This sculpture was spotted on Highway 290 near Johnson City, Texas. It’s at the intersection of the road that leads to The Benini Foundation Galleries & Sculpture Ranch. We’ve never been there but are considering. Perhaps when the heat has moderated a bit. (It is, after all, in Texas.) Oh and just so you know, the bull is anatomically correct in most details.

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Mary Jane (with blue eyes) and Taylor visit with Grayson. Mary Jane & Taylor live with several other cats & a dog, so they’re used to anything, including hissing. Currently, Grayson is an only child.

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Here’s the same flower as last week, a little closer to how it really looks.

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OK, I think I’m the only person on the planet that remembers that song. Or did I imagine it? At any rate, here’s a rather stylized rendition of a Bird of Paradise. Next week I’ll show you something closer to the real thing!

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Why is it that so many people think that if you’re working at home that you’re not really working. It really does seem to be a very common thought.
My first encounter was when I was working in corporate America but was working from home b/c of some health issues. Perhaps that comment was meant as a joke as it came from a co-worker who also worked at home. She mentioned something about working from home and then added the “wink wink, nudge nudge” to the end of her sentence. It may have been her own frustration b/c she had encountered the same resistance and resentment from management and co-workers.
Just over three years ago, I left corporate America and went into business for myself. I’ve been doing it from my house. No reason to find me an office for one person. At first it was my dad who thought I wasn’t working. I could kind of accept it. He was older and didn’t quite ‘get’ the concept of making a living out of my house with a computer.
But recently, I’ve had several encounters that told me that a lot of people don’t think of me as working. First there was the friend who thought I was retired. (Yes, I took early retirement, but I never really said I was retiring.) Then another friend thought that my web site business was more of a hobby than a business. And just last week, I was talking to a friend that is a school teacher. She mentioned that she would be out of school starting next week and suggested we could get together and go here and there. And she ended with “I won’t be working.” And I replied, “Well I am.” Her reply was that I was, but not really. I think she meant that I could set my own hours. But it sounded more like she thought I didn’t really work. Don’t tell that to the guy who just hired me to build his web site.
Do you know someone who works from home?
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Just as long as it’s just you and me. Can you believe the size of this car? The brand name on the back just said “smart”!

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I just read this article from BBC called “What makes a cyber criminal?” Cyber crime is seriously on the rise. While it may seem there’s little you can do about, the article actually hints at things you can do.
This is what one Brazilian cyber criminal had to say: “I buy small things - mobile phones, cameras - so that people don’t even know I’ve been using their credit cards.”
The article also says:
Fabio works on the rational principle that only a minority of credit card holders check their statements carefully.
Even if they did, they might think twice before reporting a minor theft to the police. And he also knows it is highly unlikely that the police will have the resources to pursue him.
I happen to be in that minority. When I get bank statements, I check every entry against what I know I have spent. Nothing gets past me. I even refuse to download information from my bank to Quicken because it would make it too easy for me to miss something.
It really surprised me to learn that other people do not do this. I’m married to one. He insists he can track it in his head. Maybe, I know I couldn’t. And, I once had a co-worker who would go online to her bank to know how much money she had. Never once did she track what she actually spent - either through checks or debit cards. Just what cleared the bank. To me, that is living dangerously.
I get really anxious if I don’t get a receipt, too. I keep track of all those pieces of paper. That’s why it irritates me to see the bank card commercials where they want everyone to just swipe their card. No signature, no receipt. I totally disagree with that. As I also disagree with the no signature for charges under $25. Some petty criminal could steal a card and run up a lot of charges, keeping just under the $25 limit.
What about you? Do you track your expenses? Would you notice an extra $25 charge on your account? How about $50? Would you report it?
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