nce upon a time, I printed a little newsletter called The UpBeet Gardener. This was before e-mailed newsletters, mind you. It was fun to publish, though printing, folding and applying all the stamps took a full day. Topics included organic gardening and photography tips, unusual recipes, lifestyle ideas and inspirations. The newsletter was part of my www.plantea.com, a website featuring PlanTea (plant + tea), a tea bag-size, organic fertilizer I developed and patented.
I know, 1996 seems like ancient history in web-speak, yet the site did reach people. Soon it soared to a Number One position on Google, and stayed there for three years–mostly due to the numerous articles I posted.
Needless to say, I gave up licking stamps and posted the newsletter online. Within several years, The UpBeet Gardener developed subscribers in 70 countries.
But things change. In 2001 we started Galley Gourmet, a gourmet dinner cruise business on our 42-foot yacht, built a new home and opened the Cliff House B&B here in Kodiak, Alaska. So while I no longer sold PlanTea (though I’m still looking for an interested buyer), folks still asked about the newsletter. Subscribers sent emails wondering what I was up to. “I’d like to receive your newsletter,” they wrote. And I wanted to stay in touch, too.
So, that brings us to the present…
Thank you for being here,
