Lots to Discuss

So I'd better get to it.

I know I have been quite absent from Internet life as of late. There is a reason for this, and I'm about to share it with you.

As many of you know, in June of 2008 I was able to finally procure a lab space outside of our house (well, barn) for the Panda. Not only did this make my productivity skyrocket, but the space was no-cost to me, as it was a barter arrangement. It was a win-win for the owner and myself. Well, in January of this year, the owner of the space got a paying offer on the place and I had to drag everything back up the road to our house. I know that this isn't a failure on my part or anything, but psychologically it was a very large blow.

Moving the Panda back into the house and out of its own lab space has been greatly detrimental to my overall productivity. In the last eight weeks I have found more and more things on my to-do list have been falling to the wayside simply because there is not enough time or room. Chores go half-finished or untouched. Orders are taking longer and longer to fill due to the limited space. Meals have mostly been haphazard and last-minute, meaning lots of frozen meals and pizza. I haven't seen the floor in my office for nearly a month, there's so many piles of paperwork (both personal and business) stacked up in there.

All of this has finally forced me to make a decision that has been a long time coming: I'm going to have to cut some things from the Panda's catalog, specifically certain varieties of hot-process soap. It is not a decision I make lightly; I know a lot of you love my soap bars, but there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to keep up with all the current soap varieties AND introduce new ones that have cleared the R&D stage. Also, they aren't selling as well as they used to be, thanks in no small part to my curious aptitude for making cute little shaped soaps. (As an example, most of our Christmas sales this year were for the shaped soaps rather than full bars. Nearly 89%, if I remember correctly.)

It just makes fiscal (and mental) sense to change the catalog a bit. I'm not going to be a soaper forever, so I may as well do what works well while the gumption is still there. Besides, the shaped soaps allow me more creative freedom, and that is something I desperately need right now to appease my inner yeti.

I really hope you guys won't hate me for this. As soon as I have decided what products will be going away, you lot will be the first to know.

Another reason for my online hiatus this quarter was due to personal ailments (my eczema reared its ugly head after YEARS of leaving me in peace AND I busted my right foot), home and office improvements (we now have an ACTUAL ceiling in the barn!) and two deaths in the family. I do not remember if I mentioned this here, but one of our beloved fur-kids, Shaina the Peik-a-poo, died of a heart attack while we were away for the Christmas holidays. If you all remember the last time we attempted to take a vacation, you'll know why I am beginning to think that we are just not supposed to travel to Florida.

The other dearly departed family member was my Great-Aunt Mickey. She finally succumbed to her long battle with cancer early this year. Putting her affairs in order has been an epic adventure, involving lawyers and family members from three different states. I've typed up so many letters and read over so many documents my eyeballs are in danger of giving up the ghost in protest. For all that, most of what she had will most likely be liquidated to pay her outstanding medical bills, and that's just fine by me. I would rather her more immediate family be freed of the burden of debt than to see a penny of it for myself.

So, dear readers, I'm back. We are gearing up for Carolina Spirit Quest in April and we will be there with bells on. Beyond that, we are currently only committed to Central Carolina Pagan Pride Day. There will be other shows, but as of right now nothing is set in stone.

All that said, life is not too shabby. Now if the weather here in North Carolina would just make up its mind, things would be golden. . .