November | 2011 | Raising Jane

Creating a Business

Posted on November 30, 2011 by maryjane

For those of you who couldn’t attend either of The Creative Connection Events in Minneapolis/St. Paul, below is my keynote speech from 2010. Amy Butler was also a keynote speaker that first year. And Ree Drummond was on stage during lunch for a question/answer session. This year’s keynote was Christina Ferrare, chef on Oprah’s OWN.

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Cheryl Severeide says:

November 30, 2011 at 11:18 am

Mary Jane.. You have inspired me to go forward with my dream.. I want to start a business. I have a few ideas and a little business back ground from years ago when I owned a small shop. I closed it due to lack of funds and going through a divorce. Thank you for printing your keynote speech.. I am rolling up my sleeves and ready to plow forward with my dream…
Cheryl

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- MaryJane says:
  
  November 30, 2011 at 12:12 pm
  
  Oh Cheryl, I just soooo want to see you in business. I know you will do well. I sense ALL KINDS of creative energy waiting to burst forth from you. Keep me in the loop as things unfold. I’ll keep your little “business” card right here on my desk so that I’ll envision you often!
  
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Amber Conger says:

December 1, 2011 at 6:42 am

Thanks for sharing 🙂 As I read through your words early this morning (with my strong cuppa coffee) I was inspired by your story… Looking forward to another busy day/week/year: & feeling even more charged & ready to to get to work on my own little journey in the direction of my goals…

Cheers!

Amber

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- MaryJane says:
  
  December 1, 2011 at 6:44 am
  
  YOU are going to be hugely successful. Hang on.
  
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Debra Davis says:

December 1, 2011 at 6:04 pm

Mary Jane,
Reading this has an effect on me too. In fact, I’m going to print it and keep it where I can refer to it again.
As a solo midlife woman, my dreams are clamoring to come into existence. Some days I’m discouraged. Your thoughts have given me a kick in the pants. I’ll keep on. Today I linked an online store to my blog. It’s a start.

I’m a forest ranger farmgirl who keeps a few of your backpacking meals on hand for quick camp suppers…

Thanks for all your good work and for shining your light so brightly,

Deb

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- MaryJane says:
  
  December 1, 2011 at 6:12 pm
  
  I like your choice of words, “clamoring to come into existence.” That about sums it up. Soooooooo happy to oblige.
  
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Duck or Duct Tape?

Posted on November 28, 2011 by maryjane

Duct tape is like the force.
It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
-Carl Zwanzig

Ladies, do you know where your roll of duct tape is? That would be ROLLS, plural, for me because …

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on November 22, 2011 by maryjane

Eileen Widman says:

November 22, 2011 at 11:08 am

OHHHHH1 How lovely! The big wooden hooks and the rug making!

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gross enough to gag a maggot

Posted on November 20, 2011 by maryjane

Ewwwuuuuuu. I had no idea critters like this existed in anything other than an Indiana Jones movie or National Geographic special. Discovered in a piece of firewood next to our chicken coop, reactions at the farm …

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Deborah Van Kirk says:

August 16, 2013 at 9:43 am

Are your images of the beetle larva available for use in an educational exhibition?

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- MaryJane says:
  
  August 16, 2013 at 9:52 am
  
  Tell us more!
  
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  - Deborah Van Kirk says:
    
    August 16, 2013 at 10:08 am
    
    The Field Museum is developing a new exhibition about Biomechanics. We would like to include images of this ponderous beetle larva, ergates spiculatus, that inspired Jon Cox, inventor and logger, to dramatically increase the efficiency of the chainsaw.
    
    Reply
    - MaryJane says:
      
      August 16, 2013 at 10:15 am
      
      And you’re an employee of the Field Museum?
      
      Reply
      - Deborah Van Kirk says:
        
        August 16, 2013 at 10:34 am
        
        I’m with the Image Research Team, we specialize in finding imagery for educational exhibitions! http://imageresearchteam.com/
      - Deborah Van Kirk says:
        
        August 16, 2013 at 12:01 pm
        
        If it’s possible your images of the beetle larva would be available, I can be reached at the provided email address. Thanks MaryJane!

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on November 13, 2011 by maryjane

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lost and found kitty

Posted on November 10, 2011 by maryjane

Oh where, oh where has our little cat gone?

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Eileen Widman says:

November 11, 2011 at 9:04 am

I love cats!! Our always seem to find the funniest places to warm up or snooze!

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Moon rock?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by maryjane

Warning: Proceed only if you are comfortable with what goes on beneath toilet floors.

So having lived without indoor plumbing for a NUMBER of years (30 years total), getting a fully functioning toilet has been an adventure into an unknown space-time continuum. This might boggle some of your minds to say the least, but it has been a way of life out here! After getting up to speed with indoor plumbing, (you must read my post, The Queen’s Throne) and moving into our new and spacious Design Studio, we have been dealing with, um, a few plug-ups that we thought were the result of an over-zealous toilet paper user. Boy, were we wrong! After finally hiring someone to come out and assess the p-issue, THIS is what popped out of our pipes!

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Eileen Widman says:

November 11, 2011 at 9:09 am

This is Hilarious! It was always easier before plumbing had to take on the job of the toilet. No end to the surprises in that realm.

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Judy Jones-McCown says:

November 15, 2011 at 4:41 pm

We didn’t get indoor plumbing until I was 5 or 6 years old. WHOA!!! I was terrified of that toilet. I was afraid of the swirling water when the handle was pushed down. …”And you want me to SIT on that thing?” Whaaaaaa? It’ll suck me in….Just let me go back outside to the outhouse, will ya?

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CJ says:

November 21, 2011 at 7:44 pm

Ah Nick! What a guy! That IS an interesting story!

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Ho! Portland

Posted on November 4, 2011 by maryjane

Good morning Portland. Thanks for welcoming me. You are one of my favorite cities! I can’t wait to see what you have in store today.

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Debi Chandler says:

November 4, 2011 at 12:03 pm

I loved your message… I have several similar ones I have been saving on my phone and would love to save… how did you get them loaded on your computer?

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- MaryJane says:
  
  November 4, 2011 at 12:19 pm
  
  Well, you can bet I didn’t engineer that. My computer guru fussed with it on and off for a week until he figured it out. I’ll ask him how he did it!
  
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Deb says:

November 4, 2011 at 4:03 pm

I love to visit Portland and agree that Powell’s is a must see. I also always visit Bob’s Red Mill for breakfast (vegetarian bisquits & gravy! YUM) and then a stop at the Pendleton Mill End store. I’ve been collecting remnants for a wool quilt.

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- MaryJane says:
  
  November 4, 2011 at 5:07 pm
  
  I met all the Bob’s Red Mill folks at a trade show in Anaheim.and would love to visit his “big red barn” to eat a yummy veg meal. While in Fred Meyer in Portland, I bought my first ever Pendleton sweater. I could spend some serious time in that area.
  
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J.F. Brown says:

November 7, 2011 at 12:15 pm

Wish we’d known you were in town, we’d have been happy to show you some great stuff, like all the backyard chickens in the middle of the city, the goat-rental (for weed & brush control) or a dozen other fun things.
Hope to have you back here soon, and we’ll put on the coffee or tea!

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- MaryJane says:
  
  November 7, 2011 at 12:29 pm
  
  Leave the light on!
  
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photo-of-the-day

Posted on November 3, 2011 by maryjane

Eileen Widman says:

November 4, 2011 at 11:13 am

Wow! Home grown eggs $3.15 a dozen!? When was that? All our local egg sellers including myself cannot even begin to break even at $5.00 a dozen any more with the price of organic feed getting upwards of $40.00 for 40 pounds. With the colder weather coming on and the local growing green stuff goes to sleep for the winter it is becoming even more difficult to sell eggs for less per pound that ground beef.

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- MaryJane says:
  
  November 4, 2011 at 11:46 am
  
  I hear you. This is a pic I took a decade ago, when I drove my old truck to the farmers’ market every Saturday morning. I’m sure you’re like me in that you pamper your girls so much you really should charge $25/dozen!
  
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