Actually, I have a couple of them, and neither of them is my husband. *Disclaimer - My husband, Peter, is useful, too . . . but in different ways. Let me introduce you to Tom.

As my craft business began to grow, logistical problems were popping up every step of the way. "How can I make those key racks hang better?" "How do I build a custom display unit to hold these things?" "How can I (fill in the blank) without spending any more damn money?" The answer? Find a retired guy who used to work in the trades, and happens to live next door to you. They usually have more tools than God, and have something in their DNA that makes them want to tinker, putter, and fix things all day, every day. And they're curious.

Example: After Peter and I set up my show tent in the back yard for the first time, our neighbor, Tom, mosied over while we were trying to figure out how to weigh the tent down in case of wind without using stakes.

After hearing our dilemma, he said, "Peter, come with me, I got something that'll work, but I need you to carry it." They disappeared into Tom's garage and came back with this Otis Elevator 50 lb iron weight that he just happened to have.

He also happened to have 3 more of them - one for each corner. Problem solved, and BINGO, I had found that 'guy' I was looking for. Next time, I'll tell you what Tom did when he wasn't able to solve my one of my problems.

Stay tuned.