Friday’s Odds and Ends

 There is some talk of raising the speed limit in Texas to 85MPH. Silly me, I thought that was already the speed limit. If I’m driving 70 to 75 MPH, cars zoom by me all the time.

The Dallas Zoo was briefly charging a giraffe-greeting fee until enough patrons complained. Apparently the zoo was trying to boos revenue by charging people to walk out on a platform that allows them to see the tall beasts up close and personal. The charge was $5.00.

Zoo officials were smart in rescinding that charge. Imagine having to explain to a four or five year old child that he or she could not see the giraffe close up because Mommy didn’t have the extra five dollars with her.

And now for some personal business. We’re having a party at the Author Roast and Toast blog where I am the guest with Angel and Sarah from Open Season. Stop by if you get a chance. There are some other great guests, including Agatha Christie, and some wonderful food and drinks. We are solving the mystery of who killed the IRS agent, and one lucky person will win an ARC of Open Season.

Also wanted to announce that I have two new short stories up on Amazon for the Kindle. SAHM I Am   and The Visitor 

SAHM I Am is a humorous sci-fi story. Technology may be on the verge of having sophisticated home computers that run an entire household, but have the scientists taken into consideration the human factor? When SAHM, a Sensor Activated Home Manager, is field tested at the O’Neal home, he’s up against the biggest challenge a computer has ever faced; one Shanna O’Neal.


The Visitor was first written as an assignment in a writing class to adapt a classic fairy tale, and I chose Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A camping trip in the Rockies becomes most interesting when a stranger shows up and the Cantrell family has to find out who has been sneaking into their cabin.

4 thoughts on “Friday’s Odds and Ends”

  1. Who killed the IRS agent…wasn’t it a group murder? 🙂

    I’ve driven through Texas before. It is 85. The problem with raising it officially is then people will drive 95.

  2. So true about the speed limit, Laura. And a huge problem with the speed is the crazy way people drive here. Jumping lanes, hogging the passing lane, talking on cell phones, etc. I’ve heard that in Europe where there are some highways with no speed limit, people at least know how to drive safely at such fast speeds.

  3. You are one busy woman, Maryann.

    When it comes to upping the speed limit in TX, I would prefer they do it, but not announce it and not put up new signs. If they let drivers know it’s higher, those drivers will speed up and go ten miles over the new speed limit.

  4. Thanks for stopping by, Helen. I am having fun at the Author Roast, but talk about being busy. I am frantically trying to finish preparing for a screenwriting workshop I am teaching tomorrow. That was scheduled after I already scheduled the party at the author roast, but what the hey, we’re having fun.

    Back to work.

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