The Detroit Free Press just ran a section on the Top Workplaces ‘10. In this article 41,000 workers spoke about the top states workplaces. Employees basically stated that 6 reasons really made a difference in the workplace. They were rated on importance factors.

The first being direction.
75% believed that organization and direction in the workplace was a key factor to the work place. They approved of the strong values and ethics.

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Spike continues to be a topic of interest around The Depot and from first time visitors.

One of the most popular questions and points of confusion is how a soft looking and fuzzy haired yellow cat acquired the name “Spike.” A consistent mindset is because of The Depot being connected to the railroad, and hence “Spike” because of railroad spikes.

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“Make one person happy each day, and in forty years you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time, at least.” -Charley Willey

Who can you make smile right now? That is your challenge of the day. We all need laughter in our lives. Giving people a little humor and entertainment leaves them with a good feeling of upbeat enthusiasm. It can be great for businesses, families, and friends.

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Our summertime friends helped us celebrate Casey.

Conor and The Rose Lizard Club sign

Casey named this club the “Rose Lizards.” We made special friends at the family cottage. These friends are people you don’t see on a daily basis and sometimes they may be just summertime friends. I love these friendships, because you pick up where you left off and never skip a beat in conversation or in sharing a story or two.

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The family cottage is a fabulous place for new beginnings and perfect endings. August is National Picnic Month. There is no better way than celebrating with family and friends – birthdays or holidays – at the family cottage, than with a picnic. So pull out your blue and white checkered table cloth (or red and white checkered) and a wicker picnic basket.

I grew up with Yogi Bear and he loved pic-a-nics. To Yogi every day ended in a fabulous picnic filled with jelly sandwiches. (My teens do not even know who Yogi Bear was.)

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A cottage in northern Michigan is a way of life. It is a place with a purpose. It awakens the heart. There is passion and dreams at a cottage. There are water bays, beaches, bonfires, friends, family, pets, and vineyards with great wineries. A cottage is a feeling of peace. This becomes a beautiful place to be, especially when you don’t want to be anywhere else.

Cottage-law stands for:

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With every opportunity comes success and hard work when you pursue your God-given dream. With the purchase of the general law practice at The Depot in Suttons Bay, Michigan, came unique character and charm and an old barn cat named Spike.

Please understand that this barn cat is really not a cat you own, because having two cats myself, they really do own you. This barn cat weighs about 20 pounds, even though he is on diet food. Spike lives in The Depot. He hangs out in the rafters upstairs, but loves to greet people who come in for meetings and appointments. He greets everyone with a loud meow. Spike enjoys muffin bites (even though he should not) from my husband. When no one is around, Spike sprawls on my husband’s work space. Sometimes clients ask about him and bring him treats. Spike is very furry, so that he does sometimes mat up and need a good shave from the vet every now and then. He is happy when you talk to him.

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Did you know that just watching and listening to a water sprinkler on your lawn provides solace and serenity. Our chocolate Labradors back from their vacation at the lake and family cottage seem eager to chase squirrels and lay in the sun on the moist grass in their own yard. What a beautiful day in July. We finally got a break from the humidity for a few days.

The labs enjoying air conditioning tire from sunning outside and decide to siesta in the family room. Jake, our chocolate lab, probably dreaming about the lake vacation romp at the family cottage, promptly starts snoring. Ahh – the life of a dog. Our backyard has a pond with four fish. The water rushes over rocks giving that soothing sound. The scenery changes at home. There is no big lake or cottage to sit by, but there is peace in the backyard with the birds chirping and butterflies flying on the bushes. Returning from a cottage always amazes me at how much you miss the beauty of the water.

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To watch a Labrador Retriever swim in the lake is like watching a sea otter. Their heads are above water and they meander with such ease in the water. Our chocolate labs have grown up swimming at our family cottage in Suttons Bay, Michigan. This year, a family friend took them for a weekend vacation to their lakeside family cottage near Elkhart, Indiana. Now if you have never owned a lab, they love the water. These beautiful creatures believe this is paradise at its best. Labs have webbed feet. If you spread their paws, there is a built-in paddle – each webbed paw is in the in-between parts like a duck. They can spend more time swimming after a stick or a ball, until you have to declare the game is over.

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.
– Milan Kundera

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The Cottage-Law Dogs of Summer!

Our beautiful chocolate Labradors summer with us at the family cottage. Each year, they become dogs at the beach. They love the water and would jump off the docks in Suttons Bay, Michigan to swim. It’s usually Ginger first, and then Jake.

This year, a family friend offered to give our labs a vacation at a farm in Elhart, Indiana. I hope you enjoy the photos and their adventures on the farm. Ginger is the princess and very mild mannered and then there is Jake – the lab who does everything with robust and character. My husband and I should have known why he was the last puppy left in the litter.

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