Things I've Thought About

Tortoise Race

2006-12-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hi, it's me again. I know you're wondering why I'm showing you a photo of a couple of tortoises.

Well, here's the deal. Last February I was searching for something to keep me occupied when Tom and I retire. I always wished I knew more about website design, but it was always just a jumble of information and I could never seem to create anything that truly was worth looking at.

That is when I discovered Site Build It!

If you've ever, EVER, wished you had a website of your own. If you've ever, EVER wished you could work from home and make enough to quit your day job. If you've ever even dreamed for one fleeting moment of having the freedom to travel, work when you want, do what you want whenever you want, you have absolutely GOT to look at this.

March 1 is the day I purchased my website. Today, Southwestern Dream Home is in the top 2% of all websites on the internet. Now that is exciting!

You might think you can't do it, but I promise you that if you are a human being you have something you can build a website about. It's that simple. Every human being knows something they can write about and make money. Or you might want to know about something bad enough that you could write about it, and in the process you will learn.

Besides being in the top 2% of all websites at Alexa, my site is already beginning to make money. Ok, so I can't live off the income yet, but my site makes over a hundred dollars a month whether I do anything or not. The income from the site is going up each month, and that income will continue indefinitely. It's like having an investment that pays dividends.

Yep, in 9 months time I've created the same amount of income as I could get from a $40,000 CD.

So could you do it too? Could you quit your day job and spend your life traveling the world, lying on a beach somewhere, working when you want to? Think this is all hype? Nope! This is the first real, solid, internet income producing idea I've ever had the opportunity to try.

And yes, there are SBI! webmasters that quit their day job, travel the world, lie on a beach somewhere, and do what they want, when they want. (See proof of what I'm telling you.)

The tortoises? They're the mascot of SBI! It's just a way of saying this is no Get Rich Quick scheme. Slow and steady wins the race as they say. SBI!ers are people that learn that Rome is not built in a day, and neither is a successful website. It takes time, work and determination. But mostly, it takes a desire to keep at it and never give up. Just like the tortoise.

And you may be the next winner.

Another stop on our trek West

2006-12-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

November was eventful in many ways for us. We took one of our longest trips to date, and visited dozens of awesome places. For three weeks we traveled through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, bringing our life closer to the goal of retirement in Tucson, Arizona.

I'll be updating my websites Southwestern Dream Home and Southwestern Dream Vacationon a regular basis over the next couple of months with pages and photos depicting interesting items we discovered in our travels.

One thing you might want to look at is the page I added about Bisbee. Our adventures in this quaint little mining town might give you an idea of an interesting place to spend your next vacation.

We spent another day at the Old Pueblo Adobe Company in Tucson, learning about Adobe brick. If you're at all interested in building a home in the Southwest, this is a subject that might be important to you. Adobe brick is an energy efficient method of construction that has been used for hundreds of years.

I've added to my Desert Landscape lens and created a new lens on Southwestern Style Homes in which I detail the unique and different home styles built in the Southwest.

And here's a little peek at what we were doing on those fragrant desert evenings while waiting for the star-studded skies to make their appearance.

Ahhh, a Tequila Sunrise and a desert sunset. What else could you ask for?

A visit to the Southwest

2006-10-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a great day! Tom was reading the morning paper and found a reference to the Lake Charles Symphony. I never thought about the Symphony being something Tom might want to see, but on Sunday that's exactly what he wanted to do.

He was so excited about this performance he called up his grandson, Austin Cholley, and invited him to go with us to the show. So the three of us went, saw a wonderfully moving performance and had a great time together as a result.

This performance featured photochoreography by James Westwater. The photos shown Sunday were a collage of scenery depicting the Western United States. I must say, James Westwater is a talented photographer and hit photochoreography was a wonderful tribute to the West.

Tom seriously enjoyed the show, as did Austin and myself. I'd highly recommend that anyone that has the opportunity to see one of Mr. Westwater's shows take the time to view it. Down-to-earth scenes of cowboys eating a hearty breakfast were intermingled with breathtaking views of picturesque rock faces gracing majestic mountain peaks.

Beyond the entertainment value of the performance, was my understanding of people's interest in the Southwest. Each day as I write content for the Southwestern Dream Home, I will remember the fine work I witnessed by James Westwater. It is an encouragement to remember that people find the West interesting and they'd like to see more of the same.

I enjoy creating my website, and providing an insight into the Southwest with all its breathtaking sights and interesting people is the reason I continue to create content for the site. Although in the very beginning stages, my Southwestern Dream Vacation site will soon contain more great photos of the fascinating Southwestern U.S.

2006-10-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Tom and I had decided not to acquire any more rental property when we retire and move to Tucson. We don't want to be tied down with repairs, deadbeat tenants or any of the other problems associated with rentals. However....

We came across a great piece of property, underpriced for the market, and beautiful. It has great landscaping, and a breathtaking view of the valley with city lights and mountains. The only problem being that it has a single-wide mobile home on it, and the lenders don't seem to want to lend for anything less than a double-wide mobile home.

I'm not sure how this works, but the financing person at the realty stated that it might be better to try getting financing for vacant land than f0r a mobile home. Strange as it may seem, here in Lousiana it's very hard to get financing for vacant land. Go figure!

Anyway, I'm looking for some cash at a reasonable rate of interest for a nice mobile home on some awesome land. Let me know if you find anyone willing to lend. :)

The Road Home

2006-10-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's just necessary to stop and take a look at the road. We did that one day, and this is the way it looked. I just like to think of it as the "road home."

The day came, a year or so ago, when my husband Tom decided we should retire and move to Arizona. After much deliberation, we came to the conclusion that Tucson was the place we would land. I was born there, and grew up in Tucson, but life has brought me to another place. I always knew there would be a time when I returned home.

While visiting Tucson, and selecting the site of our new home-to-be, the Southwestern Dream Home was born. This journey, selling what we have in Louisiana and moving to Tucson, has taken on a life of it's own now. As I write about this journey, I remember that you are out there watching and possibly creating your own Southwestern Dream Home.

So I write, and I bring to you my photos and my experiences, so that you might find something useful on your journey. Come with me as I travel the "road home."

Joint Ventures with Compatible Sites

2006-10-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

I've been reading my email. I get the usual spammy stuff, but since I have my own website, called Southwestern Dream Home I find a lot of interesting information regarding building websites, ezines, and internet income. It just comes with the territory.

You might be interested in my siteblog which is mostly aimed at informing the reader when I add new pages to my site.

So while reading my email today, I had a couple of emails from people that have visited my site. They have enjoyed what I have there and would like to create a link exchange. This is nothing new, but the ideas we've come up with will work very well.

Since their sites deal with how to do things that might be useful in creating someone's Southwestern Dream Home, I have asked them to write some how-to articles about their line of expertise. I'll place the articles on my site, and link to their sites. In return, since I don't have a lot of knowledge about their subject matter, I'll write testimonials about their sites and their products. In that manner I'll get a link back to my site in return.

I've also approached them with the idea of creating DIY articles for my Ezine. In this manner, I can provide added value to my subscribers, and give them links to their sites.

If you're a site owner and you have a site that would be compatible with mine, be sure to contact me and we can talk about it.

My cat hates it when I leave

2006-10-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Cats are not stupid creatures, they have personalities and feelings just like the rest of us. This is evidenced none more clearly than when I travel.

I'd like to introduce you to my cat, Ginny. Ginny is a Siamese, with a little manx and angora thrown in. Ginny "helps me feed the fish." I found that when I fed my fish, Ginny would always sit at my feet and wait for me to give them their dinner. It soon became apparent that she was waiting for me to drop little tidbits on the floor for her when I fed the fish. Fish food is made of, wow!, ground up fish parts. So it made a tasty treat for my little furry friend.

This evolved into a ritual where Ginny would lead me to the aquarium and wait patiently for me to "accidentally" drop a little for her. Since Ginny isn't allowed in the back part of our house, where the bedrooms are located, she loves to sneak in there whenever the door is left open.

I found that if I took the cannister of fish pellets and shook it, calling to her that we need to "feed the fish", she would come running out from whatever bed she had hidden under.

So, about the travel part. Ginny never did like it when I travel. When we'd come home from a trip, she would shun me for days afterwards to show her displeasure. I remember the day she went out on the porch when we drove up, and when I came outside to talk to her she ran up a tree. She spent the better part of a day there, and when I tried to approach her she ran into the woods to continue sulking.

So I figured out a way to stop that behavior. I began by explaining to her a few days in advance that I was planning on going on a trip. When I'd begin packing, and bringing suitcases out to put in the truck, I'd again let her know I was going on a trip. I loved on her a lot, telling her I'd be back and not to worry.

This tactic worked, but she'd still be a bit standoffish for a few days when I came home. The next thing I did was to promise her a gift whenever I came home from a trip. I'd explain that I was going on a trip, and that I would return and not to worry. Then I'd tell her I'd bring her a present when I returned.

A gift for a cat can be elaborate, or very simple. I've brought Ginny little balls with bells in them, rabbit-fur mice with catnip inside, and toys with balls to play with and scratchy things to sharpen her claws on. I've also brought her feathers, paper sacks, and tanned rabbit furs.

But I think Ginny's favorite gift of all time that I have brought to her is a wing. We visited the Canton Texas Flea Market once and came upon a shop that sold hunting and fishing paraphernalia of all types. They had a box of preserved pheasant wings that caught my eye. I thought of Ginny and snapped one up for her.

When we returned from that trip, the first thing I did was bring her new toy to her. It has been an endless source of enjoyment and given me many laughs since that day. She plays with it by attacking it, rolling over on her back and fighting with it. I can throw it for her and she runs ruriously to "catch" it. Then she veers off and walks away as if she never saw it.

And the bottom line of all this silliness? Ginny is much more relaxed when we begin preparing for a trip, and when we return she's very happy to see us. Instead of running off and sulking, she comes to me and purrs. She will rub on me, sit in my lap and basically let me know she loves me intensely.

So next time you think a cat is just an animal, take this to heart and you'll have a much better relationship with your furry friend.