tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes/1 2010-02-09T14:02:44Z "Things I would not tell anyone, I tell the public." ~ Michel de Montaigne Movable Type 4.32-en tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2455 2010-02-09T13:59:15Z 2010-02-09T14:02:44Z

Haiku with high tea Best to sip slowly Don't brew the oolong too long Note: Click and scroll HERE for more teapoet poems....

Colleen Haiku with high tea Best to sip slowly Don't brew the oolong too long Note: Click and scroll HERE for more teapoet poems. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2454 2010-02-08T15:22:09Z 2010-02-08T15:31:25Z

The snowed-in took advantage of Sunday's sun to get outside for a walk in the neighborhood. This group broke the cabin fever with tea and cookies and good conversation inside the warmth of our house before heading back up...

Colleen The snowed-in took advantage of Sunday's sun to get outside for a walk in the neighborhood. This group broke the cabin fever with tea and cookies and good conversation inside the warmth of our house before heading back up the homegrown plowed hill to their farm. The creeks were full and rushing. Old mailboxes were full of winter's special delivery. A snow covered mill looked picturesque at sunset. Horses enjoyed a supper of hay. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2453 2010-02-06T23:03:39Z 2010-02-07T00:20:59Z

Snowed-in and sick, but it could be worse. We got Nora Jones on the stereo, dry wood for the stove, and a pot full of hot miso soup. We got tissues and cough drops, a down comforter spread. We...

Colleen Snowed-in and sick, but it could be worse. We got Nora Jones on the stereo, dry wood for the stove, and a pot full of hot miso soup. We got tissues and cough drops, a down comforter spread. We got PBS and a library movie to watch. Our neighbor plows the driveway for the third time this winter. We thank him with venison burger. We got merino wool long johns and fur lined moccasins. We got back rubs and hot baths to soak in. The bird bath angel in the yard is decked in a full length gown of snow and the wrought iron lawn chairs are up to their seats with it. I'm waiting by the window for the pileated woodpecker to return, so I can crank a window open and snap a zoomed in photo. Snowed-in and sick, but it could be worse. So far we haven't lost power. Note: Should I call baby Bryce to shovel our cars out? HERE he is shoveling out his own. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2452 2010-02-05T20:36:45Z 2010-02-05T20:42:19Z

~ The following appeared in The Floyd press on February 4, 2010. Computer consultant Ben Kiser is not your average technician. The 1999 ECPI College of Technology graduate and owner of Kiser Computing Consulting LLC not only repairs computers and...

Colleen ~ The following appeared in The Floyd press on February 4, 2010. Computer consultant Ben Kiser is not your average technician. The 1999 ECPI College of Technology graduate and owner of Kiser Computing Consulting LLC not only repairs computers and keeps them running smoothly, he also makes house calls. Kiser, a North Carolina native and father of two, had completed an associate's degree in architecture when he realized the potential of the computer field and decided to make a career change. While pursuing his degree in computer electronics and during his 9 years working as a System Engineer for Carilion Clinic, he repaired computers for his family and friends on the side. By the time Kiser started his home-based business in the fall of 2008, he had a built-in clientele. Still, it was a leap to trust that the business would grow enough to support him and his family fulltime, Kiser said. With the growth of computer use, the advent of high speed internet in the area, and word-of-mouth referrals, Kiser's faith and skills have paid off. "I've been busier in the last two months than I've been all year," he noted. Locally, Kiser has installed or cleaned up cable networking (for internet, phone, and TV) for The Village Green, The Station, Collin's Chiropractic Clinic, LCF Group, The Maples Bed and Breakfast, Crenshaw Lighting, Slaughters, and more. He's traveled to Hillsville and Roanoke and places in-between for work and has been all over Floyd County. As a resident of Floyd since the 7th grade, Kiser knows his way around the county. He also understands the lack of technical skill that can make even unplugging a computer system - with its multitude of cords - an ordeal for some home users. 'We're here to help step by step. Not geek you out,' the Kiser Computing Consulting webpage (kisercomputerconsulting.com) tagline reads. Whether working for small businesses or individuals, customer relationship is Kiser's specialty. The benefit of making house calls is that he can explain computer problems in language that his customers understand and can show them detailed strategies for solving those problems, Kiser said. If a computer needs extensive work and has to be taken back to his home shop, he returns when its fixed and reinstalls it, making sure it's working before he leaves. Through his small business account with Dell, Kiser can order high quality business class computers at a discount and pass the savings on to his customers. He also saves customers money by directing them to free online sites that can assist in keeping their computers running fast and clean. As a follow-up to his services, he's created a youtube video that provides a step by step guide through the maintenance process. Working from home allows Kiser to spend more time with his family. His wife, Holly (Nolen) Kiser, is a licensed day care provider who also works out of the family's home, a log home that Kiser built six miles out of town on Franklin Pike. Kiser appreciates that he has the freedom to adjust his schedule so that he can pick up his 7-year old daughter Alexis at the school bus stop, his 4-year old son Levi from pre-school, or help out his wife. "But I also put in more hours than I would at a regular job," he said about being self-employed. Advice Kiser received from a business associate has become his company's mission. "If you want to be successful do good work and keep your customers happy," Kiser remembers being advised. Satisfied customers are important to Kiser. He also enjoys what he does. "I'm a problem solver. I work on something till it's fixed. There's a satisfaction to seeing something fixed," he said. ~ Colleen Redman ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2451 2010-02-04T03:19:43Z 2010-02-05T00:17:29Z

1. Ipod and Ipad inventors are running out of vowels for naming their future inventions. Somehow Ipud, Ipid, and Iped don't ring a bell. 2. I can't help wondering if Apple co-founder and Ipad inventor Steve Jobs's productivity has anything...

Colleen 1. Ipod and Ipad inventors are running out of vowels for naming their future inventions. Somehow Ipud, Ipid, and Iped don't ring a bell. 2. I can't help wondering if Apple co-founder and Ipad inventor Steve Jobs's productivity has anything to do with his last name (and the fact that it's plural). 3. Jobs, a billionaire Buddhist who's been referred to as the Edison our times, gives this business advice: "My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people." 4. Most reliable 24 hour weather report: The window. 5. Strangest weird creative thing found online this week HERE. 6. LOST: THIS purple wool beret. Email credman@swva.net if you know where it is. 7. I want to wear THIS to the Floyd Mardi Gras bash on February 20th at the Winter Sun Hall. 8. Have you heard of the Ipad for feminine protection? Apparently it's the predecessor to the Apple Ipad and boasts the ability to "download protection for up to a 1,000 periods." Watch the video HERE. 9. My husband's about to launch a new organization that will bring together all aspects of his work with teens as a counselor, meditation teacher, and martial arts practitioner. It's called iBme (Inward Bound Meditation Education). 10. Catching a cold from your partner is like the weather man predicting a snow storm but because you're in denial, you don't move your car near the road and then the storm hits and you can't get out for days because it's stuck. 11. Learning that the late J.D. Salinger fought in the Battle of the Bulge, was among the first troops to enter a liberated concentration camp, and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome made me wonder if he knew my dad, who did (or had) "all of the above." 12. I ran into my neighbor doctor at the mailbox today and he asked me how I was. "On top of the snow, ice, frigid temperatures, and catching a cold, I now have a bad case of cabin fever," I answered. He didn't have anything for that. 13. Salinger considered publishing an invasion of his privacy. He also said this, "I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy." More 13 play HERE. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2450 2010-02-03T04:42:47Z 2010-02-03T20:55:23Z

Sparkling night ignited Stars boil over from the big dipper a milky way of tea ~ From Teapoet, my chapbook of tea haiku and other sips of poetic brew. More teapoems can be read HERE....

Colleen Sparkling night ignited Stars boil over from the big dipper a milky way of tea ~ From Teapoet, my chapbook of tea haiku and other sips of poetic brew. More teapoems can be read HERE. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2449 2010-02-02T00:30:46Z 2010-02-02T16:59:50Z

Last week I got an email from Gary, who blogs at Coffee Muses, telling me that my Asheville potter son Josh Copus is featured in the Artist Spotlight of the latest issue of Our State magazine. I hadn't seen it...

Colleen Last week I got an email from Gary, who blogs at Coffee Muses, telling me that my Asheville potter son Josh Copus is featured in the Artist Spotlight of the latest issue of Our State magazine. I hadn't seen it yet and neither had Josh, but we got our hands on one quick. "I got a real kick when I turned the page and saw the picture and thought wow, I know that guy...and we've never met!" wrote Gary, a Loose Leaf Notes reader whose been reading my ongoing posts documenting Josh's work. The title refers to the lifetime supply of wild clay that Josh and another potter dug from a Leicester County farmer's field not fit for growing tobacco. The writer of the piece, Alli Marshall, did a masterful job of weaving together the highlights of Josh's ceramics career in the past five years: The founding of Clayspace, the working studio and gallery that Josh founded in the River Arts District of Asheville; His UNC of Asheville BFA Building Community graduate show that featured a giant wall of 1,000 hand-built bricks with the word COMMUNITY on them, ceramics exhibits and performance art; The Windgate Fellowship grant he was awarded that allowed him to buy property in the country where he built The Community Temple, a large noborigami climbing chamber kiln; The 3 week immersion Carolina Kiln Build that Josh hosted on his property, where 12 potters from around the country built two kilns; even the incorporation of one of Josh's Community bricks incorporated into the wall at the Wedge Brewery, where a beer (Community Porter) is named after Josh and where Josh is a weekend bartender. The magazine Our State is to North Carolina what Blue Ridge Country is to Virginia. The article is broken up into 3 sections: Building Kilns, Studio Strolls, and Community Firepower, which are accompanied large colorful photos. In the closing paragraph Josh talks about the downtown Clayspace studio and gallery, saying, "This place is a huge part of my identity. I like the activity and the interaction." Marshall writes, and I get chills, "While much of the integral interaction is with the other Co-op ceramists, Copus is quick to include the outside community - tourists, art enthusiasts, serious collectors, and curious passersby - when chalking up important connections. "The reason people need this" - he nods to the handmade coffee mug almost always in his grip - "is the same reason they need to get out in nature or visit a farm. To reconnect. When people come here, they get to meet the artists; they like that. I'm in here being as real as I can because people are buying a part of my life." ~ To read more about Josh's potter's adventures click HERE and scroll. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2448 2010-01-31T17:21:52Z 2010-02-01T20:33:26Z

My living room window is like a wide screen TV where I'm watching the Saturday morning snow show. Wood smoke pours down from the chimney and floats in and out of the downy flurry. Birds hop and peck at...

Colleen My living room window is like a wide screen TV where I'm watching the Saturday morning snow show. Wood smoke pours down from the chimney and floats in and out of the downy flurry. Birds hop and peck at the seed below the feeder. Tree limbs catch flakes. Inside where it's toasty warm, water pipes tick and the rocking chair squeaks. Closing my eyes for my morning meditation, I become aware of how drowsy I am. Soon, my head drops down to my chest and the dreamless morning drifts like a spilled pillow of angora falling silently to the floor. See the video clip HERE. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2447 2010-01-30T00:11:55Z 2010-01-30T00:49:31Z

1. Flight Risk 2. Down and Out 3. Santa's Big Hangover 4. Brighter Days Ahead...

Colleen 1. Flight Risk 2. Down and Out 3. Santa's Big Hangover 4. Brighter Days Ahead ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2446 2010-01-28T13:20:05Z 2010-02-01T20:31:27Z

1. Joe, leaves the house, kisses Colleen and says: "See you later, sweet pea." Colleen kisses Joe back and answers: "If I'm a pea, then you're a pie, as in sweetie pie." 2. My poem "After the Golden Globes and...

Colleen 1. Joe, leaves the house, kisses Colleen and says: "See you later, sweet pea." Colleen kisses Joe back and answers: "If I'm a pea, then you're a pie, as in sweetie pie." 2. My poem "After the Golden Globes and in honor of Valentine Day" has been published at Ronni Bennett's Elder Story Telling site HERE. 3. "I think the heart has to seep under the floorboard like water or slip through like mail. I hope for a low threshold when it comes to love." ~ That was my answer to my blogging friend Poe when she asked, "How do people get into your heart?" HERE. 4. Speaking of leaks, Sunday we woke to a leak that flooded part of our basement. It had rained so hard and long that it seeped into the foundation. Our water pump man confirmed that we weren't the only ones. 5. Confused about Health Care Reform? A very good and balanced article on health care reform is HERE. 6. Our warmed up leftovers from Floyd's new Mickey G's Italian Bistro and Pizzeria tasted as good on Sunday as they did on Saturday night. "I can get addicted to this," I said to Joe, "but think of all the money we'll save. We don't have to go to Italy now!" 7. THIS is the song that's been stuck in my head ever since eating at Mickey G's. 8. How Joe went from being called Oprah to Opa: My kids use to tease Joe when his long curly hair got big and unruly by calling him "Ofra Winfrey." Now he's just called Opa (as in Grampa in German) by 18 month old Bryce. 9. I had fun coming up with names for THIS video: Block Talk, Knock your block off, and If You Build It, It Will Fall. 10. When faucets leak here does the water go? Does it drip down into an underground purgatory? Collect into selfish pools that no one can drink from? Like a ticking clock our lives spill out. Drop by drop children die drinking dirty water. While rest of the world sprinkles their lawns, kills dandelions, and sings in the shower. ~ Excerpt from an old poem, titled The Leaky Faucet. 11. Current pet peeve: Buying olive oil by mistake that isn't virgin because it and the non-virgin oil bottles look the same. Virgin olive oil isn't hydrogenated, whereas light olive oil is, and so is a walking heart attack. It doesn't taste as good either. 12. Sayings that I first heard in 80's that just came back to mind: Walk your Talk, What You Resists Persists, Just say Know, and Go with the Flow! 13. Question for Mickey G? Does the G stand for garlic? Go with the flow to other Thirteen Thursday's HERE. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2445 2010-01-27T14:13:41Z 2010-01-28T16:19:54Z

The moon is a mutiny a one bubble revolution escape from the sky-sea of sudsy clouds It floats across the heavens like a flower child pagan in peaceful demonstration against the status quo...

Colleen The moon is a mutiny a one bubble revolution escape from the sky-sea of sudsy clouds It floats across the heavens like a flower child pagan in peaceful demonstration against the status quo tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2444 2010-01-26T14:23:30Z 2010-02-05T04:19:33Z

~ The following was published in The Floyd Press on January 28, 2010. Those familiar with the culinary talents of Michael Gucciardo have waited five years for him to come back home to Floyd. A native New Yorker, Michael...

Colleen ~ The following was published in The Floyd Press on January 28, 2010. Those familiar with the culinary talents of Michael Gucciardo have waited five years for him to come back home to Floyd. A native New Yorker, Michael learned how to cook authentic Italian food from his father and other family members born in Italy. Although he has cooked in Virginia restaurants throughout the region, his Floyd following of fans was formed during his many years as chef (and sometime co-owner) of The Pine Tavern Restaurant. Gucciardo's new place, called Mickey G's Italian Bistro and Pizzeria, was packed on Saturday night, just two nights after the restaurant's opening. One table of twelve was there to celebrate Gucciardo's return. A Frank Sinatra recording played in the background. Neighbors greeted each other, as waiters (mostly Gucciardo family members) hustled by carrying dishes that showed off Gucciardo's knack with capers, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, olive oil, garlic, and roasted red peppers. Some diners couldn't resist craning their necks to see menu offerings at other tables. There were mussels, fried squid, swordfish, antipasto salad, meatballs, pizza, focaccia bread, and dishes with names that were hard to pronounce, such as rapini salsiccia (pasta with broccoli raab and Italian sausage). The portions were hearty and affordable, and the ambience in the bistro was lively. At one point Gucciardo came into the dining room area and customers toasted and applauded him. It was obvious by the turnout and the warm reception he received that Floyd is glad to have Gucciardo back in town. Post Notes: Mickey G's is located next to the Floyd Fitness Center on Parkview Road. Menu listing and other information can be found at the Mickey G's website. A short video clip of Gucciardo interacting with diners on Saturday night can be found HERE. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2443 2010-01-24T21:00:24Z 2010-01-26T05:09:23Z

A Museletter mascot, a 30 year anniversary party, and a monthly crossword puzzle of Floyd County trivia were some of the ideas given at the Consensus Workshop at the library on Saturday. The workshop was facilitated by Andy Morikawa of...

Colleen A Museletter mascot, a 30 year anniversary party, and a monthly crossword puzzle of Floyd County trivia were some of the ideas given at the Consensus Workshop at the library on Saturday. The workshop was facilitated by Andy Morikawa of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley to discuss the future of the Museletter, the homespun community forum, which was created by some of Floyd's back-to-the-land-settlers more than 25 years ago for the purpose of sharing literary/artistic musings and ideas on self-reliance, growing and preserving food, holistic health, home schooling and more . A mix of 15 longtime and newer Museletter supporters attended the three hour workshop, which not only assisted the group in arriving at a common place of clarity, but modeled the structure of the consensus building process that Andy is so skilled at guiding. After laying out some guidelines, such as "speak for yourself, one person at time, share the air," Andy prompted us to individually share when we first saw the Museletter, what it means to us, and how we see it evolving. The stories shared were rich and varied. Museletter collating coordinator, Virginia Neukirch, talked about the positive community interaction of the monthly stapling and labeling get-togethers that she does with individuals with disabilities and others in the community. Jayn Avery talked about the Museletter as a writer's training ground and how she didn't start out thinking of herself as a writer, but having her writing published in the Museletter was instrumental in building her confidence to become one. Elisha Siegle, who will be sharing layout coordination and who grew up reading her parent's copies, said "It's the roots of Floyd. It brings the community together." Pat Woodruff picked up her first copy in a downtown café and thought it looked cool. She said she appreciates that the Museletter features stuff that the local newspaper misses. A turning point for me was when Andy asked us to brainstorm a list of all forms of local media (print and online) and then asked "Which one is closest to what the Museletter provides?" None really were. Our brainstorming sessions were broken up into three working tables and eventually revealed the "Focus Question," How Can We Make the Museletter a Better Community Forum? From there, ideas flew on how to increase subscriptions and submissions through more visibility and community interaction. A semblance of ideas congealed and before we knew it we not only had a plan, we had people willing to implement it. The consensus was that the Museletter needed a Facebook page - perhaps a first step in the Museletter's online presence, because who knows where more visibility and interaction will lead? In the first hour of being on Facebook (Saturday) 15 friends of the Museletter had signed on. As I type this today (Sunday) 157 have joined the Museletter fan club. As someone who has been directly involved with the Museletter since I moved to Floyd in 1985 (in large part because of what I read in the Museletter after Bob Grubel sent me one), I left the meeting feeling proud of the cultural record that the Museletter has created and uplifted by its potential. Thanks to everyone who participated and to our fans. Signed, A Muse. Note: Read more about A Museletter HERE. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2442 2010-01-23T14:38:11Z 2010-01-24T03:36:50Z

We were driven out of our house by ice escapades, laden trees dropping bombs of ice on to our roof. With a gunshot cue, they were off like a stampede of horses at the races, like ladies at Filenes...

Colleen We were driven out of our house by ice escapades, laden trees dropping bombs of ice on to our roof. With a gunshot cue, they were off like a stampede of horses at the races, like ladies at Filenes Basement, like Santa's reindeer landing his sleigh. Fireworks were exploding. Mudslides were sloshing. Limbs were breaking and squirrels were fighting over nuts. We went out to investigate the damage, taking cover under an umbrella because it was raining ice, not from the sky, but from the trees as ice melted off in an avalanche of chunks. ]]> tag:www.looseleafnotes.com,2010:/notes//1.2441 2010-01-22T14:08:48Z 2010-01-23T03:39:59Z

I got my hair done yesterday. I let my hairdresser experiment. She sprayed, straightened, twisted, pinned, and tied I told her to fix me up like I was going to the Academy Awards Now all we need are a...

Colleen I got my hair done yesterday. I let my hairdresser experiment. She sprayed, straightened, twisted, pinned, and tied I told her to fix me up like I was going to the Academy Awards Now all we need are a couple of gowns. Meanwhile Kaylee's little brother Bryce and his Opa Joe were having their own kind of fun. See HERE. More hairdressing antics HERE. ]]>