1935 Hp Ipaq

Youve heard the phrase in numerous dramatic programs about politics.

A public figure is delivering a talk or being interviewed, and one of his handlers, remarks with alarm: Hes off message!

What this means is he is wandering into dangerous verbal territory, or falling into a trap that has been set by a wily and hostile interviewer or by a heckler.

The same thing afflicts salespeople: Its easy for us to wander from our main talking points, whether theyre features and benefits or the customers needs, into perilous territory, about which we know little, but dont refrain from offering an opinion about it.

The non-technical seller who shoots from the hip, instead of calling his own help desk for support regarding a technical question, is off message.

The ex-jock who insists on telling the Notre Dame alum that USC has a better football tradition, is way, way, way off message!

So, what can you do when youre irresistibly enticed to stray from the proven path?

Do as politicians do. Bridge back to your main message by saying, Im glad you brought that up because it reminds me of something relevant to the sales talk!

Do this check-up from the neck up, as Zig Ziglar might call it. Ask yourself, when you sense youre getting far astray, am I on message or off?

Then get back to your main point!

One year after we moved into our new ranch-style home, the Merion Bluegrass lawn was growing well and the basic flower beds were mapped out. A new home doesn't need repairs, but a myriad of needs kept cropping up to soak up any available money. A trip to the local plant nursery put us in shock when we added up the cost of perennials, mulching and proper bricks for the borders. I would search the want ads for bargain lots of building materials, garden tools, mowers and fertilizer with much success. When people move, they don't want to weigh down the moving van with old tools and bags of fertilizer. They practically give them away.

The one thing people would never part with are their perennials. Plants and trees are quite visible to the new owners and they usually expect that they go with the house. My whole winter was spent browsing the catalogs for hosta, iris, roses, and especially day lilies. Available in mouth-watering shades, these new hybrid day lilies come in different heights and plant habit. Some are good for along a fence, other make good border plants, each clump doubling in size every year. Unlike the road side day lilies that grow to four feet tall, bloom only briefly, and send out root runners to take over the rest of the garden, the hybrids are garden friendly. Unfortunately, a grouping of three roots cost about eight dollars, sending the cost of the needed plants into the hundreds of dollars.

One day, in a conversation with a local nursery owner, he revealed the source of some of his day lilies. The farmer lived in a nearby town and grew day lilies for a living. Some intense research turned up his address and I paid him a visit. Presented with row upon row of cultivated day lilies in every imaginable shape and color, I drooled over owning just a few of them for our garden. I parted with all the money I had, fifteen dollars, and went home with three starter clumps. Before leaving, I took a few pictures of his fields and some individual blossoms he had self propagated. I later made a set for him to keep. One low growing beauty sported forty blooms on each stalk (opening one per day) in tones of deep ruby red. Another met the dawn in diamond dusted five-inch-wide flowers in ivory and shell pink, showing an apple green center. A third boasted four inch blooms in a true lemon yellow.

The following summer, I received a call from the farmer. He informed me that he had sold his farm land to a developer and had already bought ten acres twenty miles further west. He had removed all he needed to seed the new day lily farm but was forced to leave hundreds of mature plants. The bulldozers were slated to start preparing the land for the new development the following week and if I would like, I could help myself to any number of plants for my garden. I almost dropped the phone in excitement. Here was presented to me the most desirable flowering perennials I could dream of for our garden! Free!! I thanked him and spent the next three days digging, boxing, and transporting the day lilies. The next July Fourth we had a barbecue party in the back yard. Ringing the gentle curves of the brick borders bloomed forty varieties of hybrid day lilies, glorifying our new garden and warming our hearts.

With such a dizzying array of choices in area rugs, which will be best for you and your home?

Well, there are a few major factors to consider when selecting the area rug for any particular room and first and foremost should be the general theme of the room's decor. In other words, why would you put an oriental rug in a room that has southwestern furnishings? Even if the rug is a real beauty, it often can just simply look out of place and even detract from the appaearance of the room.

Of course, oriental and persian rugs are flexible and can be used successfully in many types of decor, but certain styles just clash and should not be attempted unless you really know what you are doing.

Contemporary rugs are a great choice with most modern room furnishings and they also come in a wide selection of patterns, colors and designs. You can find practically any color combination that you need in this one area rug category.

For western and southwestern decor, Navajo and southwestern style rugs are a great choice and usually enhance the overall theme of the room considerably.

Round and braided rugs are great selections for Early American themed rooms or rooms that are well-decorated with antiques evoking a feel for an older time. This design just fits in well and adds to the warm, comfortable atmosphere of it's surroundings.

Once the thme of the room is matched, make sure that the colors you choose will accent and not clash with the furnishings, the wall colors, wallpaper, and flooring. It's OK to use a splash of color to liven up the room, but be careful not to go overboard in this area as a little bright color goes a long way. And if the area rug will be placed in a high traffic setting, it may be beneficial to select a rug with darker shades anyway so it won't show dirt and wear as easily.

And, of course don't forget the cost. Handmade area rugs will most often cost quite a bit more than their machine made counterparts. Again, the decor of the room will often determine whether or not there is a need for such an expensive rug or not, but happily, many machine made rugs these days are not only very attractive in appearance but also wear well and hold up to years of use.

So then, taking a little time to determine your needs in advance can help you make a wise area rug selection.