"Leaving Freeport"

Leaving Freeport

Last week, I was sitting at the stop sign waiting for an opportunity to turn onto the highway heading toward Lake Jackson and I saw this cloud.  I don't know why it intrigued me so, but for some reason it made me think of one of those heavy, ominous clouds that show up in the science fiction movies right before some little green man says, "Take me to your leader..." (or something like that).  There's a lot of construction along this stretch of highway right now, and in addition to liking the looks of the cloud, I also liked the contrast of the blue sky, the less-than-perfect grass growing along the pavement, and the sandy scars left behind by the road crew equipment.

Taken with my Canon G10.  Shutter speed 1/1000, Aperture f/4.0, Focal length 6.1mm, ISO 80.

Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

The Random Life of ME: The Four Brothers

The Random Life of ME: The Four Brothers: "Imagine This... Four men sitting around a fire. Think Father Christmas from Narnia. Old Norse warriors. Battle scarred and weary. Firelig..."

A beautiful little story written by my daughter! Enjoy!

A Golden Opportunity

Let me just say that an opportunity has presented itself that may allow me to share my love of photography with others, while increasing my own knowledge in this area.  Nothing is definite yet, but very exciting possibilities loom on the horizon. 

A New Addition to the Family

It's a bit late in the evening, but I had to hop on for a second to say that we found a vehicle to replace my old truck (which was recently totaled in a wreck ... thankfully the truck was the ONLY casualty ... all people walked away unharmed)!  I scoped out the Consumer Reports commentaries online until my eyes felt as though they'd fall out of my head.  For some reason, I kept being drawn to the Kia Sportage, specifically anything made in 2006 or later.  Prior to that year, CR gave the Sportage really lousy marks, but in 2006 they got their act together and built a really good vehicle.

I located one not terribly far from where we live (maybe 50 miles?) ... a 2007 Kia Sportage, 63K miles ... a pretty green with a a black interior.  Selling price $10,999.  Which is right in line with what CR says this vehicle should sell for.  We drove it and were sold.  It drives well, the interior is in GREAT condition, lots of cargo space, and the Carfax report shows that the previous (and only) owner had the car serviced regularly at the dealership where it was purchased ... the only sticky wicket is that the previous owner was a smoker.  Archer Kia in Houston promises me that they have a detailing technique that will get the smell out of the vehicle.  So tomorrow around 1:00 p.m., I should be able to pick up my "new" vehicle and it should be smoke-free. 

I will be sure to take some photos and post them for you.  I'll be needing to think of a name for my new ride, too, so if you have any suggestions upon seeing her/him/it ... I'm listening. 

Did Our Doctors REALLY Graduate from Med School?

I'm looking for ways to make some "extra" money to pay off some debt and I noticed an article in Woman's Day Magazine about Twelve Ways to Make Money from Home. There are actually some really good tips in the article, and I'm investigating each one. One of the websites recommended is called "Fiverr". The premise is to take whatever talent you have and sell it for $5. There are people who will proofread papers for $5, send your child a letter from Santa Claus for $5, write your name in the sand, photograph and email it to you for $5 ... you get the idea. In fact, there is a woman in the northeast who will write whatever message you want in the sand, photograph it, and email you the picture for $5. She makes about $300 a month doing this and can do between 10 to 15 messages in an hour. So six hours' work = $300. Not bad! For the most part, the listings are above-board and don't seem to be unethical. And then I saw this listing:

I will research and write your college or high school paper for $5.

As I scanned the "testimonials" of how great his work is, I saw these two:









Aside from the cheating aspect of the "service" being offered, does it disturb anyone else that "aliceyu" thinks she's gotten awesome grades from someone else's work or that "esterhauzy" got an "A" on ALL her MEDICAL SCHOOL work?

With the combination of Obamacare and medical school grads buying papers online, I'm going to be taking extra better care of myself in the days to come. Sheesh!

My "New" Scrapbooking/Craft Cabinet

I am so proud of this cabinet ... it is over 100 years old, having been originally part of one of the shops on the Strand in Galveston, Texas. At some point in its travels, it ended up in my mother-in-law's friend's barn and sat for about twenty years. When they sold their property, they had to get rid of everything they weren't keeping before the new owners moved in. So they asked if anyone wanted this cabinet ... for FREE. We jumped on it!

My husband managed to haul it home strapped to the tonneau cover of my pickup ... it was too wide to fit in the bed and too tall to safely move upright over 40 miles. It sat in our carport for two years because other things got in the way of our refinishing it. A few weeks ago, AJ finally was able to finish sanding it. A neighbor helped move it into the house (it is 72 inches wide and 84 inches tall ... it is BIG). And I began painting it. I don't really care for painting, but when the results are like this, I can suck it up and do what needs to be done!

Now I'll be able to consolidate all of my scrapbooking and craft supplies in one location, rather than having to hunt them down from the various cabinets and cubbies they are residing in at this time. Maybe I'll actually get more scrapbooking done, too. :)