Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Our tomatoes are in!

Three-year-old William Spence Newby and I got down to work on Friday, March 20. Maybe I should say, we got down to play, for we both had a wonderful time planting our 2009 tomatoes. I had prepared the soil in the flowerbed before William arrived. His job was to put the plants into the ground.


At first William was hesitant to step in the dirt. I told him it was like playing in the sand at the beach, and that did the trick. When William found a few rocks in the freshly turned soil, I suggested that he toss them out of the bed. This became the highlight of the planting ceremony: plant a little; toss a little; plant a little; toss a little. We managed to get 9 plants inside the bed; then we went to work on the soil in the rest of our garden. William used his whole body to mix some revitalizing compounds in with the South Austin dirt.


After planting all our tomatoes, it was time to water. This is what William loves to do best. So he watered. And watered.

When it seemed that all our work might just float down the street, we “shut her off.” Then we admired our work and William headed for the bath tub.


There are only two things that money can’t buy…and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes. With my precious grandson, William, I have it all!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009



Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Tapes from my past


I heard their voices last week as clearly as if they were standing right beside me. From my daddy: “Don’t bother people; don’t impose.” From my mother, “Don’t brag.”

Don’t bother; don’t brag. Yikes! These mantras have kept me tethered to the past. And I can say with great clarity that they have not served me well as I’ve struggled to build my speaking business.

No wonder I’ve gotten diarrhea at the mere thought of calling someone to discuss the possibility of my delivering a keynote address for their conference. What if they’re busy? What if they receive my call as a nuisance call?

No wonder when I’m asked what I speak about I downplay the power that my well-crafted, engaging and highly entertaining presentations have to turn an average day into a fabulous one for audience members.

Don’t bother; don’t brag. Turn off the tape recorder; destroy the tapes. I’m desperately searching for a new tape—one that will bring music to my soul and propel me to sell myself effectively and gracefully.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Bargains Galore


With finances and investment practices on everyone’s mind these days, I need to report on some smart investments I’ve made in the last few weeks. Three stupendous bargains come to mind, and I’m sharing them with the world.

1) Two glue sticks for 22¢! I was so excited to find this bargain that I jumped for joy. When I got to the checkout stand, the cashier feigned a slight interest in my hunter/gatherer skills. This special glue is washable, disappearing purple school glue! What I want to know is this: how do you know that it disappears when it’s between two items that you’ve glued together. Not only did I get a bargain product, I got something deep and profound to contemplate.


2) A 10-pack of strike-anywhere-matches, 32 matches per box. That’s 320 matches for $1.29. For a mere 129¢ I can set the world on fire. I mean that figuratively, of course, thinking of the devastating fires in Bastrop County. One match can save your life, you know. That’s .004¢ to save your life. Forget paying high dollars for On Star or expensive defibrillators; buy matches instead.


3) A short-sleeved, black, premium combed cotton, shrink and fade resistant, V-neck T-Shirt marked down to $2.24. I am most proud of this bargain for this shirt looks very similar to a $65 shirt in an upscale women’s clothing store. I also bought a long-sleeved black shirt the same day. Alas, I had to pay $4.00 for it. This means, however that in the winter or summer, I can show up at any function looking chic and cool—for a grand total of $6.24.


Yes, Virginia, there are bargains out there, and the three that I found have increased my sense of well being beyond measure. There’s magic everywhere!