Ice Cream Diaries

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012, It's nice to meet you.

2011-12-31T12:20:00.001-05:00

Well, here we are again, knocking at the door of another year. Does it seem like each year goes by faster than the next or is it just me? This one, while fraught with highs and lows, was a blissful blur.

From the marketing high of scoring a spot on the Weather Channel back in July to the October Blizzard slash blackout and resulting ice cream Armageddon, this year was one wild ride.

While the cool rainy Spring made for a sluggish start, the stellar dry, warm, but not too hot Summer weather made for another record year of cone sales. Thanks to all of you who were part of that. I do this gig to pay my mortgage and a couple other bills, but the pleasure of making people happy with what I do is where the real satisfaction lies for me. Rarely does it actually feel like work, and for that I'm the luckiest guy I know. It's demanding and the hours are long, especially from May through October, which explains the need to claim January to recharge the batteries, but it's still great fun, so into year nine we go!

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to my awesome scoop crew for all their hard work and kind-hearted service all year. People often compliment me and Mt. Tom's about how nice the people are that work here. That one always makes me feel good (of course so does the one where people tell me they like my ice cream better than that other place in Northampton ;), because I really do want people to have an enjoyable experience when they come here.

Special thanks to Hannah, Mimi, & Amy for allowing me to have at least a little bit of a life during the Summer.

So as I sit here and reminisce over all that's happened this year, it's easy to let the news get you caught up in all the bad things that happened. tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards, notable deaths. I'm sure we've all made a choice or two we'd like to take back. But as they say, what's done is done. And with the turning of the clock at midnight tonight, a shiny and untainted new year arrives, full of hope and expectation. What does it have in store for us, well, that is unknown.

And as I learned from a quote on a chai tea bag given to me by a good friend, 'When you are in tune with the unknown, the known is peaceful.'

May the new year bring with it all your heart desires, and may the unexpected turns that make you stronger do only that.

Happy New Year!!

Finding the Holiday Spirit.

2011-12-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

Season's greetings from my little ice cream workshop here in Whoville. Dogs are barking Jingle Bells on the shop radio. The Festivus and eggnog flavors are stocked and ready for scooping. I'm surrounded by half-eaten Christmas cookies and a small stack of holiday cards while behind me hundreds of jars full of sweet colorful goodness anxiously await the hands of many Santa's helpers. Before I get to the pepermint stick, er candy cane, ice cream pie making, I thought I'd jot a few thoughts into the trusty ice cream diary.

I'm sure you too are right now immersed in the sights and sounds and events that make this time of year so hectic. It's no wonder the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas go by so fast. Just too much to do - presents to buy, wrap, and ship. Cookies to bake, box, and share. Parties to plan and attend. And if you're in retail, this is it for you, make or break. That's a lot of pressure all around. No wonder why it can be such a stressful time of the year.

Having said all that, I also think it really is the most wonderful time of the year. And here are my whys...

It's a time when people think about others more than themselves.

What should I get for Mom? I just need one more little gift for my brother. A gift for the boss. At the surface, it may seem commercial and perhaps it's your least favorite part of the holidays. But thinking about everyone but yourself for a week or two can't be a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

Christmas day is the ultimate 'being in the moment' moment.

I remember when I was a kid, I looked forward to Christmas morning so badly it hurt. It was just about all I could think about. Is Santa going to come through for me? Was I nice enough for that Death Star Lego Set? Time seemed to move backwards for those days leading up to C-day. And when you finally woke up on Christmas morning, well before the sun and probably even before the dog, and dashed down to the living room to see what treasures lay beneath the tree, it just didn't get any better than that. And Mom and Dad always seemed to take forever to get out of bed. Once the eggnog began to flow and the gift opening frenzy finally began, it was pure and innocent bliss, even though it was over in an instant.

Christmas morning is the time when you don't wish for any other moment. You're in it. You're not thinking about the day before or December 29th.

Christmas makes living in the moment look easy.

People are generally a little nicer. At least when they're not fighting for a parking space.

If you consider Facebook a virtual mood ring as I do, there seem to be less status updates of woe and bad politics and more of an uplifting nature this time of year. Like the one I just read about a friend who was in Rite Aid with her young son. He was playing with a little Matchbox car in line until they got to the checkout counter where Mom made him put it back. When she began to pay for her items, the cashier told her the man ahead of her in line had left money for the little matchbox. By that time, he was long gone, never even turning back for a thank you. How can that not make your day.

People make time to spend time with their families.

When I was a kid, our family would go to Grandma's in Fitchburg every Christmas eve. Dad's entire family would congregate there for a day of winter holiday fun. Sledding and snowball fights served as appetizer for a giant Finnish dinner, culminating with the arrival of Jolly Ole Nick, usually in the form of a poorly disguised missing uncle. With all the predictable fanfare, Uncle Santa would ho, ho, ho across the lawn as he shook a belt of bells, giant pillowcase of presents slung over his shoulder. As a young believer, it was a brush with greatness. Eventually, it became more of a warm and entertaining photo opp, played out in the same way every Christmas eve shortly after the consuming of the roast beast and Lanttulaatikko. Santa would stay just long enough to pass out a single present to each person.

When his pillowcase was empty, Santa would stand up, wish everyone a very merry one, and dash out the door, disappearing back into the darkness of the backyard like a ballplayer in Field of Dreams.

Soon after, my brothers and I would be tucked into our action figure sleeping bags in the back of the station wagon, and home we would go. All along the way, we'd gaze out the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa's sleigh darting across in the sky. I remember thinking we saw him once, only to later be told by Dad when we got home to our still unvisited home that it was probably just Skylab.

It's a Wonderful Life.

What would a holiday season be without watching that timeless classic at least once. The line "No man is a failure who has friends" pretty well sums it up for me.

We dress up our houses to look bright and cheery.

You may think it's crazy the way some people cover their entire house and yard with lights and inflatable animated holiday characters, and perhaps you'd rather weed your lawn for six hours on a 90 degree day in August than stick a giant snowglobe on it. I will say, though, that I found myself last Christmas eve, sitting in my brother's SUV, over on Lawler Street, with he, his wife and their three kids, watching the thousands of lights flicker in time to the music playing on the car radio. I know it made me feel warm and Christmassy and a bit like a kid again. If you don't believe me, I recommend you do a driveby tonight yourself.

Our houses smell like the forest, only warmer.

A Christmas tree is the original aromatherapy.

While it's nice to receive, most of us really do find it better to give.

I don't know about you, but when I've found that perfect gift for someone, even if it's just a three dollar whoopie cushion for my brother to use to compete with the sounds his six year old son makes with his mouth on the side of his arm, it's way more enjoyable than opening up one of my own.

People reach out a little bit more to those less fortunate.

If only homeless shelters and food kitchens had as much help on a cold day in February as they do on Christmas or Thanksgiving day, this world would definitely be a better place. I suppose the same could be said about church or other structures of worship, but that's a whole 'nother topic. While it's hard to knock anyone for wanting to do something good on any day, wouldn't it be great to discover a way to harness that awesome giving spirit a little longer, even just to help get us through the cold New England winter.

A shiny new year is just around the corner, ready to offer up a fresh start.

Much more to say on that topic, but perhaps I'll wait until next week for that one.

In the meantime, I hope the spirit of the holiday season finds you and immerses itself deep in your soul right through into next year.

Life is just a precious collection of moments, and may these holidays bring with them a few more for yours.

From the entire crew and myself, Happy Holidays!

Peace.

A Sunny Thanksgiving.

2011-12-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

As the wrath of winter continues to elude us (hope I didn't just jinx it) and December rolls on somewhat uneventfully, I thought I'd post up a few photos from my recent trip to Florida for Thanksgiving.

It was a quick but very fun long weekend full of quality family time, amazing food and drink, beaching, and even a trip to the zoo.

I hope yours was equally as fulfilling. And if not, there are a couple other holidays just around the corner to get it right.

I thought I might share a few in hopes that it might give you a brief respite from the doom and gloom of your daily news and status updates. Worked for me anyhow.

After all, life is just too short for gloom.

My niece living in the moment...

Come here often?

Such a cool zoo that lets you pet the giraffes. Just don't linger or you'll feel the fury of the crazy lady in the red shirt..

Five nephews/niece and counting..

Cousins out for a sunday drive...

Table under the mango tree..

We may never know whether he was pushed or just fell into the pool during the group shot. In any event, the rest of the kiddos got a good laugh out of it..

Rock, paper, scissors, shoot...

I know these next few weeks get pretty hectic with shopping, parties, wrapping, trimming trees, and making cookies, but I hope yours are only the best kinds of hectic. Full of good family, friends, and cheer.

Enjoy!

jim

The week the power went out. And stayed out.

2011-11-10T13:53:00.012-05:00

It started innocently enough. Just a couple weeks after we were enjoying temperatures in the 80's, along come the weather forecasters with last minute predictions of a good old nor'easter snowstorm. I think most of us just assumed 'great, rain that changes to snow for a little while and looks nice on the rusty trees, then changes back to rain'. A little inconvenient but not a big deal.

The first signs of trouble came in the form of giant snowflakes to kick off the storm, hours earlier than predicted. Snow right from the start, ruh, roh. The driving got dicey within the first hour. No, this would not be any ordinary early season snow event.

By dark, six inches or more lay like a lead blanket on the ground and in the still leaf-covered trees. Outmatched limbs succumb to the weight, taking with them power lines, transformers, and garage roofs. Lightning and brilliant green flashes of exploding transformers lit up the sky. Winter had entered the building, and she seemed really mad about something.

By around 9 pm, most of Hampshire County was in the dark. Who would have thought that darkness would last for nearly a week.

Of course, losing power is one of the few major anxieties I have as the owner of an ice cream shop, a business that relies pretty heavily on electricity to make and maintain its product. The days of enjoying thunderstorms ended when I plugged in my first dipping cabinet freezer. It's hard to describe that sinking feeling an ice cream shop owner gets when their shop goes silent. We know the unique rattle and hum of each freezer under our employ, and when one sounds different when you walk into the shop in the morning, you know your day isn't going to go as planned.

The good news is if you don't open the freezers, the ice cream inside will remain intact for around 4 to 6 hours. Longer than that, and bad things start happening. The most common question I get is, do you have a generator. Well, yes, but..

It's definitely better than nothing and under normal circumstances, just the knowledge that it's at the ready calms my nerves during most power outages. It won't power all my freezers, so they take turns, two at a time. This will work for a day or two at the most, but things go downhill rapidly from there. Needless to say, four days without power led to the premature passing of many tubs of ice cream.

That was the downside of last week's crazy weather. We dodged the destruction of the summer tornadoes, hurricane Irene,and the earthquake, so I guess it was just our turn.

There were some bright spots in all that cold darkness.

Discovering the upside of social media.

I must admit, Facebook posts from friends and particularly Pat Brough and his Eastampton Good News Page, when the network would let you in, was my main source of power restoration effort updates. Few had concrete answers, but at least it gave you something sometimes soothing for the nerves. The 2011 version of sitting by the battery-operated radio. I've often questioned the good-ness of social media, but I must admit, Zuckerberg and his posse stepped up to keep us informed and connected this time. Of course, it was kindof nice to not have it so accessible. Everything in moderation, as they say.

Random displays of the kindness of friends and strangers.

During the first few days, most of us were in the same boat. Cold, dark, coffee-less, and basically clueless. Neighbors checked on each other. Mayor Mike set up charging stations, food shelters, and provided updates. As power started to return, those who got it back offered their homes to others without. Casey at the Apollo Grill, opened up his candle-lit restaurant to all who got the word. With the help of his gas grill, he sustained many through those first couple days. Weary townsfolk played board games, chatted, and enjoyed great food and beverages for gratis in his cozy respite from their cold and dark homes. Fun and heart-warming. Thanks Case.

A taste of the (good?) old days.

It really is amazing how attached we've gotten to our gadgets. I can barely remember life before the internet. We take it for granted now, like indoor plumbing and supermarkets. I wanted to write something and had to grab a pen and an old journal made from a tree. It felt a bit strange, slow, and inefficient. But wholesome at the same time. I'm not saying I want to go back to tapping on an old typewriter, but I do think my eyes, and soul, enjoyed a few days away from my glowing screens.

When the storm was over, an almost eerie calm settled into our small town. It was beautiful.

Life just slowed down.

Power was finally restored late last week. The weather warmed up, the snow melted, and Autumn resumed..

The storm of 2011 is gone, along with all the snow and that giant Mulberry tree in my backyard, but we won't soon forget the week the lights went out. It's something I hope to never repeat for as long as I peddle ice cream, but all fiscal losses aside, it was a life experience I think we will all hold onto for a long time to come.

Off-Season Begins.

2011-10-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

With the first use of the word 'snow' by Ashley over at the 22 News desk today, Halloween next week, and the end of Daylight Savings Time not far behind, it seems safe to say 'off-season' has officially returned to Mt. Tom's and me.

The lines are rare from here until early Spring, and the crew schedule is much thinner. Meanwhile, the espresso machine steps it up for those deep dark hot chocolates, hot apple ciders, and Chai lattes. Thankfully, we live in New England where her hearty residents have been known to hold a cone with a down-filled mitten while walking through a blinding snowstorm.

May thru September are a whirlwind for we ice cream purveyor folk, and that's a very good thing. In these latitudes, you definitely gotta make hay when the sun shines from high in the sky. With your support, it's been another banner year. So a wholehearted thanks for coming out all summer. And for telling your friends about us. That's the part that really makes the difference, and I can't thank you enough. We'll keep making the best ice cream we can, and if you keep telling your friends, this little adventure I started now eight years ago will be around for many, many more.

Last time I blogged, I mentioned a few off-season projects I was kicking around for the trusty Diaries. One is the Sundae Experiment - stay tuned. That one, although takes some time, is really fun, and I still plan to continue it now that I've gotten my life back.

The other was to take a stab at a rewrite/reprint of the original Ice Cream Diaries. You may have caught the first episode here a month ago or so. After rereading a few more of those early rants, I've decided not to redo the whole set. Although there are definitely some great nuggets in there and it certainly captured those early days, at least for me, I realize they might be better left where they lie. You're welcome to peruse them at your leisure if you haven't already, and I have every intention of stealing material from them for future projects, but I'm scrapping plans for a rewrite. I wasn't technically a kid back then, but in entrepreneur time I definitely was, and while I've shaken those start-up jitters along with a bit of the thrill of the newness of it all, it's still a great gig, and I wouldn't trade it for eight years of weekends off.

Speaking of writing, next up, Novel-in-a-month, 50,000 words in 30 days, who's with me? If you don't see many blog posts around here next month, it's not for lack of writing anyway. Wish me luck. I have only scattered thoughts and random notes, but I figure I'll just hatch a few characters and see where they take me. Should be fun..

Along with burying myself in this challenging project, my other November goal is go on an internet diet. I can't deny that Facebook, email, Google News, MassLive, and the like have changed the way we live and interact. Sometimes, though, it just feels like too much information. I know that probably sounds a bit hypocritical coming from someone writing in his blog for anyone to see. I just thought it might be refreshing to see if I could live without constantly knowing what all my 'friends' are doing, or about the next war casualty that happened just twelve minutes ago. With all that reclaimed free time and a couple good ideas, 50,000 words should be a piece of cake.

Ice cream cake of course.

And if you're out and about for the upcoming Easthampton ArtWalk, I hope you can pop in and take peak at some of my favorite new and local images. My untitled show starts with the November ArtWalk on the 12th.

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you soon.

Jim

Change Happens.

2011-10-01T11:30:00.000-04:00

I bumped into a friend the other day in a local bookstore. She had just traded-in a box of books for cash, which she most likely returned to the owner of said bookstore for a smaller stack of books on the way out. 'I'm cleaning out my house, getting rid of all the clutter,' she jubilantly declared.

My response was, 'me too!' Clothes that haven't been worn in years, blog notes and to-do lists for things long done or left undone, weeds in the yard, expired condiment bottles turned science projects in the back of the refrigerator. Out with the old, make room for the new, as they say.

A friend/customer came in the other day and was giddy about the dumpster that just got delivered to her driveway. 'I can't wait to clear out the house of all my old stuff!' She could hardly contain herself.

It seems the change in seasons often finds us hankerin' for change in our own lives.

So we attack the things under our control. Like the basement. Or the garden. Underneath the driver's seat of our Honda.

Saying goodbye to that which no longer serves us well. Although I've yet to see a scientific study to verify this, it seems the changing of seasons is a common trigger. Case in point, 'spring cleaning'.

Right up there with sports team collapses.

As I try to write about change and cleansing and rebirth, my mind can't help but return to the Red Sox and their 'historic' meltdown. Like a train wreck you just can't look away from, I can't seem to stop listening to the constant barrage of angry and broken-hearted Sox fans venting on talk radio or ranting through the comments section of the endless sports pieces from every analyst and blogger who ever heard of David Ortiz. It seems clear. Someone must take the fall for the fall. In a desperate attempt to gain some control over the situation, we fans, die-hard, bandwagon, pink hat or otherwise, speak our minds - 'Theo must go. Tito must go. Crawford must go. It's all Lackey's fault.'

Ah, if only we had keys to that cluttered Red Sox locker room, could we do some cleaning.

No one likes to feel helpless, so we fester and try to tell ourselves it's just a game. It doesn't matter. There are way more important things to get worked up over. We'll get 'em next year.

Perhaps they will or perhaps they won't. It seems clear, though, that when you don't get what you ultimately desire, you can either do the same thing again and hope it works out better on its own, or you can make changes you hope will improve the odds.

Last time it was art imitating life. Today it's sports.

I think 'Hoop' summed it up pretty well over on www.boston.com. I found this in the comments section of one of those countless post-mortem pieces..

John Henry may look like a milquetoast, but you don't build that kind of wealth without stepping on a few folks, and knowing that change is always needed from time to time to keep an organization on its edge. This organization has lost its edge, that is clear. It doesn't mean Tito and Theo are not immensely talented, it simply means it is time to refresh and rejuvenate.

Refresh and rejuvenate, I like that. I had to look up the word 'milquetoast', but I totally get the rest. I'm not going to lay all the blame on Tito or Theo or Letters to Cleo, but the point is clear. Change for change's sake isn't the answer, and cleaning your garage is much easier than facing a dysfunctional relationship or improving your self-confidence. But when things aren't working, perhaps a little closet cleaning may just be the gateway change needed to steer the ship toward what it is you seek, whether it be a world series ring or your own happiness.

The Ice Cream Diaries - Issue 1 October 7, 2003.

2011-09-19T19:07:00.005-04:00

So it began.. It's hard to believe it's been eight years since I first set foot in the ice cream world. If I wasn't already feeling nostalgic, re-reading those first Ice Cream Diary installments has certainly done the trick. Here's the very first installment. I resisted the temptation to edit or contemporize it. I did correct a typo or two, but I wanted these old entries to stay true to the spirit of that moment, even if a few of those moments don't really make sense anymore. Fear not, I think they get more entertaining after the first couple. I may even sneak in a few more photos as I re-immerse myself in those 'good ole days'...

October 7, 2003

Hello from my new hometown of Easthampton, Massachusetts. I thought it might be fun to try to capture and share with my buddies a little bit of my new life as engineer turned ice cream man. Writing about myself may seem a bit self-indulgent, and I suppose it probably is, but I got beyond that by convincing myself it would be a good way to keep up my writing skills between batches of ice cream. You may remember last year at about this time reading my Dingo Notes and Kiwi Notes. Well, unfortunately I’m not now sitting in a cyber café, half-drunk on New Zealand house white, living out of a big green backpack with painfully dorky detachable day pack. Which also means I won’t be sharing stories of exotic tramping adventures atop majestic glaciers in New Zealand or dodging venomous snakes (or crazy young British tourists) deep in the Australian bush. Instead, as you probably already know, I am just about to start an adventure of a much different flavor. I have just completed the purchase of a candy store! I thought doing an email journal to capture the experience would be fun (and perhaps functional) for a few reasons. First, and most importantly, since my new business is in western Massachusetts, near the hip town of Northampton, I am now about eight exits west on the Mass Pike from most of y’all, and I thought this might be a way to help me keep in touch. Of course, I hope this will be just one of many ways to do that. Consider this an open invitation to come out for a visit anytime. Let’s just say I didn’t get a second bedroom for my fish.

The second reason for what I'm calling 'the ice cream diaries’ is to record the trials and tribulations and exhilarations of starting a business – a travel journal of sorts that I can pull off a dusty bookcase in thirty years to remind myself how naïve I really was back then. And for you, I wanted to find a way to share the experience, whether you simply enjoy reading as a distraction from an otherwise dull email box or you too are a closet entrepreneur and are hungry for a behind the scenes look. You might even learn something from my mistakes, er experience. I won’t even make you co-sign for my bank loan.

The final rationale for the IC Diaries is the romantic notion that no matter where this little ice cream adventure takes me, to success and eternal bliss or just another lesson to tell my little brother, it will most certainly provide fodder for future writing projects, perhaps even that prize-winning screenplay, “Ice Cream Diaries”. In any event, I hope you enjoy them, and if not, I won’t be at all offended if you send me an email saying “Stop spamming me with your endless ice cream drivel!” And if this is the only installment you get from me, that probably means it turned out to be much more work than even Dad had warned me about!

Having now set the stage, let me bring you up to date. If I haven’t seen you in a while, your first question probably is, how did you go from supply chain engineer (you probably never really knew what that meant anyway) to ice cream guy? It’s hard to say exactly, but it all started somewhere along my seventeen month sabbatical (that has a nicer ring than 'unemployment'). In the midst of travel, writing, socializing, moving, and watching reruns of the The Facts of Life, I finally realized my calling of engineering was not calling me anymore. Not even late at night when it was drunk and horny.

So as things went, I finished my travel adventures (rather anticlimactically at the Blytheville, Alabama WalMart where I quietly commemorated the completion of my quest to visit all fifty states), wrapped up my little coffee table book project, and next found myself being evicted from my cool apartment in Charlestown with just 30 days to figure out how to avoid living in an old couch under Storrow Drive. Rather than seeking writing fodder on the cold, hard streets of Boston, I decided that rather than move to a new apartment and be faced with another move when I got a job, I chose to go home again. Yep, I’ve been living in the folks’ basement for the past few months. And as 'unnatural’ as that sounds (credit to my Aunt Alma for that fitting adjective), it synchronicitly (I think I just made that word up) put me again under the same roof as one famous ice cream man, my Dad. He has been in the ice cream business for forty years. As it turns out, ice cream truly is in my blood.

My Dad, ‘Dave’, created a couple different shops, the second one he sold just a month before I was laid-off back in April of ‘02. So I’m knocking around the folks’ house in Mansfield, picking up old copies of the National Dipper, a magazine made by and for ice cream makers, and I come across an old box of MBA school notes. In the box is a complete business plan that I wrote back in Entrepreneurial Studies class. The business I chose was ‘The Ice Creamery’, one of Dad’s shops. You don’t have to hit me over the head three times to get my attention. From there, I started peppering Dad with ice cream shop questions. For the first time, he didn’t try to talk me out of something, like when I wanted to put a hot tub in my bedroom back in high school or when I threatened to quit college to become a rapper. Dad still did his best to talk me out of it by painting a picture of long hours and Johnny Damon-like headaches that come with running your own business, but I could always tell he was secretly hoping his illustrious ice cream career might just have one more chapter to be written.

From there, the search for the perfect location to bring my ice cream dream to life was on.

In the next installment (should you decide to stay with me), I’ll tell you how I ended up in Easthampton, give you a taste of the twist of fate it took to land my first ice cream gig, and tell you why I am have quickly become my nephew's favorite uncle. Hint: it has something to do with the fact that my new ice cream shop is also a candy store…

Have a great week, go Sox!

Your bud,
Jim
CSO – Chief Scooping Officer
Mt. Tom’s Homemade Ice Cream, Inc.

Sunrise's Sunset - a brief follow-up.

2011-09-15T08:53:00.012-04:00

As we all adjust to life after Sunrise, I find myself still in a bit of a nostalgic mood. The Gillette Restaurant Supply trucks and crew that spent a few days last week disassembling and hauling off most of the kitchen equipment from Carl's bakery basement are gone. My electrician is right now rewiring one of his walk-in freezers to my electrical panel.

All that remains upstairs of what was a homey little bakery cafe is a nearly empty room, a few retired coffee makers awaiting delivery to the land of misfit appliances, some display cases destined for Craigslist, and a fading Dear John letter in the window.

The cycle of life, small biz style.

Like the end of any relationship, we find ourselves longing for the good times we won't get to have again while we lick the wounds and desperately try to focus on how we've grown through the experience. We take solace in knowing the person we are no longer with is ultimately better off, and that we too will find that same place when the dust is all settled. Endings are never easy, but to coin a kitchy song, 'Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.'

Ok, it was just a bakery, perhaps I'm being a little melodramatic. I just know that if it were the end of my biz, mixed in with the relief at no longer having the 24/7 responsibility would be many of those same feelings one gets during a breakup. As I mentioned in the last blog post, we were all surprised at how abrupt an ending it was, but I have to give Carl credit for pulling off that band-aid fast. Rumor has it, he's already got a 'normal job', 8-4 five days a week, and is quite content to have such a better shot at a work/life balance.

And we all anxiously await the introduction of the next residents of the Sunrise space. I understand there is quite a lot of interest, and our landlord is not taking the decision lightly. I, for one, look forward to that new beginning.

In the spirit of beginnings, I've started re-reading my original Ice Cream Diaries from those exciting and scary first days in biz, when Mt. Tom's was just a kicking and screaming infant. One of my writing assignments for the Fall is to dust them off, clean up a bit, and republish those meanderings for all who care to relive the early days along with me these nearly eight years later.

Oh, and there's my little Sundae Experiment I need to get back to as well. Volunteers anyone? I have a few people on my list who will be hearing from me soon, but there are plenty more free sundaes to be had. Just drop me a line at jim@mttoms.com or mention it to me next time you're in the shop.

So stay tuned, lots of fun writing assignments to keep you warm like a comfortable old dog hair-covered afghan during those chilly nights that lurk around the bend.

Carl & Sunrise Pastry Shop - Thanks for everything.

2011-08-31T13:21:00.010-04:00

As I'm sure you've heard by now, Carl & Sara, owners of Sunrise Pastry Shop on Cottage Street here in Easthampton, have decided to call it a day.

To paraphrase the piece in the Republican, Sunrise has ridden off into the sunset.

The signs may have been there for a while, but few of us thought it would really happen. Fifteen years in this little downtown these days puts you firmly in the category of local institution. Say what you will about the place, and perhaps you haven't been there in months or even years, but I think the town lost a small piece of its charm this week. Carl, the owner, chief baker and bottle washer, took a chance on Easthampton when she was still rough around the edges, with the kind of downtown so sketchy parents of Williston students were given directions to the campus from the Mass Pike via route 10 even when they were coming from the East. When I started Mt. Tom's nearly eight years ago, I had the benefit of trailblazers like Sunrise, Smokin' Lil's, and the Nashawannuck Gallery to cushion my landing here. There are still a few holes to fill downtown today, especially on Union Street, but I'd argue it's daring entrepreneurs like Carl who were the real risk-takers, and the ones who should get the lion's share of the credit for downtown Easthampton's renaissance.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't also give credit due to all the 'starving artists' who took up residence in the reclaimed mills around town. These are the other fearless pioneers who discovered Easthampton in her tougher days, bringing with them a creative energy that has become the pleasant undercurrent of the city.

So why will I no longer enjoy the comforting aroma of baking donuts wafting through the walls of the bakery I share a basement with? Carl shares some of his thoughts over at MassLive. In a nutshell, he says it just stopped being fun. I think most of us who start our own business say it at the outset, but I also think few actually live by the words - 'When it stops being fun, I'll get out.' Too often businesses fail or in some ways worse, they survive while their overworked owner watches the years of their life zoom past at warp speed as they play the wizard behind the curtain for 83 hours a week. Let's face it, owning your own business is a lifestyle, and anyone who tells you otherwise, hasn't done it, or if they have, it probably wasn't for long.

When my Dad owned his ice cream shop with Mom back when I was in my 20's, I saw how chained he was to the business. He loved it. His favorite line was, 'I'm not going to work. I'm going to play.' But it baffled me why he never just hired a manager to run things so he could have a 'normal life' and have more time to do the non-ice cream things he enjoyed like fishing and reading a good book on a hammock in the backyard. It's the same problem I find myself struggling with today. I get it now. It's just not that simple. If you read the E-Myth by Michael Gerber, it's the classic entrepreneur's dilemma. Work like mad with a ton of passion and excitement for your new 'baby'. It becomes a success, and you end up working like crazy all the time. You finally say 'enough', then hire a manager and begin to off-load tasks. If you find the right person, they will do an adequate job, perhaps even a very good job. But they will never be you. They will never have your level of enthusiasm and stake in the game. Almost inevitably, just as you start to feel a bit of work/life balance returning to your life despite the negative impact on your bottom line, the dam starts to break in your business. The place isn't quite as clean as it would be when you were there all the time. Quality of the product starts to deteriorate a bit. And so begins the slow and steady slide to mediocrity. If you're not paying attention, by the time you realize what's happening, you've lost customers, the numbers are in the tank, and your biz is at the brink of self-destruction. Once it gets to that point, there are really just two options - say goodbye to your reclaimed personal life and jump back in to save your baby, or let it go.

During the short conversation I had with Carl in the parking lot the day he made the big decision to shutter Sunrise, he described his frustrations with staffing. In the colorful way only Carl can. Anyone who's come in contact with him knows, what you see (and hear) is what you get. He may sugarcoat his pastries, but never his words that's for sure. That may have alienated a customer here and there, but to his credit you always knew where you stood with Carl. Cross him and you'll feel the wrath of his words. Passive aggressive would never be used to describe him. But he always seemed to have time for his customers. Most mornings as I gazed over to his window, I could see him standing at a table of his regular customers, telling stories a mile a minute. That's the Carl many of his patrons will miss.

As for the staffing issues, I've always said it's the best and worst part of the gig. When you have a great crew, your job and your life is immensely easier. When it's not so great for whatever reasons, you find yourself working much longer and much harder to keep the ship righted. The ironic part is I believe I have Carl's staffing Achilles' heel to thank for my ice cream shop being in Easthampton.

You see, Mt. Tom's was actually started in a way by Carl ten years ago. He is the one responsible for the candy store part. He called it Sunrise Sweeties, and it was meant to be primarily a way to peddle his own homemade chocolates, truffles, petits fours, and other confections. He rented the space from our landlord after buying out the Northampton candy store Sweet Expectations. He cleaned it up nice, filled it with all their shelves, jars, and displays, added a few tables and counters, and Sunrise Sweeties was born.

Since he spent most of his time baking and operating Sunrise Pastry shop, he hired a manager to run his new candy store. From what I understand, that worked pretty well the first year, until that manager quit. The manager who replaced her wasn't up to the task in the same way. The business soon became a burden, and he decided to shop it around quietly. Around this time, I just happened to wander out here to visit a friend in Worthington. She owned a bed and breakfast and got her pastries from Carl. She just also happened to sell real estate on the side. Carl had mentioned he had a candy store to sell. My friend mentioned it to me after I described my so far fruitless search for a suitable location to bring to life my ice cream shop dreams. Voila, the stars had lined up, my friend made a call, I stopped in to see the place the next day, and the rest, as they say, is history.

My first look at the future Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream & Candy Store..

I didn't want this to read like an obituary, but more like a 'this is what Sunrise closing means to me'. When I saw Sara sitting on the back step of Sunrise the day they closed, I asked how she felt. Her response was simply, 'it feels weird.' Owning a business is, as I've said a million times, a lifestyle. The good news is it's a lifestyle you get to choose. I enjoy it because I still feel the passion for creating, for making people happy, for employing local youth, and for being able to spend my time in a happy and social place. It comes with the price of long hours, hard work, risk, and physical labor. I admire Carl for creating something from nothing, for taking a chance on this little town that couldn't, for putting his skills for creating amazing culinary treats to good use, and for getting up at 3:30 am nearly every day of the week for over a decade to do it. I'd guess he and Sara are feeling an emotional hangover of relief, sadness, guilt, angst over the future, and just plain 'weird'. Endings are never easy, but they do give us a chance to stop for a minute and reflect on how far we've come and what we've learned, before we decide where we're going next.

Carl and Sarah should feel good about all the great memories they've provided to Easthampton over the past twelve years. The idea of Sunrise not being around does feel weird, but I admire them for what had to be a very difficult decision. Life only moves forward, and I wish them the best of luck with whatever new lifestyle they choose, whether it be Hawaii, Florence, or a small culinary college in Vermont. Thanks for the impact you've had on my life and the many in town who will miss your talent for creating great sweets. May the road ahead be everything you hope for and more.

Mt. Tom's on the Weather Channel. Wait, what?

2011-07-10T20:11:00.009-04:00

This is probably old news to most of you, especially if you are a Mt. Tom's fan over on Facebook.

Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream went national last week! During a series of segments over the course of last Sunday morning (and repeated throughout the afternoon), the Weather Channel sampled and rated a few of our flavors as part of their 'Ice Cream Sunday' program. You can check out the highlights here...

Thanks to Pat Brough for putting this video 'highlight film' together. Not sure how you did it, but it's great to have it all in one place (at least until youtube takes it down). As you can probably guess, their 'ice cream show' was shown in little segments between extreme weather reports, news, and local weather on the 8's, so it would have taken you two hours to see what Pat compressed into that little video.

I must admit it was pure, unadulterated awesome and a bit surreal to flip on the Weather Channel that morning and see their little freezer open and overflowing with tubs of ice cream.. with one of those pints showing off a big Mt. Tom's logo on it. Marketing nirvana.

It just got better from there.

To be honest, until I saw my logo in that freezer on my TV screen in my living room, I wasn't even sure it had even worked. After all, I'd never even attempted to ship ice cream. All I knew was it wasn't easy, and it was expensive. But I did have two aces up my ice cream covered sleeve - a source for dry ice. I've had this on my wall for a few years now...

.. And a very good friend at Fed Ex. Liz Jenks, who just happens to be an expert on overnight shipping with all things considered hazardous (e.g. dry ice). She helped me box up the pints, add all the right labels and markings, and even drove it over to the Fed Ex office for me. I'm still thanking her for going way above and beyond the call of friendship.

So let me back up for a second. I'm sure you're wondering how I was able to get Mt. Tom's ice cream on the Weather Channel in the first place. I wish it was a more gripping story, still, given the odds of landing such a market coup, I may never know the extent of synchronicity involved in my getting the call.

'The call' came on a Wednesday, from a Weather Channel producer. 'I'm working on an ice cream tasting segment to be aired live. Part of it will involve different brands of vanilla. The other part will include unique ice cream flavors. I see that you make Maple Bacon ice cream. Are you interested in having your ice cream be part of the show?'

It can be tricky because as every small business owner knows, you get calls from strangers promising things all the time. Usually it's lower credit card transaction rates or shady low interest loans, but once in a while real opportunity is at the other end of the line. I had no way to know for sure on this one, aside from the fact that the guy who called had a voice that sounded like a smooth radio announcer. Obviously not indisputable proof the call was real, but enough to make me say, 'let me figure out how to get you some pints, and I'll call you right back.' I quickly determined if I was ever going to ship ice cream, this would be it. I called back and said ok. I picked 5 of what I consider my best (had to use the special flavors I had that day since the box had to be in the air the next morning, luckily Maple Bacon was made and ready to go!). So Brian the scooper packed up the pints, put them in the blast freezer to freeze them up to a solid twenty-six below zero, and after a trip to American Ice for dry ice then Manchester Hardware for a small cooler the next morning, I had everything I needed to (hopefully) safely ship ice cream to Atlanta in July. I called the Weather Channel producer guy and told him it was on the way, and if he could just unload the pints into a freezer as soon as they arrived. And I also asked if he could just give me a quick call to let me know it wasn't just a big puddle of sour milk with bits of bacon in it when it hit his 95 degree doorstep.

Late Friday morning, the Fed Ex tracking number said the package was left on the steps of the guy's house. I never did get that call, so I literally had no idea if Mt. Tom's would have anything to do with 'Ice Cream Sunday' a few days later. I was afraid to tell anyone because I just didn't know.

You can imagine my relief when I saw that tub sitting in the Weather Channel freezer.

Not only did the ice cream make it in its frozen form, the crew on the Weather Channel loved it.

Chalk one up as another great 'start an ice cream shop life adventure/journey' moment. Made even sweeter by being able to share it with the many friends and customers who are the reason my little ice cream shop adventure is still here and still growing after almost 9 years.

And to answer the one big question, how did Mt. Tom's ice cream end up getting that call from a national network based in Atlanta in the first place? All I can say is, the guy who called had somehow heard we made Maple Bacon ice cream. He had seen a few of our other 'non-traditional flavors' on our website and thought they would fit in well with the 'non-traditional ice cream flavors' piece he was charged with producing. It could have been one lucky web search, a friend-of-a-friend who works at the Weather Channel who comes here, or something else. I did hear a story from a guy who was here a few days ago who said he thought there was a weather forecaster who used work at Channel 40 Springfield and moved to the Weather channel that loved coming to Mt. Tom's. If you're reading this, and you happen to be that guy, I can't thank you enough. Next one's on me...

Thanks to all that have shared the great comments about having seen it (we were in Vermont on a trip and saw it in the hotel. My mom in Iowa saw it..). I guess time will tell if the exposure will lead to anything else. Has it boosted business? Hard to say, although it certainly hasn't hurt. Just being able to be part of putting Easthampton on the 'national weather map' for a day is in itself pretty satisfying..

Thanks for listening, and watching, and hope to see you soon, Jim

My Graduation Speech.

2011-06-24T21:14:00.008-04:00

As predicted, ice cream making and shop running duties have kept me from the trusty Ice Cream Diaries, and more importantly, from my latest little writing project, The Sundae Experiment. It's been a fun little writing adventure so far, and I look forward to continuing it soon. Well, if not soon, in the Fall when some bit of balance returns to my life. In the meantime, I've had a writing idea swirling around in my head, since I caught the cool and inspiring graduation speech by Alan Alda at the Williston Northampton School a few weeks ago.

If you want to check it out, here it is...

It got me thinking, and it could pass as a Sundae Experiment question, what would I say if I were ever asked to give a high school graduation speech? I don't expect that to happen anytime soon, but I thought it might be fun to ponder what kind of advice I might espouse if given a podium overlooking a pond of caps and gowns.

Hmm.

Of course, it's crazy to even think of posting it here right after Alan Alda's great speech, so hopefully you haven't watched it yet. What the heck, life is about taking chances, so let's give it a shot..

Congratulations, class of 20(xx). You're about to commence upon the next leg of your life's journey. You've successfully made it through most of your adolescence in one piece. The person you see in the mirror is starting to look very much the likeness of the character you will play in the lifelong reality show called 'You'. Today, you're not so much celebrating the past four years of high school as much as your commencing into the world, like toasting a ship's maiden voyage rather than the four years in dry dock it took to build her. No matter what's next for you, college or working world, your scholastic obligations to society and to your parents have been met. You are free to go where the wind or your whims take you.

You should feel both liberated and terrified.

Let me administer my first advice with the following: take a deep breath, and enjoy this moment.

You're life's party is just getting started.

I can assure you there will be highs, and there will be lows. The good and bad news is both will pass. And when they do inevitably pass, let them go. Feel free to savor the good times, tell stories and look at photos. Don't be afraid to think about the not-so-good times too, for those will provide all the insights you need to navigate whatever lies ahead for you.

Sure, I've read all the best self-help books from Chopra to Gilbran, and you can too if you that's what inspires you. But I thought rather than lean on Steven Covey for his seven habits or drop my favorite Anais Nin quote, 'There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom', I'll save you some time by summarizing it all here - all the answers you seek are already inside you. I'm nearly certain this statement means nothing to you, but that's ok, you'll figure it out in your own time.

After high school, I went to college. Why? 2 reasons. One, because my parents never once made me think there was any other option. They weren't Mommie Dearest about it by any means. For them, it's just what you did to prepare yourself for a successful career, a solid way to provide a comfortable lifestyle for yourself and your future family. End of story.

The second thing that convinced me college was the best next step, believe it or not, was playing the Game of Life. If you remember playing that game, at the beginning you are faced with the choice of going down the college path or the career path. The college path almost always leads to bigger paydays for the rest of the game. After all, the object of the game of life is to have the most money when you reach the end, retirement.

I'm here to tell you that life doesn't always mirror movies, books, or board games. Sure, money can bring a certain amount of happiness, but not if it comes for the price of a job you hate that keeps you from being with the people you care about or doing the things you really want to do. To quote myself (although I'm fairly certain that's a blatant speech faux pas), 'there are plenty of unhappy people in big houses.'

That's not to say that I don't still recommend college highly. It can and will open doors for you that might otherwise remain closed or be much tougher to push open.

And just like the board game of Life, you will be faced with many other decisions. To marry, to have children, to buy a house, to save for retirement, to change careers, to get a tattoo. Some will work out better than others, but all will serve their purpose in your life. I went to college for engineering, graduate school for business. I worked at a giant company called AT&T for over ten years. Was I unhappy there? No. Could I have worked there my entire career and been fairly content? Sure. But a little voice kept whispering to me, 'there must be something more for you.' Had I not taken the action to look for another job, I would have missed out on an amazing start-up experience followed by two years of world travel which ultimately lead to a career 180 into ice cream and all things sweet.

My message is pretty simple. You may feel pressure right now to make this huge decision about what you want to be for the rest of your life. And if you know exactly what that is already, that's great. But no matter whether you do or you don't, it's fairly likely you may be doing something completely different in ten years anyway. Or twenty. Which, as you will hopefully learn, is one of things that makes life great.

Make the best decisions you can for the reasons that matter (hint: it's not about the money).

In the infamous words of fictitious fun-lover Ferris Bueller, 'Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.' True dat.

Push yourself to be better but don't beat yourself up too much if things don't work out exactly as you had hoped.

And remember, wherever you are in your life is exactly where you are meant to be. Don't let anyone try to make you believe otherwise.

Congratulations, Godspeed, do some good, and have some fun.

Easthampton, Massachusetts: A coffee table book.

2011-05-23T10:00:00.001-04:00

You may have noticed it on the soda fountain counter in the shop, sitting right next to my self-described 'the world according to me' book, Hand-me-downs: Some Just Slightly used Tips on Life for my Little Brother. I had the idea in my head for most of the off-season but never quite made the time to put it together. Well, it finally worked its way up my projects 'to-do list', and with the help of a bunch of rainy Spring days, I got it done.

What am I talking about you wonder?

Well, it's a little coffee table book of my favorite local images. You may recognize many from JimArt photo cards on the aforementioned counter. I've included 'bottle shots' from all seasons, the Manhan Rail Trail, and Mountain View Farm, just to name a few. Here's a couple to wet your appetite..

Early fishermen on the Nashawannuck Pond..

Early snow on the same pond...

When I first started putting the book together, I planned to include a quote to go with each photograph, like Hand-me-downs but without the stories. In the end, I decided to keep the quotes/life philosophies, but include them at the end in one complete list, rather than distract from the local images.

You may remember the list from a blog entry I made here in the Ice Cream Diaries a year or two ago. Someone had forwarded me an email going around of life tips from 90 year old writer Regina Brett. I found it on-line HERE. Never one to back down from a metaphysical challenge, I put together my own list of 'Things I've Learned about Life'. My list includes 53, not to try to outdo Regina, but, in true ice cream dorkiness, to match the number of flavors we have going at any given time at the shop. My list of life observations is included at the end of the Easthampton matte-finish photo tour.

The first run was pretty small (testing the waters), so come on down and check it out. If you like it and decide it's perfect for your Easthampton-based coffee table, or perhaps for a friend or family member who may have moved away from our homey hamlet, they're just $10.95.

And if it's a hit, I'm sure I can order more.

Proceeds will go into the Mt. Tom's 'Sweet Local Causes' fund.

Thanks in advance. I hope you enjoy it.

jim

Sundae Experiment: Lori

2011-05-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

This latest Sundae Experiment is with long time customer and friend, Lori. She and her daughter Bella have been dropping into Mt. Tom's for many years now. It was a fun conversation that started off with a 'what do you do for a living' question, hovered there for a bit, then became a spirited discussion on the Tao of owning your own business, a topic near and dear to my heart, needless to say. Entrepreneur or not, I hope you enjoy.

Hi Lori. Welcome to the Sundae Experiment.

Fire when ready.

What is it that you do?

I own a business that maintains fish tanks. We set them up, buy the fish, maintain them, replace the fish if they die, soup to nuts, er guppies to tetras. I have two employees.

Fish tanks are cool to look at but it’s like having a cat and that darn cat box.

Everyone says I’d love to have a fish tank, but I don’t want to have to clean it. Translation - job security.

The places I work are usually where someone is assigned to clean the fish tank who eventually calls me and says, ‘Even though it’s my job, I don’t want to do it.’ If you’re in a corporate setting, you probably come to work with heels and a skirt on, you don’t want to be cleaning a fish tank. That’s the beauty of my job. I show up in jeans and a t-shirt and nobody questions that.

I like it. I’ve been doing it for 12 years. It was already a business. I bought it from somebody. When I bought it, I had 130 clients, now I have 250.

Wow. Had no idea it was that big.

I have clients from here to Rocky Hill, CT, Palmer, Ware, Westfield, and as far north as South Deerfield.

It’s just me and two part-time people. Each has their own set of customers they visit once a month. They get to develop a relationship with that customer and learn the quirks to each tank.

Yes, and some people, no matter how hard I try, I don’t get along with them. (laughing)

I think that’s a key to managing people - match the personality to the task or the client. One of my employees is meticulous, but likes to talk a lot. Don’t get her talking. Any business who’s got a type A person, ‘get in, get out’, we don’t send her. They just won’t like her, she’d be too social. It’s been a study in human nature.

It’s about figuring out what people are good at, finding their strengths.

And exploiting those strengths. In a good way.

People like my other employee. People really like her. She’s a Libra - the balance, I’m the crazy psychotic one, and the other one talks too much. So it all works out.

Sometimes I get sick of working. I work a lot of hours. Then I think what else do I want to be doing? I could never be in the corporate situation, anything that involves bureaucracy.

The story about making ice cream sandwiches you wrote about in your Ice Cream Diaries once - You thought of it one night, then went in the next day, and just did it. You didn’t have to check with anyone. That’s exactly it. I can’t stand going through all those layers of stupidity until you get to someone who can make a decision. Only to have them say ‘that’s not how we do things here’.

How did you start your business?

I was working at a pet store in Holyoke and also managing a pet store in Longmeadow. It was a little stressful. And my daughter was three. Even with two jobs, I wasn’t making enough money. I was talking with one of my regular customers who I knew had a service. He only bought fish, never bought food or any other stuff because he had the service. One day he came in and bought food and plants and a bunch of other stuff, so I asked him, ‘I thought you had a service’.

Turns out, the people who owned the service sold it, and the new owners weren’t coming, but they never told him anything. He was pretty mad about it. He was in Granby, and they just didn’t want to go there. But they never told him so that’s why he was mad. I knew that service had all the big tanks.

I thought, wow, now would be a great time to get into that business. But I was working 65 hours a week at those 2 places. I called the original owner and said, ‘you should have sold this business to me because the other people are destroying it.’ We talked it over, he showed me his customer list. I talked it over with my dad who gave me good questions to ask him. Then I just went ahead and did it. It was very scary. It wasn’t like anything I ever thought I would do. It’s not a glamorous job. It took a while to adjust from an hourly mentality to a ‘I own a business mentality’. I think I’ve made the jump now.

I’ve always described owning your own business as ‘a lifestyle’.

People always say, why don’t you get other people to clean the tanks and then you can just kick back and not work. Well, first of all you have to pay those people, and after that, will there be anything left from what you received to do the job?

It’s the classic entrepreneur’s dilemma – what’s the value of time versus money to you. Making more free time takes away from your profits. And you need a certain amount of profit for a business to remain viable.

You can try to replace that lost profit with more customers, but more customers often means more problems. And sometimes the problems are the ones you have to address yourself.

Timothy Ferris, in The Four hour Work Week, talks about Pareto’s Rule. He suggests studying where your profits are coming from. Pareto’s Rule predicts 80% of profits are coming from 20% of what you do. This may be why the new owner dropped your pet store customer from Granby.

I do try to streamline to minimize travel time. Some jobs require two people to clean – you need eyes on both sides of the tank. It makes the job must faster.

When I make ice cream, I’ve learned you can save a lot of time if you strategically order the flavors you make in a day. This minimizes the number of times you have to wash-out the machine. Trying to work smarter not harder, right?

One of my clients is a car dealership. They called because they wanted me to take a dead fish out of their tank. I had to charge them twenty bucks, since it took me time to get there. They were horrified by that. Last time I got windshield wipers there, they charged me $24 and $60 to put them on. I told them it didn’t take an hour for you to do that, but you charged me an hour anyway. I don’t want to hear any complaining.

Do you offer a warranty?

Yes. That's why I try to control the fish tank. Including buying the fish. If they buy a fish and add it to their tank, all bets are off.

I'd guess overfeeding is a big fish killer.

And underfeeding. I’ve noticed that skinny people underfeed their fish and heavy people way overfeed their fish. And their dogs and their cats. People play with the automatic feeders.

Do you ever take time off?

Not much. If you own the business, you can do whatever you want, but you always have to ask how is it going to affect your business.

Therein lies the dilemma.

Last summer I went away for 4 or 5 days, I said to myself, 'I'm just doing it, I’m going away.'

I scheduled it so most of my clients were done ahead or could be done when I got back. That’s the other drawback, with my kind of business, we have x number of people that have to be done in a month, and if you miss one, you can’t go twice in the next month, because that’s not fair. You either miss out on the money or jam them all in. You end up working really hard before you leave and after. That leaves you wondering, are these few days off worth it, because I’m exhausted.

Then there's the part about what if something happens while you're away. I've been working hard this past year on that work/life balance and that's the toughest part, leaving your 'baby' home alone with the sitter.

You can train someone in every possible scenario. And then something else will happen that they’re not able to handle and don’t know what decision to make, and then they make it and you wonder ‘why did they do that!’

And there's the part about people liking to see the owner there.

What’s the worst that could happen right?

Having a cell phone and exploiting my crew's passion for texting is extremely helpful. Back when my parents had their ice cream shops, I remember Dad having to find a payphone every time he wanted to check in. That was the only way he'd get word something might be wrong.

When I worked at the pet store, I worked there for eight years, and I took one vacation day. I never took a vacation, it wasn’t even my own business and I never wanted to leave it. Even when I did finally take a vacation I called every day to make sure everyone showed up, and to keep tabs on what was happening. Part of that is my own fault because it’s my own personality.

It’s hard to find people that care as much as you (the owner) does.

If it’s still fun, keep doing it but when you commit so much time to your business, time goes by fast, do you ever wonder if you'll have regrets for the sacrifices?

I have sacrificed time with my daughter and as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to put limits on that. People are very demanding, they call me day, night, weekends. I’ve had people call me at three in the morning. I’ve learned if you put a boundary out there, people will respect it. The guy who called at three a.m., he had just figured out he needed to move his tank to put down a new floor. ‘First of all, I’m not going to do anything at three in the morning,’ I told him. 'Secondly, you knew you were putting in a new floor months ago, why are you calling me now? Earliest I can do it is day after tomorrow.' Most people understand. Obviously, I do my best, and a lot of times I answer off the cuff, ‘no way until next week’, then I go home and look at my schedule and figure out I can to it in two days, and I'm a hero.

One customer wanted to get a fish tank for his little kid for Christmas and could I come on Christmas eve to set it up. I said no, because I have my own kid, and it’s a pretty big deal to me too.

I like 90% of the people I work with. If something goes wrong at the beginning of the day, it’s hard for me to let go of it. You want everyone to be happy. It’s impossible.

After those days, you just go home and decompress and let it go over a bottle of Bass? Sorry, bad fish reference, couldn't stop myself.

Tomorrow's another day. That's probably the biggest drawback I do say. Sometimes I think I'm going to sell this business and just get a job at Starbucks as a barista where you just clock in and make a few coffees and then go home, and you don't have to think about it.

So what would you do next if it stopped being fun?

That is the thing. I could never imagine myself working in an office again. Even when I ran the pet store, I thought I wanted to run a pet store, but I'm not sure I would even want to do that anymore. At least this way, if I go to someone's place to look at their tank and I get a gut feeling I'm just not going to get along with this person, I just say sorry I can't fit you into my schedule. So I have a little bit of control. Even if I sign up a customer who I don't quite see eye to eye with eventually I find someone in their company I can work well with, someone who's on my side, because you always need someone on your side to keep an eye out for the fish. Because you're only there once a month.

Sometimes people say I'm a little hard to work with, but I don't see it that way. I'm not mean, really. I just say it like it is.

People need to know how important it is to listen to my instructions. Their fish's lives are at stake. Sounds a bit dramatic, but it's true.

When I was 'between careers' and contemplating a life of ice cream, I asked my Dad for his advice. The first thing he said was, 'you don't want to do that. It's a ton of work and time, and you won't have time for a family and a normal life.' In hindsight, he was pretty spot on there, although, as I've mentioned in blog entries over the past year, it's a problem I'm trying to solve, with a few tools from my past career, ironically enough. If your daughter were to someday ask you the same question about starting a business, would you recommend it?

I think I would as an alternative to working for someone else your whole life. At least, when you work for yourself and you're not making enough money, you can do something about it. You can work harder. When I worked at the pet store, I was the hardest working person there, I never took a vacation, and I took a deep interest in every animal in there. I worked really hard to know about all the animals. I have a degree in biology but that wasn't very helpful - I knew all the internal organs of a rabbit but I couldn't tell you how to keep it alive for ten years. I did a lot of reading, made up information sheets people for people to take, I wanted people to have a good experience and take care of their pet. That made me good at that job, but it didn't make me any more money.

Do you think that'll be your legacy?

I don't know. People just call me the fish lady. I found it a little offensive at first, but I'm over it now. I do know that most places that have fish, people really enjoy them, especially the nursing homes. My company make tanks look good, and people like that.

Therein lies the satisfaction. I always tell people don't do it for the money.

Do what you like to do, and make it something you're going to do for a reason. If it's something you like to do and that people will like, the money will follow. I think that's what I've found. The money did follow. I loved the pet store, and the people who worked there were my family. I worked 80 hours a week, one day off a month. I haven't worked there for 11 years (It was Animal City in Holyoke at the K-Mart plaza). People still come up to me and say, 'Didn't you used to work at Animal City?' All that time and energy for eleven dollars an hour. When I started the fish thing, and decided to leave, I even offered to help find and train a replacement.

I didn't want to leave. The owner told me sure, but I'm not going to pay you what I pay you now. I worked for him for 11 years, and he said he'd pay me what he was paying shift supervisors, $8 per hour. I said no, left in a huff that same day. Once I quit that job and dug into my fish business, it took off. I started getting new clients. So what started out as a very bad ending was actually a good thing for me and my new fish business.

You gotta be all in.

You do, it has to be your only thing. I was talking to a friend the other day about her getting married. And she said she wanted to live with him first to see how it goes. I said why bother? Either you love him or you don't. If you move in with him, and you realize he hides uneaten bowls of cereal under the couch, is that any reason to divorce him? It's the same way with the business, you just have to decide. I'm either going to do this to the best of my ability or get out. And then do what? I can't even envision myself filling out a job application now.

I supposed that's a risk of running your own business they don't cover in Entrepreneur 101 class. Once you've worked for yourself for a while, it's hard to go back to the world of TPR reports and office politics. Here's hoping we never have to.

I, and the thousands of fish across western Massachusetts, thank you.

You're very welcome, and thanks for the sundae.

If Lori's fish care service is something you or someone you know might be interested in, she can be reached at (413)-536-8578. http://www.aquariumproinc.com/

Sundae Experiment: Stasia

2011-04-22T09:00:00.008-04:00

This one took a little longer, but I think you'll find it was well worth the extra time it took to transcribe and edit. No intro needed. This one speaks for itself. Hope you enjoy...

Cheers!

Mid-afternoon treat, espresso. Nice. (editor's note: contrary to popular belief, ice cream makers don't actually eat ice cream all day long.)

When I first thought of the Sundae Experiment, it was about wanting to get other people's ideas about life besides mine. Not from pros with names like Deepak or Dyer, but regular folk like you and me.

As always, the hardest part is to get rolling, so let's just start with a bit of background and see where it takes us.

Sounds good. Fire away.

Tell me a bit about what you do.

I'm a midwife in Springfield. Originally, I thought the reason I wanted to do that was to help people, but I think the real reason is I'm really nosy. I just love getting into the most intimate private spots in people's lives. That's really what drives it. And not only does that work with my patients but at a party I can just start asking women about their births and they're like, wow! And they can't wait to tell me because no ever asks them about that. So it gives me an in socially. And the women I work with are nothing, nothing like me. Some really heavy, heavy things. Had a woman whose resources were so thin, she was begging her boyfriend all night to please stop eating pizza and join her for the birth of his child. She had no one with her, just no resources. I can't say that I’m always inspired by these women, but they certainly give you a different perspective.

I knew that's was what you did, but had no idea it was like this. Wow.

The other type of midwifery, that is breaking break with women, and really being with them in the most empowering place they can be, that's great. I really don't do too much of that. The tradition of midwifery I work in is the tradition that has always served the under-served and forgotten women, and fortunately we have Medicare so I can get paid, where traditionally women have just done it for a chicken.

I assume you were trained as a nurse?

Yes, I was a nurse and worked in a pretty well to do hospital. Always knew I wanted to be a midwife, since nursing school. Didn't know I wanted to work with pretty under-served people until my first job in Chicago, that was really my first exposure I had with really poor women and what their lives are like. I found it really inspiring.

Here's where I would normally ask 'describe a person, place, book, or event that had a big influence on you'. Is it safe to say that Chicago job is that for you?

So I first started working with immigrants in Chicago. The practice itself was difficult, and I ended up leaving after 3 years to work with homeless women. That blew my mind. Just blew my mind. The change I was able to go through. The first time I went there for my interview, I was shocked. I walked in and couldn't wait to get out of the neighborhood. I was really freaked out, but I soon learned it was only rough on the outside. People were there to get help. We were there to give them help. And that was very obvious for the folks we took care of. And they weren't as crazy as they seemed from the outside. It was a really good way for me to get a good look at the underbelly of society and break bread with that a little bit.

Were these woman victims of crime?

It was a health center so the people there had to have a certain amount of self-awareness and mental competency to get themselves to their health care provider. There were plenty of health care workers who find people under the viaduct and in the shelters. I didn't do that. My services weren't needed in that capacity in that clinic. Most of the women I would see were very normal women who came on hard times. A third of them had drug and addiction issues and often a mental health component.

What's the best part of the job?

It's the connection with the people. I got it all night last night with this family I would have never known. Seeing women bond. In my current job, I see it a lot. Women really take care of each other. Unfortunately, their partner is in and out. The women, however, they rise to the occasion. And last night we had 8 or 9 women there, cousins, etc. and they were there to support the woman giving birth. I see that a lot. And I got to be part of that with those women. Last night was a little different, they weren't happy with the support and were about to start complaining until I got there. I think I get to provide a bit of a bridging of the health care system with folks that just aren't really made to feel welcome.

When you're not midwifing or being a Mom, you do Yoga. Do you feel that helps you to be more compassionate in your job?

It must. I think it helps the part of me that is able to be vulnerable with people and not feel broken and not feel like I have to protect myself from strong feelings for patients. I definitely have fallen for a majority of my patients. I think that's a strength, and I don't think I could do that if I didn't feel strongly that I don't need to protect myself from those strong feelings, that those strong feelings are who I am and they make me stronger, and they don't make me make decisions that aren't medically correct just because I love them.

Can you understand why other health practitioners don't let themselves be so vulnerable?

I think we all have our own special gifts. I think that as a Scorpio, I came into this world with the ability to feel very raw and comfortable and see other people's vulnerabilities.

I imagine it would be hard to be a nurse and not have a certain tolerance for the highs and lows of the human condition.

I agree, and nursing in the hospital for me was really good training as a midwife in the capacity I worked. If you're going to be intimate with people, you gotta do it right now. This is your only opportunity, you're meeting them for the first time, and then they're going to go out. I may bump into them on the street but otherwise this is it, this is the only time we have. And it's really important, this can change her experience and I think that a lot of nurses, although very caring and compassionate, are just not willing to go there. Whereas as a midwife, you have the chance to build up a relationship over time which is part of why they let me in the door.

Also working with very under-served women makes me look at my problems in perspective. Look at my problems, these are good problems to have! I'm always arguing with my coworkers, I will always see people, even if they're two hours late. Have you ever tried to use the Springfield bus system?! I can barely make appointments with a working car and a husband that helps.

Not to mention that many of the women I've worked with are refugees. One of the best experiences I've had in my career was there. She was a young woman with her husband and 2 kids. It took about an hour and a half, we kept waiting for the translator. Finally, we did her appointment, she was 27 weeks pregnant at the time, 2/3rds through. I noticed she was very small and thin. I asked her basic medical questions, then a week later brought her back to check her again; took her weight, and talked to her about nutrition.

In that week, she had lost a couple pounds, so I asked her, she'd been in the country 3 weeks, her WIC cards had run out, asked her what she had eaten, 'let’s do a diet recall', we do them all day long. She told me she'd been living on potatoes and potato water. In the United States. And one of the most wonderful experiences I ever had, I said 'hold the phone' and I walked out and took all my coworkers lunches and I brought them in, and then I went out and brought her lists of places she could go in the area to get free food. I told her there's a lot of messed up things about this country, but you are going to eat every day! You get to eat. I bought everybody else lunch that day. I remember I had spent 14 bucks on lunch at Starbucks, take it! There she was, not complaining, not about to complain about it. Strong, strong people.

That is a great story. You did a noble thing there, and it seemed like it was instinctual for you.

Fast forward a decade and your kids are off to college for the first time. What would be your advice for them?

That depends on which kid I'm talking to. Different advice. Luke, my oldest, is so gifted socially. My advice wouldn't reflect my personal philosophies on life, it would reflect my concerns for their success. For Luke, take time every day that is not about connecting socially with people – sitting down, doing homework, having a coffee by himself, something that reminds him every day to connect with himself.

Tyman it would be the opposite. Hopefully, it would be to a different college than Luke. We're keenly aware of this ying-yang they have together. They do fit perfectly together but opposite strengths, Tyman is very strong at taking care of himself but has a hard time connecting and being in a social place without Luke. I think I would say to Tyman, remember who you are, that you are strong.

How do you keep the balance?

Yoga, couple times a week, I should be doing it more. I feel really strongly that midwifery is probably half of my life, my kids are a 1/3^rd, husband is whatever's left (laughing). If my kids were half and midwifery is ¼ of my life which it was for a while, I just don't function as well that way. I'm just not as good a full time mother, at least at this stage. I'm a much better part-time mom. I know that about myself, and I feel fine about that.

Quality over quantity.

When we do have time together, we try and get the most out of it. I would come home from work, and I'd only have 45 minutes before my son had to go to bed, and I’d just breastfeed him. I'm always amazed at how much love you can pack into 45 minutes. We're doing it, it's ok, he gets it.

I've dabbled with yoga and Qi gong and meditation. They all take time out of your day, but I think they have the power to provide stress relief and energy and focus that makes it well worth it.

I was talking with someone who was saying yoga is about how you feel afterwards, relaxed. For me, I love everything about it, including doing it. One time I heard a yoga instructor say, 'you're seeking the bliss' and yah, you end up being more flexible, but that's because if you do a lot of yoga you'll end up strong or flexible but that's not why you're doing it, you're seeking the bliss.' It's nice that you can be in touch with that. To really understand that you're not trying to hurt yourself, you're trying to explore yourself and grow and oxygenate, and that's very blissful. Bliss is nice.

Another benefit I've noticed with these practices, you feel less inclined to open a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos after a yoga class. It puts you in a healthy state of mind.

Heat is a big part of the yoga I do now, and when I leave I feel like a big sponge, and I have to be wary of that. Sometimes I go home and the kids are crazy. When I'm about to walk into that I have to think, ok, I have to wring out this sponge a little but because I’m going to be really impacted by their moods. Drink a bunch of water, think of filling up a little bit. But I have to be really careful after doing those classes. If I have a glass of wine, it just feels like it goes deeper.

I recently heard Steve Jobs use the quote, 'Live every day like it's your last because someday you'll be right. And if you're not enjoying what you're doing, change it.' Do you agree with that?

Yah, absolutely. I'm kind of shaking my head in disbelief that I work in this amazing profession and not everyone feels that way. It's such an honor to be with families in these moments. Burnout happens. You can feel joy, I don't know if it matters what you do. I know yoga teaches this - finding the Zen in waitressing and cleaning the toilet. Being able to be present and do a good job and contribute wherever and doing whatever you're doing in that moment.

I think enjoying what you do comes when what you're doing lines up with what interests you, what you're good at, and what inspires you. I got some of that from engineering, but much more from being an ice cream shop owner.

It's a party when people come in here. Very joyous place. I say this to smokers with those last 3 cigarettes, 'I want you to sit down and enjoy it. Sit there and like it, enjoy it.' that's what people do here, they enjoy themselves. That's important in life.

It may be a little harder to find joy in cleaning the toilet, but it is all around you.

If I can inspire them to come to their doctor visits more often or take their prenatal vitamins, inspire a little self-care awareness, that makes me happy. I'm not really in this to change lives. If that happens, if I'm lucky enough to inspire someone enough that's great, but I wouldn't want to be that egotistical to think that way. People have their own path. It's none of our business in many ways as to how they are going through this life. I just try to connect with them.

It's still a nice thought, although you’re right, it shouldn't be an expectation. I think you underestimate your impact.

About a year ago I realized I was in this more because I was nosy than I wanted to change people's lives. And I thought, 'wow, that's really profound!'

When all said and done, what will be the thing that best defines you?

Being able to connect with people. What I see in my son Luke. I get a lot of feedback from patients that I am definitely on their side and I love them, and they can feel it, and they're psyched.

And why wouldn't they be.

Any parting thoughts?

There's a quote that's been rattling in my head last months...

"Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found." — Pema Chödrön

Thanks for sitting with me, and thanks for doing what you do.

Sundae Experiment: Patrick

2011-04-07T17:20:00.008-04:00

This week's volunteer, Patrick Brough, is well known around Easthampton for his tireless efforts at bringing folks together and highlighting all that is good in our little hamlet. Not the least of which being the creator of Easthampton's popular Good News page on Facebook and spearheading a successful effort to bring back the fireworks. If you are one of his friends on Facebook, you may likely know what he's doing right now. He reveals a bit more about himself over a sundae. Hope you enjoy...

I recently got a little feedback that I should get more background on the interviewee before I get to the good stuff. So let me start with this, how did you end up in Easthampton?

I ended up in Easthampton because of my wife actually. She was born and raised here. We met through a mutual friend who lives in Southampton. I'm from Rockville, Connecticut. I met her in 1996; we met in the summer of ‘96 around the time of the fireworks. We had met earlier in the summer but officially started dating around the time of the fireworks. I came up here when we started dating. She had just bought a house over on Prospect Street. It just worked out. I loved the area, and as soon as we started dating we were pretty much inseparable, so here I am.

What makes Easthampton so cool to you?

Rockville, Connecticut, where I grew up, is very similar to Easthampton, an old mill town. Rockville is the same thing, or was the same thing - booming back in the heydays of manufacturing. Similar in population too. Rockville is a baby sister to Vernon, Connecticut, like Florence is to Northampton. Basically, we lived in the Rockville section of Vernon. I wasn't as active in the community when I was growing up there, but when I came here I just felt like I wanted to be involved. Let me back up for a second. I actually worked in Hartford, so I was one of those guys up and over the mountain in the morning, 6:30 am, back at 7 at night. I was really just here to sleep and to recover on the weekends.

In 2000, some things happened with work, and I really wasn't happy there anymore. I’d been there ten years. An opportunity opened up at Finck & Perras here in town, where I still work today. While working there, and I should add that F&P is really big on community involvement, the local Chamber of Commerce asked the owner Dick Perras about joining the Board, but he wasn't able to they asked if he had someone that could, and he offered the opportunity to me. That's how I started my community involvement here in Easthampton. From there, it's just grown. I just love being involved, doing for others, helping this community grow. I just really enjoy seeing this city prosper.

You're got quite a presence on Facebook. One could argue whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’ve always felt your heart is in the right place there. You’re never in a bad mood, and you’re constantly plugging local businesses and happenings.

One of the things I have in my Facebook profile, and I can't recite it word for word, but it's something like 'I’m telling you now I like to share what I'm doing with you, and you may get tired of that, but consider yourself warned'. I enjoy letting people know what's going on, especially on the Easthampton Good News page. It makes me proud - the use of the ‘good news’ page. That started from a conversation I had with some people about being tired of hearing people talk about how horrible the town was and from what you read in the local newspapers. I knew there were good things here, through my work with the Chamber, Riverside Industries, and with the community in general. I thought it was a great opportunity, and even if I could get only a hundred people to listen to me talk about what is good about Easthampton, it would be worth it. Today we’re over 1100 people. That makes me really happy.

Your good news page is an accurate reflection of your personality. Your posts are rarely negative, unlike many you see. What's your secret?

I'm just generally a happy person. That's just who I am.

Care to share any advice with someone sitting next to you on the bus, metaphorically speaking?

I guess it's just one of those things that sounds silly, but 'don't sweat the small stuff'. I think people do, they worry about things. People say maybe I don't worry enough. But I think things really do work out. Bad things do happen, yes. I'm like everyone else, I do have bad days. It's funny, when I post something like that, everyone seems shocked and wonders what's going on. Stop and smell the roses. I don't really have a secret about what makes me tick.

Care to share an influential moment in your life?

Meeting my wife Gen was definitely the most influential event for me, moving up here, my two great kids, I couldn't be happier. I wouldn't change anything. I really wouldn't.

We live in a cool, ‘small town America’ town. It’s a tight community. It’s where burned out big city folk want to live.

I agree. The city really does welcome you, and anyone who says it doesn't isn't trying. Maybe you're not talking to the right people. If you need something, there are so many people you can go talk to, and you'd be amazed how willing people are to help you. No matter what it is.

I’ve always subscribed to the idea that you see what you want to see and what you expect to see. If you look for the good, you will see it all around you. There’s definitely plenty of good here.

Not to go back to the good news page on Facebook, but that's exactly why I put that together. I strongly believed people wanted to hear about the good things, but there was nowhere else to look. You can't open up the paper and expect to find good news all the time. The paper prints what sells, and unfortunately, it's bad news usually.

It’s amazing what you see in headlines on-line these days. Seems they’ll say anything to get you to click over to their site.

It’s as simple as the weather. A storm is coming! It’s a Nor’easter. Get your milk. Fill up your tank before it’s too late!

Anything to get you to watch the local news on TV all day long.

This tragedy or that tragedy, that's what sells. So I think when you have something like the good news page where people are posting good things and info, sharing about their trip to the park, or the kids from the high school that got to go to the State House to meet our public officials, those are the good things people don't hear about. I like to promote those things that people aren't getting a chance to see. Over a thousand people following that page, and not everyone follows everything every day, but I’d like to think they're there because they want to hear the good things that are going on.

It’s efforts like yours that make the world better. And if it makes you feel good to do it, not to get all Ayn Rand'y on you, why not, sounds like a good reason to do it to me.

It's the simple things, like the ‘Loch Nash Monster’ snow sculpture we did on the pond this winter. It was such a feel good thing that we wanted to do with the kids, so I put it out there on Facebook to see who would come out. We ended up getting a whole bunch of people. I was amazed at how much exposure we got for that, it was on the news for over a week. And for something good!

I remember when I first started Mt. Tom’s, I met a producer from a local TV news station. He really liked the shop and wanted to get me some exposure on the news somehow. He finally did, but it took a huge jump in dairy prices to have a ‘story’ to warrant a visit to the shop. Bad news still sells. I think your good news page is a great example that good news can sell too if you give it a chance. And it leaves you feeling good and not anxious and stressed. That’s a great thing you’ve got going there, hope this gets you a few more fans.

One final question, any predictions for the Red Sox?

They will not win 157 games. I think they'll do well. Like every Sox fan, I'm optimistic. 2004 taught us just because you're down doesn't mean you're out.

You really are an upbeat guy. Thanks for spending a sundae’s time with me.

You’re very welcome.

Sundae Experiment: Ali

2011-04-01T09:00:00.001-04:00

Here's part 2 from our first 'Couples Sundae Experiment', let me introduce Ali. (rocking the Mt. Tom's hoodie I might add)...

What’s your favorite part of your day?

Lunchtime.

Wow. I’ve heard breakfast, dinner, and now lunch. Now you have to tell me why..

During the week, it's the time I'm able to get out of my work and just go for a walk, if it's nice out. It’s the one time of the day I take time just for me. I walk, read what I want to read, just relax.

So you have pretty hectic workday?

Not necessarily, I tend to make it that way. More than other people do. My work ethic is quite strong I'd say. I do web design. It’s interesting. I like it.

Will you keep working when you're a mom?

My husband spilled the beans!?

Congratulations!

Thanks.

How are you feeling?

Good. A little weird though. It doesn't seem real yet, since it's been so good, so easy so far. I hear horror stories from everyone else, and I just haven't gotten any of that.

It's not real until you're throwing up repeatedly?

They say the second half of the first trimester can be the worst, so we’ll see.

Speaking of food, besides lunch, what makes you happy?

It's the little things. Like cold ice cream on a hot day. Blue skies. Being outside. Hearing the birds. I especially enjoy waking up to the sound of the birds, that's always nice. We have owls in our backyard. Hearing them go back and forth, that's pretty cool. It’s little things like that.

Have you always felt that way about simple things, or more now?

Definitely more now. As I get older, I think more simply about things. When I was younger, I lived in Holyoke and all you could hear was the traffic, so I think living in Belchertown I really enjoy quiet now. It’s peaceful.

I agree. Quiet is a simple pleasure.

With my family, when we went on vacation it was always go, go, go. There was no down time. It was always what to do, what to see, what to eat next. Now we're married, and we go camping out in the woods where there’s nowhere else to go. It’s just you and nature and a good book, it feels great.

So you're a camper.

I don't know yet. We went camping once. It was quite an interesting experience for someone who had never been before. We were in a tent, and it rained all week. We ended up going home a couple days early. We love to kayak, so when you can't do that when it's pouring the whole time, it’s not so much fun. Every time it would stop we'd try to go, then it would start right up again. It was uncanny how it happened every single time.

I can see why you might not want to ever camp again after that experience. Moving right along then, let me ask you another question. You’ve just given birth to a bouncing baby boy, or girl. If they could understand you, what advice would you give your newborn child?

To relax.

A lot of people are so focused on what other people think about them and what other people think about what they're doing. Don't worry about that, just do your own thing, go with the flow, and don't get uptight about every little thing that comes along.

That's great advice, especially for when they hit high school.

It's taken me a while to get that.

If you were a ghost at your own wake, what would people be saying about you? What would you want them to be saying about you?

Hopefully they'll be saying good things. If it happened now, ‘Oh she was so young.’

Hopefully they'll all be crying hysterically.

No, no, no. Like my husband Jassen has said, if he goes early, he doesn’t want me to cry, rather he wants me to have a big party. That's not going to happen, if you lose someone that important to you, you can't just have a party and laugh about it, but everyone hopes for that. I guess I want them to say, 'She had a good run. She did everything she wanted to do.’

She was a good Mom.

Definitely!

Describe a person, place, event, or time that has had a big influence on you.

I suppose as in everyone's life there are events and things that affect and shape who they are, and I'm sure I have a quite a few, but there's not one in particular that stands out to me. Obviously, getting married was a big thing for me. The first time I moved out of my parents house and lived by myself, that was a big event for me because it showed me that I didn't want to live by myself. Even though it was only three houses down from my parents’, I hated being in that apartment alone. Something tweaked me out a bit, you could say.

Did you make yourself more available after that? Sometimes that works against you, like you send out a vibe of ‘desperate’. So you just decided you didn't want to be alone, and voila, you met someone?

Yah, it did kind of happen that way.

So when did you know he was the one?

Right away. Here's the thing. We first met in kindergarten. Soon after that, he moved to a different town, then he moved back just before high school. We ended up working at the same place in high school. We were always just friends. We hung out a few times but just as friends and always with a group of people, never just the two of us. To be weird about it, whenever I went on a date with someone I never felt nervous, never had butterflies, or any of that until him. And then it was like I just knew. It happened with one of my best friends too. Every time this guy would show up she'd get all nervous, and it was the same way with him.

That indescribable feeling.

He just called me up out of the blue. I'd only seen him once the year before, since we stopped working at the same place.

Sounds like you were just meant to be together. Your husband just told me about his break-up and that Summer of Sundays he spent fishing with Dad. The timing was wrong until it was right...

That’s a great story. Thanks for sharing.

Sundae Experiment: Jassen

2011-03-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

This week's Sundae experiment presented me with a new challenge. My 'subjects' were relative strangers to me. As you probably noticed, my first three interviews involved friends, which in itself was cool and interesting, but they were 'safe', for lack of a better word. How would things go with someone I knew only in passing (e.g. getting ice cream every week)? Someone who didn't allow me the head start of already having a pretty good feel for who they were and where they came from. I must admit I was a little more anxious for these next two, but as luck would have it, I picked a couple of great and easygoing folks who made it as easy as chatting with old friends. It was a warmish sunny day, so I decided to take it to the backyard of the shop, overlooking one melting Nashawannuck Pond.

My two Sundae Experiment volunteers, Jassen and Ali, are married, and although there's definitely a similar theme to both of our conversations, I've decided to post just one at a time. I particularly enjoyed the story of how these two ended up together, but you're going to have to wait until Ali's piece for that part...

Up first, Jassen..

What’s the favorite part of your day?

I'd have to say when I get home and start cooking dinner. I like what I'm doing, but I've always wanted to be a chef. My mind goes away when I start chopping vegetables and getting spices prepared, just getting dinner ready. I love the smells that come off the stove or out of the oven.

What do you do for a living?

I work in sheet metal. I write programs that punch out the metal and bend it. Stuff like that.

Is your career a big part of your life? In other words, do you work to live or live to work?

I work to pay for what I live for. I go to work and while I'm there I'm completely dedicated, but the minute I get out, I'm out and it's time for my life. I try not to let the two mix. I don't bring work home. I do have to work overtime sometimes and once in a while I do think about stuff at home, but I try hard not to. Luckily, there’s not a lot I can do at home anyway.

Do you have any kids?

Actually, you’re the fifth one to know, we are now expecting.

Congratulations!

It’s exciting and nerve-wracking a little. We've planned it so it's not like it's 'oh my god'.

I can edit that out if you're not ready to go 'public' with the good news.

No, it's ok. I think most people know already.

You've always struck me as a happy guy, with an easy laugh.

I am. Why worry about things you can't control. Live each day, enjoy it.

Do you think about it much or just live your life?

I don't know if I work at being happy. I just let the little things make me happy. Like driving to work and the sun is coming up, and the sky is bright red. That puts a smile on my face. It’s the little things. I enjoy the little things. At the same time, I try not to sweat the little things. I try to stay pretty upbeat about everything, as long as I'm healthy, my wife is healthy, and my family is around.

Which is more important - money or time?

Time, definitely.

I wouldn't sacrifice time for more money at work. What good is money if you're at work all the time, not doing the things you want to do? I don't know, I try not to live beyond my means, but money definitely isn't happiness.

Here’s a variation of a question I’ve asked a few times now, customized just for you – what advice would you have for your newborn baby as he or she enters the world?

Never eat yellow snow. (laughs)

I don't know. I guess it would be treat others as you want to be treated. I know it's very cliché, but it's also very true. Treat everyone equally. Never hold a prejudice before you get to know them.

Then it's fine to hate them. I’m kidding.

If you really don't get along with someone, you don't have to get along. Just don't be evil for the sake of being evil.

It's simple stuff, but it really does go a long way.

It is. I guess that's just the way I try to live.

Everyone tries get more, and have more, and do more. Just tone it back a little bit. This is fantastic; we’re sitting here by the pond on a sunny Sunday and eating ice cream. This is as complicated as I want to be right now.

Is there a person, place, book, or event that had a significant influence on you?

There's this one summer about five or six years ago, I'd just gotten out of a bad relationship. I went home to see my parents, not related in any way to my break-up, just a visit. I told my Dad a buddy of mine had taken me out fishing in kayaks recently. I told him we should buy kayaks. We'd always gone fishing. Well, we did and when we got the kayaks, we ended up going every Sunday for that entire summer. We’d meet at 8 in the morning, have breakfast, load up the kayaks, and go fishing. I spent every Sunday of that entire summer in this boat, on one of the local ponds. You learn a lot about yourself when you're trying to catch a fish with a little plastic worm. You think about a lot. There’s a ton of time while you wait for that nibble on the end of the line.

The reason I brought up the bad relationship is because that summer it was fresh in my mind - what went wrong, what happened, how did it happen? What do I want out of the next one? I’m always trying to improve. That's just where everything kind of clicked. Just fishing and thinking about life. What do you want out of it? I used to be on the go all the time - in Boston every weekend, go, go, go. Just slowing down that summer is what really changed my perspective on things. Slow it down. This is all your need – a piece of string, a hook, and a worm. And someone to hang out with. That's really all you need.

Relationships can be good like that, even when they end badly. I think it's when you actually grow the most. It’s easy to not think about stuff when things are going well.

That summer was awesome. Talking with my Dad. We had separate kayaks - he'd go one way, I'd go the other, and we’d meet in the middle. ‘How'd you do?’ Then there were other times when we'd just follow each other along the shoreline and just talk about stuff. ‘What do you think about this? What should I do about that?’

I bet if I interviewed your Dad, he would probably tell the same story. Quality time like that with Dad can be rare and precious. Guys don't usually have long conversations with each other.

I agree, even now if I call him up it's a three minute conversation. ‘How are you doing? Good and you? Fine, I’ll talk to you later.’ But we do still go fishing. Our schedules have changed a bit, but when we go it's just like it was that summer. How's married life, the house, the job, etc.? It expands from there. It starts with a simple ice breaker then goes on to many things about life.

Things are clicking right along for you. That's great.

Life is good. That’s not to say I don't have any stress, because everybody does but I try to make the most of it. You never know what's coming next.

You know one thing that's coming next for you, good luck with everything. I'm sure you're going to be a great Dad. And thanks for joining me, it’s been fun.

I agree, this was fun, and thanks for the ice cream.

Sundae Experiment #3.

2011-03-18T13:31:00.005-04:00

I don't need a lot of words to introduce this next sundae experiment volunteer. Suffice to say, the project is progressing nicely. During this great conversation about life and change with my good friend Joe, I began to discover that this whole interview process is more about not holding onto the questions so tightly, listening, and just letting the natural flow of the conversation take itself where it wants us to go.

Art imitating life once again.

What’s the best part of your day?

Breakfast. I made breakfast this morning. It's nice to make breakfast for someone who appreciates it.

Is that a different answer now that you’re with someone?

Yes, my time alone taught me an appreciation for the simple pleasures. Now that I’m with someone again, sharing those things is key. Breakfast is something simple; it's how you start your day, and it sets the tone for the day.

Define happiness.

Happiness is a tough call for me as it encompasses so many different things. You can be happy with different parts of your life, but not necessarily be happy overall. Right now, it goes back to simplicity for me. A year ago did a re-evaluation of my life, and I figured out what made me tick, who I was as a person and what I was really looking for out of life. I cut a lot of things out of my life I felt weren't necessary. The things that make me happy are the simplest things. It’s not about money for me, it's about my kids... about seeing them... about seeing smiles on their faces. Bringing a little joy to someone else brings a huge amount of joy to me now. Whereas before, I think I was a very selfish person and really didn't think about other people a lot. I went through a rōnin period. I discovered that happiness is not about money or things. It’s about surrounding yourself with people that care about you and that you, in turn, care about.

I know some things about your past. You lost your father after a long illness. Yet, it doesn’t seem that this triggered such a self-evaluation. Why now?

It was a culmination of many things. I think it was mostly my divorce which became final February of last year. All through the separation I sort of abstractly understood that my life was going to change. At that point, I realized I had a chance to remake my life a little bit, in the way that I wanted it to be. It was a chance to make changes that I'd only given half-hearted attempts before - an opportunity to start over.

Did you have any help with these changes? Books?

I'm a very introspective person, so for me it was more internal than reading any sort of self-help books or anything like that. All along I knew the kinds of things I needed to do, but it wasn't until I was forced to that I did. The dynamic changed. With the kids, it certainly changed. Most people do this when they have the kids. Their outlook changes. They become much more focused on the kids, and for me I don't think that ever happened. I think that was what was wrong with my life. I didn't understand that for me, my kids are a huge part of what I do and my motivation. Now I really think about how my decisions affect them.

At that point, you were no longer living with kids. The empty apartment effect perhaps?

One big point for me is I have a good relationship with my ex-wife. We have issues from time-to-time but for the most part it's very good. We get along better now than we did for years. We both are focused on the kids. Both of us just failed to live up to what was needed in the relationship. She’s become the friend that I think was lost along the way.

It was two years ago, Thanksgiving day. I went over and had dinner with the kids. It felt like a family. It felt good. Then I went home to an enormous house where I was house-sitting at the time. Suddenly, I was surrounded by this other family's happy life. It was really depressing to realize I truly was alone...alone of my own doing... the result of a choice that I had made – my getting divorced. It was a point where I realized I didn't like, in a lot of ways, who I had been. I realized if I was ever going to be happy again, if I were to ever get to a point where I liked who I was, liked the dynamic between me and my kids, me and anybody, I needed to make some major changes in myself.

That’s the upside of when bad things that happen to us, sometimes it forces us to deal with stuff.

I think that's true and you know this from our conversations already. But my ex-wife and I did not have the classic “bad” relationship. We weren’t fighting constantly. The kids weren't aware there was anything wrong. We were just incapable of communicating with one another. I knew my life wasn't right and wasn't going where I wanted it to, and as much as I loved my ex, I wasn't doing her any favors, nor myself and certainly not my kids.

More often, it's easier to do nothing.

I understand the power of entropy in your life. To make a change often requires an enormous amount of effort and a lot of soul searching. Thanksgiving was the cornerstone, and I think the capstone was moving over here to Easthampton and really feeling I had created something new.

That's a great story. Suffice to say, you're happy now. Or happier?

Happier. I have my moments of course. My problem is that professionally I'm not where I want to be. I'm doing a job, I don't have a career.

Sometimes you have to break things down, and work on one aspect of your life at a time.

A part of this worst time in my life, right around when I split with my ex, my personal life was in the toilet. I was miserable all around. It was just so overwhelming for me. I'm not a person who would classify myself as depressed, but I would have to say I was depressed. There were times when I'd come home and just want to sleep. For me, it was definitely a step by step process, getting my life in order one thing at a time. It was my personal life most of the time, although I wanted to get my professional life in order too because that affects where you want to go. I got my personal life in order first. I feel fortunate to have someone in my life now who's important to me, that has similar interests, similar problems as well, both of us struggling to find ways to do what we want to do versus just what you have to do to get by.

As a father, you can answer this question better than my first two interviewees. What advice would you give your kids when you drop them off at college?

I've actually thought about this one, since I read it in the first interview. I've expressed this to my children already. Don't rely too much on planning. Don't feel like the decision you make today is something you will have to live with the rest of your life as far as the kind of things you're looking at in college. I think back to when I went to college myself, and my life is in such a different place than it was at that time. Back then I was reacting to all the things around me, and I didn't know who I was. You're a kid and you're expected make a decision – What's your major going to be? Where are you going with your life? It's absurd to ask someone that at that age, an eighteen year old kid, to make that kind of life decision. Circumstances are going to change, you just never know.

But you may just need to pick a direction. I went to school for engineering, and look where I am now.

For me, what I will always express to my children – do what you love. Look for that thing you want more than anything else. I think for me I always was thinking along the lines of ‘what do I need to do to have enough money to buy a house?’ and all the other transient things you go through in your life. But, the overarching theme in your life... What do you love? What makes you tick? What makes your heart beat a little bit faster? Too many of us get caught up in a career. What's going to pay the bills? What's going to move me up the ladder? What do our parents want? For me, my father never pushed me in any direction. He was physician, and Mom was a nurse. I had no desire to go into medicine. He was an old school doc and did house calls. The medical profession is not that world anymore. I wasn't interested in the direction it had gone. I didn't know what I wanted. I was interested in aviation and wanted to fly. But I didn't want to go into the military. To become a professional pilot as a civilian is nearly impossible. I bounced around for a long time and don't think it was until I moved to Massachusetts that I really got that love of the arts and writing. It had always been there, but I had never thought of it as a viable career choice. But I was fortunate, I landed in the best place in the U.S. for the kinds of things I wanted to do.

Is that still where you're headed?

I've been revisiting projects I had been wanting to do for a long time. For the most part, I had only been thinking about them. Having someone behind me that needles me if I don't do it, that helps a lot. It's one thing to have supportive people around you (‘you can do this, you have the talent... ability’), but I've never had someone consistently behind me saying 'Why aren't you doing that?' Why aren't you working on that project?' At times, it's a slippery slope. You don't want to feel like you're being hectored into anything, but you also want a strong force behind you. I'm not good at self-discipline by any means.

There's always a million reasons not to do something.

Absolutely.

This metamorphosis has made you a better parent.

Very much so. And I think I'm supportive of anything my kids want to do. I give them as much guidance as I can. But I realize they're going to go off and make their own lives. My father was the kind of person that never gave any specific direction or push towards anything as a career. But he was a larger than life figure, and always gave me a sense of approval or disapproval with everything I did – very strongly. Whereas with my kids, while I'll support them, I would never tell them not to do something because it's not practical or not a good way to make a living. We often end up falling into a career we don't like and makes us miserable and then twenty years later find ourselves wondering where we went wrong.

It can be hard for parents to encourage kids to go into a profession like art or music where they know it will likely be a struggle.

Absolutely, but they will have that struggle inside themselves regardless. An artistic type, if they are working in a lab someplace or as an insurance adjustor, will have that feeling that the soul inside of them is just withering. And the struggle that you have as an artist is nothing compared to the struggle you have doing something you don't love.

Thoreau says most of us live 'lives of quiet desperation'. Do you agree?

Certainly. Absolutely. The thing is, I think a lot of people are very good at fooling themselves, at least temporarily, into feeling what they're doing is ok - they've made that choice to sell out, or do what they feel they had to do. It hits people on a cyclical basis where they understand they aren't doing what they should be. When that happens... that realization is a terrible thing.

This realization can spark two reactions – ignore it or fix it.

Yeah, you bolt. I think that's partially what I did to a certain extent. For years, I didn't know what I wanted. I still don't know exactly what I want. But at least I know the parts of my life I want to examine more, and I know that it's impossible to ignore those things. They’re always going to rear its ugly head down the line if you don't take the time to at least put some effort into doing what you want.

Any last thoughts?

For my daughter on her fifth birthday, I made a little container with five things I thought she needed throughout her life. Two of those were a pencil and a pen. The pencil, in order to write down those things that change, and the pen to write down those that are constant. I told her that she will be tempted to use the pen... to hold it in her hand and start to write with it often, but always to use the pencil. She should be open to change and not to think about life in absolutes. You can always make changes in your life.

Did I earn my ice cream or am I going to have to pay for it?

No I think that's a keeper. Thanks for sharing your story.

Sundae Experiment #2.

2011-03-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

Just wrapped up the write-up on interview/sundae conversation number 2. Interview skills slightly better. Questions a little more refined. This time my 'subject' actually had the sundae, so I got to see how the timing worked out. Not sure yet if his sundae consumption speed is typical, but he finished in around 15 minutes, nearly perfect amount of time for me to fire a generous number of questions. The project is progressing nicely. Now it's about 'just doing it'. Got a good number of takers, but can always have more, so don't hesitate to drop me a line or mention your interest next time you're in the shop.

So without further delay, let me introduce Peter...

How would you define happiness?

Happiness to me is about having things and people you like around you and having goals with those people and things. These are goals that are attainable, that you believe are attainable, so you can make progress toward them, so that you’re content with what you have but also seeing something growing from that.

What makes you happy?

Having something or being in a situation that isn't happy or is upsetting and figuring out how to turn it into something good. I try to look at it as a whole then break it down, and figure out ways to make it better. It makes me happy when I can help people appreciate how you can turn something into a happy situation even if it's not. It’s easy to be happy on Christmas morning, but it’s the not-so-perfect days that really help determine your level of general happiness.

Describe a person, place, book, or event that had a significant impact on you.

When I was in high school, I skied, but I wasn't very good. I really wanted to be better so I joined the ski team at Berkshire East. I was horrible at first, laughed at even. But I kept working at it and got better and better. It was the perfect time, because I was young and impressionable. I learned that if I worked hard at something I could be successful. It was a huge confidence booster. That experience has been a lesson that has carried forward my whole life.

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

That's what I'm doing right now!

Maybe I would become an astronaut and go to Mars. I’d love to explore somewhere new. There are so many other factors in that beyond what I can do, but I really like the idea of exploring somewhere unexplored. Mars would be good.

How would your life change if you won $5 million in the lottery?

I don’t think much of anything would change. Would I quit my job? I’d probably do something similar than what I'm doing now. The difference would be I’d have more freedom to experiment, since I wouldn't have to worry about it being profitable. Something to do with electronics - learn more about electronics and go from there. It would be fun to invent educational games for kids, on an I-pad maybe. A game that could become part of their classroom - interactive. Kids could play each other. They could do it at Mary's orphanage.

You’re dropping your kid off at college for the first time. What advice would you share?

When I went to college someone told me don't eat the pizza. She told me this because when she went to college she gained a lot of weight, and it was because she and her friends ate pizza all the time. So I never ate pizza in college.

That’s too bad. College is all about eating pizza.

I know, it’s true. I didn’t gain as much weight, but I really did miss pizza.

Why are we here?

For the free sundae.

You just finished it, so why are you still here?

The reason we're here sounds sort of egotistical. It’s to satisfy ourselves. I came about because I wanted to satisfy myself. But then again if I wasn’t here there would be no me to answer that question. Does that make sense?

So what really matters? Places like this matter. I can get ice cream lots of places, but what we need is a place that has good ice cream. It makes you appreciate good things. It’s about finding places and things that can be found everywhere but are just better. And they make you want to be better.

Ok, you can have another free sundae for that last answer.

Sundae Experiment: Volunteer #1.

2011-03-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

Let me just start by stating for the record, Mary is a very good friend of mine, and perhaps the happiest person I know. She recently made a career change from corporate fundraiser to first grade schoolteacher, and she couldn't be happier with her new life. That, and the fact that she's the type of friend who would do anything for you, made her the perfect candidate for being the first victim in my Sundae Experiment. It was interesting and a little awkward at times as I fumbled through my questions and honed my interviewing skills on the fly. But Mary was a great sport about everything, pausing after each question I asked to really think about her response. I took it more as a dress rehearsal, and it turned out be extremely helpful to cut my teeth on a friend, so to speak.

I got a good feel for which questions seem to work and which ones don't (ie. blank stare in response). And I learned that, at least in Mary's case, my taking notes was much preferred over recording the conversation. Puts a bit more pressure on me, so I'm hoping I'll get the green light for recording from most of my volunteers. They say after the first few minutes, the interviewee forgets all about the recording so we'll see.

Confirming to her that I wouldn't publish anything before she got a look at it and gave the a.o.k. also helped ease any anxiety she may have felt.

I quickly discovered that I may have to ask more than 5 questions. My finished piece will include 5 answers, but the conversation will probably take a few more than that. Glad I have a few pages to choose from already. I'm still toying with the idea of providing the questions in advance. Which I suppose to a certain extent I will be doing by sharing her interview and others along the way..

One thing I didn't get to check was how long I would have to conduct each experiment. Having bought a pint of the maple bacon and shared it with friends earlier that day, she was 'ice cream'ed out' by the time our Sundae appointment came around. So instead she enjoyed an Earl Grey tea and took a 'scoop coupon' for her free sundae. I'm certain the conversation took longer than what will be 'usual', since, as I mentioned, ours was as much about me figuring out the interview process as her actually being interviewed. All that being said, it was fun, and I think it went pretty well.

Now on to the next challenge, transforming my notes into a readable entry. Here goes...

Describe a person, place, book, or event that has had a big influence on your life.

Locust Street in Kansas City. That is where my grandparents lived and where I spent my summers growing up. The days were fun and carefree, spent with family that deeply cared about me. We shared meals, bike rides, trips to the library, long talks on the front porch eating popcorn and watermelon. The pace of life was comfortable and relaxed. Those were truly special times.

If you were to do your own 'rocking chair test' today, what do you see?

I'm most proud of my relationship with my grandfather. We were very close. I am so grateful that I had the chance to know him so well. In the last few years, I had the opportunity to care for him when he was sick and be by his side when he was in the hospital. He had a tremendous amount of gratitude for life and enjoyed simplicity. I feel like the person I am today has a lot to do with the time I spent with him. I suppose my only regret is I wish I could have spent more time with him. I think of what would have happened if I had moved to Locust Street after college. Then again, if I had done that, perhaps I’d still be living in Missouri. And I am very happy and grateful for where I am now.

If you were about to drop your kid off at college for the first time, what advice would you give him/her?

Remember to balance your day. Study and do well, but also try to take advantage of the tremendous amount of resources a university has to offer. The most frustrating thing about college is not having enough hours in the day to take all the courses that interest you, join all the clubs you want, participate in all the activities…the important thing is to learn about yourself so that you can allocate you time the way you truly want to.

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

Dress like a princess and fly to the moon.

I'd also like make a significant contribution to the lives of children in need. I want to give them strength and stability and a nurturing environment. Perhaps find a way to improve the foster care system so that children that are in risky or difficult situations can have more support and stability in their lives. Maybe start a school where they can live and learn.

What's your secret to happiness?

Gratitude.

I'm grateful for all the love I have in my life. I have a great family and a person who cares deeply for me. I have a classroom of students that appreciate what I have to teach them. I live in a nice place with a strong and tight community. To love something or someone is to have a deep appreciation for them. I find that you can apply gratitude to nearly any situation and instantly it becomes better. Gratitude is the secret to happiness. My grandfather taught me that.

So there you have it. I hope and expect to get better at this with practice, but a good start I think. Here's to good starts.

Thanks for listening.

jim

Random thoughts & Images

2011-03-04T16:29:00.007-05:00

As I wait for my first Sundae Experiment victim to review our conversation and provide the ok to go to print with it, I thought I might drop in a quick ICD entry with a few random thoughts and images from the past week. It's so easy to neglect the trusty old blog, especially now with the ease and immediacy of Facebook and the Mt. Tom's fanpage over there. I understand there are a few Facebook resisters, so I do still try to check in here from time to time. And when there's a topic that takes more than a few lines to chat about, the blog is definitely the way to go.

In any event, let's see what we've got...

Above is a cool cake created by crowd favorite and future Mt. Tom's hall of famer, Mimi Henault.
Just think, a couple months ago, the above shot may have been 'pretty cool'. Now it's just another reminder of the winter that's welcome to go on its merry way any time.

In the spirit of healthier living (ok, so we'll never be a health food store per se), we're in the process of phasing out the soda and replacing it with the above. Not to worry, we'll still carry root beer for floats and those cool Mt. Tom's bottles, but you've now got some healthier beverage options.

Wang-wa, adventures in dogsitting...

Meet our newest addition to the ice cream kitchen, a shiny new hardening cabinet (the one on the left). All part of the aforementioned, Operation Get Jim a Life. I know, it just looks like a shiny freezer, but it's a pretty big deal to me..

Sure, Easter is still a month away, but the Easter bunny made an early stop here to make sure all local E-bunnies are sufficiently prepared..

And to end on a much less wintery note, the annual Smith College Bulb show kicks off tomorrow and runs through the 20th. Always a nice trailer for Spring..

Thanks & See you soon.

The Sundae Experiment.

2011-02-22T09:30:00.001-05:00

So here's my idea..

Offer up a free sundae with all the trimmings to anyone willing to sit with me and answer 5 questions. On the record.

The conversation shouldn't take more than the time it takes to enjoy that sundae.

And it will happen on a Sunday. Only on a Sunday.

Ok, that last rule isn't etched in stone. I just liked the symmetry.

My hope is you/they will let me take a quick photograph of our Sunday sundae conversation.

I'm sure you're already wondering... So what are the questions? And what exactly does 'on the record' mean?

I'm still making final cuts to the list of questions I've scratched into my trusty travel journal over the course of last month's break, or 'January of Jim' as I like to call it, but I can give you a rough idea. Perhaps you've read my little 'life as I see it' picture book.. you know the ice cream tattered one that sits on the soda fountain counter here at Mt. Tom's. In case you haven't seen it, click here - Hand-me-downs: Some Slightly used Tips on Life for my Little Brother. In a nutshell, consider this your chance to share with the world (ok, maybe not the whole world but our little world) a few of your own thoughts on life, liberty, and the pursuit of being happy.

My plan is to transcribe our sundae chat, savor it for a little while, then edit it up into a short essay. When I've got a decent sized stack of sundae chats, I hope to assemble them into a book entitled, wait for it, The Sundae Experiment. I have a bunch of other names in my journal too, but SE is my favorite right now.

I think it'll be fun. A great chance to learn. To write. To share. As you know from the silence around this blog during a good part of the summer, now is prime writing time for me. My best chance to get some momentum before the high season returns. I'm definitely hoping to share a few conversations here along the way. And don't worry, there's no pressure. You'll be the first critic of the finished product, long before it hits the Ice Cream Diaries or the aforementioned book. And if it's not to your liking, we scrap it and forget it ever happened. Worst case, you got a free sundae out of the deal.

Ok, so who's in?

jim@mttoms.com

What I did on my winter vacation: Part I

2011-02-04T08:25:00.012-05:00

Well, it seems another January has come and gone. If the mountains of snow all around us are any indication, I really picked a good month to be closed this year. It's been a great month of travel, leisure, family, fun, and frolic. Dont' worry, I've been home for the past week, so I got a good taste of the weather you enjoyed all month.

Without sounding to gloaty (if that's even a word), I thought I'd share some of my favorite images from the month. Many people ask, 'did you go someplace warm during your break?' I always go to Florida to visit the folks, but this year I was able to go a bit further south to Costa Rica. As is the case with most of my getaways, it's all about the 'golden hour' of light. That's when I usually drop whatever I'm doing (or sipping), grab my camera, and partake in my favorite hobby. I thought sharing here might give you a little respite from the view you're currently seeing from your window (if the snow hasn't completely covered it)..

By the way, these were all taken with my new Iphone. The old-fashioned looking ones with an app called Hipstamatic and the wider ones with Pano.

I hope you enjoy, and please don't hate me.

Walk in the woods in Florida with the folks...

My favorite niece Dagney...

Horseback riding in Costa Rica...

Farmer's Market, there's just something about going to one in January...

Orange Tree in the folks' backyard..

The beach, Guanacaste, Costa Rica..

(click on the panorama images to get the full effect)...

Golden hour...

The lake near my parents' house in central Florida. They get some amazing sunsets...

That'll do it for now. I also did some skiing in Utah and caught a bit of the Sundance Film festival, but I wasn't sure if you'd be all that excited to see photos of snow right now. Better to save those for another time..

In any event, it's game on today. It was a full day of ice cream making yesterday to restock the freezers. One more full day today, and all flavors will be stocked, along with a handful of specials. Just in time for the next snowstorm...

See you soon, Jim

So long 2010, Hello 2011!

2010-12-31T08:30:00.004-05:00

Well, here we are again, breathing down the neck of a shiny new year.

In merely hours, we'll be toasting out 2010 and ringing in 2011. Every year goes by fast, but this one seemed to go particularly so. I suppose that's a good sign, since we all know time flies when you're having fun. It's been a terrific year for Mt. Tom's, despite the continuing to sputter economy. Mother nature gave us a year full of just about the best weather any ice cream purveyor could ask for. Mild, dry spring. Hot, dry summer. Mild, dry fall. Just about snow-free early winter. Ice cream weather perfection. After a truly miserable 2009 weather-wise, with cold, cloudy, and rainy being the weather order of the day until somewhere around mid-August, 2010 was well-deserved payback. Kudos once again to those ECA BearFest bears for saving 2009 from that cold, dark summer. Here's hoping a new sloth of bears returns in 2012 as rumored.

Thanks Mom Nature. Feel free to repeat the star treatment throughout the new year.

Weather aside, 2010 wasn't perfect, and if you're still looking for a job, you may not have many good things at all to say about it. If that's the lifeboat you're in, I wish you better success in 2011.

I will remember 2010 as the year we all got into each other's business. Sure, the internet and email and blogs have been around for years, but it just feels different now. Facebook certainly has played a big role. Along with smart phones, texting, Ipads, Skype, and Twitter. Before 2010, if I wanted to know what my friend Judy had for dinner last night, I'd have to actually call her or bump into her in the supermarket. Now, not only can I know if the asparagus was a little mushy, I can probably see a picture of it, courtesy of her digital constant companions - Iphone and Facebook.

I'm still on the fence as to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Will this whole social networking thing flame out in 2011? Is it too late to turn back? Can I still return my I-phone?

But then, how would I update my Netflix queue with the movie I just thought of or set my DirectTV DVR to record tonight's episode of 'How I met your mother' while I'm buying bananas in Big E's supermarket?

Or share with my 1514 fans, my latest ice cream flavor masterpiece?

Time, and it seems technology, wait for no one. You can either jump on the bus or continue to shuffle along the dusty shoulder while your friends (and competitors) wave to you in their rear view mirror.

But not before they invite you to the party you will miss because you don't check your Facebook wall every three minutes.

Living quietly in the woods with a few books, logs for the fire, and fixings for dinner, and without being interrupted by a news update of a deadly plane crash in Mongolia sounds kindof nice, but it's just not the world you and I live in. I say that with confidence because just your reading these words means you're 'connected'. We're connected. Leave a comment and you're connected to all the other Ice Cream Diaries readers who had a few minutes during their day to wander over. It's just that simple here in the now of the waning hours of 2010.

If you've held an Iphone or an Ipad in your hand or swung a Wii bat or gotten your directions from a voice hanging from your dash, I think you'll have a hard time arguing that although we're not yet driving in hovercrafts, the futuristic cartoon world of the Jetson's is upon us.

And I wait with anxious anticipation to see where 2011 takes us.

Which of course is all the more reason to appreciate the little things in life.

A great night's sleep.

A cool pink sunset.

The enthusiasm of children during the holidays.

A walk on the Manhan rail trail.

A hand-scooped ice cream cone.

Thank god it all comes back to ice cream.

Here's wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year. May 2011 be filled with all that you hope for and a little bit more.

Starting at 6 pm today (New Years Eve), we'll be resting and recharging until Friday, February 4th at noon. Thanks for helping make 2010 our best year yet!

Happy New Year!

Jim

NANOWriting Challenge: A Follow-up.

2010-12-17T11:00:00.004-05:00

If you're a regular Ice Cream Diaries reader, you may remember me talking about a little writing project I completed this time last year. If not, here it is. It's affectionately called 'Novel in a Month' and is part of National Novel Writing Month, upon which November has been so dubbed. The website describes it best:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Thanks to recruiting efforts by a couple of regular customers, Kat and her mom Noreen, who themselves had already signed up to write their own first novels in a month, I threw my hat, er pen, into the ring. Starting on November 1 of 2009, I started to write. And write. And write. I wrote in the back of the shop whenever I had someone scooping out front. Instead of sharing my morning coffee with email and Facebook, I wrote. I learned to write dialog. I even took a writing retreat to a friend's condo on the coast in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

I lived the life of a starving writer for a month. It was (using the first word that pops into my head), awesome.

I followed the website's instructions to the letter. I wrote as fast as I could, not even stopping to reread the paragraph I'd just finished. A little over a week into it, I was nearly halfway to 50,000 words. I was on fire. When I started, I had a rough idea of a storyline, but I had no clue what and who would show up between word one and 'the end'. I've often likened it to reading a book, but instead of turning the page to see what happens next, I let my fingers type it onto my computer screen. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was channeling my novel, but I often got that feeling. A writer's high like none I'd ever experienced.

And since competition is often needed to play at one's best, my co-conspirators and I pushed each other along. The NanoWriting website people sent inspiring emails. We uploaded our word counts daily and savored each little milestone along our way to 50K. It was challenging, exhausting at times, and hugely satisfying when we each got to the finish line of our own word marathons. The three of us celebrated over a great IPA and beef tips at the Apollo Grill.

The next day I sent my really, really rough manuscript to Paradise Copies for its first printing. All 63,214 words of it. Holding those 185 pages in my hands when I picked it up was another writing high, again awesome.

Having immersed myself in my tangled story of love, intrigue, and life lessons for the better part of thirty days, I quickly put the one inch stack of words down and didn't go near them for nearly a month. When I finally did give it a first read, although there were flashes of brilliance, or at least ok-ness, it really was pretty crappy.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

But just like the amateur marathon runner whose only accolade for finishing is personal satisfaction, I had now written a novel, and no one could ever take that away from me.

So in February of this year, I started what turned out to be the much more difficult part of the process - rewriting. My friend Kat and I quickly set up another challenge. We were to exchange rough drafts at the end of April. I did my best to attack this phase with the same diligence and discipline as last November, but it didn't take long to realize I really did write a lot of crap. Character names changed and interchanged throughout. I overused words. Tenses flipped from present to past at the drop of an open quote. Instead of writing at 3000 words a day, it was tough to get through a few pages, even with the caffeine inspiration of my morning cup of Indigo Roasters.

Around mid-April, I finally finished the first rough pass, printed it, and swapped it with Kat. She returned that copy a few weeks later, and although I know she's an art teacher by profession, I learned she's pretty good with a red pen too. Despite all the corrective encouragement, it took me a few more months to muster the motivation to take another whack at a rewrite. This whack coming not without another competitive challenge from my friends. We had decided to claim this November as our own 'rewrite in a month' (or so) project.

Again, rewriting is brutal business. It's one thing to rewrite a 1500 word blog essay, but working through 65,000 words is a much bigger fish to fry. But we each stayed the course. And now here I sit, version 2.0 on my screen, just about to hit the send button on the email its attached to, bound for Paradise Copies. As I tell this tale, I savor a fresh wave of satisfaction for sticking with it through another tough write-around.

So what happens next? Good question. Is it a marketable manuscript? Probably not. At least not in its current form. Too personal. An intriguing storyline I believe, but the main characters bear just a little too much of a resemblance to their creator and his circle.

Could it be marketable?

Hmm.

The confident optimist in me says perhaps.

You're likely thinking, wow, that's a lot of time and effort spent on something that ends up on a shelf for no one to read but its author, perhaps from his rocking chair many years from now. Might one consider my novel a failure? A waste of hundreds of hours of time?

I don't see it that way...

I got a taste, albeit just an appetizer, of the life of a writer. To reiterate - awesome.

I got to exorcise a few demons with the assistance of a handful of characters, some plot, and lots of dialog. Who would have thought writing could be so cathartic.

I'm certain the practice (and critique from friends) has made me a better writer.

I put my mind to something difficult and saw it through.

And I now have a 55,204 word description of 'My Greatest Life Lesson'.

True to many of life's endeavors, its purpose was not be revealed until I was fully immersed. The joy really is in the journey.

Thanks for listening.

Introducing White Square Fine Books & Art.

2010-12-10T14:38:00.007-05:00

Did you know that Easthampton and Cottage Street have a new bookstore?

It's called White Square Fine Books & Art, and it's exactly what you'd picture a small town bookstore to be. Classy. An eclectic mix of fiction, non-fiction, used and new, with a number of first editions and signed copies scattered throughout the fine wood shelves. Art books and other art collectables. And more.

From their website:

Great books in a cozy shop on an eclectic street in an amazing town!

We offer a broad range of material, including mysteries, non-fiction, and books for children and young adults. We specialize in literary first editions, fine press books, books on books, and book-related art, with a particular interest in signed and inscribed books and "association" copies.

The proud owners are Eileen and Randy Corbeil. Nice people, and they seem genuinely excited to have a bookstore to call their own.

For months, the windows were covered with plastic, and although there were rumors the space was to become a bookstore, it wasn't completely clear until last month when we saw Randy sprucing up the facade. From the minute you step through the door, you can just tell they wanted to do it right. And they did.

They even have a faux fireplace.

And chairs to pull up and peruse a potential purchase.

White Square Books is open Thursday thru Sunday from 10 - 6 pm. I hope you can check it out next time you're cruising through Cottage Street.

Even better, they're having a launch party tomorrow night (Saturday, December 11th) during the Easthampton ArtWalk 5 - 8 pm.

Stop in and say hello to Eileen and Randy. And feel free to buy a book.

And to our new neighbors, welcome to Cottage Street!

Lights on the Zip Line

2010-11-30T13:30:00.001-05:00

I went kayaking this past weekend.

I agree, that's kindof a crazy idea for late November around here. And I'm certain I wouldn't have even considered the possibility had I not been recruited earlier in the week. My friend Patrick Brough got this crazy idea to string holiday lights across the Nashawannuck Pond, on the wire that holds the American flag all summer long. Turning this 'idea' into reality would require a fair amount of creativity, finances, and friends with water craft.

After assessing the power situation, despite the proximity to the wire's proprietor,Whitely Electric, solar powered lights would be the only practical solution. Perhaps power might be an option another year, but for the first try, solar powered icicle lights offered the only non-cost-prohibitive solution. After an on-line search and visits to all the local spots (Manchester, Aubuchon, etc.), solar icicle lights were found and purchased at Target. Pat took the lights home, rolled them out, and attached them to long thin strips of wood that would attach to the wire.

After getting permission from Mayor Mike to use the now flag-less wire, PBTV Pat made a few calls and emails to friends with rowboats and kayaks. Paul Novak, of the pond dredging, fish rescuing fame, was first to be recruited, since he has a motorized rowboat, much more stable for standing in while floating on very cold water ponds. Next, a few of his kayak-owning buddies would get the call. After seeing a number of my kayak-based photos of Mt. Tom and the pond, he knew I fell into that category. One more friend, Buddy Lapointe, on the shore, working the cable, and the solar icicle team was complete.

So this past Saturday morning we all gathered under the wire over the pond to turn Pat's dream into reality. Turned out, the wire didn't need to be lowered as much as Pat thought, so he really didn't need Derek Allard, Jeff, and me, his kayak spotters.

We were only needed for moral support, but that was ok. The sun shone brightly, and I was dressed for winter skiing conditions, so it was actually invigorating to be out on the pond on this late November day.

With Paul's help in the boat, Pat attached all the lights, turned the solar panels to the sun, and with a yell to Buddy on the shore, the wire was raised back to its tightrope walk position.

I'm guessing it was a long day for Pat as he waited for the sun to go down and the lights to come on. If you drove down Williston Ave around four that night, I'm sure you would have seen him, camera at the ready, fidgeting like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Well, as things turned out, the lights aren't as bright as he'd imagined and hoped. A strand or two are already acting up. But it was a noble idea, and I applaud Patrick's determination to see his idea through to its conclusion.

What makes this a story worth telling?

I guess I just wanted to tip my hat to everyone's friend Pat for the effort, time, and expense. It was a small selfless gesture, and like his good news page on Facebook, motivated by a simple desire to help make Easthampton an even better place to live. Just think, if we all made one tiny little effort, like Paul Novak's nighttime (once during a blizzard I'm told) anonymous hikes to the top of Mt. Tom to replace the bulbs on the star, what a town, and a world, we would have.

On that note, I would be remiss to not mention the gang at the Brass Cat, who too were out on the cold pond this past weekend, positioning the Christmas tree. Thanks to Michael and his band for bringing the tree back to the pond this year! It will be officially lit during the Holiday Stroll this coming Friday, December 3rd starting at 7 p.m. at Maple School.

(images by Patrick Brough.)

An Ode to Raking.

2010-11-17T17:55:00.001-05:00

What did I do with my day off this week? Power washed the green off the shady side of my house, made lunch, then mowed and raked my lawn.

Pretty exciting, eh?

Sounds like a Facebook status update.

Call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed it. There's something about facing something that needs fixing, cleaning, or straightening, investing some physical effort, and when it's all done, having something to show for it. For me, it was a shiny white back side of my house and a clean yard.

If you're a homeowner, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you too spent a chunk of this past weekend raking leaves into piles and wheel-barreling them to the woods or the compost pile. Hopefully, when you were done, you took a few minutes to jump in the biggest pile.

There are many ways to purge your yard of leaves. Of course, the classic is with a good old-fashioned rake and a fistful of leaf bags from the local hardware store. Another fine approach is with your lawn mower and its handy bag attachment. A third method is with the relatively new contraption called a leaf blower, noisy sister to the jet ski. The leaf blower never seemed quite accurate enough for my leaf-gathering efforts. Looks to me like you're just herding leaves into a general area of your yard, where I would imagine you ultimately still have to reach for the trusty rake and bag the leaves anyway.

I suppose I should include another option - hiring someone to do the job for you, thereby delegating the decision of which method to use. For the time-crunched, probably not a bad option, although I have a feeling that cold one afterward just isn't quite as satisfying. And of course, that's going to cost you a few dollars, the same ones might better spent on a sundae at your favorite scoop shop or flowers for the little lady.

So, I'd venture a theory that, in most cases, it's the good, old-fashioned rake and a couple hours in the crisp Autumn air. I'm sure most people would rather prefer to catch an afternoon nap in the backyard hammock or watch a football game than rake leaves, and I certainly had more than a few thoughts of other things I could be doing when I was out there, but I'd still argue it's not the worst chore in the homeowner's handbook. It's not that strenuous. You're outside in the fresh air. There's little thinking involved, so your mind is free to wander where it chooses. The constant shooshing sound of the rake against the leaves and the ground lulling you into a calm delta state, not unlike the sound of crashing waves or rain against the roof.

Ok, so maybe this doesn't happen to everyone, but for me it was a nice change from the constant grind of eight freezer compressors in the shop.

If it's a big yard with lots of trees, raking it can seem daunting. Like your driveway after an all-night nor'easter. But I'd argue those are the yards/driveways that are the greatest source of home care satisfaction. Just think, you probably pay a monthly fee to a place with 'fitness' in the name just to burn same amount of calories. You should be grateful for such prolific trees and the widest driveway on your street.

Perhaps grateful isn't a word that's come to mind the morning after a big snowstorm.

You probably think I'm nuts for admitting I enjoy raking, and we can certainly still be friends if you don't share my enthusiasm for yard work. Maybe I just had a little too much free thinking time while I raked, or that I just yearned to do something beside make ice cream, I'm not sure. But as I sat in my little plastic deck chair, celebratory beverage in hand, as I admired my newly groomed yard, I felt pretty satisfied. Good old-fashioned hard work, an afternoon outside, some quality thinking time, and a couple chores off my to-do list. Not too bad.

Life really is simple. We just choose to make it complicated.

Thanks for listening.

Engineering as cool as ice cream!

2010-11-10T16:59:00.005-05:00

This according to a story I just came across from the Salt Lake Tribune.

More than 500 students at Salt Lake City’s Bryant Middle School learned Monday that chemistry can be both delicious and fun. Aided by a team of engineers, the middle schoolers mixed up their own batches of vanilla ice cream and Silly Putty.

“I never knew you had to use so many ingredients to make ice cream,” said 12-year-old Alexis Mahana. “Being an engineer looks hard but it sounds cool.”

Nearly 20 chemical engineers from New York to Puerto Rico visited Bryant on Monday as part of the annual convention of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), which is in Salt Lake City this week. They hope to inspire the next generation of engineers.

“In our lifetime, the issues of renewable energy, clean water and clean air [will require] new and novel solutions,” said Rodney Dotson, a professor at City College of New York and chairman of AIChe’s minority affairs committee. “That is what the world will look to [new engineers] to do.”

Engineers, he said, help to solve a variety of human problems and their innovations spur economic growth.

Inspiring the next generation of engineering by teaching them how to make ice cream. For a guy who left a career in engineering to make ice cream, I can't help but find this story ironic. Very cool, but ironic.

At Bryant, seventh-grader Lauren Watkins could not decide which part of making ice cream was the “funnest.” She and a partner placed milk, sugar and vanilla inside a small, sealed plastic bag and then placed that bag inside a larger one with ice and rock salt. She loved shaking the bag to remove the heat from the milk and cause it to freeze. It also was exciting when the bag exploded. But perhaps the best part, she said, was eating the end product.

“I learned about the chemical reaction between ice and salt,” she said. “It was really fun.”

I'm not sure how many chemical engineers get to eat their end product, so that may not be the 'funnest' part for them, but I admire their creativity in finding ways to engage kids in the scientific process. The article doesn't talk much about making Silly Putty, which I'm sure was 'really fun' (wicked fun to you and me) too, but it just didn't stand a chance against the highly favored ice cream.

Well, maybe if they'd had an old Sunday comic section lying around..

Sharpening the Saw, er Scoop. Part I

2010-11-04T19:20:00.012-04:00

Just returned from my annual working getaway to this year's New England Ice Cream Retailer's Association (NEICRA) ice cream conference. One nice feature of the conference is it's in a different new England venue every year. This year it was Meredith, New Hampshire, a quaint little town on the banks of the lake of Winnipesaukee.

The conference is three days, but all the good stuff is during the middle day. So as usual I took the opportunity to use that first day as a little R&R time for myself. Since I wasn't quite ready to mix and mingle with the ice cream folks, I booked a room at the Lazy E Motor Inn in tacky, but in a good way, Weirs Beach. Like any conscientious blogger, I'd include a link to their website, because it was quite an interesting spot, full of character (although I happened to be the only character that night), but most times I've clicked over there, it's instantaneously blown up my browser. So instead, let me give you a taste here...

Not quite as posh as the site of the conference, but it's hard to complain about drinking your morning coffee lakeside as you watch the fog lift to expose the still firey colors of the New England's finest Fall foliage...

Not bad for 62 bucks a night, including tax...

Of course, I've never been one to pass up the artsy shot...

And you may have to 'click to enlarge' to see which spot is actually the moon in the refection here...

Now for the real charm of the Lazy E...

There seems to be a fine line between charm and tackiness.

And functionality.

There was actually a big screen TV in there. Now you know what to do with that old boat in your backyard...

No pig roast today, darn. Good to know they had the hardware to get that done though..

Speaking of your sweet outdoor bar made out of old boat parts!..

And not to leave out the kiddos on their boat reuse initiatives...

And when all the partyin's done, how about a relaxing Adirondack chair and a cozy fire...

Are you still looking for the boat in that last picture? It's gotta be in there somewhere.

I think this might explain the party readiness of this quaint little (motor) inn..

In case you've been looking for 'the place' to stay during Laconia bike week next summer, you can call off the search.

Well, I was going to write about my ice cream conference experience this year, but it seems I got a little carried away with the place I stayed the night before. Guess I'll just have to save that for next time. The photos aren't nearly as interesting anyway...

No Politics Here.

2010-11-03T12:54:00.006-04:00

How about a little virtual Fall stroll through Easthampton. Since a picture is worth a whole bunch of words, I'll just leave you to the images (click to enlarge)...

Enjoy your day. Feeling like Fall now, but then again, it is November after all..

See you soon.

My Interview with Michael.

2010-10-21T18:40:00.005-04:00

As I mentioned in the last couple blog entries, I was recently interviewed by blogger extraordinaire, Michael Sjostedt, last week for his great little blog.

He just posted our interview. I hope you'll click over and check it out-

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL

Time flies when you're having fun, and I don't get to tell my little 'life reinvention story' as much anymore, but it's still kindof fun when I get a chance to reminisce on those 'startup days'.

I hope you enjoy.

Winter Weather Predictions.

2010-10-21T13:52:00.003-04:00

Well, it looks like La Niña, sibling to El Niño, is in place for the coming winter season.

La Niña, a band of cooler-than-normal water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, is likely to bring some extreme winter weather to parts of the United States, according to the annual winter outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

I'm not sure if she had anything to do with the tremendous weather we've had here all year, but if so, she's more than welcome to stay as long as she'd like.

So according to this NYT piece, how does this bode for the kind of winter we can expect here in the Northeast? Should I expect long and lonely days in February and March here in the shop, with nothing much more to do than write dialog and stare out the window at the squalling snows? Here's what the wise weatherfolks have for us:

• Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and precipitation. Winter weather for these regions is often driven not by La Niña but by weather patterns over the northern Atlantic Ocean and Arctic. These are often more short-term and are generally predictable only a week or so in advance. If enough cold air and moisture are in place, areas north of the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast could see above-average snow;

So there you have it. We can expect either above, near, or below normal temperatures and precipitation. How's that for covering your bet. We will get a week's notice of changes which should help.

I think I'll just stick to the gutsier weather prognosticators like fat birds and badgers, lots of acorns and berries, lingering leaves on the trees, pigs gathering sticks, and slow, fat, and fuzzy wollybear caterpillars.

It's New England after all, we have to be prepared for anything. Just today we've had freezing temps, warm sunshine, gusting winds, hail, and cold rain. And it's still early afternoon.

Oh good, the sun's back out.

Op Jim.

2010-10-14T15:10:00.002-04:00

As you'll probably figure out by the tone of this and likely the next few blog posts, my interview with Mike Sjostedt last week has put me in a bit of an egocentric mood. The interview went well I think. After all, who doesn't like to talk about themselves for an hour. He wanted to know all about how I started. What drove me to leave the 'comforts' of cubicle life. Why ice cream. Hurdles, were you scared, etc. I won't give away too much of our conversation here just yet. We'll let Mike have the first crack at it. I expect he'll be posting our interview on his quitter-to-winner site any day now.

But in the meantime, there were a few questions he posed that got me thinking a bit deeper than my usual rants about those early days of Mt. Tom's when she was just a pup. One of those questions was 'Are you happier now than you were in engineering?' To which I answered, without hesitation, absolutely. Are there things I miss about having a 'normal' 9 to 5 job? Sure.

Like the 9 to 5 part.

I must say it's a very good thing it rarely feels like work, because I'm living proof that you never work as hard for someone else as you do for yourself. That's why I always describe owning your own business as a 'lifestyle'. It's great that I don't start my workday (at least the being the shop part) until 11 am, but I'm also usually here at 9 pm on a Tuesday night, among most others.

So herein lies the next big challenge in the life cycle of the small business owner, how to work 'on your business' more and 'in your business' less. The age old work/life balance thing. As the slower seasons start to settle in, I'm able to find a bit more time to step away from my batch freezer and do some of the 'non-dairy' things I like to do - photography, run, bike, eat, write. So just how does one keep a business running successfully while simultaneously managing to have a life?

Great question.

And one I've decided to make my primary project for the off-season.

Operation Jim.

I'm still sketching out the foundation of a plan to solve this worklife riddle. I've enlisted Michael Gerber, Bill Collier, and Timothy Ferriss via their bestselling books for some guidance. And although I'm pretty sure I won't end up with a 4 hour workweek or a franchise model that looks like McDonald's, I know I don't want to work as long and as hard as I have this summer.

If I were my Dad, I'd probably be saying, 'I miss fishing'.

So to answer one of Mike's probing questions, yes, I am happier than I was in engineering but I plan to be even happier, with the help of a few ideas I have for improving that work/life balance, not the least of which being, of course, empowering my great crew...

So I know it's a bit of a slippery slope. Let's face it, people like to see the owner around. I had someone the other day ask me if everything was o.k., because she hadn't seen me in the shop the last one or two times she'd been in for a cone. My simple response was, 'I wasn't here because things were going well actually'. As I'm sure any biz owner will concur, I didn't need to feel a twinge of guilt or defensiveness at that comment, but I couldn't help it.

Another unexpected challenge in the life of a small biz owner. Still beats TPR reports.

Thanks for listening, and feel free to offer any suggestions you might have.

Good ones will be rewarded handsomely. Well, icecreamly anyway.

How did I get here.

2010-10-06T15:13:00.012-04:00

When I first started the Ice Cream Diaries just seven years and a few days ago, it was all about trying to capture and share the adventure of starting my own business. I'd just returned from what turned out to be nearly two years of amazing travel, reflection, catching up with friends and family throughout the U.S., and more so towards the end, trying to figure out where to steer the drifting boat that was my career. That slice of life between professions was sweet. I was just lucky, and perhaps thrifty enough to have been able to turn a definite low (getting laid off) into a rare opportunity to 'see the world'. I was an apartment-renting single person who'd lived below his means for most of his decade-long career, so when that window of free time opened up, away I went. 38 states, 14 national parks, and countless Motel 6's and sketchy campsites later, I returned to find one of my best buddies waiting for me, pink slip in hand himself.

'You up for another trip?'

'Sure, why not. What are you thinking?'

'How about Australia and New Zealand?'

Needless to say, that offer was too good to pass up. The funds were holding up ok, and I was feeling no pressure to return to the work force just yet. So away I went. We backpacked the entire east coast of Australia from Sydney to Cairns, stopping wherever we felt inclined along the way. After an unforgettable dive in the Great Barrier Reef, it was back to Sydney then over to New Zealand for a month of vagabonding in the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. A quick warm up in Hawaii on the way home and it was back to reality for me.

Of course, reality happily still came in the form of writing and a few shorter trips. One thing was becoming crystal clear, my old cubicle lifestyle just wasn't calling me, or if it was, I just wasn't answering the phone.

The next key moment during my metamorphosis came one morning while I was having breakfast with Dad a few months after my return from the lands of koalas and sheep.

'Hey Dad, what do you think about me starting my own ice cream shop?'

'Don't do it! You'll never have a life. You won't have a family. It's really hard work...'

He truly did his best to try to talk me out of it. This despite the fact that his professional life was all about ice cream - first as ice cream inventor with Hood then HoJo's, then with his own 'mom and pop' shops in eastern Mass. He knew first-hand how all-consuming it can be to work for yourself. Unable to extinguish my enthusiasm for the idea, he finally conceded, 'Well, if you find a good location, I'll help you get it started.'

That was all I needed.

My search was on.

I hunted all around the eastern part of Massachusetts, especially between Boston and the Cape Cod canal. Nothing. It turned out to be much tougher to find a town without already a good ice cream shop. And the ones that were for sale were just plain expensive and intimidating.

I never gave up, but I must admit, I was starting to contemplate a return to the corporate world.

Then I just happened to come out to western Massachusetts, Worthington to be exact, to visit an old friend. We drank wine and caught up in the backyard of her B&B. I casually mentioned my ice cream shop idea.

'My bakery guy has a candy store he's trying to sell. That might be a good spot for your ice cream shop.'

She made a call. I stopped in the next morning on my way home. As soon as I peered in the window, I just knew.

That was 7 years ago, and here I am.

What got me reminiscing is I'm being interviewed tomorrow for a great little blog called 'Quitter to Winner' , one that defines itself as 'a resource for those quitting their job for a career break, sabbatical, entrepreneurial venture, or new gig'. The first time I came across it, I thought, 'Hey, that's me!' Although I must admit, the quitting part was probably the one thing that wasn't a conscious choice I'd made during my life reinvention project that kicked off back in the spring of 2001.

So as I mentally prepare to tell my story, timed nicely with a few days of driving rain and a noticeable scarcity of customers, I think back to those exciting first days and months. Sure, Dad was right. Running an ice cream business is really hard work. It's a ton of hours and can be physically exhausting. But it's also been the most satisfying thing I've ever done, and I wouldn't trade a day of it for anything.

Well, maybe for a weekend off in July, but I'm working on that too.

So if I'm asked during the interview, what was the 'key moment for you'? I could recall that breakfast with Dad or describe that lack of enthusiasm I felt for returning to the engineering world, but neither would be exactly right. For me, it all comes back to my days at my 'big company job' at Lucent Technologies. Perhaps more specifically, one day. I was in a meeting with a bunch of other engineers as we discussed the latest quality numbers or shipping shortages or something like that. I never hugely minded 'working for the man', but I remember that day looking across the table at a guy probably 30 years my senior. He was scribbling into his little notebook just as I was, adding input to the meeting when his opinion was needed, drinking coffee and gnawing at a stale danish.

I remember thinking, that's me in 30 years.

Not unhappy, probably had a great family and a nice life. Fulfilled? Who was I to know. One thing I did know, I didn't want to be that guy. I knew there had to be more to the professional category my life. It was time to get out before whatever scrap of creativity and initiative I had left was gone.

The next day I put my resume on monster.com.

A few weeks later I had a job offer at an up-and-coming tech start-up.

And it would be that start-up, around eighteen months later, who would be responsible for the 'quitter' part of my equation.

I still believe it was that moment in that meeting that changed everything for me.

Isn't life funny like that.

Now you know a little more of the story.

Easthampton's first annual Studio Tour Day

2010-09-30T08:08:00.003-04:00

Organized and hatched by the same folks that brought you last year's hugely successful BearFest, Easthampton City Arts now brings you the first annual Studio Tour Day. Scheduled to coincide with American Craft Week, the event will run this Saturday from 10 - 5. Check out the huge lineup of local artists and busineses that will be participating... Studio Tour Day Lineup. It's shaping up to be a can't miss event, and I hope you can check it out. You can pick up a complete map of participating artists, studios, and shops right here today at Mt. Tom's, no need to wait until Saturday.

This from the ECA website -

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, Easthampton City Arts hosts the first annual Easthampton Studio Tour Day, in celebration of the national event, American Craft Week. Visual artists, crafts people, performers and musicians around the city will be opening their doors and spilling out on to the streets with demonstratons, performances and studio sales.

Here at Mt. Tom's, we'll have a mini-sidwalk sale with a wide array of photo cards and prints from the local area, Mt. Tom's tie-dye T's at their lowest price of the year, and a few other surprises. And if you haven't seen it yet, stop in to check out Trace Meek's awesome photo show on the walls.

Should be a busy and fun day in Easthampton. Hope to see you then.

By the way, I realize it's been awful quiet around here these past few months. I've missed writing, but as things often go in the 'peak season', it's tough to sneak in much else besides ice cream making and keeping up with all the other demands of running the biz during the summer. I look forward to getting back to my ICD rantings, and although I'm right now trying to figure out where exactly the blog fits in the grand scheme of things, given the trend toward Facebook updates, Twitter, and the like. I do still enjoy writing, photography, and I fully appreciate being able to capture the mood of running a small biz, if for nothing else but my own posterity, so I expect the ICD will not become a victim of internet evolution just yet.

Thanks for listening. Nice to see you again. Hope you had your best summer yet.

Jim

Ice Cream Shop Shots for this weekend's ArtWalk.

2010-08-11T12:47:00.006-04:00

Thought I'd share the short blurb to go with a show I just put together for the walls of the shop and this weekend's ArtWalk Easthampton. If you're out artwalking this weekend, I hope you'll swing by for a look.

Ice Cream Shop Memories.

Images by Jim Ingram

I’ve always held the firm belief that our best memories are not as much from big events, trips, or major milestones, but more often found in everyday moments of bliss. In this case, enjoying an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. These moments can come and go fast. I say best savor them while you’re in ‘em. This show is a snapshot of a few of those moments. I hope you enjoy.

And if you recognize someone, feel free to let me know, and the photo is yours when the show is over.

As you've probably noticed, my blogging time has taken a backseat to ice cream making lately. Been quite the summer for summertime weather, that's for sure. No complaints here. I suppose I could complain about working too much, but I can rest when the snow flies, as we ice cream type folks like to say. Hope you're enjoying yours and managing to stay cool. I look forward to returning to random ranting here on the ICD when things quiet down in here again..

And if you haven't yet, become a fan of Mt. Tom's over at Facebook to stay up to date on new flavors and other intriguing goings-on at your favorite scoop shop.

See you soon.

Get your R.O.C.K. CD's here.

2010-07-22T13:19:00.004-04:00

I talked about these guys here recently when they had their CD Release Party at Flywheel a few weeks back. They're a local rock band for kids, but they have a fun sound that's cool even for 'grown-ups'.

Just wanted to make a mention here because we've got copies of their new CD for sale right here at the shop, by the front counter. Just ten bucks gets you 13 great songs. Of course, I'm still a little partial to the 'Jim, the ice cream man' song, but I must admit 'Cruisin' for a snoozin' has gotten stuck in my head a few times..

Here they are rockin' the kids' stage at the Green River Music Festival this past weekend..

Summer Theme Candy Shoot.

2010-07-17T14:07:00.007-04:00

Since it's full-on high season for me right now (as you may have guessed by the scarcity of blog posts), as well as the fact that this hazy, hot, & humid weather has made for less than optimal photo lighting/sky conditions, I decided to satisfy my ever-present photography urges with a mini-photo shoot right here in my a.c.-cooled shop.

I figured it would also be a good way to show off some of the new candy we just brought in. You may notice a theme...

Gummy Starfish...

Regular favorite and perfect for your beach cooler, gummy killer sharks...

Chocolate seashells...

What would summer be without...Salt Water Taffy...

A little off-theme, but a new oldie to the shop (stay tuned, more flavors coming soon)...

Mike & Ike's, another recent addition...

Sour Toxic Waste candies, try one if you dare...

Jelly Bellies, ice cream shoppe mix...

And I just couldn't resist a shot of royal icing rose perfection. One of the fresh new trays made by retired cake decorating master, otherwise known as my Mom...

Hope you're enjoying this crazy hot summer. Stay cool, and see you soon.

jim

Mary & Peter's Cross-Country Adventure

2010-07-05T14:20:00.009-04:00

Friends & Mt. Tom's regulars turned cross-country travelers, Mary and Peter (you may recognize Mary as Ms. Franke, Pepin schoolteacher), have embarked on a coast-to-coast adventure this summer. They left a little over a week ago. One of their last provisioning stops before hitting the road was the Mt. Tom's giftshop for a couple of swanky tees.

And in case you'd been wondering what the deal was with the big map of the U.S. tacked on the wall by the chocolate cabinet, it's actually a MaryPeter tracking chart. Before they left, they enthusiastically volunteered to take shots of themselves at various scenic or otherwise interesting spots along their journey. They've been sending me them ever since, courtesy of their Iphones...

Their latest, Grand Canyon...

Who knows where the next shot will come from.

By the way, if you ever feel inclined to shoot a shot of yourself, friend, or family member in some interesting travel locale and sporting their favorite Mt. Tom's tee, feel free to send along the image to jim@mttoms.com , and I'll be happy to display it proudly right here on the ICD blog. Who knows, I may even offer up a free cone...

My favorite to date, my friend Rick, from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro...

Be a few months before my Mt. Tom's tee sees any place further than the Massachusetts border, so I'll just have to reminisce and live vicariously thru you all for now..

Stay cool and hope to see you soon.

Center Pepin Mural Rocks Mt. Tom's!

2010-06-27T20:14:00.006-04:00

I was asked a long time ago if I 'minded' that Mt. Tom's be included in a new schoolyard mural being painted behind the Center Pepin school here in Easthampton. Of course, I thought it was a great idea. Little did I know we'd be featured so prominently in the finished product. I recently was tipped that the mural was done, and that I 'really should go check it out.'

Well, I finally got a chance to bike down with my camera, and my customer/friend was right, I definitely had to see it to believe it. Extremely cool.

Center Pepin rocks!

The center mural was done by Sabrina Herman, and the Center Pepin kiddos did the boxes all around it. It was organized and funded by the 'junior leadership club'. Will try to find out more info on that group and pass that along.

Here's a closer look...

Got a kick out of the 'Mt. Jim' part, a funny twist on my being called 'Tom' all the time...

Great job Center Pepp, and thanks for including your favorite local scoop shop. We here at Mt. Tom's are proud and sincerely humbled.

R.O.C.K. Cd Release Party

2010-06-25T13:05:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't seen these guys yet, in a word, they're awesome. Rock music for kids, but cool enough for 'grown-ups' to enjoy too. Of course, I may be a little biased because one of their songs is called, 'Jim the ice cream man,' but these guys really are extremely talented musicians and they sound great. Kids love them. Their shows are fun, interactive, and wicked (sugar) high energy.

You can read all about them in this week's Valley Advocate cover story.

If you haven't gotten a chance to catch them yet (most of their gigs are sometime between breakfast and nap time), you definitely should head to their cd release party at Flywheel right here in Easthampton this weekend. 11 a.m. Sunday.

Did I mention there will be free Mt. Tom's homemade ice cream?

Just make sure the kiddos are wearing their dancing shoes...

Sights of Easthampton.

2010-06-22T18:05:00.009-04:00

Had to lead with this one..

Took a little hike up to the top of Mt. Tom recently..

Just after I took the shot, a kite flyer (is that what they call them?) came floating into the frame..

Pretty cool. Can't say I'd ever do it, but it does look like fun..

A collection of shots from the 225th anniversary parade Saturday morning. Great fun had by all..

The Hot Buttered Elves float was definitely a crowd favorite..

This band definitely came to play. An extremely rare summer performance..

Union Street never looked so festive..

The Lloyd Cole Trio playing at the all-day concert event on Saturday. The Friday night concerts are nice, but it was awesome to hear some great local indie rock at the new bandshell by the Lower Mill Pond..

Among the many fun and family-friendly activities on Sunday was a 'vintage baseball' game. Here they are explaining the rules..

It was a great weekend of fun to commemorate Easthampton's 225th. Perfect weather, big crowds, few incidents. Congrats and thanks to the planning team, sponsors, and volunteers that made it all happen. BearFest last year, 225th this year, what can we do next year?...

Easthampton's 225 years young.

2010-06-14T19:16:00.006-04:00

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the big Easthampton 225th celebration kicks off in just a few short days. You can get all the schedule specifics HERE.

The official kickoff to the party weekend is Thurs, June 17, 2010 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Phillips Stevens Chapel, Williston-Northampton School. Mayor Mike will deliver the welcome message and (symbolically) fire the starting gun for the weekend of fun, Easthampton 2010 style.

You can check out the schedule yourself (or pick one up here at Mt. Tom's), but let me give you the highlights here of events not to be missed...

Friday 6-8pm Family Ice Cream Social at the Easthampton Congregational Church

Saturday 10:30am The Big Parade (starts at the high school and ends at Eastworks)

Saturday 1 - 9 pm Concert at the hatch shell behind Eastworks (Millside Park). Lots of great music to be had.

Sunday 9 - 4 pm Family Day at Nonotuck Park. (Hope you'll find the Mt. Tom's booth for your free sample of a popular flavor you might remember...)

You can catch up on all the planning and hometown banter on the Easthampton 225 committee's Facebook page HERE

There's also a cool little slideshow/video created by Ken Peters on the 225 site. This one should get you in a nostalgic mood, even if you haven't lived in Easthampton for generations. Check out the video HERE.

Should be a fun week. Sounds like the hot summery weather returns just in time for it. Good thing there's ice cream to be had at every event...

A giant thanks to the 'executive committee', along with all the other volunteers and sponsors who've been working tirelessly for months to make it all happen. I hope you've got a giant cast party planned for sunday night.

Enjoy the festivities, and I hope to be a little better at blogging when things smooth out after this last round of events winds down. Of course, summer is just beginning, so I make no promises...

Happy 225th Easthampton. You're lookin' good.

Moon Pie Ice Cream.

2010-06-07T20:35:00.004-04:00

According to Wikipedia, A MoonPie is 'a pastry which consists of two round graham cracker cookies, with marshmallow filling in the center, dipped in chocolate (or other flavors).'

Why would I make a MoonPie flavored ice cream, you ask?

Because my cousin Wendy asked. Not only did she ask, back when I saw her in January during our little folks 5oth anniversary party week in Florida, she went so far as to ship me a box from her home in Charlston, South Carolina.

Here we are, posing in the San Francisco backlot set in Disney's Hollywood Studios...

Unfortunately, she and her family are a little far away to pop in tomorrow for a try of her fantasy flavor. The least I could do was thank her publicly and invite y'all down for a try...

In case you're wondering, it's a chocolate base with pieces of MoonPie and a marshmallow swirl.

I thought this might be the one and only batch I would make (since I wasn't familiar with MoonPies and just assumed it was a 'southern thing'), but wouldn't you know, I was in line at Rite Aid, of all places the other day when staring over my left shoulder was... Yep. A whole stack of MoonPies.

So I guess if it's a hit, I can make more without having to work an import deal with my cousin Wendy.

Thanks Wen, for the idea and the box of pies. I'd ship you some if I could...

Publicity Stunt.

2010-06-03T16:41:00.006-04:00

Since there aren't Bearfest bears all around town this summer, it seems these two were missing the limelight and decided to take matters into their own hands, er paws...

You may have heard rumors that this was a publicity stunt we put together to build up enthusiasm for the return of our Bear Tracks flavor for the upcoming Easthampton 225th party weekend, but no, to the best of our knowledge these bears acted alone.

Happy Memorial Day to you & yours.

2010-05-31T14:00:00.005-04:00

A few images from this morning's Memorial Day parade here in Easthampton.

Enjoyed the little flyover too. Not sure if that was scheduled but a nice touch nonetheless...

Just another one of those things that makes this town, and small towns in general, so cool.

Hope you and yours are enjoying this stellar holiday weekend weather.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~Joseph Campbell

And thanks to all who have put themselves in harm's way on our behalf. Pretty darn big in my view. Hope you're relaxing with a cold one and a good steak from the grill right now. And if not now, hopefully soon.

Easthampton, Then & Now.

2010-05-25T14:51:00.004-04:00

Starting this week and as mentioned a week or two ago, I've got a little photo show going over at the Easthampton Chamber of Commerce office on Union Street.

Coordinated through Easthampton City Arts, or more specifically head-honcho Briana Taylor, the walls of the local Chamber office have been offered up as a mini gallery. Displays change every month or two, and to be eligible you just have to be a member of ECA and the Chamber.

Here's the idea... Old postcard of someplace in Easthampton many years ago. Underneath an image from the same spot today...

Here's the Easthampton Chamber website, didn't see their hours. I'm guessing Monday thru Friday 9 - 4 or so.

While I'm here, thought I'd show off the tye-die Tee's, just in today. Just $12.95 and you could be sporting one yourself. Many sizes and exciting colors...

Hope you're enjoying this hot weather. Perfect for a cool cone at your favorite scoop shop.

See you soon.

Green Returns.

2010-05-19T17:22:00.006-04:00

Thought I'd share a few images from my monday hike and bike...

The Manhan Rail Trail, heading toward Southampton. Much less traveled but no less cool.

The Park Street overpass, or is it underpass...

Caught a quick inning over at Nonotuck Park...

Old concrete stairs just below the Goat Peak firetower...

The aformentioned Goat Peak firetower...

The sweet view from atop the tower. Had gotten a little hazy, but spectacular nonetheless. Here's looking toward the 'Seven Sisters', the river, and even Umass in the far distance...

The peak of Mt. Tom...

Hope you're muddling through this more familiar Spring weather ok. Rumor has it, the good stuff returns tomorrow.

Great Day for the Race.

2010-05-15T13:26:00.003-04:00

My Dad loves to say, 'Great day for the race!' whenever it's a beautiful day such as today.

To which he always looks at whoever he says it to until they reply, 'What race?'

And with a hearty chuckle every time, he replies exuberantly 'The human race!'

Snowbird that he and Mom are, they're still in Florida, but I think if he was sitting in the backyard of the shop right now, he would be using that line on anyone who might happen by.

Doesn't get much nicer than this around these parts, hope you get out and enjoy.

And have a good race.

Easthampton Then & Now.

2010-05-11T18:14:00.007-04:00

I've been working on a little photo project these past few weeks (in my 'spare' time). I got my hands on a big stack of old Easthampton postcards from my friend and biz neighbor Marlies to go with a bunch I already had and have been about town trying to recapture the images from the exact same spot. I'm planning to put them together for a month-long show on the walls of the Easthampton Chamber of Commerce starting next week (will let you know when it's up).

It's been fun, although a bit tougher then I expected. Challenges like traffic and trees that have grown in front of things during the hundred years since the original image was shot are just a couple that come to mind.

I figured it would be a show that might go along nicely with the upcoming Easthampton 225th celebration in June. If it comes out well, I hope to also hang it in the shop during the month of July.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to display the before and now images. While I work through those artistic challenges, I thought I'd wet your appetite with one...

Then...

And now...

Stay tuned, many more where that came from...

Rainy Day Randomness & HMD.

2010-05-08T13:50:00.005-04:00

In case you haven't gotten wind of it yet, I just tried my hand at an intriguing flavor I'd heard about from Mom, of all people. You can find it at a little place in San Francisco, and they call it Secret Breakfast. It's vanilla with bourbon and, you guessed it, corn flakes. It's got plenty of kick to it, and I'm sure not for everyone, but it's actually pretty good. And surprisingly, the corn flakes stayed crispy in the mix. You tried the maple bacon, but are you up for this one?

Just got a fresh batch of shiny new scoops and spades for the new season. Who doesn't like new stuff?

Saw a little canister of these in the supermarket the other day and had to have them. Potato sticks. In the spirit of Mother's Day, these salty treats brought back fond memories of the little brown lunch bags my Mom used to pack for my brothers and me. Sandwich, salty snack (in a baggie), dessert (usually some cakey thing from Hostess), and an apple. Friends at the lunch room used to call it the 'magic bag'. Good times.

Candy buttons, my personal favorite nostalgic candy item. Not for the taste, of course, but for the experience of pulling those little dots off the paper one at a time.

And after a marketing/cost cutting debacle, the orginal Bazooka gum is back. Original rectacular pink block of bubble-blowing perfection, wrapped tightly around by a bad comic and a good fortune. Alas, can't charge a penny for one, but at least the open/consume experience is the same.

Last but most certainly not least, a big Happy Mother's Day to my mom, you still rock.

(That's me in the middle, just in case you were wondering. Of course my brother on the left looks like he's having a tougher morning. Probably just jealous of my sweet red overalls)

Happy Mother's Day to yours (and you if the case may be).

Weekend Events in Etown.

2010-04-30T11:49:00.007-04:00

Just a couple quick reminders, tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. is the annual town cleanup, aka community day. Meeting place is the Chamber of Commerce office on Union Street. They, and your fellow townsfolk appreciate it.

Also tomorrow is Recyle Day . Another event sponsored by your friendly Easthampton Chamber. A good chance to unload that old fridge or PC while supporting local charities.

And on Sunday, it's Derrill's Race , a 5K run/walk to benefit the Derrill's Race scholarship fund, the Cam Neely Fund, and other local charities. It's a fun event. Hope you can stop by and either give it a run/walk or a few cheers for the participants. It'll be my first time running, looking forward to it. Looks to be a pretty flat course, unlike that last one I did...

Hope you enjoy summer's weekend visit. If it finds you hankerin' for ice cream, come on by for a try of a couple special flavors I'm making today... Strawberry Cheesecake, Lavender, Cow Tracks, and Nutter Butter.

You know that last one intrigues you.

Happy weekend to you.

One last thing, May hours kick in tomorrow, including now open Mondays!

Sundae - Thursday 12-9 p.m.
Friday, Saturday 12 - 9:30 p.m.

Ode to the Dandilion.

2010-04-28T10:50:00.002-04:00

ICD Disclaimer: Like my sorbet or soy gelato, this post is completely dairy-free. Sometimes, I like to use this blog as my own little creative writing outlet. It seems this is one of those times. Read on if you’d like or feel free to go back to what you were doing and come on back soon. I’m sure I’ll be ranting about something ice creamish soon, most likely a wacky new bacon flavor, a bit of Easthampton trivia, or what I did with my Tuesday morning.

Thanks for sticking around. I call this one my ‘Ode to the Dandelion’.

Last fall, I got a great housewarming gift from one of those cool regulars who, when they come to the shop for ice cream or their weekly allotment of Indigo coffee beans, it feels more like a friend popping by for a hello than a ‘how may I help you today?’ Whenever one of her family or friends buys a new house, she buys them 150 daffodil bulbs as a housewarming gift. It’s just what she does. Last year, when she got wind I had bought a house, she instantly informed me I should soon expect my doorstep to be darkened by a large box of bulbs from The Netherlands or Holland, Michigan. True to her word, the bulbs arrived last fall, just before the ‘pre-first frost planting window’ closed. I went right out and bought myself one of those fancy bulb hole digger contraptions and proceeded to spend a good long morning planting these hundred and a half bulbs, along with a few others (tulips, hyacinths, etc.) I’d purchased myself, all around my new yard. I held no high expectations that anything would actually happen come Spring. I was simply covered with dirt and chock full of hope.

Wouldn’t you know, thanks to my friend Rema’s generous gift and those few hours of bulb burying last fall, my yard right now has been transformed into a mini Keunkhof wonder garden. I went for a run a few mornings ago, and as I was cooling down with a walk around my little estate in the (East)Hamptons, I admired the impressive explosion of color and feast for bees that I, and the previous owners, had fostered. ‘Almost looks like I know what I’m doing,’ I mumbled to myself as I wholeheartedly albeit figuratively patted myself on the back and took a little time to sniff the flowers.

And then I stepped on a dandelion.

‘So what’, you say, it’s just a weed after all. A prop for kids to sing a silly song then pop the yellow flower off its stem with their little thumb. The typical reaction of a lawn owner to the sight of a dandelion, or two hundred, is most definitely not the same one my 150 daffodils have been getting from the neighbors these past few weeks, that’s for sure. I believe it’s something more like, ‘Oh crap, time to go pick weeds out of the lawn again.’

Which of course got me thinking… why is a tulip beautiful to us yet a similarly flowering annual, or is it perennial, gets its head popped off or finds its untimely end amongst a crop dusting of poison whenever it finds itself in the middle of someone’s precious green lawn?

And why am I stepping on a dandelion whilst at the same time gazing lustfully at a bed of purple hyacinths?

My wonderings got me to the usual destination of such mental unknowing, Google, and from there, Winkipedia. Perhaps the dandelion was responsible for some heinous and unspeakable crime back in its earlier days. Maybe it was to be the Dandelionflower that was originally slated to shuttle over our forefathers four score and seven plus a hundred years ago. That is until the sordid past of the dandelion was revealed, to the shock and horror of villagers across England, resulting in the bow of one ship full of rebel pilgrims scraped clean and redubbed Mayflower, just in the nick of time as it readied itself for that historic transatlantic cruise.

But I digress. Winkipedia covers all the usual aspects – origins, properties, uses. Midway through there’s a line, ‘Dandelions are fondly thought of throughout the world.’ And why not, they ‘contain abundant amounts of vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamins A, C and K, and are good sources of calcium’. Winky goes on to tell me dandelions are part of traditional Mediterranean, Asian, and Korean cooking and even have medicinal uses in many areas of the world. This versatile yellow flower is used to make wine, fancy teas, and even coffee. Hardly sounds like the resume of a weed to me. Perhaps it might help if we referred to them by their formal name - Taraxacum?

If I were a dandelion, I’d be feeling pretty good about myself right now actually, but since I’m not, my mind returns to my original pondering - why do tulips end up lounging in fancy glass vases in the center of long mahogany dining tables while the dandy ones compost in the composter?

In other words, who got to decide which flower is beautiful and which one is not?

After all, isn’t beauty in the eye of the beholder?

Can we start a petition or a Facebook fan page declaring dandilions the ‘in’ flower? How cool would it be if you were to wake up one Spring morning to a sea of dandilions in your front lawn and be able to say, ‘Wow, that’s so beautiful! I’m never mowing again. Where’s my camera?’

Ah, but if only my brain could stop there.

My next thought was, ‘Who decided that suntans make a person more beautiful?’ Tanning booth anyone? And ‘What makes teenage girls so mean to each other when one doesn’t conform exactly to their magazine-influenced image of ‘beautiful’? Then there’s the whole plastic surgery thing. Not sure I need to even turn onto that street right now - suffice to say, it seems like a lot of pain, risk, and expense to pay for a little self-confidence booster. Again I wonder, who got to decide what’s beautiful and what isn’t?

After all, isn’t beauty only skin, er stem, deep anyway?

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a beautiful form when I see one, whether it be on a big screen, in a magazine, or walking down Cottage Street with her dog.

Of course, none of these vain thoughts stop me from wondering why I find what I find about these people beautiful. Although I suppose the good news is one I find beautiful may not be the same one you do, and viseversa. I'd venture so far to surmise that everyone is beautiful to someone. Shouldn't that be enough?

I can’t say I have the answer to that question, or most others for that matter, but the thought is enough for me to lift my foot off a small gathering of dandilions under my sneaker, lean over, and snap a picture.

What I did on my day off.

2010-04-22T16:08:00.005-04:00

We interrupt our normal ice cream banter and meandering rants on life to bring you a mini-photo essay from this past monday, Patriots' Day. Thanks to a buddy with weekend season tickets to the Red Sox, I was able to partake in what is always a great day to be in Boston. That was especially true this year, with perfect spring weather for all.

I didn't take many shots, but my trusty Canon Digital Elph did manage to escape my pocket a couple times. Thought I'd share a few images with you...

Not a great game (especially compared to the last two walkoff wins), but as they say, a bad day at Fenway still beats a good day most anywhere else.

The cool thing about the Patriots' Day Sox game is it's an 11:05 a.m. start, which means when the game is over, it's just a quick couple of blocks over to Kenmore Square to catch the thousands of marathoners just as they're gasping toward the finish. Didn't quite make it out of Fenway to see the elite runners, but for me it's the 'regular folk' that most inspire...

Next it was a crowded T ride over to Faneuil Hall for post-game beverages and snacks with friends and the throngs of tourists that were doing the same.

While on our wander over, we crossed paths with this band. Always cool to bump into a gang of patriots on Patriots' Day...

Among the stops at Faneuil Hall, Kingfish Hall, for a tasty round or two of cherrystones and little necks on the half-shell. Not quite my Boston favorite, the Union Oyster House, but a new close second. Definitely a nice upgrade from the Yawkee Way sausage grinder for lunch (not that the grinder wasn't its own form of fine dining)...

A couple more snack and beverage stops later, and it was off on the obligatory dessert run to Mike's Pastry in the North End. Amazing pastries in all shapes and forms, gelato and great coffee. This place is chaos every minute of every day, but well worth the wait...

We ended up hitching a ride back to the burbs with some other friends. Probably not normally a mentionable part of the day, except when the commute home includes a trip on the commuter boat from the New England aquarium to Quincy via Hull...

Logan airport, no ash cloud in our airspace...

Catch ya later Boston. Been wicked fun...

Thanks, thanks, & mmm.

2010-04-20T13:23:00.010-04:00

This just out....

Thanks for your vote, much appreciated.

And for you Facebookers, thanks too for joining the new Mt. Tom's fan page. What an amazing response, 806 fans in just the first few days, nice! Feel free to click on the image below to jump on over...

We just got linked up with Twitter too. Status updates go right to twitter followers. We're MtTomsIceCream. Don't really understand the whole twitter, tweet thing yet, but I think it may be just the thing to let people know what's new and exciting here (e.g. new flavors, specials, holiday stuff, etc.).

And the new Facebook page is already bringing in a ton of great feedback, flavor ideas, and more.

A hearty thanks to Patrick Brough for the twitter tutorial. Facebook, Twitter, Gowalla.. so many ways to connect, so little time!

Speaking of new and interesting, check out these fancy new cones, er cookies, er cones...

M&M, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, and wait for it... Pretzel...

Always pushing the ice cream envelope here at your favorite scoop shop...

Hope to see you soon. Happy school vacation to you and your little ones, enjoy.

Why I love my job.

2010-04-15T07:54:00.008-04:00

The order came in weeks ago, twelve chocolate-dipped strawberries for pickup at noon this past sunday. It sat for weeks, in the form of a small yellow carbon-copied slip, taped on the 'cake order wall' in front of the ice cream cake decorating table. Ice cream cake orders came and went, while this small order of strawberries stayed put, quietly watching over the daily goings-on on the cake operating table below. The person who ordered them never specifically said what they were for, and it really wasn't much of our business, but sure we were all a little curious. It wasn't Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, just a random sunday in early April. During those weeks it sat in wait, I occasionally glanced over at it, each time feeling a small hint of apprehension that when the time finally came, I'd forget to buy strawberries or to come in early to get them done for noon that day. Chocolate-dipped strawberries are really only good the day you make them, that's what makes them difficult to offer on a regular basis.

Well, I didn't forget to buy her strawberries, and both Mimi and I remembered to come in a little early to get them done this past sunday. The woman who ordered them arrived a little before noon, as we were just putting the finishing touches on her dozen dippped desserts. She didn't seem to mind waiting the few minutes for them to be done, a small price to pay for freshness.

I struggled a little with the price, knowing a buck a piece was probably low, but told Mimi to charge her that price anyway. Sure, I think we could have made a little more, but as my Dad always preached to me when I was starting, 'charge what you need to charge, don't get greedy.'

Mimi showed her the nicely arranged dozen in the box. Our customer smiled widely, settled up, and was on her way.

In most cases, that's usually that.

It just so happened that yesterday I took a break from the shop action to go for a little run on the other side of Mt. Tom, around that reservoir off of route 141. If you haven't been there, it really is a beautiful little loop for a walk or jog. Anyway, I had just finished my run and was sitting on the back of my truck. As I recovered my breath and rehydrated, a woman pulled up, got out of her car, and walked toward me and the trailhead. She looked only slightly familiar. I was in my running gear and sported a pair of dark sunglasses, seemingly unrecognizable to anyone, yet the next thing I heard was, 'Those strawberries were delicious!'

It was the chocolate-dipped strawberries woman.

She stopped briefly to say hello before her stroll around the reservoir. She continued, 'My partner and I got married on Sunday in our backyard. It was really, really nice. After the ceremony, we had champagne and your delicious chocolate strawberries. It was perfect. Thanks for making them for us. It was an unforgettable and special moment for us.'

It's stories like that that make it all worthwhile. and then some.

ArtWalk Easthampton Tonight.

2010-04-10T08:57:00.003-04:00

painting by Allison Hunt.

A quick little reminder, it's the 2nd Saturday of the month, which means ArtWalk time here in Easthampton. It goes 5 - 8 pm tonite, and as always, it's full of great local art to see. And free snacks.

Here at Mt. Tom's, it's a great group show:

'Night'

Each artist was asked to create a 12” square oil or acrylic painting portraying a night scene. The resulting exhibit consists of subjects ranging from moonlit skies to bonfires to the summer front of a Cape Cod food stand. The artists included in this exhibition were part of Kat O’Connor’s Spring 2010 Thursday night oil painting class, held in Clinton, Massachusetts. This exhibit was created specifically for Mt. Tom’s Ice Cream in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

painting by Kat O'Connor.

Hope you can stop by. Old Town Hall and Nashawannuck Gallery next door are two other spots to not miss too.

Easter Paddle.

2010-04-08T09:35:00.007-04:00

With the family far away and a late shop opening on account of Easter, I took the opportunity to dust off the kayak and go for a paddle. A couple friends and I put in at the bridge to the right of Acadia wildlife sanctuary. Thanks to the crazy rain we got last week, the paddling behind Acadia right now is simply tremendous. During 'normal times', this body of water can be pretty tough to get your kayak into. Last summer, I paddled underneath this bridge to do it...

The water is so high now, you can paddle right to route 10 going to Northampton. (Update: Just spoke with my kayaking buddies, and they tell me the water level is down nearly 3 feet already since Sunday!)

No parking here. Unless of course, you're driving a row boat. (click on any photo to enlarge).

Since it was Easter, I decided to have an Easter egg hunt. The Easter bunny was unable to hide eggs in this uncharted body of water, so it was actually an Easter box turtle hunt. Still fun but a little tougher, since they are a little shy and tend to jump back into the water when you get too close. And you can't really eat 'em after you're done. Good thing I brought a big bag of Jelly Bellies.

One fearless (or really lazy) one...

One of my buddies, at one with the leafless trees...

'Bare Reflections'...

Same image with a little photoshop artsiness...

Even got a couple little zen videos for you, compliments of my trusty new Canon Elph point and shoot with HD video... Hope you've been enjoying this little summer vacation in April. The shop has been booming, a nice early season boost, hopefully a sign that another great season is just around the corner!

And here's one more, almost like you were a fly on my kayak...

Enjoy this last summery day, and hope to see you tomorrow night at the Riverside Industries auction. We'll be scooping up plenty of ice cream for dessert. Hmm, what flavors to bring...

March going out like a Fish?

2010-03-30T14:18:00.005-04:00

Some serious rain going on out there right now. I'd use the word monsoon, but I'm not sure you can call it that if it's only 42 degrees. Just plain nasty out there. As you can see, Mom Nature's wrath spared no one around here - basements, riverbanks, and Easter window displays alike.

Lucky for the scoopers, it's Easter bunny-making week, so still plenty to do, despite the quiet shop on a day like today. They sell as fast as we make them, so don't wait until last minute for these solid chocolate treats. Better yet, feel free to reserve some ahead...

Speaking of chocolate, this just out. Nicely timed. Chocolate could reduce heart risk.

From the study:

They found people who had an average of six grams of chocolate per day -- or about one square of a chocolate bar -- had a 39 percent lower risk of either a heart attack or stroke. The study is scheduled to be published Wednesday in the European Heart Journal.

Don't know if straight sugar is good for the heart exactly, but these panorama eggs are still pretty cool...

What would an Easter basket be around here without a couple of our crowd favorite Chocolate-covered Marshmallow Peeps? Here they are in white...

Enjoy the rain. Rumor has it, great weather is just around the corner. In the meantime, here's some potentially useful information for today.

FYI: On account of the predicted nice weather, Mt. Tom's will be open from 3pm until 8pm on Easter Sunday.

See you soon.

Run Jim Run.

2010-03-24T14:30:00.005-04:00

Image by Patrick Brough.

It probably seems a distant memory as you look out your window right now, but was that some weekend or what. Temps well into the 70’s. Bright sunshine. Warm breezes. Doesn’t get much better than that around here. And for it to fall right on St. Paddy’s Day weekend, well, what more could you ask for in March. Here at Mt. Tom’s, we had lines out there door all weekend and shattered all the ‘off-season’ records. It was something, and our forearms are all still recovering. I know it seems odd to hope for rain on your day off, but Monday’s weather the perfect rest for the weary. No pressure to open up shop for another unseasonably warm day. A much needed recovery day for one slightly beat up ice cream guy and crew.

I hope you got outside to enjoy it. If you were like many around here, you probably spent a good part of your weekend in Holyoke at either the St. Paddy’s Day parade, one of the largest in the United States, or at the annual St. Paddy’s Day 10K race. I wasn’t able to get to the parade this year, but I was there for the race on Saturday. I will defer to my friend Patrick Brough, Easthampton’s photo/video man about town, for coverage of that. If you haven’t heard, there’s a group of folks organizing, planning, and fund-raising for a summer celebration to commemorate Easthampton's 225th Anniversary. I’ll have much more on that soon. For now, click here for more info or join their group on Facebook. The group put together an awesome float for the parade, masterminded by local sign extraordinaire Clay Crow.

Image by Patrick Brough.

I’m sure the parade was a blast as always, but I’m here to talk about the race. It was a 10K (6.2 miles for non-metric types). I’d often heard it was a really fun race. Thousands of runners and spectators. Huge party at the end. A few friends had been talking about it for a month or two and were not-so-subtly exerting peer pressure on me to run with them. It was a tempting idea, but 10K just always seemed out of my range. Heck, I’d never run more than 4 miles in my entire life. I’m a casual jogger, although I will get a little more serious a few weeks before one of local 5K’s I do most years. Thanks to fairly decent late winter weather and a bit more free time with the off-season pace, I was able to extend my usual 2 ½ to 3 mile jogs to 3 ½ sometimes 4 miles, although I never actually measured it. With race day weather shaping up to be one of the best ever, I figured it was now or never. Next thing I knew I was nervously picking up my number, t-shirt, and timing chip at the Wherehouse in Holyoke.

I won’t deny my anxiety level was high as I anxiously waited along with 5200 others for the announcement to line up at the starting line. I’d heard all the stories about what a tough course it was – the two mile uphill climb near Holyoke Community College (HCC) then another decent-sized hill just before the finish. ‘6.2 miles’ rattled around in my head. I wasn’t sure how my legs and lungs would feel after I pushed past my usual 3.1 mile finishing point. I’d trained for it, but was just three weeks or so of running, three times a week enough? And what about this crazy weather – was it actually too warm? Should I drink water now or not? When should I start stretching? I commiserated with a couple friends and fellow runners. One said ‘don’t worry, it’ll be fine’ and the other seemed to share my pre-race jitters.

After what seemed like forever, the announcement finally came. ‘First call for runners to line up at the starting line.’ In calm, cool fashion, my friends and I waited for second call before we started our wander over to the now jam-packed starting line. It’s hard to imagine five thousand people standing together on a small stretch of road until you’re actually in the middle of it. A sea of humanity in gym shorts and running shoes, hopping in place and chattering anxiously. I just wanted it to finally start. I was more than ready to convert my nervous energy into forward motion. A helicopter flew overhead. Not the F15 flyover I’d been hoping for, but still kind of cool. ‘Bang!’ and the race was on.

We didn’t actually start moving for a couple minutes, about the time the elite runners were nearly a mile into the course. This was fine, since we all had little chips on our shoes to click on our own individual time clocks when we passed the electronic starting line and finally click off when we crossed the finish – a place that felt about as far away as China at that moment.

The first mile was pretty sweet. Thousands of people lined the street. The cheering was deafening. A slight incline on that first straightaway gave you a view of the incredible mass of runners tightly making their way up the street. It was an amazing site and one that made me happy I pushed through my apprehensions about running it. I was still nervous about the next 5 miles, particularly the HCC hill, but I was running which felt much better than the idle waiting I’d endured for the past couple hours.

I had two goals in my head when I started. To finish and to not walk. I secretly hoped to break one hour, but having never run a full 10K, I had no idea whether that was in my realm of possibility, especially for such a warm day on such a hilly course. Having trained primarily in Easthampton, Ferry Street was the biggest hill I’d seen in the past month. I began the run with a few buddies but quickly lost them in the crowd of runners and noise of the spectators. This was planned. If I had any strategy at all, it was that I was just going to ‘run my own race’. I had hoped to find inspiration and motivation from the crowds and fellow runners, but I was competing with no one but myself. I had nothing to prove to anyone but me. A hilly, warm 10K in front of thousands of people was my challenge, and although I knew pain was coming, like most things in life worth doing, it felt good to step off the sidelines and participate.

‘Showing up is half the battle.’

My self-congratulating stage of the race was soon interrupted by the start of the dreaded two mile uphill climb. I settled into a comfortable pace and tried not to look forward too far at foreboding mountain that lay ahead. The sun beat down on my face as I turned up the music to distract me from the impending pain. The crowd had thinned considerably, but we runners were still pretty tightly packed together. As it would turn out, the field never really spread out much. There were just too many runners. The first uphill mile wasn’t bad. I scanned the crowd for familiar faces and interesting characters. It seemed I was enjoying the ride. Who would have thought. I turned up the music and wondered if I was actually in that runner’s ‘high’ people always talk about.

That first big hill flattened out, just as it was starting to hurt. ‘Hey, this course isn’t so bad,’ I thought to myself. As if it heard me mutter this, it started to incline again. And it wouldn’t stop for a good mile and a half. I dug in as the pain I’d dreaded arrived like an uninvited guest at dinnertime. A number of runners around me became walkers. Others stopped and crowded around the first water station like a lost band of desert wanderers to a watery oasis. I mumbled my first mantra ‘I will not walk. I will not walk.’ I tried to remain in the moment and focus on everything around me and not the thought of the pain of the next mile’s climb or the three miles of pavement that lay beyond that. I thought of Lance Armstrong. ‘Pain is temporary. Quitting is permanent.’ I thought of my friend with cancer and what kind of pain he endured on a daily basis. I thought of what it would feel like to be at the finish line, savoring the accomplishment with a cold beer and good friends. I drank up the metaphor like a tall glass of iced tea. Challenges in life hurt, but they make you stronger. They are what you prepare for. They are also what make you appreciate the good stuff. I exhaled my metaphoric moment and took inspiration from a man cheering from the side of the road. He had a U.S. Army t-shirt on and a pair of fatigue shorts that did nothing to conceal the prosthesis leg that kept him upright. I was in fairly significant pain, but grateful at the same time. The next half hour wouldn’t be much fun, but I would get through it, feel good about it, and perhaps even write about it.

I eventually did make it up that hill, rewarding myself with a little plastic cup of water and a dash through a sprinkler spray at the next water stop. I smiled as I looked ahead, for the first time in about a mile, to see a very happy sight, a welcoming long downhill. I picked up my pace a little, using the decline to make up a little time. I knew there was one more decent sized hill to go, so I was careful not to get too carried away. And the vain side of me wanted to be able to have a little left in the tank for what I expected would be huge crowds and a few familiar faces along the final finish. That downhill mile was almost fun. As the pain subsided from the big climb, I took the opportunity to enjoy the moment, the crowd, the other runners, and the simple fact I had survived the toughest part of the race.

Well, you’re probably tired of being in my head by now, so I’ll try to wrap things up. There was one more hill before the final turn onto the home stretch. It wasn’t nearly as long and steep as the HCC climb, but in some ways, even tougher. There just wasn’t much left in the tank, I had no idea how big the hill was, and I just wanted my running metaphor to be over. But despite my mind and body screaming, ‘just walk, who cares!’ I kept running. The crowd started to get bigger. I dug deep.

Then came the final turn. Like an answer to my prayer, the first thing that came into view was the giant banner hanging across the street, ‘Finish’. The second thing I saw was the huge crowd lining the final stretch. Thousands of cheering fans - clapping, yelling, blowing horns, banging cowbells. It was pure and delightful mayhem. That was all I needed. My body hurt, but a dose of adrenaline kicked in as I turned it on for the final dash to the finish line. I was exhausted and overheated, but my goal was in sight. I looked up at the time clock as I crossed the finish and smiled as my lungs took in as much air as I could supply. I smiled, not because of the time on the clock, but simply because I had done it. The time was irrelevant. Like money or trophies, it’s a way to keep score, but it’s a happiness that’s fleeting. Doing something you’d never done before, something that’s not easy, yah, that felt pretty good.

Image by Patrick Brough.

As did the cold beverage with friends and thousands of strangers at the finish line.

Thanks for staying with me on that, have a great day. So are you in for next year’s race?

Jim

Feels Like Spring.

2010-03-18T14:52:00.002-04:00

Starting to look like Spring.

Let's just flash foward to Saturday.

And call it Spring.

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

Hope you get out to enjoy.

Happy St. Paddy's Day to you.

2010-03-17T08:47:00.004-04:00

Well, after a few crazy days and nights of wind-swept rain, we now get to enjoy a nice stretch of real Spring-like weather this week. And wouldn't you know, a St. Paddy's day thrown right into the middle of the week for good measure. I hope a good corned beef and cabbage, along with a frothy Guinness or some other green beer is in your plans for today. And if none of those St. Paddy's favorites thrill you, might I say this is shaping up to be the perfect March ice cream day. Mid-60's and wall-to-wall sunshine. Come on down. It's probably on the way home anyway...

And in the spirit of St. Paddy, I just made a fresh batch of Guinness ice cream yesterday. That'll be good to go for noon today and should be around all week, just in case your St. Paddy's party isn't until this weekend, perhaps to go with the Holyoke St. Paddy's parade.

Did I also mention we've still got some Maple Bacon ice cream left too, the perfect compliment to maple sugaring/pancake breakfast at the sugar house season going on right now.

In any event, enjoy the day, and hope to see you soon.

Hello Spring, are you sure you can't stay?

2010-03-09T14:49:00.005-05:00

Took a little morning hike up to the top of Mt. Tom on my day off yesterday. The light wasn't perfect, because I didn't get a very early start, but it was my day off, and that just wouldn't be right. In any event, thought I'd share a few shots from the top.

The plains...

One More...
You may have already noticed, unless you were the one person in town who wasn't outside during this beautiful weekend, our friend the Nashawannuck Pond is back from her extended vacation and makeover. Can't say for sure when the fish will return (or will be returned), but we'll keep you posted.

The town beach side of the pond got most of the dredging. It'll be interesting to see what it's like this summer, when that side is usually chock full o' weeds. I promise to provide a kayak-view report on that sometime in late July.

In the meantime, here's the 'town beach', which is looking a bit muddy at this point. It seems like it'll need a few truckloads of sand to actually look like a beach. But that seems weird, the thought of actually putting sand into a newly dredged pond, sorta like driving your car through the mud right after you took it to the car wash.

Hope you're enjoying the fine weather. The pace in the shop has certainly picked up. And I just happen to be well stocked with interesting flavors... Strawberry cheesecake, Guinness, Mocha chip, Leprechaun Tracks (mint with chocolate fudge, rainbow sprinkles, & colored mini marshmallows), Girl Scout Mint, and, wait for it, maple bacon.

I know you're curious...

Go Buy a Flick, or three.

2010-03-05T13:37:00.007-05:00

Well, you've probably already heard by now through the giant broadband pipe that is the local grapevine, our buddies Liz and Tim are closing up shop for good. They gave it a great little run, and I, for one, will miss their presence on Cottage Street. Like the end of Night Owl Records a few years ago, Pick Your Flick too became a victim of technology's relentless forward progress. It's just too easy to watch a movie now, thanks to industry-changer Netflix, cable movies on-demand, and the ever-growing number of on-line options. Heck, you can watch a movie on your phone now. So who's got time to actually 'go' to a bricks-and-mortar store to rent something. As a long-time Netflix subscriber, aside from keeping Tim and Liz caffeinated and sugared up, I take my own share of blame for PYF's shuttering.

I've spoken to Tim a few times, and sure, he's disappointed and a little sad about having to end a venture that he truly was passionate about. This guy knows and loves moves, as does his super-cool wife Liz. His competitive advantage, and a primary reason to go to PYF as opposed to that other big box video store (that's also going away soon), was his impressive movie knowledge and general outgoing good nature. Walking into PYF was like going to a friend's house. 'Hey Tim, what do you think of this one? Give me an idea for a scary movie.' It was that interaction with Tim, Liz, and young Gwen that made going to PYF fun. And if you never took the time to go, I believe you missed out.

I suppose there's some long commentary to be made about the downside of technology and the internet relative to how it's making such small town, mom and pop type gathering places obsolete. I'm fairly certain the upside of the many new and exciting ways we have to communicate and do stuff, like watch movies, does outweigh the down. Who could have even imagined the idea of a blog just a few years ago. But you can't help but get a little nostalgic when you see good people fall victim to progress, and while we continue to get more connected, we become just a little less connected at the same time.

Please go down to Pick Your Flick this weekend, or next, 10-6pm, to buy yourself a couple of your favorite movies for cheap. And say thanks to Liz, Tim, and Guen for pursuing their passion, and albeit for a finite period of time, making our cozy little town just a bit more cool.

Here's the full article over at the Gazette. You may need a subscription to see though. Or just go pick up today's Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Good luck to Liz, Tim, & Gwen with whatever lies ahead. Congrats on three years of peddling movies and good cheer. Many people talk of starting their own biz, but you went ahead and did it, and for that you're a success in my book.