Surprise! Surprise!

On Monday when I came out to the dining room table there was a sticky note on it that read "We have more kids." Not totally understanding what that meant, I waited until my husband came back from wherever it is he went. He told me to go look out on the deck, specifically in the one box. We keep a box and a tote out there with some old rags in them for whatever critter needs to get in out of nasty weather. Inside the box, in the corner, were three squirming baby kittens so tiny I could barely make out where one started and one ended.

At that time, we didn't know who they belonged to. Over the summer I have had only four cats that stay on the deck or in our huge back yard. Both of the females each had a surviving kitten back in February that are now six months old. Spring belongs to MommaJune and Tarzan belongs to Gizmo.

It didn't take long for us to figure out who the kittens belonged to, because soon enough Gizmo showed up and they started nursing. Later on we discovered a fourth one, and that made two red tigers and two solid black ones. Here is a picture of Gizmo from June 2006 when she was just a babe herself. She had three siblings that looked just like her and another one that was a red tiger. Gizmo is the only one left.



These two photos were taken through a screen so the quality isn't the best. This is Gizmo's second litter. I think they are around three to four weeks old, if that. Her other kitten, Tarzan, is solid black and she baby sits these little ones constantly, like she knows they are her siblings.





We thought there were only four of them, but Monday evening while watching TV we heard what sounded like a kitten in distress. I went out on the deck, around the side, to where the crying was coming from. I found a kitten and sure enough there was Tarzan to its rescue. I picked the tiny thing up (it was as light as a feather) and brought it over to the light. when I looked at its face, I could see it wasn't either of the solid blacks but yet another kitten, making the total five. Only this one is the spitting image of its mother. I call it Mini Me.

I Am Still Shaking My Head

Years ago, and I'd tell you how many but I can't remember, my husband built an all-steel car trailer 21 feet in length so that we had something to use whenever we found an old Mustang or two and needed to haul it home. Because it was hand-built, in order to get a title for it we had to follow the state's instructions. Back then it wasn't that difficult. If I remember correctly, all we had to do is take pictures of all four angles, fill out their form, send a check and we soon had a brand new title in our hands. We pay $6.00 a year for renewing the registration.

On Friday, as I was enjoying being home alone with my two cats and my husband was shopping for whatever it is men shop for, the doorbell rang. That doesn't happen too often these days, but when it does the cats run and hide, and I cuss at whoever it is that's at the front door. I answered the door. It was a male around 35 years of age or so that was inquiring about the trailer that we have for sale. I told him my husband wasn't home, so the man gave me his name and phone number.

He then went on to ask me about the trailer, like how much we were asking for it and things like that. Since I don't know the asking price, I told him all I know is that it is all steel and was hand built by my husband. He then asked if we had a title for it and I told him we did, that it was a special fabricatioin title. As he was leaving, he asked that I have my husband call him as soon as he got home.

When my husband walked in the door, I gave him the message and he called the man. I wasn't really listening to the conversation but at one point I did hear my husband tell him what we had been offered for the trailer, so I can only assume he had asked how much we were asking for it. When my husband hung up the phone he grumbled something about what a jerk that guy was.

I asked him why was he a jerk? He said he thought the price was way too high and he didn't even want to buy the trailer in the first place. OK, so I'll bite...what DID he want? My husband said that all he was interested in was the title. At that point, I truly believe you could have picked my mouth up off the floor and all those other goodies people say when they are totally flabbergasted. Apparently it is a little more difficult to get a title for something hand built these days.

I thought I was on this earth long enough to have heard a lot of weird things, but that one takes the cake. So what did he think we were going to do, hand the title over to him and throw the trailer away? Who raises these people and where the hell do they get their thinking from? Yes, I am still puzzled at that one.

It's Time To Move On

Sorry I have been posting with a one-track mind. I know there are other things to discuss or talk about besides Dale Earnhardt Jr. I also noticed that my readership has fallen off. Is there such a word as readership? Not important. The important thing is, I will try my best to get back to writing about other things going on in my life.

Like Friday, when I was Suzy Homemaker. I hate when I get that way. But a lot needed to be done and nobody else was there to do it, so since I am the only other person in the house besides my husband, I got elected. What am I talking about you ask? Oh, just the normal things, like vacuum packing the different meats I bought the day before, laundry, taking care of the cats inside and those outside, doing dishes twice, vacuuming the carpets, and all that other happy horse poop that goes with running a household. I have always hated housework and that will never change. But if I don't do what has to be done, nobody else will. Such is life.

While I was doing all those things today I still managed to watch Speed channel with their racing coverage from 10:00 AM up until I had to change over to ESPN2 in order to watch the Busch race. Bristol Motor Speedway used to be my favorite track. Since they reworked it, it still is, but I cannot describe how I feel about it now. There are no words to describe it. Just absolutely wonderfully amazing beyond belief. I just hope the Cup race will be as good as the Busch race was.

Here's to a great race and a change in attitude from me. And that includes no more Teresa bashing, no more whining about not getting the #8, and the kicker? No more bashing that Johnson fella and Lowes. I think I am ready to shop there now. Whoa! I bet none of you reading this ever expected to hear me say that, did you?

I'll Be Surprised

Sorry I am behind on my posting, but I was being held hostage until the Michigan race was run. They left me go last night, so here goes.

I'll be surprised if Dale Jr. doesn't have another engine failure prior to the Chase. Why? The broomstick rider is still punishing him as if he were a small stepchild. Control freaks...ya know?

I'll be surprised if Dale Jr. does make the Chase simply because the CF mentioned above puts all her money on the other Junior (Truex).

I'll be surprised if Truex doesn't make the Chase because he's getting the best of the best as far as equipment goes. Nope, don't even try to talk me out of that one. I ain't listening.

I'll be surprised if Dale Jr. stays at his current place of employment if he doesn't make the Chase. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mention who that place of employment would be, did I? Those three letters are being ignored here these days. Oh, ok, I'll give you a hint at least. The first letter is a D, or is that a T?

I'll be surprised if Dale Jr. does make the Chase and doesn't have any more engine failures, or equipment failures for that matter.

I'll be surprised if these thoughts of mine make a liar out of me.

Except for that last one (making the Chase and no failures), I hope I am wrong on all counts. I just have a sinking feeling one of these will hold true. Well, I'll go with the last one on that.

On another note, the biggest loser as to her not letting him have the 8 would be her. How stupid is she? Did she really think he would just let her have a percentage of his royalties on anything with that number on it? Did she really think that? Wow, then she is dumber than I thought. She stands to be the biggest loser simply because by next year that number 8 will have lost all its glitter and fame. It will become just another number. Ho-hum, totally boring. And she can crawl back into the hole she came out of. Sorry, but I no longer view her as the widow of Dale Earnhardt Sr., because were he alive today to actually see what she did, he'd divorce her in a nano second. Of course, if he was (were?) alive, then we all know that none of this would have happened in the first place. But he isn't here, so we will deal with it.

I am moving on and I think this will likely be my last post on the number situation. I hope anyway. Truth be told, I am tired of the whole situation. Oh, I will probably get a little mad now and then, but the operative word there is little.

Needless to say, I am very excited about next year. A new home, a new sponsor, a new number, a new paint scheme. A fresh, new start. What could be better than that? New possibilities of winning many races, not to mention a championship. Sweet.

And The Winner Is...

Back in November when Teresa Earnhardt aka That Woman made a statement that was published in the Wall Street Journal about whether Dale Jr. wanted to be a celebrity or a race car driver, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Little did we know what was to come from that. Dale Jr., being the southern gentleman that he is, refrained from addressing that statement until he arrived at Daytona in February.

Fast forward to yesterday morning at Michigan when ESPN asked him about not getting the #8 from TEI, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out there is no love lost between stepmother and stepson.

And it's all about control. That Woman wanted control over Dale Jr. so that she could rake in millions of dollars off his name just by letting him take the #8 with him. Thank the good Lord that he and Kelley decided enough is enough, and they shelved the whole idea.

I question That Woman's integrity, honor, and whatever else she seems to have thrown to the wayside. Is she trying to show up all her male competition saying she is a better woman than they are a male? Is she trying to grow a pair of balls? Well I've got news for her: that is NOT the way to do it. First of all, you don't mess with an Earnhardt. Secondly, when you screw with one Earnhardt, you are screwing with the entire Earnhardt family. You lose, Teresa. Big time.

And my advice to Junior? Thumb your nose, turn your back, and walk away as fast as you can. Your equipment for the remainder of this year is doomed. You probably won't get into the Chase as a result and I doubt you'll win a race this year. And we can all thank the Widow Woman for that.

I hope I am wrong. I hope Dale Jr. and the 8 team can rise above all this and get into the Chase and/or win more races. I love being proven wrong in a situation like this. Elvis may be dead, but Dale Jr. has a big fire under him and we're ready for the battle.

In The Words Of Elton John...

I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch, oh the bitch is back...

According to the latest news release:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start completely anew in 2008 -- new team, new sponsors and now, new car number.

Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports officials confirmed Wednesday in separate e-mail statements to ESPN.com that they were unable to reach an agreement with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to bring the No. 8 to HMS with Earnhardt.
****************
Actually, the bitch never left. With this last act of spitefulness, Teresa Earnhardt has become more than the most-hated female in NASCAR history. I am speaking for myself. She could have made points with us Junior fans by releasing the #8 to him. Well, she can take that number and put it where the sun don't shine, because no driver in his right mind will use it once Junior is gone. But then, who would drive for her in the first place?

The best part? She will not get one red cent from her 'cash cow' next year. Sweet!

They Forgot To Tell Me This

I knew there was something I should have remembered at my last job...

Today's Scripture Didn't Work

If you came here looking for my comments on the race today at Watkins Glen, sorry...I'm going to have to pass. I am afraid of what will come out of my mouth because I have already used up my "George Carlin" cuss words for the week (and maybe more). I am at the point now that I have come to terms with Dale Jr. not making the Chase. It is what it is.

Where The Heck Am I?

What a strange day this has been. Two days ago we were in the midst of a very oppressive heat wave. Just walking outside took your breath away at first, and then you moved in slow motion.

Well, it is currently 58 degrees outside according to the weather people at the airport. It was 48 degrees on my deck earlier. Was I picked up and transported to another part of the world? I am thoroughly confused. I don't do drugs but I sure as hell am beginning to wonder.

Oh well, it's supposed to get warmer in the next few days and we will be back to normal. I mean, it is August you know.

You Be The Judge

The media (and Kurt Busch) say that Kurt is the better driver at Watkins Glen, the upcoming race on August 12th. (Kurt said he was the better driver at Watkins Glen in one of his TV interviews.) And I use the following post-race Dale Jr. question and answer session excerpt to prove my point:

Q. With Watkins Glen on the next race up, are there any concerns there? Kurt typically runs a little bit better on the road courses than you have been. That's for Dale.
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Did you ask me about road courses?

Q. Kurt runs a little bit better than you do there on average.
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Really? (laughter) I don't know about that. Are you sure? I've had some pretty good runs at the Glen. We're going to run hard and, you know, maybe - you know, I ain't going to put my teammate in the challenge or in the mix, but Kurt's not the only guy that we can catch. So, you know, maybe Kurt gains a couple more points and maybe we win at the road course. You never know. We were pretty good at Sonoma and I'm terrible there. The car carried me all weekend. I think I'm pretty decent at the Glen, so if we can both meet on the same page we might be pretty good.


Here are the stats of both drivers for the last five races at the Glen:

12th – Kurt Busch (7 points ahead of Dale Jr. in the Chase)

# One top 10; one pole
# Average finish of 25.0
# Finished 19th last season's race
# Led two of six races for 39 laps

Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
# Series-high 1,200 Quality Passes

****************

13th – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

# Two top fives, three top 10s
# Average finish of 17.6
# Finished 18th last season's race
# Led three of seven races for 13 laps

Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
# 4,569 Laps in the Top 15, third-most

So there you have it folks...now what's your opinion?

Another Nail Biter

The Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway is history.

From the time Dale Jr. snagged the pole on Friday until he crossed the finish line in second place, I was the next thing to a nervous wreck. And all those bad luck things that happened in between gave me a very bad feeling as to the outcome of the race, which is why I was a nervous wreck.

Like when the track personnel's Gator rammed and pushed in the #8 car's front bumper, screwing things up behind it. Or when Kurt Busch kept leading the race, and being so in-my-face about pushing Junior out of the 12th spot so he could take it over; which relegated Junior to 13th and out of the Chase for now. And then to hear them say during the early part of the race that they had gotten too aggressive with their shock set-up. Every time something new would surface, all I could do was groan. Jinxed. What other word describes what has been happening to them this entire season? Bad luck? Oh yeah, lots of that. Bad karma? I doubt it. I am just so tired of it all, ya know?

And then to see him spin out on the track...well, that was about all I could take. (It was suggested on Wind Tunnel, by a non-Junior fan obviously, that he spun out on his own to cause a caution so he could change his shocks.) Well, that's pretty damn preposterous I would say. But they did change the left front, I believe, and from then on the car handled like it was supposed to and like Junior was expecting it to at the start of the race. He stayed on the lead lap but had to start at the back of the pack.

On a wild agenda, he worked himself to the front but was unable to hold off Kurt Busch, who, by the way, was in a different county for the entire race. By winning the race, and Junior finishing second, Kurt jumped ahead of Junior by 7 points to take over that precious 12th spot.

That's OK...we'll get 'em back next week.

You'll see.

OMG, He's On The Pole!

Congratulations to Dale Jr. for getting the pole at Pocono for Sunday's race.
Yee-Haw!

Two Of My Favorites

They have finally released the paint scheme of the car that Dale Jr. will be driving in the Chevy Rock 'n' Roll September 8th at Richmond International Raceway.



And here is the firesuit Dale Jr. will be wearing:



I have always been an Elvis fan ever since I was around eleven years old. He was my "first."

Ever Lost A Cat In The House?

My story is about this guy above. On the second day of my husband's hospital stay a month ago, I had gotten myself ready to leave to visit him. At that time we still were putting both cats (well, they are still considered kittens at 10 months of age) in their own room when we left the house. They are currently allowed the run of the house at all times, no longer having to be locked in that room any more.

Well, the time had come when I wanted to put them in their room so I could leave. Dakota came running as soon as I called her, but Junior didn't. He usually shows by the third time I call his name. This time he didn't. And so the panic set in.

I continued calling him all the while going over in my mind that it was impossible for him to have gotten outside. I remembered I had seen him long after I had gone for the newspaper.

For the next hour I walked throughout the house (it's a rancher, thank God) calling him till I was almost hoarse. With a flashlight in hand, I checked every nook and cranny I could think of, including behind the dressers. I thought maybe he had gotten on top of one and had fallen down the back, got wedged between the wall and it, unable to move, and stopped breathing. I have a wild imagination, but when it comes to my babies, it is what it is.

With tears streaming down my face, I checked every place again. There wasn't even a faint meow or a whimper to be heard. I fully thought I would be finding a dead cat somewhere.

I finally decided to look under one of the couches in the main front room where I keep all my beanies and NASCAR things. I had to move a lot from the front of the couch before I was able to use the flashlight and peer underneath. And there the little devil was...looking right back at me all scrunched up underneath that couch. I was able to coax him out eventually.

Something must have scared him prior to sending him under there. What it was, I'll never know. And couple that with the fact that just the day before, four strange people came into his house and took his best buddy away, so he was feeling very depressed and stressed not knowing why he went away and left him behind.

When it was all done I was drenched, including my hair, and we have air conditioning. Meanwhile Dakota was waiting, wondering what all the fuss was about:

When I came home and left them out, they got on with their lives and back to doing what they do so well:

I've never lost a cat before, but if I do again, next time I think I'll know better. And I must not forget one thing: scared cats do NOT answer to their name.