Tag Archives: mymixednuts.com

Summer?

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I think we might have summer today! Here it is, on the downside of the summer solstice, and we are still waiting…

But today is beautifully clear, although it is very cold outside, 46F/10C. Maybe it will warm up to 60 or so, which will be a treat. The forecast is for 68/20 but I’m not holding my breath. I am tired, tired, tired of being cold and having the heat on in the house. And I am certainly not the only one complaining. People who are died-in-the wool Pacific northwesterners are complaining. It has been just miserable.

The birds don’t seem to mind – I am watching a huge osprey survey the estuary. He has been very active, diving and being quite successful too! Big fish being snatched! A lovely sight. In fact, we have two of these birds that have made this their own fishing grounds. The original one, which has been here for the past 3-4 years is still around and now this new one. The original one is smaller so maybe a female and now the male, so maybe babies soon?

But I hopefully won’t be here to see them, although staying focused on leaving is difficult. I wish I could simply pack up now and leave.

The nuts are still there and Annie knows I am leaving in November. But nobody seems to be making any effort to do anything about moving the business south to Southern California, or finding someone here to run it or close it down. It just blows my mind that they show so little interest – but want it to keep going, according to Ryan. It’s sad, as we keep getting more and more interest, with a big wedding favor order and a possible deal with gift baskets that I will find out about this week. If I had been getting paid properly, I probably would not be so anxious to leave, as I really am proud of the company and hate to just walk away from it. I guess that is why I keep working at it, keeping it ticking over, even though there is no money in it for me. Ever the optimist, I keep thinking someone is going to take it seriously, and it will become famous, and we will all make money. It takes years for a business to become profitable, and we are just in our second year. Very sad.

My tomatoes are finally growing well in the sunroom. The weeds outside are doing well too! It’s been so miserable, that things outside have had very little attention so everything is looking rather ragged at the moment. Maybe I’ll do some weeding today, put on my iPod music and sit in the sun.

I did find a couple of dress patterns for my summer clothes, but haven’t set up my machine yet. I’ve been dragging, but really must get myself in gear. I need to go through all the cupboards and boxes and discard stuff. Consolidate. Photos are about all I will save. The rest can go to Goodwill! Although, on second thoughts, there are things that I have saved for years: my Belize drum, jippy jappy baskets, Zulu baskets, beads. I can’t just get rid of them. So I guess I pack them up and store them until I am settled somewhere – wherever and whenever that might be.

 

Martha I am not!

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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.

Boasting

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After reading Betsy’s latest blog about her recent adventures, I realize I should be tooting my own horn a bit about my life, rather than just chronicling it. It’s a realization I came to a while ago, that I am not selfish enough, and take too much time worrying about, and taking care of, other people and their projects, instead of taking care of me and going for the things I want in my life.
When I look back on my 61 years, though I must say this last year has been a bit dreary, adventure-wise, I have done amazing things. And even though in the past year, I have pretty much stayed put here in the PNW (although I did go to South Africa last year right around this time) I have put my time to good use.
Mostly, I have transferred what I know and have done for the past almost twenty years of editorship and photojournalism into becoming a multimedia communicator. Back in 1996 in the early quokka days, my interest was piqued by the technology we were using to create the first multimedia web site – that was WAY before anyone knew what multimedia web sites were! My first real taste of it, besides writing and photographing the sailboat races etc and waiting for them to be processed and “pushed” onto the site (usually crashing it) was working with the IT geniuses to create the very first race viewer. I just had a sense then that they could do it, and with no technological training on my part, asked for things I wanted it to do that had never been done – and they figured out how, and it worked!
So I was hooked!
I have watched technology blossom into what the internet has become, and at times felt so overwhelmed by it all, had to leave it alone, not having the time (and often the inclination) to keep up with it.
But it never got too far away from me and so when www.mymixednuts.com came along, I figured, hell, I can do this. And did it! And although I am probably old enough to be most of the young IT guys who work on the site in India’s grandmother – or at the least, mother – I have kept up with it. And now working with wicked-pr, I am learning the subtleties of Search Engine Optimization.
Many times I wish I wasn’t chained to the computer and was out adventuring like Betsy is. And then I think, “I know I will be out there again soon,” but next time it will be with a video camera and laptop doing podcasts and other cool stuff. I am looking at what I am doing as my own personal university (seeing as I never went to one as a youngster) and plan to get as much out of this time as possible. Although often it is frustrating and taxing, other times it is exhilarating, like when the site got relaunched on Friday and it looked great, until I found that all the pages I had worked on for two weeks were missing! Frustration! Actually, I was totally pissed off and in tears about it after going to bed really late the night before, getting stuff done and then getting up at 4 to catch the guys in India before they left for the weekend. So of course, nothing could be done and I have had to cool my heels over the weekend and wait for them to come back to work tonight.
And I also know I must write my “memoir,” not necessarily for general publication, but for my family and my grandchildren, because there is so much that I have done, and so many places I have been that very few people see or do. And I don’t want those memories to disappear when I head off into another dimension.
So in the meantime, I am enjoying the wonderful spring weather, and working on my Kangen water business. And I am congratulating myself that I have my first team member join me! Thanks Pam, we are going to grow a great team and make lots of money that will fund my travels and adventures!

Winter in April

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Sheesh! I thought we were done with all the miserable winter weather, but noooo! Yesterday blew those hopes away.
I woke up to a howling gale and torrential rains, which quickly turned into snow. Not just little snowflakes but big, fat, sticky ones that hung around for half the day! They were flying sideways across the deck, mixed in with flower petals from the fruit trees that really took a beating! Even the kitties, who always dash out in the morning, refused to go out and stayed inside the entire day.
And then, even though it stopped snowing, the rain and wind continued to torment us until it blew the lights out around 5. Bam! Everything off! So much for a quiet evening watching a movie.
But I actually enjoyed it. Fired up the airtight stove and got the house all toasty warm, and I was really glad I had bought a quarter cord of wood in the fall, just for emergencies. Set a pot of water on top for tea which came to a boil really fast! Without the constant electrical hum, it was absolutely silent except for stove crackling and the wind gusts, which finally settled down.  And candle light is so relaxing. I had planned to go to bed early anyway, so took several candles upstairs and read for a while before nodding off in the silence.
This morning everything is back on, so have been going around setting the clocks – looks like the power was off for about six hours! 
Kangen WaterI spent most of yesterday working on my Kangen Water business, which was quite productive and I am convinced that this is the way to a retirement for me. Not only will it generate a good income, but I can do it from anywhere in the world, which is SO important to me. I actually don’t like using the word “retirement,” I don’t think I can ever do that, at least not like generations before me. I love being busy and having a challenge, which is what this and the nut business is. 
And talking about nuts, the media blitz will start soon, and the pitches to all the tv, radio and magazines hopefully will generate a lot of business. I had to write a bio on me the other day so wicked-pr can send it to AARP – ha! never thought I would be so old that old people would be interested in me! But time marches on, so might as well get on the ride!

techie geekie stuff

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Well, the last few days have been all about tech stuff that is tweaking my brain! 
Who would have thought this could get so complicated and stressful!
We’re into Phase 2 of revisions on the site and one of the things that had to be done is to move the site from one type of hosting service to another. The original business hosting was basic on a shared server. This means that there are other sites also hosted on the same one and it apparently couldn’t handle the video stuff we want to be able to use. So I checked into VPS, which are virtual private servers so you basically get your own home server that would be able to handle what we wanted. More money of course! 
But then when we started the revisions which are not going to use as much video, I asked Charles of wicked_pr about the VPS and whether we should still migrate the site. He explained that being on a shared server is not a good idea because if you share with some nasty site (you don’t know who your room mates are!) who gets blocked, that means we would get blocked too as we have the same address. And I thought, well, when you google nuts you get a lot of porn sites, so decided to move to the more robust servers.
I was told that it would take from 24-72 hours to move and that the original site would remain live during the migration.
So guess what? The site disappeared! I was on hostgators live chat for what seemed like hours. Initially I was told everything was ok – it was just taking time. I had done everything right, changed nameservers and IP addresses to point correctly. So I waited. And waited.
Last night late and still no site! YIKES!
So back on chat for what seemed like forever! First thing they said, you’re not supposed to cancel your original account! Well, of course I hadn’t. Oh! So then they dug deeper, and found there was a problem on their end with the nameservers they had assigned to us. Several emails later and back and forth between godaddy (where the domain was purchased)  and hostgator, name changes and IP changes and the site popped up! 
What a relief! “Wow, what a beautiful site,” from the hostgator tech guy! That was cool :)
So this morning, more emails, changing stuff again, back to different nameservers and IP addresses and now I am waiting for the updated usernames and passwords so I, and the programmers, can access the back end, or behind the scenes part of the site so we can continue on.
Man. talk about stressful! Good thing I go to yoga today!
But now I can move on to the rest of the stuff that needs to be done.
It’s OJT for me, very cool.

Saturday morning and it’s dark outside

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It’s Saturday morning, still dark out, but not freezing. This has been the warmest January on record so far and there is no sign that that is going to change. If this was a normal winter, I could live here year round. But we all know it’s just El Nino doing her thing and we will most likely be slammed next year. The opposite is true for California where they are experiencing more cold than we are.
It’s been a quiet week, with time for contemplation and yoga, both a real treat for me. And still plenty of time to complete work that needs to be done on the site, and to prepare for work on the dockside project. The wicked-pr guys are starting on the nut project next week in earnest. I made some changes to the site that they recommended and after talking to Annie briefly, have created more signage for the shipping boxes and bags. Still tweaking things on the programmer side and they will be onboard to make changes when Brian and Charles (wicked guys) make their recommendations. Both Brian and Charles are about Ryan’s age, which for me is so much fun, as I so enjoy working with young people. Their ideas and energy are wonderful energizers for me. Sometimes I actually wish I worked in an office environment with youngsters like them – then think, hmmm maybe not. I would lose my sense of freedom – maybe part-time? Something to ponder.
Because, getting up way early for me seems to work, that way I can get lots of computer work taken care of, take time in the middle of the day for things like yoga and then pick up again in the later afternoon. It takes some planning out, but works. On yoga days, I plan my errands around the class, seeing as it’s not just a matter of popping round the corner for my class. It’s a 40 minute drive to get there so it’s a big chunk out of the day, so I make it worth while by going to the bank, the grocery store etc. You get the picture. So I figure I will be gone for four hours, but then I don’t have to deal with icy roads and darkness if I were to run errands after a traditional working day.
I love working for myself!
All the stuff for taxes for last year is almost completely gathered together – this will be a first to get them filed by April 15! And I can’t see why I will have to pay anything at all – in fact, I think the government might even owe me. That would certainly be a bonus.
It’s time to think about starting my veges and building the raised boxes. I watched and helped Chris last time, so I know how to do it. They are not going to be so big this time, as it is only me here. And I hope I can find some recycled lumber to use. Freecycle might work – a wanted post usually gets me what I need. I will most likely make two 4×4 18″ high beds. And get the organic soil from Roger Short’s farm, as I know how he makes the soil and that it really is organic. Then when the time is right, plant out the starts from the sun room and pretty soon will be eating fresh mesclun and then all the other wonderful stuff.

The M.S seems to be under control, haven’t had any bouts of headaches or tiredness. The only weird thing is I get hives (urticaria)!  I don’t seem to be allergic to anything, they just happen out of the blue so have taken to carrying antihistamine pills around with me, and pop one when I feel and itch coming on! They disappear as fast as the show up. Very weird. Debbie is making an appointment for me with Dr. Jadin so hopefully I will be able to understand her with her strong French accent. It’s difficult enough in person, long distance phone might be a challenge, but I need to do it so I can continue the treatment.

What a Day!

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This morning is phenomenally beautiful! Sun just came up and casts that wonderful golden light on everything. The trees are lit up, glowing and casting reflection onto the still water. It is super high tide, with the dock ramp above parallel which doesn’t happen very often. I might even go kayaking later when the temperature gets to about 50F.
This winter, so far, has been so mild except for the one freeze at the end of November. And I was reminded on the news this morning, that exactly two months from today, spring will officially be here! But I am afraid that this weather has fooled mother nature and our trees which are budding, and bulbs that are shooting up, will get blasted by another cold snap. But we’ll hold warm thoughts. Pretty soon I can start my spring vege seeds and build some planter boxes.
I never thought, really, that I would become an “almost” webmaster. Not that I am making huge changes or anything to the site, but I sure am learning a lot! Sitemaps, google webmaster tools, xml files, .tpl and .php files, where they live on the site and root folders and how to get to pages, and how to fix minor things without screwing up the entire site! I think that, although I prefer to think of myself as a creative soul, my logical brain must be quite good as I actually can see how this all comes together! Maybe my right and left brains are balanced! And of course, taking brain pills helps.
Scott is working on getting the site stuff ready and funded so we can move on that. I have been checking out flip page magazine software and systems and tried one yesterday which is way cool! Much better than the original one, but of course, a lot more money but I believe the ROI will be better as it has so many features to allow dockside to charge for features, like adding video and audio and forms etc. Plus this company provides training, which the other didn’t. So I just have to wait and see what he decides – or more, what the investors want.
Yoga yesterday! I love it and wish it was more than twice a week. But I think that once I am comfortable with the poses and know that I am doing them correctly so I don’t hurt myself, I will do more at home. It does cut into the day though, but I don’t feel too bad about it as I am up so early to work with the fellows in India, and then in the evening so I always put in more than an eight hour day.
OK, off I go for a walk in the sun! What  a treat.

Boxing Day

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If the weather was like this more often during the winter, it would make a huge difference to the way I feel about this place! Crystal clear, brilliant blue skies, not a ripple on the water (could be because it was frozen!). Yes, it was white with frost this morning, but the day warmed up to almost 50F, a perfect temperature for a nice, long walk. The ducks were out in force, and several herons were fishing on the beach. Amazing day. It would have been the perfect day to be out on a boat, bundled up with a hot buttered rum – or something equally warming.
Yesterday’s weather was the same when we went over to Dan’s family on Crystal Lake. I remembered the place once we were there. It is a showcase, a far cry from my very lived in house. The whole house was decorated and it could have been in a magazine spread, it was so perfect. But it is a long way from here, to go for a dinner. Three hours there, including the ferry ride, and three back so we didn’t get home until very late. But it was well worth it. The family is very large, with lots of in-laws and connections and strays like me, that swelled the ranks – the youngest there was probably around 15 months and the oldest just had her 79th (I believe) birthday. Lots of wonderful food, no alcohol as they are very religious and I could have used a nice glass of champagne :)
The pix is from my cell phone – the sunset over the lake was magic!
Now here’s something different. My most un-domesticated son sent me homemade marmalade for Christmas! Ryan has always shied away from the kitchen so it was wonderful to get the jar in the mail today. It took all my strength to open it, after all I could hardly wait until breakfast tomorrow to taste it and it is delicious! He and his friend Les used homegrown oranges, too! Hats off to them. Next thing I know, they will have a line of homemade goodies for sale on a web site – hmm, maybe that’s my next project!
Talking about projects, the site is coming along well. Not without glitches that tax my sometimes not so logical brain, but making steady progress. And the orders are coming in, not too fast which is not surprising really, considering that it is Christmas, but enough to get into the groove of mixing and packing and shipping. Getting little routines down to make things move smoother.
So it’s all good.

Winter Solstice

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Up here in the cold, dark north, this is a major turning point. We know that from today on, days will slowly get longer, the dark won’t be so dark, the sun will change its arc in the sky. We still have long, cold rainy days ahead, but in less than two months, we can start planting seeds for spring and summer veges. We can start looking at seed catalogs and remember the wonderful sunny summer days and plentiful harvests. And days that start at 3:30 am and end after 10 pm. Heaven!
But for now, it is still hunker down time, and I am so grateful that I am soooo busy I don’t have time to look outside and see the sleet and rain. But I do enjoy the sound of the rain on the metal roof at night, when I go to bed. I imagine myself in the tropics, in a little house with a red tin roof, beside the sea. I can see myself there, so I know it will happen.
The business is up and running. We missed the Christmas rush – and though it would have been wonderful to get all the orders, I am glad we were late launching so that we have been able to work through some of the glitches of a launch. The site is working well now although there is a lot of fine-tuning to do. Hopefully we will have a PR company come on board at the beginning of the year to assist with that. I sure have learned a lot – it’s the nut university :)
I found that the stress of the last couple of weeks took quite a toll on my health – I looked like death warmed over for a few days. But now that things have slowed down and working better, I am doing better. But it is just a reminder that I have to really be cognizant of what I am doing and put my health ahead of everything – and everyone – else. Time to be selfish!

Hold Thumbs!

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So when you start a business, there are always things that come up that you don’t expect you will have to do. And things that you had no idea would need to be done, before you can do the other thing that has to be done before you can do the next thing. Does that make sense? No?

 Me either!

That’s what today felt like, completely out of control.

My big goal was to get 9 gift baskets ready to go, which meant mixing the goodies, putting them in the bags, then the baskets, box and label them ready for Fedex tomorrow. 

Ha!

First I realized that I didn’t have one of the main ingredients as it is back ordered so had to rush to the store to buy semi-sweet chocolate chips – 5 pounds of them! Then I found I couldn’t print the nutrition labels from the site because they come with an order, and as I wasn’t ordering, I couldn’t get them. Which meant I had to create them, myself. A long process – create the mix on the site, copy the nutritional values it generates, plug the numbers into an excel spreadsheet, make a pdf of it, create a jpeg from the pdf and print onto labels. And as I am not an excel fundi, it took me ages. 

Then sit and apply labels on the front and back of the bags.

Then go out into the freezing garage and make mixes. Seeing as these are multi-bag orders of the same mix, I made batches and put them in big bags ready for tomorrow. Susan is coming down early to help me as I am supposed to get the boxes shipped in the afternoon. Mixing didn’t take as long as I thought it would now that I have things organized.

The big news is the when I get up tomorrow morning, I will type in www.mymixednuts.com and the site is supposed to be live. I’m keeping it under my hat until I know for sure that it really is there.

So now I am going to bed. It has been a long day and tomorrow should be rather exciting!

Hold thumbs!