December 23, 2016 AsktheBuilder Christmas Message
It's a glorious bluebird day here in central NH. The sun has been up for about 30 minutes or so.
Two days ago, the Winter Solstice happened about ninety minutes before sunrise. It's my favorite day of the year because after that point, there's more daylight each day if you live north of the Equator.
I want to first wish you a very Merry Christmas. It's going to be a good one here at the Carter house.
This past week Kathy has been baking all of her traditional cookies and other delicacies and I've been loitering around the kitchen telling her that we should "test" everything to ensure there's no poison in anything.
After forty-two years of marriage, she wasn't buying what I was selling. Every now and then she'd relent and allow me to have a warm and moist cookie or pastry fresh out of the oven.
One of my absolute favorite pastries she makes is a date bar recipe that's to die for.
Then there's the ginger cookies and the buckeyes. This year I suggested that we double dip the buckeyes and even make little rolls or peanut butter cylinders instead of round balls.
That went over like a lead balloon. I'm going to try making a batch myself.
Next week I'm going to take a day off and drive down to Mordor. That's what we call Boston around here. If you've driven around Boston, then you might understand why that name is appropriate.
I'm going to do a day of amateur radio *activating*, hopefully, at least four - if not five - National Park properties in and around Boston. I'm participating in the National Parks on the Air event. Click that link to understand what an *activator* does.
Right now, I'm the top activator in New Hampshire with a slim lead of just one! I've activated seventeen National Park units and the #2 radio operator has done sixteen. I want to make sure I end up on top as the event ends next Saturday at 6:59 pm Eastern Time.
If you live in and around Boston and want to try to do a fast meet up, let me know and I'll see if we can pull it off. I'm thinking that I'm going to come down next Thursday or Friday.
What's Happening in 2017?
Next week I'll spend a few days doing lots of planning for 2017.
Here's the first order of business:
Publish my Roofing Ripoff expose' book. I should have that ready for you no later than the third week of February.
If you've got a newer, say less than three-year-old asphalt shingle roof, then you absolutely need this book. Your asphalt roof is falling apart before your eyes - see all those granules tumbling off the roof? - and I have a magic thing you can do to make your roof last for decades instead of the six or seven more years you'll maybe get out of it.
If you're going to be installing a new roof in the spring, you NEED this book. You want to get the best shingles and you also need my magic discovery.
It will be available as a .pdf download, on Amazon Kindle and as a paperback.
I'm also going back into the small eBook publishing business. I need your help and you'll see a survey just after January 1st. The survey will allow you to take partial ownership of this new project.
I want YOU to tell ME what you want me to help you with.
I've decided that you, and especially the millennials, might need small picture and video eBooks showing you how to do simple and intermediate repair jobs around your home.
Do you agree? I'm going to do ten free ones to start. I'll want your feedback on the first few to get the format just right.
The next big thing for 2017 is a huge deal that's just starting to come to fruition. I can't tell you much about it at this point, but here's what you need to know.
If this deal happens, you're going to see LOTS more of me and the deal will provide the much-needed resources I've wanted for about the past fifteen years to EXTRACT much of the accumulated knowledge in my brain so it can be used by you to save time and money.
That's confusing and cryptic isn't it? But hang with me.
You're going to be able to HELP me make this deal come true.
How?
Just after the first of the year, I'm going to ask you to go to a local store in your city or town and purchase something. It's an astounding product and it's not expensive. I guarantee you it's something you can use around your home.
I'm also going to ask you to take the time to find the store manager or the owner and tell her / him something.
If you do these two things, then you'll set the wheels in motion to make the deal happen that much faster.
Stay tuned for all these exciting things!
2017 could quite possible be the best year for both you and me.
Let's make it happen together!
Please have a great Christmas with your friends and family. I know I'm going to do that.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and once again I ask that you watch the following video (click the link just below) and listen oh so closely to what Old Rose says to the explorer after he lets the Heart of the Ocean necklace slip through his fingers.
The words Old Rose speaks should be your touchstone for this Christmas and the rest of your life.
Once again, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I'll be back next week with more news and home improvement tips!
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
HO HO HO!
Do It Right, Not Over!