News & Events

Summer Fun!

June 01, 2009

If Dogs Were the Boss

June 26th is Take Your Dog To Work Day

At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we carry a full line of pet gifts and gift baskets. This summer I have the opportunity to be a vendor at several Dog Agility Trials being held in the area so I have been spending a lot of time around dogs. Those of you who know me know I love dogs so being at the tirals is a real treat. The trials are several days long and are very interesting but there is a lot of down time while the arena is changed for each event. Time for lots of thinking.

The dogs that participate in agility work are AMAZING animals. Their handlers are pretty amazing too. I hate to say it but some of these dogs are smarter than some people I know. Anyway, I started thinking about what good qualities dogs have that would make them good business owners. Here are a few:

Dogs are happy creatures who would always greet clients with excitement and enthusiasm. Dogs would make every client feel like the most important person in the world.

Dogs know that barking is annoying, so they don't do it often. That way, when they do bark, people listen.

Dogs wouldn't confuse chasing their tails with chasing what is really important. Agility dogs are very goal oriented and practice, practice, practice their craft. They are focused on their goals.

Dogs wouldn't growl at the mailman because the mailman sometimes bring treats.

Dogs love to learn. Learning new things keeps them young.

And this is important, dogs wouldn't bite because they know that biting never leads to a good ending.

Dogs are just plain fun to be around. Who else listens to us sing and agrees with everything we say?

Greener Pastures

This morning I was again reminded about how fortunate I am. Driving down Florence Road, just into Easthampton, I got to witness a most beautiful morning. Flowering trees and shrubs along the road were in full bloom. The bright pinks, whites, yellows, and purples against the greens of the lawns, fields and hills painted a stunning picture, all for me. Seconds later I came into the intersection with Route 10 where the view of Mt Tom litterally "took my breath away".

I hope everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the area today and for generations to come. We need to preserve all that is good and beautiful with our environment but we need to be smart about it. You’ve probably noticed the word "green" is popping up everywhere. That's great, but it's everywhere. Millions messages and ideas coming at us constantly. I saw an ad for environmentally friendly house paint the other day. Drinking water is good for you but drinking it from a bottle is bad for the environment. I read an article that said that brewing your own beer was more environmentally friendly than buying it. I'm sure that's true but is it practical? To tell you the truth I'm already greened out.

At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we believe that taking care of your gift giving needs is our busines and taking care of the environment is our responsibility. We have been employing environmentally responsibile practices since we opened our doors in 1998.

We reuse and recycle as much material as possible.
When printing we use both sides of the paper for internal memos, reduce the font size to save space and buy refilled ink cartridges.
We have instituted an e-invoicing program instead of printing and mailing invoices.
We send our newletters and marketing information via e-mail.
We shop our suppliers on their websites, not via printed catalogs and when possible we use local suppliers to reduce shipping.

Not only are these practices environmentally sound, they are cost effective too.

E-mail me and let me know what "easy" things you and your company do to be more environmentatlly responsible and I will send you an eco friendly gift. Sorry, I'll have to send it via mail, but I'll use an envelope of recycled paper!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

The Bears are coming, the Bears are coming to Easthampton! The Easthampton City Arts Council is hosting Bear Fest 2009. This major event features life sized (fiberglass) bears that have been decorated and/or painted by local artists. The grand unveiling will take place on June 13, 2009 at the Municipal Parking Lot on Cottage Street. The days event starts at 2 p.m. You'll be able to meet the artists and sponsors. I can't wait to see my friend Jill Lewis' Williston Button Bear and Casey Douglas' Astronaut Bear. A totally appropriate bear design since Casey is the owner and chef at Apollo Grill. Opa Opa Brewing Co will unveil its Bear Fest beer and Mt Tom's Homemade Ice Cream promises a special Bear Fest flavor ice cream!

Pick up your “Bear Track” map and track each bear's location. The locations were plotted out to make a nice "walking tour" of the area. Be sure to bring your camera! Finish up the day with "Art Walk" from 5 until 8 p.m. It should be a fun filled day in Easthampton!

Don't forget to stop by the Studio at Eastworks. During Bear Fest we will be featuring our Bear-y-Special Gift Basket. This sweet gift basket is a great way to say Happy Birthday, Get Well, Congratulations to the New Mom or Just Because!

Bear Fest 2009 will run until October when it will end in a City-wide, week-long celebration and auction of the Bears. The event and auction are expected to draw thousands of tourists to Easthampton and the town has a huge welcome mat out!

For more information you can visit the official website at http://easthamptonbearfest.com/.

June is Adopt A Shelter Cat Month

If you or anyone you know is looking to share their home with a loving cat, please contact Anna at In Honey's Memory. If you can't adopt a cat, please consider making a donation of some kind. Purchase a Catnip Pillow for your own cat and we will make a donation to the Shelter. The cage free shelter is in need of supplies like laundry detergent, bleach and fabric softener. They also welcome volunteers. Thanks, Marie

June Dates to Remember

1st Go Barefoot Day
11th Nursing Assistants Day
14th Flag Day
21st Fathers Day
21st Summer Solstice
26th Take Your Dog To Work Day