The Bridge

WINTER'S END

2011-12-31T10:02:00.000-08:00

Ben lay in a darkened room, motionless, staring at the ceiling fan above as it made involuntary, slow circles, pushed by the air register on the wall above his head. Apart from that, Ben was conscious of nothing else in his surroundings. He had no feeling, the pain driven away by the narcotics administered by the nurse minutes before.

She had come in, asked him how he felt and, although the only response she received were a blank stare and a slight grimace, she knew what he was telling her. She pulled a syringe and small vial out of her uniform pocket, filled the syringe, injected the needle and his grimace slowly eased away to stoic nothingness.

As she left the room, the overhead fan blades became like a shutter on a movie projector through which Ben watched snippets of his life, in no particular order.

He saw his mother leaning over him, tending to him as he lay in his crib and remembering her beautiful smile. Then he recalled the last time he saw her before she passed away, with the loving, pleased look in her eyes as she gazed at him as an adult standing over her bed.

In quick succession he saw scenes from his childhood, his years of discovery and growth through the spring of his teen years, then through the summer years of his young adult life with the activity of building a place for himself in the world.

He visualized the relative comfort and beauty of his maturity as if the events of that time had all been in fall colors, warm and relaxing. Then he watched his doctor’s face turn winter white pale as he read the test findings to him and pause briefly before he uttered the word “cancer”.

It had been a long winter at the end of the series of seasons in his life. Ben was a fighter, never giving up easily, but he always chose his battles carefully. This one chose him. Somehow he knew this was one he could not win. Winter had closed in, and this long, late winter’s night was to be his last.

As dawn finally broke, a thin sliver of bright, white light made its way past the window frame and into the still dark room, crossing Ben’s motionless face. He moved his eyes toward the light and looked directly into it. A slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Staring fixedly into the brilliant, white light, Ben followed it to the eternal spring.

copyright 2011 Tom Hays

Christmas Interview

2011-12-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Twisted by the Wind1

2011-09-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

A short movie about the book TWISTED BY THE WIND written by Tom Hays

"Life is Just a Picnic in the Park" -Tom Hays

2011-07-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Mable’s Boys (From the book Twisted by the Wind by Tom Hays)

Ben used to go down to the park on Sundays with Frankie, his cousin. They were about nine or ten at the most. One particular summer, things got real interesting.

Frankie had learned how to look out for himself by that time. He could squeeze himself into about anything interesting that was going on, and make it work out for his own benefit.

His momma spent a lot of time working, and, with no father to turn to, Frankie kind of grabbed onto Ben’s family. He and Ben were almost like brothers for awhile. Frankie, a little older and more experienced, tried everything first, and sooner or later, Ben would follow.

So, on most Sundays that summer, Frankie and Ben would be down at the park. They’d swing, and then slide, and then swing some more and then slide some more, climb on the monkey bars and run up and down the paths. Sooner or later they would work up quite an appetite.

Frankie would go first, over to the picnic area where he would carefully survey the situation. Then he’d pick out a table, one with a big family around it and a lot of other kids milling around to provide cover.

Frankie would slide up to the buffet and Ben would follow. They would take a plate and start filling it. Fried chicken, red jello with fruit cocktail in it, deviled eggs and pie … lots of pie.

Some woman standing by the potato salad would look them up and down, and ask them, “Now just whose boys are you two?” Frankie knew to stuff a roll in his mouth before she got to the “you two?” He’d use an exaggerated munching motion, moving his whole face up and down, and he would mumble with his mouth full. Ben quickly stuffed his mouth, too.

Frankie would keep up his munching, and before he could finish his entire act, the woman would say, “You must be some of Mable’s! My, you boys are sure growing. Bet you’ll both be about as big as your daddy some day!”

Frankie would just nod his head up and down, and Ben would catch on and start nodding his, too, in agreement. Then, two very agreeable young boys would slowly back away from the scene with full plates of delicious, genuine, Sunday picnic food. Life was sweet.

That gambit worked all summer, perfectly every time … well, except for that one time … with the black family.

Ben figured the real moral to the story, politics and race aside, is to just approach life like you belong there.

Sooner or later, the world will tell you who it wants you to be to make it happy.

You just have to nod your head up and down, and enjoy the picnic.

Presentation at Chandler AZ Book Club

2011-06-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

All this and dinner too! Susan and I had a great time discussing Twisted by the Wind with this book club group in Chandler, Arizona. They had each read the book prior to the meeting, so it was really fun to hear their comments and share some of the inspirations that led to the stories related in the book.

Members Tina and Karyn dishing up a delicious shrimp salad.

Karyn & hostess Katherine share a laugh.

Member Susan joins in.

When they started pulling out their copies of my book, I knew I was talking to my kind of people.


A good time was had by all! Great food, wonderful conversation and good wine. What could be better?

Thanks to my wonderful wife Susan for taking the pictures and being such a supportive partner, and to Katherine for inviting me to share my book with the nice ladies in her book club.

Living the Nashville Dream

2011-05-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

(from the book Twisted by the Wind by Tom Hays)

Cody walked onstage and surveyed the huge, cheering crowd, soaking in the excitement and energy radiated by thousands of adoring fans, the flashing effects lighting, the fog, and fireworks spewing from the pillars behind him. The warm-up band had been good … but the huge audience had evidently come to see him, Cody, the star attraction.

“Cody! Cody! Cody!” Their chant filled the huge auditorium to the rafters.

He threw his right arm up in the air with his guitar pick in-hand in a gesturing salute to the crowd, and the cheers grew even louder, more demanding!

Turning his head slightly to the right, he gave a shallow nod to the keyboard player, and his band began the set. The crowd was still screaming over the first, familiar bars of the first song.

He stepped to the mike, sang the first line, and the crowd noise swelled again. It was one of his signature songs, one he had written himself, one of many that had placed him on the top of the charts over and over again. At the chorus, everyone in the audience sang the hook with him. They knew it as well as he did.

Women in the front rows charged the foot of the stage, trying to get closer, reaching for a touch of his pant leg, tossing flowers along with notes, phone numbers, and undergarments onto the stage.

Cody smiled broadly, his pearl-white teeth gleaming in the spotlights. The crowd grew more frenzied and their sing-along turned to cheering at the top of their lungs, louder and louder, a constant high-pitched roar!

The loud buzzer on the timer over his head brought him to now. He suddenly realized the French fries were done. He lifted them from the cooker and dumped them into the draining tray. He salted them liberally and scooped them into small, red cardboard sleeves and placed the packages one by one onto the serving rack.

His dream had brought him to Nashville for his big break nearly five years earlier.

Looking through the small opening over the rack holding the cooked fries, out to the serving counter and beyond to those waiting in line, he saw a collection of other wannabe dreamers on both sides of the counter, all playing the lottery in some form or other.

Some, like him, playing the “Nashville Lottery” and hoping for a chance at fame.

Others, perhaps with an equal chance, simply purchased their lottery tickets at the quick mart, hoping for the big hand of chance to point to them and say, “You!”

Cody’s dream had followed him from Oklahoma all the way to Nashville. It was as real as any dream had ever been. He had lived it over and over … but after five years it was still just a dream. And it was still no closer to reality than it ever was.

He dumped more frozen fries into the cooker and hit the button to start the timer again. As the white fries sizzled in the oil, Cody slipped slowly back into his dream.

The crowd was still roaring as he began the second song. Cody tipped his cowboy hat and gave them a thumbs up.

There are people all over the world who wished they could be in Nashville, living the dream. Cody had made it.

Others, like Ben, knew about dreaming, but they knew about waking up too. Ben wanted to live in the best reality he could imagine.

Oklahoma, Where The Wind Comes Sweeping Down the Plains.

2011-04-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

What a grand time! Visiting good friends, presenting the book and taking a trip down memory lane!

Susan and I braved the 50+ mile per hour winds, just like the Oklahoma natives we are, and experienced the warmth and hospitality of the great people in our old home state.

Presenting to the legendary Acorn Book Club, formed before Oklahoma was even a state, was an honor and a privilege. The ladies were very kind and I enjoyed it very much.

A special thanks to Martha Roth for hosting a reception for us in her home, and to the folks who came to help us celebrate my book.

And while I am passing out thank you's, Barnes & Noble at 6100 N. May Avenue in Oklahoma City and Hastings Books in Enid both did a great job for us at our signings. Thank you to them and the wonderful folks who came and spent some time with us.

A great, great time.

Makes me want to write another book.

2011-04-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Susan and Tom are coming to Oklahoma this week! Please Come By and Say Hello.

Hi Friends,

Susan and I will be in Oklahoma City and Enid

this week, and we are very excited to get the chance to see you.

Please join us for some fun at one or more of our events, and bring some friends!

We will try our best to bring rain.

Tom Hays

		See You Soon!

Now Available!! Twisted by the Wind

2010-11-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

"Twisted by the Wind - A Journal of Inspirations, Conversations and Imaginations" written by Tom Hays has been published. It is a collection of short stories and words of wisdom, with a fair amount of humor added. The book chronicles a philosophical spirit developed on the plains of Oklahoma, the Arizona desert, Nashville, and the wine country of California, honed though a lifetime of entrepreneurial endeavors and adventures.

You will love it. Order here.

“Bless the Poor Starving Cats”

2010-06-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

From the book TWISTED BY THE WIND

Ben had been giving Albert, his Cat, the new food that the vet recommended.

Albert didn't seem to care much for it, and Ben understood that because he was on a geriatric diet himself.

So, Ben finally just sat Albert down and told him about India, and all the cats over there that have gone through earthquakes and hurricanes and famine and they are living in squalor out on the streets.... millions of cats limping around, ragged, with nothing to eat.

And Ben explained to Albert because of that, because of all those poor starving cats in India, he should realize how truly fortunate he is, and should not waste one bit of this food he is so truly blessed to receive.

Albert's eating a little more of it now, but Ben’s still not sure he likes it.

Help Your Friends Keep Their Mind Working!

2009-11-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT! ... One that keeps on giving long after the holidays pass. Science has proven that keeping the mind active and working is key to health and happiness as one grows older. And there has never been a more fun way to do that than Bananagrams.

Bananagrams is simple to play for one, two, three or more players. It is a little like Scrabble, except each player builds his or her own words, laid out like a crossword puzzle, that he or she can change as they go along to use all of their letters. Building words increases vocabulary and improves memory, and it is FUN! We play nearly every evening before dinner. Some pistachio nuts, a glass of wine, and Bananagrams. It's a hoot!

An inexpensive gift that will last and last. Buy for all your family and friends. Fun for all ages. Order now, because this is this year's "hot ticket" gift idea. Just click on Bananagrams. You will be glad you did, and so will your friends.

Peace,

Tom Hays

Music Makes The World Go 'round

2009-09-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

My first memory of music was of sensing the steady, rhythmic thump, thump, thump of my mother’s heartbeat, as I snuggled warmly and safely in her womb. Later, she cradled me in her arms, held me to her breast and I heard the same familiar rhythm. As we swayed back and forth she murmured soft sounds that added melody and lyrics and it became a lullaby, comforting me to sleep.

And, while you might not remember back quite that far, surely you feel that same, familiar rhythm pulsing through your own veins, pushing life through your body, animating your every move.

Yes, music is as old as human life, and the appreciation, enjoyment, and creation of it continues to bring joy, understanding, and emotional release to our lives.

Whether you write music, perform it, dance to it, study it, or just like to hum along, Platinum Pearls® has something for you on the music picks web page http://www.platinumpearls.com/platinumpearls/creativeb.htm. Click around the page for sources of inspiration if you are a songwriter, or to further enhance your understanding or enjoyment of music as a creator or as a listener.

As to Mom’s heart . . . it had a good beat, I gave it an 85.

Building Pearls - Important Today!!

2009-04-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

One of the important steps to achieving a fulfilling, more rewarding life is to realize the ramifications of this simple observation: A PEARL is the only natural gemstone that can be made in a human lifetime. A tiny grain of sand or piece of dirt gets inside the shell of an oyster. That creature’s way of dealing with an irritation is to coat it over, over and over, until it becomes a smooth thing of deep beauty, the pearl.

Much like the oyster, we too must manage life’s irritants, those things that get into our shell. And, like the oyster, we have to work at dealing with those irritants, learn to cope, to smooth and round, polish, maybe even enjoy, so that eventually, they become us and we become them.

All that we are as a person is a collection of those “pearls”, how we’ve dealt with the problems in our life, how we look at them now, the opportunities we’ve taken to build things of beauty out of what at first seemed like adversities.

You will find helpful information at http://www.platinumpearls.com/. PLATINUM PEARLS® is designed to sharpen your pearl building tools. To arm you. To help you with the changes, the bumps, the rough spots of the next era.

We are all pearls ... now going platinum. Welcome to your new life.

Like to paint outdoors?

2009-03-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

One of the most fun aspects of searching out and providing content for the Platinum Pearls® web pages is the opportunity to recommend sources that I personally know to be good.

In the case of this DVD, I have worked with two of the three featured artists, Matt Smith and Kenn Backhaus. Both have taught at the artistically prestigious Scottsdale Artists School.

I studied with each of them there, both in the studio and in the desert surround. I can heartily recommend the experience and their instructional abilities.

The first three episodes of Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape feature artists Matt Smith, Jean LeGassick, and Kenn Backhaus as they paint in Alaska. The trio paints Mt. McKinley on a rare, glorious September afternoon complete with a visit from a blonde grizzly.

Next our three artists tackle the Tongass Rain Forest, renowned for towering old growth cedar, hanging moss and incessant rainfall, proving that it takes tenacity, good gear, and considerable know-how to paint in a rain forest.

The last stop is beautiful Resurrection Bay, gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. With the towering Chugach Mountains as a backdrop, the artists paint in a derelict boatyard.

Historical perspective is provided through the Plein Air paintings created by George Brown while climbing Mt. McKinley as a member of the 1974 Bradford Washburn Mt. McKinley Expedition, and an introduction to Alaskan Plein Air artists and adventurers Eustace Ziegler, Ted Lambert and iconoclastic painter Sidney Laurence whose paintings from the early 1900s have come to epitomize the Alaskan landscape. I can enthusiastically recommend this DVD Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape - Alaska Episodes.

Please visit the Visual Arts pages at http://www.platinumpearls.com/ for more information about painting, photography or your favorite creative outlet.

Picture This

2009-02-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

As a teenager, I was given a Yashica twin lens reflex camera. It used 120 film, big rolls with 12 shots on each one. I loved looking at the world through the viewfinder. That large glass screen with an almost frosted appearance opened an entirely new world for me.

Later, as I entered the advertising business, I graduated to a Pentax 35 mm and started adding lenses of different lengths to shoot wide angle, telephoto and extremely close up subjects. Through my years in the advertising and audio/visual production business I gave that old Pentax a real work out, shooting thousands and thousands of pictures in studios, outdoors, in factories and on sales floors. I even did a wedding once (afterward, I was even able to keep my friendship with the bride and groom, thank goodness). Every shoot was moving day. Camera, film, lenses, filters, tripod, lights, power cords, spare batteries, and that was traveling light!

Now, I carry everything I need in my shirt pocket, a very small, light digital Sony with a Carl Zeiss lens, rechargeable battery and a 2 GB Memory Sick. If I decide I would like to put a video, as well as photos, on a webpage, I just turn a wheel on the camera and fire away. I can take literally hundreds of shots without rewinding or reloading, the digital quality is excellent for what I want, and I can instantly upload to my computer and share the photos immediately online. Who would have thought!

The quality of the photography? Well, that's up to the eye of the beholder. I think the framing, subject and scene layout of the picture is dependent more on the photographer than the equipment. Great photos can be made with a pin hole camera in the hands of a creative photographer, and the best equipment in the world will still turn out doubtful snapshots in the hands of someone without an eye for the visual.

My advice, shoot lots of pictures. Look at them carefully and try to decide what would have made them better. Experiment with lighting and framing, and ask yourself if the subject is something that will make an unusual or outstanding picture. Do you need to shoot from a higher angle or get on the floor and shoot from that perspective? If you saw the picture in a gallery, would you buy it? Then, go out and shoot some more.

There are a lot of photographers better than me, and you. But I bet we can enjoy photography just as much as they do. Keep shooting!

Whether you are a seasoned professional, a dedicated hobbist, or simply want to explore photography, you will find helpful information at http://www.platinumpearls.com/platinumpearls/creatived.htm. Come take a look around!

Seniors Find Eye Care Improves Lifestyle

2008-09-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

By Tom Hays, ABOC, NCLE

Some older adults may be able to improve their quality of life with a simple device: new eyeglasses. In a recent study, those seniors who received eyeglasses for uncorrected vision problems were found to have improved quality of life and decreased symptoms of depression when compared to those with vision problems who had not received eyeglasses.

Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., and colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted a trial in which 142 nursing home residents age 55 or older were assigned to a group that would receive eyeglasses one week after check-up (78 residents) or a group that would receive eyeglasses at follow-up two months after check-up (64 residents).

Vision-related quality-of-life and depressive symptoms were measured at baseline and at two months.

At baseline, both groups had similar demographic and medical characteristics and had similar visual problems uncorrected by eyeglasses. After two months, distance and near visual abilities for the right and left eye improved in the group that received eyeglasses, while the group that had not received eyeglasses had no change in visual ability.

At the two-month follow-up, the group that received eyeglasses reported higher scores for general vision, reading, activities and hobbies and social interaction as well as fewer depressive symptoms.

“This study implies that there are significant, short-term quality-of-life and psychological benefits to providing the most basic of eye care services—namely, spectacle correction—to older adults residing in nursing homes,” the report authors conclude.

You do not have to be in a nursing home to benefit from new, properly prescribed and fitted eyeglasses. They will make your life easier and more enjoyable wherever you live. See better, live better!

Tom Hays is a Board Certified and Registered Optician and a Fellow of the National Academy of Opticianry. He is currently President of Velocity Business Advisors headquartered in Napa, California. http://www.velocityup.com

Shocked Listeners Hear Civilized Life on Planet Amphibia

2008-07-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

By Tom Hays

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my experiences a few years ago in a recording studio in Oklahoma, in which we were fortunate to have recorded strange signals from a distant planet.

I invited readers to visit a web page where they could hear actual samples of those recordings and, if they wished, order the complete collection of those recordings. The results have been gratifying.

As predicted, some felt compelled to question my sanity, but many were amazed (or perhaps amused) and immediately ordered the CD’s by mail or simply downloaded their order from the internet. In my view, those who responded with an order were the smartest ones. They are already listening to every exciting episode in this historic series of recordings.

Now, it is your turn. If you have not yet listened to this series I urge you to order now!

Are there really little green men from outer space? Here is where you find out.
http://www.barkingfrogmusic.com/sbt/

Life Discovered on Distant Planet!

2008-07-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

By Tom Hays

It was a few years back, a time when life had a different feel to it. The air in the recording studio seemed electric, sparking, crackling with activity and creativity, spiced by the smells of stale pizza, herb and cigarette smoke, filled with the amplified sounds of voices, music and sound effects.

As my friend John and I worked into the fuzzy hours of the night, building commercials for our advertising clients and educational audio programs for school publishers, we had little knowledge of just what was coming our way, courtesy of an errant sound mixing console.

My agency studio was filled with second hand equipment, mostly acquired from radio stations. That old broadcast console and the Ampex recorders had some miles on them, but I had a good consulting engineer go through the place on a regular basis who kept it right up to specs. Maybe too good.

As I said, it was late, and we were trying to finish up, but as we were listening to a playback, we started to hear some sounds that were not coming from what we had just recorded, faint sounds as if from far, far away. We were in a soundproof studio. Nothing was on except for the tape player, the console and the speakers. What was that noise? We turned off the tape playback, but the far away sound persisted. We turned the speakers all the way down, and still the strange sounds came. With our ears we followed the sound to the source, the small broadcast monitor speaker in the console. We were not a radio station. We were not “broadcasting” anything. It got weird after that.

“If we’re not broadcasting,” I said, “then we must be receiving.” John turned up the volume on the console monitor and the sound became more audible. It was like nothing we had ever heard before, like a microphone was on in a strange place and no one knew it was on, and it was being transmitted and somehow, our old radio console was picking up that transmission. Strange indeed, for the sounds were like an old radio serial from days gone by. “John,” I said, “we’d better get this while we can.” So, John turned on one of the recorders and we started recording.

The recordings continued, night after night, and in time we came to discover that what we were hearing was some sort of transmission from a small planet named Amphibia, in a far away galaxy known as Croakatoria. All in all, we managed to piece together 40 of these recordings. Astounded as we were, but fearing how the government dealt with those telling stories about "hearing people from outer space", we dared not release them to the public. The project was code named “Star Base Toad”.

Kept secretly and securely in my vault for all these years, I have now decided to risk ridicule and share these recordings with others who may find them of interest. People who may wish to hear about life on other planets, about alien civilizations and the distant reaches of space and time. It is important to me that the world has the opportunity, through these recordings, to study the society that exists on Amphibia so that we may try to better understand our own, and there has never been a time when we needed that more than right now.

In order to share this amazing audio discovery with as many others as possible, I have transferred these 40 recordings, each 6 to 7 minutes long, to 4 audio CDs. I am making the complete set available for only $34.95 plus $4 for shipping and handling. But wait, there’s more. The first 5000 people ordering the set will also receive the valuable Prologue recording, giving rare insight as to the origins of civilized life on Amphibia, a total of 41 recordings in all.

Supplies are limited! Not available in stores. Great gift idea! Order yours today! Operators are standing by. An opportunity of a lifetime! Don’t miss out on this fabulous offer. Do it NOW! http://www.barkingfrogmusic.com/sbt/ for more information, to hear samples of the tapes and to order.

Become Involved

2008-07-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

There is an artist living inside you. Have you ever looked at a ceramic bowl or a hand made piece of jewelry, a needlepoint pillow or a hand carved wooden sculpture and said "Gee, I wish I could do that". Well, you can. You just have to try it.

The fact is, with the right instruction, you will surprise yourself with the creative ability you perhaps did not know you had until you set it free. So often I've heard, "I don't have a creative bone in my body." from someone who goes on to create perfectly charming works of art, because they finally decided to give it a try.

What particular art form has held the most fascination for you? Want to put your hands into some clay? How about some silversmithing, or beading? Working with fibers, making handmade paper or woodworking? The creative options are endless.

Look over the articles on the pages of the Creative Enrichment department at PlatinumPearls.com and see what inspires you. There you can even get help finding an expert instructor in your area. It's your turn to explore. Just do it.

Wrong eyewear choice can be a “glaring” mistake.

2008-05-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

By Tom Hays, ABOC, NCLE

Good vision is more than just having the right prescription in your lenses. As spring blossoms and summer approaches another important consideration in selecting and purchasing eyewear is how to deal with glare.

Glare is a vexing visual problem. Glare can be described as “extreme brightness” from the presence of excessive visible light. Glare can be distracting and even dangerous and can occur day or night in a number of ways. It can cause you to squint, resulting in eye strain and eye fatigue, and in extreme cases, glare can even result in temporary blindness.

There are actually four types of glare that must be dealt with:
Distracting glare is created by the reflections on lens surfaces. The images they generate can be distracting to vision, hence the name. The way to eliminate this problem is to use an anti-reflective coating on the lens. This is particularly true for sunwear where back-side surface reflections can be especially distracting since the dark lens color accentuates the reflected light. Computer users also benefit from anti-reflective coatings.

Discomforting glare is caused by everyday bright light where the eye is unable to adapt naturally, as when light conditions change often. Photochromic lenses are a good choice here, as they automatically darken and lighten to meet the lighting conditions.

Disabling glare is caused by intense bright light. Fixed tints or photochromics help in this instance. An Optician is trained to recommend the correct shade and tint.

Blinding glare is due to reflections off of shiny surfaces, such as water, automobile windshields or snow. Polarized lenses are the best solution for this problem.

Where there is light there is glare in some form or other, and finding the right way to deal with it is not something that can be done in a “self service” store. A professionally trained optician can help you choose the right lens type or treatment for the distinctive kind of glare you wish to eliminate. So, before you head outdoors to enjoy the sun, make sure your eyes are properly equipped for the tasks expected of them. Visit a professional eyecare provider.

Tom Hays is a Board Certified and Registered Optician and a Fellow of the National Academy of Opticianry. He is currently President of Velocity Business Advisors headquartered in Napa, California. http://www.velocityup.com

Not For Babies Only

2008-04-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

by Susan Hays

TREAT YOURSELF LIKE A BABY

As I turned on the water to draw my bath, I glanced at the shelf by the tub lined with bottles of bath oils and lotions, reflecting various colors of the sky, the earth and flowering desert plants. Many of those bottles were given to me by friends at a birthday party who said, "Be kind to yourself, take a warm, long bath, relax, luxuriate and treat yourself like a baby." Hmmm...

I began by dipping my elbow into the bath water to check the temperature. As I slowly stepped into the water, the warmth of it engulfed my leg, and my foot felt the security of the smooth mat on the bottom. I lowered myself into the tub and cradled my neck in a soft pillow and breathed in the rising steam scented by a mild eucalyptus oil. Closing my eyes, covered by a cool eye mask, I consciously relaxed every muscle in my body. I listened to my deliberate, steady breathing, felt my heart beat ever so slowly and I fell peacefully asleep.

Upon awakening I ran a hot shower and washed my hair, massaging my scalp with the hardness of my fingernails and the softness of my fingertips, making thick lather. Using one of my scented soaps and loufa, I washed my body, the roughness of the loufa scrubbing away dead skin, the faint lavender scent of the soap making me feel lusciously clean.

Stepping out of the bath, I wrapped myself in a large, soft towel, heated by the towel warmer. As I poured the cool moisturizing lotion into my hands to warm it and smoothed it over my body, I luxuriated in the silky feel it was giving my skin, and it reminded me of the obvious joy a baby feels when rubbed with baby lotion after a warm bath.

Babies are touched, caressed, massaged, nurtured for a reason. It gives them a feeling of security, love and acceptance. The human touch is so immensely important, not only to babies, but to all of us.

Even if we don't have the time or resources to indulge in professional massages, manicures, shampoos, or aromatherapy treatments, there's nothing to keep us from pampering ourselves and recalling those same feelings a baby feels.

As I dry my hair and dress, I think how I feel nurtured, loved, safe and relaxed, and it makes me recall those same feelings as when I was growing up. And I'm the one who made me feel this way. Pamper yourself -- treat yourself like a baby!

Warmest regards,
Susan Hays

Tell Us About Your Art

2008-04-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

by Tom Hays

Now it's your turn! Tell us about your art and the medium in which you work. We welcome and encourage you to send us stories, pictures or videos to share on this site. WHAT DO YOU HAVE YOUR HANDS IN?

Fiber That You Don't Eat

2008-04-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

by Tom Hays

If the Neanderthals had invented disco lounges, surely some of the males would have shown up in polyester leisure suits. But the leisure suit and polyester had to wait through thousands and thousands of years of sewing and weaving by hand, using available plant and animal fibers. Then ... the BeeGees showed up.

Now, with the advent of man made fibers and automated machinery, many of the hand fiber skills learned through the years are becoming lost to us. Yet, they can still be both rewarding and very gratifying. Explore the various fiber arts. Sometimes, the natural way is the best way. And, you will be preserving the craft for the generations to come.

You'll Appreciate Jewelry You Make Yourself

2008-03-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

by Tom Hays

Making jewelry and other items from metal is truly fascinating. It combines a number of skills, most of which are fairly simple to learn, along with some science and a lot of possibilities for art. Get out the jewelry pliers, tiny saw blades and the Dremel, put on your magnifying visor, and suddenly you are in a private world, where you craft a beautiful silver piece or mount a precious stone on a ring of your own design. Jump in! Sign up with a local instructor.

Beyond Playdough

2008-03-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

by Tom Hays

Working with clay can be very gratifying. It is one of the earliest crafts humans learned, and it still holds an almost primal appeal. Put your hands on some wet clay, work it around a little, and you will see.

This creative, Anasazi inspired container came from the
imagination of a first time pottery student.

The school of "Jurassic Trout" were easy to make, and a "whale" of a lot of fun.

We all are creative. Working with clay or ceramics is one more way to excercise your creative side. Give it a try. Let that child out to play!

Working With Wood

2008-03-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

My grandfather would sit for hours and whittle. Sometimes I would join him on the porch and try my hand. I made a lot of pointed sticks, while he was crafting intricate parts that became violins. We both enjoyed the time.

The smell of freshly cut wood is captivating. Use a tiny cutting blade, a fancy radial saw, or a chain saw, whatever appeals to you. They are all better than the rock tools our ancestors had to use, and they managed to build some pretty neat wooden stuff.

Baby Boomers Discovering Wine Country!

2008-03-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

by Tom Hays

It’s not as if baby boomers aren’t acquainted with drinking, partying and having a good time. But as they are entering mid-life, many of them are discovering the joys of fine wine. Wine is an acquired taste, more valued for the nuances of its flavors than beer, which was the boomers’ choice to be chugged in great quantities at a frat party or ball game.

Now that they are older and somewhat settled, the mid-life baby boomers are discovering a variety of new tastes, including food and wine. That discovery has led many of them to want to learn more about the gracious lifestyles found in the prime wine growing regions of the world.

Wine tastings, tours, and visits to Wine Country are increasingly leading to the purchase of a second home or a retirement home in the vineyard regions. A simple lifestyle, based on fresh, locally grown foods prepared by excellent chefs, paired with delicious wines, and presented in a beautiful, small village or country atmosphere is a powerful magnet to the boomer who is entering the second half of his or her life. And for those who are not quite ready to move to Napa, Sonoma or Tuscany, many are ordering food, wine, cheese and other items from Wine Country over the internet to bring a bit of the charm, tastes and treasures to their own life.

Up-scale real estate continues to hold value in Napa Valley and other wine regions. Most have strict ordinances controlling conversion of vineyard land to housing development, keeping the idyllic rural atmosphere that people are seeking in their Wine Country dream home. That bodes well for the future housing prices in these desired areas, in spite of housing downturns in other parts of the country.

Those mid-life baby boomers who can are buying now. Those who can’t are buying as much of the lifestyle as they can, either on visits to Wine Country or over the internet from websites such as http://www.winecountry2go.com.

I Need How Much To Retire?

2008-03-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

by Tom Hays

I've flunked "Retirement 101" four times. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Maybe I have a low boredom threshold. I have plenty of hobbies and I enjoy all of them. But maybe when I am trying "retirement" I have too much time to think about what "might" occur in my future instead of what "is" going on at the moment.

I think about my father, mother and all my other ancestors who lived to very ripe old ages. I can see the financial world changing every minute, the cost of living increasing and the cost of medical care spiraling onward and upward. With only a "comfortable" sized nest egg, it is enough to scare anyone to an early grave!

Point is, I'm just not sure how much is enough. In a perfect world, my wife and I would spend our last dollar on the day we passed on. But, no one can tell me when that will be, or what our cost of living will be between now and then. And, heaven forbid, one of those illnesses comes along later in life that creates huge medical expenses and long-term care costs.

I may have enough. Several times in the past I have thought I did. But each time I eventually realize I have no idea how much of a nest egg will be enough to sleep comfortably every night. (I'm sure Bill Gates does not have this problem.)

So, I go back to work, and I feel better physically and mentally. Besides, making money is fun. I enjoy the game!

Give me your thoughts.

Welcome To Your New Life!

2008-03-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

You are invited to join countless others who are coming together in Platinum Pearls®.com . . . . sharing ways to enjoy the rest of their lives, becoming more satisfied, more secure through self discovery and self actualization. The secrets are there, to be discovered and utilized. Shared, they will become a positive force for an entire generation.

Who are you??? There’s a new person born every eight seconds. One of them may well be you! We’ll help you nurture and educate that new person you are becoming. Ahead is a different road, and it will take you where you want to go only if you use the right map. Stop and ask directions.

Not for babies only! While we deal primarily with life factors and life styles of those persons born during the so-called “baby boom” years of 1946 to 1964, the fact is, a lot of people on both sides of those years face those same challenges and opportunities too, and we welcome your participation in Platinum Pearls® programs and membership benefits.

We can all enjoy a longer and happier mature life if we resist becoming “old”. We’d love to have you join the organized resistance!

Please add your thoughts, ideas, methods and experiences. We are all in this together!

My Volunteer Vacation! Building Hiking Trail In The Colorado Rockies.

2008-02-26T21:40:00.000-08:00

The cool, thin mountain air stabbed my lungs with each breath as I lumbered up the trail at over 10,000 feet elevation, carrying the weight of my daypack, loaded with lunch and snack provisions, water for the day plus a little extra, raingear, binoculars, plus a slew of extras for "just in case", and, I was carrying a Pulaski, with which I would work all day, building a stretch of the Colorado Trail.

The morning sun and the physical activity was beginning to warm me, and I removed layers of clothing as I, along with around 20 other volunteers, progressed from our campsite at 9,800 feet to our work site at nearly 11,000 feet. Through clearings in the trees, traversing a small meadow, the view stretched out for miles and miles, and I felt like this mountain was the very top of the world, and I was on it. "This", I said, "is a vacation!"

Being a flatlander from Oklahoma, adapting to the thin air at this altitude took some time. But I had come up to Breckenridge, Colorado two days early for my week long stint as a trail builder. I had read about the Colorado Trail, a 490 mile stretch of hiking trail which roughly follows the continental divide from Denver to Durango in southwest Colorado, and I was impressed that it was built primarily by volunteers, with the support of the U.S. Forest Service. The Colorado Trail Foundation was formed to build and maintain the trail, and it was through that organization that I signed up for a week-long "trail crew".

My fellow crew members were from all parts of the United States, along with two people from Great Britain. Each were volunteers, and each brought their own tent and sleeping bag, their own eating plates and utensils, some good hiking/work boots, plenty of sunscreen for the high altitude sun, and a good attitude. We each paid thirty-five dollars to join the Colorado Trail Foundation, and the foundation provided the food for the week, which we cooked as we each took turns doing kitchen duty. The Forest Service hauled in potable water for us.

Setting up camp on Saturday was a team effort as we dug a latrine and erected the kitchen and community tents. On Sunday we learned to use the trail building tools properly and safely. We worked on the trail Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday was a free day for hiking, fly fishing or just resting, and Saturday morning was spent tearing down camp and restoring the site as best we could to lessen the effect our presence for a week had on the environment.

All in all, we built nearly a mile of fresh trail to the exacting specifications of the Forest Service. It is proud work, something that countless hikers and backpackers will enjoy for years to come.

For more information on this volunteer service contact the Colorado Trail Foundation website.

Help fight FCS. Is a cure at hand?

2008-02-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Picture yourself. You are very high up in a tree top, in a wooden container with a rounded bottom, perched precariously on a slender branch. The container teeters back and forth, side to side, as the wind blows. You are so afraid, not daring to move a muscle. Suddenly, without warning, the bough breaks and you are falling and falling. You crash to the ground and the cradle lands squarely on top of you.

Terrifying isn’t it? How can you go to sleep imagining that? But that’s the story that was repeated night after night to millions of babies, including me. It was called “rock-a-bye baby” time. I called it “torture” time.

That’s why I, along with countless others, suffer from Falling Cradle Syndrome (FCS). FCS needs your help. It has been proven that the more money we have, the better we sleep at night. Please send a generous contribution now. Send your check directly to me, and you’ll know you’ve done your part in the fight against this horrible affliction. Thank you for helping fund the cure.

For more information click on http://www.platinumpearls.com/.

Barking Frog Music Group - How It All Began.

2008-02-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

The Story of The Barking Frog Music Group

"The mind will play funny tricks on you. One minute you’re in a business meeting or hard at work on the job, and then, something will hit you that brings back a familiar taste, or smell, or feeling, and the next thing you know, you’re remembering those times years ago, sitting around a campfire after a big camp meal, with friends or family. I remember we’d pull up logs and sit around . . just poking the fire, swatting bugs, swapping stories and singing songs, a lot of them made up right there on the spot. We’d pass around the guitar and those that could play would. Those that couldn’t would tell a joke, or a story, or recite a poem. But we’d all join in with something, and it’d go on ‘til the moon was way overhead, and the fire had burned down to red hot coals.

There’d be plenty of laughing and kidding around … and sometimes we’d get to laughing so hard that a “different” noise would come from somewhere around the campfire ... and everyone would look around at all the other faces in the smoke to try to guess who the guilty party was. Sooner or later, it would be agreed that it must have been just a big frog . . barking at the moon.

Those “barking frogs” earned quite a reputation in our part of the country, and it was hard to have a camp-out where you wouldn’t hear at least one or two. So, it came to be generally known that anyone who would come, and maybe join in and play, or sing, say a poem or tell a joke, was automatically a member of the Barking Frog Music Group. And back then, we had meetings just as often as we could.

Now, it’s a gathering around a virtual campfire. We call it the bfmg Café, and nearly every night it’s a new group of members sitting around playing their songs, and singing, and telling stories. Maybe you’ll join in, or maybe you’ll want to just sit back and listen. Either way, we hope you’ll have so much fun you’ll come back often. Click to the bfmg Café, put a beverage in your hand, put that work day behind you, and drag up a log! You're a member of the Barking Frog Music Group!

P.S. You might want to have a souvenir of your visit to the bfmg Café, or proof that you are a proud member of the Barking Frog Music Group. You’re invited to drop by the store to look over the bfmg collection. Cool!"

Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape - Alaska Episodes

2007-11-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

One of the most fun aspects of searching out and providing content for the Platinum Pearls® web pages is the opportunity to recommend sources that I personally know to be good.

In the case of this DVD, I have worked with two of the three featured artists, Matt Smith and Kenn Backhaus. Both have taught at the artistically prestigious Scottsdale Artists School.

The last stop is beautiful Resurrection Bay, gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. With the towering Chugach Mountains as a backdrop, the artists paint in a derelict boatyard.

Please visit the Visual Arts pages at http://www.platinumpearls.com/ for more information about painting, photography or your favorite creative outlet.

If I Had a Dollar For Every Time I Have Used This Book, I Would Be Writing This in Napa Valley

2007-11-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Pat Pattison is a professor of music and songwriting at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he developed the curriculum for their degree in songwriting--the first of its kind anywhere. He was a regular contributor to Home and Studio Recording Magazine. He lives in North Hampton, New Hampshire.

I first met Pat in Nashville. I was living and writing there for awhile, and Pat would come down from the Boston area and spend his summers in Nashville, working with some of the great songwriters in the area, as well as teaching seminars. We had mutual friends, and soon I was visiting his summer house on a weekly basis, at the foot of the master. He is a joy to work with.

In this book, Pat presents a unique, in-depth approach to the process of lyric writing. Apprentice songwriters will examine 17 extraordinary songs and learn the distinct elements that make them so effective. Pattison then presents more than 30 lyric-writing exercises designed to help them achieve the same results. From generating lyric ideas and managing repetition to developing verses, it's all here. Songwriters will:

* find warm-up exercises that revolutionize songwriting imagery

* use a rhyming dictionary and a thesaurus to generate ideas and find snappy rhymes

* create meaningful metaphors and similes while avoiding clichés

* develop verses by using or by breaking conventional rules

* experiment with point of view in every lyric to make a song stand out.

Buy Now - Writing Better Lyrics

For more music tips, visit http://www.platinumpearls.com/ and search out the "Music Picks" page. Or, if you are really into songwriting, click on http://www.barkingfrogmusic.com/. In any event, keep listening, keep writing, keep it fresh.

We Are All Artists, Some Still Looking For Our Medium

2007-10-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

A very important part of living a more fulfilling life is the exploration of your creative self to release the imaginative potential awaiting there.

Many people have gone through life never stepping outside the traces of humdrum everyday activities long enough to find out who they really are, creatively speaking. You may have harbored urges to "someday" spend more time on that dream of becoming and living more artistically, but have never taken the time to actually do it. Well, someday just started, so get busy.

You may have an art or craft that you are already involved in. If so, good for you! Hopefully, on the PlatinumPearls.com pages you will find information that will inspire you to a higher level of creativity and satisfaction in your art.

If if have not ventured into the arts environment before, come and find out what you have been missing. You will discover the many rewards of your "time away from the real world". Working just a few hours each week at your favorite artistic release will soon become mini-vacations that refresh and relax you, and clear your mind from the work-a-day clutter.

Just choose something that appeals to you and go for it. Everyone started as a beginner, and you'll find a lot of interesting people willing to help you every step of the way.

For example, "Painting Word Pictures" a Platinum Pearls® workshop, focuses on writing creatively. Strong sensory images can make your writing or lyrics sparkle. The workshop helps you learn how to tap into an endless well of creative imagery.

"Music Picks" takes you into the world of music, writing, playing or just listening and enjoying.

The pages of "Create It Yourself " are your pathway to a host of creative endeavors including pottery, jewelry and metalsmithing, woodworking, carving, and fiber and needle arts, and there is more to come.

If you are into the visual arts of photography, painting or video creation, the spot for you is our "Visual Arts" section, which we hope to expand soon to encompass graphic design and sculpture.

We'd like you to consider sharing information, ideas, helpful tips or sources for your favorite creative outlet with other PlatinumPearls.com readers and members. After all, we are a community.

Join us on a Platinum Pearls® Adventure - Discovery Retreat or Workshop!

2007-10-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Designed to both "get away from things" and "get into things", the workshops, adventures and retreats presented or recommended by Platinum Pearls® represent a wide range of topics, settings and experiences. For example, our "Discovery Weekend" is designed as two extremely laid-back days in a very small group, everyone learning, everyone teaching, personally accompanied by Tom Hays, the founder of Platinum Pearls®, where the important thing is fun, relaxation and expanded awareness of life's possibilities. Four sites have been selected for the coming year.

"Spirit of the Stones" in the Sedona, Arizona area and the Hopi Indian Reservation features small, four day group retreats that offer an intense setting for personal shifts. Available energies are magnified within the shared focus. You have opportunities for learning from each other's experiences, for integrating the experiences with your dreams, meditation insights and feelings that come up over the course of the four days. You are encouraged to develop awareness practices to carry back into the rest of your life.

"Painting Word Pictures" focuses on writing creatively. Strong sensory images make your writing or lyrics sparkle! Learn how to paint pictures with your words by tapping into an endless well of creative imagery. The purpose of this workshop is to help you find the wellspring of “sensory memory” inside you, to learn to turn it on at will, and to help you direct that flow of creative energy into stronger, more effective writing … writing filled with images that allow your words to say more, connect better emotionally with the readers or listeners. Whatever your writing goals, you will come away from this workshop with new tools to work with, a new way of approaching the creative process.

You are encouraged to browse each of the many featured workshops at http://www.platinumpearls.com/, find one that fits you, and then dive into the pool! The rest of your life just started. Make the best of it.

Life. . . it’s a tide pool and you are an oyster.

2007-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

The waters of change come sweeping over the shifting sands of life.

If you can imagine, you can see the crystalline sandy particles rolling past in the movement of the waves as they come in and then move out, come in and move out, these "waves of change", bringing with them more sand to our lives, more debris, more "things" to deal with.

And in your imagination you look closer, and you see that the sand grains gleam and sparkle through the water when the sunlight catches them. And you suddenly realize that, even the worst of them, the ugliest, sharpest of them all, with some honing and polishing can become things of beauty, things made better because you've seen them in a different light, things that offer you something that will enhance and perhaps even fulfill your life… jewels to cherish, instead of problems to be put up with.

So you learn to scoop them up and look them over, savor them and find the opportunities to polish them, take off the rough edges, work them into fine gems to add to your collection. Life gives you the sand. You must make the pearls.

Look at life's changes in a different light, explore for the beauty, the opportunities to improve the circumstances that the waves of change have brought you.

With so many changes occurring in life, there are also so many chances to change. You can choose to see more sand to deal with, or you can see the chance to make pearls. You can do it. You can be a "pearl builder".

Get more lifestyle enhancement information at http://www.platinumpearls.com/.