The Long Trail Home Leads To Valhalla Ranch

Matt Littrell of The Long Trail Home has been on my mind.  He is now working to construct Valhalla Ranch, a small sanctuary for veterans that are affected by PTSD.  You know how I feel about that term but Matt doesn't care because he knows that post traumatic stress is a problem and he wants to help other veterans grow beyond it.

The other day I told somebody that they needed to get MADD to correct a problem they were having and that's exactly what Matt did.  He got MADD when one of his friends took their own life.  I didn't advise Matt to get MADD but that's what he did, he made a damn decision and started to work on Valhalla Ranch.  Good for you, Mr. Littrell!

I'm assuming that this was quite a shock to Matt's soon to be wife, Kristen.  Sure, Kristen was fine with supporting Matt in his dream of building a ranch where veterans could visit to clear the cobwebs from their mind, but the shock and pain pushed him beyond his having a dream and he started to work to turn his dream in to a reality.  Not an easy job for a young couple, but they have a mission.

Matt and Kristen could use your help.  Kristen has set up a gofundme page for Valhalla Ranch and it would be great if you would donate.  Seriously, they're needing 30K for this mission.  You're supporting the construction of bunk houses and fencing for the horses that Matt and Kristen have trained.

Thirty-thousand dollars and yet we sit around and say, "What's wrong with the younger generation?" Maybe the answer is that we have isolated ourselves so much that we won't believe in anybody from the younger generation.

C'mon, Matt set out to cross the United States on horseback and he did. Need more proof? Okay, it's on Kristen's shoulders.  She believed in his mission, stuck with him on The Long Trail Home and is training the horses that will be used on the ranch.  I guess she does some of that domestic dolly junk like cooking and cleaning too because it appears to me from the pictures she posts that there isn't a pizza shop very close to the ranch.  You can follow them on Twitter at MK Horsemanship or keep up with Matt and Kristen on facebook to watch their progress.

Most importantly, please donate to Valhalla Ranch through the gofundme page.  It's about freedom from miserable memories.
 

Social Media Tip

I do not claim to be the best person at using social media.  If you only heard the criticism that I receive on a daily basis you would probably laugh at me too!  I have to give it to people though because there is nothing that I love more than a good laugh but sometimes I would rather not be the brunt of the joke. Better me than you.  I was very young when I learned that if you can't take it, don't dish it out.  I love to dish it out!

One of my jobs today was to research keywords.  I haven't been hit with the comments yet on this but I did find this nice, free keyword tool.  I haven't run experiments with it and I doubt that I will use the 750 words that they offered but I still feel strong about social media being on the rise and I don't think it will hurt to get more creative when you are making posts.  Mind you, I don't pay for the service offered and I cannot say that I endorse it.  I was amazed that there are over 750 terms to use to promote construction.

On a side note, it appears that the "Labels" or keywords for this blog are limited to 200 characters. Darn it! I only had about forty more words to enter.

Just wanted to get this out there for you so that you can try it out for yourself.

Georgianna Hardware Corporation  

I Am Working On This

I keep taking on more and more and I feel awful that I can not give each one of you the attention you deserve.  This hit me last week when my web site actually posted a link to Balboa Capital. Talk about synergy!  Balboa Capital handles equipment leasing for all industries, including oil, gas and mining. They process small business loans too.  Google sure knows what they are doing!

I figured it out that I can dedicate 72 seconds per day to each of you.  Well, that's not going to give me any time to sleep and I probably won't get much of an opportunity to buy groceries but that's how my time would need to be scheduled.

I decided that I needed to simplify my contact information and have started to add this to my web site.  It's slow going because I never thought GHC would have so many contacts.  My mistake. Problem is that I realized I dislike filing.  I found a free rolodex to download and have piled all of my files on my desk so that I could once again go through each and every one of them.

Oh, and last week I reduced the number of people that I follow on Twitter.  I feel bad that I had to unfollow a few of the young artists that I had been following but seeing as a few of them have actually turned their dreams into a reality I doubt they are too worried about me.  

Lastly, GHC is legal for another year.  I filed the annual registration with the state so all systems are a go.  I am proud and happy to say that GHC will be around for another year!  

http://www.georgiannahardwarecorporation.com/

I Have Been So Wrong

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT;  I had this thought in my mind that we were very much alike and it was all about the solidarity but today I learned it isn't like that.  You can't imagine how hurtful it was for me to discover that only 2.86% of my blog readers like food AND drinks.

For your information, I like food and drinks and cookies are a favorite!  I encourage the other 97.14% of my readers to join the minority and say yes to food and drink in moderation.  :)

Georgianna Hardware Corporation

Grocery Store Fuel Points

Since I buy groceries and put gas in my car I use the fuel points offered from Kroger.  I usually get at least ten cents off of each gallon of gasoline that I buy.  I have even received thirty cents off!  Today my gas cost $2.14 per gallon.  Anything lower than the posted price helps make my day better but I've noticed a pattern recently.

My husband and son don't get the same satisfaction from using the fuel points as I do so I asked.

Me:  What's the big deal with using the fuel points here?

Son:  It's a huge hassle and doesn't save you that much money.

Me:  Swiping a card is a huge hassle?

Son:  It doesn't always scan properly.

Me:  But you save money.

Son:  It's a hassle.

I guess I was raised in a different time.  A penny saved is a penny earned time.  

Anyway, a friend pointed out to me that I get double fuel points if I purchase a gift card at Kroger.  I took her advice and that's probably how I got thirty cents off of each gallon of gas last month!

So I'm doing what everybody tells me is wrong to do because I won't make a penny by telling you about my experience and that's just too bad for them.  

Buying gift cards at Kroger can be a nice way to save money.  I've never been one to give gift cards as a gift but I've started to buy them when I buy my groceries.  Not for profit organizations are pleased to receive them and I wouldn't mind receiving one from the son this Mother's Day, even though it would probably be a hassle for him.

Georgianna Hardware Corporation

Note to son:  Gas prices have been a hassle as long as I can remember.

My mom wasn't happy when it hit $1 per gallon just as

 my grandfather wasn't pleased when it was thirty cents!  

Facebook Changes Again

Facebook is giving business users more accurate reports and they chose to do so by eliminating "likes" given by users that are inactive.  This is supposed to improve reports and should give up-to-date insights on the people who follow a business page.

I'm thinking this will only make it easier for facebook to sell their targeted marketing because they will have more specifics as to what users are interested in and you will notice an increase in the cost to advertise.

In the case of Georgianna Hardware Corporation, all businesses that "liked" the GHC page were deleted.  I did not see a decrease in my business page "likes" because businesses that "liked" the page were never reported in the total number of page "likes" visible to visitors but I did notice that my news feed was greatly reduced.

As for correcting this problem it seems only a human can "like" a page.  Mr. Z made some comment about names needing to be connected, not businesses.  I did have the thought of a few of my past rants about accountability but I squashed it like a bug when it turned into a current event issue! Anyway, I haven't found a way around their new policy.

If I find any way we can get around having every business under our personal account I will let you know.  In the mean time, Toyota Lift of Minnesota published The #FBLT Facebook B2B Listing 700+ Strong on February 25, 2012.  It's always a good reference. You are welcome to join the FBLT on Google+ community.  Considering the Google-Twitter partnership made recently your business should be taking a close look at their social networking strategy.  

~Kara Miller 

http://www.georgiannahardwarecorporation.com/

Arrowhead Systems, Inc., Conveyor and Production Solutions

Arrowhead Systems, Inc. is an industry leader in providing conveyor, packaging machinery and line productivity solutions to customers in the food, beverage, personal care, container manufacturing, household products, pharmaceutical and many other industry sectors. The companies of Arrowhead Systems have a rich history of innovation and quality that extends back over 60 years.

Products in the Arrowhead Systems family include conveyor lines and material handling solutions from Arrowhead Conveyor, Busse/SJI Bulk Palletizers and Depalletizers, Busse/SJI Warmers, Coolers and Pasteurizers, Priority One conventional and robotic Case Palletizers and NeXtconveyor Sanitary Conveyor Systems.

Please visit Arrowhead Systems, Inc. online.  You can follow them on Twitter @ArrowheadSystem and "Like" their facebook page via this link . 

www.georgiannahardwarecorporation.com