Oh, will my garden grow?

Right about this time last year, Grace wrote a fantastic blog about her garden. She has quite the green thumb and her gardens always bear amazing vegetables. Her talk of fresh this and ripe that made me want a garden of my own.

My husband and I have talked about planting a small garden in our backyard for a few years now. We had the spot picked out and talked about what we would plant, but that was pretty much as far as it got—until this year. I came home one day to find my husband and children planting seeds in a little starter kit. They were planting corn, spinach, carrots, watermelon, tomatoes, sweet peppers, bell peppers, and sunflowers, because Mommy loves sunflowers! They nestled all of the seeds in their little dirt beds and put the plastic lids on. We put them under a window with plenty of light and began waiting for results.

The results came much sooner than we expected. By day two we had sprouts. The corn and sunflowers took off. After only a few days we had to adjust the plastic lids because the plants were starting to bend over since they were getting so tall. They really needed to be put in the ground, but we weren’t going to have time for transplanting for a few more days. After about a week, my husband rented a tiller and broke ground on the spot we had picked out. He made the little rows and we all began to plant our tiny seedlings. The kids enjoyed the first 15 minutes or so, but soon realized that playing frisbee was much more fun. We got everything planted, drenched it in Miracle Grow, and crossed our fingers. We figured if we were able to eat one vegetable from our garden we would deem it a success.

Well it seems that we know even less about gardening than we thought. Apparently you have to plant the corn in rows beside each other so they will pollinate. Pollinate? I had no idea that corn pollinates. I think we got lucky and few wound up close together. Several of the ones that began in the starter kit immediately wilted and died. We had a few seeds left, so my husband just stuck those in the ground.

None of the sunflowers made it, so I planted a few in a pot on the front steps of the house and they are doing great. We didn’t mark what everything was, but I think the carrots have bitten the dust as well.

It isn’t a complete bust, though. The tomatoes, peppers, and spinach are doing great. The newly planted corn seeds are growing up strong and we noticed a couple of watermelon vines creeping out as well. There may be hope for our garden yet.

We, and by “we” I mean my husband, will have to work to stay on top of the weeding. And we need to keep the Miracle Grow flowing. My neighbor mentioned how much trouble he had with squirrels when he tried to plant his garden. Squirrels!!! Surely the squirrels won’t eat my veggies. I always take up for them when people call them rodents. I think they are precious. I even put out food for them last year. I can’t imagine my squirrels wrecking my garden! But to be on the realistic side, I should probably do a little homework and see if there are ways to deter them. As much as I know they like me, I’m sure it is every squirrel for himself. I am trying to take photos to document our first garden and I am anxiously awaiting that first ripe veggie. Since there is more green in the garden now, we have raised our expectations a little bit and are now hoping for at least five veggies that we can eat. I will keep you posted.

~Raydra

MORE THAN JUST COPIES

By Kay Gunderson/Insty-Prints of Rochester

It is so important as a business to get your name out in the world. You need to be able to attract new customers as well as keep your client base coming back for more. Marketing and advertising can be a confusing adventure to navigate. Having a plan and the right tools can put you on the effective path to success. There are 5 things that we, Insty-Prints of Rochester, do in order to take care of that crucial task of getting your name out there.

Large Format
One of the fastest growing areas of our business is the large format department. These are things like posters, signs, and banners. It’s a great way to catch somebody’s eye and give them your message. Some of the newest products that we’ve used is window screen & wall noodle. Window screen is an inventive way to get a colorful graphic on your window and still be able to see out. We use this on our front lobby windows as well as our delivery van windows. My other favorite product is the wall noodle. This can be printed on and stuck to the wall or floor in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Logo & Brand Identity
I’m always surprised at our customers who don’t have a logo or identity to their company. A well designed logo can give a great first impression to potential customers. By using your logo on everything and keeping with a general theme, usually a graphical element that stems from your logo, you can stay in your customers minds. You want them to know who you are at a glance.

Brochures & Handouts
Brochures and handouts are a great way to describe services and information while still keeping the customer entertained. Pictures and well designed elements give your information a professional and well presented piece that your customer will read and pass along to others.

Social Media
Social media websites like Facebook & Twitter are the newest of outlets for businesses to advertise and market themselves. By creating your own “profile” you can attract customers by informing them of promotions or services. As the world is ever changing, these are quick and easy ways to socialize and network with future and returning customers.

Direct Mail
Direct mailers are an excellent way to market your business to a specific audience. From postcards to personalized key chains, you can grab a group’s attention that you know are in the market for your specific services. It’s a good way to direct business to a website where you have more information about promotions or sales. You have more control of who your audience is and how you want them to react.

It is so important to put yourself and your name in front of customers repetitive times. They need to remember who you are and what you do, so when it’s time for them to need your service, they already know who to contact. By using some or all of these tools along with a plan of action, the marketing and advertising world isn’t quite as intimidating as before.

Celebre la Cultura

When it came time for my husband to meet my family for the first time, I knew things would be interesting. I made sure to carefully walk him through what he was about to experience. You see, my green-eyed, blonde-haired, 100% American husband was raised in the Shreveport area with his green-eyed, blonde-haired family. And he was quite eager to meet his different and soon-to-be in-laws and relatives. I couldn’t have written it any better if I were writing a scene in a movie...oh wait, it has been written, and it was in a movie called Fools Rush In (rent it!). Enter the scene: My future hubby and I pull up to la casa de mi tío [my uncle’s house]—though actually, he realized we were getting close from a block away when we could really begin to hear Vicente Fernández wailing through the speakers of the dually parked in the front yard. We hop out of my vehicle, step around the chickens and dogs, and stroll over to where my dad stood, cerveza in hand, singing, laughing, and speaking (in Spanish) with his brothers. Mi esposo [my husband], not understanding too much of anything of the chaos around him, may have felt a little nervous and out of place. He was, after all, not only meeting the people who would soon become his family, he was meeting a new culture. In memory, it seems as though everything stopped for a moment. Silence fell, everyone ceased talking, maybe even the Vicente CD ended, and all eyes turned to me and my gringo. “Want a beer?,” my uncle asked in English, smiling, and Aaron knew that everything was going to be fine.

Growing up visiting Mexico, my father’s homeland, was always a fun experience for us as children; and it became more important to us as we grew older. I still love hearing the stories about my dad’s childhood and visiting the home and village where he grew up. My family lived in the rurals of Mexico, farming the acres and acres of land around their home, La Libertad [liberty, or freedom]—or, as we’ve always called it, the Ranch. He grew up in the state of Jalisco, just at the bordering state’s line. Jalisco’s capital city is Guadalajara, and is known for—you got it—tequila. The land is magnificent; it is surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains and beautiful plateaus, with pleasant weather year round ideal for farming—mainly agave. The house he grew up in was made of clay bricks and surrounded by many types of cactus. Though now deteriorating, as no one had lived there in 30 years, the house is still very beautiful to me. Every single time I visit, without thought, I reach up and try to snatch a tuna (fruit that grows on the major type of cactus in the area) off a cactus paddle, or nopale, and wind up with stickers in my palm. They are so delicious, and I rarely manage to get one without injuring myself—maybe one day I’ll learn to stop and think before grabbing. Maybe not.

Throughout our years together, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Mexico a few times with my husband. I believe he loves it more each time we go. But how could one not? It is a very different place. I think one of his favorite differences is the fact that the dogs often live on the roofs of the homes in urban areas, since those homes have little to no yard. He gets a kick out of walking down the street to the open air markets (another favorite) and hearing a dog bark, only to look around...look around...look around...look up, and see him warning you from two stories above. Culturally we are quite different here in los Estados Unidos [the United States]. Where we seem to be in a perpetual rush, the Mexicanos seem to be more laid back, more casual, and always eager to make you more comfortable. Ours is a loving and patient culture. When you are welcomed into a home or family, you are completely welcomed; and if there is anything your host can do to make your stay—be it long or short—more comfortable, they will. Though we are a close-knit culture—which is obvious to anyone interested in observing—we are quite eager to introduce any new ones to what we have, and share our culture and traditions. Maybe that’s why Cinco de Mayo has become such a big thing in America, whereas it isn’t celebrated on a grand scale in Mexico. It’s a time to celebrate traditions, culture, and food in a place where we aren’t constantly surrounded by our “Mexicaness”—a chance to catch up on what we may miss out on in day-to-day life away from one’s tierra natal [native land] and/or familia [family].

Admittedly, I am not as deeply involved in my family heritage as I should be. I love my family, I love the food, I love the language, I love the culture, I love to visit the land where mi padre [my father] grew up—but I rarely get the opportunity to speak Spanish (which I should speak far better than I do) or get involved with the local community of Latinos. It is something I should make a greater effort to do, especially with the language. Interestingly enough, mis perros [my dogs] understand “quieres agua?” better than “do you want some water?” I think they’re happy to “speak” a bit of their grandpa’s native language, as long as I never make them live on the roof.

~Grace

Pushing Beyond Capacity

I found myself in a moment where I was thinking to myself, “Why do I torture myself like this? This is self-inflicted pain and yet I keep bringing myself here every day to repeat the action.” My hands were freezing, my exposed legs were, too. My heart was beating faster than I would have liked and my breathing was loud and uncontrollable. My sunglasses were speckled with raindrops and I could feel the blister on the back of my heel opening up.

I checked my GPS and timer. Only 2/10 of a mile left of the 3.1 miles. If I made that last stretch in a minute and a half I would beat yesterday’s time by one whole minute. That was the moment I said, “Come on, Crickett, get over the pain, sprint it out and finish strong. You can do it!”

This was yesterday, and while I only shaved 45 seconds off my best time, I came to a halt, checked my time, and with what little breath I had left I let out a squeal and did a little victory dance. Yes, I danced right there on the track, by myself, in the rain.

Life is like that. There is a lot of pride in achieving goals and mastering situations that are difficult. If we don’t challenge ourselves, we are just going through the motions of life with little substance and can often get stuck in a rut.I spent the past two and a half years working for a military boarding school in Mississippi. One of the motivation phrases used to get the kids to make drastic changes in their lives and behaviors goes a little something like this: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

I worked for Insty-Prints for over three years before returning to my home in Mississippi. While at Insty, I worked in the design department, gave customer service a try, and even mastered the mailing and variable data programs.

Of all the places I have ever worked in my nearly 17 years of printing, Insty is the one place where I have made the best of friends, had the most fun, and grown the most professionally and as a person.

During my sabbatical to Mississippi, I finished my degree in public relations, minored in business administration, and finished in December with honors from Mississippi College, a private college near Jackson that is very similar in size and value to that of Centenary College here in Louisiana.

I knew over a year ago, though, that I wanted to be back in Louisiana. The first person I contacted to help me find a job was Gene Elliott. After several lunch meetings and discussion of logistics, Gene and Jim asked me to return to Insty-Prints with the title of Creative Consultant and Account Representative.

Was this out of my comfort-zone and was this new position going to be a challenge? Absolutely!

There is hardly a day that goes by where I don’t wonder what I have gotten myself into. It’s hard to look folks in the eye and convince them that you have their best interest at heart and that you want to show them creative ideas that will save them time, money, and frustration. You know they can trust you, but convincing them of that is the hard part.

But, there are those moments when they give you a chance to prove yourself. You gratefully shake their hand, thank them for the opportunity, and when you walk out of their doors you use your last breath to squeal and do a little victory dance!

So, what’s ahead? My first task is to help my clients understand everything we are and how we can better serve them. My number one goal is to hand our customers the best service in the industry, help them see what we are capable of giving them, and deliver a quality product they can be proud of.

I also plan to join the MBA program at LSU-Shreveport this fall to further my skills so that I can offer even more value to my customers and also to grow professionally.

I’m excited to be back in Shreveport—excited to be surrounded by the best marketing, graphics, printing, and mailing team in this region and excited to see just how far we can grow.

~Crickett