Birthday Gift for my Niece

I would have to say that one of the most wonderful moments in my life was when I became an uncle.  I have always loved to play with kids, and the thought of having some kids to play with (that I could send home) was something that I had always dreamed of.  So, when my sister phoned to tell me that she was pregnant, I was very excited.

Now, nearly thirteen years later, I still love being an uncle as much as the day that Lucy was born.  I would like to think that I have had a positive experience on her life, and in some respects, she is a lot like me.  So, when she came to me to let me know what she wanted for her birthday, and told me that she wanted some western bedding, I really wasn’t that surprised.  I guess I must have instilled the love of the country into her at some point (could be that I live on a farm), and that is ok with me.

So, I will be heading down to the local western gifts store later today to go pick something out for her.  I really hope she likes it.

Hearing aids can bring neighbors together

There are about half a dozen individuals on my street, myself included, that wear hearing aids. While our neighborhood is not considered a retirement center, or anything, a number of us mature folks have decided it is the place we'd like to live the most.

One particularly hectic day on my way to my audiologist appointment, I was discouraged to learn they were doing street repairs just around the corner and out of site from my driveway. Because there is only one way in and out of our cul-de-sac, I was forced to wait in line with at least 4 other cars heading the same direction as I was.

For about 15 minutes or so, we were detained. As I sat there, I noticed the driver of the car in front of me was a good friend and neighbor. In my rear view mirror I found another favorite buddy of mine. After a while my two friends saw me exit my vehicle, and they joined me for a chat while we waited.

To our mutual surprise we discovered all of us were leaving the neighborhood for the very same reason: we all had appointments to get our hearing aids checked. Laughing, we decided to car pool, and actually ended up starting a regular shuttle service that saved everyone time and travel money.

Memories of My Grandma

When I was only about four or five years old, my grandmother — my mom's mom — had a stroke. This severely limited her ability to do things, and she was more or less in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. When I remember her best, she could walk a bit with a cane, and even navigate stairs (very carefully) — but my mom says that for a while at first, they had to have a lift chair installed in the house to get her up and down the stairs.

Back then, though, I think stair lifts were a little bulkier than they are now, and my grandparents had an old house so there wasn't a lot of room on the stairs. Also I doubt the equipment was as good back then — we're talking about more than 20 years ago, after all. So as soon as my grandma could comfortably navigate the stairs again, they got rid of the lift.

I was only ten when my grandmother died from her final stroke, but I have some very fond memories of her. I used to love to push her wheelchair; I particularly remember doing this when we used to visit Skytop, an old golf resort in the Pocono Mountains, every summer. I can also remember buttering her rolls for her at dinner, which she couldn't do because the stroke had severely limited the mobility of her right hand.

I didn't know her for very long, but I was devastated when my grandmother died. I miss her all the time, particularly when I smell something or see something or do something that reminds me of her!

Business Names: Whimsical vs. Flirtatious

Most people who are starting a new business are aware of the fact that choosing a great business name is really important. However, a lot of those people don't really know how to go about choosing their business name. One of the most important things to decide when choosing a name for your business is whether you want to be subtle or explicit in what your business name suggests.

For example, let's say that you are about to start a clothing line for women. You want them to know that this clothing line is designed to help make them feel beautiful, sexy and special. Do you want to say that in a subtle way or do you want to be blunt about it? If you wanted to be subtle then you would probably choose a whimsical name such as Paperwings which hints at the beauty of angels and butterflies. If you wanted to be more blunt then you might choose a name such as Oh la la clothing. Both business names do the trick but each says something different to the clientele that you are targeting.

When choosing your business name, ask yourself who you are targeting with your work. Then, ask yourself if these are likely to be people who prefer subtlety or people who want it said like it is. This can assist you in narrowing down your choices for a good business name.