Blog: Life

Earlier this summer, we were passing through Albany, also known as "home to the Burgerville closest to my house." We stopped in and had dinner as we do anytime we have a reason to head north. Each of my children ordered a kids meal, which of course comes with a toy, like any good kids meal should. Only the "toys" at Burgerville aren’t the typical piece of junk that you sometimes get with other fast food.

On this visit, the "toy" was a small vegetable pot and a small packet of seeds. The next day my kids took these little pots and planted pumpkin, cucumber and tomato seeds with the help of their grandparents. A week or so later we started seeing the fruits of their labor, the first sprouts were beginning to show. As the tiny plants began to grow we had a dilemma on our hands. What to do with the pumpkin and cucumber growing in our windowsill? (Unfortunately, the tomatoes never sprouted.)

I sensed that my kids wanted to see their plants grow to be big plants and because our yard didn’t already have a garden, I had to act. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to do a project with my kids and produce something useful at the same time. We took the only section of yard that wasn’t already landscaped and turned it into a raised garden-bed. While we were building it, I kept thinking about how this kids meal toy prompted such an undertaking.

Afterall, I had to design it, reroute the sprinkler system, buy the supplies, measure and cut the wood, assemble the wood and move 3 yards of soil (I didn’t say it was a big garden), and finally transplant the seedlings. Whew!

I will always remember how our garden started and the fun I had putting it together with the kids. I’ll also think of Burgerville. (I think of Burgerville anyway, because of their outstanding cheeseburgers and halibut fish and chips. But now I have another reason.) It’s funny a "toy" from a fast food restaurant can turn into a long-term marketing tool.

Are your "toys" marketing your business? If not, we can help. Call or e-mail us to find out how.

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Have you seen the commercial for boating? The one where the family waves at everyone around town and at the end of the spot we find out they’re waving because they’re boaters. Here it is if you haven’t seen it or you want to view it again.

For the most part, I agree with the message, boaters are friendly. I should know – I’m one of them. I just wish every boater were this way. This past weekend, however, while my family and I were camping and boating at Cottage Grove Lake, I was reminded that TV commercials show life the way we’d like it to be, not always the way it is.

On this particular weekend, a group of lake-goers decided to hit the water for some early wakeboarding. I’m talking early. Say 6:30 a.m. early – both Saturday and Sunday. That’s too early for my taste, but to each his or her own, right? Wrong!

It wasn’t the early morning boating that bothered me. It was the loud, blaring music – and I mean BLARING – from their six canister speakers. It was so loud that I thought the music was coming from the campsite next to me. That was before I walked out of my tent to find it was coming from across the lake! To top it off, the music contained every four-letter word in the book and then some.

If my life were like the commercial with the waving family, I would have woken up to the sounds of chirping birds, the smell of sizzling bacon and the sight of waving boaters on the water. Instead, I was reminded that everything I see on TV isn’t always true. Of course, the commercial never said I would encounter a friendly wave with every boater, but it sure paints a picture of a world I would rather call my own.

Is your advertising sending the right message? Are you even reaching people through TV or Web video? Now’s the time to get your campaign started. Give us a call and let us show others how your business makes the world a better place.

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I am a blueberry addict. I’ll be the first to admit it. I got hooked three years ago when I visited my very first blueberry patch. For me, blueberry picking is part meditative, part competitive and part informative.

It’s begins with the plop, plop, plop of berries hitting the bottom of an empty plastic bucket. I know I’ve got a long way to go, but I welcome the challenge. It escalates with the morning dew running down my arms as I reach for clusters of ripe blueberries. The repetitive motion quickly becomes second nature as the hunter-gatherer in me emerges.

I have always cursed my height and longed to be taller. But not at the blueberry patch, where it pays to be short. At 5-foot-3, I can easily crawl inside the bushes and seek out the best of the best – big juicy berries, shielded from the hot sun and other pickers.

Hidden from the view of my competition, I become engrossed in their conversations. A chronic eavesdropper – the curse of any good writer – I try to determine the relationship of other pickers based on their conversation. Are they friends, sisters, mother-daughter, husband-wife, boyfriend-girlfriend?

On Saturday, I came home with stories to tell about the conversations I’d overheard, as well as 11 pounds of picked berries. My husband simply shakes his head, smiles. "I love that you get so excited about blueberries," he says in between mouthfuls.

This year, I combined the fruits of my labor with something new. I went to Dari Mart and bought a half-gallon of Lochmead’s Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. This amazing combination drew accolades from both my husband and son. If you’re not a blueberry-picking addict like me, you’ll be happy to know that Dari Mart now sells local, farm-fresh berries grown by Lochmead farms.

Blueberry season is short, so get picking – or pick some up at your neighborhood Dari Mart. And don’t forget the ice cream!

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While I was eating my lunch, which I got for free through a social networking campaign, I began to think about social networking and how it isn’t all that new of an idea.  It hasn’t always been called social networking, but I’ve been doing it all along.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away when I was a kid, friends would call to say that Jafco Department Store had gotten in a new shipment of Star Wars figures. I’m a kid of the ‘80s, and I did nothing but eat, sleep and breathe Star Wars. When my friends called to tell me that the new action figures were in stock, I did all that I could to get my parents to take me to see if they had the figures that I wanted, no… needed.

Most of the time they had already flown off the shelves, because every other Star Wars fan that had happened upon the new assortment had also called their friends.  This created a mad dash with parents in tow. It was grassroots social media. The information did not flow as quickly and conveniently as it does today, but it still got us to the store.

Things are a little different today, but it’s still the same concept. For example, I received an e-mail from a friend about a promotion through Facebook: buy a drink and get a free burrito with a printed coupon. And then there was the Facebook post that said, $1 drinks at Dutch Bros. to support Relay For Life. Judging by the crowds, a lot of people contacted their friends to let them know about these great offers.

I didn’t always get the newest Star Wars figure, but today I enjoyed my free burrito and $1 coffee, because of a little social networking. It builds brand loyalty and it spreads quickly. If you’re not quite sure how to get started, give us a call and we can help you with marketing and social networking for your business.

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Several weeks ago, I was diagnosed with mono. I’d been sick for at least two weeks prior. It seemed like a common virus, but the symptoms were just not going away. Finally, I went to Oak Street Medical and saw Dr. Gilchrist. He's not my regular physician, but he was the first available doctor who could see me when I showed up unannounced, desperate for an answer.

Dr. Gilchrist patiently listened to my litany of symptoms, including lots of amateur conjecture. He said that he'd like to test me for mono, and I was shocked. Do adults get mono? But, as I thought about it, the symptoms began to add up. And then the blood test confirmed it.

What impressed me was how Dr. Gilchrist put the pieces together. Discovering a diagnosis seems to be part education, part experience, part investigation and part testing. If he hadn't listened closely, or been able to put the pieces of the puzzle together, I could still be sick and wondering what was wrong with me.

One more shout out to Dr. Gilchrist. I don't know if he does this with all of his patients, but he took the time to call me with the results of my blood test. He patiently explained what I could expect and answered all of my questions.

Simply knowing what was wrong with me and what to expect was comforting. They tell me it’s a long road to recovery, but I’m feeling better. Thank you, Dr. Gilchrist and Oak Street Medical.

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