Really Bringing It Home

Yesterday afternoon at around 4.20pm, we got battered again by another angry storm. It seems tornado activity was indicated on the weather radar/scanner thingies that they use to confirm these things. It didn't touch down though, but oh my giddy aunt... it blew through our little part of Springfield at what I swear was a complete horizontal, taking trees, debris, and branch missiles along with it.

Power, after flickering on and off wildly, went out with a bang... causing me and The Barbara to jump out of our little skins! Hail was the size that hail has no right to be, and after a crazy three to four minutes of if all... I got to go outside. My neighbor's pine tree was down across another neighbor's garage. My garden looked like no one had tended it for months, and the street was littered like some truck had whizzed through there spilling its load of forestry waste! On the corner was a gathering of folk, and we walked over to see if everyone was okay. They were. Just a few folk badly shaken up. Oh... and also a big tree with many big limbs was sitting there across someone's lawn having picked a fight with the overhead power lines and lost!

You know what? Community spirit was fantastic. It reminded me of the old days back home in England, where the elderly mixed freely with the young, offering sage advice and wisdom. There must have been four generations of us all out there, if not five. Many had never met before, even though we've all lived in the same proximity for years.

Power didn't return til this morning at around 10.30am. But Me, Jason and The Barbara sat around our little house in candlelight playing charades, and talking many memories of years gone by. I don't think I could have bought a night like that if I'd have had a million dollars to spend. It was such a feeling of home, and what home actually means. Sometimes, we need reminders of what family and community is all about. It's just a shame that it all too often needs a serious bolt of weather to bring it forth.

And the picture I'm leading with today? Nothing to do with yesterday's storm... but in today's aftermath, I so wish I could be at my quiet out of season beach with only me and the wildlife. The seagull enjoyed many fingers of food that I held out to him that day. It's a genuine pic.

I took a look at our huge pine tree this morning. It's split vertically. It really was a nasty thing that blew through here yesterday, and the big old tree has to be taken down. I don't know how many years it's seen, or how many squirrels and birds are gonna be without their homes once it's gone. I hope a good community spirit will prevail among the wildlife whose trees are gonna be gatecrashed by the displaced cuties that need to rebuild their nests and dreys. I'm hopeful.

Santaniello's Coming to Town

If you're an avid reader of this blog, you will know that this Saturday, July 30th is the first Boston Region meetup of the Indie Beauty Network. At this lunch and mini-conference, along with yours truly, there are going to be other very special guests. I'd like to take this post to tell you a little about one of them.

Alfonso Santaniello, social entrepreneur, started the Creative Strategy Agency in 2009 at the age of 25, an innovative marketing agency offering marketing, video marketing, web marketing, branding, public relations, advertising and more. Clients included: Agway, LTW Custom Cosmetics, The Love, Mich Collection, Capri Pizza, WhatsUpAndWhere.com, The Still Bar and Grill and many more.

He has just launched his second business, The Businews Channel, a business web channel airing 25 original business web shows sharing business insight the way it should be - fun and entertaining. The channel, coincidentally enough, launched on July 18th.

He is a member of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and sits on the marketing committee, a member of BNI, Board Member and Director of Marketing for The Agawam Small Business Assistance Center which offers free monthly seminars and workshops for businesses and professionals. He adds that if he has free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and running.

With his expertise in business and marketing, I am extremely excited to have Al there as a guest, speaking on the topic of "What You Can Do Today to Earn Holiday Sales Tomorrow".

Saturday is really going to be an excellent day, where hopefully we can all do a lot of learning, sharing and growing. A professional marketer like Al sharing his tips and insight will be an invaluable addition, and I am really looking forward to his presentation and to the workshops that follow!

If you'd like to attend and meet Al, you can read more about the event and register here.

Little Darlings

Monday morning, and the base oils are in the pans. I love my soap making. Later today I'll be playing around looking for a way to package these little cuties. Yes, new samplers are on their way. Do I bag them, box them, or tie and tag them?

The Wonderful Oil That Is Olive

The olive tree has a commanding tenacity. No matter how harsh the winter, or burning dry the summer, it still grows strong and upright in stoic resolution to bring us a fruit renowned for its nourishment and salve. A very emollient oil, it has been used for thousands of years on the skin to calm, to cleanse and to moisturize.

The olive is very high in polyphenols. These are a broad class of antioxidants that include flavonoids and catechins, common also to red wine, chocolate, grape juice and tea. Antioxidants are useful in the aging process... they help slow it down.

But antioxidants also hold other qualities of importance to us. The phenols found in olive oil have an antifungal and antibacterial action. Phenols also prevent "Oxidative Stress", a highly oxidized environment within cells where there is an overflow of free radicals and a lack of antioxidant support. Oxidative Stress always leads to inflammation, a common aggravator in dermatitis and other similar skin conditions.

Olive oil is a great humectant. Attracting external moisture to the skin, it still allows normal function to take place such as shedding, sweating and sebum release. Olive oil doesn't clog pores, It is gentle, and hypoallergenic.

No Place Like Home

Yes... the launch day happened. Seven months in the making, a project followed to the letter, and a very successful conclusion.

It's hard getting a make-over. And just like the makeovers you do on any room in your house, you end up with a different look... yet the house you happily moved into once upon a time, is still the same house. Solid foundations, a sturdy roof, and a welcoming front door.

I do hope you enjoy exploring the new website. It still has the solid foundations, the sturdy roof, and the welcoming front door that has always been my Manor Hall. Please, step inside and make yourself at home. I'll just put the kettle on for you...

The Barbara in Pic

So... it's 8.00am now, and I'm sitting here waiting for The Barbara to wake up. She ain't no morning person, and I so want to spill to her about the website home page that I woke up to early this morning.

She's making the drive today. Yes... I shall be silly dancing to 70's and oldies songs with my Sally mom until Thursday. The workshop will be alive like you wouldn't know. I mention The Barbara often in my postings. She's a real right hand man for me. I've been waiting eleven years for her to moan about some of the tasks and duties she does in the name of family. I've yet to hear anything resembling misery or griping from her. She truly is a rare gem. You can't miss us whenever we're out together. We're an odd couple from different sides of the Atlantic, yet we've so much in common. You know... sometimes odd is just the right place to be.

Spot the pair of us in this pic taken by Jason last summer along the beautifully scenic cliff walk in Newport, Rhode island. Click on the pic to see closer. I doubt you'll miss which one I am. The Barbara is right next to me in her shades, grinning her head off. Cool mom dude or what?

The What???

It's 5.30 am and I have just missed my mouth with my morning cuppa. I was checking on the countdown clock getting ready to post, and it's gone. I'm hoping this isn't a joke, but take a look at the home page!!! The what??? I am totally shocked!