My wish for you my friends, is that this year you will learn to live large!  So much has been said recently regarding how dire our economy has become.  It is alarming if we listen to the pundits, and truly I do not wish to suggest that there is no value or truth to the situation in which our Country finds itself.  However, in thinking about what I can personally do in my little corner, I realize that I still have so much control over what I say, do, think, and feel that it is liberating to know that I shall choose to “Live Large” this year.

I recently watched a television show that was focusing on people who spend enormous sums of money on items that they can not afford.  One woman had boxes of “Coach” shoes, that she had never worn.  Thousands of dollars hung in her closet with the price tags still on them.  Her husband must be going crazy I thought.  Not so, as the cameras zoomed in on his garage, there were table saws, and tools still in their boxes.  I won’t even go into the electronics that were displayed, as I probably don’t know what half of them are.  As I looked at all of this “stuff”, I felt such tightening in my chest to imagine paying for all this unused and dare I say unnecessary merchandise.  Then, I realized that in many ways, I am paying for their extravagance.  Both of these people had filed bankruptcy “twice”. That’s four times they had indulged themselves at my expense.  I was amazed at their entitlement as they began to justify their spending.  So, what are we to do??? Go without?  Wear shoes with holes in them, and dresses that are ten years old, and never buy anything new because we really can’t afford it?

Living large, is not about denial, nor is it about being afraid to look in the mail box, for fear of the bills you will find and the lack of money to pay them.  It is about the freedom  when you realize that you are living a lifestyle that you can afford and that you are still able to enjoy the “good life” whatever that means to you.  Have you ever really sat in a quiet place, devoid of exterior stimuli, and evaluated what is important to you?  Those things that if you lost them you would truly be devastated?  I feel quite sure that your list would look much like mine…Family, Friends, Love, Health, all those things that are truly quite priceless.  Then perhaps would come a home, work, food, and the ability to find joy in these things.  Oh, come on you may say…what about the “stuff”…don’t take away my “stuff”!  How am I going to be happy if I’m not able to have some of the finer things in life? Over the next several weeks, I hope you will tune in.

Let us band together and share ways we can save money without sacrifice…will you stand with me, and choose to “Live Large” this year?

I have to admit that the holidays are a hard time for me.  It just seems that they arrive so fast.  I mean, here I am going along quite happily rounding the corner from the 4th of July and I look up and “splat” I’m hit full force with Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I was chatting with a friend from Canada this week and she talked of spending both holidays with her sister, and how they called it Thankmas…well, not having an original thought in my head, I am borrowing that word, and from now on…this whole holiday time period will be know as Thankmas.

I was so lucky this week that my daughter and three charming grandsons joined me and for two full days Justin and Tanner, and Bailey raked leaves and cleaned my garden.  I could not believe my joy at seeing the transformation that was happening right before my eyes.  We ate and we talked and we played Chrismas music.  And I was very Thankful!

Now I am preparing to drive to Eureka next week with a load of new product for the shop.  On Sunday, December 7, 2008, we will celebrate “Thankmas” at our open house.  You are all invited to join us from 2PM to 4PM where we will enjoy refreshments, and a holiday themed ‘fashion show’.  and we shall all have full hearts and thankful spirits as we enter this special season and count all our blessings and celebrate Thankmas.

Have you ever wondered in this day of “Environmental Awareness” just what that means to different companies?  In the Resale business that I am involved in, it means taking as many measures as I possibly can to operate in a socially responsible manor.

The product that we offer for sale, has been selectively gleaned from closets that are bulging and lovingly prepared for the next owner in much the same way that you would “detail” that previously owned vehicle as you prepare it for sale.  Or perhaps the way you would “stage” your home before putting it on the market.

At HollyGoLightly, we strive to provide you our customer with a most satisfying experience.  From the moment you enter our store, to the personal attention, quality and selection of fine apparel that you find, our goal is to leave you with an  anticipation of returning.  Isn’t that what most small businesses strive for?

Not so it seems.  Recently I was privileged to attend a conference in Florida for “Resale and Consignment Owners”.  This was a four day event that left us renewed and enthused and ready to come home and implement new ideas in our stores and bring to you our customer the latest and the greatest new product that we could find.

One of the Consignment store owners from Canada brought us a reusable bag made by Envirosax.  We were all excited and many of us came home and inquired about offering this product in our stores.  Imagine our surprise  when we were told that they would not sell to Consignment or Resale stores…WHAT??? This is an environmentally friendly product that will keep plastic out of our landfill, and they will not sell to an industry that has built it’s reputation on the principles of recycling and living green?

Below is a letter that was sent to my fellow shopkeeper from Repeat Street in Gurnee, Illinois when she questioned Envirosax about their policy of discriminating against stores that offer an alternative to shopping ‘new’.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hi Julie,

Aaron raised this email with me and I despite the fact that I typically do not get involved with customer service issues I wanted to explain our position to help you understand where we’re coming from.

Let me say up front that I’m very happy to hear your enthusiasm for Envirosax and I can understand your disappointment at our policy. I’m sure Aaron has explained this, but our policy regarding who we do and don’t sell to has nothing to do with our personal judgment of the merits of those stores or a dismissive attitude towards those stores philosophy or possible contribution to a culture of re-use.

Basically what it boils down to is that Envirosax, after almost 5 years of hard work, is now recognised as the premium high-end item in the reusable bag space, and we have been fortunate enough to be taken on by the likes of Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Whole Foods and so on as a result. With placement in these kind of stores comes a responsibility to ensure that the high-end image of the brand is maintained, because the buyers from those stores are known for being fickle and will drop a line if they perceive it as being placed in lower end shops.

This is the ugly reality of the market, and we are unable to do much about it. That is why we are actively developing a new brand that will share the design characteristics of Envirosax but will not be under the same brand name, and thus we will be able to supply all kinds of stores without needing to discriminate based on market pressures from high-end buyers.

I personally really enjoy shopping in recycled clothing stores and think the philosophy is great, as are the clothes you can find. Unfortunately, right now, if I allow Envirosax out into too wide a range of stores and doing so results in our line being dropped from the higher-end retailers that we have worked so hard to be placed in, the next phone call I get will be from my CEO telling me to pack up my desk. We are not imagining this either; we have already had our line dropped from some high-end gift shops and specialty retailers because lower end stores in their region were granted access to our line. I’m sure you can understand why we do not want this to be a developing trend.

We are working towards a Feb release date for our new brand and at that time I would love to see our products appear in your store, Buffalo Exchange, and others like it. I hope you can see why until that time, our hands are tied by the defacto rules of the market.

–
Regards,
Glen Coates
Manager Of Operations USA

Envirosax LLC
8520 Production Ave
San Diego CA 92121
USA

e: glen@envirosax.com
p: +1 858 201 6244

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I cannot even express how insulting this letter is, and obviously Mr. Coates has never set foot in many of the resale stores that sell items sold in Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s every day of the week.

When I visited the Enviorsax website, I noticed that under “Our Philosophy”  the statement “The philosophy of Envirosax is to help create a better future for our planet by spreading the environmental message through coulour and script using the Envirosax eco-friendly reusable bag as the vehicle.”

“Envirosax is proud to help protect the environment for tomorrow’s generation by providing an eco-friendly alternative to disposable shopping bags that have caused so much damage to the environment worldwide.”

It is too bad that the appeal and money offered by Big Business outweighs the environmentally sound practices of small privately owned stores where they still remember your name.

At HollyGoLightly, we will continue to search for a viable resource for reusable bags and we will keep you posted on products and businesses that “Live Their Talk”. We will not however, be interested in Envirosax’s new brand that somehow gives the impression that it is of lesser quality and developed for “lower end stores”.  The product offered at HollyGoLightly is after all of the highest quality and as such we believe in bringing you the best reusable bag we can find, both in quality and value.

kate

I’m not sure how long Arts Alive has been a part of the Eureka scene, however, it certainly has been long enough to become one of the happening events to look forward to each month. The first Saturday of the month, brings me driving up from Calistoga knowing that we will need extra help that evening at HollyGoLightly. This month, we are featuring abstracts by Seth Strope. The colors are wonderful, and seem to ‘pop’ against the brick walls. The weather on Saturday was spectacular, and I am lured in by the festive atmosphere and the excitement of the crowds.

It was however a bit more stressful as it was our first ‘Fashion Show’. We scheduled shows at 6:15, 7:15 and 8:15pm. This still left plenty of time for people to shop. A 16ft. runway was placed down the center of the store and the 4 foot hight gave a view of the show to people walking by on the sidewalk as well as the lucky ones who managed to squeeze into the store. It is amazing how lights and music can literally “set the stage”. What fun we had, and yes…we will certainly do it again.

Sunday, I crawled home to Calistoga, tired but happy. Holly is turning out to be well received and Old Town Eureka is a good fit for sure!

As far as birthday parties go…this may have been the strangest one ever to honor an American Icon. But fun we had, and I can’t help but imagine that somewhere, Audrey Hepburn looked down and smiled. The fact that it was the Grand Opening for “HollyGoLightly”, A Most Unusual Resale Experience, seemed most appropriate.

The mood was most festive, the food plentiful, and the Champagne flowed. It was one of those surreal moments in time that I know I will look back on and remember in sound bites. Bit by bit, I will recall overheard conversation, faces from the past that I haven’t seen in years, and remember how my friends and family celebrated with me as I realized a dream and accomplished a goal that had been brewing in my heart for a long time.

My sister Sandy, who owns Ernie’s Speak Easy, created a special drink “The HollyGoLightly”. Sort of a Pina Colada with Lime. We served it in Champagne flutes and it certainly brought to mind the song…”dey put da lime in de coconut…make you feel better”. It was delicious! And if you ever are in Eureka, stop by Ernie’s at 7th & A streets and order one.

My daughter, Kristin was photographing every minute of the event and I have yet to sort through the 200 plus photos but the dvd she presented me with for Mother’s Day is one I will cherish forever. Having her there and supporting me is one of those moments in time that ranks right up there with the day she was born and the day she presented me with each of my three grandsons. Well, ok, it wasn’t quite as important as those days but to have her there with me and realize that this day was shared by those that are most important to me made the day more special than I can express.

Little did I know when I decided to open in Eureka that I would be blessed with my son joining me in the business. Kelly has worked in the hospitality business for years. When I first broached the subject of him joining me in Eureka, I remember saying “just think about it, and don’t say no until you hear me”. He said “I’m not saying no, but move to Eureka from San Francisco?” Well, he did and he is amazing at what he does. I don’t know how, but he has the uncanny ability of looking at you and pulling out the correct size and more importantly the perfect garment that looks absolutely amazing. I’ve seen him do it too many times to think it is a fluke…I think it must be one of those idiot savant kind of things.

So, now I lift my glass and toast you, Eureka, CA! Those of you that have discovered HollyGoLightly, and embraced us. Your excitement when you first walk in, and see the product that we so lovingly bring to you and then as when we get to know your faces as you come back again and again. Here’s to Prada shoes, and Roberto Cavalli sunglasses, and may all your tees come from Banana Republic.

On March 27, 2008, at exactly 5:00 p.m., HollyGoLightly flung open the doors and it was “SHOW TIME”…This had been our goal from the time that we realized “A Taste of Main Street” started at exactly that time on that date. How fitting that the event that kicks off the annual Jazz Festival, should also herald the birth of “HollyGoLightly”, A Most Unusual Resale Experience”.

Almost immediately a steady stream of ‘guests’ began to stream through the doors and we felt most welcomed. The response was very positive, and the concept of high end fashion with “experience” seemed to be one whose time had come. I left at 8:30 p.m., however, the party continued and customers were still shopping at 11:30 p.m. …

Since then, we have been amazed at how you have embraced us Eureka. I am not going to take more credit than I am due, but I too used to be one of those shoppers who felt compelled to leave Humboldt County to shop for the quality and style that the City had to offer. One comment we hear daily is “I can’t believe these brands”. Never will I say “I Told You So!” So stay tuned, I have a feeling that we are in for a ride…

Come by and say hello, if you haven’t already…meet Kelly, and fill out a questionnaire. The more you tell us about “You”, the more we will be able to bring the styles and sizes that you desire. This, our first month, our hours are in flux. We want to be open when you want to shop…so don’t be shy, tell us when that is. What we are hearing is, stay open later, so we can shop after work. Well, we are listening and most evenings we are open until 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. If you want early hours, let us know… we want to be “The Shoppe To Shop” so as we make adjustments to the days and hours, bear with us and we will work it out together.

As ever stay tuned, this is only the beginning!!!

Going without sleep is an odd thing. I can see how beneficial it could be as a form of torture. I’ll remember this for future reference in case I ever need to gently persuade someone to my will. The first few weeks, the body may resist the shock to the system, and if ignored strange occurrences begin to happen, like toothaches and hives. The latter is probably the worst, because it is harder to ignore. Once you work through these anomalies however, one may enter into a bit of a Zen experience in which the days slide by hour by hour. No longer aware of time in the traditional sense, we may indeed enter into a bit of a psychedelic euphoria in which the normal restraints we live in are gone, and time literally has no meaning. It is amazing how much work can be accomplished at this time, and before the hallucinations start.

It was at this stage that I was blissfully burning through list after list of minutiae that managed to take on importance of such magnitude that it was helpful to work in pairs since the other person can ’slap’ you and bring you back to the reality of the moment. I found that I could not sit down for more than 5 minutes because I would fall asleep. I saw hours of the day that I hadn’t seen in years…1 and 2 a.m. really do exist, and if you are working with people under the age of 40, do not seem unusual at all. However, for those of us on the other side of that milestone, the body also determines that you will awake at 4:30 a.m. You may as well get up, because no matter how much you chant “calm, quiet, sleep” it just doesn’t happen. This however is a good time to get up and make more lists, while drinking your first pot of coffee.

This is the only excuse that I have for not writing more on the blog, and for this I apologize. I am humbled by those of you that take time away from your busy schedules to ‘tune in’ to see what the crazy lady has posted and I do not take this lightly. However, after coming back to Calistoga, and three days of “normal sleep”, I awoke this morning at 7:26 a.m. It seems the world has righted itself and I am “feelin alright” (oops a song just slipped in there). Well, I do not really want to be “normal” in every sense of the word. But for someone who missed the sixty’s (I was raising children), my recent mind altering encounter was enough to last until the next store opens. Ok, I’m alone and slapping my own face…

Tonight, I am writing from a drug induced point of view, and wonder if surviving a root canal, while in the throws of fighting the state of California and all their bureaucratic nonsense entitles me to become a saint, or at the very least to be known as “Dame Kate”? Surely there should be a payback of some sort for the abuse that I have endured these last two weeks.

When opening a business, I know from experience that everyone, and I do mean everyone is standing there with their hand out. I wonder why there is not a ‘Start Your Own Business for Dummies’ book? I mean, I know all the steps that I need to get the doors open, but finding out the correct order and proceeding from step one to step 149 is challenging. I downloaded the business license from the City of Eureka, (how kind of them to have it available online). I notice that they want my resale number. Ok, I had put this one off because I really don’t need it right now. So, I head back to Calistoga from Eureka, and I’m trying to get to Santa Rosa to the State Board of Equalization before they close at 5:00 pm. I pull up and park and run into the building, it is only 4:15, and I am in good shape. On the second floor, I reach for the door and find it locked tight. I stand there stupidly and look around, I read the hours and decide the door must only be stuck, so I shake it back and forth vigorously but it does not budge. I see a guard coming toward me. Do I just imagine that he has his hand on his baton? What’s going on I ask??? I know my voice is getting high, but I can’t seem to stop. I’ve just driven 200 miles to get here and the hours clearly state they are open until 5pm. “Oh, they all left early” he informs me, “there is no power to the whole building and everyone went home.” Quickly I realize that it will not do a bit of good to complain to this man, or even give him the satisfaction of seeing my angst. Muttering under my breath unmentionable words, I head back downstairs and on to Calistoga. I think this may have been the start of the tooth ache, but I was doing my best impression of ignore it and it will go away.

The next five days I worked at Sugardaddy’s and that included the Mustard, Mud, and Music Festival on Saturday the 8th. What fun that day always is but a lot of work as well. We had live music, and Summers Winery was pouring their wine. It is one of my favorite days of the year. I always look forward to it, although, this year, it seems that every thing I eat or drink produces a dull ache in my tooth. hmmmm…I’m sure it will go away. So Tuesday morning, I drive back to Santa Rosa and glare at the girl behind the glass window as I tell her what I need. “Just fill out this form”, she says pleasantly, as if it would be like filling out the form at my dry cleaners. “Let’s see, I’ll have one resale license and hold the starch”… I have something gently tugging at the back of my brain, something that says, it’s not going to be that smooth. Back up at the glass window, I smile at the girl and hand her the form. She looks it over and starts to frown…uh oh…maybe she really does need answers to the items that I left blank. “Well”, she says, “you need a form that says you have permission to do business in CA, because you filled your LLC in Nevada”. “Yes, I know”, I patiently explain, “but I haven’t gotten that form yet”. “Well, you will need it before we can give you a resale license”, she says, “and that takes six weeks,… unless you go to Sacramento”, she sadly shakes her head. Allrighty then, I take the form, and stumble down the stairs holding my jaw.

The next morning, I call the Secretary of State’s office, and get such a nice friendly person on the phone, who explains to me while giggling after every other word, what I need to do, and how to get there. So, I hang up, grab all my papers and head to Sacramento. I’m following my map quest, but somehow I end up on a detour and lost in West Sacramento. So, not being male, I stop and ask for directions. I arrive at the Capitol and suprisingly find a parking place. Woo hoo…things are turning around. On the third floor of the SOS, I que up with the other people who are here to get their dreams started. I hear the clerk say time after time. There will be an hour and a half wait. But, not for me, I walk up and hand in my form and sit down. Ten minutes later they call…HollyGoLightly…that was quick I think, ignoring the twinge of pain from my tooth. “We need a Certificate of Good Standing from the state of Nevada”. she says. “But, I just formed this Company one month ago, how could I not be in good standing” I ask? “It doesn’t matter, you need the document”. ” Where do I get it”? “From the State of Nevada,” she says in a clipped I’m bored and it’s still 45 min. until my lunch break tone. At this point, I turn quickly and leave so she won’t see the frustrated tears that spring to my eyes. It’s about two hours home, and by the time I realized it wasn’t rain that was making it hard to see out my window, I had quit crying and gotten good and mad. How dare they be so cavalier with my time and my life, and why couldn’t the giggling girl have mentioned the form on the phone, and, couldn’t they have told me that it could be down loaded for a mere $50. on line, as I learned upon calling the Nevada SOS when I got back home?

I think this was the first night I started taking the Vicodin so I could sleep. But, I’m sure it will stop hurting, since I don’t have time for this kind of grief. So, the next morning, after downloading a form that says that indeed one month after incorporating in their state, my company which has yet to open its doors is still in “Good Standing”, I jump in the car and avoiding the detour, arrive at the SOS at about 10:00 am. I’m feeling better despite my restless night, and I turn in my form, including the one that had red wine spilled all over it. “Will it be about an hour I ask”? “I don’t know, I don’t do these” the clerk says. “Ok,” I say and sit down. forty minutes later I hear “HollyGoLightly”. I jump up and approach the counter with a sinking feeling. ” There is already a ‘HollyGoLightly’ registered in CA” she says… “I know that”, I say, “that’s why I incorporated in Nevada”. “Well, it doesn’t matter, you cannot have that exact name”. This is the point where I feel everything start to spin and I’m sure I may pass out. I won’t even go into everything that already has HollyGoLightly on it, from tags and websites, to leases and even monogramed m&m’s (I know but they were so cute). “What can I do?” I whisper…”You have to change your name…long pause…or you could add another word to it, like a descriptor.” “How about HollyGoLightly ‘Shop’?” That will work. She takes back the papers and tells me it will be another hour. Why is it I wonder, that they only give you the answers you need if you ask the right question. Why does this have to be like a test that you can’t study for? Why the heck couldn’t she say…I’m so sorry, I know you have invested so much into this name, but it seems that someone else thought it was cool also and they got to it before you, so let’s see if we can switch something around and make it work for you, so you don’t have to start over at this point??? Boy, if I ruled the world…So, she hands me the white-out and I change the name on the document. I return to my seat and rub my jaw, who at this point says “remember me”, “I’m the devil and I won’t be ignored”. Another half hour, and I hear the dreaded words…HollyGoLightly”…up to the counter I go, and (I swear I am not making this up) the same lady says to me…”Your name doesn’t match the document that you got from Nevada that says you are a Company in “good standing”…pause…I believe it was at this point that I punched her in the nose and the guards rushed forward and carried me away in a restraining hold as I screamed and demanded to see the Governor! That didn’t really happen, but I did say, as calmly as I could through my clenched teeth. “The…reason…that…it…does…not…match,…is…because…YOU…just…told…me…to…change…it…”! “Oh”, she says. ‘Then you will need to write the original name on this line right here, and’ …”I know”, I say…’it will be another hour’. She smiles a tight smile and turns around and leaves me as I stumble back to the row of chairs where other poor souls are waiting for their torture to begin or continue. And for this, they are happy to charge me $85. I wish I had counted the thousands of dollars that I heard quoted to people as I sat there all day. Every person, and it was a continuous stream of people that approached the desk was paying between $30 to $100. for what ever form they were ignorant enough to ‘not know that they needed’. Finally, at approximately 2:39 pm. I received the form that I had been waiting for. This part of the story only took seven days start to finish, and I guess I should be happy, but I do realize that I do not have the resale number yet, because I must still go back to Santa Rosa and face the girl behind the glass window…I certainly hope that the electrical outage god doesn’t strike their building before I can get what I need.

In the mean time, the day after I survived Sacramento, my tooth would not be ignored any longer, and I called my dentist. He managed to get me into his office that morning and after an x-ray and an exam, he very gently used the R.C. word…I have a bad infection and need a root canal. He knows that I am one of his “white knuckle” patients and is so good and gentle, and that is the only reason I am not becoming hysterical at this point. He prescribes an antibiotic not Penicillin, which I am allergic to, and which means that I must take it four times a day, instead of one or two. Then makes an appointment for one week. “The pain will stop in about 24 hours” he promises, as soon as the antibiotic can take hold. “Ok,” I smile appreciatively, because it’s off to Eureka for me tomorrow. The next week is hazy at best, but it is filled with working on the store front, making decisions, and having multiple meltdowns because the stress level I have been working under is not getting any better, and the tooth has not quit hurting, in fact I am now up to two Vicodin at night and once I took it during the day, which I don’t recommend since it only put me into la la land and I couldn’t function. Despite my handicaps, we managed to get a lot accomplished and this is only because of Kelly, Dad, Sandy my sister and her husband, my daughter, Kris, and her husband, and my niece Lori, oh and Diana my friend who gave me her guest room to sleep in. I am feeling very blessed since it is at crunch time that these angels appear and make it happen.

Monday morning, Dad and I head home to Calistoga. He is pulling a 6×12 ft. u-haul trailer and our plan is to fill it with the product that I have been buying since last summer. We arrive and begin to load, slowly we manage to make a dent in the warehouse that used to be my home. I discover things I haven’t seen in months. Wow, there is a sofa under all those boxes…well, it’s not quite that bad, but there is a lot of stuff. We collapse and get up early on Tuesday to finish. At 9:30 am, Dad pulls out of Calistoga. I figure 4 hours to get to Eureka, and an hour and a half to unload that means they can then use the u-haul to pick up the incredibly heavy display counter that is in storage. So I make phone calls to try and facilitate to this end. Now, shower and dress and it’s off to the dentist. Napa is about 40 minutes from Calistoga, and I pick up a rocking chair from Sugardaddy’s that needs to be delivered to a customer, before I go to the dentist. At this point, I am looking forward to my dental appointment as much as if it were a trip to the theatre. Anything to make the pain stop. Arriving in Napa, I discover that I have forgotten my phone, and need to call the girl with the rocker because I don’t have complete directions to her home. Have you ever noticed that all of the pay phones have disappeared??? I finally locate one, and she answers. Thank you Lord! I am on the home stretch. I deliver the rocker, and then stop one more time at Home “Despot” er I mean Depot. You know the store that is truly serve yourself, as in you better know exactly what you need because you will not find one person who can help, and then you can try and check yourself out with those ugly automated check-out systems that scream at you when you make a mistake. I pick up what I need, and then drive across town to my dentist, who looks like a movie star and fall into his arms sobbing…”make it stop hurting please”. His wife who also works there, slaps me across the face and says “get your grubby paws off my husband”….ok, so none of this happened, but it’s my story and I can take a few liberties as long as the gist is true right? I am so grateful at this point to have the pain stop, that the fact that my lips feel like rubber and my chin and ear are numb, seem almost pleasant. Two hours and I am out of there…now that wasn’t so bad, my brain says…I just need to get home and take a nap. Ring, Ring, Ring…the phone pierces the oblivion in which I am happily ensconced …”hewoo”, I say. Somehow, my wubber wip, doesn’t let the words come out wite…”What’s wrong with you” my sister asks?…”I can’t tawk vewy well, because my wip is numb”…”You sound like you’re looped, go back to sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow”…”awight,” I mutter…as I sink back into the soft cocoon that is my sofa and as Scarlett said “Oh Fiddle-dee-dee, I’ll think about that tomorrow”…didn’t she say that? snoozing now…goodnight….

My father is 80 years old, and he has more energy than I have ever had. He left his home in Arkansas last Monday evening, and drove to my house in Calistoga in about 36 hours. He said he would have been there earlier but got caught in a traffic jam somewhere in Southern California. Dad is here to build out the store this month. He can truly do almost anything, and I am blessed to have him here.

He does opperate on a different wave length than everyone else that I know. He is up at 5 am and working by 6. I am also up at 5, because I am not going to “sleep in” while he is getting a head start on his list…well that and he does like to sing at the top of his lungs as soon as his feet hit the floor. So far this week I have not been able to beat him to the coffee.

So it is that we left Calistoga for Eureka on Sat. morning. His truck is packed to the max, and I am driving my truck with a sales counter strapped in the back. Eureka is about four hours north, and I’m excited thinking what this month will bring as far as getting the store ready to open. About 3 hours into the trip I start to come down with what my daughter calls “Sleepy Car Syndrome”. That is when you are nodding your head, and trying to stay awake by rolling down your window, turning the radio up, and pinching your cheeks until it hurts. I can’t fall asleep, and certainly cannot pull over and shut my eyes for 5 minutes…not with a crazy southern man behind me, just waiting to tease me about “not keeping up with him”.

I am fortunate that my sister lives in Eureka, and we can stay with her. So, since dad does not work on Sunday, thank goodness because I am exhausted trying to keep up with him, we are watching Maverick on TV. Dad is very selective about what he watches, and doesn’t approve of most of what is currently on television these days. So, our evenings are filled with Matlock, Perry Mason, or if we are very lucky, Gunsmoke. It is a small price to pay for his company, and I’m grateful. However, I am curious who got voted off of American Idol last week. I am beginning to feel as though I am stuck in a time warp. Dad has no idea who any of the current celebrities are and refers to Brittany Speers as that girl who wears shoelaces and neckties for swimsuits. The more I am away from the pablum that the media spoon feeds me the more relevant my life becomes, and I wonder how I ever let someone else dictate my choices. I start to feel like I have more in common with the Waltons and the Ingalls from Walnut Grove, because that’s what we are watching.

I realize that this blog has taken on a life of its own, and much of what I write has little to do with opening a store in Eureka, but it seems to me, that I must write what comes out of my head otherwise I sit here with my fingers on the keyboard and stare at the screen. So, forgive me if I stray off course now and then, and as ever, thank you for reading…stay tuned.

In the City, there are so many wonderful restaurants. I know this because my son Kelly is a server at one. On the day that I had my meltdown (for those that read the previous blog entry), we had lunch at the new trendy restaurant called “spruce”

Kelly is great at start-ups. He helped to start-up the Nobu restaurant in Dallas, and also Bong Su, in San Francisco. Each restaurant has it’s own unique atmosphere, and in a City like San Francisco. You are only “hot” until the next “New Restaurant” opens. That is unless everything you do caters to every single one of the senses, not just taste and smell.

As we walk in the door of spruce, I am immediately drawn in by the rich colors and textures. The walls are covered in chocolate mohair, as well as the banquets. The chairs are upholstered in faux ostrich, and the whole room has a handsome feel about it, not feminine at all. You might expect it to be full of business men drinking port and hatching deals over lunch. Not so, as I look around, I see that the room is filled with women. Kelly refers to them as the “Women Who Lunch”. Spruce is located in Laurel Hights which is more of a residential neighborhood that typically houses what looks to me to be mini-mansions. The women here today are dressed to the nines, and I’m in heaven, just looking at the styles they are wearing and the handbags they are carrying. Kelly discretely points out the woman in the corner who is tapping her foot and glancing around for someone to assist her. “She is not happy with her table”, he informs me. ” Wow, you got all that from her raised eyebrow?” “They come here to see and be seen, and the the table they are at is of utmost importance” he says. I straighten my shoulders as I realize that we are sitting at obviously the best table in the room. “Well now, don’t I feel special”. I immediately begin to pity the poor lady in the corner.

I won’t go into detail about the food and service except to say that for this brief period, it is easy to forget all the items on my “punch list”, and imagine I am just another San Francisco socialite out for a bit of sustenance between my appointments with my personal trainer and my interior designer. Fantasy is alive and well on this particular afternoon. Reality however, soon comes calling, and I remembered that I am not Audrey Hepburn sitting across from George Peppard, but rather Kate Buck, harried shopkeeper, and soon to be multi-store mini-mogul…..well, I suppose that reality is relative eh?