The Second Time Around is Better

It was a week ago today that we decided to take a drive in the country to view the local foliage. Our main goal was to work our way to a diner we visited earlier in the year. We had stopped there for lunch and we vowed to go back so that we could partake of the dinner menu.

Along the way we came upon another place we visited almost a year ago. That day was dreary and damp, but this day was sunny and warm.

This is the view from the parking lot and if you look closely you can see two boaters in the middle of the reservoir:

I have found that the foliage at some places is very sparse due to a lot of dead trees like in this photo:

Here we are on the bridge:

This is what we saw off the one side of the bridge:

As we were walking to the other side, we noticed a Great Blue Heron strolling ever so slowly along the water's edge. It was lunch time for him and he showed us his fishing skills.

Here's a photo of those two boaters and the beautiful foliage along the banks of the reservoir.

I like the saying "Having all your ducks in a row" and that came to mind as we watched these guys go by.

And this was our final destination. Yes, that is our King Ranch truck. Do you see my Dale Jr. #88 plate on the front?

Ho-Hum *Yawn*

I am so getting tired of these replay races...the same guy keeps winning.

What's up with that?

And then there was that Colts-Patriots game...and not the outcome I wanted to see (Patriots won).

Oh well, at least the Cowboys won.

Fun While It Lasted

Shortly afer we moved here 21 years ago, we bought an above-ground pool. It was 18 x 33. My husband built the deck. We had a lot of good times in that pool; it served us well. We used to be able to get the water from the local fire company and it was never that expensive to fill. I think we had to fill it maybe three times max, as we would always put the correct chemicals in and cover it over the winter. But once in awhile there would be a problem and it had to be drained.

And then there came the day that the fire company no longer would supply the water. We had to look elsewhere for that third filling. We also had to change the liner as it had sprung a few leaks. So on a nice Spring day, many years ago, we rounded up some male relatives (one of which used to work for a pool company), made the appointment with the water-hauling company, and set to work. The new liner was taken out of the box and presented to the pool which had been groomed for its acceptance. And then the one thing we hadn't planned on had happened: there were pin holes in the brand new liner. We had to scrap those plans and cancel the water.

We exchanged the liner eventually but the thrill of getting the pool up and going had lost its luster. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into years. And this picture is what became of the downtrodden pool that once was so proud to hear our laughter as we splashed about. (That path you see in the grass is from the cats walking back and forth to our deck on the back of the house.)



Not a pretty sight. The deck, which was at this end by the concrete wall, had been dismantled before trying to put the liner in (when the holes were discovered). We had bought lumber and everything needed to build a new deck at Home Depot, after telling them what we needed and wanted. The computer for the plan spit out everything down to the last screw, and we bought everything that same day. Little did we know then that the deck would never be built. Yes, we still have everything in our barn, and we are currently looking for a buyer.

Eventually I decided it wasn't worth it to have a pool. It was very costly to run, not to mention the electricity needed for the pump and filter to run all day and night, the water was hard to come by and rising in price every year, and for the little bit that we were using it toward the end, well...I just figured the hell with it.

We found a buyer for all the new things we bought still in the boxes, including the liner, and we actually made a profit on those items. And once the pool was dismantled by my husband, it was taken to a scrapyard where we made more money, as it was totally aluminum. The picture below is after everything was dismantled and before it was taken away. Everything you see there will be cleaned up and we will take it all away next Spring (for more money). That concrete wall will be knocked down and eventually that area will be all grass.



There were quite a few years from the time we stopped using it until it was finally taken down. I will say this: it served as a bathroom area for our cats. There was sand in the bottom, and they would climb the pool ladder to get in and out. So it wasn't exactly taking up space doing nothing.

XXTREMESTUFF.COM/XTREME RACING DIECAST

People have been leaving messages on my blogs but they aren't letting me know how to get in touch with them, so that I can pass their info on.

There is a lawyer working on this case against Robert Williams and the hearing is this Monday, November 5th. If you have any info for him that might help get this Williams scumbag off the selling market, please get in touch with him.

Attorney Andy Yarbrough ~ 931-676-7993 or e-mail him at andyy@netease.net and let him know Cheyenne sent you.

That man has scammed hundreds of people for thousands of dollars, and if he gets away again, he will keep doing it over and over and over. So please forward any information you have to Attorney Yarbrough.

BOO!

This Makes My Mouth Water

More pictures from Monday's testing at Atlanta Speedway.

Here's the star of the show


Dale Jr and Rick Hendrick


Dale Jr, Tony Jr, Rick Hendrick

He's One Happy Little Dude

Here are some photos from today's test session in Atlanta of Dale Jr. testing his new ride for Hendrick Motorsports.

Together again...









Hendrick has assured us Junior fans that there will be a diecast made of the above car and it should be ready for pre-order soon. Just get in line behind me.

Well, That Race Sucked

I hope y'all didn't come here looking for any comments from me about the race in Atlanta, because after everything that happened to Junior today, I am totally speechless!

It's over, it's done with...time to move on.

The good news is that tomorrow, Monday, Dale Jr. gets to climb into a real race car when he tests his HMS car for next year. I have been looking forward to this ever since it was first announced. And to make it more fun, Junior suggested to Mr. Hendrick that they use a paint scheme like Rick's first car when Geoff Bodine drove the #5 All-Star Racing Monte Carlo in 1984. Sweet.

Tim-berrrrrrrrr!

We lovingly planted over 20 trees after we moved here almost 20 years ago. They were just tiny whips and they were planted inside our property line from the front to the back of our property. Over the years they grew...and grew...and grew until they were 60-70 feet tall. We bought, what we were told back then, Hybrid Poplars. And their main selling point was that they grew very fast, sometimes right before your very eyes. I wouldn't know...I never stood that long to see if it was true.

At the point of their magnificent beauty, when the foliage was so thick you couldn't see beyond them, the next-door neighbor started having issues with the trees. At one point he decided to cut out a "picture window" because he couldn't see the sunset from his deck. Never mind that those trees were there when he built the house. Needless to say, eventually we had to sue them in civil court. But that's another story for another time, because neither side really won.

A few more years passed and soon, one by one, the trees started dying. Eventually, they all died. Not having the resources to deal with them, it was another two years till we decided it was time that they had to come down. So on a hot summer day back in August, my husband, along with his son and his nephew, cut down the remaining 15 trees. The others had already come down with high winds over the years.

In this photo you can see the neighbor's pool and other houses. When we moved here, that was all field and was used for farming.

This is the neighbor's house. And those are the poor dead trees.
This is looking from the front of our property to the back. The neighbor's house is on the right side.
And this is looking at the neighbor's pool after the trees came down. It's so strange to look over there now and not see those trees. The wood and stumps are all gone. We made no profit from the wood as we gave it all away. My step-son and nephew were paid well for their labor.
Upon inspecting them close up, it looked like a boring insect of some type got under the bark and that is what probably killed them over the years. There were paths and grooves all over the trunks.

We don't plan on replacing them, so the neighbor now has access to all the sunsets he'll ever want.

XXTREME STUFF/XTREME RACING DIECAST

Back on October 1st, I had a post dealing with this so-called businessman, Robert Williams. If you remember, he is the one that took customer's money up front and then never sent their pre-order merchandise, using the excuse that he didn't get his allotment. And when you asked for a refund he told you it wasn't possible and you would have to dispute it with the credit card company you used.

If any of you out there, or someone you know, got taken in by him and lost money, please let me know and I will put you in touch with the attorney that is handling the case against him. The court hearing is November 5th and the attorney needs as many names of disgruntled customers, past and present, that he can get to help his case.

Mr. Williams has been operating like this for quite some time. He sets up a website until he lures enough people in and then he closes it down and starts another. According to the Better Business Bureau of middle Tennessee, he has been operating this way for many, many years. With that being said, he had closed down his website, Xxtreme Stuff, and started Xtreme Racing Diecast. And I believe that one is gone too.

We believe he is now operating through yet another website, Action Diecast Collectibles. They sell in case lots of 12. He is also operating on eBay selling in case lots of 12. I was one of those in his mass mailing of the announcement for Action Diecast Collectibles, and I am sure he e-mailed it to everyone he has dealt with in the past. Just a small mistake that helped tighten the net.

I was lucky enough to get my card credited with the amount he took from me, but it wasn't an easy task and it cost me $5 to fax the info to them. But I know there are a lot of people out there who are now not only out the money, but have no diecast to show for it either.

Help me help you...

88 ~ Twice As Gr8 in '08

When I watched Dale Jr on Wind Tunnel Sunday night, he was talking about his cousin, Tony Eury Jr, who, as we all know, is already employed by Hendrick Motorsports and is learning the ropes there.

Dale Jr said that Tony keeps telling him We're gonna be good next year.

When I heard him say that, it took my breath away and I got all teary eyed. Those are six of the sweetest damn words I have heard in a long time. All the more reason for me wanting Speed Weeks to hurry it up and get here already.

Hey! Big Guy!

Two Philosophies

I'm not really sure my title today is what my post is all about, so let's figure it out together, shall we?

I'm at a stage in my life where I'm not in a real big hurry for time to pass by at a fast clip. I want to stop and smell the roses, to take in the beauty of our magnificant landscapes, to just enjoy life to the very fullest. So, yes, life could really simmer down to a much slower pace for me.

However...

On the other hand, there is one thing that makes me want time to speed up. Let's say, speed up to February 2008. Knowing what I'm all about, most of you have guessed by now where I'm going with this post. Yup, fast forward to Speed Weeks in Daytona, the beginning of the NASCAR 2008 season. It can't get here fast enough to suit me.

Why, you ask?

Do you really need to ask why?

Let's start with the Chase. I am tired of it already. I have pretty much figured out who's going to win it too. I have no problem with that. Since Dale didn't make the Chase (and I'm sure in our hearts we all knew he wouldn't *wink wink*), I at least hoped he 'd win a race by now. But it's the same BS week after week: piss poor equipment, especially in the engine department.

Last week (or was it the week prior?) most of the DEI/RCR engines took a crap on the track. This week there is talk of them sputtering, whatever... These last races are so painful and yet I still gravitate to them. Why? Because I am a race fan ~ one who likes to see her driver succeed. It's almost as if someone has put a huge hand on Dale's head, picked him off the ground a few inches, and all we see are his arms and legs flailing and he's getting nowhere.

Can you imagine the records he could be setting if he were in good equipment?

So my two philosophies are:

1) Slow down time, I want to savor life.

2) Hurry up time, we need to be watching our boy doing what he does best ~ being at the head of the pack winning races.

In retrospect, I guess time could speed up to Speed Weeks and then it could slow down to a leisurely pace for the remainder of the season.

Yeah, there ya go...that's exactly what I want. And I want it now!
************
I wrote this post early this morning and put it in draft, long before the race started. I knew there was no hope for Dale to win today. There were times when I thought he could, or at least that he would finish in the top three, but it wasn't to be. I guess Dale is fed up with the bad engines too. It has taken him long enough to get frustrated to the point of talking about it over his radio during the race. It's about damn time. I guess he's finally getting tired of being their test driver. Someone suggested he leave the car on Teresa's front yard. Heh...I can think of something far better to leave on that woman's front lawn.

Moonlight

I absolutely adore this show. It's on Fridays at 9. The star, above, is Alex O'Loughlin. And he's adorable too. He's oh so easy on the eyes. Born in Australia. He plays the part of a vampire. But it's not gorey. It's cool.

Drive For Five

Ok, so I've convinced myself to get over the fact that it's a very strong possibility that Jeff Gordon will, and rightly should, win his 5th championship. It's almost a given at this point in time. He has taken command of just about everything this year. So big deal, I know I've bashed him in the past. I am very guilty of that and I openly admit it. But I'm beyond that now. As a Junior fan, I just went along with the crowd. It was a fun thing to do.

But Jeff got married and had his first child, Ella Sofia, and I started seeing changes in him. Good changes. Because back when he was married to Brooke-the-Winston-Girl, I felt like he was her puppet and I really didn't care for her. And the outcome of their divorce proved I was right about her all along

And then after his divorce the nasty rumors flew ~ and I mean nasty. So nasty that I started believing them myself, and shame on me for that. But his second marriage and daughter's birth brought me back to reality. He's a changed man and I'm not saying all this because he's going to be Junior's teammate in '08. Although I will admit that fact helped me along just a tad bit.

No, it's the other teammate I will have a hard time dealing with. And speaking of him, a new Lowes is about to open in our neighborhood, and I will be visiting it. I know...I went public awhile back and said I would NEVER EVER step foot in a Lowes store. Please don't beat me, but I just have to go to be nosey. I didn't say I would buy anything. And even if I do, I will never tell. I'm not that crazy.

This Is Funny (To Me Anyway)

We have an alarm system installed in our house for over ten years. We got robbed first and then had the system installed. We always do things backward. Anyway, Sunday we got a call from the alarm company telling us they were getting a signal that something wasn't right with one of our areas. They didn't know which one, they could only give us a number.

I went to the alarm pad to see which one it was and determined that it was the smoke detector. It was telling us it needed new batteries. 3V lithium batteries, as a matter of fact. Normally we don't keep them on hand, but upon going through my battery stash, I was able to locate two of them in an unopened package. I guess when the motion detectors both went at the same time a few years ago, we decided we had better keep at least two on hand.

My husband installed those two batteries in the smoke detector later in the day. I put the keypad through its motions and everything was ok. Or so we thought. The phone rang yesterday morning at 6:30 AM and I just knew it had to be the alarm company. I rolled over and went back to sleep. You didn't think I was going to get up and answer that stinkin' phone, did you? I have severe phone issues.

No, my husband answered it. And then he went back to bed. But the keypad was chirping, and that meant there still was a problem. But it didn't seem to concern him. When I finally decided to get out of bed, I checked the manual to see what I could do to stop the chirping. OK, that was taken care of and a good thing because it was driving both my cats wacky trying to figure out where the bird was in the house.

When my husband got up, for the second time, I asked him what the alarm company wanted and he said they are detecting a signal that something isn't right. He didn't offer any more information and I really hate when he does that. So I went about my business for the morning.

At one point, I walked over to the keypad to check on it and make sure everything was still ok, but it said to check the smoke detector. I asked my husband to do that again. Well these days, that is like asking the moon to turn into the sun, or as he likes to say it's like talking to a dead tree in the forest. A little while later I asked him again to please take a look at the smoke detector. He kept insisting it was the batteries, that the ones we put in were too old. Ok so I bought them in 2004 but the package said they were good till 2014.

Finally...after I bugged the crap out of him, he decided he would look at the detector and batteries. I told him maybe something wasn't seated right, or maybe the cap wasn't on right when he put it back on the ceiling part. Heck, I even got the ladder out for him. How easy is that? You see, I could have checked it myself, but if there was something wrong then he would never believe me and I had to have him see for himself if he screwed up.

And did he ever screw up. He had the batteries in backwards. (Now you can all laugh.)

Taking The Day Off

I'll be back Tuesday. Behave till then. OK?

A Plea To The Big Guy

One By One They're Leaving

A few hundred years ago, when piracy was so prevalent, there obviously were a lot of ships sailing the high seas. And when any one of those ships had a disaster strike it, they usually sank fast. But I'm going to assume that many of them took their good old time sinking. Either way, all of those ships had four-legged furry-type animals on them ~ mice, rats and what ever else the ships' cargo attracted back then.

With all that said, the mice and rats (and the whatevers) didn't always stay aboard. There is an old saying, and I don't know it verbatim, that says mice will always leave a sinking ship. Well that's rather smart of them and I commend them for their excellent judgment. Who wants to drown anyway? The bad news is, a lot of them went down with the ship. Well, bad news for them.

So by now I suppose you are all wondering where exactly I'm going with this. Well...

...slowly, but surely, the "mice" are leaving what they think is a possible ship sinking. And that ship is called USS DEI. Not only is Dale Jr leaving, but Sunday was Tony Jr's last job as a DEI employee, and there is a report that three shop guys left with him already. Four more can leave next year. Also, T. J. Majors, who is currently spotting for Dale Jr, will be going to HMS next year. Danny Earnhardt (Dale Sr's brother) and Danny Earnhardt Jr will be working for JR Motorsports. Danny Sr said DEI is just not the same and he can't face walking into the Ginn shop at DEI because it's not Dale's place.

Forget the fact that DEI bought another couple of race teams, which meant that if all of Junior's Brew Crew left this year, DEI still would have had enough people from Ginn to cover those that left. But they chose to get rid of them shortly after they acquired them. Well golly gee, that's good business sense right there I would say. C'mon DEI, did you not think Junior's team wouldn't want to follow him?

I digress...getting to the heart of this post is that I truly hoped Martin Truex Jr would leave too. I am hoping he will think hard after his contract is up for renewal, which I think is at the end of 2008. I like the guy, but not as long as he stays at DEI. That ship is sinking ever so slowly. Run, mice, run!

Birthday Wishes to Dale Jr

Born 33 years ago today, this southern gentleman has graced our lives as only an Earnhardt can. I wish the absolute best for him no matter where he is or what he does. Have a good one, Dale!

I Just Witnessed A Miracle!

I watched the Dallas Cowboys pull off one of the greatest miracles I have ever seen...they beat the Buffalo Bills by one point (25-24), and they had to kick the final field goal twice to win, with the first one being called back. I won't go into details, you'll have to read all about it in the morning paper. To get to the point they did, Tony Romo had thrown 5 interceptions, and to make matters worse T.O. dropped 2 balls and had one torn from his hands in the end zone. I am exhausted watching that game, believe me. I was going to turn it off when they were losing by 11 points with about as many minutes left in the final quarter. I am so glad I stayed with it. The Cowboys remain 5 and 0. Great job, guys!

It Was Inevitable

When Jeff Burton's engine went south, it didn't bother me. But when Martin Truex's engine blew, I turned to my husband and said, "It's just a matter of time till Junior's blows too." Darned if it didn't happen. I still say RCR is crazy for hooking up with DEI in a combined engine program. DEI's engines just plain suck.

Oh, and before I went outside to feed the cats I told my husband, "The big one is coming, you'll see." I wore my radio headset outside and when the big one happened, a smile came to my face. What did I care? My driver was already out of the race. And I truly believe that had he not incurred a blown engine, he would have been caught up in the wreck too.

I disliked today's race for many reasons. One of them is the fact that the first half or more was just boring! boring! boring! NASCAR needs to do something about those CoT cars, especially at the RP tracks. I won't hold my breath though because they seem to think they are the best thing going. The thing is, they don't have to drive them.

So it turned out to be a bad day for both Juniors (Dale and Tony), as this was their last race together until they reunite next year at Hendrick Motorsports. I, for one, cannot wait. This year has been totally unbearable for me. I don't know how Dale Jr can keep his spirits up...well, yes I do ~ he knows next year will be different. He'll be away from that god-awful stepmother, not to mention suck-ass engines.

My Prediction (Maybe)

It could happen...

Xtreme Racing Diecast

Previously known as: XXtremestuff. Located at 1306 Chisholm Rd, Cypress Inn, TN 38452

A word of caution...

Under no circumstances should you ever order a single thing from these people. They are scam artists.

When you order they want your money up front and you will never receive your pre-order.

XXtremestuff supposedly is under Chapter 7 bankruptcy, yet there is nothing to back that up.

Robert Williams always signed as the owner of XXtremestuff, yet Xtreme Racing Diecast claims he was just a worker, that the real owner was/is Bill Davis.

I understand Extreme Racing Diecast supposedly took over XXtremestuff; everything, that is, except their debts. And they are not honoring XXtremestuff's customers' orders either. By early September (maybe sooner) the address changed to P.O. Box 51, Cypress Inn, TN 38452. And I just noticed that by the end of September, the address was again changed to Spring Hill, TN 37174.

There's a lot of funny things going on, and the consensus is that they are the same company and that neither one has filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. I don't know what to believe anymore. One thing I do know, a lot of my cyber friends over at the Dale Jr. Pit Board have been taken for a ride by these snakes.

The sad thing is, they are still operating, taking money, and because a lot of the orders are for pre-order items months in advance, by the time the item is supposed to be in stock and you question them as to where it is and what's taking so long for it to get to your house, they say they didn't get their allotment and tell you to dispute it with your credit card company.

Trouble is, by the time you find all this out, the time to dispute has long since passed and your money is gone forever.

DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!

Spread the word ~ they are scam artists and they are still in operation as I type this.

(Edited to include all addresses.)

Mm Mm Good!

Because I was a bad wife and didn't get my husband a birthday card (Tuesday was his birthday), I decided the next best thing was to take him out to dinner. That is something I very rarely do because he is always taking me somewhere to eat ~ he's a very generous man.

Our choice was Charlie Brown's Steakhouse in Allentown, Pa., pictured here. This particular Charlie Brown's was recently voted for having the best salad bar by our locals, among other things. I think I could eat from their salad bar till the cows come home, and I have yet to be disappointed with anything I have ordered.

We decided to go early to avoid any waiting, because if there is one thing I absolutely detest, it is waiting to be seated when I am so hungry I could eat a cow's behind.

I am currently on a low fat, low calorie diet, so I have to be careful what I choose to eat when dining out. Chicken is always a good choice, and because I just made grilled steak the other night, it wasn't that hard of a choice to go with a chicken dish. And so I chose the Chicken Hibachi, broccoli, and garlic green beans. Of course, the salad bar was included. Lots of veggies and non fat dressing always works for me.

Before we left, my husband had seen a sign for chocolate cake at $5.79. He asked the waitress why it cost so much and she said because it is six layers. He wavered as to whether he wanted to take a piece along with him, and in the end that is what he did. It looks absolutely scrumptious and I do believe I will be having a little bite of it, diet or no diet. Sometimes it's just so wrong to deny oneself of life's simpler pleasures, right?

I Can't Complain

Sunday was my birthday and although I gained another stinkin' year, it was a decent day. No celebrations for me because I don't want any. However, as far as the sports world goes, I had plenty to celebrate.

The Cowboys won. Yes, I know my team is the 49ers (they lost by the way). But I am a Terrell Owens fan. Say what you will about him, it won't bother me, and it won't stop me from following his career.

The Mets won. And after leading their division all year, they are still hanging in there. I just hope they stay on top for the remainder of the season.

Dale Jr. finished third at Dover. A win would have been nice, but I am just as happy with third place. I knew his engines would get better once the Chase started. Yeah, a little birdie told me.

So why would I want my birthday celebrated when I had so much to celebrate for instead?

I Think He Likes It

A picture says a thousand words. This was the first time he saw the Mountain Dew AMP car other than pictures. That smile and "caress" says it all.

As an added note, his crew chief, Tony Eury Jr, will be joining HMS after the Talladega race that is being run on October 7th, to get a head start on the 2008 season.

88: twice as gr8 in 2008

BTW, I'm Not Pissed Off Anymore!

Along with millions of other people, I watched Dale Jr's press conference whereby he unveiled his new sponsors and number that will be on his car under the HMS banner in 2008.

The paint schemes on both cars are crisp and clean with a lot of white, which is Dale's favorite color for a race car. He says you can tell a car's history of what happened to it during the race, so I fully expected to see an all-white car.

After months of speculation, it has come down to two major paint schemes:

Mountain Dew's Amp energy drink (forest green)
National Guard (blue)

Both cars have the backward 88 in red on them.

I'm happy to say the least, and like Junior, I cannot wait till next year at Daytona.

Photo courtesy of SpeedTV

Want To Know How I Really Feel?

Yeah, that is how I really feel about the Chase. I am pissed off that Dale Jr. didn't make the Chase. I am pissed off that a few of those who did make it, really don't belong there. I am pissed off that Kurt Busch started showing his muscle a few races before the Chase began, therefore edging Dale Jr. out of the way. I am pissed off that DEI has/had such a piss poor engine program this year, causing Dale Jr. to have 5 DNFs (did not finish). I am pissed off that Teresa turned out to be such a badass owner, tossing her stepson aside as if he were nothing more than a bundle of rags. Am I pissed off? You bet I am.

These last ten races (aka The Chase) don't inspire me to even want to watch them. But I will. Only to see how Dale Jr. does, like if he can win one of them at least. What really bothers me is the fact that the non-Chasers cannot really mix it up with the Chasers. I don't like the fact that they have to tip-toe around them. I know for a fact that Dale Sr. would not tip-toe. He would let them know where he was all the time, and the fact that they were Chasers (provided he wasn't one of them) would not deter him from doing what he did best on the track, and that is elbow his way to the front no matter what it took to do so.

With all this said, the only thing that is keeping me going right now is the big announcement coming Wednesday about Dale Jr's number and sponsor. Not to mention the fact that after the last race he and Tony Jr. will be free men. Free from the stupidity that is DEI (TEI?). When Junior first made his announcement to leave his father's organization back in May, I was right there with him in total agreement. And I have been agreeing with all the decisions he has made since then. 100%.

So now you all know how I really feel. Aren't you glad you asked? I know I am.

After writing the above and putting it in draft, I have since watched the first Chase race. I'm not so sure I want to watch the remainder. I will listen to them on the radio because unlike TV, radio acknowledges the fact that there are 31 other drives on the track. Had I stuck with TV only I would have thought only 12 drivers were competing. Although I will admit they did show Junior even if it was when he spun on the track. And when they spoke of him it was mostly to remind us that he did not make the Chase. Only nine more agonizing races to go.

Oh dear sweet Dover, make my dream come true: do your monster thing on the Chase drivers. Please?

Whoop-Dee-Ding-Dang-Doo, It's About Damn Time!

Hendrick Motorsports will be announcing Dale Jr's number and sponsor next Wednesday, September 19th, at 1:30 eastern time, in Dallas, TX. I am hoping it will be televised. I think I can hold my breath till then.

A DAY IN THE COUNTRY

On a recent Saturday, my husband took me to a nursery so that I could pick out a tree to plant near our deck. It's a privacy issue. I needed to have a tree in direct line with the neighbor's pool. I had originally planted three Royal Empress trees early this Spring that started out less than half a foot high and were in the dormant stage. One flourished and is now almost four feet high; another has also started sprouting again after I thought it croaked. Forget about the third one as it was a replacement for one that also died and it never made it either.

I still needed to take care of my privacy issue (and believe me, I have plenty of issues, privacy being one of the biggest ones.) So off to the nursery we went on a clear and sunny day. Just look at that sky.


When we got to the nursery (one that we deal with most often), we found there weren't many trees left and didn't have a large variety to choose from. I had my mind set on a Sugar Maple because I have tried so often to grow them from whips and just have never had success. After wavering for at least a half hour between three different maple varieties, I did finally settle on a Sugar Maple. I left that nursery happier than a pig in doo-doo.

Since that purchase went so well and we had time on our hands and the day was just absolutely beautiful, we decided to just drive around and see what kind of trouble we could get into. But before we did that, we decided to stop for lunch. This particular diner used to reside in another town closer to us and we ate there a time or two. However, it doesn't look the same as it did then. The food was excellent and I am sure we will visit again when we are in the vicinity.


After lunch, we visited with one of my husband's friends that he knew on his delivery route where he last worked. The friend is a landscaper now and also owns a nursery, so he told us the next time we need something we should see him. It's nice to have friends like that.

On our way home, I saw this farm nestled amongst the trees; however, there was so-called progress all around it. Progress that would soon overtake this farm. I don't like that kind of progress.

Two Of My Heroes

No words are needed...

WOW! What An Ending!

Dario Franchitti not only won the IRL race at Chicagoland today, he also won the IRL Championship for 2007. That was one of the greatest last laps I've seen in a long time.

Up until that last lap, it looked like Scott Dixon was going to win the race and take the championship away from Dario. That didn't thrill me at all, especially after what Dixon did to Franchitti last week. But Dario came through and I am still awestruck at that fantastic ending.

Now, if only Dale Jr's race last night would have been the same...

Think They Found My Wine?

Junior, in the top photo, sleeps like that a lot and sometimes he slides off. Dakota, on the other hand, just sits around like a drunken sailor or a little hussy. She is very comical. (Actually, she is cleaning herself in this photo.)

'Tis Official Folks

Tony Eury Jr, Dale's current crew chief and cousin, has signed a multi-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports and will be on his (insert car number and sponsor here) team in 2008. And that's a good thing.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

Or in this case, the proof is in the cake...proving once more that I'm not Suzy Homemaker.

Having never made a Pineapple Upside-down Cake, I decided it was time that I did. I searched the internet and found a relatively simple recipe. I gathered all the ingredients needed over a period of a few weeks because getting them all at once is just too easy for me. I always do things the hard way. Finally the magic day arrived and it was time for me to make my prize-winning cake.

The recipe I had was for a 9 x 12 baking dish. Luckily I own two of them. One of the instructions was to turn the cake out into the other dish immediately after taking it from the oven. Easy for them to say...

When I did the "upside down" thing, I almost dropped it. Both baking dishes are glass and they are heavy so that when you put the empty one over the one with the cake in it, and then flip it over, both dishes together weigh a ton. I might add here that I have weak wrists from typing all those many years on the job.

When I flipped it, I didn't get it quite centered to my satisfaction so that the cake rode up the side of the dish I turned it into. See? Everything the hard way.

At that point, I should have left well enough alone, or at least waited until it cooled. But I have no rest in my hiney when it comes to practicing patience. I don't know the meaning of that word, patience. So I tried to pull it over to the side to kind of even it out. Of course it didn't move as a whole and it began to split apart. So I quit doing that and reached for a spatula. I figured if I couldn't pull it, I could get under it and help it along. By the time I got done with it you'd have sworn I had put a mini bomb in it.



Don't get me wrong...it tasted great. I had to at least taste a little of it despite the fact that my diet doesn't allow cake. But it wasn't a pretty picture. My husband loved it and I guess that's all that matters. The next time I will use the other recipe that utilizes smaller pans. Something I should have done in the first place.

Have A Safe & Happy Labor Day!