Hip Hip Hooray!

Ho Ho Ho ~ Happy Holidays To All

It Doesn't Seem Right

No, it doesn't...and that is how warm it is going to be on Christmas Day for our area.  And I must not forget about all the rain that is coming either.  As if Christmas isn't a downer in the first place, then we get slathered with rain and warmth instead of cold and snow. 


My husband is patiently waiting for that white stuff.  His truck and plow are waiting alongside the garage all ready to go.  I keep telling him that because he bought that truck we won't have any snow this year.  He gets mad when I say that.


So here we are finally.  Christmas week.  It will go fast.  The day will go faster yet.  And then there will be Friday.  My daughter and her fiancé will be here that day and we will celebrate Christmas together.


Let's back up and talk about Christmas being a downer up there in that first paragraph.  I don't mean a downer as in being depressed or anything like that.  What I mean is when people reach a certain age and don't have any grandchildren there really isn't anything to get excited about, is there?  That is what I mean.


Christmas comes and Christmas goes and so it goes.  Just another holiday for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.  But the little ones sure have a helluva time, don't they?

I Almost Made It

I almost got through this Christmas season without having to send out any cards.

And then today three came in the mail.

Dang it.

So I went to my card supply and decided I had better reciprocate or I would feel guilty as all heck if I didn't.

I promised myself that this year would be the year that I put my foot down and would not send any cards.  

I wrote two more out just to be on the safe side.

Last year I sent all of seven cards; this year I am down to five.  Two friends and three relatives.  

I tried to ignore the entire situation although I did purchase a box of cards a few months ago.  Anytime I see Christmas cards with a cute cat or two I buy them because I am a sucker for those.  Kittens get me all the time.

I have been whittling down my card list for years now and I have come to the conclusion that there is no end to it.  As long as others send out cards we are kind of obligated into returning one to them.  

Why do I feel so guilty if I don't send one back?     What will happen if I don't?

For years now I thought the art of card sending/swapping was a silly thing to do.  You send me one, I'll send you one and vice-versa.  We have come too far into the 21st century to be doing such an inane thing as sending out Christmas cards. 

The funny thing is, you can send them to people year after year and then one year you don't send certain people any and the following year you don't get one from them either.  See what I mean?  Silly. 

Finally After 5-1/2 Years

Back in April 2009 my husband and I went to a place that sells vertical blinds.  We special ordered white linen lace for our bay window that faces the front of the house.  I was so glad because I would finally be getting rid of the special-order drapes that were hanging there.  I can't remember when they were first hung but I do know that it is longer than I care to think about.


Today I can proudly say the vertical blinds are gracing my bay window.  My husband asked me a few days ago what I wanted for Christmas. I told him I have Christmas all year round and could not give him an answer.  I am going to assume he finally decided to hang those blinds as a Christmas present for me.


And listen, I am a fantastic nagger and every once in awhile I would bring that sore subject up about those vertical blinds asking when he was going to hang them.  But it always fell on deaf ears.  I don't know how he could stand hearing it from me all the time because I was getting tired of hearing myself talk.


So Merry Christmas to me!

Some Things Never Change

Remember this?

Five months later and it's still there:

Anyone want to bet it will still be there in another five months?
 

Nasty Day Today

Cold, damp, dreary...and lots of rain all day.  The kind of days I detest.  It's these days where I like to stay home, curl up with my book, and stay nice and cozy.


But we had to go out today...there is a thing called returning items for credit.  We had to take a second item back to the hardware store because when the plumber was here, he hooked us up with some good stuff for our tub and shower and what we bought at the store was not needed.  It wouldn't have worked either.


Since we were out and about today, I decided to try and make a day of it so we went to one of the pet stores I like to visit.  I walked into the store with nothing in particular in mind to purchase and left there with almost $40 worth of things, mostly food for the indoor and outdoor cats.  I got away fairly cheap this time because whenever I go into that particular pet store the cost is always much higher than that.


The kind of weather we are experiencing today wreaks havoc on my body.  When I tell you just about everything aches, I mean everything aches.  My knees and legs have started acting up within the past month and I don't know why.  Someone said I need more potassium in my system because my muscles are not working as they should in the lower extremities.  So I loaded up on almonds (an ounce per day), bananas, and potatoes for baking...one of my favorite foods to eat.  I know there are more potassium-rich foods out there and I will research that later when I have more time.


Tomorrow is Sunday.  That means football.  Yay!

Full Speed Ahead

The week is halfway gone and I have been trying to get the inside of the house decorated for Christmas.  I was able to do the outside a few days ago.

Our cold water handle for the tub and shower started dripping ever so slightly awhile back.  I would collect the water in a cup and use that to rinse the tub after I showered and also shampooed my hair.

Last week that drip developed into an almost non-stop drip.  I kept up with it though.  And then a few days ago it went crazy and buckets were called to duty.  Meanwhile we went to one of the hardware stores to look for new handles and whatever else was needed to put a stop to that incessant dripping.

The first kit we brought home did not work and so we had to return it for credit.  The second kit was much more sophisticated but my husband ran into a different problem; one that he could not fix.  That will have to be returned as well.  Tuesday evening he called our plumber.  He came out to fix the dreaded drip on Wednesday.  

Instead of three knobs we now have just a lever with a plate behind it.  The plumber installed a new tub spout and the water diverter is on the end of that.   He had also installed the stationery shower head but when my husband saw that he told him he had better put the original back on or, as he put it, my wife will have a fit.  Yes indeedy I certainly would have had a fit.  I like the handheld apparatus because it also helps to clean the walls of the shower and the inside of the glass doors as well.  You can't do that with a stationery shower head.

One headache behind us.  Wednesday is our normal grocery shopping day but my husband has a doctor's appointment in the morning and there are a few other things we have to do before we end up at Cracker Barrel to eat dinner.  So that day is fairly shot.

Friday we will do the grocery shopping.  It will feel out of sorts for me to do that on a Friday because I am so used to shopping on a Wednesday for my food.

Eventually a day will open up and I will be able to decorate for Christmas.  I just hope it's not the day before.

No Football Today

Here I sit and no football to watch.  One of my two teams, San Francisco 49ers, has their bye (off) week and the other one, NY Giants, is playing the Jaguars who have won one game and lost the other ten this season.  That game isn't televised.  I hope the Giants win that game because they aren't doing so well this year and have to concentrate on getting things together.

I usually watch the Philadelphia Eagles games but they just played this past Thursday and aren't scheduled to play until next Sunday.  And I like to watch the Dallas Cowboys just to see them get beat and for no other reason.  No other teams command my attention except the Washington Redskins and they aren't doing so well either.

The temperature is currently 40° but it is supposed to get warmer than that today.  Tomorrow is going to be nicer as far as a higher temperature is concerned.  Today is quite dreary and when I look out my window all I see is gray tree branches and white snow and it looks so cold.

I really hate this in-between-the-holidays time of the year.  As Thanksgiving approaches I always get somewhat gloomy.  Back in the day when my parents were here yet both Thanksgiving and Christmas were something to look forward to.  The entire family (siblings and their kids) would gather around the table and sit down to a magnificent feast my mother was well known for...that is no longer the case.

My parents brought us all together (I have two siblings and I am the middle child) but now things have changed.  My sister lives in California and does not associate with me for some reason or another, and my brother lives not too far away and does not associate with me for some reason or another.  I have reached the point where I really don't care anymore.  It is what it is as they say.  So be it.  I tried in the past to connect with both of them and have given up.

I don't look forward to Christmas for the same reason.  There is one holiday however that I anxiously await:  New Years Day.  Now that is something to look forward to simply because it leaves both Thanksgiving and Christmas in the dust.

(I tried to post a photo but Blogger is playing games)

Snow Is Coming To Our Valley

The temperature Monday was 70°.

There will be rain today.

It is supposed to snow Wednesday.  Possible total of 8 inches.

And on Thursday there will be some damn fine eating...and football, too.

So we will go from excellent to bleh to yuck and back to excellent in just a few days' time.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.  

Eat to your heart's content ~ stoke that furnace ~ because winter is knocking at the door.

Helpless In My World

Can someone please tell me why we were ever blessed with the person that is supposedly running this country all on his own?

I just don't get it.  What is his problem anyway?  It was bad enough we had to be saddled with him the first four years and then those people voted him in for another four years.  He is, in my opinion, quite inept, but great at being a liar.

Why is he so angry with our country?  Why does his wife hate our country?

Why, why, why??????????

NASCAR 2014 Season

It seems like it was just yesterday when I taped the 2014 season race schedule to my wall for the NASCAR Sprint Cup racing season, but it actually happened back in January.

When I taped it there I thought Nice...a brand new season of racing ten months long.  And I sighed 'cause I was happy it would be just getting started.  It really does seem like it was just yesterday.

And here we are, the last racing weekend of the year is now over in what seems like the blink of an eye.  If I hadn't watched every race every weekend I wouldn't believe how fast they flew by.

Didn't I Tell You?

I told you to keep an eye on this kid.  He won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship last week.  He's 18 and graduated high school this past May.  His parents, above with Chase Elliott, made sure he attended his graduation too.

This was his first season in NASCAR and his team was put together last December.  He became the youngest champion in a national series and he is also the first driver to win a championship and rookie of the year in the same season.

I followed his father, Hall of Fame inductee Bill Elliott, for most of his career and I can assure you I will be following this young man's career as well.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Crowned Today





Kevin Harvick won the Championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  This was the first year a new system was used and I, for one, do not like it at all.  But I must confess that it did make for some great racing at times.    When it came down to the last race, it meant that only four drivers were eligible to win the championship.  Of those four that were eligible, there was only one driver I wanted to win.  He did.  He drives for Tony Stewart.  This is his first year with Stewart-Haas Racing and he did a great job all year long, so he deserves the accolade.

...and now I wait for the next season to start next February.  These past ten months flew by but you can bet the farm that these next three months will drag.

Old Man Winter Has Arrived...

...and I am not amused.

It is currently 34°.  That's two degrees away from freezing folks!

I am so not ready for this stinking cold weather.

And to top it all off, it is raining outside.  Nope, forget the rain.  I just poked my head through the curtains and looked outside...the ground is white.  Holy Toledo!

It looks like my hibernation time has arrived.  

I have been at a stalemate as to whether I want to continue this blog or not.  Neither side has won as of yet.  Sometimes it just seems as if I am wasting my time typing words.

I have so much to write about but never can seem to find the time.  And since I don't have a lot of heat in this room, I tend to not want to stay in it for very long.

It's winter.  It's cold.  It's nasty.  What more can I say?

Remembering Scotty

He was only three years old.  He lived with his mother and his six-year-old brother...and his mother's boyfriend...and his mother's boyfriend's wife and their infant...in a small trailer.

For three days Scotty's mother and her boyfriend tortured him until he died.  His brother withstood the same torture but somehow survived the ordeal.  He said both of them laughed while they were being tortured.

The wife of the boyfriend stood by knowing full well what was going on and looked the other way.  

What the hell is wrong with a society when things like this are left to happen?  

The lack of Christianity in this country is appalling.  The lack of the fear of God is sorely needed again.  Must this country be brought to its knees before the people wake up and get their shit together?

I cry for Scotty and others like him.  I also pray for them as well.  We all should. 

 

It's About Time

Dale Earnhardt Jr finally won at Martinsville.  The trophy for winning is a grandfather clock, something he has wanted ever since his father brought one of many home.  He said he has wanted one of these trophies since he was a little boy.

This marks his 23rd career win and his 4th win of the season.  

 

Meet Beanie (Bopper)

This little kitten has more than enough energy with plenty left over.  He/she is the only one to survive the litter.  Its mother, Stumpy, had three kittens at the beginning of the year, so all four of them play together.  Meet Stumpy's kids:

This is Beanie

Beanie and Saddle

Beanie and Momma Stumpy

Beanie and Boots

Beanie showing off for Boots (on its back)

Beanie and Spur (Beanie's tail is short like Mom's)

Beanie got its name from the small patch on its head.  Boots, Saddle and Spur were given their names by my husband.  

Beanie can be running helter-skelter all over the place and the next thing you know, he/she is either having lunch at Mom's expense or curled up sleeping somewhere.  It happens that quickly.  A real Beanie bopper.

 



 
 
 

Wacky Neighbors Explanation

It seems I have been misrepresenting our neighbors after reading comments on my three posts about them.  Let me bring you up to speed:

First of all it may seem like I am acting like an old biddy with my nose in their business.  Far from it.  I do not go out of my way to make my life miserable by the things they have done since moving here two years this November.  All the things I have been complaining about they put in my face on a daily basis. It cannot be avoided either.

Ever since they moved here they have not adhered to local ordinances or restrictions and have been living as if they are still residing in Aquashicola.  Look it up, you'll see what I mean.  

The straw that broke this camel's back with them was when I learned they were trapping our cats and taking them away.  We were totally unaware of that action until earlier this year when my husband was way out back and saw the trap at the end of their property next to ours.  From then on we had to watch and make sure to release any of the cats that found their way in the two traps they always set.  One night I went out at 2:30am with a flashlight to check and also to spring the latch so cats could not get in.  The husband apparently checked on the traps before going to work to make sure they were set and didn't check on them till late at night...so what if it rained all day and a cat sat in that rain.  So what if they were hungry or scared...he did not care one iota.  And there is no excuse for that.  This neighborhood was peaceful till they came along.  Nobody complained about cats.  We have been feeding them for years seeing that they have shelter as well. 

When my husband confronted him about the trapping he called my husband a liar and got so red in the face while screaming I thought we would be calling for an ambulance for the neighbor.  He went on to curse something terrible and was saying things like F*** the Bible, F*** God.  I finally went outside onto our deck and told my husband to walk away.  There is no call for the way he ranted and raved and cursed.

His wife was standing right by him and interjecting nonsense about how the cats were pooping all over their toddler's toys.  How does a cat poop on toys, or a picnic table, or anything else that doesn't have a surface they can scratch in order to cover their "duty?"  If you don't understand that, you don't understand cats.

The neighbor yelled that he had trapped 22 cats since moving there.  We live in a rural area with farmed fields all around us.  Many of our neighbors have cats, or feed feral cats, because they understand that they will keep the mice and other vermin away.  Apparently these neighbors want mice and vermin on their property.

They take all their yard waste, from dead shrubbery, dead Christmas trees, to huge limbs and branches from their trees and pile them up on their property line.  That harbors mice.  Cats go after mice.  What did they expect would happen?

These people have no morals, no scruples, and are just a real pain in the ass and how we got blessed with them as neighbors is beyond me.  So to distance myself from them I have decided to ignore them as if they don't exist ~ if that is at all possible.

Yes, I may sound angry and it's because I am.  These people took a nice piece of property and turned it into a piece of sh*t.  They dug up their yard to plant a garden which is okay; I have no problem with that.  Maybe it's because it's on the other side of their house and I don't have to look at it.  But they also dug up their yard at various places to plant sunflowers everywhere you can think of including along the street in front of their house.  Really?  We get asked about those sunflowers numerous times by people we know who pass by our place.    Maybe some of the pictures I have posted look good but if you would see what I see you would change your mind in a hurry.

Sorry for this long post but I had to get that off my chest.

Wacky Neighbors #3

Danger Zone ~ mix a little boy with a huge fire and it could spell disaster.  Fortunately on this day disaster was held at bay but I held my breath as I watched.  You never know when a small child is going to make a quick decision and do something rash.  Also, as you can see, this fire is giving off smoke.  What we were not aware of at that time is that smoke is a nuisance, something I was not aware of but am now.  

The neighbors have since received a letter from the township advising them about the do's and don'ts of having a residential or ceremonial fire pit.  I have also learned that when the burning ordinance was changed in 2008 the part of no burning between sunset and sunrise was not brought forth into the new ordinance.  So I was wrong on that count.  Apparently they were in the right to burn all night long while they slept in their tents.  However, a night fire must have someone tending it at all times and that didn't happen. 

Below is a photo of one side of the neighbor's driveway.  When the person who owned the property before them lived there everything was manicured and looked nice all the time.  He used to put fresh mulch in these areas (both sides) every Spring and saw that all weeds were pulled.  This below is nothing but a bed of weeds.  This couple is in their mid 30's.  You would think they cared about their property.  I watched him take care of weeds one day by using a weed-whacker.  Oh yeah, that's really going to get rid of them. 

Wacky Neighbors Part II

One Friday morning a few weeks ago when I went out to feed the cats this is what I saw in the neighbor's yard. I thought they were either airing it out or they had just bought it and wanted to learn how to put it up before using it at a different location.  The back of the tent is parallel to their fence.  The door faced the fire pit which was not all that far away.

Friday night came and went and nobody used the tent.  Company arrived Saturday.  A fire was started in their round fire pit after the sun went down.  I might interject here that we have an ordinance that states no fires after sunset or before sunrise.  Did that stop them?  Hell no.

The fire burned until a little after 4am.  My husband was aware of the fire and was awake all night worrying about an ember being picked up by wind and possibly landing on our house, garage, or sheds.  See that field on the other side of the tent?  That is quite extensive and when the wind blows it sweeps down the field and across both our yards.

Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back I wish I had called one of the local fire departments to report a fire in the neighbor's back yard.  Maybe that would have gotten through their thick skulls.  As it was, my husband went to the township to report them to one of the supervisors.  The one that had a hand in the writing of the latest fire ordinance.  We asked that he speak to these neighbors and set them straight.  Or at least send them a letter of warning.  This was the third time we asked that the township step in for something stupid these people have done since moving here almost two years ago.  

My husband asked to be mailed a copy of the letter.  We are still waiting.  He has since called the same supervisor and had to leave voice mail asking why no letter was sent out to them.  Mr. Supervisor avoids us at all costs.  And when we do catch him at the township building, he always has an excuse.  My taxes help pay his salary as a supervisor.  I wish he would remember that.

The sad thing about this whole incident is that people stayed in that tent overnight while that fire was burning all night long.  Suppose the wind whipped an ember onto the tent while they were all asleep?  

Crispy critters anyone?

 

Wacky Neighbors

This photo was taken July 12th. 

And this one was taken two months later on September 10th.

As I sit here and turn my head slightly to look out my window I can see that it is still out there sopping wet due to the rain we just had and it;s not going anywhere in a hurry it seems.  You can see the fallen leaves gathering at the bottom on the grass.

That top photo was taken at least a month after this monstrosity first appeared abandoned alongside their garage.  Every time I look at it, it seems to shout at me, Look at me, I am a thing of beauty...complete with chalk drawings.

This thing may have started life as a stove, washer or dryer carton.  It then became a house which was set up in their messy back yard.  When the rain soaked it beyond being usable, it was put where it still resides.

By leaving it where it is, it has become a haven for rodents to shelter underneath and that attracts our cats to go onto their property to get those rodents.  And not only that, it is eventually going to kill their shrubbery.  Not that I care.

I believe now that I have started posting about these people that I have enough photos and thoughts in my head to post something every couple of days that would take me far beyond my imagination, and yours.  With plenty more to come.  Every time I think they have gone and done something really stupid, they do something far worse.  Wait till you hear about the fire pit, the tent, and the wind.  Nobody was hurt...yet.

We are dancing with one of our township supervisors about the numerous dumb-headed things they have done (and probably will continue to do) that is against ordinances and just being completely ignorant.  But so far that supervisor has promised three separate times that a letter would go out warning them of their wrongdoings...and still no letter has been sent to them.

On Monday of this week my husband talked to that same supervisor in person and he said he would get a letter out.  This would be our third request for a letter.  My husband asked that we get a copy.  Still no letter.  I don't know what it will take to make the township realize just how much these people put others in jeopardy with their asinine activities that go against ordinances for the township.

You can bet your last dime that I will be posting more about them.  I have just recently cataloged all my pictures of them and their property messes into one place so I now have easier access to them.  I have been putting off posting about their antics far too long and I need to get it out of my system.

 

Happy Happy Joy Joy

The results of my husband's colonoscopy is in.  Everything is A-Okay.  No polyps, no nothing.  Just that good old diverticulosis.  That is the name of the condition and when those little diverticula get upset it becomes diverticulitis.  It is just that which started this whole summer of upheaval.  It started there and it ended there.  

Oh, there was one other minor problem.  A tumor was found in his bladder.  Two kinds.  One that grows like a carpet and one that grew upward.  After a scraping of everything that didn't belong in there, the pathologist found that despite the fact of being malignant they were very superficial.  That means they were just on the surface and hadn't grown into anything.  Very low grade and very very slow growing.  They are caused by smoking.  My husband quit 15 years ago last month.  You would think something like that would not show up after 15 years but the nasty little suckers certainly did show up.  And what a fright they gave the both of us.

After they were scraped out, Mitomycin was introduced and left in the bladder for an hour to cook as the urologist told us with a smile on his face.  It is supposed to help keep them from coming back and taking up residence to grow again.  Husband goes back in three months for a follow-up and another test to make sure nothing is in there.  That will happen, I assume, every three months or until the urologist deems it is no longer necessary.

Let me tell you...it has been one hell of a summer starting with the first severe abdominal pains at the end of May leading right up until yesterday's colonoscopy.

At least for now, we can breathe again.   It's a glorious feeling.

 

Naughty Me

I should be horsewhipped for not writing more often.  I have been very busy purging things from this house and I am far from being done.  One room in particular has been the center of my attention.  That is what we call the middle room.  It could also be referred to as the attic we don't have.  Once we moved into this house that room became the place that we stored things we thought we would use some day, also things we got tired of using, and things that just didn't fit into the current scheme of any room.  The you-go-in-here-until-I-am-ready-for-you room. 


The sad thing is I never got to the point of needing anything once I chucked it in there.  I could open the door into the room and step into it and maybe walk a tiny bit but that was as far as I could go.  Not any more.  I am finding things that make me shake my head wondering what the hell was I thinking when I put those things in there.  Boxes of this and boxes of that and some that don't make any sense at all.  Well guess what?  It is really a lot of fun throwing them out now. 


It has also been a summer from hell as far as my husband's health is concerned. 
He has an appointment for a colonoscopy Tuesday.  To bring us to this point in time for that test has been a long, long journey that started at the end of May when he complained about lower abdominal pains.  One thing led to another: first an ultrasound and then a CT scan which revealed far more than we were willing to accept.  He saw a urologist and a gastroenterologist, but this colonoscopy hopefully will be the end of the journey.  In between everything else he has also seen his cardiologist which brought good news because nothing has changed from the same tests he had a year ago.


I am here now to apologize for being negligent.  I will try to do better.  Once we get the results back from this last test and they are good results, perhaps I will be in a better mood to write about other things that are more upbeat.


Why did I finally attack the superfluous items in this house?  Well, when you get slapped up side the head with possible bad news you go into a frenzy and try to keep yourself busy.  My husband made it over one hurdle (perhaps one of the hardest hurdles there is) and now we are hoping he makes it over another.


And to make things more interesting, my husband finally decided it was time to get rid of all our vintage Mustangs (six of them ranging from 1965 to 1972) as well as all the Mustang parts he has accumulated over the years.  Everything will be auctioned off the beginning of October.  He hand built a two story garage (I always called it a barn) by himself (I helped as much as I could) that measures 32 ft. by 48 ft.  We managed to concrete half of it inside and never had the gumption to do the other side.  The Mustangs have been housed in there on the first floor with all the parts and other things on the second floor for many years.  When we started accumulating Mustangs and parts it was with the idea that when my husband retired he would have something to work on.  That never materialized due to his knee replacement, another knee replacement on the same knee, and then a partial replacement of the second replacement.  I know!


Like I said in the beginning of this, it has been one heck of a summer.  Seeing doctors, having tests, waiting for results...I guess you could say it was the summer I never had. 

Summer's Gone

On the calendar, that is.  We had 90° weather today with more hot days to follow.  Very unusual for September in these parts.

I love summer and I love spring even more.  Fall is okay as well except for what looms behind it:  dreadful winter.

Someone said this coming winter is going to be as harsh as last year.  Last winter was awful to say the least.  I don't know if I can get through another one like it.

At least this winter there is one thing we won't have to worry about:  shoveling snow.  Husband bought an older pickup and plow that will be used strictly for clearing snow all around our three acres.  That means no license and no registration to worry about.  We already have those expenses with our Mustang GT, F-150 pickup, and Harley.

We have had snow blowers, snow throwers, snow shovels, you name it, we had it.  But nothing compares to a truck and plow.  Nothing.

Just Thinking Out Loud

It's really amazing how the decisions we make throughout our lives change a lot of things along the way.


Like, say for instance, we have two choices confronting us.  We make our choice and go on about our business.  But what would the outcome have been had we made the other choice instead?  How do we know we really made the right choice?


Life is all about decisions.  I don't know if I made all the right ones and had I made different decisions than the ones I actually made, where would I be today?


I am happy where I am at so I am going to convince myself I made all the correct choices.  Or did I?

A Lot Of Bears On My Hands

I can't recall just when it was I started collecting Beanie Babies, but once I started I bought almost every bear that came out.  As a result I now have scads of them.  And most of them were in their own plastic case made especially for them.  All the ear tags are encased in plastic as well.  Yes, I have those three above.  And the one below is one of my personal favorites.

 This is Libearty below.  To find it wasn't easy and when I did, it was quite expensive so I can say that I paid the most for it.  I also sent it away to be researched and documented to make sure it was worth what I paid for it.

When I lost my job back in June of 2005 I stopped buying them.  What a relief that was because collecting them was like an addiction.  And not only did I purchase the beanies stateside, I branched out to the ones around the world as well via eBay.  Needless to say I have quite a bit of money wrapped up in these once very highly collectible bears.

I used to line them up one on top of the other in their plastic cases in the living room, but that got to be too much so I put them all away in cardboard boxes and piled those up instead.  Last week I decided to do something about them since they were still parked in my living room...a room we rarely use; however, it is the first room entered when someone comes into our front door and therefore those boxes had become somewhat of an eyesore.

I took every bear out of its case and put them into two large totes.  The cases went back into the boxes they came out of minus the bears and went into the basement.  I still have other bears that never saw a case because I got tired of buying the cases so I put each one into its own zip lock bag.  In the next week or so I will go through those as well and write down the name of every bear (and a few other animals that I liked and bought along the way) and then they will be put into a space bag cube or two and compressed with the air vacuumed out. 

What was once a highly-demanded collectible is now nothing more than a simple toy.  Most of them were sold new for $5-6 and now one is lucky to be able to sell them at garage sales for $1-2.  What a shame because they will never be what they once were.  But I am not alone.  There are others out there in the same boat as I am.  The only difference is, I am reducing the space they were taking up.

Doing The Happy Dance

God bless Dale Earnhardt Jr. for enlightening my day!


He swept both Pocono races this year, meaning he won both of them including today's race.  Prior to this year he had never won a race at that track.  And up until four years ago he hated having to race at that track.  Somewhere along the line he came to terms with the track and today it became his best buddy so to speak.


He now has three wins this year out of 21 races, and is sitting on top of the points for the Chase which will start September 14th at the Chicagoland track.


Thank you, Dale Jr.


(I tried posting a photo here but Blogger is misbehaving).

Time For An Update

A lot has happened since I last wrote. 


I guess the most important thing to say is my husband has acute diverticulitis.  This is the second go-around for him and the first time it happened was so long ago he never thought it would invade his colon again.  Well, it did and with a vengeance.  He is currently on another antibiotic a few days longer than the first ones prescribed.  If this doesn't work the next step is surgery.  Fingers crossed.


This summer two of our female cats outside had 6 kittens.  Three kittens per mother.  They are about two months apart though.  The second litter was born to Jackie One-Eye.  I wasn't sure what sex she was until she brought her kittens around.  She has one eye and that is the way she first appeared to us when she was old enough to be on her own.  Prior to that we had never seen her but I knew she belonged to our bunch.


She only has one kitten left.  A calico.  It, too, has only one eye.  I might add here that we currently have a pair of red-tailed hawks lurking around in our trees for the past week.  They preyed on those other two kittens.  Swiped them right out of the yard.  Red-tailed hawks are protected in the US, Canada, and Mexico.  Why, I don't know because they are predators and will pick up anything that is twice their weight.  I hate them.  My father hated them.  I hope they leave soon.  They are so protected you are not allowed to even so much as harass them.  How does one harass a hawk?


My husband's brother is in sad shape.  We just got word Saturday that he is in hospice.  I hate times like these.  Here I am dealing with what might be wrong with my husband and everything else around me is falling apart. 


I am sorry this is not an upbeat post but life isn't always fun. 

Yep..Still Plodding Along

Today I had my regular checkup at our family doctor.  When it was over I mentioned something about my husband and his pain and not being able to see the gastroenterologist for another three weeks.  He became very sympathetic and worked my husband into the time slot right after me. 


I have become quite upset about what is going on with his pain and the fact that he has to live with it for another three weeks before anything else will get done.
The family doctor said he would re-evaluate him.  He had last seen him the first week of June when he prescribed a week's worth of two antibiotics which didn't work against whatever is roaming around in there.


When we went back again the beginning of this month our regular doctor was on vacation and that doctor prescribed the ultrasound and blood work which both came back normal.  (I know I mentioned all this in my last post but this is just a refresher for myself.)


After the doctor checked my husband today (hands on) and couldn't find anything that way so he thought it was best to order a CT scan.  Ultrasounds don't always pick things up as a CT scan does.  One step at a time I guess.  Husband was also asked to leave a urine sample as well.  The CT scan will be done this Monday. 


Once the results are back and the doctor has them I will be able to see those same results online.  We signed up for that service today while at the office.  We could only sign one of us up since we both share the same email address.  I do have another address but my head was too muddled to think straight and I was afraid I would get it messed up so I left it go for another time.  Besides, it is my husband that has been having tests and not me.


By the way, my tooth doesn't hurt.  There was a two week span when it hurt like the dickens and I didn't know which way to turn but that subsided and went away and hasn't returned.  It is infected and it does have to come out but with all this stuff going on with my husband, the tooth will have to wait.  Unless it flares up again, which I doubt will happen.

Plodding Along

July is just flying by.  This summer has been an odd one.  We went through such a hellacious winter and then before we knew it summer came with a vengeance and slapped us in the face.  And it's still slapping.  I don't mind the heat though, not as much as I mind (hate) the cold of winter.  Besides, winter costs a lot more than summer does.


A few weeks ago my husband complained of having what he called a gut ache.  Actually, it was located in the lower left quadrant.  More than two decades ago he developed diverticulitis and was worried it may have come back despite being so careful as to what he ate.


He called the doctor and got an appointment.  An abdominal ultrasound was ordered as well as more blood drawn but for different reasons than usual.  The ultrasound came back normal. At least we know his pancreas, liver, and kidneys are doing fine.  Sometimes one of those organs can cause the pain he is having.


The next step was to call a gastroenterologist.  Our family doctor gave us the phone number of the practice they use as a referral.  My husband called them only to find out they are booked until early August.  The 5th to be exact.  He told the person there that he would check around to see if he could find something closer to now.  After searching for gastroenterologists covered by our insurance, all we could come up with was one other practice.  They, too, were booked till early August.  The 7th to be exact.


So my husband called the first practice again but by that time the 5th was gone and all they had open was the 6th.  He grabbed it.  By then I was a tad weary just listening to him.  Normally I do all the legwork but this time I made him do the calling.  He did a very good job.  I think I would have been swearing like a sailor after the first call.


So now we wait for him to see the gastro doctor.  I should add here that when he saw the family doctor he was prescribed two different antibiotics.  Neither of those worked for his pain so diverticulitis was ruled out since antibiotics take care of what causes that.  I wish it were that easy those decades ago when he first had it...he was in the hospital over a week till they got him straightened out.


So far besides my tooth problem (I still have it), this pain my husband has is the most excitement we have going.  I shouldn't say excitement because it really isn't exciting at all.  Worriment would be a better choice of word.


So until something else rears its ugly head giving me something to write about, that is all I have for now.

Germany Spanked Brazil 7-1

Up until a few weeks ago I have never watched, nor did I ever attempt to watch, a soccer game on TV.  It just never occurred to me to do so.

And then one day while dining out, there on the TV was a soccer game.  The Greek owner of the diner was in the vestibule watching the game so we sat with him for awhile.  We would have stayed longer but we had somewhere we had to be.  

I became aware of the World Cup games at that point and started watching the games played by the U.S.  I watched their last three games before they finally were declared out of the running.

Something I have found out since is that the World Cup is only played every four years.  It takes them three years to decide who will play for the Cup.

Once the games had been narrowed down to the semi-finals with Germany one of the final four teams, my interest heightened.  My fifth great grandfather came to this country from the region now known as Germany.  His last name is the same as my maiden name, so I am a direct descendant.  

I knew Germany was playing Brazil today but I didn't turn the game on until 20 some minutes had passed.  By then the score was 4-0, Germany.  Those four points apparently were scored in the first six minutes.  

Germany now faces the winner of the Argentina-Netherlands game for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Go Germany!

 

Time Out

My absence from blogging is due to computer issues.  I think it was around the beginning of this year when someone stole my email address and started sending hundreds of emails using it.  That caught the eye of my Internet provider and they shut down my account.

Naturally that caused me to make a phone call to them to see what the reason was for shutting me down.  They didn't cut off my Internet, just my email account.  After they explained everything to me, I then had to go through the motions of getting me back in the fold by changing my password.

Within a few days after the password change, my router decided it didn't like the new password and cut me off from the Internet.  I had to call my provider again to tell me how to circumvent the router and get me back in business.  It has been that way ever since.  That means I no longer had the use of my laptop because I had a wireless network between my PC and my laptop.  My printer was not part of the wireless network.

Last week my printer decided to puke.  I bought another one but I don't want to hook it up without using the wireless network (that no longer exists and I need to redo everything).

My router is a Cisco Valet Plus.  How nice to find out they no longer manufacture them.  I loved it.  It was so easy to hook up and never gave me any problems.  But that's another story and I am getting off track here.  When I had the Cisco all hooked up back in 2010 I found out that since my PC is not wireless I had to buy a wireless adapter which I did.  I purchased a Cisco Valet Connector.  Do you think I can find that now?  Nope.  I tore just about everything apart in this room and still no adapter.  Every day I look and every day I come up empty handed.  I did, however, find the packing slip as well as the bill (in two separate places).

I am now waiting for a day that I can set aside to work on hooking up the Cisco Valet Plus to see if it works.  If it does, I will probably buy a new adapter and go on my merry way.  If it doesn't work, then I have to buy another router as well as an adapter.

With all this going on, it has kept me quite busy.  And then there is the household I still have to run.  It's not like I can just sit down and let everything else go just to get my computer's wireless network up and running.  Plus the fact that since I am not tech savvy whatsoever, I keep dragging my feet because I always feel whatever I try to do will not work and then I will be frustrated and walk away letting a few more days slip by.  For now I am happy that I have the Internet but I need to speed things up because working without a printer is the pits. 

And now you know the rest of the story...

 

Boy, Do I Have A Dilemma

In January 2013 I had a topical filling on my #7 upper lateral incisor.  It cost me $145 and didn't take long to do.  I can't remember exactly when but last year I had severe pain in that same tooth, up into the root system as well.  That pain came and went for about three weeks and then it abruptly stopped.  A few weeks later it kicked in again.  I had a dental appointment so I told my hygienist what had happened.  She assured me that happens and it was probably just a result of the filling.  

This past Monday I had another dental appointment.  I had a routine cleaning and an exam by the dentist.  She saw a tiny blister above my #7 tooth and ordered an X-ray of that tooth.  When she developed the X-ray and came back into the room she said, I'm sorry, but I have some very bad news.  I thought to myself, how bad could it be?

She then told me that my tooth was cracked and infected and followed that up with the various options to fix it.  She first ruled out a root canal mainly because they rarely work in a situation like mine.  She then told me about having an implant and discussed that procedure.

First they extract the tooth and then a temporary partial is inserted which stays there until the implant tooth is ready to be inserted.  This procedure is very expensive (I do not have dental insurance) and it takes 6-8 months from start to finish, give or take a month or two.  

Another procedure is a bridge similar to this:

The dentist said this procedure costs almost as much as an implant but she didn't recommend having it done either.  Neither did I and that was quickly ruled out.

When I was finished with that consultation I was handed a paper with the detailed pricing for an implant.  Starting with the extraction, inserting the partial, and then two other steps before finally inserting the implant, it would cost $3475.00 before my 5% discount.  Well, I don't have to tell you what I think of that.  Preposterous, I say.  At my age why should I put out that kind of money for one lousy tooth when I could kick the bucket tomorrow?

After paying my bill I questioned the dentist about what would happen if all I did was get the tooth extracted and nothing more?  She looked at me kind of funny and said, Nothing.  And that was the end of that.  I left the office, my head reeling, not knowing what I was going to do.

I have given this a lot of thought and have definitely ruled out getting a bridge as well as getting an implant.  All I want to do at this time is get the darn tooth pulled and be done with it, except that it is in such a prominent spot.

This is not my mouth, it is from the Internet but this is what it would look like if all I did was had the tooth extracted.  I don't know what else to do since these, supposedly, are my only options according to my dentist.

I do have one option left, and that is to go to a different dentist and get another opinion.  Granted, I know for certain that the tooth has to be pulled, but I would like to know if there are any other options available to me that don't cost as much or take as long.  Or if there is a way that something else can be done cheaper.

I am upset because the filling the dentist did is what eventually caused the crack and that caused the infection.  According to what I read these things happen all the time.  And another thing that upsets me is that I am not all that gung ho over my current dentist and hygienist.  The only reason I stayed with them is because they had all my old records from the other dentist.  At the end of 2011 my (male) dentist retired and the current gang took over the practice.

  I prefer a male dentist because that is all I ever had from the age of three years old. This current one is a female (from another country) and from the get-go I just felt as if I was being taken advantage of because I pay cash.  And as much as I complained that I simply do not have the cash to pay for the things they want to do, well...that just falls on deaf ears.  Whether I have the cash or not, that is not the point.  She has been after me to get several teeth crowned (molars) because they have spider cracks...cracks that have been there for many years.  I have always had good strong teeth so those cracks don't worry me in the least.  She worries me more.

So here I sit, still the owner of my #7 tooth, not knowing what to do...
 

Stop The Merry-G-Round, I Want To Get Off

Half of June is over and soon the longest day will be here and then the days start to get shorter.  How did this happen so fast?  Where does the time go?  Especially after the super harsh winter we had.  I want the warm weather to stay longer than we get to have it.

Do you see that pool?  That belongs to our neighbor.  I am so thankful now that I decided to plant those forsythia bushes as well as the maple tree between them. Today they have enough leaves on all three to block out that pool so that whenever they are in it, or have company, I don't have to look at them when I am on our deck.  And they can't see me, either.  Thank the Lord for small miracles.

This flower bed needs some serious straightening out.  Daffodils come up in the spring and those chubby things in the back of the daffodil plant as well those on the right are Iris plants.  Needless to say most everything else is just plain old weeds.  Back breakers.  It isn't easy for me to weed this bed.  I have had ongoing lower back problems now for well over twenty-plus years.  

We have had a lot of rain the past few days so weeding this bed should be a little easier for me.  We bought mulch to put here as well as under our weeping cherry tree in the front yard.  That thing grows like a weed.  I cut it back severely just before winter and the limbs will be to the ground in another month or so.

Getting back to the plot in the picture above:  I have a bunch of Iris rhizomes that I wanted to plant before last winter and never got around to doing it, so I stored them in a cool, dry place.  I recently read that I can plant them in July so I hope that gets done next month and isn't one more thing I let slide by.

Honestly, I just don't know where the time goes.  Looking at the clock on my computer I see it is already Sunday.  Most of the day will be spent watching prerace programs as well as the race itself.  Monday I have a dental appointment and some pet food shopping to do.  Tuesday my husband has two tests he does annually at the cardiologist that will take four hours.  And I sit and wait for him.  We do this every year.  I take enough food and snacks and the time usually goes fairly fast for me.  Wednesday is our grocery shopping day.  I think Thursday is already planned for something my husband wants to do because he asked me if that day is open.  And that brings us to Friday which is the start of racing programs that continue into Saturday and Sunday and we are back to square one.  

See what I mean?  I shouldn't even have to ask where the time goes, it seems I already answered my own question.
 

He Did It, He Really Did It

Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his second victory of the season.  The last time he won more than one race in any season was back in 2004...the year he won six races.

So far this year he has won the Daytona 500 and the race at Pocono yesterday. I would have loved to have been there since the track is almost in my back yard.

Here's to you Dale ~ may you have many more victories this season.

Things To Ponder

Why aren't people more aware of where things are made before purchasing them?  Not only products, but food as well.  Please try and buy things made in the USA.  I know our country isn't making it easy for us to do that, but please try anyway.

There are so many shenanigans going on with our food supply and they aren't funny to me.  I shop at Wegmans.  The majority of their fresh meats come from farms in the US.  Fruits and vegetables come from local farms during the growing months and other areas of the US over the winter.  They also have a huge array of organic foods.  I also shop at another grocery store but I rarely buy things there that I am not sure about where they came from.
 **********
Here is a statistic that is all too scary:  One out of every 68 children in the US is born autistic.  Does that mean that eventually we will be a nation of nothing but autistic people?  Think about it.

Why is/was Nelson Mandela treated like a saint after he died?  Bing or Google The Crimes of Nelson Mandela and you'll see what I mean.

 
 

Yeah, I know, pink isn't really my color but the people at Wal*mart don't know that.

Our Trip North

We left the house around 10:30 on Sunday on the bike.  We stopped for gas and breakfast as well.  The skies didn't look too promising when we left. I had checked the weather for the area we were going to that morning and it looked like it would turn out OK.  Sunny, clear, and 60°.  By the time we were on the road for about half an hour, the gray clouds left and the puffy white ones took over and allowed the sun to shine.

The photo above is where we bought our Harley.

 

All of these photos were taken while in motion on the bike.  The sun was out so I couldn't see the viewfinder very well and for the most part all I did was aim, snap, and hope for the best.

This is coming down the mountainside into the little town of Jim Thorpe, named after the famous American Indian football player.  They were having a celebration of some kind but we didn't stop for that.  Jim Thorpe is nestled in a small valley where the mountains come together.  It has been called Little Switzerland in the past.  This photo does not do justice to how deeply it is nestled.  Yes, a river runs through it.  A lot of white water rafting can be done on that river for the brave ones.

When we reached the southern portion of Hickory Run State Park I noticed the foliage on the trees was very sparse.  I was disappointed because I thought there would be heavier foliage by now, but I guess the nasty winter we had postponed the growing season somewhat.

,

This is Boulder Lake.  Again, this photo like the others was taken while in motion after we left the parking area.  I had no idea whether I captured the lake until I went through all the photos.  We drove into the parking area but decided not to get off the bike like we did last Fall when we were here.  Nothing had changed and there was no activity on the lake.

We now focused on trying to find Boulder Field.  After stopping to get directions twice, and getting different answers both times, we flagged down a park worker.  He said, Follow me.  He got us to the turnoff and said it is about 3 miles in.  Three miles?  How about six plus?  These next two photos show the kind of road it was...we should never have taken the bike on this so-called road.  Three miles would have been OK maybe, but six miles in and six miles out was a bit much.

 And finally we arrived.  I read this first to acclimate myself with the history of the boulders.  There were other writings as well.  I finally was at one of the places on my Bucket List.  When I was small my parents brought my brother and me to see this place.  It made quite an impression on my young mind.  It was awesome then and it was just as awesome Sunday.

Of course, all these photos of the boulders were taken while on foot.  We parked the bike, walked to the edge, and just enjoyed the beauty of it all.  However, it seemed I was the only one enjoying it.  My husband was a little cross with me for having to take the bike that far on that dirt road.  Had we known it was that far in we may not have tried it.  When we got there he said,  All that for a pile of rocks?  Men.

 As you can see, there are people out there.  You are allowed to walk as far as you want and explore as much as you want.  All they ask is that no one disturbs any boulders, or takes any, or adds graffiti.  We did see three rocks where people painted on them. 

When we left Boulder Field it seemed as if the temperature had dropped somewhat.  The skies started darkening once again.  This photo is after we had driven through Jim Thorpe again on our way home.

We stopped at the same place we had breakfast to have our dinner.  We were on the road six hours.  Did I enjoy myself?  You bet I did.  Am I ready to go again?  You bet I am.

Earlier I said I was disappointed in the foliage.  I was expecting to see more leaves and a lot of blossoming trees like wild apple, wild cherry, anything that gets a blossom on it in the Spring.  All I saw were a few wild dogwood trees once in a while with a few flowers on them.

Our next trip will be when it is a lot warmer with the sun shining all day long and no threat of showers or rain.  We did feel a few sprinkles at one point but nothing to worry about.  When the temperature is around 60° and you are on a bike you have to factor in that it will be a helluva lot colder while riding~anywhere from 40-50 degrees instead of 60.  I was dressed for that so it didn't really bother me.  I'm far from a wimp.