Does this look like a furnace to you?

Wow, look at that traction! In spite of a crunched hood, it's climbing a mighty steep grade! (Yes, someday I will learn how to rotate photos, or else take them with my phone so they're right side up!)
So, back to the question of the moment - does that image to the left look a furnace? Well, it is. Use your imagination - three years ago, we knew we needed a new furnace some time soon. Last January, the point was brought forcefully home when our furnace conked out. Patched together, it limped through the rest of winter, but would not survive another season. (The solemn sound of "Taps" plays in the background.) Sadly, we did not have a furnace fund. We began praying for help to get a furnace to get us through the upcoming winter. Then our son was in a non-life-threatening car wreck, totaling this car and bringing in enough money for a new furnace.
This whole thing reminds me of "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. What? You didn't read "The Monkey's Paw?" Why not? Oh, all right, you really should read it, but basically it is built around a mummified monkey's paw that grants wishes... at a price. In order to bring about wealth, loved ones die, generating high life insurance payments. It's creepy good. You should read it on a cold winter night. Go ahead. I dare you.
We're glad it was only the car that had to die so we could be warm this winter.
So what about you? What potential disaster has turned into a blessing in your life?

Creative Marketing - and partial photo success!

I finally figured out how to install my photos myself! (But the PhotoShop make-it-look-good technicalities are still pending...Bob turned the photo of me and my great-nephew right side up, but you'll have to tip your head for the one of my sister. I downloaded it all by myself! Yay-uh!)
So, I was at the County Fair painting faces next to a soldier booth raffling a rifle for money to send to troops. They were doing a fine business. One of the guys in uniform asked if I would give part of my face painting money to the soldiers if they sent business my way. Sure! So every person he talked to was directed toward my booth. Sweet! I gave a dollar out of five for each face painting from the soldier booth. That was creative of him, and it worked for me, too. It made me ponder on ways I could piggyback with other businesses to sell more books. Captivating thinking!
What piggyback marketing ideas have you come across?

Grrr, Grrr, and double Grrr!

I want to hibernate because I hate it when I have to change programs and can't figure out how to make the new ones work! I can do everything on the Dell computer that died (which death trapped my website with it), but this Apple staring me in the face and laughing silently at the funny faces of despair I make is unfathomable! I can't access the photos I have to illustrate blogs about a really WEIRD looking furnace, a mah-velous marketing example, and my green face, but I don't know how to get them where they need to go to download on this blog! Argh! Grrr! Burp! (Burp? Oh, excuse me!)
I will corner Bob for ANOTHER instruction on picture manipulation so you can revel in my photo brilliance next week. I WILL LEARN THIS, even if I have to turn this hard-drive-hearted computer to applesauce!
What frustrates you?

What's Your Hawaiian Name?

In doing research for a new book, I came across this delightful site that translates your name into Hawaiian (unless you already have a Hawaiian name.) Since the closest I've come to Hawaii is my complete collection of Magnum P.I. episodes on DVD, it was fun to spend a few minutes looking up my name, my husband's, sons', family pets... Try it! Click here: MY HAWAIIAN NAME!
Until I get there, I'll just have to dream up tropical island adventures.
Where is a place you dream of going?