http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com Christmas has come and gone, the New Year is here, the children are back at school, and most of us have settled into some form of a “normal” schedule. It is the time of year in which we hear and read statistics about the exorbitant cost of Christmas, ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_475186_35.html 15th February 2008 "There was an old owl who sat in an oak. The more he watched; the less he spoke. The less he spoke; the more he heard. Why can’t we be like that wise old bird?" That’s an interesting hoot that deserves some pondering. One of the biggest cau... http://www.articlealley.com/article_202128_35.html 15th August 2007 Yahoo, it’s spring! As the grass began to grow, I knew it was time to connect with nature and get our garden ready for another productive year. It was fun to work in the garden that sunny day. There was that distinctive rich, sweet smell. I... http://www.articlealley.com/article_175868_35.html 18th June 2007 How-To Attract the Perfect Mate, Job, Neighbourhood - Part 2 In the last article, How-To Attract the Perfect Mate, Job, Neighbourhood - Part 1, you created a profile of your “ideal” mate, job, business, neighbourhood, or whatever it was t... http://www.articlealley.com/article_161007_24.html 17th May 2007 How-To Attract the Perfect Mate, Job, Neighbourhood - Part 1 Jessamyn West said, “You make what seems a simple choice: choose a man or a job or a neighborhood - and what you have chosen is not a man or a job or a neighborhood, but a life.” ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_161006_24.html 17th May 2007 There’s Something Fishy About Life! Want To Know How To Choose Your Pond? The pond of life? Hmmm. There we were, young fry, swimming in the calm waters of life. In the middle of the school, we felt safe. As we grew, we were pushed outside where we... http://www.articlealley.com/article_144523_35.html 05th April 2007 Yahoo, the New Year has arrived!! It’s an exciting time to look forward to growth, learning, and change. Many of us have a list of resolutions for new behaviours. It’s out with the old and in with the new. This year is going to be the best ever. ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_123541_24.html 26th January 2007 Holy cow - life can be hectic. We make lighting-fast decisions about how we will use our precious time – some with great thought and some without much consideration for the consequences. Many of us have received requests/demands like these. "Could... http://www.articlealley.com/article_113750_35.html 21st December 2006 The squirrel chattered loudly from his position on a high spruce branch. Then he made a mad dash down the branch, a mighty jump to the deck, across the deck and up into the bird feeder. He carefully placed a small mushroom and zoom, retraced his steps i... http://www.articlealley.com/article_111122_35.html 11th December 2006 The fact: Families are decaying. The solution: Food and what we do when we eat it. Look around your neighborhood and you will see husbands, wives, and partners going their separate ways. You’ll hear a ton of reasons, yet food may be the culpr... http://www.articlealley.com/article_106695_35.html 18th November 2006 The rumour: aerodynamically, based upon the ratio of wing surface area to body size, a bumblebee should not be able to fly. A strange thought as I watch several bumblebees wiggle their pudgy black and yellow bodies in and out of purple delphinium flow... http://www.articlealley.com/article_92446_24.html 04th October 2006 A Journey Across The Cow Pasture? How Does That Relate To Life? Life is an interesting game that we play. Life is a chunk of time between when we are born and when we die. Everyone that I know goes through it. Most of us don't consciously know ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_83582_24.html 21st August 2006 "We're in a time when we must choose between what is right and what is easy. And remember, Harry, whatever happens, you're never alone." Wise words to Harry Potter by Dumbledore, the head wizard at Hogwarts School of Magic. Recently, I had the oppo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_75472_47.html 24th July 2006 "WHOA GIRLS. DON'T BE AFRAID. SHE'S THE SAME AS YOU!" The heifers stampeded across the pasture and right through the fence. There were posts popping, wires whining, bovines bellowing. I had not planned this rodeo. I recently bought three groups ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_64972_35.html 21st June 2006 Spring is in the air. It is a time of new life. There are green grass, kittens, puppies, and rhubarb. The darned stuff is the first thing to show up in the garden. For those of you who don't know about rhubarb, it grows from a huge root ball under... http://www.articlealley.com/article_55789_27.html 21st May 2006 "I should-a got up earlier. Then I would-a missed this heavy traffic." "I should-a made that phone call. Then I would-a got their business." "I should-a recognized him for his work. Then I would-a still had ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_42709_35.html 08th April 2006 Do you know why dogs have so many friends? It's because they wag their tails rather than their tongues. I was walking through a park in Calgary, Alberta, pondering ways to enhance business and personal relationships in our stress-filled society.... http://www.articlealley.com/article_39429_54.html 28th March 2006 I believe that life is a game, and games are meant to be fun. Teasing, cajoling, and bantering can be great ways to add to the fun � or are they? Where is that fine-line between fun, and degrading criticism? Picture this: It was a warm ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_35529_35.html 12th March 2006 Do you have people in your life that p� (make you angry)? You know the ones I'm talking about. It may be your child, partner, colleague, or boss. You think that you have established some boundaries, or the rules seem like common sense, and yet... http://www.articlealley.com/article_32985_35.html 05th March 2006 In Part 1, we discussed exceptional customer service, plus "A Bit More." We defined a customer as anyone with whom we have a relationship (paying customer, family, neighbour). We met Master Electrician, Brent, who provides exceptional customer servi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_27722_35.html 07th February 2006 Here we are again to look at some more "A Bit More" principles of exceptional customer service. You may be thinking, "What the heck is he talking about?" If that is the case, please read, or re-read Part 1 and Part 2 of the three-part series. You'l... http://www.articlealley.com/article_27721_35.html 07th February 2006 Business � a strange phenomenon. Here is how I understand it. I choose a business idea. I research and watch similar businesses to see what works. I decide on my target market. I invest hard-earned (or hard-borrowed) money to develop flashy marketi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_24864_35.html 20th January 2006 "Read it, read it, read all about it. There's Canadian change cultivated in rural Northern Alberta." Change? I see it all around me. Do you? The frost has killed the plants in the garden, and the leaves on the trees have changed col... http://www.articlealley.com/article_23464_24.html 14th January 2006 "Boy, I'll be happy when I get my house paid off." "Boy, I'll be happy when I get a promotion." "Boy, I'll be happy when I get to retire." "Boy, I'll be happy when I quit hearing all of this 'boy, I'll be happy when' crap." Dr. John Schindle... http://www.articlealley.com/article_23152_24.html 09th January 2006 "Can you hear it? It's there. Listen." "What? I can't hear a thing." "That is exactly the point. Listen to the quiet." Yesterday was a typical day for me. I was up early, practiced a presentation for about an hour, had a quick cup of coffe... http://www.articlealley.com/article_21830_35.html 01st January 2006 Picture this. It is 6:00 am. I'm sitting on my deck on the east side of our home. The sun is shining brightly in the clear blue sky. The grass is green. The cows are lazing in the pasture. The birds are singing gleefully in the surrounding trees. I... http://www.articlealley.com/article_19915_35.html 16th December 2005 Imagine humungous, bulbous, billowing alto-cumulus clouds building higher and higher in the sky. They are as black as tar at the bottom and snowy white at the top. It looks as if we're in for a storm. CRACK, rumble, rumble, rumble. Use your imagination... http://www.articlealley.com/article_18616_35.html 07th December 2005 Three Top Tips for Finding Mentors "Turn your shoulders toward where you want to go," our guide yelled just before the canoe turned sideways to the wave, rolled upside down, spilling us into the ice-cold North Saskatchewan River. "Turn yo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_17893_32.html 01st December 2005 Lessons from the Teepee Turn-around There is an old expression, which may sound trite, but I believe it is true, "People that play together, stay together." A couple (by marriage or some other agreement) can increase their chance of re... http://www.articlealley.com/article_17888_35.html 01st December 2005