A Little of This A Little Of That

Well, here it is Monday already.  Another week gone down the drain and hardly anything accomplished as usual.

It looks like a week of rain every day but the temperatures will be in the 80's for a couple days.  I know we need rain, but it's hard on the cats with kittens.  Speaking of them, the nanny and the mother brought the three little kittens back up to the hothouse.  They are getting big. 

There are a few races coming up that I am looking forward to:  the Coke 600, which is the longest race on the NASCAR Cup circuit, and the Indy 500.  I have been watching the qualifying for the 500, something I haven't done much in the past.  It always seemed to be boring but for some reason this year it wasn't.  All five drivers on Team Andretti made it into the top 10, with Marco Andretti, my favorite, starting on the front row in the third spot.

My latest quest was to find a good vacuum cleaner that will not only do well on my carpets but also pick up the cat hair that four cats leave on a daily basis.  Actually I started looking for one a month ago when my vacuum started playing games.  It stopped working.  It's not that old and hasn't been over used either.  I unplugged it like the manual said, waited about half an hour, plugged it in and started vacuuming again.  Only to have it stop dead once again.  I was not in the mood to wait another half hour so I unplugged it and banished it to a corner.

After researching endlessly, and driving myself more insane than I already am, I finally found what I want and it should arrive by the end of this week.  I decided to spend a lot more money than I normally do for a vacuum cleaner only because I am tired of having them crap out after a few years.

The only problem I have now is that I have no excuse not to use it.  I think I am going to enjoy vacuuming though.  That last statement is something I thought I would never admit, let alone write it down.

House of Panic

Today we had our alarm system upgraded.  It was long overdue after serving us for 15 years.

After the installer left life went on for us.  No, it didn't.  I lied.

When I went to use my computer later in the day, getting on to the Internet was a long and tedious chore.  I did get there but it took longer than usual.  About an hour later when I wanted to use it again, I no longer had a connection.  Things just weren't right, so I mentioned something to my husband.  

He said when the two of them were in the basement they did notice a bunch of wires hanging down near the alarm box so he just kind of tucked them up and out of the way.  That was the wrong thing to do.  

Later when he went down to finally try and fix the problem after hearing me complain a lot (something I am very good at doing), he found that the two wires that were supposed to be together were barely touching.  That explains why getting on to the Internet was sporadic.  I could and then I couldn't and then I could.  Finally the connection was broken all together.  Until husband soldered the two wires together.

Once again my knight in shining armor saved the day. 

I cannot stress it enough how the feeling of panic sets in when one loses their connection to the Internet.  It is not a good feeling.  It is a feeling I do not want to experience again.  Not in the too distant future anyway. 

Amazed

Yes, I am amazed...that some of you never heard of Craig Ferguson.  This is what Wikipedia has to say about him in just the first paragraph:

Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, producer and voice artist. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS. In addition to hosting that program and performing stand-up comedy, Ferguson has written two books: Between the Bridge and the River, a novel, and American on Purpose, a memoir. He became a citizen of the United States in 2008. For several years he performed as a stand-up comedian under the stage name Bing Hitler.
Before his career as a late-night television host, Ferguson was best known in the United States for his role as the office boss on The Drew Carey Show, Nigel Wick (1996–2003). He also wrote and starred in three films, directing one of them.

Does any of this ring a bell now?

I guess I just presumed everyone here in the States has heard of him, but I was wrong.  Please forgive me.

I also wrote that I felt a connection to Rod Stewart and I am going to assume, once again, that you have heard of him.    Rod's new CD will be out on Tuesday.  It is the first album of songs that he has written in 20 years.  His song writing ability came back to him as he was writing his autobiography a year ago.  I have ordered it after having listened to all the songs on this wonderful thing called the Internet and it sounds like a winner to me.

Just Another Scot

What is it about this man that keeps me coming back night after night to watch his show?  Or any other show he is on?

I am addicted to Craig Ferguson.  There, I said it.  Now everybody else knows.  I have read his books and followed his addiction problems over the years.  He sobered up around 20 years ago.

What is my connection?  Could it be because he is Scottish?  Think so?  Possibly.

I used to watch him as Mr. Wick on The Drew Carey Show but it is a lot different now when I watch him.  It has to be the Scottish blood running through my veins, because I haven't missed a single show.  It comes on at 12:37am and lasts an hour.  And, believe me, I am glued to that TV set.  All 61 inches of it.

Oh, and by the way?  I have a very strong connection to Rod Stewart as well...

Lost

Is it any wonder I have lost readers.  I should be ashamed of myself for not writing more often.  It's not because I don't have the time...I do.  I have plenty of time.  I just don't know what to write about these days.

Spring has arrived.  But as of now we are having damp, dreary weather accompanied by rain and lots more rain.  And more of the same tomorrow.  But at least it's no longer cold.  And I know warmer weather is on the horizon.

The three little kittens that were brought to our greenhouse by their momma when they were just days old are now able to walk albeit they are still a bit wobbly.  Their eyes have been open for almost a week.  They recognize my voice.  In all my years of caring for cats that come and go, these are the first kittens I have been able to watch grow.  Other times the mothers have taken their litters away and have hidden them on our property elsewhere.  This litter is being cared for by their mother and another female that had her litter but lost both kittens.  A mommy and a nanny.

Other than caring for the cats that are outside and my four fur babies inside, life goes on.  My husband and I relish the fact that neither of us has to get up to the sound of an alarm clock these days.  And on rainy days like we are having, sleeping late is wonderful.  Nowhere to go, no special place to be, and no one to nag.

All that will change once the weather gets much warmer and the sun shines almost every day.  Then we will out and about and not cooped up inside the house.

So till next time, take care, stay safe and know that I am still here thinking about all of you and feeling guilty as hell for not writing more often.

I Have Finally Struck Gold

As many of you know, I have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and was put on a cocktail of medications about ten years ago.  Sometimes those meds worked, sometimes they didn't.  In other words, as long as I stayed away from the doctor's office I was fine.  Once I stepped into his office and had my BP taken, it would usually spike.  Known as white coat syndrome, I was seemingly doomed to live with that.  Some doctors are forgiving with that syndrome...mine is not.

Last September I decided to try and cut back on my salt intake.  I read that people with high blood pressure should only eat 1500 mgs a day.  That is the number I stuck to and never went over it.  In the first few weeks there were times I was woozy so with my doctor's help I cut back on some of the meds.  That worked because the wooziness stopped.  But the lack of salt in my diet left me wondering if I would ever enjoy food again in the way that I had become accustomed to.

And so I began my hunt.  I researched salt substitutes and thought I found one only to find out that it contained potassium chloride which can mess with blood pressure medications, and not in a friendly way.  So I had to stop looking in that direction.  Although I will admit I really didn't stop trying.  Then I turned to sea salt.  Well, guess what?  Sea salt contains sodium chloride, too.  I actually thought there was something on the market for my problem.  Wrong.  So no salt substitutes.  If one is not on BP medication, then a salt substitute is fine.

The product I finally discovered (and I can't remember how it happened) is pictured at the beginning of this post.  I in no way am being paid to write about the product.  I am just so happy I found it and even if they did want to pay me, I would probably still write about it without payment of any sort.  Yes, folks, it is that good.

First let me tell you what it does not contain:  salt, sugar, MSG, preservatives, chemicals of any kind, and most of all...no potassium chloride.  There are no fillers either so it means you use less to get the best flavor you want.

I tried it on my eggs this morning.  That is one food for me that needs a salt flavor added to it.  Tomatoes are another.  Let me tell you...I wanted to do back flips after eating my eggs but I have a bad back preventing me from that little escapade.  So I decided I would go one step better...I thought I would tell my readers (the few I have).  Hopefully this will help someone out there, if not you yourself, then a relative or friend who is struggling with the problem I have.

The name of the company is Benson's Gourmet Seasonings.  Use your favorite search engine to find it.  They sent a little packet of chili mix which I will use as soon as I can because that is one dish I sorely miss eating.

Once you arrive at their website you will see the other blends they have available.  I ordered mine last Friday and they were shipped that night.  I received them yesterday so it only takes a few days from the West Coast. 

After all these months of research, things have finally come to fruition for me.  That makes me very happy. 

Two Bad Races In Two Weeks

Right about now I am ready to call it quits with NASCAR racing.  

No, that's not what I meant to say.  Let's just say I am a tad upset with what has happened to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the past two weeks.

Last week at Martinsville it was an issue with the track bar and he finished in the 24th position.  

This week it was an issue with his battery and he finished in the 29th position.

Three weeks ago he was first in the points.  After having two bad races, he now is tied for 5th place which actually puts him in the 6th position.

I truly hope things get better before they get a lot worse.  Otherwise you will find me in a corner somewhere mumbling incoherently.