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The Handyman Letter, April 2007
Since 1997, the official newsletter of "The Natural Handyman" website
Read this newsletter online: http://www.handymanletter.com/20070401.html 
Please forward a copy to your friends... they'll really appreciate it!

In This Issue:

1) Where Am I?  Good question!  … a message from the Natural Handyman

2) News from the Basement Annex... the "old" new Handyman Letter

3) Sweepstakes Central... New Winners, New Contests

4) Special discount offer from our contest sponsor "Roof Reviver"

1) Where am I?  Good question!  … a message from the Natural Handyman

I’ve been asking myself that question for close to a year… since the last Handyman Letter was delivered. Not that I’ve run out of ideas… there are many more do-it-yourself topics to be explored and problems to be solved. I’ve just run out of steam, at least for a while! The little engine that could has met a hill he is struggling to climb!

A lot has happened to me in the past year and a half, some good, some bad and a little ugly. A year and a half of a life-changing illness (and, thankfully, recovery) and closing the van doors on my home repair business were the lead headlines in a tough slog. Sure, I could complain but I’m wearing my new purple “Stop Complaining!” bracelet and my wrists are getting sore from switching it from side to side every time I lapse into self-pity!

But still the handyman… what I have been for nearly 30 years and will be till the day I die. The medieval Latin word for handyman is “factotum”… literally translated as “one who does everything.” Or at least tries. And over the years I’ve tried most everything with varying degrees of success. I’ve learned I’m not much of a salesman, really terrific at problem solving, can’t stand bosses, a reasonably successful self-taught writer and world-class procrastinator. Which is why it’s taken me nearly a year to send this email to you.

The “old” Handyman Letter is dead. (More about this below.) It was diagnosed as critical last summer when the aforementioned combination of personal and business events stopped its heart. Somehow, in the back of my mind I thought I’d charge up the paddles and send a jolt of inspiration into its soul… the soul that brought you 106 issues from 1997 to 2006. Yes, inspiration and perhaps a tad of love… the same love (and sometime obsession) that grew NaturalHandyman.com from a 10-page experiment in 1995 to today’s multi-thousand page home repair potpourri visited nearly 10 million people a year.

What else but love could explain my inexplicable determination to continue devoting thousands of hours at a time when hardly was making a living on the Internet, let alone covering expenses? Maybe I’m just a little crazy, too! In those early days, assisting thousands of people online with their home repair problems gave no guarantee of a reward aside from personal satisfaction. Imagine working a second job for 20 hours a week and the boss tells you that you “might” someday get paid! Might? Only a nut would work for that bloke!

Call me a nut, but I don’t regret a minute of it. Those of you who have been kind to me over the years with your comments and questions gave me inspiration to continue in spite of common sense’s call to pack it in. You were my muse. I hoped that at least some of you looked forward to my sometimes serious, sometimes flippant messages. I needed to think that some of you benefited from my efforts. We were a team… you were the coach and I was the young, undeveloped player with potential but no direction. Together, we developed something special.

As the Handyman Letter, at least in its original form, fades slowly into the distance, the music swells and the credits roll. Your name is the first and last on that revered list.

Thank you,

NH

2) News from the Basement Annex

SORRY if you received this newsletter twice!! Because there is some overlap between our old subscriber list and new contest entrants, you MIGHT receive two newsletters this month. It won’t happen next month, promise.

STUFF HAPPENS!
Just as we put the final nail in “old” HANDYMAN LETTER’s coffin, we received a post from Microsoft’s “Listbuilder”, the service that sent our newsletter for the past three years. It seems that M$ has decided to end the service. Talk about timing! Fortunately, we now have the option of in-house mailing that (hopefully) will keep more of our newsletters out of the spam box!

THE NEW FACE OF “THE HANDYMAN LETTER”
Though we will continue to use the name HANDYMAN LETTER, we will be using it primarily as an announcement letter for our contests. The new newsletter will inform entrants of new contests on and off our site, contest closings and winners, and “thank you” messages from contest sponsors. As time goes by, we may re-add some of the old features. We’ll just have to hook NH up to the car battery and see what happens!!

HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE TO THE "NEW" HANDYMAN LETTER?
When you enter a contest on our site, you will be added to our newsletter list for two months only… the month that you entered and/or the month when the contest ends. For example, if you enter a contest in April, you will receive our newsletter in May and again after the contest you entered closes. If you enter a contest every month, you will receive the announcement letter once a month.

I DON’T WANT THE NEWSLETTER. HOW DO I UNSUBSCRIBE?
Since we do not keep a continuous list from month to month, it’s up to you if you don’t want to receive our new newsletter.
     1) If you are currently a subscriber to “old” HANDYMAN LETTER, this is your last issue and your name will be removed from our list after today. Per our promise to you, we are not selling, renting or giving the list to anyone.
     2) If you prefer to not receive our announcements, just stop entering our contests. This mailing is a very small consideration to our contest sponsors, who receive no remuneration from us for their generosity aside from the opportunity to giveaway their products.

QUESTIONS??
Visit our site and click the “Comments” link at the bottom of any page to send a comment or question if there is something you wish clarified.

3) Sweepstakes Central

So much has happened since the last “old” Handyman Letter we don’t know where to start! First, we have now posted a year’s worth of closed contests and winners on the site. If we posted them here we’d run out of space!

Contests closed...

The Invest in Your Nest book giveaway ended April 1. Contest winners will be announced online and in this newsletter next month!

Also, the NH baseball cap winner for March will also be announced.

Congratulations to our latest contest winners...

Three contests closed in February. Here are the winners!

1) CUSTOM BUILT SPAS Instructional CD’s were given away to:
     G. Thomason of Troy, NC
     Z. Almasi of Blasdell, NY
     G. Dando of St. Petersburg, FL
     L. Schorel of Hudson, FL
     V. Mitchell of Silverado, CA

2) The ROOF REVIVER giveaway of roof cleaning products also ended.
The winner of 8lb of Roof Reviver and an electric pump kit was:
     N. Olson of Santaquin, UT
The winners of 8lb of Roof Reviver and a hand-pump spray kit were:
     G. Schultz of St. Paul, MN
     C. Conley of North Canton, OH

3) The winner of our NH LOGO BASEBALL CAP for February was:
     J. Hall of Dyersburg, TN

Thanks to everyone for entering!

NEW CONTESTS FOR APRIL...

Please note that some of these new contests might not be available online for a few days.

Win a $50.00 give certificate from LAMPS-LIGHTING.COM.
Win a roof cleaning package from ROOF REVIVER.
Win a copy of the WOODBURNERS COMPANION, the premier book for anyone who heats with firewood.

ALL CURRENT CONTESTS

Here are all our currently open contests.  You may enter once per  day.  Click any title to enter...

Win a copy of "Woodburner's Companion" by Dirk Thomas
(opening shortly - check back!!)

Win a $50.00 Gift Certificate from Lamps-Lighting.com (closes 12/1/07)

Win a Roof Reviver Roof Cleaning Kit (closes 1/1/08)

Win "Handyman Business" Instructional CD's (closes 8/1/07)

Win a copy of "Handyman Handbook" by David Koenigsberg (closes 9/1/07)

Win Custom Built Spas Instructional CD's (closes 10/1/07)

Win a Dremel 8000-01 Rotary Tool Kit (closes 11/1/07)

Natural Handyman Logo Expandable Attaché Case
(New giveaway  alternate months: May, July, Sept, Nov, Jan and Mar)

Natural Handyman Logo Baseball Cap (New giveaway every month)

To visit Sweepstakes Central, click HERE!

3) SPECIAL OFFER FROM ROOF REVIVER ROOF CLEANING SYSTEM

Dear Natural Handyman readers,

Thank you to everyone who entered the free ROOF REVIVER contest on The Natural Handyman.

“Roof ReviverT Roof Cleaner” is a premium quality product that safely removes and prevents destructive roof moss, algae, fungus and black streaks. Roof ReviverT is approved for shingles and does not contain harsh chemicals. Whether you're a do-it-yourselfer or a professional, Roof ReviverT has a method to prolong the life of your roof!

For a limited time we would like to extend a special offer to all Natural Handyman fans. Visit http://www.roofreviver.com and enter promotional code: "NaturalHandyman" during checkout and receive $15 off of orders over $49.

Looking for a Handyman?  We can help...

Our growing Natural Handyman Network now has over 1125 handymen and women, reaching thousands of cities and towns from sea to shining sea. Yes, even Hawaii and Alaska! Get your own devoted and skilled handyman ready, willing and able to help you with those pesky home repair chores! Does it get any better than that?

The Natural Handyman Network has NO FEES charged to you or our listed handymen, so their prices don't need to include them!!  And we don't ask for any personal information from you to view our listings.

Simply, our single-minded goal is to help you find the home repair assistance you need!

Visit the Natural Handyman Network!

"The Handyman Letter", formerly the "Natural Handyman Newsletter", is a publication of The Natural Handyman website.  This newsletter is sent to recent contest entrants only.

The Natural Handyman is a project of G. George Ventures, Inc.   Please visit The Natural Handyman for information concerning terms of use, copyrights, liability, and other such information.

This newsletter and its contents are for informational purposes only. Because we cannot control the conditions under which our advice or suggestions are implemented and we cannot anticipate any unusual or unique circumstances of your situation, we cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage that may occur because of their use.

Home repair can involve dangers from tools and situations that can cause severe bodily harm or death. Many chemicals used in home repair can be dangerous or deadly. Please use good judgment and caution in undertaking any home repair, read all product instructions and cautions, and do not attempt any repair or project that you are not mentally or physically capable of doing. Not even professionals are immune to injury!

All advertisements, sponsors, website links and their descriptions are for informational / educational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of the products, services or information offered at those sites. Each site is responsible for its own content, design, software and privacy policies.

To send comments or questions about this newsletter or our websites, click HERE. You may also mail positive comments, helpful suggestions, or donations to: 

The Natural Handyman; 16 Hilltop Drive; Canton, CT 06019

 COPYRIGHT 2007 G. George Ventures, Inc., All rights reserved.