Cherries

Monday, March 28, 2011

Exciting News!

Happy Spring! Finally, it seems that the early April showers have taken a break and we can all dry out and soak in some sunshine. Last week I posted a very late, "I'm not here this week" message and I let you all know I had some good news. On Tuesday I had a conference call with our patent attorney and the examiner at the patent office. The call came right on time as my attorney advised me to expect a denial of our application in the spring of 2011 at which point we would address the points denied. We went over them and when it was time for the call, I was expecting plenty of stops and road-blocks. Not so! The woman examining our application was very helpful and even went as far as to say, "Change this wording to something like this..." and "Be sure this area reads like this..." She wanted to know how we came up with the idea and all in all was very patient and attentive. She ended the call with, "Okay, get me these changes and I will go back over the application and let's get you on your way." or something to that effect -- very positive! Now we are addressing some of the minutia of the application and deciding how specific or broad we can go. If all goes well, we could have our patent issued this summer! Isn't that exciting? Other than this big news, our weather has been noteworthy. So wild, the Weather Channel was in Truckee this weekend reporting from Old Town and Squaw Valley. Thursday Hwy 80 was closed for a full 24 hours and upon my initial research (very unofficial), this is the longest closure of Hwy 80 ever. The last time it came close was in the 1980s. We were snuggled up watching the spectacular show of snow and wind while enjoying hot beverages and movies. Funny thing, we often think that more snow is better, but there is so much snow, it was even hard to play in it! Oh, we found a way, but it took some creativity. We missed our usual company for this Truckee weekend, but then again, it was really nice just being together as a family. I kept thinking about this as I watched the snow fall. I noticed how most of the snowflakes were so tiny, yet one by one, they made hundreds of square feet of snow! In light of my progress report on our pending patent, take note how long we've been on this journey (Since January 2008) and imagine how many single phone calls, hours (sometimes minutes) of Internet research, hundreds of other "things to do," and even days and weeks of nothing to do add up to where we are today. In essence, time passes at the same rate for all of us, start whatever it is you want to accomplish so you can be basking in your success, too! Every little task completed is one step closer to that victory! With that, we not only have another opportunity to make this week great, but we have sunshine in the forecast! Later this week and next weekend we are supposed to see temps in the high 70s! If that won't make you smile, nothing will!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Uh-Oh!

Hello friends!

Yes! Yes! I'm okay - just going a million miles an hour this week. I actually have some really fun news but no time right now to share it. I will make up for it next week!

Happy almost Wednesday!

Smiles,
Kathy

Monday, March 14, 2011

Gratitude and Rainy Days

Happy Monday!

Life as I know it is busy. There is light at the end of the tunnel though as I have not been readily accepting invitations to participate in parties or community things nearly as much as I would like to. I'm wrapping up several of the commitments I have made and having not taken on new things, I'm seeing the light. School has taken up a lot of my time but it's time well spent. I am realizing more each day how much I have to learn and loving the process.

This weekend Mason and I had a Saturday filled with errands and fun. We went to the bank, got Mason's hair cut, picked up some donations for the fundraiser I'm working on, got some new shoes, and Mason got a Jamba Juice and video rental. The last two made the day a complete winner for him! I know it was good because he said, "Thank you mom, this has been the best day!" without me even having to fish for his appreciation.

Sunday was the work-at-home day. I did household stuff like dishes, laundry and I went through all my clothes generating a big bag to donate. After all that busy work, Mason and I decided to take a walk in the rain. What fun! Me with my umbrella and Mason on his scooter, we splished and splashed all through downtown Auburn. A funny little quip, in normal mom mode, I shouted to Mason to not get in the puddles soaking his feet. He stopped and said, "Mom, we are walking in the rain. Rain mom. Rain is wet." All I could do was laugh at my need to "be in charge." So wet we got, feet soaked through and happy as could be.


The walk in the rain on Sunday reminded me how lucky we are that we are healthy and whole, especially in light of all the devastation in Japan. If you have ever questioned that we are all connected, just look at the footage of what happened thousands of miles away in Japan and how, right here in California, Santa Cruz and Crescent City were impacted. Rest assured, we are all in this together, for better and for worse. Love and kindness are necessary.

Make this week great. Be sure to tell those you love that you love them, and be kind to those you don't love. It matters.

Monday, March 7, 2011

He Lands It!

Happy Monday!

As promised, I have something worthwhile to share with you all today. I sent out the Power Point presentation that I made from my day of skiing with Mason on Friday. It was one of those days as a parent when your child innocently holds the proverbial mirror up for you to see your frowny-face attitude. For just a moment, I forgot that I believe we all have to start somewhere and instead of encouraging him to try, I poo-pooed his excitement. Fortunately for me, I took lots of pictures and in reviewing them later, it became very clear that Mason is a determined kid with a super optimistic outlook. I'm taking his message today, sharing it with you, and hopefully it will stay with me, too! If you couldn't see the PP, you can see an Animoto on my blog, it's shorter but you will get the point. Link to short video

More good news, ZipperBack Gloves has done very well and in completing my taxes yesterday, we have taken in more than eight times what we did last year in gross sales (don't get too excited, we started with a very low number). The way I see it, though we have not recovered our legal costs, we are moving in the right direction and that's from red to black on the sales of gloves.

Now that my taxes are done and I seem to be finding a rhythm with work and school, it's time to start decluttering again as we prepare to pack and move this summer. It seems like it will be a whole lot easier to do it slowly so we are not packing all the crap because we feel rushed to make a decision about if it should stay or go. My plan is to do one room at a time, sorting and packing, making decisions about what we really need to keep and what can go be useful elsewhere. I'm planning to have lots of stuff go and move into a new space with only what we need and really want.

I hope Mason inspired you with his determination to ride that rail like he did me. His strong will drives me crazy some days, but never so much so that I don't recognize what an asset it will be to him as long as it is channeled and applied appropriately. And there in lies my job as his mom. Happy Monday friends!