Thanksgiving at my house went without a hitch this year. In my world that means no company (due to weather), which translates into no waiting for 8 hours for my sisters to arrive. (I must think I'm the only sis that can drive well in snow!) It also means few phone calls, no wrecker calls, and only one guest, a nice little old lady, in the motel. The sheep and goats were comfy and content in their new barn with lots of fresh straw and good hay, which translates into no fighting, no babies (yet), and lots of laying around. (they aren't exactly spoiled, just appreciated for all that they contribute) The football games were great, and we didn't over eat, which is a first for us. In this frame of mind, I recognize that we are very lucky, and we practice an attitude of gratitude daily.

We are diverse in our businesses, and it's worked out so if one takes an economic hit at any given time, the others improve some, and make up for it. We have strict guidelines that we use for each business in order to keep on track. I made forms to fill out, for the wrecker service and bail bonds, so I don't forget critical information, and there's a specific way to clean the motel and do the laundry so it's always the same level of comfort for the guests. Rarely does anything slip between the cracks by following these few, but as mentioned, strict guidelines. We follow along similar lines in the care & health of our sheep and goats, the tax preparation, budgeting and so on. Yes, there may be a foot of dust on everything in our house, and giant things may fly off the ceiling fan once in awhile, but the paperwork and businesses go pretty smoothly.

That one area that is so tricky, is the antique and collectible business. For all our neurosis, we are not cut throat, particularly greedy, or too uptight. We're laid back, enjoy each acquisition and subsequent sale, and we definitely let go and let God at auctions! We have a 'if it's meant to be...' way of looking at life, and try to learn lessons from disappointment. (patience & faith are the big ones!) If we partner up with someone, online or off, we have decided to let them do their jobs, while we do ours. Ruby Lane has been a wonderful experience and a good partner. Nothing runs perfectly smooth all the time, and I know that. The Ruby Lane folks are always working toward a smooth money making partnership with me, and I try my best to find interesting and fun stuff to put online. I'm part of this whole thing too, and it's my job to get/have items that RL can show around in the cyber world. I think I can do a better job.

With that thought in mind, I am going to work a little harder to bring some of the guidelines that work for our other businesses into my online shop. I'm hopeful that some better routines will not take away from the fun, but enhance them somehow. Our store and online shop have always been off limits to any real hardcore practices because we specifically never wanted to lose any of the coolness and joy that goes along with it. But that doesn't mean we can't experiment. It could make everything new again, in this business of everything old, and over this winter I've decided to try a few things. (don't know what, but it will be something.) Paperwork is on target and all that, so it might be that I'll branch out into larger items, or something.

Whatever I do, I need to keep in mind that I have an online partner in Ruby Lane and I need to step up some. I have so much to be thankful for, and want/need to show my appreciation. I would never have been able to do all the computer stuff on my own, and I'm.....Grateful For My Online Business Partner.

Elizabeth Allison

The Other Place, ABC Shop on Ruby Lane