exQUIZZme !

This may seem contradictory, but you want to leave a little bit of debris in the pond when preparing it for winter.

Some water gardeners net out the fish, completely drain the water and scrub out the pond, refilling it with fresh water. Frogs, tadpoles, snails and microscopic pond life need to burrow down into mud and leaves to survive the winter.

Fish also hibernate on the bottom, settling in around a bed of leaves and mud. I remove about 90% of the leaves and silt that have accumulated over the summer.

Leave the rest as “bedding material.” You’ll be amazed at the diversity of pond life that emerges in spring. Keep in mind that tree leaves will continually blow into the pond as long as the water isn’t frozen. I recommend covering the pond with bird netting.

This black plastic netting is almost invisible and prevents tree leaves and debris from getting into the pond.

It has come to our attention that self-employed people have somehow escaped the burden of “office policies”. No longer. Now even work-from-home hermits can revel in the burden of “office policies.” (This is part three of a series that began at http://www.thehappyguy.com/hermit.html and continued at http://thehappyguy.com/pajamas.html .)

Every office needs office policies, if for no other reason to keep employees from scratching each others’ eyes out or “borrowing” company equipment. The home office is no exception.

If you are wondering why somebody barricaded alone in his basement needs a policy to keep him from stealing his own office equipment, you have obviously never sat alone in your basement 23 hours a day, day after day, in front of a computer screen that freezes every now and then just out of sadistic spite.

Policies designed to keep employees from scratching each others’ eyes out are even more important in a home office. In a corporate setting, spiteful employees go home at night and forget the objects of their loathing. But when one detests oneself, office politics often gets too personal to just forget. And that pest even follows you into the shower…when you take one, that is.

Here are a few guidelines you can use to formulate practical home office policies, just in case you get the hankering to live the glamorous life of the work-from-home hermit.

Every office has rules against sexual harassment. Due to legal requirements, you must adopt a zero tolerance policy for such insensitive advances. If your spouse complains about such a policy, seek legal council. Divorce can be ugly.

Office romance is another story. Most companies permit office romances, as long as there is not an actual office involved. In the home office, romance is encouraged, mostly to avoid the legal repercussions mentioned above.

Generally, spouses do not frown on home office affairs, either. In fact, they usually approve such morale-building activities…as long as this function is not outsourced.

Inventory control in the home office is key. Large companies have policies like: “It is forbidden to remove paper fastening devices from company premises, except within envelopes being disseminated through official company channels.”

Home office inventory control should focus instead on “consumables”. Here is recommended wording for your policy: “Stop hoarding the cupcakes. Leave them in the kitchen.”

In major corporations, absenteeism is a serious problem. Most companies have policies against calling in sick every day. The reverse is true in home offices, where employee omnipresence has been proven to cause psychological trauma in overworked computer keyboards. (more…)

Two years ago, when I had been working online about a year, an online colleague approached me about writing an article for a special edition of his newsletter which was to feature successful women online. Naturally, I agreed.

As I was researching for the article, I read a statistic that revealed that women over 50 were one of the fastest growing groups of internet users. That didn’t surprise me, as at the time I was approaching that “golden age” and had contact with others online who were also in that age group.

All these women were using the vehicle of the internet to earn an income online - and the numbers were growing every day.

So I wrote the article, and it was published not only in my colleague’s newsletter but many others as well.

Now, two years later, I realize that the things I discussed in that article are as relevant today as they were two years ago when the article was first published - and we all know that for anything to stay current online for two years it must be significant!

For that reason, I feel that they bear repeating again. After all, there are an untold number of women - in this age group as well as younger - who have entered the world of internet business since that first article was published two years ago.

So what did I reveal in that article? Consider this…

Women of ALL ages have made a conscious decision to tackle the complexities of technology in order to achieve their own goals and aspirations, whatever they may be.

What is it about the internet that is so appealing to women? It’s quite obvious, actually. The internet is a massively large vehicle for what? Communication. And what do women generally do better than men? You got it…communicate!

Look around, and you see women everywhere online. And what else do you see? Sites created by women - providing every type of information, service, or opportunity you can imagine.

Who are these women? People you know -

Young mothers working from home in order to be there with their children

Former corporate executives using skills learned on the job to create their own successful businesses online

Empty nesters who find themselves embracing the technology of their children’s generation

Young women just out of school who have chosen the career path of entrepreneur and are using the internet to achieve those dreams

Each is different - but you can be sure that all these women have certain characteristics in common. They have the determination to tackle the often confusing technology of the internet, and they have the passion it takes to accomplish their goals.

And succeed they do - in large numbers!

As if snowboarding and kitesurfing actually meshed into one single sport it would be Snowkiting. Imagine taking a lift high atop a beautiful mountain, you set your kite in motion and get your feet firmly planted you start your run down a long white hill. As you snowboard down the mountain your kite helps you gain speed and with a good gust of wind you too can be 10 – 15 feet in the air. With this much gravity you too can be implementing the same moves as the kitesurfer does including jibing and crossing over.

Snowkiting is another example of the popular extreme sport series as there are many hazards that circle this sport as well as kitesurfing. Snowkiters take their board to the mountain and ride the winds down fast and furious. Moguls and ramps can help you gain more air than you bargained for if you are a beginner. Starting slow and learning how to keep your kite in the air is the basic fundamental. Once you have mastered the techniques you will be flying in no time at all.

It doesn’t matter if its natural snow or powder, you too can get up to 50 – 70 mph with the aid of your kite. Although the premise is still the same between the two sports, it takes a lot less wind to move you across the snow then it does across the water. Jumps and flips are easier and depending on how you land softer. Once your kite is launched and you begin your descent it is far easier to keep yourself on the snowboard.

You can either snowkite with skis or a snowboard; whichever one makes you feel the most comfortable. Many extreme riders prefer to use the board as there is more flexibility and ease. There are many vacation spots around the world that are now picking up snowkiting as a popular sport. Should you visit a ski resort and decide to go this route, you will need to take a lesson or two just to get the hang of the equipment.

Frenzy, Samurai, and Razor are popular kites available for the snowkiter. Depending on your budget, you can expect to pay $500 - $1500 for an entire setup. You may also find used equipment at ski shops in your area as well.