Three cherry pies

Imagine a simpler time when people actually had open windows. When that kitchen window had a ledge on it and it was a dandy place to let the pie cool. It's a charming picture, one I want you to take a closer look at. My understanding of that picture begins with a huge snow blower. My father lived a block down the street, in our small Midwestern town. We kept the huge monster walk behind snow blower there. I suspect it was there so that dad would get his driveway blown first. That monster snow blower could blow snow over the street to the other side of the street.
It was kinda fun. But almost impossible to turn around.. So rather than fight the machine it was easier for me to blow out dad's house by just going around his block twice, then cross the street to my block and go around my block twice also.. The neighbors loved it. Julia lived across the street from me. Julia would wave me over to her side walk as I did my block. So sure I'd cross the street and once again go around that block twice. I'd get done with the blowing and the phone would have been ringing or would ring. People would want to pay me for my efforts. Well there was a problem with that. I knew that most of my neighbors were on fixed incomes. I hadn't done this to get paid. Julia had a problem with accepting my gift. So, about this time of the year Julia would call she'd just say come over and get your pie. Now, Julia's pies had an economic impact on many a church bizarre. They were works of art. Julia also spread the word around. He works for pie, cookies or sometimes cake. He Loves tomatoes. When I first met Julia she often had three pies in the kitchen window. Art her husband installed air conditioning, gone were the pies in the window. Julia adapted. I still remember those pies in the window but I can look at that picture from both sides, now. From the kitchen side those pies are Julia's way of paying others for their labors, from her excess apples, cherries or rhubarb and her talents. From the outside of the window, they are products offered in payment or seeking a customer...Those MBA's out there would call that a cottage industry. What could be more American than Apple Pie. These tough times have much to teach us. Could the answers to them be three pies in the window...I didn't tell Julia, because I think she knew anyway, but sometimes I work for grins and giggles. That's another blog.. make something Brad

We're making this too hard.

I think we can all picture the young man walking down the dirt path, dog at his side, cane pole over his shoulder and a stringer of fish in his other hand. I can imagine that there are worms in the tobacco can in his pocket. I know he has a pocket folding knife, 'cause whittlin' time and fishing time kinda go together. I'm pretty sure there's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich somewhere in the picture. Those were simpler times. The boy grew up, the dirt path became a paved highway. They even filled in the skinny dipping hole(I'm saving that for another blog) The boy stills goes fishing, only now he pulls his Bass Tracker behind his Hummer. His cane pole has been replaced with a pole and reel that would cost many people a weeks wages. We'll never see his stringer of fish. Now he practices catch and release.. His tackle box has replaced the can of worms. Fish must prefer plastic and feathers these days.. So when my grand kids asked me to take them fishing I stood in wonder. Which concept did they have in mind? Did I need to refi the house or we going to have fish for supper courtesy of simpler times?
I asked an older craft-er just how he created his craft business, How did he get started..His answer reminded me of those simpler times. He said.. " Make ten things you like. Take them to the market, sell some. Come home make the ones you sold again." I must have looked amused.
'cause he said "Pay attention." I waited for more to follow my scolding. It became apparent to me, as he got his pocket knife out of his pocket. That " paying attention" had been part of the original instructions... I asked a test question "Why ten items?" "I hate figurin fractions".. As he whittled a little. "See this little note book? There's a reason it says Brain on the cover. That's where I do my 'figurin'. I guess my eyes asked figuring what. "I count the number of people that go by my booth. I count the number of people that stop, and the number of sales. I note the weather and if anything big is going on. " he grinned. I was beginning to catch on. "Oh Ten items so that when you sell 3 items you have sold thirty percent." Brain held lots of other information. About the customers... Which colors sold best. "See", he said, " there's lots of people that could make the things I make, some of them better than I do...They don't know which things to make, when. You have to pay attention. " This old gentleman had just given me the basics of market research. He was every bit a master of it as Radio Shack, Wall Mart or any large grocery store. He didn't know the fancy terms.. But he did know his market. Pay attention, in deed! I noticed a cane pole over in a corner. Maybe we're making this too hard?