Hair-conomy

Probably one of the most asked questions by my clients these days is if the current economic situation is affecting business. I would be remiss to say that it hasn't. I doubt if our salon is the only one who has noticed. Clients are stretching out services or waiting to make retail purchases until a really good sale comes along.

So what is a hairstylist to do? As has been suggested by several trade publications one simple thing can help me and others in my industry ride out this "storm". That simple thing is to up the quality of our customer service. It really doesn't take much to help a client feel that their time with me is well spent. Simple things that we have implemented the salon I work at have already met with positive reactions, and I am of the mind that there will be long term benefits. with client retention and satisfaction if we all continue to put these things into action.

All in the business world can use simple customer care methods to help keep their businesses strong and vibrant in a weakened economy. Consumers are certainly looking for more bang for their buck. It generally is a very small investment, usually only time, that can help add real value to someone's purchase of an item or service.

In any business it is customer satisfaction that is the best form of advertising there is. A happy customer is more likely to tell their friends and family about the experience at a place of business and recommend that business to others. Sadly the same is true with negative experiences, as an unhappy customer will certainly tell their friends and family about how things did not go as expected or desired. None of us want that type of negative advertising, especially now.

So I am going to remain the eternal optimist,and work to make sure that each of my clients leaves happier then when they arrived, thankful that I have been gifted with the opportunity to do so. When clients ask, I will acknowledge that, yeah, things are a bit slower right now, but it is just a short term thing, then I will work to make my client's visit as positive and beneficial as possible. I suspect that businesses who who take this step, will survive this temporary downturn in profitability.

Besides, I, as that eternal optimist, try with all my might to dissuade negativity. It is almost a mission of mine.

At last the Meowing has stopped!

Wanna go stark raving mad? Have a adorable half grown kitten enter "womanhood". Granted our newest feline addition is quite the attention getter, which is why "Drama" is her nickname, but add her going into heat just adds her vying for your undivided attention by a factor of 12.

She would begin by meowing. Not just the normal occasional meows cats usually do, but a high octane sonata usually lasting a minute if not longer in length. If you did see what was up with the singing kitty, meaning it was at an hour when humans are normally awake, then she'd immediately flop over on her belly as if to say. "look at me, ain't I pretty? Pet me, pat me LURVE me!"

Despite being owned by cats for many years it took us a good couple of weeks to realize what was up. We thought it was the re-occurrence of a recent bout with ear mites. Remember my recent blog on her incessant meowing? Yes either we are that dense, or as Andromeda is on the small size we just didn't think it was "time" yet. I think it is because we are that dense.

Yesterday we couldn't stand it anymore. I called Animal Alliance here in Spartanburg and they had an opening for today! She got her little operation, a microchip just in case she makes an escape to the great outdoors, and her booster shots. We used them last year when it was Chernobyll's turn for rendering her unfit for motherhood. They were very efficient as well as compassionate.

She's home, still quite playful. In fact as I type, she is effectively blocking the monitor while playing with the flash drive that I have hanging via its lanyard from my desk lamp. It is a favorite game of hers. One thing she is not doing? Meowing every few hours for no apparent reason. Now maybe we can get some sleep around here.

A quiet day at home

Yep, I am going to get one of those today. No toddler to chase after, either. Of course the reason I am home is because my annual bout of bronchitis with accompanying respiratory infection has made its appearance right on time. Yeah, for me this is an annual event. I don't know why either.

I feel lousy, I sound like a five pack a day smoker, and the medicine is giving me heartburn. At least I went to the doctor early enough in this that I hadn't already pulled a muscle from trying to remove my lungs via my throat using coughing as a catalyst.

SO. what am I going to do today? Finish the little bit of laundry, throw something healthy in the crock pot and veg out on the computer in between naps. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be back to my old self and applying a blow torch to both ends of my candle.

New look

As you can tell, I got bored with the old format of my blog page. Every so often I like to change things up, but as I am completely HTML challenged, I have to find easy to use template, and hope I insert the code in the right place.

I like the new look, but I also lost a lot of the links that I had to friend's blog sites, now I am beginning the task of finding them yet again.

Hopefully I will get better at this whole page layout thing. I still have yet to successfully insert a counter onto the page, but I did find one I could link to off-site. Thanks Steve for that.

So now I have a request for the readers of my musings. Please feel free to offer critique, suggestions or html lessons for dummies.

Gratuitous baby photos

I haven't posted any photos of my granddaughter in awhile. It's not that I'm a bad Nana, I am just not the one with a decent camera. However I can now rectify that slight, as my daughter Ashley has a nice new digital.



My favorite Christmas photo of Helene


















Mommy caught a perfect moment of baby and Daddy while on a visit to Cleveland Park












It's cold outside, but this little one can still pull off cute


















Someone has discovered pencils and pens and is not afraid to use them

meow meow meow meow meow

THAT is what our youngest cat is most fond of doing for no apparent reason. She always meows in a room no one is in and for at constant two or three minute stretch at a time.

Then there is the chirping she does when you are petting her. Last night she had snuggled up to me once I'd gone to bed and she was wanting some serious petting. "Chirp chirp, mew chirp". So much for falling asleep with a sweet cuddly kitten by your side. Between her conversational comments on my petting quality and her being a wiggly miss, there was no way I was going to be dozing off.

I always thought cats were the more quiet type of house pets, but my three have proven that theory wrong. Andromeda is quite vocal, and although she only weighs about three pounds you can hear her running through the house playing tag with Chernobyll, who runs like she has jackhammers for feet.

Luna-tic is the only really quiet kitty in the house. But then she spends part of her time outdoors, and when inside, does her albino slug imitation by sleeping. Of course her purring can be loud when she is demanding head rubs, and she hisses at the little one when Drama wants to play with her.

There Drama goes again. Meow meow meow meow. What does that cat want?