What Do You See?

What do you see here?

Some see weeds,  I see flowers.  Pretty yellow flowers in which God has been extremely generous in providing throughout our lawn.  Just minutes after this photo was taken GP fired up the mower and ...  well... you know the rest of the story.

Here's another one for you.  The picture below was taken as we walked out of Rocky Gap Casino when I went there for my free birthday dinner last week.  Look closely in the center of the picture.  

What say you?  

A rubber band?  

A gum band?

I walked past it and then stopped and went back and took a picture of the heart that was left there on that cracked pavement that day.  Indeed it caught my eye!

Next question.  What do you see here?

An ear, you say?  

Yep.  

It's an ear.  And inside that ear is the newest in technology and design all wrapped up in a hearing aid called the Signia Silk.  It's all the rage.  Last month was pretty busy in my office as I offered a sale   that customers could not resist.

And now I'm resting and blogging for just a while.  Hope y'all are enjoying your spring.

Has It Really Been That Long?

I have been blogging since June of 2010.  That date seems like it was yesterday.  I recently (after doing a lot of research and through trial and error) had my entire blog turned into a series of chapter books.  This was pretty costly, but the results are awesome and I'm not sorry that I made that investment.  

Upon looking at one of the books this morning, I ran across the blog entries from July of 2011 when we first opened our business.  It was a time of uncertainty, yet  a leap of faith.  

Much has happened in those five+  years.  A couple of years into the business, Gary retired and I became sole proprietor.  

Mine!  All mine!  (my thoughts at the time) 

Taking it on by myself was exciting to me!  I would be in control.  I would know exactly what goes on with every little detail.  No paperwork would be lost or misplaced.  Mistakes would be mine to make and Gary and I would not be at odds about finances or marketing ideas as we were in the past.  We had worked together for way too long.  Some space was in order....

First on the agenda, clear all Gary's stuff out and make way for mine.

Being organized is one of the most important things for me.  If I'm not organized, I become stressed.  When I'm stressed I don't do as good a job.

Hearing aids aren't what they used to be years ago.  A lot goes into testing, fitting, and adjusting for hearing aids.  They are computer programmable and more of a prescription now as opposed to amplification that at one time (years ago) basically made everything louder.  When adjusted correctly, hearing aids can give the wearer a more natural hearing experience.  When the aids come to me they first need 'put together' and then programmed according to the customer's hearing loss which I record onto the software that Siemens provides.

Then there are the accessories/parts etc.  Sometimes it takes a few tries to get a customer into the most comfortable and best fit.

I try to keep a good supply of accessories on hand.  There's that organization thing......   ha!

Keeping demo's in sight are helpful and give the customer a good look at what they can buy.

 Marketing. Sales. Adjustments. Bookkeeping. Appointments. Repairs. Testing. Etc.   There is a lot that goes into it.

There are some days when I want to scream!  

 But mostly, I am happy and extremely content with my job.

One day I said to myself...  "Self.  I do not want to work on Fridays anymore."   And just like magic, the three day weekend was created.  I eased my customers into the new schedule and they are fine with it.

All About Hearing has become very successful.  Gary and I have worked hard and prayed often.

 God has been good in giving me exactly what I need, just when I need it. (patience, strength, ideas, customers, peace, direction etc)

Cute story:  I was programming a set of hearing aids for a customer the other day.  The aids were laying on my desk.  When I finished programming them...  I handed the customer the right aid...  and went to hand him the left one and it had disappeared!

I looked everywhere!  On the floor.  Under the audiometer.  All over the desk..  what could have happened to that hearing aid!

And then...  DUH!  I found it!  My magnetic bracelet strikes again!!

Go ahead.  You can say it.  I am a Ditz!  

 haha!

Dear Diary,

Here's the thing.  I am getting sick and a little tired of my peeps coming home from Lindsey's with black dog smell on their hands and in their laps.  Now I hear that this new little addition to the family is supposed to be a good thing (for who??) but here is what I know.  she steals food from innocent children.  She pees and poops on the floor.  She rips furniture apart.  She destroys toys.  She jumps into peeps laps like whooohhh... look out!  Seriously.  Ellie is her name but my new name for her is Disaster.  Because.  That is what she is.  

Gracie.

Time for Goodbye

Five years ago in June, as we were preparing to take that leap of faith and open our own hearing aid business, we contracted Bob Wilt (Bob's Backyard Bears) to carve us an ear for our tree stump that stood by the highway in front of our house.  Unbeknownst to us, this would turn out to be our best source of advertising.   Five years later, I rarely meet a person who does not know where the golden ear stands in the heart of LaVale.

We were sad to have to retire our biggest and best source of business success.  But.  Time and change come to us all.  And that moment comes when we have to say goodbye to the loved and familiar.

Saying goodbye is never easy...  but saying hello is!  

Say hello to our new ear(s)!  That's right.  Old faithful has been replaced only this time in a better place right in the center of the yard where it will be easier to see when the trees in front of our house are in full bloom.

 I'll be honest.  The day of arrival was a bit chaotic and we wanted to get it painted in time to include a photo in the full page Memorial Day ad that will go in the paper on Monday.  Bob, our ear guy, insisted on a nose below the ears.  And so we had to decide.  What color to paint the nose?  We wanted the ears to stand out.  I chose hot pink...  you know...  the same as a skin tone only much more vibrant and brighter.  Okay then, maybe it isn't even close.  But still, that was my thought at the time.

The pink was a no-go and we couldn't paint over it fast enough.  I know, I know.  I have been told it resembles something quite naughty...  my bad.  

And so....

I would like to introduce to you our 5-year anniversary Re-do of our golden ear.  

Gold on black really stands out and I like it.  Though I may be scolded on my lack of political correctness when I say that I think all lives matter....  

So there you have it.   Out with the old and in with the new.  In July All About Hearing will begin it's sixth big year.  My awesome God has blessed this business more than I could have ever thought possible.  I am grateful!!  

Have a beautiful and safe Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Isolated

Yesterday I received a call from a woman who wanted to schedule a hearing test for her mother.  We will call her Maggie.

Maggie is in her eighties and has never had her hearing tested.  She is blind and extremely hard of hearing.  Her condition is isolating her from the rest of the world.  

Her son-in-law wheeled her in (she was in a wheelchair) and I tried to carry on a conversation with her.  She was not hearing me.  Her eyes were glazed over and there was no response to any of my questions to her.  

"You have to get down close to her ear and speak,"  the daughter said.  "She can't hear you."  

When I checked her ears they were totally occluded with earwax so I sent her up the road to a walk-in clinic to get them cleaned out before going forward with the test.  

When she came back, she was hearing a little better, but still....  a huge deficit in her hearing.  After testing her and putting a set of hearing aids in her ears, we were able to carry on a conversation with her.  

I now know that she had cake for breakfast and that she wasn't sure what was for dinner.  Her eyes showed life and she laughed at my jokes.  

Her family and I were elated.  

This day is a reminder that God has richly blessed me with the opportunity, skills and tools that can make a difference in the lives of others.  

Each morning I unlock the door and walk into my office (which is an extension of our home),  I feel so very grateful.

  

Oops

This is an ear.  Okay.  It's a model of an ear.  

This is me contemplating whether or not I should call my last customer to find out if the tip of my otoscope is living inside his ear canal.

It's missing.

I need a new profession.