So many people get upset by evil doers on Facebook. You can solve 99.99% of the problem yourself by simply setting your “friends list” visibility to private so only you can see it.

It is very very rare that a Facebook account was actually “hacked”, unless you used a poor password or were tricked into giving your password to an app or some bogus website. If that’s the case, you really shouldn’t be on Facebook anyway. At least not until you figure out why and how this happens.

But the chances are, you were not hacked. You were likely “cloned”. Cloning means the bad guy created a new account using your profile photo. Remember, your profile photo and your cover photo are visible to anyone who can see your profile. It’s simple for a bad person to download your photo and then create an account that LOOKS LIKE YOU.

If the bad guy can see your “friends list”, he can then use this newly created clone account to send your friends stuff including friend requests BECAUSE HE COULD SEE WHO THEY ARE. Set you privacy correctly and this NEVER happens.

Protect not only yourself, but your friends as well! SET YOUR FRIENDS LIST VISIBILITY TO PRIVATE. Just do it and avoid 99.99% of the problems so many people have on Facebook. It’s frustrating, but it’s the safest thing to do. Your friends will thank you!

Below are the steps on how to do it. These steps below assume you are using the Facebook app on your phone.
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It’s hard to believe it has been nearly a year and a half since I wrote for this blog. A lot has happened and I guess I should explain that absence and what y’all can expect from me going forward.

In September 2016, Ranae and I went on a vacation in Colorado. We rented an Jeep Rubicon and went 4×4 off-roading in the mountains near Creed. It was a lot of fun, but I overdid it just a bit. I felt like I pulled a muscle in my groin.

After returning home to Texas, on the morning of September 17th, 2016, I literally crawled from my bed and managed to drive myself to the emergency room. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

When I made it to the little country hospital nearest me, I was pretty much ready for someone to shoot me. The pain was so intense.

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I think anyone who knows me, knows I value frugality. I don’t spend money on things I don’t need and I rarely succumb to impulse buys. I keep a very close watch on every penny we spend. But I do buy quality whenever I buy anything.

In this week’s email from my readers, a man from Tennessee wrote to me looking for information about where to find the cheapest tools. As I pondered his question, I recalled two events in my life and shared them with him. I would like to share them with you here as well. Continue reading →

I had every intention of continuing my simple little weekly column and write another article about the lifestyle that Ranae and I have chosen to build for ourselves. But with the tragedy in Paris this past Friday, I just couldn’t seem to write about anything else this week.

I have been to Paris more times than I can count. I used to live in London, England for about four years. I spent a countless number of my weekends in Paris. It’s a city full of life, color and excitement. The food is incredible. The people are amazing and it is, without a doubt, one of my favorite places on Earth. Continue reading →

My last two articles on the use of Beautyberries as an insect repellent sure have generated a lot of email. I am happy so many found these articles interesting. Please keep the emails coming.

A couple of the comments I received were from readers in Kentucky, that said they had never seen a Beautyberry plant in their part of the world, asking if there was some other alternative they could use. Continue reading →