not!

Orris root iris

The most important thing that happened this week is that I am going to be a granny again! Cody and Mel's second will be here around Ryan's birthday in November. We don't know whether Oliver will have a brother or sister yet but it's very exciting :)

Well, this pr and marketing push that wicked-pr is doing is very exciting and interesting! 

The funniest, to me anyway, but so far the most exciting, is interest by Martha Stewart Living Magazine! I mean really! If Martha could see where the wonderful mixes are coming from, she'd want to redecorate! And I am so not a fan of hers! But if we get a mention there, it's worth a huge amount. The only thing better I think would be to get on Oprah!

What's even more interesting is that they are pitching my story to other magazines and tv and radio stations! You know, the old gray mare may not be what she used to be, but she's still got a lot of get up and go sort of thing. What a laugh! So who knows where this will lead. They are calling it a second career! I look at it as a clutching at straws endeavor in the beginning, but now I feel so much more confident about what I can do. It's like I have, in the last seven months, been in a crash course in start up business, yet sometimes I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. 

But I think if more women and men who are retiring know what we really are capable of, when are feet are to the flames, maybe you'd see more of us gray hairs out doing something that is so far from our comfort zone that we might as well be on the moon. And loving it!

It's long days of everything from vetting the web site and hounding the developers to mixing and packing nuts to bookkeeping - and whatever else pops up. But the days are never boring, that's for sure.

But I am keeping perspective and not letting the work suck me in to where that is all I do. Yoga is becoming more and more important to me. It's quite amazing, really. It's about the only activity I know of where my mind doesn't wander from the physical; it is a totally whole body/mind experience. And even though I am just a beginner, I know it is making a huge difference in the way I feel. Now I just have to be more disciplined to practice at home. 

I am so enjoying my orris irises. They are corms I got from a house Susan had listed about three years ago and I planted them out in the bed against the bulkhead. This is the first year they have bloomed and I had no idea what color they would be - and they are gray! Apparently, the root is used in perfume and gin! But you have to have acres and acres and dry the roots for five years before they are ground and then distilled. My tulips are finally over, sad but they lasted almost a month and were a very welcome splash of color and spring rolls in. Next are the other irises, then lilies. We are going to put pots on top of the pilings with hanging plants which should look really pretty - probably petunias, geraniums and lobelia. Possibly nasturtiums too. The poppies are all about to pop too, which really is a surprise as it is about a month earlier than last year. But I love it, they take over the side of the sunroom so I don't have to weed.

It's hard to believe it is almost May and that in seven weeks, it will be the longest day of the year! Even now, the evenings are stretching out, but it really isn't warm enough yet to fire up the weber, but soooooon.... And the early sunrise is messing up the kitty schedule! Buddy thinks that because it is getting light - now at around 4:30 am it's time to go outside! I might have to get him a sleep mask!

Saturday is a Kangen Water Super Saturday in Seattle - well worth the trek over there. Lots of information from doctors and naturopaths, and lots other testimonials about the magic the water is bringing to so many people's lives, both health-wise and financially. So am looking forward to that, and looking forward to being more knowledgeable about it too so I can spread the word.

Moving ahead

After going through 39 bids on doing the site, I finally narrowed it down to three groups; one in the US and two in India. It took ages! Each bid had numerous links to work they had done, so I had to check out each site, look at the design work to see if they looked capable of doing the work. Some of the initial bids were quite high so it was easy to hit the "declined" key in elance.com where I had the ad running. But the more I narrowed it down, the more difficult it became. I talked to the three main groups - to India on Skype! Love it. So when it came down to the final pick, it was hard to hit "declined" because I almost felt like I knew them. 


One of my main concerns about using the Indian groups, was the language problem, but both the guys I talked to spoke very well, and the accents are not so strong as to make them difficult to understand. So yesterday, I awarded the job to Konstant Infosolutions who seem to have a good grip on what we are trying to do. The only problem - not a real problem really, is the time difference. They are exactly 12 hours ahead of me, so when I am getting up, they are leaving. So I am going to have to rearrange my day to work later so I catch them first thing in the morning. Or the alternative is get up at 4 - not sure I'm ready for that, although I do work better in the morning. So I will just see how it goes and I am sure we will work out a system. 


This is quite nerve wracking, actually. Yes, it's great to spend someone else's money, but all these thoughts of did I pick the right group, can they do it all on time, what will it look like, feel like a huge responsibility. Poor Ryan keeps getting emails from me - he is my sounding board!


One of the best things about this group is that it is a one-stop shop - design, logo. programming, everything. The shop will be done by November 5 and the full community ready on the 15th. But I do feel a bit bad about outsourcing this, but when you have a fixed budget, it is really a no brainer. It means the difference between having a site or not - basically there wouldn't be a business at all. So...


Not that anyone really cares, I'm sure, but they will build the community site using a script called DZOIC Handshake Professional and build the e-commerce section in OSCommerce, which is an open source product - meaning that it is free and can be used by anyone. 


My next job, besides gathering the content and pix for the site, is to narrow down the suppliers and I am getting price lists etc and then will set up accounts. Prices vary wildly, but I think I have found a couple of places that will be good. 


Last night I went to a Water Awareness presentation and every time I go to one, I learn something new. Last night there was a guy there I hadn't met before and he has been using the water for three years. What he says is that you drink about a quart/liter first thing when you get up. It immediately hydrates your body after you have slept. So I did that this morning and it definitely clears away the morning fog! I still have my tea, though, but after the water. You'd think all that water would be sloshing around inside your tummy, but because you are dehydrated in the morning, the water goes right into the cells and you don't feel full at all. Amazing stuff! Today, Jim and I will work on how to get a machine to Mick and Debbie - where it needs to be shipped from etc.


More great weather - but down to almost freezing at night - my tomatoes are still going strong in the sunroom and will nurse them along as long as I can.


I just got off Skype with Manish, the project manager, and I hit the "fund" button and we are good to go. He is sending a design document for me to complete and then tomorrow the designers will start work! So this is very exciting!