AsktheBuilder.com Issue #1330 (Not Sure!)

March 30, 2025

Dear ,

The past seven days have been a whirlwind.

I was on an emotional rollercoaster only because I received an unexpected phone call while sitting in the Baltimore airport B15 gate area on Wednesday morning.

The youngest daughter of a dear friend of mine called me. She shared her dad was in hospice. Dave's hourglass was running out of sand.

The news choked me up and I had a hard time talking. Tears started flowing and the other passengers around me surely wondered what was happening as I struggled with the wretched news.

I did my best to compose myself telling Kate, "Please lean over your Dad, whisper in his ear that I love him. Be sure to mention that I'm going to miss him." Kate started sobbing too and said she'd fulfill my request.

The call ended. Waves of grief continued to sweep over me like storm-tossed sea water crashes on a rocky shore as I sat with a blank stare looking at planes floating in the air on final approach.

What does this have to do with you?

Everything.

Stop what you're doing now and call or visit those people in your life that are important to you.

Get out a shovel. Bury all of the hatchets you've been carrying around.

You do know the STRONGEST person is the one that extends the olive branch, right?

Be strong. Be brave.

Curating the great memories I have about my friends who have passed helps me deal with my grief.

Read this story about my best friend Richard Anderson.

Read this missive about the brother I never had, Mike Wilson.

I'll be writing about Dave soon.

Rhetorical question: What will be written about YOU when you pass? If you don't already have a deep and lasting legacy, get busy creating one. It's never too late.

The KY Consult Trip

I pulled in my driveway at 1:45 AM this past Friday morning. I was reminded that three-hour layovers in airports are to be avoided at all costs if possible.

While I was in Baltimore eating dinner, I watched an older gentlemen mop up some stains on the gorgeous terrazzo floor in the main terminal walkway next to the huge food court.

I was drawn to his skills because he was the first person in decades that I've seen mopping a floor the best way. I intend to create a video of this method in my son's basement next week to show you.

After I finished eating, I gathered my trash and luggage. I put the trash in the can and walked up to the airport employee.

"Excuse me, sir. I've been watching you mop the floor the past five minutes. I was trained 59 years ago how to use a mop when I worked at a restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio. You're the first person I've seen that really knows the proper technique to ensure all the dirt ends up in the bucket."

The man's face lit up like the landing lights on a 737's wings. It's possible I was the first stranger in decades to tell him what a good job he did.

"Why thank you. I've been mopping floors for a very long time," he replied.

"Well, it's very obvious because you do a fantastic job."

I shook his hand and turned to walk to gate B13. Both he and I were better off for that encounter.

Have you ever thought about praising the work you see being done by others? Try it. You might be astonished by the person's reaction.

A Fantastic GPS App

I knew that I needed a great GPS app while I was on my consult trip. I would be walking a 25+ acre tract of land and needed to pinpoint all sorts of important features.

My primary goal was to capture the precise latitude and longitude coordinates of places I was standing.

I spent some time researching them and decided on the Save Location GPS app. 

WOW! This app did all I needed and MORE. I especially loved how it creates a direct link to Google Maps for each waypoint you save.

The app is easy to use. All of the functions are intuitive. Here's what the screen looks like when you open the app:

The Rolling Bluegrass Hills

It had been quite a few years since I had been in the rolling hills of central Kentucky. If you've not experienced this part of our great nation, add it to your bucket list.

The miles of well-kept wood fences and thousands of acres of fields that look like the fairways of Augusta National Golf Course will take your breath away just like Sonny Steele did to his ex-wife all those years ago.

Be sure you take the time to go to downtown Paris, KY. Walk down Main Street. You'll see amazing tributes like this in the sidewalks:

Count Fleet was the triple crown winner in 1943. Read all about this amazing horse here.

Don't forget to visit the wonderful small park dedicated to Secretariat while you're in Paris.

My client was very happy with the work I performed. We met with all sorts of people who are required to get the dream-home project moving forward.

Do you need HELP on one of your projects? Do you realize I can save you TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars? Do you know I can ensure your project is filled with happiness instead of STRESS?

CLICK HERE and select the best way for me to help you.

Decorative Fence Posts

Check out this photo. Tell me if you would like your fence to have a bit of a flair to it.

CLICK HERE to see a photo of a very cool fence I built at Kathy's request 35 years ago.

I'm pretty sure you'll like it.

The Southwest Survey

Twelve hours after I got home from the KY trip Southwest Airlines pinged me. They requested I complete a survey about my most recent flight back to NH.

Something told me to take the time to do it. I was tired and normally would have ignored it.

The survey was very detailed. At the end they asked me the all-important question:

What can we do at Southwest Airlines to make your next experience better?

You know the old saying, right? 

Be CAREFUL what you wish for.

I proceeded to unload on them about their horrible progressive DEI practices.

I ranted about how when I fly, I put MY LIFE in the hands of their pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, etc.

I shared I want the BEST PEOPLE with the BEST SKILLS to be Southwest employees. I don't want Southwest hiring a person to round out some stupid virtue-signaling quota.

Although I don't have the proof, I'm quite certain the pilot and first officer of a Southwest flight last week might have been DEI hires.

Did you see what happened days ago in Orlando, Florida?

CLICK HERE to watch the video and listen to the Air Traffic Control tower scream at the pilot to abort his takeoff in progress.

TELL ME HOW A PILOT AND FIRST OFFICER BOTH COULD ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.

#DoNotComply

Once bitten, twice shy...

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

The BEST Love Story of all time - well, maybe a close second.

That's enough for a Sunday morning.

Peace out.

Tim Carter (PhD, FullyAwakeology)

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Electromagnetic Adventures: www.W3ATB.com

My Pronouns: Told/You/So

Do It Right, Not Over!