Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

New HP Wireless Printer is a winner

 The HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printer handles one of the biggest problems of our home office. It prints high quality images from any computer in the house or shop and was available on Amazon.com last week for only $127.99. This is something that almost any home office can use.

With our multiple computers and laptops, it has always been a struggle to connect to a printer when we needed one in a hurry. With this new wireless printer we can print from anywhere in the house or workshop or even from the back deck.

This printer is fast (up to 35 pages per minute black and up to 34 pages per minute color) and the four ink cartridges give it a range of colors that our other printers could not achieve.

Installation was a bit unnerving at first because I am not used to peripherals that turn themselves on and perform a 20 minute setup procedure with no human intervention.

When I plugged in the power cord, the OfficeJet Pro 8000 went into a busy self-test cycle that produced lots of chirps and other noises, but no printouts at all.

I looked at the instructions but there was only a cryptic instruction to turn on the unit and wait for the alignment page to print.

After another five minutes of clicking and whirring and no printout, I was ready to turn the printer off and check for a paper jam.

At this exact moment, the printer spat out a brief instruction sheet in nine languages:

Do not turn off the printer; the printer is initializing.
During this process, you might hear some tapping sounds.
While waiting, install the printer software.

(It did not mention the whirring, machine muttering, and chirps)

I am not used to getting scolded by my printers, but I took its advice and installed the software on all computers within reach. By the time the computer software installation was complete, the printer had stopped muttering to itself and was ready for action.

We fired off print commands from one computer after another and the printer smoothly executed them at high speed. The wireless capability makes all the difference in the world. We have used printer sharing systems in the past, but the cabling makes for a time-consuming installation.

The designers at HP got this design right. For more information on this beauty, read on after the jump.

Economics in a tightly-connected community

The Community as social network

In this county people get to know each other and while we may not be one big happy family, we share a lot of information on how people are doing, who needs help, and who can provide help. You also know who is out of work and can help you out on tasks where you need help

A few minutes of conversation in any spot where people gather will garner you enough information to buy or sell almost anything and can lead you to find employment or a helping hand when all else fails. This rural telegraph also carries news of illnesses and other hardships where you might lend a helping hand.

I lived for many years in communities where we did not know the last names of our immediate neighbors and had no meaningful contact with them. We rarely did business with or exchanged help with these neighbors.

Living in Floyd Virginia for the past 4 years has been a welcome change. This county has a network of people who expect to work with each other and look after each other in times of need. It adds a new dimension to life when you have someone to turn to other than immediate family.

The economics of a connected community

No community can support itself without exchanging labor and goods with the outside world, but buying local and hiring local talent provides positive feedback that can energize a community in many ways. Buying local is not just a nice concept, it aids the economic survival of the county and enhances one's own financial security. Money that is spend on local purchases increases the amount of money that is put in circulation in the local community.

My framing business exists because word-of-mouth recommendations keep sending customers to me. I was eventually forced to develop sophisticated framing techniques to keep up with expanding business volume and more complex requirements. Even so, I find that I am working longer hours than I ever expected.

As my framing workload increases, I need to hire others to do some of the chores that I used to do. Some of these chores are physical challenges that I am not able to deal with yet and other chores can be done better and faster by others who need the work.

When I can hire some one to help with repairs and minor construction projects, this frees me up to do work that I cannot outsource. The end result is that I can reduce my stress level and provide employment for others. We all benefit.

The circle gets completed. My business grows from recommendations by clients and their friends. As my workload increases, I can share in the economic benefits by hiring others who need employment and we all benefit to the extent that we can contribute to each other.

People who are helpful

Some people have been very helpful in many different ways. Here are a few whom I recommend highly:

Glenn Givens, small engine repairs, welding, household projects, just about any repair job I can think of. He does not require direction and has solved some really annoying problems that I could not find time to tackle. (745-4380)  He repaired a mower deck that I had completely trashed when I drove it over rocks one day.

Ann and Rodger Bower, they have helped us out whenever we needed a helping hand. They run a farm near us and have many different skills. Ann is an Avon Distributor and works for several businesses in Floyd. (745-3020)

Bob Eich is the contractor who built my workshop with its pine-paneled interior and finished off our modular home.  I have recommended him to others for challenging renovations and he does a great job. (651-3180)

Michael Shortt, Shortt's Excavating (745-2817),  was an incredible source of advice and encouragement when we were building our modular home. He cleared our land and put in our septic system and most importantly, he introduced us to the contractors who put the finishing touches on our home.

He also handled the takedown of a dangerous and crumbling silo at the Jacksonville Center.

I am sure that many of you know of others in the Floyd Community who are in a position to provide help to those of us who cannot always do for ourselves what we used to. Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments.

The Daily Grind Coffee House in Rocky Mount

David and Susie Pegler run a hospitable little cafe next door to the Franklin County Courthouse in Rocky Mount, VA. It's called the Daily Grind Coffee House.

I wandered in there last Wednesday after attending the Tax Day Tea Party.  I was starving. Something about the place attracted me and I was not disappointed.

David greeted me and made me feel right at home. When I asked what he would suggest for lunch, he promptly responded, "Anything you want!"

A cheerful response like that appeals to me on many levels. I knew I had come to the right place.

I asked for a BLT in a wrap and it was in my hands in a matter of minutes. This was one of the best BLTs I have ever tasted, sweet and crunchy and all of the goodness that a BLT can provide when done to perfection.

I was on my way a few minutes later, but the hospitality and the good food made my afternoon.

I found out while writing this that there is a Daily Grind franchise organization that has been around since 1995.  That surprised me because this coffee shop had the unique feeling of a hometown coffee shop and cafe.

UPDATE: David Pegler informs me that they are an NOT part of the Daily Grind franchise. No wonder the place felt so hospitable!

Franchise operations may be efficient, but they lack the personal touch of an individual enterprise where the owner greets you like an old friend, even if you have never been in the store before.

David, I will be in to see you the next time I am in Rocky Mount.

The Tea Party Phenomenon

The Tea Party I attended had folks from every walk of life but it seemed that they had a lot more in common than they expected. They all had experienced frustration in trying to communicate about their concerns and they hadn't expected to find so many people who were in the same situation.

Most people found out about the Rocky Mount event on the Internet, others through emails. I was not planning to attend because I am not much of a joiner, but I felt that there was something here that I needed to know about and experience directly.

I found a lot of people very much like myself. They seemed to be self-motivated, concerned about their families, and willing to work hard to achieve a better life. Many were self-employed although a large number were old enough to be on Social Security.

This was not a networking event with people looking for contacts and swapping business cards. The people were cautiously friendly as most had never been to this kind of protest event before.

There was no shouting and reckless behavior, more of a continuing surprise as we all discovered that we were a community of like-minded souls who wanted positive change that we could believe in, not empty promises and double-talk.

Tea Parties are self-structuring social organizations of indeterminate lifespan and relatively incoherent purposes. I believe that this is about to change and the Tea Parties will evolve into a serious effort to wrest back control of government from those in both parties who are abusing public trust. They have already morphed from generalized protest meetings toward more specifically targeted activities.

They have already stepped up their self-organizing to deal with attempts by Progressives to disrupt things. The attacks by left-leaning media have helped shape and toughen up the Tea Party efforts. Read any of the Tea Party websites and you will see warnings about signing petitions and how to deal with disruptive activities and biased reporters.

When people attend one of these Tea Parties and then see what the media has reported about the event, the media spin becomes evident and people are turning to the Internet for news they can use.

I think we will see various individuals and groups attempt to get out in front of the Tea Parties and claim that they are leading them. I do not think that will fly. Anyone who hopes to contribute to the Tea Party movement is going to have to participate in events and really learn what people are upset about and what can be done to improve conditions.

Tea Party leadership will grow out of successful actions by charismatic figures who can lead. I do not see this movement giving much credence to high level political figures who hope to hop on the Tea Party train as it picks up speed.

The birth of the Tea Party movement may have been triggered by CNBC's Rick Santelli calling for a "Chicago Tea Party" back in February, but the movement's continued existence is due to the recognition by many people that serious mistakes are being made by elected officials who are not being responsive to the voters who elected them.

People who thought they were the only ones noticing the insane behavior of elected officials suddenly found out that they were not alone. They gathered with hundreds of other citizens in their own area and found reassurance that others recognized corrupt and incomprehensible actions in the Federal Government.

They shared experiences and found that many others agreeing that our leftward lurch toward Socialism is not good for children or businesses or our future existence.

When you think that you are the only one refusing to drink the poisoned Kool-Aid, life becomes pretty hopeless. When you find out that others have avoided the Kool-Aid too, you find that there is a real hope that things just might get better.

I think we are just in the beginning of a change in political activity at the grassroots level. As people get used to using emails and Twitter to communicate about Tea Parties, the pace will pick up and the Tea Party movement will really begin to have an impact on our elected officials.

The first step was to recognize that we are a group with some common interests. The next step will be to align our interests in a way that maximizes our chances of impinging on society and our elected officials.

There will be a lot more steps following these and resistance from elected officials and opposition groups will only solidify the resolve of the Tea Party patriots. Efforts to dismiss or radicalize Tea Party protests will backfire and may cost incumbents seats in the next election. I do not feel that the Tea Party movement will go away. It has already gone viral.

The term "smart mob" is a good description of the Tea Party phenomenon.

According to Wikipedia: A smart mob is a form of self-structuring social organization through technology-mediated, intelligent emergent behavior. The concept was introduced by Howard Rheingold in his book Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution. According to Rheingold, smart mobs are an indication of the evolving communication technologies that will empower the people.

Tax Day Tea Party - Rocky Mount Virginia

I knew I had to find out for myself what these Tax Day Tea Parties were about once I saw MSM pundits and left leaning bloggers making snide comments about them.

The Liberal contingent seems to be sure that some vast conspiracy lies behind these grassroots events. Well there is sure a lot of agreement in these tea parties that the government is on the wrong path, but the spontaneity is unmistakable.

I attended the Rocky Mount, Virginia, Tax Day Tea Party this noon and came away with a feeling that other people acting independently have reached conclusions that agree with my own observations.

The crowd of more than 150 people (identified by headcount in photos) filled the area in front of the Franklin County Courthouse and were cheerfully determined to make their concerns known. They brought their dogs and their kids and everyone seemed to be having a good time exercising their right to assemble.

Perhaps that is what the MSM fears most. If ordinary people can see through the spin that old media is performing, there will be a vanishing audience for their opinions disguised as news.

I was inspired by the people who attended this tea party. They were friendly and they had come from all over to show that traditional values still exist in this part of Virginia. Most of the attitudes and signs I saw expressed conservative points of view and a feeling that both political parties are on the wrong track.

The tea party was  against big government but was not significantly oriented for or against any political party. There was one Goode supporter in the crowd and there were a few anti-Obama signs, but the message on most of the signs indicated that government is becoming Socialistic and spending is way out of control.

A major point of agreement was that government is taking over responsibilities that belong to the states, is interfering with businesses at all levels and is failing in its biggest responsibility of keeping the country safe.

The pace of the event never flagged. There were several speakers who spoke briefly and to the point and the keynote speaker was Delegate Charles D. Poindexter, of the 9th district, who spoke for only a few minutes but the issues he covered resonated strongly with those attending.

Here are a few points that got extremely strong positive responses from the crowd:

• There is too much government
• Spending is out of control
• Every generation should pay its own  debt
• The government is wasting the labor of the people under the pretense of taking care of them
• "Investment" is a new term for government spending to hide what they are doing
• This administration said "no" to drilling. We say drill, baby. drill.
• "Progressive" means an ex-liberal, perhaps a socialist
• The administration is undermining the constitution
• Defense is the number one job of the Federal Government,
• but this administration is going to gut our military

Here are some of the signs that people carried:

Early signs of an economic recovery?

I think we will see signs of recovery at the grassroots level before it is visible on a national scale.

With all of the chest beating and finger pointing going on in Washington, DC, it's hard to separate fact from fiction. In fact, it's hard to tell the real players from those who are under indictment or investigation for fraud, acts of treason, and so forth. The phrase "confederacy of dunces" comes to mind.

It does not seem there is much near term hope for the economy with the government printing money and raising taxes like there is no tomorrow. The machinations in Washington are providing more entertainment and outrage than results at this time so the outlook seems uncertain.

On the other hand, here in rural Virginia life goes on without the benefit of smoke and mirrors or teleprompters. The grim realities of growing unemployment and tight money are being dealt with every day by hard working merchants, contractors and a host of self-employed small business owners.

I can't pretend to know why things are getting better recently, but I have experienced a major increase in customer orders over the past few weeks and have heard the same news from many other businesses in Floyd County.

My custom picture framing business has improved so much that I am working longer hours than ever before and have had to bring on additional help just to keep from being overwhelmed.

In talking to my suppliers, I hear encouraging news of increasing business volume and the very interesting news that their collection departments are seeing a marked increase in customers catching up on unpaid bills.

Almost every business I have been following has been offering special deals like higher discounts and free shipping to motivate customers to buy now. For the first time in months, some of these companies are cutting back on the special deals, leading me to conclude that their business is picking up also.

Here in Floyd, the prevailing mood is guarded optimism. We are happy to see the increase in local business and in tourist traffic, but we continue to offer special deals and do not feel that we are out of the woods yet. Every customer is a treasure and the way to keep them coming back is by providing outstanding customer service and convenience.

I also see a lot of concern for the welfare of people who are out of work. There seems to be a highly motivated and spontaneous offering of helpful advice and referrals for those who are seeking to build a new life and career after being laid off. This is not an "organized" or government type of assistance. Just people helping other people to keep their lives and families together.

So there may be despair and gnashing of teeth at the national level, but I hope we will continue to see encouraging signs at the local level. Our community effort to strengthen the local economy through Shop Local campaigns is certainly a step in the right direction.

Floyd's Shop Local Campaign picks up speed

The Floyd Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a SHOp LOcal campaign (SHOLO) in conjunction with the Floyd Press. The purpose of this campaign is to highlight local businesses each week to make their goods and services better known in the community.

Shop Local campaigns have produced positive results in communities all across the United States. I am very pleased that our Floyd Chamber of Commerce is doing its part in promoting sustainable economic development at the grassroots level.

Each week the Chamber of Commerce runs an ad like the one shown here and the Floyd Press does a feature story on the local business.

This week (April 9 to April 15) the campaign features Floyd Custom Framing and we are very pleased to be a part of this community effort to boost our local economy.

The mascot for this campaign is a Buffalo named SHOLO.

Each week, SHOLO will stay at a different Floyd County business, where SHOLO's fans can visit SHOLO and enter a drawing for a $25 gift certificate.

This week, the campaign highlights Floyd Custom Framing. You may enter a drawing for a $25 gift certificate and you can do it all online. This gift certificate is good until used and can be applied to any goods and services provided by Floyd Custom Framing.

Go to the Floyd Custom Framing website and learn about the gift certificate drawing and our new 10% discount online shopper coupon.

People helping others in Floyd County Virginia

Floyd County may be one of the economically poorer counties in the US, but it has a community spirit that makes life here much richer and more satisfying than in many places I have lived.

Last Sunday, about 450 people packed the Jacksonville Center in Floyd to participate in the Empty Bowls Event, a benefit for the Backpack Project which sends food home with Floyd County students who do not have enough to eat. This event raised $6212 for New River Community Action which sponsors the Backpack project.

The annual Empty Bowls soup lunch offers an exceptional opportunity to benefit the less fortunate and socialize at the same time. To participate, you pay $10 for a bowl of homemade soup in a handcrafted bowl from a local potter and you get to keep the bowl and take it home.

The handcrafted bowls were donated by local potters and the soups were favorite family recipes donated by local volunteers.

The bowls were beautiful and there were at least twenty different delicious soups to select from. In addition, there were bowls of freshly made breads on every table which were constantly being refilled.

Local musician/composers Martin Scudder and Bernie Coveney provided musical entertainment during the two hour long event.

I did not get an exact count, but it appeared that there were more than 30 volunteers involved in organizing and putting on this splendid event.

It was hard making a choice of soups because they were all delicious, but I finally settled on a Brunswick stew which was one of the best I have ever had. Many thanks to whoever was responsible for making it.

I was delighted to hear that they will be producing a soup cookbook of Empty Bowls Recipes for next year. They can sign me up for a copy anytime.

Floyd is a place like few others. Read my early impressions as a new settler, to get a taste of what a closely-connected rural community can offer.