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Do you know your credit score? Want Free?
December 6, 2010
Dog Sayings ..if they could talk!
October 29, 2010
Have you ever been convinced your dog is trying to talk to you. They really don’t need to speak our language to get the point across do they? I know that dogs of mine have conveyed the following ideas at one time or another…how about your dog?
I’m your BEST friend …don’t you forget it!
Is that dumb Cat still here?
Remember ….I love you best! Get rid of the CAT
Let’s go play Frizzbee ..just you and me!
GET THIS STRAIGHT….I’M not a dog.. I’m your kid!
Old idea still works on “Good first Impressions”
October 29, 2010
Want to make a good first impression?
In life it is important to know how to get along with others and in a business or social setting. When going for a bank loan, meeting a new person in business or socially, or visiting family or friends. When you make a presentation the rules are always the same.
“A first impression is of GREAT value if the follow-up is always there!”
Please try these simple effective ideas.
Smile, smile, smile & dress for the occasion**
- ALWAYS be prepared…. for anything.
- “Up your positive mental attitude.”
- Make up your mind you won’t be miss-directed.
- Control your environment. Look people in the eye!
- Always opt for better speaking, thinking and above all
- Listen, listen, listen! Focus on the person speaking.
- Don’t interrupt others when they have the floor.
- Always thank your host and give others credit.
- Try to be as accurate as you can in all you say. Keep it simple.
- Don’t talk and have side conversations when someone else has the floor.
“A first impression is of Great value if the service after the sale is really there.
Virtual service is of not much value. People prefer REAL Service they can qualify.
“A first impression is of great value if your marriage vows are kept.
** Affairs of state and funerals one should not smile, or frown but maintain decorum.
**The benefit – You will be remembered!
You will be known for your integrity and great people skills.
You will be considered a better person for improving your personal
skills.
Taken by Frank Ryan from notes at a company function in the mid 1960’s. Personal conduct and ethics are very important. These points still have value today! Frank says “ Roberts Rules of Order are still valid, and should be mandatory study for all persons who lead or speak in public and corporate life.”
About our times….a poem
August 21, 2010
Smokey Joe and Spaghetti Suprise!
June 9, 2010
The Customer is always right?
June 9, 2010
Tags: 42 Cent Kiss
March 17, 2010
42 Cent Kiss
We lived in Boring Oregon and it was 1948. It was a small town but a was very compact little berg with a small grocery store, hardware, post office, and bank with our business being the big volume place. Dad and mom owned Jay’s Tavern.
Jay’s was a family type place where kids could come and go in the restaurant during the day, and where I had full run. I earned a little cash from dad doing chores. I cleaned the spittoons out back, ran the bottles out and dusted down the card tables and kept the pool tables clean and full of chalk. This netted me about 50 cents a week on a good week. For fun we kids
Played Ollie-Ollie Ox and Free and Kick the Can!
“Hey Rhonda”, I said. “Want to play cowboys and Indians?” I chided.
“We played kick the can last night and you left before I could ask you the question. “
“Yah”, she said. “I had to go home and eat dinner. Mom was late and I was hungry as a bear.”
She explained. “So what was that question you wanted to ask?”
“Well I um uh, well I just wanted a favor,” I said. “I don’t do favors so forget it.” She replied
I said, “But Rhonda, I like you a lot and I want you to kiss me!” She hooted, “A big no on that one!”
I looked at her and thought for a minute and blurted out, “Not even if I give you my last dime for candy? Not even for 42 cents? I Pleaded. “You bet she replied and came over and grabbed me and planted a solid, dry and stiff kiss on my two surprised little lips.” I remembered later that was only the second time a girl kissed me in my whole darned life.
These were the days in the 1940’s. This was the wild frontier and I was an adventurer just like Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. I got to kiss the girl, just like in the movies.
Great Conversations
March 11, 2010
Here is a place to go back in time and remember some of our youth.
The Sheets
We were seated in the café like usual and having a cup of coffee as we often do. In theprocess of solving the world’s problems we lit off the conversation with the usual primer.
A recent topic that Frank and Duane could chew over and we felt we could possibly solve. Duane said,” Boy these guys are sure going nuts over green stuff lately, don’t cha think?”
“Yes, but do you remember green when our grandparents used to call it frugality,” I said.
“Oh yes! I love the way they talk green as if they invented it. In reality it was a matter of necessity when we and our parents and grandparents were kids to use everything to the last and then use it again. We used to clean the peanut butter jar with a spoon and then use a cue- tip to get the last little bit out, or run a piece of hard crust in it and use the soft side to get all the stuff out of the jar.” Duane said cheerfully.
“I remember a story I heard years ago that really hit green on the head, only then we called it thrifty!’ I said.
My grandmother Agnes Dubraski was extremely thrifty. She was an immaculate woman who kept house as if the President were coming in a day or so. The floors were sparkling and she always wore a house coat to do her morning chores. Dusting, carpet sweeper, and a regular routine of windows, dishes, and keeping up the home were on the docket.
I remember of a time when she spoke of a depression when things were really tough in the 30’s.
She said, “If you think I am thrifty you should have met my mother. Why she was so thrifty it made you laugh sometimes when you think about it.” My silver haired and dapper grandmother noted. “She would buy a brand new bed sheet at Peoples Store in downtown Tacoma. She would take it home to the farm in Edgewood and use it until it got a hole or tear in it. Then she would cut it up in squares and make pillow cases out of them. After the pillow cases were worn she would cut them up and make hankies of them, and after they were worn or stained she would cut up littler pieces and make a new sheet out of them.” She chuckled as she finished. “Now that’s frugal. Grandma did have a sense of humor.
Duane laughed and I laughed and having scorched the green topic we moved on to the economy or some other conversation that we can visit later.
Gunny Sacks & Grit
By Frank Ryan
It was 1952 and we just started to get our greenhouse and florist business going. I will never forget the first job dad ever gave me. We lived at 1805 Perry Avenue in Bremerton Washington and our home, greenhouses, florist shop and landscape business were surrounded with five large city lots of mature shrubs, trees and yard plants with a drive that came down a short grade to just in front of the converted garage that was now our recently remodeled Florist showroom and refrigeration unit for the flowers. It was affectionately referred to as “the case.”
Dad was a big Irish-Norwegian cross and stood 6 foot 4 and weighed in at 305 pounds and it always amazed me how lean he looked even as big as he was. He had a booming voice and a great Irish sense of humor. He loved to tell a good story. But now onward with the tale.
I was escorted out back behind the house and just next to the greenhouse and next to the coal chute window. There sat a giant pile of fresh compost which had a very distinct odor of cow manure mixed in. Dad noted, “This is good dirt. It is 97% weed free and is from Asbury’s Bog. It’s some manure and sand in a special blend I mixed in.” He explained.
Dad had a special mix for every soil, seed application, and wet or dry fertilizer combo. “Old country formulas.” He called them.
“OK dad how do I do this. I have never done this before?” I said with apprehension. At the time I was 101 pounds soaking wet. I was slim but strong enough to arm wrestle even bigger classmates down. My young adversaries always under estimated me.
“You will need to take this square point shovel and fill these 100 pound potato sacks to the top. Then take this sisal twine and tie it off and go on to the next one. I have sold five already so go ahead and fill 5 and let me know when you are done.” He ordered as he strode away with big giant steps.
Without question I grabbed the sack and began to try to fill the sacks. I didn’t how best to do this. Later I discovered it was with a frame and a jig with four nails in it to hold up the sack while it was filled.
So I fought. “ Dog-gone-it.” I chewed as I proceeded. “I wish this wasn’t so cotton picking hard.”
I wondered if I was a failure having great difficulty doing this, and wondering if I would ever get it. Finally I filled each of the five and tied them off. Later when Dad had to fill the sacks he had our hired hand John Bland build a new frame for it. I’m not sure to this day if he earlier forgot how hard it was to fill the sacks without a box frame? He had been out of the nursery and florist for 20 years by then. I did better and better on filling the sacks from then on.
Out & About
March 11, 2010