I know it is late for a Christmas gift idea, but I was late in finding out about this one.
Deciding to shop local for some last-minute gifts, I went into Dandelion Home and Garden a newly opened, little gift and plant store in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Arkansas doesn’t have a pro team, but it feels like we do. The University of Arkansas Razorbacks are our state’s passion. In sports bars and restaurants, alike, fans show support by unabashedly “calling the Hogs” and then high fiving each other in solidarity.

I realize that the thought of getting older is not usually an item on one’s gratitude list. But it is on mine, and not because I am a cancer survivor, or anything. It is much simpler than that.

It has been almost three months since FAB expanded to Miami and many of my readers have asked for an update. I am happy to report that the Miami team met their sales goal in both September and October and this November looks to be the same.

There is no scientific proof that war is ingrained in human nature, according to a study by Brian Ferguson, professor of anthropology at Rutgers University-Newark. 
But I don’t need scientific proof to know that every Fall, as deer season approaches, my husband and late father would get an itch. A drive to get outdoors, feel the change of season, and shoot something.

I’ve been a longtime proponent of a global economy. But after the glaring absence of China from last week’s world Climate Summit, my opinion may be changing.

My little cancer baby on the end of my nose surprised everyone but me. I was awake through the whole MOH out-patient surgery. With my nose numb, the cancer surgeon took a dime size divot off of the tip and carried his new extraction into the other room to observe under a microscope.

Well, I finally did it. I’ve talked about it, dreamt about it, and needed it for years; I hired an assistant!

Now, I am a person that goes to the dermatologist every year. For years, my doctor has recommended a preventative, deep-facial peel for the sun damage done to my fair skin during my youth. The only problem I have with this suggestion is the recovery time. For a week after this procedure, you look like a reptile during molting season. So, I put it off until last November when, once again, the doctor reminded me of the peel and went on to say that it was also good for getting rid of fine lines (he should have mentioned that earlier).

In less than two months, I have recorded three new radio interviews, torn my home up in a remodeling frenzy, bought a work-in-progress business in Miami with new travel expenditures, and happened to witness the launch of Elon Musk’s first civilian space launch with Space X from Cape Canaveral.

If you haven’t read Kristin Hannah’s book The Nightingale, then you need to put it on your book list. This soon to be made into a movie book has everything, except maybe laughter.

It is hard to believe I have lived in my house for almost 30 years. When first moving in with a budding family, it didn’t seem big enough. Now, it’s too big.
At this stage of my life, I find many of my friends are downsizing . I too have contemplated a smaller place, but with my still-nagging ambition, and possible fallacy to believe “bigger is better,” I just can’t pull the trigger and move into a condo.

As I once said, “writing a weekly blog is both burdensome and cathartic.”
As I sit in the Miami international airport awaiting my nonstop flight (yes American has a Saturday non-stop flight) to home, I think back over my past 3 weeks in Miami (cathartic).

During our second Miami work week, Grady’s parents came to town.
Ann, having grown up on the beach in California, was energized by the childhood sensory memories created by the sights, sounds, and beach smells.

Our first week as the new proprietors of Freedom Flag Company, now known as FlagandBanner.com: Miami Division, has been exhilarating,…

Never one to miss an opportunity, I said “Yes” when my MeTV representative called and asked if I wanted to throw out the first pitch at Dickey-Stephens Ballpark.

This week’s Girl’s Night Out (GNO) was at my house. Being the hostess of the evening, I get to loosely plan the menu and setting. Because COVID is on the rise, we, as a group, chose to be mindful of each other’s family health concerns by communing outside. And because I love games (remember the adult easter egg hunt?), at this GNO, we played croquet.

I sit outside all the time. I took note a few weeks ago when, for a brief moment, right at dusk, I felt an ever so slight wisp of cool air brush across my skin. This is when I began to take notice of the trees and saw they were feeling it, too.

Covid has reared its ugly head again and so have my sleepless nights. Another COVID-19 outbreak will not only cost lives but, again, effect the world’s economy. In the microcosmic world of FAB, the concerns are the same. How would a Covid outbreak affect our company productivity and financial health?

It is not an easy decision to retire from a life of work. Besides the obvious monetary changes to be considered, there is also the uncertainty of an idle lifestyle, and the connection between your ego and the question “What do you do for a living?” If one is retiring from a business they started and built from the ground up, one’s considerations and emotions could become even more complicated.