That’s why they call it fall.

The leaves in this part of the country were at their most stunning last week. I drove down the winding roads in awe. I marveled at the beauty, at the diversity of color, at the calm it evoked in me.

And then. Thursday was a blustery day. Blustery. I heard the word all day long. I laughed to myself each time. I hadn’t heard that word since Winnie the Pooh. Certainly not more than one time in a day. But yes, it was a very blustery day. Friday (yesterday) was calm. Colder, but calm.

This morning, I looked out the window while enjoying my first cup of coffee. I had slept a little later than usual and the boys were quietly amusing themselves. So I looked outside and all I could see (except for the houses themselves) were leaves. Beautiful, colorful leaves all over the ground.

Typically, this wouldn’t affect me one way or the other. Andrew is in charge of the outside and I am in charge of the inside. So sitting inside with my coffee watching the boys and Andrew rake leaves outside sounds good, right? Well, not today. Andrew is unavailable today.

So the boys and went outside and made a plan. We’d make piles in the front yard and then bag them. We developed a strategy for the quickest and most efficient way to fill the bags. And we got to work. They were troopers. We filled about 15 bags and were exhausted. Now, let’s see the backyard. It can’t be too bad.

Well it was. So we stopped for a lunch break. We all felt we needed sustenance to make it through. Amazingly, we all rallied to finish 10 more bags out back before we decided it was “good enough” to stop.

My takeaway? Sometimes really wonderful and beautiful and amazing things have aspects that are not so terrific. And perhaps, some things that don’t appear to be so terrific at first, might have wonderful attributes.

So will I enjoy the beautiful foliage less next year now that I know what it takes to clean it up? Probably not. And hopefully, Andrew can be in charge of the leaf patrol anyway.

(beautiful photo by Kris King http://www.kriskingphoto.com)

Too quiet….

This morning, after lunches were made and breakfasts were served and the kids were dressed and ready for school, I decided to start making dinner. It’s a beef stew from one of my favorite cookbooks and it cooks much of the day. But I digress.

It was quiet. VERY quiet. I figured the boys were up to no good, so I went looking for them. And there they were. In the living room. Each with a book, quietly and intensely reading.

What a lovely sight.

What’s in a name?

Naming has become a real marketing specialty. Online, there are free name generators, like the Tavern Name Generator which gave me The Alehouse of Angels as a choice or the Evil Name Generator which gave me Satulurca. I like it.

In all seriousness, there are online inexpensive naming companies like Named at Last or free lists like 100 Names for your Startup. Or software like Name Razor for under 30 bucks Contrast that with the branding and naming companies like Igor and Landor and Naming.com that are thriving (their clients must not have checked out that top 100 list!)

I do think naming and branding are important. But I also think that all of us have the ability to think strategically through the issues surrounding a name and brand and, if we know who we’re targeting and what they need, want, crave… we’re half way (or more!) there.

So, I was driving Davis to religious school. I take the same route 3 times every week — or make that 6 times if coming back counts. It’s a beautiful winding road. About half way there is a junk yard. It has old crusty mobile homes, broken down cars, piles of whoknowswhat. Yesterday, we noticed it was for sale. First, Davis laughed and asked who would want to buy all that junk. But then we started talking about the property values and the million dollar homes in the area (not my neighborhood, mind you) and how once the junk was hauled out, someone could build houses there. And that’s when it happened. Davis said they should call it:

Junque Acres.

He specifically thought the fancy spelling would help attract buyers. Maybe he has a future in marketing.

Like money in the bank.

Today, we went to family day at the Maryland Food Bank. We toured the facility. The kids decorated placemats for a soup kitchen. We packed boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. But my favorite part was putting together the healthiest combination of food for 2 days for a family of four. We had to “shop” the food bank and, making sure all the food groups were represented appropriately, choose foods for the family so they can have good meals. Each family worked as a unit. Our family was energized. We read the nutritional labels. We strategized. And I must say, we were truly proud of the box we put together. Our name goes on the box, so the family who receives it will know that we worked on it. It was awesome.

After 4 hours (half of which were spent packing and schlepping), we were beat. But we were smiling. And when the boys asked if we could please come back again, I knew the time invested at the food bank this morning was priceless.

Pump it up & good wine.

Last night, I went out. Not for a meeting. Just out. I “fixed up” my friends Leah and Joni who, as it turned out are both from Ottawa. I know this because I’ve known Joni for a long time (she still puts a Canadian flag on her lawn for special days) and the first time I had a real conversation with Leah, she told me she was from there. I asked if she knew Joni (which I do realize the population of Ottawa is over 750,000 so the odds weren’t so great) and she said yes. Or at least she knew “of” her as a teenager. So we set up this date. We went to The Iron Bridge Wine Company and had, you guessed it, wine. And appetizers. It was relaxing and fun and adult and, for a change, I felt like me. Not someone’s mother or wife. Not a researcher. Not a volunteer. Just me. And I felt even better after a couple glasses of Panther Creek Pinot Noir 2002, which was just wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Andrew got lucky (I didn’t it mean that way! That’s private!) since we didn’t finish the bottle and I brought it home for him. About the wine though, I am a little embarrased, since I am not known for being unable to finish a good bottle of wine. It was the driving and being responsible issue. Isn’t maturity fun?

Speaking of fun…today was a friend’s 8-year-old son’s birthday party. At Pump It Up. So I took the boys and we went. OH MY! They had a wonderful time! I even participated a little – did the obstacle course and the big slide. Aside from the music being a little too boppy for me, it was great.

So there you have it. Two very different, very fun experiences. All work and no play…you know how the saying goes!

L’chaim!

Apples.

It steams me when the boys can’t sit still and get their simple homework done. I know they want to go outside to play basketball or sit on the couch with a great book. And they know that they need to finish the mundane and oh so repetitive math questions and write the inane sentences to prove they know their weekly vocabulary words. If they know the reward at the end, why can’t they focus and just get it done?

Jump to today. I’m sitting here typing this. However, I have a deadline. A project that comes up monthly and involves some very detailed statistical anaylsis coupled with some really groovy (and hopefully meaningful) graphic respresentations. Is it finished? Well. Not exactly.

I did find the time to go to the pointer from adrants to a Barbie spoof. Don’t go look if you’re a prude. Or if you’re in a hurry because it loads slowly.

Back to the kids. I guess the apples didn’t fall far from the tree.

Letter to Lord & Taylor.

I went shopping. Not something I particularly enjoy, but I need a pair of black pants. I would like a pair of jeans, too. Lord & Taylor was having a great sale. And it’s right down the street. But there was a problem.

Dear Lord & Taylor Customer Care:

I was shopping in your Columbia store yesterday. First, I would like to commend you on your excellent selection in the women’s department. There were many things I wanted to try on and to, hopefully, purchase.

But there is a problem of which you need to be made aware. The mirrors in your dressing room – the one between cashmere and Calvin Klein on the second floor of the store – are broken. Not in pieces, of course, but there is something terribly wrong. The front mirror seems okay, but the one behind provides a very warped, almost carnival-like, view. What is particularly odd is that turning around doesn’t help. From that vantage point, the mirror ahead seems more in line with reality and the other mirror, which previously seemed okay, is quite off.

Needless to say, I didn’t buy anything. It was impossible to see what it looked like. I highly recommend that you have this repaired. As a marketer, I feel confident that you that you will see sales increases that will make up for any costs you may need to incur.

Best regards.