Write Queen Writes from Her Little Bit of Heaven

Well, I am in my fourth month as a resident of Alabama, settled here like I was born here. Maybe that is because the terrain hereabouts reminds me of my native Pennsylvania. In reality it is because my adoptive family surrounds me with such love as I haven't felt since my husband John died in 2001.

I know there have been a few people who cared for me in the last six going on seven years, such as James who spoiled me something fierce and couldn't ever seem to do enough for me, like Gary, my medical careperson who never tried to pull the wool over my eyes and who was always honest with me or Bess, who always sent me postcards no matter where Jim and she went and usually arrived home before I ever received the cards. And there was always Jewely, but she is a story unto herself.

But there is no greater feeling than having love showered on you despite your faults, your age and your eccentricities.

The countryside around where we live is absolutely beautiful. I have watched out my window in the morning to see the trees bare, gradually coming to life, and now they are practically in full grandeur. We had a late frost a few weeks ago, and that stunted, but didn't kill, their beauty.

Linda has two bird feeders outside my window. One is for the bigger birds and one is for hummingbirds, The hummingbirds are no larger than a large bumble bee, but do they ever eat.

Last week the feeder went empty so quickly Linda thought she might not have screwed the bottom of the feeder on tight enough. She checked it and finally decided the little birds had big appetites.

Twice we have gone sightseeing after church. Jason drives a truck and has found many spots to show us. Jason is just like a homing pigeon. Once he's been a place he can always find it again. He makes a great tour guide.

Properties are well maintained in our neck of the woods, and most have lush green, manicured yards. Surprising to me, most of the homes are single level, some one and a half stories, but very few taller than that. Of curse those with money very often have what I call mansions which are breath-taking, but I wouldn't feel comfortable in such opulence.

Do I miss my Florida friends? Of course. You don't live in a place for more than 20 years without a tug in your heart for those you left behind. Do I regret resettling to Alabama? No, I don't. Am I happy here? You are happy where you are loved, and I am loved.

Remember, always, God loves you and so do I.

Other articles by this author »
About Freda Douglas

Freda Douglas is an accomplished author. Her first book "Cherish the Past" was published in 2002. Her second book "Winds of Change" will be released this Fall. Freda wrote a personal essay column for a weekly newspaper for 17 years. She lives in Alabama and loves to hear from her readers. You can check out my business opportunity by visiting http://createmysuccess.com/fredabd. Do you already have a business but it is not doing very well? Why don't you see if the nice folks at http://leadersclub.com/34587 can help you? Freda Douglas. P.O.Box 155, Eva, AL 35621, 256-796-0651


And here is another random article you might be interested in...

The Meaning of Credit Card Numbers

If you take a close look at your credit cards, you'll probably wonder what all those numbers stand for. Every digit actually stands for something specific. Let's have a look at each of those numbers in sequence.

The First Digit

Gasoline cards, department store cards and phone cards have their own programs.

The major credit card companies operate on a standardized system for assigning credit card numbers. The first digit in the series will always be a 3, 4, 5 or 6. This number designates the type of card you have. For instance, a 3 means it's a travel and entertainment card, such as American Express or Diners Club. A 4 is Visa and Visa-branded debit cards, cash cards; a 5 is MasterCard and MasterCard-branded debit cards, cash cards; and 6 is Discover.

The Other Numbers

American Express and Diners Club use the second digit to identify the company. That means that Diners Club cards will start with either 36 or 38, and American Express cards will lead off with 34 or 37.

The remaining numbers in the series are used for other purposes, depending upon the card type and issuer. Generally, the numbers grouped after the opening series is the routing number of the bank and the next group is the user's account number. The final digit is special -- a check digit. This is a number calculated by applying a specific formula, and it is used as a fraud check.

Look At Your Card

American Express uses digits 3 and 4 for business or personal card type and the currency of the cardholder's country of origin. Digits 5 through 11 are the account number. Digits 12 through 14 show the card number attached to that account. The last digit is, of course, the check digit.

Visa uses digits 2 through 6 for the bank number. Beginning with digit 7 and running through 12 or 15, they're the account number, and the last number is the check digit. The number of digits in a group may vary because Visa cards don't all have the same number of digits.

With MasterCard, the second digit through digit 3 (to as high as 6) is the bank number. All remaining digits, except the end check digit, identifies the cardholder's account.

And that's it. A slightly complex system necessary to track billions of credit cards across the globe.

Other articles by this author »
About Ron King

Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.new-credit-card-now.com to learn more about this fascinating subject.

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.