As a marketer, under APAR/PR, and as a private citizen, I come across promotional efforts by local organizations and individuals that cry out for help. Of course, non-profits count on donations and other groups solicit support of all kinds. What I mean in this case, though, is that the marketing materials themselves could use some help to improve the desired results. To that end, let’s start a community conversation, of sorts. Every so often in this space, starting now, I’ll share casual observations about local marketing, ...

I’m still figuring out what 2019 will look like for me in terms of making a measurable difference for others. I don’t want to just stew about it; I need to genuinely step up, and I will, but how it will be different than years past? Well, I’ve given myself until the end of 2018 to define that. I’m trying to reconcile my holiday spirit with my concern for our broader “community” and let’s face it; this column can’t be a bummer! So, to kick off the season, I’m sharing with you a few cool ...

November has always been a special month for me. Not only is it my birthday month and that of my three sisters, it is also the birth month of my daughter.  Surely, that alone should be cause to celebrate; but add in the fact that November is also the month of my favorite holiday, and we have a clear winner. From the time I was a little girl in my large Italian family, at least 20 people would gather around our table for our Thanksgiving feast. The meal would begin with a large antipasto, which included dried meats, cheeses, olives ...

We have a big dog. A very big, very white, very hairy dog. Much as we love him to pieces, the big white hairy dog has one down side. The big white hairy dog sheds like a Yeti. Of course, this isn’t a problem if you live in an igloo, or you have someone you dislike you can invite over who’s allergic to dog hair, or you’re someone who likes to knit with dog fur. However, since I don’t fall into any of those categories, the abundance of dog hair is not something that makes me particularly happy. Our previous dog was all ...

A few thoughts are about all I can rally before I get a severe headache. I’ve never been a particularly political person. I’ve voted Republican, I’ve voted Democrat, and I’ve voted third-party. I’ve made a conscious effort to avoid overt politics here, other than to make a joke or two that I couldn’t resist. This week’s column is not meant to be funny, and same could be said about my skiing. I am writing it before the mid-term elections have taken place, so I don’t know who took the House, and ...

I go through this every month: “Clean up, company’s coming!”  I run around the house in a panic, picking up all my projects and spend hours just putting away my stuff before I can clean the house or my husband can clean, whose fault it is anyway for inviting people over!  What’s the matter with him?! Every month, my husband invites people over for wine and cheese. I hate it and I love it. It forces me to “pick up the house,” as my mother says, and get things put away.  If my husband ...

I caught a cold.  For years I have tried to avoid catching cold by “air kissing” friends and staying away from sniffling people. There is a reason for my being so diligent.  Everybody has something and my “Achilles’ heel” is bronchiectasis (look it up in an old fashioned dictionary…not on Google), which is something I’ve had all my life.  It affects my lungs and, therefore, can be exacerbated by a simple cold. I can’t help but be angry at people who know this but still come to ...

Every now and then, life unexpectedly throws you a curveball.  While vacationing at my brother’s in California, that ball just about whizzed over my head had it not been for Jack and Patti. My nocturnal oxygen therapy continued without interruption during my travel to Florida in April and recently to the Golden State. The surgical supply company has satellite offices all over the country; when I arrived at my brother’s, the O2 Concentrator was set up in my room and ready to go. That first evening, after catching up on ...