My grandmother had been abandoned by her husband in 1920, thus inheriting his debts in the local community. She decided one of her children would be sold to a local farmer to obtain the money to clear her debt.   Being the strongest but not oldest of her three children my Father was the farmer’s choice. Dad recounted to me his just having finished the 8th grade and his mother telling him he could no longer attend school. On that day she took him to the farm, he became a piece of property of a Minnesota farmer.

He slept in the shack with the farm hands and worked alongside them tilling soil, building fences, feeding livestock etc.  Year after year he toiled away without pay never sure if he would ever be free.  This continued until 1928 when his brother arrived in a Model A Ford and helped him to “run away”.  Their fear was that he would be caught and returned to the farmer.  They drove to south and picked crops then drove across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona until they reached California.

After several years he rode the rails and picked crops working his way up the coast to Oregon.  On his arrival in Oregon he obtained a job with the National Forest Service as a Ranger in the Ochoco National Forest.  There he rode his horse in the park hidden from those he thought might want to take him back to the farm.  He worked in the Forest until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  On the day the news reached him he left the Forest and enlisted in the United States Navy.

While in the Navy during WWII his ship docked in Auckland, New Zealand.  A man working at the docks invited my Father home for dinner on the same night his wife invited my Mother to do the same.  After the war they were married settling in Oregon where he used the GI Bill to attend the University Of Portland to earn his degree.  Soon he had a job with BPA as the chief of a survey crew, a job he kept to retirement.   During his 50th year I was born, a late addition to the family.  I was 13 when my father took early retirement in 1969.  He began to share with me his personal history in the evenings as I cooked our supper, I am so glad I listened.

Note: My Father was never bitter about the circumstances of his childhood.  He was a kind, caring and giving human being and I miss him everyday. This is dedicated to the children forced to slave on farms and in factories to cover the debts of their families.

National Park Ranger James Alexander Cary - 31

Firearms have been banned in National Parks for 94 years; on Monday February 22nd, 2010 the ban will be lifted. Fierce lobbying by gun rights activists and an administration seeking to appease them has ended a ban that has been effective in protecting National Park Service employees and park visitors. It has been eighty-three years since the only National Park Ranger was killed by gunfire in the line of duty.

After pressure from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, in its final months in office the Bush administration lifted the ban on concealed weapons in our National Parks. A federal judge blocked the move last year, but the Obama administration declined to appeal the ruling, and Congress passed the law.
February 19th 2010 President Obama signed the measure without comment as part of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act (or Credit CARD Act) of 2009. The Law States “Protecting the right of individuals to bear arms in the units of the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System — the secretary of the Interior shall not promulgate or enforce any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm … in any unit of the National Park System or the National Wildlife Refuge System.”

The Park Service told me It will depend on individual state gun laws, visitors will be able to carry concealed and loaded guns into parks. Loaded guns allowed in the park include handguns and shotguns, including semiautomatic weapons. Locally the law does not allow any of these weapons to be discharged within a National park or National Wildlife Refuge. It will still be illegal to fire a gun within a National Park or Wildlife Refuge in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The National Park Service has posted a notice regarding the new gun laws on their site.

The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees says guns and parks just don’t mix — because the atmosphere of a peaceful sanctuary in nature could be damaged, says Bill Wade, chairman of the group’s executive council. “Most American visitors somehow think of the parks as being very safe, very secure, where you don’t have to worry about guns,” Wade says. “Now you could see that guy with the rifle over his shoulder. The context is just wrong.” (Salt Lake Tribune)

The National Park Service Mission is to “…to promote and regulate the use of the…national parks…which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1.

The first National Park Ranger killed in the line of duty died from a gunshot wound. National Park Ranger James Alexander Cary – 31, shot by bootleggers in Hot Springs National Park on March 12, 1927. He was also the last Park Ranger killed by gunfire in a National Park. The ban on guns in our National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges has insured a safe environment for National Park Service employees, the wildlife they preserve and the millions of visitors who enjoy the parks each year.

The Hot Springs Reservation was created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, and signed into law by then President Andrew Jackson.  Then on June 16, 1880  was set aside for public use as a park.  The act made Hot Springs the oldest National Park predating Yellowstone by 40 years.  The area located in the Zig Zag Mountains of the Ouachita Mountain Range officially became a National Park on March 4, 1921. At only 5,550 acres the park is also the Nation’s smallest National Park.

The Nation’s only urban National Park features Historic Bathhouse Row situated on Central Avenue.  The restored Fordyce Bath House is home the National Park’s Tourist and Information Center.  Other Bathhouses include the OZARK, home to MOCA (Museum Of Contemporary Art) plus the Buckstaff and Quapaw which are operating spa style bathhouses.  The Lamar is currently the temporary headquarters for the Hot Springs National Park management; whereas the Maurice, Hale and Superior are as of 2010 undergoing restoration.

The park’s hiking trails cater to a variety of fitness levels, in fact many where included in the Dertel system of graduated exercise in the early 1900s.   The easiest and most popular trail to the top of Hot Springs Mountain is the .6 mile Peak Trail which begins above the main park entrance.  Once atop one can circum-navigate the mountain by starting at the picnic area and hiking the 1.7 mile Hot Springs Mountain Trail.  Other tails in the park take you to great scenic locations such as the North Mountain Overlook, Goat Rock and the Gulpha Gorge.

Hot Springs National Park is the perfect destination for singles, couples and families.  It is an affordable vacation option as the park is free to all visitors for hiking, sightseeing and recreation.  Visitors have a variety of accommodation options including the Park camp grounds, RV Parks, and a wide range of hotels and motels, both in and outside the Park.  Beautiful Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas can be enjoyed anytime of the year and is the perfect vacation destination.

During this economic downturn numerous fly-by-night store closing specialist have appeared on the Internet.  These newly minted specialists rarely have any retail experience and are more often than not looking for a fast rather that profitable store closing.  There are important questions you need to ask the prospective retail crisis manager.  How many years have you worked in the retail industry?  Have you ever owned a retail business? How many profitable store closings have you implemented? Do you have references?  May we speak with those on your reference list?

Long time store closing specialists The Waldoff Group have been in the retail industry since the 1950s and offers sage advice.  “You need to find a company that will develop realistic goals based on your situation, your problems, your needs and your desires.  You need a retail crisis specialist who is solutions driven, able to devote the time and effort to addressing your problems while you continue to operate your business.” Waldoff continued “A well planned and well executed store closing takes planning, which includes many hours of time.  Well planned involves timing, merchandised correctly, advertised wisely, working with the stores management and personnel in a manner to maximize results.”

Many store closing consultants present information that infers closing your business is a promotional event.  Their services revolve around custom signs, lead generation and video production.  Closing a business is for the owner not a media event, but the end of their life’s work.  It is a personal loss that requires individualized hands on solutions not cookie cutter rhetoric.

It is a major step to admit to yourself “I need to close my retail store”.  Finding a retail specialist who has the years of experience combined with proven individualized strategies should be your first step.  Your retail store is not “just another closing”.  It is personal and deserves the best solutions for a profitable outcome.

Lee Hiller Copyright 2009 =====================================================

I am a writer, website designer, and  America’s Favorite Love Columnist as ranked by Google, MSN & Yahoo.  My Photography, Poetry and Graphic Designs can be viewed at Lee Hiller Designs. My Current passion & inspiration for photography is in the Hot Springs National Park Mountains, currently my home.  Yes, I am still designing womens shoes and have over 850 designs to date. In my spare time I am Co-Founder of the seo and branding firm Pen And Ink Inc.  I am fortunate to work side by side at Pen and Ink Inc. with partner and my fiance Rick London of Londons Times Cartoons and Shoes That Amuse.

How often have you had a daydream about a future you wish you were experiencing? What is the difference between that daydream and the life you are living? Fear of change often leaves us paralyzed and unable to move forward. Yet one step forward into the unknown could result in the realization of our dreams. Our own inaction is the only thing holding us back from the life we desire. Taking action is the only way to move forward changing dreams into reality.

When I stepped onto the path of change it sent a ripple out that affected many people. I had been living in a cloud of confusion for nearly five years and I was afraid to be myself. One day I awakened to find I was not the woman I had once been. I no longer pursued the interests at the core of whom I really was. As time passed, harsh circumstances locked me into a role that was destroying my soul. The day I wrote my first paragraph in ten years I felt free to be myself. As I typed each word it opened the cell door a bit more that I was locked behind. When I completed my new article I knew there was no going back and I must continue to grow and change.

Change is rarely easy and can cause those around you to feel you are abandoning them. They too, have become comfortable in their role and do not want anything to disturb their comfort zone. Change can be as simple as dressing differently or as complex as ending a long-term relationship. Many around you will believe as you move forward it will mean leaving them behind. To find your true self again this might be true.

Are you being true to yourself? Have you been conforming to the perception of you that others have created? Your dreams cannot and should not be dismissed. Take one hour each day to pursue your dream. Try it on and test the fit. See how it feels to actually live your dream. Does it make you happy? If yes, you must now decide, “Am I willing to make changes to continue on a new path?”

There will be naysayers and those who will accuse you of making waves. Some of your family and friends may try to dissuade you from achieving your dream. They may not want you to be yourself for fear they will not know what their place will be in your life. It will take courage and commitment to live your dreams and to be the person that is best for you. Doing something that is only for you may be difficult in the beginning. Recognize that what you feel is real and valid. You are worthy of following your own dream.

Nearly nine months have passed since I began to see that to be myself I must change. I took many steps backward before I could begin to see the path I must follow. In being true to myself I am now engaged to Rick London, my love and my business partner in our new SEO and Branding Company Pen and Ink Inc. I publish a weekly Love advice Column in the “Insiders” section of The Herald de Paris (heralddeparis.com) and enjoy the status as “expert author” at EzineArticles. Change is never easy but living my dreams is worth all the pain and every obstacle I had to endure to be myself.

Lee Hiller Copyright 2009 =====================================================

I am a writer, website designer, and  America’s Favorite Love Columnist as ranked by Google, MSN & Yahoo.  My Photography, Poetry and Graphic Designs can be viewed at Lee Hiller Designs. My Current passion & inspiration for photography is in the Hot Springs National Park Mountains, currently my home.  Yes, I am still designing womens shoes and have over 850 designs to date. In my spare time I am Co-Founder of the seo and branding firm Pen And Ink Inc.  I am fortunate to work side by side at Pen and Ink Inc. with partner and my fiance Rick London of Londons Times Cartoons and Shoes That Amuse.

Rising unemployment and lower than expected sales figure over the traditional holiday shopping season will leave many retailers seeing red.  Questions such as “How do I close my retail store”, “I need to liquidate merchandise?”, and “What is a retail crisis manager?”, are now popular Internet search phrases.  Once thriving retail businesses are closing at a staggering rate; leaving vacant stores in malls and city centered across the United States.  Few if any prepared an exit strategy along with their original business plan to open a retail establishment.  Many retailers are wondering if they waited too long to seek help in closing or restructuring their stores. If one even suspects there are financial issues, the sooner the call to a retail crisis specialist, the better.

Hiring a professional to assess your business is the first step in determining whether you will need to close or restructure your retail business.  This is an important step as it removes emotional decision making from this critical process.  A retail crisis manager will look with an unbiased eye at the current health of your sales.  Their report will give you a realistic view of the next steps you should take.  They will be able to guide you towards a feasible goal for your business.   This is an important call for every retail store owner struggling in this economy.

Internet research shows that the top ranked retail crisis specialist Milton Waldoff of the Waldoff group offers sage advice during these tough economic times and is number one at the game of retail turnarounds.  He poses a question to me “Why hire a professional?” and then answers if for me. “A professional knows that often in attempting to come up with the right solutions, there is usually a litany of problems that must be addressed immediately, while the solutions are being developed and put into place.” He continues, “They know what must be done to assist you in developing realistic goals based on your situation, your problems, your needs, your desires plus they can devote the time and effort to addressing your problems while you continue to operate your business.” His final statement is preceded by a long silence, “A professional knows the tested and perfected methods in working through problems often require an unemotional approach, rarely achievable by owners.”

Making the important decision to get help is often difference between a liquidation sale and structuring your business.  Putting off asking for help and hoping for the economy to improve will not save your business. You need to be proactive. A retail crisis manger can provide you with multiple solutions and begin implementing changes needed for a successful liquidation or turnaround.

Lee Hiller Copyright 2009 =====================================================

I am a writer, website designer, and  America’s Favorite Love Columnist as ranked by Google, MSN & Yahoo.  My Photography, Poetry and Graphic Designs can be viewed at Lee Hiller Designs. My Current passion & inspiration for photography is in the Hot Springs National Park Mountains, currently my home.  Yes, I am still designing womens shoes and have over 850 designs to date. In my spare time I am Co-Founder of the seo and branding firm Pen And Ink Inc.  I am fortunate to work side by side at Pen and Ink Inc. with partner and my fiance Rick London of Londons Times Cartoons and Shoes That Amuse.

As television, magazines and newspapers try to sugar-coat “Black Friday” 2009 the truth is far more important to report.  Sales this “Black Friday” weekend are in negative figures.  We are in a depression and people are spending less this holiday shopping season.  Many small retailers who depend on these sales to make it through the year will be closing their doors in 2010.

“Black Friday” 2009 might be an analogy for the lights going out on retail businesses across America.  Dismal sales figures will increase the number of emergency inventory liquidation sales and the need to hire a retail liquidation specialist.  For the second year “Black Friday” saw a -2% decrease in sales sending a ripple through the New York Stock Exchange. “Walmart fell 33 cents to $54.63 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Richfield, Minnesota-based Best Buy lost 43 cents to $42.83. Macy’s, based in Cincinnati, and dropped 59 cents to $16.97 yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange.” (Source: Bloomberg.com)

Many retailers are counting on “Cyber Monday” to lift their lagging holiday sales figures. “More data about “Black Friday” sales came to light on Sunday, with a bit more pessimism than earlier reports. Meanwhile, the focus is shifting toward “Cyber Monday,” where more online deals are expected.” (Source: PCMagazine)  “Cyber Monday – the Monday following the Black Friday and the busiest day of the year for e-commerce – is about to begin (or has already begun by many online retailers.) (Source: Noobpreneur)   Smaller retail establishments that do not have an online retail presence will have to re-evaluate their ability to last another year.  Higher rents and declining sales in 2009 have force many brick and mortar stores to close their doors.

The Waldoff Group is the Internet’s #1 ranked retail crisis liquidation firm and their CEO Milton Waldoff says, “A well planned and well executed store closing takes planning, which include many hours of time.  Well planned involves timing, merchandised correctly, advertised wisely, working with the stores management and personnel in a manner to maximize results.”  He continues “Too often store owners undertake this once in a life time opportunity with very limited experience and a lack of knowledge of how to make a store closing profitable.”

According to the Waldoff Group website “When a business needs to be closed, whether it is the owners desire or simply something that must be done, a professional knows how to maximize this once in a life- time opportunity.  The professional can devote the time and effort to addressing your problems while you continue to operate your business.”

This holiday shopping season will be the final for many retail stores.  The choice of how they liquidate their inventory will be as important as the decision to close.  A successful closing with the assistance of a retail crisis manager in most cases will allow the store owner to leave profitably.  To ensure the closing process is effective a professional should be contacted at the earliest possible moment in the planning stages.  If black Friday was not profitable the time to contact a retail crisis manager is now.

Lee Hiller Copyright 2009 =====================================================

I am a writer, website designer, and  America’s Favorite Love Columnist as ranked by Google, MSN & Yahoo.  My Photography, Poetry and Graphic Designs can be viewed at Lee Hiller Designs. My Current passion & inspiration for photography is in the Hot Springs National Park Mountains, currently my home.  Yes, I am still designing womens shoes and have over 850 designs to date. In my spare time I am Co-Founder of the seo and branding firm Pen And Ink Inc.  I am fortunate to work side by side at Pen and Ink Inc. with partner and my fiance Rick London of Londons Times Cartoons and Shoes That Amuse.

It is impossible to read the poems of the great masters and not want the love they chronicle so eloquently; love so powerful, how could it be touched by mere mortals? The passion of lovers bodies entwined frozen for all eternity within the writers poem or sonnet. Imagining the melding of mind, body, heart and soul until the two are one. Mere words; describing the love so many have sought throughout the centuries is what we seek to attain.

All of the famous love poets weave their words of love and desire to remind us to renew our precious gift of love. They write from inspiration, experience and or, desire their words open our hearts to hope and the possibility of. The most famous of the love poems transcend all time and culture to bear witness to loves power, transforming our souls. Through their words we can learn to see love again and rekindle its passion.

The greatest love poets capture our hearts, draw us in, leaving us wanting more with each new line. Robert Browning, Escape me? Never” Beloved! While I am I, and you are you. Kahlil Gibran, Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: Rumi, When you find yourself with the Beloved, embracing for one breath, In that moment you will find your true destiny. Lord Byron, She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright.

Their words become a tantalizing taste of what can be between two passionate souls embarking on a journey of discovery. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Who gave thee, O Beauty, The keys of this breast,”Too credulous lover Of blest and unblest? William Shakespeare, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

In my love column as Americas Favorite Love Columnist I am often asked for advice on rekindling love. My best advice, When love finds you, as the poets described centuries past, do not look away. Open your heart to the words of the poetic masters and cherish each day with the one you love. Let go of fear. Give yourself completely to its power and learn to trust your heart. This is advice not just for the young but for those of any age. Remember it is never too late to renew your love with an affair of the heart.

Lee Hiller Copyright 2009 =====================================================

I am a writer, website designer, and  America’s Favorite Love Columnist as ranked by Google, MSN & Yahoo.  My Photography, Poetry and Graphic Designs can be viewed at Lee Hiller Designs. My Current passion & inspiration for photography is in the Hot Springs National Park Mountains, currently my home.  Yes, I am still designing womens shoes and have over 850 designs to date. In my spare time I am Co-Founder of the seo and branding firm Pen And Ink Inc.  I am fortunate to work side by side at Pen and Ink Inc. with partner and my fiance Rick London of Londons Times Cartoons and Shoes That Amuse.

Twitter and other Social media sites are changing the way businesses market themselves on the internet. They are seeking for innovated ways to gain new followers to convert into potential clientele. Often striking the right balance of friendly conversation and product pitch is the dilemma.

In February of 2009 @Alex Karis posted the following question ion Twitter: What is the NUMBER 1 reason you unfollow people? The winning response with 42% of the votes was “tired of watching them self promote with links and no interaction.”

My dilemma as a businesswoman on Twitter is the more I communicated and became part of the Twitter community I became cautious about making a full sales pitch to my followers. Early in my foray into Twitter I noticed the followers who only sent out a barrage of sales Tweets with zero interaction became annoying. My goal was to avoid becoming “that guy/gal” who only tweeted 140 character Twitfomercials.

There are several questions I asked myself. If I interact too much, too little, give an occasional sales pitch or lay low will I be unfollowed? How do I communicate about my website its content and customer service without alienating potential customers? How do I avoid sabotaging the positive reputation I was building on Twitter?

You cannot find a better example of the social vs. selling balance on Twitter than that of @ricklondon. Rick London Group, LLC CEO Rick London’s personal approach involves putting himself forward as the face of his company on Twitter. He Tweets freely with the online community, promotes his celebrity clients, and provides links to his humorous cartoons.

With these steps you can market yourself and your brand to the Twitter community. Increase your following first by communication with those in your current network. Tweet famous quote, favorite music and Jokes if you are not comfortable with online conversation. Lastly your tweets can be used to invite and entice your followers into visiting your website.

Lee Hiller Copyright 2009 =====================================================

I am a writer, website designer, and  America’s Favorite Love Columnist as ranked by Google, MSN & Yahoo.  My Photography, Poetry and Graphic Designs can be viewed at Lee Hiller Designs. My Current passion & inspiration for photography is in the Hot Springs National Park Mountains, currently my home.  Yes, I am still designing womens shoes and have over 850 designs to date. In my spare time I am Co-Founder of the seo and branding firm Pen And Ink Inc.  I am fortunate to work side by side at Pen and Ink Inc. with partner and my fiance Rick London of Londons Times Cartoons and Shoes That Amuse.