One of the industries that built a small town north of here into a boom town was the freshwater pearl industry. Not only for the beautiful pearls, but also for the mother-of-pearl that was used to make buttons back in that industry’s heyday. Sadly, the industry died away and pretty much all that’s left of it is stored in the local museum there.

It’s really a shame, because those are some of the most beautiful pearls I’ve seen, even though they aren’t as perfect as Tahitian pearls. I suppose it’s the unusual shapes and colors that attract me. However, beautiful freshwater and saltwater pearls can still be found at PurePearls.com, where they offer one of the largest selections found online.

Their pearls are authenticated and are offered at up to 85% below regular retail prices. They are able to offer deep discounts because of the unique contracts they have with suppliers and pearl farms worldwide. With Christmas not too far off and the shopping season about to start, maybe you know someone you’d like to give a lovely gift of pearls to.

Technorati Tags: freshwater pearl, pearls, saltwater pearls, PurePearls.com

Posted: October 31st, 2007 under Shopping, Review.
Comments: none

Yesterday, I left early to go to work so I could stop and pay my electric bill. I have to tell you, every time I pay it, I am more determined to get wholly or at least partly off the grid. I hate paying that bill!

I get paid in a few days, so one thing I’ll be shopping for is the little solar powered driveway lights. Lowe’s has them, as do other places in Big Town, so I’ll be getting several of them. Not for the driveway, though. I just want them so I can keep them charged in the sunlight then use them indoors either during power outages or even just for fun. This will be testing the solar powered waters for me.

I’ll probably look around for the RV solar panels, too. I know the RV place will have them, but I figure Lowe’s will, as well, since they are such a large store here.

I think I won’t be happy until I can go solar!

Technorati Tags: electric bill, off the grid, solar powered driveway lights, Lowe’s, RV solar panels

Posted: October 31st, 2007 under Flights of fancy, Tech, Shopping.
Comments: 1

I’m still mulling all this over. I need to find a good location for any type of PV cells I want, and I need a budget-friendly way to mount them. Because of the direction we get the most sun from, I think I’m going to have to either put them on the roof or in the back yard. Either location means I need some kind of mount for them, so I’m thinking I can use cabinet hardware and some other things picked up from a local hardware store to work for this need.

I’m pretty handy with tools, so none of this should be a problem and it will get me one or two steps closer to being completely “off the grid”. I’ll take pictures as I go along and post them either here or on one of my other blogs. If on another blog, I’ll let you know where you can see them!

Technorati Tags: PV cells, hardware store, off the grid

Posted: October 31st, 2007 under Tech, Shopping.
Comments: none

I found some solar power devices right here near home! They can be bought from a local RV sales place called Moix RV. So, guess where I’ll be visiting soon to talk about the options? Yeah.

I’m thinking that with the right combination of devices, I can actually power quite a few things here at home. While designed for RVs, I see no reason why these couldn’t be used for some other applications as well.

Technorati Tags: solar power, RV

Posted: October 31st, 2007 under Tech, Shopping.
Comments: none

Every person has their own particular style of clothing or decorating that appeals to them. That’s what makes shopping so interesting most of the time, unless you can’t find your personal style for sale. Sometimes, it seems like clothing fashions blow with the wind and it’s hard for me to always find things that say “Ann”.

Same goes for what I put in my home. I lean toward southwestern or primitive a lot. I like the looks of these things and I feel comfortable having them around me. It doesn’t matter if I’m looking for furniture, lighting, or bathroom vanities, I want what I want.

I’ve been known to delay purchasing for a very long time, until I can find just the thing I am looking for. Why settle for something that I’ll always think could have been better?

Technorati Tags: style, decorating,