Author: baldusp59

Happy 2025!

2025 started off with an adventure in Siberia–I mean–Minnesota–where over the course of two weeks the temps easily slid below zero. We spent two glorious weeks over the December holidays with my daughter and her family. We were pretty much oblivious to the ineffective sunshine outside.There was just too much to be excited about: watching our two young grandchildren squeal excitedly as they opened presents; sharing the Swedish tradition of St. Lucia as our granddaughter woke up her Mom and Dad dressed in a white dress adorned with a red sash, complete with a (battery-operated) crown of candles and a tray of “Grands” to serve them breakfast in bed; seeing seals up close at the Minnesota Zoo (remember the ones you saw this past summer from Grampy’s boat?); visiting cousins not seen in ages . (Is that really you, Brandon?) There was a kind of peace amongst the chaos, mostly because you were surrounded by love, and because you were experiencing the joy all over again through young eyes.

Leaving our busy brood was hard, but we were already off to another adventure–provided by my husband: Grand Cayman awaited! From “Siberia” to the tropics—the shock of 84 degrees was real. And how could we possibly be wearing shorts in January?? But, somehow we adapted quickly…The trip was a surprise for me in honor of a very BIG milestone birthday. I ignored my stark, white skin (Nearly flaked off in MN),less than superbly toned shape, and an occasional back ache, and embraced trade winds, turquoise waters, steel drums, and delicious food and drink. I reflected: Life indeed, was good! My resolution? To enjoy my life no matter where I am , find my happy places (Notice the plural!) at the moment, and try to eat healthfully–except in Grand Cayman… And the ridiculous? Worrying about my Golden Age. I will think of golden in terms of growing my beautiful teddy bear sunflowers, or golden opportunities to share my Sunny Bear book to as many little kids as possible. Or every time I wear that beautiful golden sunflower necklace my husband gave me for our anniversary!

Enjoy 2025!

Several Saturdays ago, I ventured into the World-of-Selling-Your-Book at the United Farmer’s Market in Belfast, Maine. And I was fascinated by the marketing styles of the pros who show up there every weekend. There was a woman next to me who connected easily with the Community. She had several “secret weapons”—food being the primary one.Her glassed-in window case was perfect for viewing all the delectable pastries that she had painstakingly baked. She arranged them on elegant white china, placed at different heights and sliced perfectly, showing the yummy layers within. The chocolate ones just screamed to be eaten, complete with artistic curls of phyllo pastry adorning the top. My salivary glands were working overtime! I felt like I was standing near a Parisian patisserie. Presentation really is everything! But that wasn’t the only strategy this woman employed: she had a bubbly personality, a continuous smile, a quick laugh, and above all else, a pride in her masterpieces, which clearly came through in her conversations. It was a lesson in real-time for me. Across from my “Sunny Bear” booth was an older gentleman selling his books as well. The competition! He was relaxed, leaning casually on the corner of his book shelf, totally unfazed that I was located across from him with my own children’s book. Quick to smile, (aha!) he walked right over to me, introduced himself, and asked me to come over and look at his books. An interesting and unabashed approach! Before I knew it, he had me sharing my life story—good grief! I had succumbed to the enemy! He greeted people as they walked by with phrases like, “Hi, Folks! Where you from?” or , “Love the T-shirt! Where did you find that?” People responded to his warmth. Later, he told me the secret to salesmanship: “Just get people talking about themselves.” I was taking all this in when I noticed the lady on the other side of my booth. She was selling copper jewelry for her friend. She had a distinctly different style of marketing that the other two, but was just as successful selling her wares. She was outgoing, friendly, and had a sense of humor. She taught me to “layer up” with a heavy sweater–the place was freezing with the constant opening and closing of doors. Her strategy was to greet people and then THANK them for coming to the market or stopping by to check out the jewelry. She also wore the jewelry which was quite eye-catching. As customers left, she wished them a wonderful day. She made them feel like they had made a great purchase. I left the market that day with a new-found appreciation of the Art of Salesmanship. Did I employ any of the strategies I witnessed? Well, a few for sure: I smiled until my cheeks hurt, I asked people if they were visiting or lived locally, I introduced my stuffed teddy bear, aka Sunny Bear, who sat casually on his sunflower stool, as the “King of the Sunflower Garden,” and I wore a large, artificial sunflower on my simple black jacket. I sold a few books, but came away with so much more. I was on the right track–I just needed to add a bit of Farmer’s Market Finesse and perhaps some sunflower seed pastries to my repertoire…

“I Ate Too Much” Excerpt by Jack Prelutsky

I ate too much turkey

I ate too much corn

I ate too much pudding and pie

I’m stuffed up with muffins

and much too much stuffin’

I’m probably going to die

I piled up my plate

And I ate and I ate..

Sound familiar?

I am so grateful to have had so many choices of food at the Thanksgiving table, and even more grateful to have shared it with my family. (I am especially grateful for the expand-a-waist pants I wore, too…) Sometimes being grateful catches you by surprise. Several weeks ago I went “tulip-crazy”—I planted tulip bulbs everywhere in my yard. Some will have fringy tops; some will look like parrots; some will remind you of freshly squeezed lemons. Even after planting them in my Sunny Bear Garden, my two front gardens, and in the planters near my back deck, I still had some left over. I immediately thought of my neighbors next door and their young daughter. We don’t really know each other except to wave in passing. Last summer , as I was working in the garden, they remarked at how beautiful my front gardens were as they got into their car. I was so touched and so pleased at this simple gesture of kindness. It encouraged me to keep tackling my “friends” the Weeds. This past summer, as I walked by their apartment building, I was completely surprised to see two new small planters and two large trellises by their front door. They were going to have a mini garden! The wife of the family confirmed it: “My husband wants to talk with you about growing flowers in our planters.” Wow! I felt like I had paid my plant passion forward! Now I knew the leftover tulip bulbs would be perfect for their mini garden in the fall. I put the tulip bulbs in the original bag, stapled a note to it (Hi, neighbors! Thought your daughter would get a kick out of planting these bulbs!) , and hung it on their doorknob. I took my usual morning walk to the ocean and on the way back noticed that the bag was gone. Yay! I went around the side of my house and saw a bag hanging on my doorknob. Oh, no! Had they returned the tulip bulbs? I lifted the bag off the doorknob and saw a note stapled to it. “Thank you for the bulbs! Your Neighbors next door.” There was something in the bag. I peered inside and there were dahlia tubers in the bottom. DAHLIAS???!!! I love dahlias! Suddenly a feeling of gratitude swept over me: grateful to have inspired someone else to create their own garden; grateful that we had communicated in a simple but mighty way; grateful that kindness really does exist–still!

Gratitude all around!