Friday, April 28, 2006
Ain't She A Beauty?
(Photo courtesy of Harold Hinson Photography and Budweiser Racing)
In honor of his late father's birthday on Saturday, and the fact that Dale Earnhardt Sr. was recently inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving this car on Sunday at Talladega Speedway.
The sight of this car should even bring the "Earnhardt bashers" to their knees. Look at it long enough, and it not only brings tears to your eyes, but gives you goosebumps too. Those were my first reactions anyway. Needless to say, I am most excited for the upcoming festivities and the race.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:05 AM comment(s) made:
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Wednesday, April 26, 2006
A (Foreign) Quilting We Will Go
I love quilts...that's no secret. We live a few hours away from quilting country where the Amish are well known for their quilting expertise.
There is an annual German folk festival held near where I used to work wherein there are lots of crafts, good ethnic good, and just a great feeling that one gets just for being there amongst it all.
We don't go every year; however, when we do I always like to go to the quilt barn where there are over 2500 quilts of all sizes on display in the building. As we look at each one, the next one is always more beautiful than the previous, and more expensive I might add. A lot of work goes into the making of a quilt and the more intricate the design, the higher the cost. No, they aren't cheap by any stretch of the imagination. And that, folks, is why I never purchased an Amish or Mennonite quilt.
Up until this past weekend, I had been in awe of these people for what they accomplish. What changed my mind? Well, there has been a four-part series in the local newspaper on the Amish and their quilting here in Pennsylvania. And like everything else these days, it has left me quite jaded. You see, the Amish have been doing things in a capitalistic way! Shocked? So was I. Here is what happens:
The fabric, colors and patterns are chosen by the Amish (or Mennonite) who then stencil the pattern onto the fabric. It's then given to a local Asian seamstress who sometimes ships the fabric and pattern to relatives in California or Minnesota. They cut out the applique patterns, sew them and then ship them back to the Asian who in turn gives it back to the original owner. (The original owner usually owns a shop.) From there it is mailed, along with batting and backing, to an Amish family in Catteraugus NY. They sew all three pieces together (fabric/batting/backing) and ship it back to the original owner. She then gives it to another Asian woman who will add the binding to the edges. When she is finished, she gives the entire quilt back to the original owner who then puts it out for sale.
And we wonder why they fetch such a high price, some in the vicinity of $1,000.00 plus. So now you know why I have never bought one. No, I didn't know about this Asian business ~ it was because of the high prices. And now that I know the real story, I will never buy one ~ not from that area anyway.
Quoting a woman that wrote a letter to the editor after the first installment appeared in the paper, "If I want a quilt made by Asian people, I'll go to a department store."
DISCLAIMER: I have nothing whatsoever against Asians. It's the fact that these quilts are not made solely by the Amish or Mennonites anymore. Not in Lancaster anyway. And, to me, that is treading on sacred ground.
posted by Cheyenne at 2:28 PM comment(s) made:
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Monday, April 24, 2006
A Fun Day
Friday was our 16th wedding anniversary. (Thank you) My husband took the day off and told me the night before that I should get up early, that he was taking me somewhere. I was up at 7, fed the animals, and was ready to go by 8:30. I thought I had figured out where we were going, but when we passed that area I knew I was wrong. I found out later we were going "there" on the way back. What I didn't know was that we were on our way to the Vanity Fair Outlet in Reading, over an hour away from the house. I haven't been there in over ten years, so it was a nice treat. There's quite a bit of walking and after we felt we'd seen everything we wanted to see, we left and headed back home.
I did, however, snap this photo from one story up in one of the buildings.
The final stop of the day was at Vynecrest Winery.
I love wine, but due to many reasons I haven't had a drop for years. Mostly due to being on one kind of diet or another. My husband was told months ago that if we visited this month, they would give us a complimentary bottle of wine because he had delivered some heavy racks to them and was such a tremendous help that day. But before I could select which wine I wanted, I had to taste test a few. Oh boy, it doesn't take much alcohol to make me silly. My husband doesn't drink at all, not wine, beer or anything containing alcohol. So it was my cross to bear for the taste test. Like I cared...hah! I was in heaven. I'm really not much of a drinker myself, but I do love my wine. I spent most of my summers with my aunt and uncle who lived in New York at the time (both Long Island and Manhattan). We always had wine with our meals. It didn't turn me into a wino, but it did give me an appreciation for a good wine now and then.
We left with our wine (tucked safely under my arm) and decided it was time to eat dinner, capping off another wonderful day in the country.
posted by Cheyenne at 2:20 PM comment(s) made:
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Friday, April 21, 2006
What You've Been Waiting For
Last Sunday, as we went in and out of several developments, we came across one that blew me away. The houses were so huge and beautiful (there was one really ugly one though) that my jaw literally dropped when I looked at some of them. Like this one for instance. This photo was taken from the truck and apparently the house isn't finished yet as you can see a dump trailer in the photo. This is the back view of the "house."
I think this is the front view. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone would want to live in such a huge house. Well, maybe I can. I guess this development is mostly CEOs and such living here because us regular folk would never be able to afford them. And we only saw two children in the entire development.
And when we drove into another development with nice houses (but not as big) my husband commented on one being really nice. I told him I was spoiled now, I could never be the same after seeing the rich people's development, and that I was ruined for life.
No, I think I will stick with my 3 bedroom brick rancher that was paid off some years ago. Yeah, we're gonna get along just fine.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:04 AM comment(s) made:
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Thursday, April 20, 2006
Short & Sweet
Like the title says, this is going to be short and sweet. I watched the results show of American Idol Wednesday evening. There were 7 contestants left at the beginning of the show. Obviously one was going by the end of the show. I wasn't surprised that it was Ace. I like him, but hey, at this point of the game they are all vulnerable.
What really surprised me (and totally pissed me off) was the fact that Chris Daughtry, who is clearly the best of those that are left and should win the title, was next in line with the lowest number of votes. What the hell is up with that? Are people not voting for him because they think he will be okay and that he is a "shoo-in?"
And I thought that perhaps Katherine McPhee would be the only one to give him a run for his money. Now I am not so sure...gosh, why can't the voting public get this crap right?
posted by Cheyenne at 12:05 AM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Things ALong The Way
As we were riding around the countryside on Easter, we found a bridge that had been blocked off. We couldn't decipher whether it would ever be opened again but we did stop to look. My husband got out to stretch his legs and I took this photo from inside the truck. There is a black cat in the meadow that was just sitting and watching ever so silently. I guess he was waiting for a meal to come along. (If you click on the photo and enlarge it you can see the black cat sitting between the opening of the bushes in the meadow.)
Later we came upon these guys. I used to pass them to and from work but I never took the time to stop and actually watch them. We accomplished that on Sunday.
There were seven kids and five parents.
After we left these guys, we continued on toward home. But before we did, we took a ride around some of the developments in our "neighborhood." That is in quotes because, as you know, around these parts a neighborhood can be mighty huge. What we found is a post for another day, so I will leave you with that teaser...
posted by Cheyenne at 2:40 PM comment(s) made:
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Monday, April 17, 2006
Easter...And What Did You Do?
I hope y'all had a nice Easter.
I pretty much escaped it this year just like I said I would. Holidays for me just aren't the same any more.
Around 3:00 we left the house and just started driving with no destination in mind. When my husband saw someone was selling flowers he stopped and told me to pick out what I wanted. I chose a pale yellow hyacinth and also some purple pansies. I hope to plant the pansies outside somewhere. I have never had a yellow hyacinth or pansies. The hyacinths I received in the past were either white, pink or purple. I just loooooove the smell of hyacinths. Don't you?
We stopped at a place called The Terrace and had our Easter dinner with a whole lot of strangers. But it was okay; they didn't expect anything from us and vice versa. My husband and I talked about the Easters we had when we were children. We laughed and we had a good time. I needed that.
Finally we just drove around, all on back roads. I took a few pictures and I'll post them later along with their stories.
I was really amazed that there were hardly any people outside, and those we did see were doing chores. Also, there were only a few houses with multiple cars that were having family get-togethers. Don't families do that any more? And if not, why not?
I ended up with some good memories yesterday, and that's what it's really all about. Making memories. Good memories. I hope everyone out there did the same.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:37 AM comment(s) made:
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Saturday, April 15, 2006
God Bless You All
posted by Cheyenne at 12:55 AM comment(s) made:
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Thursday, April 13, 2006
What A Difference 2 Months Makes
Remember when I posted this photo above? It was taken on February 12th.
This photo above was taken April 12th. I wasn't sure if it would bloom this year, as it was just planted last Fall.
And the photo above is what I see out of the window where I am sitting right now. (That's a Yoshino Cherry) It was taken just awhile ago. What a wonderful sight! Spring has finally sprung in our little part of the world. It sure took long enough.
posted by Cheyenne at 1:44 PM comment(s) made:
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Good News Bad News
Kiefer Sutherland signed on for three more seasons of "24." This pleases me more than anything. Love the show and have been loving Kiefer since he started acting.
Frankie Muniz is taking a two year leave from acting to be a professional race car driver. (No, not in NASCAR.)
Child welfare and a sheriffs deputy visited Brittney Spears...again ~ it seems the nanny dropped the baby and a bruise resulted. Honestly, I have no idea what the hell she was thinking by driving with her baby on her lap months ago. I guess rich people think they can get away with anything.
Glad to see former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood doing so well. She was the only double winner at the CMT Awards Monday evening. Sorry, but I've never been a big fan of Kelly Clarkson. I didn't discover American Idol back then until there were three contestants left, and I liked Justin even though he has gone nowhere. I like Clay Aiken and Fantasia but even she seems to have dropped out of the limelight. Although I did spy her in the audience on the show last night. And this year my money's on Chris Daughtry.
Anybody see any recent photos of Eddie VanHalen? No wonder Valerie Bertinelli divorced him. This photo is from the Oscars earlier this year. Ewwwwwww.....
posted by Cheyenne at 1:30 PM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Where Did Everybody Go?
I am going to go out on a limb here and just say that I am truly disappointed in that I have very few readers any more. When the reader number drops, it makes me feel like I am not holding anyone's attention, so they just drop me or drift off to somewhere else. And when something like this happens, I lose all creativity and just don't feel like "producing."
I used to average anywhere from 15-25 readers a day, and recently that has dropped to 8-10 or less. How sad and depressing is that. Am I not prolific enough? Not funny enough? Maybe I should just stop writing every day and only write every other day.
If I don't have an audience what's the purpose of trying to come up with a post every day? Why should I waste my time if no one is out there to read them? This is almost like when I first started. Where did I go wrong? And do I continue doing this?
Oh, and please pardon my language in the photo...
posted by Cheyenne at 11:09 AM comment(s) made:
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Quotes From Texas Motor Speedway
"I saw Casey Mears get sideways, but I am pretty sure Sterling Marlin's hairpiece just got in his eyes and he couldn't see what was going on," -Ryan Newman
"I had like the mystery car that you could never find anything wrong with it," said McMurray, who finished 37th. "I've never been this bad before." -Jamie McMurray
"It's not really a fun day when the car is tight all afternoon like we were. I just couldn't drive it. But, if that's a bad day for us - 500 miles of struggling - and we still finished 12th, that ain't too bad I guess." -Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"You’ve got to have a little bit of respect for the other drivers you’re racing with, and Kurt hasn’t shown respect, or that surely wasn’t showing respect." -Greg Biffle
The NASCAR marketing gurus certainly must be thinking about a "Girls Gone Wild" DVD after Busch's fiancée and Biffle's girlfriend exchanged pleasantries. -Racingone Staff
posted by Cheyenne at 12:24 AM comment(s) made:
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Monday, April 10, 2006
I'm Too Tired To Make Sense
Blogger wouldn't let me post pictures tonight; I tried twice and then my patience ran out so I quit trying.
Well, it's the start of a new week...again. A fresh start as it were. The only thing I have to look forward to this coming weekend is the Busch race on Saturday. Yeah, I know Easter is on Sunday. But we have decided to skip Easter this year. Don't ask.
The Texas race Sunday was so-so. I wear a head set and listen to the race on that while watching on TV. That allows me to be very mobile and I can do a lot of things I otherwise would not be able to if I had to stay glued to the TV. I also don't care too much for the commentators on TV, or the rash of commercials every few minutes. I miss very little action listening to it on the radio. I've been doing that (radio and TV) for many years now and it works perfectly for me.
I managed to do four loads of laundry and also made dinner while the race was on. Oh, and I can feed the cats outside while listening to the radio and not miss a thing. They always look at me strange though. More so than usual.
Getting back to the race ~ I was happy for the first third of it. JJ was doing poorly and Junior was doing rather well, up to around 11th. It gave me hope for the remainder of the race. Well, that didn't last long. JJ kept dogging Junior all day. They started the race alongside one another and finished that way, JJ one spot ahead of Junior.
After the dust settled, Junior finished 12th, stayed 6th in the points, and actually only lost 3 points from last week. I wasn't all that happy about his performance today (he had a nasty handling car that they couldn't "dial in") but it could have been a helluva lot worse.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:02 AM comment(s) made:
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Sunday, April 09, 2006
Good Luck @ T.M.S.
May the eyes of Texas shine upon you Dale Jr.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:07 AM comment(s) made:
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Friday, April 07, 2006
Death & Taxes
When my mother passed away she had an annuity that did not expire until six months later. As a result, the money was divided amongst my siblings and myself. When the annuity was cashed in (six months later), the entire amount was taxed as income when my mother's taxes were prepared and her estate paid tax on it. You'd think that was the end of the taxing, no? Guess again. The payout portion had 10% taxes deducted before it was paid to us; the remainder that was not taxed was then considered income when our income taxes were filed and we paid taxes on it again.
So let's review: The entire amount was taxed before it was ever paid to us as beneficiaries. Now, each of us has to, in turn, pay another tax on top of that. Double taxation? It is totally ridiculous how this country is so tax crazy.
To take that even further, if both my husband and I kicked the bucket today, and that same money is passed onto our heirs, it would be taxed again...and again...and again...
Get the picture?
Needless to say, I am finished with our taxes for another year. And what a nightmare. We had to have someone do the federal taxes because with the estate stuff, it was just too complicated for me. I didn't need the headache. I filed the state taxes this morning on the internet (for free ~ wow!). We had a piddling amount of interest from our bank accounts that we had to consider as income. So ok that went on the federal return, possibly throwing us into a higher bracket. But what I don't understand is why we have to declare that same interest on our state taxes too. Is it any wonder I don't like interest-bearing accounts?
I could go on and on about taxes, double taxation, triple taxation etc., but it just makes me dizzy. And I'm not qualified to get too detailed. And maybe most of my opinions are just that...opinions.
But there is one thing for sure ~ the only two things you cannot avoid are death and taxes. One gets you every year and one gets you in the end.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:05 AM comment(s) made:
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Thursday, April 06, 2006
Hey! April Fools Day Is Over
The above three photos captured what I woke up to on Wednesday morning. And it was around 20 degrees. Brrrrrr!
I begged for snow all winter, but by mid-March I quit doing that. By then I gave up all hope and began to look forward to Spring.
My Weeping Cherry blossoms are starting to open ~ I waited all year in anticipation to see them, so I am hoping this nasty cold windy weather goes away.
My bones need sunshine and warmth NOW!
posted by Cheyenne at 12:03 AM comment(s) made:
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Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Never A Dull Moment
This is going to be short and sweet. But well worth it. First of all let me preface this with the fact that I love my husband. I really do, but...
Does anybody know what a "biblical cord" is?
Yeah, I thought not.
That's what my husband said the other day instead of umbilical cord. Yes, that's how he pronounced it. And always has, he said.
I laughed so hard I cried. And truth be told, I'm giggling right now.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:31 AM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Here's Another Stupid Thing I Did
I am well known for doing dumb things more often than not. I have no idea why, I just do them. A lot of it is due to my acting on things without thinking. Or instead of reading everything, I'll just skim through and pick up on what I want to. I call it selective reading. It goes so perfectly with my selective hearing etc.
Such is the case when my husband and I decided our Saturday evening meal would be eaten at a restaurant we only visit occasionally. In our area, prices at restaurants have been rising steadily. But, then again, what isn't these days? If I have a coupon for a restaurant, I will use it if I can, especially if it's a place we are familiar with or have visited in the past.
The tiny coupon I had from the local newspaper that we decided to use stated "Complimentary entree free when another entree of equal or lesser value is purchased." I double checked the expiration date and found it was April 30th. OK, we're good to go.
We each chose a $10.95 entree and with coffee and tax our final bill came to $25.32. So I figured we'd be paying somewhere around $14.00 and change, which is fairly decent since we usually pay an average of $18-20, and sometimes a lot less depending on what we eat.
Can you imagine my shock when the cashier dropped this bombshell on me:
"This coupon is only good Monday through Thursday."
Well, slap me with stupidity! All I could say was "What?" And then she showed me. There in teeny tiny print at the bottom was what she'd just said.
Now, I thought I went over that coupon with a fine toothed comb because I am known to do this very same thing with coupons at the supermarket. Well, apparently I didn't look close enough. Sometimes, the more careful I am, the more I mess up.
Really, I swear those words were not there when I looked the other times. I have had that coupon in my purse for a few weeks and have taken it out and looked at it many times. Somehow, somewhere, the word fairy snuck into my purse and must have put those words on that coupon. It's the only explanation. And that is called selective thinking. *wink*
posted by Cheyenne at 12:06 AM comment(s) made:
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Monday, April 03, 2006
Things Do Get Better
Every once in awhile I get a little twinge of whatever it is that borders on the edge of depression. Not depressed, per se. And because it doesn't last more than a minute or so, I don't let it bother me.
So, after having one of those episodes Sunday evening, I quickly assessed a list of things I was thankful for yesterday. After all the normal things, like our health, our animals, blah blah blah, I was mostly thankful for the way Dale Jr. drove his car (after being involved in a very messy wreck on lap 2 that had put him around 42nd) to a 4th place finish.
But best of all I was glad Tony Stewart won AND THAT JIMMIE JOHNSON DIDN'T!!!!!!!!
posted by Cheyenne at 12:05 AM comment(s) made:
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Sunday, April 02, 2006
Good Luck @ Martinsville
posted by Cheyenne at 1:33 AM comment(s) made:
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Saturday, April 01, 2006
Practice Makes Perfect
Did I say that? Well shame on me.
APRIL FOOLS YA'LL!
posted by Cheyenne at 12:05 AM comment(s) made:
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What?
The latest catch word appearing everywhere is exponential or exponentially. After seeing it numerous times in numerous places, I decided to look it up in the dictionary. That is my nature. I have loved words from the time I was exposed to them.
Anyway, exponentially led me to exponential which led me to exponent which finally led me to expound.
And guess what...I still don't know what the word means or how to use it. And I HATE when a word gets the better of me. This one is driving me up the wall.
What really got me upset, was when I read the damn word in some materials my husband brought home from work about his employer's company.
