I Have Finally Struck Gold

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two Bad Races In Two Weeks

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, Well, Well...

Finally!

Warmth at last.

75° today.

More to follow.

I am loving it.

Ahhhhhhh...

Finally!

 

Still Nothing Of Value To Write About

We have gone through the Spring Equinox (first day of Spring) and we have gone through Easter and the entire Holy week, and we are still experiencing stupid winter weather.  It dips below freezing at night and doesn't get much warmer during the day.  To say I am fed up with this weather is  putting it mildly.  And I would like some mild weather.  Soon.

One of our outside cats had her babies overnight in the greenhouse.  When I went out to feed this morning, she was in the back corner on the straw with four little ones, all identical, nestled to her belly.  And so it begins...we have other pregnant ones that will soon follow suit, but they will probably have their kittens at other locations on our property.

While reading my morning newspaper I try to keep an eye out for something interesting to write about.  But by the time I am finished with the paper, my mind is so convoluted with all the stories that they become one and I don't know where to start.

I certainly don't want to get into a heavy subject here but, believe me, I wish I could.  I climb onto my soapbox just about every day.  Too bad that the only ones to hear me are my poor husband and my four fur babies and they just sit there on their haunches, heads cocked, trying to figure out what it is I'm saying and why I am so angry.

It feels good being on that soapbox but it would feel so much better if someone who cares would listen to me.  Alas and alack there is no one.  Sometimes my husband will utter something or we will get into a heated argument over something, but that is as far as it goes.  So I go on my merry way daily bitching about one thing or another.  Sometimes it feels good just to say some things out loud.

A Good Race Results Day And A Very Happy Me

What an awesome day.  Team Andretti finished first and third in the Izod Indy race with James Hinchcliff taking the top spot and Marco Andretti finishing third.

The ending of the NASCAR race was super awesome.  Not so much who won, because I put that driver at the top of my you-know-what list (put an s in front of hit), but that ending was one of the best I have witnessed in a long, long time.  California racing has always been sort of a snooze-fest...but not today.  

Dale Jr. started in the 15th position but was moved up to 13th due to a car ahead of him having to go to the rear for an engine change.  He had an unhappy car in the beginning, but  Steve Letarte (crew chief) worked his magic and dialed the car in giving Dale Jr. the advantage of running in the top ten for the middle of the race.  By the end of the race he had fallen as far back as 24th but was able to bring himself up into the top ten again with a few laps to go. 

The leaders took each other out, the third place car then went on to win, and Dale Jr. finished second.  Junior now has five straight top ten wins and is in the points lead...12 points ahead.

This is a photo of the happy driver in the media center after the race.  Love that smile. 

Still Here...Not Going Anywhere

It may say Spring on the calendar but in this part of the country Winter just doesn't want to let go.  We just had a snowstorm a few days ago that gave us 3 inches and another one is due in a few days.  Depending on which way it moves from the West depends on whether we get rain or snow.  March has been notorious for snowstorms with heavy snowfalls for us.

Despite Winter being so thick-headed, it hasn't stopped me from enjoying my racing.  As I type this I am watching qualifying runs for the Nationwide Series.  That race will be on later today, when I will be cheering my driver Elliott Sadler for the win.  Sunday is the Sprint Cup race.  Dale Jr. qualified half decent and it's a track where he enjoys racing at Fontana, California, so I am hoping for good results from him.

Also on Sunday the Izod Indy Car Series gets started.  Their first race is in St. Petersburg, Florida.  That race starts TV coverage at noon and the Cup race gets started around 3:15 so I may get to see most of the Indy race.  If not, I will be switching back and forth between the two.

Today's newspaper has an article on Marco Andretti, who drives the #25 RC Cola Dallara Chevy in the Izod Series.  He used to drive the #26 but felt it has been bad luck.    He went back to school in the off season to learn not to overdrive his car.  This is his 8th season.  He is 26 years old.  I have been a fan of his, his father's (Michael), and his grandfather's (Mario) ever since Mario got into the racing business.  Their home base is in Nazareth, PA, which is only a few miles from where I live.

Marco is one of the reasons I follow the Indy Car Series.  The other reason is his teammate, Ryan Hunter-Reay...last year's champion.

I would like to say that winter can stay around for as long as it likes so long as I have my weekend racing, but that would be a lie.  Winter sucks...racing rules.

I Am Back From Nowhere

For the past week I have done absolutely nothing.  I have been in the house the entire week.  I have no excuse either.  It's just something I chose to do.  Especially when the weather sucks.

However, things are starting to look up.  The weather is starting to change for the better, little by little, every day.  Except today it rained well into the afternoon.  The temps aren't anywhere near where they were last year at this time but that's because we've had warmer winters for the past few years.  We got shocked into reality this season.  My heating bill can attest to that.

One of my cats, the only female we have, was sick for a few days.  She went into hiding.  That was my first clue.  I dealt with it as best as I could.  It wasn't easy.  I determined that she was having stomach problems, so I started feeding her something for her problem which is Forti-Flora made especially for cats with problems like hers.  She loves it and for the life of me I don't know why...it tastes horrible.  But the vet says cats love it and their tastes are different than humans.

I have finally made the switch to holistic dry food for the cats.  I had been thinking about it for awhile, especially since the second youngest one has issues with leaving little presents for me every once in awhile.  He has had a sensitive stomach from the day he was brought inside at five weeks of age.  The new food is completely grain free and free of a lot of other things cats don't need that is in cheaper foods.  I am in the process of weaning them from the other food and we are almost at 100% of the new food.  I am hoping this will be the answer to many of their problems.  

I haven't looked when I last posted something on here, but I am sure it's been awhile.  Now that racing has started and with the weather getting nicer, maybe I can make time to post more often.  

A Nose Tale

My father had a bump on his nose that was only noticeable from the side.

When I was old enough to realize that, I asked about it.  My mother said it had been broken when he was younger.

As I got older, I developed that same bump on my nose but my nose had never been broken.  I was quite conscious about it for most of my life.  And then about 10 years ago (I can't remember the year and I'm too lazy to look it up), while I was walking toward a closed door and up a slight incline at a farmer's market, I tripped on a thin bar that had broken away from a sign placed near the door and to the side.  The bar was right in my path, but unnoticeable.

I slammed nose first into that unyielding steel door.  The result was a cut on the bridge of my nose, black eyes, and a hairline fracture...which I didn't learn till much later.  (Note:  a small Slip And Fall lawsuit was initiated and I received a small award with the help of a lawyer since the owner of the building would not accept blame at first).

I may have not gotten the amount of money I felt I should have but I did end up with something much better:  my nose is straight and no longer has that dreaded bump.  So bad things can develop into good things.

Will Winter Ever Leave?

This weather is getting to be a bit much in my household.  I am so tired of snow or rain depending on the temperature.  Right now it's 35° so the result is rain.  I am so looking forward to Spring this year more than ever.

This part of the country usually gets heavy snowfalls in late February through mid-March.  That means we still have a chance of something happening before we hear all those birds singing or flowers blooming or trees budding.  Things that perk me up.  Things that make me happy as hell.  Instead, it's the same old nonsense week after week after week.

Punxsutawney Phil lied to us.  He said we would have an early Spring.  Instead we are having what we get every year:  six weeks of ugly Winter weather from the time he made his prediction on February 2nd.  

Easter arrives early this year, it's on the 31st of March.  Unless we get instant warmth, it looks like we will have much the same weather then as we are having now.  Quite depressing.  I have what they call cabin fever.  I have never had it before, but I guess there is always a first time for just about everything.

There is a shiny black Harley in our garage just biting at the bit...waiting to be taken out in the warm sunshine carrying two people who are quite eager to do the same.  So come on Spring...get with the damn program already!

My Freaky Hysterical Day

It all started when we were leaving the house to go for breakfast and then do some grocery shopping.  

There are two locks on our front door, a regular one most houses have and a deadbolt.  Due to the cold weather, the deadbolt has been giving me trouble when I want to lock it once I am outside using the key.  This morning was no different.  I had already put the house alarm on inside but now I was outside having problems.  I tried at least five times and every time I tried the door it would open without being locked.  Eventually I tripped the inside alarm by opening the door once too often.  Usually when that happens I can catch the alarm right away and stop it from going crazy.  Not so today.

Believe me, you do not want to hear something as maniacal as that sound.  It is deafening.  When I heard it go off (husband was already sitting in the truck waiting for me), I left go with a few obscenities and then ran inside to the monitor pad.  All I saw were four little furry beings running in all directions in leaps and bounds trying to get away from the horrific sound they were hearing for the first time.

Not only does an irritating alarm go off inside the house, but we also have one hooked up for the outside which blows directly to the closest neighbor.  I can only thank God they were not home as they just moved in recently.  Hearing that alarm outside one would think a prison was nearby because it is just as deafening as the inside alarm.

Within seconds the alarm company called to find out what was happening.  Husband, who had come inside, answered the phone.  Meanwhile I am pounding on that damn monitor to try and get it to stop.  My husband said they told him I should hit our code and then OFF.  I did...many times...but I guess in my hysteria to get it to stop I was not doing it right.  Eventually it worked.

I am quite happy that there was no one around to capture the nutcase I had become on film.  

When I calmed down somewhat we decided not to put the alarm on while we were away and we went for breakfast.  What I didn't know was that I was so upset that anything I ate would not agree with me and it didn't.  Off to the store we went.  I was nauseous for the entire shopping excursion and all I wanted to do was get home to the comfort of my recliner.

In my state of mind everything that could go wrong in a grocery store, did.  I could probably write again as much as I already have about those incidents but living through them once is quite enough, so I will not repeat them.

We came home, I put away as much of the groceries that I could, and I headed for my recliner and some NASCAR practice sessions on TV for the race this Sunday.  I took a nap, woke up and had some Greek yogurt (yum) to help settle my stomach, and went back to napping.  Within an hour or two I was fully awake, fully refreshed, and husband had the deadbolt lock fixed so that doesn't happen again. 

I have only been complaining about it since he installed it months ago. Typical.

Another Major Accomplishment for Danica

Danica Patrick has been one of my favorite drivers ever since she hit the IRL.  I followed her while she accomplished these major feats:

The only woman to win a race in the IndyCar Series.
The only woman to lead a lap during the Indy 500.
The highest finish by a woman (third) in the Indy 500.

And now...

The only woman in NASCAR history to win a pole for the Daytona 500 as well as a pole in any Cup race.  She has already won a pole in the NASCAR Nationwide series, which is a step down from the Cup series.

Yes  folks, my heroine has won the pole position for the 55th running of the Daytona 500 which will be next Sunday, February 24th.

And no matter what happens in that race, no one can take her accomplishments away from her.   She worked long and hard to get to where she is today.  She has proven many times over that she is not just another driver, not just a cartoon character.   Now, if only some of her fellow drivers would stop trying to sabotage her on the track, I believe she has the potential to do a lot more for NASCAR.

Go Danica!

My Weekly Check-In

Sorry I only get to do this once a week but my little pea brain is not generating anything to write about.

We are about to be slammed by a nor'easter and depending on which meteorologist you listen to, it could either be huge or not much at all as far as how much snow we end up with on the ground.  I will wait it out and see what we get and when we get it.  It's arriving Friday afternoon.

Other than this impending snowstorm, I am very excited that in just a few days, February 16th to be exact, my NASCAR racing season starts.  First off will be the Spr**t Unlimited.  Up until this year it was known as the Budweiser Shootout. 

The following day there will be qualifying for the Daytona 500.  Only the first row will be set.  The remainder of the field will be filled with the two dual races the following Thursday.  And then the big one...the Daytona 500...will be run on the 24th. 

I cannot contain my excitement and am looking forward to this new season. 

Just a little word here as to the result of the Super Bowl:  Yuck!  I am a fan of the New York Giants, but my secondary team is the San Francisco 49ers.  I have been a 49er fan since the days of Joe Montana.  Colin Kaepernick is shaping up to be quite the quarterback, too.

That's it for now...I need to find a good place to hibernate during this upcoming storm.  Or not.

Confused And Befuddled

I cannot believe this weather.  Just a few days ago we were dealing with 10° weather and today it was 65°.  

And tomorrow it will be cold again once all this rain passes through and brings the next cold front with it.

Any wonder people get sick.  We went out today to get our groceries as we usually do on a Wednesday.  I was able to shun my heavy winter coat and wear something lighter.

These upcoming days will be a different story.  But that's OK, I don't plan on going anywhere.  I don't like going out into the cold crap during the winter.  I have plenty of things to keep me occupied inside.

I am currently discovering new ways to cook without using salt or sodium-laden products for that matter.  I will be attempting to make sauteed mushrooms...something I have never had in my house:  fresh mushrooms.  And yet I love them however I can get them.  I also will be attempting a carrot dish as well as a slaw mixture.  And I must not forget the pancakes I am making from scratch using a sodium-free baking powder.

Of all the dishes I have been preparing for our dinners, only one did not turn out well.  And that was turned into something else the following day, which did turn out quite well.  Where there's a will, there's a way.

That's it for now.  Stay warm, stay dry and for those of you who don't have to worry about that...I don't know what to tell you.

In A Deep Freeze

Brrrrrrrr...

Dang, it's cold in these parts.  Which is part of the reason I haven't posted in the last few days.  Running around the house trying to keep warm.  Just kidding.

Seriously, last night it was 12° when I climbed into bed around 2:30am.  They are forecasting 6° overnight tonight.  

We have been in this deep freeze a few days and we won't get out of it until next Monday when they expect it to go above freezing.  

So I have been hibernating.  I go outside twice a day to feed the cats and give them fresh water.  Each time I have to break the ice out of their water bowl using a screw driver.  We have well water just for use outside and even that is frozen so I have to take water from the faucet inside.  Husband shut the water off to that faucet. 

Patience is a virtue...so they say...I will be back when I thaw out.  Unless something really spectacular happens and I just have to write about it.  Don't hold your breath.  Trust me, if really exciting things happened around here I would be posting almost every day.

For those of you who are following my blood pressure issues, my doctor visit earlier this week went way better than I expected.  So as of now, my blood pressure readings are lower than ever (below the national standards), my cholesterol readings are lower than ever (also below the national standards), and my diet is coming along losing a few pounds here and there (not below the national standards).  

Outsmarted

I am so angry with myself that if I could kick me in the arse I would...tenfold.

I made my own chili using several different recipes as a guide.  I bought no salt added tomato products.  I used all natural products.  I even bought the kidney beans you have to soak overnight.  And I bought my first jar of cumin.  I took note, however, that I would replace the chili powder with a fresher jar the next time I went shopping.

I fried the 90% hamburger along with the freshly diced onions, added that to my slow cooker and then added the remaining ingredients.  Within a few hours things were smelling mighty delicious throughout the house.  What I smelled was total success.

Dinner time arrived, we sat down and ate our chili.  It tasted quite good.  I was real proud of myself since I always relied on those packets of chili seasoning whenever I made chili over the years.

That was two days ago.  Fast forward to this afternoon while we were having chili leftovers.  I like my chili hot.  Which means I add more powder at the table.  I did that and then while I was eating I picked the jar up and started reading it.  I don't know why I did that but I sure am glad I did.

Do you people know that there are 35 milligrams of sodium in an eighth of a teaspoon of chili powder?  My recipe called for two tablespoons of it.  I should have just stuck with one of those packets.  I was furious.  At myself and at the people who make the powder.  Better yet, had I know that I would never have attempted to make chili.

I have since found out I can make chili powder without sodium.  Had I any smarts I would have found that out in the first place.  I am trying so hard to cut back on my sodium intake and the industry makes a fool of me.   Or was it the devil?

Nasty Weather Has Arrived

Yes, it has arrived as I type this.  Right on target like the meteorologists have been saying all day.  Our area will end up with 1-2 inches of snow and a trace of ice coating.  Then it will turn to rain Wednesday afternoon and hopefully wash it all away.  That's the easy part.  Now they tell us an Arctic Blast is coming.  Those are really nasty.  Sometimes it gets so cold you don't want to step out of the house.  I didn't stick around to see exactly when that is going to hit us but it will be within the week.  The less I know, the better I feel.

On another note, I will soon begin to write about my journey into the land of high blood pressure, why I have it, how long I have been dealing with it, and what I have done in the last three months to give it a one-two knockout punch.  I have a doctor's appointment next Tuesday and I am quite anxious to see if what I have been doing is working.

For now, it is time to go snuggle under the covers...

Fooled Again

For almost a week, maybe more, we have been told by the meteorologists on various news programs from Philadelphia (including our local affiliate) that warmer weather was coming.  Like 60° kind of weather.  Philadelphia's temperatures are usually at least 5 degrees higher than ours but our paper said that by Sunday we would hit 57°.  

Now that may sound really nice to the rest of you.  Upon opening my newspaper and reading the weather page it does show 57° for Sunday.  However, it also shows rain from today through Tuesday...and maybe longer since they can only fit 5 days in their space for upcoming weather.

I know it is highly doubtful we will reach the temperatures forecast because at this time of the year when we get rain it is always cool and damp.  Always.

Yeah, I am a little disappointed.  Wouldn't you be too?

On the other hand, the good news for the day is I was able to watch winter testing at the Daytona race track earlier today.  What a glorious sight to see those cars on the track in brilliant sunshine!  With 2012 behind us, which included Dale Jr. missing two races due to his concussions, I am once again ready for the 2013 season.  Bring it on! 

Meatloaf and Justified

For want of a better title, I decided this one would do.  Besides, they are the two subjects I am going to write about.

Today I made meatloaf in my slow cooker.  I never thought it was doable but I rarely use my oven these days, so I thought I would give it a shot.  Of course, I checked it out online before deciding to make it in the slow cooker.

I should not have worried.  It turned out absolutely fine.  Moist and tasty and it even had a crust on the outer portion much the same as when it's done in an oven, except an oven tends to dry it out considerably.  I have never made meatloaf using the standard recipes...I have always used Spatini.  That is a seasoning that came three packets to a box and was sold in most grocery stores, but a few years ago someone decided they no longer wanted to sell it that way.  I was able to find a distributor online but the downside is you can only purchase it in institution-sized packages.  I had to have my Spatini so I purchased it.  

However, I am now on a self-induced low sodium diet which is working great and has brought my blood pressure down considerably.  I am not going to go back to my old ways so now I have all that Spatini on hand.  Oh well, live and learn.

I did use some Spatini to make my meatloaf with today because I'm not quite ready to make it the standard way.   But what I do on days like this when I have a meal with a higher sodium content than I would like is to compensate and eat lower sodium foods or foods with no sodium content the rest of the day. My standard is no more than 1500 milligrams of sodium per day and I rarely get to 1000 milligrams.

Now that I have eaten my spectacular meatloaf I am ready to watch the first episode of the new season of Justified tonight.  It is one of my favorite shows, right up there alongside of Sons of Anarchy.  I wait religiously each year for both those shows.  It always seems, however, that as soon as their seasons start, they are over in a flash.  

So there you have it...meatloaf and Justified.

Bye Bye Christmas

All the decorations inside are now in the basement either nestled in their tote beds till next year or waiting for the missus to put them somewhere.

The decorations outside are still there.  My husband is half Russian so I keep those up till after his Christmas is over and that will be in a few days.  We don't celebrate it, per se, I just do it out of respect.

As of right now we are still having bitterly cold weather but in a few days that will change.  The thermometer will be nudging 50° for a day or so and I can't complain about that.  Not in early January anyway.  I will take all the warmth I can get these days.

Not that I want to rush the days by (Lord knows they go fast enough as it is), but I am looking forward to Spring as I usually do.   Actually I daydream about it.  And what it brings:  summer!  

Seriously, those of you who are also experiencing cold weather, can't you just picture yourself smack dab in the middle of a super hot day in summer?  I sure as heck can.  I don't care how hot it gets either.  I prefer hot weather to this stuff that  wants to hurt my bones.

And I know for a fact the cats outside would be a lot happier if we had warmer weather, too.  They will get a little glimpse of that in a few days.  I think I will go outside and sunbathe right alongside of them.  Not.

Here We Go Again

For some reason we keep getting these new years so that we can get a clean start, only to muck it up somewhere down the line.  Let's hope this year is much better than last year.

January...not exactly one of my favorite months, but if we get through it everything will be fine.  It's all downhill from here, right?  And when we do get through the coldest month (in these parts anyway), we can start looking forward to Spring.

I love Spring.  It is my favorite month.  Provided it arrives early and is not all wet and slushy.  Or the buds pop out on the trees and then we get a cold snap.  That's rude and it ruins my life.  I love the new flowers, the buds on the trees, and eventually the warm breezes that follow.  Oh boy, I just pictured myself somewhere in the south of Italy sitting in the garden of my villa overlooking a beautiful ocean view...

Getting back to Spring:  most of all it means something special is just around the corner:  NASCAR!   Usually by the end of each season I am tired of all the BS that went on in racing, but then being away from it for two and a half months I start to get antsy again.  That feeling is working its way back in to my psyche.  It means I still have life in me.

To All My Readers

Where The Heck Did That Holiday Go?

It's hard to believe Christmas was two days ago.  These past two days flew by so fast I am still spinning.

I hope all my readers (what few I have) enjoyed their holiday.  Christmas for us was quiet as it was just the two of us.  My daughter and Jeff were here the following day and we all had a good time. 

The weather outside is frightful (to quote a song I once heard) and we are in for more on Saturday.  It all depends on which way the wind wants to blow as to whether we get a lot of snow, or maybe nothing at all.  Right now we are quite iced over.

I have finally come to terms with snow and lousy winter weather.  It no longer bothers me.  I hated it when I had to drive to work in snow or ice.  It took many years for me to get that out of my system but I can finally say it is gone for good.  I don't care if it starts snowing and never stops.  Except when we have to get more groceries in.

All in all this holiday season has not been too bad.  Before I know it the New Year will be here.  And if that darn fiscal cliff is not avoided, well...things will get out of hand.  It should be interesting to watch all that unfold.  But let's not spoil this season and enjoy what we have while we can.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

From our house to your house...

Junior, Dakota-Sioux, Punkin' and Eli would like to say:

Have A Meow-y Christmas.

Dentist, Anyone?

I went to the dentist yesterday.  I hate going to the dentist.  Not for the usual reasons of being afraid or not liking pain.  No, that doesn't bother me at all.  What does bother me and gives me the most pain is when it comes time to pay the bill.  

I have no dental insurance.  These days it seems there is no such thing unless you get coverage through your place of employment.  And the few places that do offer dental insurance aren't really worth the money you put out.  Especially if you only go a few times for routine things.

I have been going to this particular dentist for a little over a year now.  They took over the practice when my other dentist retired and sold everything.  I never had a problem with that dentist.  But now it seems these people are finding things wrong that shouldn't be wrong.

Three months ago I was told that two of my bottom teeth are cracked.  Well whoop-dee-doo, how long do you think they have been cracked?  Probably quite a while.  Yet I was approached by their money guy to sit down with him and he would work something out so that I could have crowns put on both teeth at a small fee of $2000.  Just where do these people think this money comes from to pay for these things out of pocket?  From a tree?  Perhaps from my butt which makes more sense.  Yeah, if I could crap money out I would be rich indeed.  They could put a crown on every one of my teeth whether they needed it or not.

So anyway, back to yesterday's visit.  I had been paying $65 the last two times for them to do pocket readings, a simple cleaning, and then a polishing of my teeth.  Yesterday the fee was $85 and they did less than they did the last two sessions.  I was doing fine with the hygienist until the dentist (female) was brought in to check things out and to make sure all was OK.  She found a very tiny cavity on the outside front of one of my upper teeth.  I had to schedule so that it could be filled.  The hole is so tiny that you cannot see it and you can hardly feel it.  They want $145 to fill it.  I will not be put under either as it is such a tiny indentation so I imagine it won't be a long job for the dentist to do.  

I still have most of my teeth and I want to keep them as they are in fairly decent shape so all I can do is go there, pay the bill, and wait for the next visit so they can take more money from me.  What a vicious cycle. 

Ask Me If I'm Ready For Christmas

Christmas is almost here, folks, and I cannot get started in any way, shape or form to do anything about it.

Yes, my table in the foyer has a Christmas tablecloth on it with decorations on the table.  Yes, I put a bunch of red velvet bows on the front windows and at the light pole in the yard.  Yes, my banner outside was changed from Fall to Winter with a snowman on it.  Yes, there are elves hanging on the outside of the front door.  But that is as far as I got.  And I didn't do that all in one day either.

Every year it gets harder and harder to decorate for Christmas.  I guess you could say I don't mind decorating and putting things about; it's taking them down and putting them away in the basement that is sort of depressing.  Once you get all that colorful stuff setting around, taking it away is, like I said, quite depressing.

I have a Christmas tree with lights that gets hung flat against the wall (we don't have a regular tree because of the cats).  Last year I debated whether I wanted to hang it or not.  Apparently I did but I can't remember.  I am not in the mood to do that this year once again.  I have to clean my bathroom and change the shower curtain and commode things with the new poinsettia-designed stuff I bought earlier this year.  I think about cleaning and decorating...but that is as far as I get.  I have become the master of thinking about doing things.  Carrying out my thoughts is another thing.

And, yes, there are all those poinsettia plants downstairs in the one large plastic container just waiting for me to take the lid off and bring them all up here to set around.  I can hear them calling...I try to ignore them.  They won't go away,   almost every day I have to walk by that tote when I go to the freezer to find something for our dinner. 

I will probably cave one of these days as we get closer and closer and just do what needs to be done, but for now all I can think of is Sunday football, taking care of my cats, and feeding my husband and myself.

Fan The Birdie! Fan The Birdie!

That's how our morning began a few days ago. 

As some of you might remember, I recently put myself on a low calorie diet.  I love pizza and although I don't eat it a lot when I'm not on a diet, I do like the taste of it now and then.  With that in mind, I decided to make my own concoction.  After toasting two round Thins in my toaster oven,  I place a tablespoon of pizza sauce on each round and spread it to the edges.  I then take an ounce of low salt, low calorie mozzarella cheese and cut it up over the sauce.  The final step is to put them into the microwave so the cheese melts.  When they are finished I add garlic powder and oregano.  And Voila! that is how I make low calorie, low sodium pizza.

OK, why the title for this post.  Well...my husband likes to eat my pizza Thins once in awhile so I made his first.   He wanted another serving but on toasted bread instead of the Thins.  So I tossed two pieces of his bread into the toaster oven.  It didn't take long before that bread started smoking like crazy and I didn't know if I should poop or go blind.  I felt like my feet were stuck to the floor while I yelled Fan the birdie! Fan the birdie!  I couldn't move or think straight.  All I could do was yell.

And now you all probably have a quizzical look on your faces asking yourself what the heck is she talking about?

It means to take a rolled up newspaper and fan the smoke detector.  Where's the birdie?  Our detector sounds like a baby bird chirping its fool head off when smoke hits it.  I didn't want that to happen.  I was in panic mode.  If the fire company shows up here one more time and it is another false alarm, they will fine me.  So they said the last time.  

Thankfully we were able to stop the chirping before the alarm company called.  And don't ask me how we were able to do that because at some places in the house the smoke was thick as fog.

So the birdie got fanned and I never did get my pizza Thins.  I ate oatmeal instead.

 

Happy Turkey Day

Although our cats do not eat this type turkey, they will have a chicken entree thanks to Elegant Medleys.

As for the two of us, we will have a turkey breast (in the slow cooker), stuffing, cranberry sauce, steamed broccoli, candied sweet potatoes, gravy, apple pie, pumpkin dessert, and that all-time favorite:  coffee.  

Parades and football are on the agenda for our TV viewing.

Give thanks and enjoy your day.

Shocker

It's a fairly well known fact that a lot of groceries are shrinking volume wise but the price remains the same or has risen. 

I have and always will be a label reader, especially as to how much is in the box or jar etc. and also the nutrition portion which is very important to me these days.

In a future post I'll write about my lifelong escapades with that monster high blood pressure.

I have a smaller matter to address today.  I found a can of chunky chicken breast meat in my pantry while looking for something to eat for lunch.  Before I opened it, I read the label to make sure it was in the realm of my being able to eat some of it.

It states that it is 5 oz. of white chicken in water.  No problem there.  It states that there are two and a half servings inside at two ounces per serving.   No problem there.  It states there is 180 mgs of sodium in each serving.  Again, no problem there.

Out came my strainer, the entire can of chicken and water went into the strainer, and I then rinsed the product that remained in the strainer.   My next step was to weigh what was left so I dumped it on my scale.  Sit down...I don't want anyone to fall over while reading this.  

The actual weight of the chicken was 2-1/2 ounces.

It's the last can in my pantry of that product and I'll never buy it again.  Things would not be so bad if we at least got what we paid for according to the weight on the label, but this is pure highway robbery at its best.

A First And A Last For Me

The wait is over.  Not the result I wanted either.  

I have never voted in my life (never registered) but this year I decided my husband and I would put in our two cents.  A lot of good that did.

Four more years of crap.  

Yes, I am angry...very angry.  As far as I am concerned my husband and I will never vote again.  It's not worth the aggravation and certainly not worth it when the one you cannot even look at much less listen to wins.  

I certainly hope those that voted for him can live with themselves over the next four years.  All they have to do is look at themselves in the mirror and say, Well, I brought this on myself and I have no one to blame but me.

Don't Vote Democrat Just Because You're Democrat

• Remember these?

THE OBAMA CHRONICLES:
“I promise that I support traditional marriage-1 man-1 woman.
“I promise 100% transparency in my administration.”.
“I promise NO NEW TAXES on a family making less than $250K a year.”.
“I will allow 5 days of public comment before I sign any bills.”.
“I will remove earmarks from PORK projects before I sign any bill.”.
“I will end Income Tax for seniors making less than $50K a year.”.
"I will bring ALL of our troops home within ONE year."
“I’ll put the Health Care negotiations on CSPAN so everyone can see who is at the table!”.
“I’ll have no lobbyists in my administration."
"I'll close Guantanamo."
"I'll resign if I don't cut the deficit in half by the end of four years."
"I'll unite the people of this great country."
... BETTER KNOWN AS LIES.

Think long and hard before you vote...

Riding Out The Hurricane

aka Sandy.

aka The Beyotch from hell.

It was not a pleasant night.  Not one bit.  The eye of the hurricane went directly over us (we are approximately 55 miles north of Philadelphia) and the wind was beyond belief.  I think that is what rattled me the most...the wind.  Most of the time I had my radio headset on so I would not have to hear the wind.  Sometimes I had the radio on, sometimes I didn't.  

I climbed into bed around 3:00am and fell into blessed sleep almost instantaneously and I thank God for that.  But, then again, I also was not eager to get up in the morning to survey the damages.  I worried about the cats outside, something I had been doing since hearing about this storm coming our way.

We came through pretty much unscathed in that nothing major was blown away.  We did lose a lot of downspouts, gutters, soffits etc.  At least they are still here and not in the next county though.  Our neighbor's trampoline ended up in our driveway.  It scaled his fence and flew well over 300 ft. to arrive at the side of our truck.  Several times my husband went outside while the storm was riding high so he could tie things down or retrieve something that was headed the wrong way, like our garbage container that wanted to visit the street, or the swing on the back deck that wanted to crash into our patio door windows.  

The worst of our damage is our greenhouse where our cats take refuge during rain or other bad weather.  It is also where I keep their water, dry food, and their wet food that I feed them twice a day.  The roof held...some of the side panels did not.  There are 12 main panels and 5 of them blew out.  My husband said those 5 panels did not blow away but now we have the chore of getting that building back together.  There were two cats that came up while I was there to give them fresh water and food this morning.  I can only pray they all made it and that they eventually took shelter in our garage at the back of our property.  They have ways of getting in and out.

It is times like these where we step back and remember there are a lot of people much worse off than what we went through, which was not pretty for want of a better word.  You thank your God that you still have a house that's dry inside and whatever happened to the outside can always be fixed.

I pray for everyone that was hit by this so-called perfect storm.  We are one of the lucky ones.  From what I am seeing on TV there are a lot out there not so lucky.

A Very Close Call

Apologies for not writing more often, but I have been preoccupied for quite a bit.  I don't remember if I wrote anything about a problem I had that started back in April of this year.  I was put on two antibiotics and neither of them cleared up the infection I had.  The doctor then prescribed a sulfa drug and on the last day of taking that medication, I broke out in a rash.  I eventually figured out that I was allergic to sulfa drugs.

OK, so the head scratching began.  How to get rid of that infection located in my renal system somewhere.  I decided to wait until my doctor appointment last week to actually do anything since the symptoms were almost all but gone.  I requested a urine sample be taken by the office to determine if it was the same result as the one I had taken at home the day before.  It was.  

Now, at this point in time, the doctor is as perplexed as I am.  Why is this certain infection hanging around?  And why is it one tiny symptom and still showing a trace in the tests?  A few months ago the doctor said that if it did not clear up he would order an ultrasound of my bladder and my kidneys.  I had blood work done and the numbers for my kidneys came back all out of whack.  My creatinine figure was very high and my GFR figure had gotten a lot lower than the same test a year ago.  This has progressed this way for the past 5 years and we have been keeping an eye on it, but the figures were so bad this last time I became very concerned.  

The doctor told me with those figures I was probably in Stage 3 of chronic kidney disease.  I was not officially diagnosed with that, but he did mention it in passing.  I have a history of high blood pressure.  High BP can cause kidney damage and kidneys can cause high BP.  Granted, my BP is always low in the stores, at home, but never at the doctor's office.  I have white coat syndrome.

This past Monday I had the ultrasound done.  My urine was sent to a lab for further analysis.  I have been stressing over the ultrasound ever since, reading everything I can and trying to figure out what the outcome is for different scenarios.  You do not want to know what I was thinking...other than I thought I was now living on borrowed time.  But aren't we all?  I thought I might get the dreaded call from the doctor's office Thursday.  I did not.  It came today while I was out.  I had hoped to get back too late to have to call back if they left a message for me to do so.  I am a big wuss when it comes to things like that.

When I walked into the house the first thing I did was check the answer machine and that darn red light was blinking away.  All I could think at the time was, oh crap.  My husband listened to the message, turned to me and asked me when I was going to return the call.  I had no choice but to do it right then and there, much as I did not want to.

They confirmed that I still had a tiny infection and I am now on yet another antibiotic, stronger than the first three, but not a sulfa drug.  That was all she was going to offer.  I had to question her on the results of the ultrasound.  

Both the bladder and the kidneys are normal.  They do not show any type of deterioration whatsoever.  That brought tears of hope and joy to my eyes...you cannot imagine the relief that flooded through me.

Meanwhile, I had put myself on a low sodium diet since I found out I was consuming far too much of it.  I have also been on a low calorie diet for the past 6 weeks.  This past week, since being on the low sodium diet, I have lost five pounds  besides the other ten I had lost prior to this.  Despite the fact that all is well, I am going to continue on the low sodium (as well as the low calorie diet) because now my main concern is getting my BP down when I visit the doctor in three months.  And losing another 20-25 pounds won't hurt. 

At A Crossroads

I am finding lately that I don't have much to write about with even less time to write.

And when I do post anything there are a handful of people that leave a comment.  Seriously, it makes me feel as if I am talking to myself half the time.

Therefore, I am wondering if I should just not post anything anymore, or if there is a real audience out there actually reading what I write about.

I think if I had more incentive (more people reading and leaving comments) it would prompt me to write more.

Meanwhile, we are in the midst of replacing our sliding patio door.  Last winter there was an awful lot of cold air coming in so husband covered the outside with plastic sheeting.  It helped a bit.  So this year we were finally able to sit with someone and go over the possibilities of what we can do to replace the old door.

We had already picked out a door last Friday (the 12th) but had to wait for someone to come to the house and measure the space where the new door will be going.   That was done yesterday (the 19th).  When we went back to the store Saturday (the 20th) we again went over everything with a different person.  When he took us back to the door displays it was discovered that the only left hand door they had when we were there last week had been sold.  Yes, someone sold our door.  No, we didn't have our name on it.  We couldn't actually order it till the measuring was done.  It's just the idea...we saw what we wanted and expected it to be there when we needed it.  That is Rule #1.  Never assume.

That store called around to other stores to try and find what we needed.  Out of the five stores they called, only one had a left hand door in stock.  They said they will send it on a transfer truck and the earliest we would get it is this coming Thursday...if we're lucky.  And then, of course, the crew that will install it may not even be ready to do that for who knows when.

Do you people remember the bulls eye on our backs?  Well, it reared its ugly head again.  No matter what we try to do, something always goes wrong somewhere along the line.

Going Out On A Limb

I watched the Vice Presidential Debates Thursday evening and I will admit I dozed off once or twice for a few minutes.  I don't think I missed much though.

However, every time I awoke all I saw was an old man bullying a young man.  A very rude, obnoxious old man I might add.  Where the hell did he come from and who woke him up?

Now, before you get all crazy and start yelling at your screen to berate me...yes, I know both of them and who they are and what they stand for.  However, I was very uncomfortable watching that debate.    Joe Biden may be a likable man in his circles and also the public, but what I saw was someone yelling most of the time and laughing like a crazed person the rest of the time.

This post was not meant to offend anyone.  I am merely stating my take on that debate.  Hopefully, the next two Presidential debates will be a little more civil.

 

Calgon, Take Me Away

Anybody remember that slogan?  

I am up to here with things to do and don't have the gumption to do them.  I have no excuse, the severe heat is gone and it's currently 47° which, of course, is much too cold for me.  But then again, it is 12:45am as I type this.

And, yes, I am complaining.  It seems that's all I ever do these days.  I am getting tired of hearing myself complain, that's how bad it is. Anyway, like I said, I have so many things to do I don't know where to start.  By the time I get finished with a lot of my routine morning things...that is if I even get up early enough to consider it being morning...I can't seem to find the time to do the necessary things.

My morning, ahem...mid-morning begins by feeding the cats inside.  That's before I even go out to the rest of the house.  They are fed in the laundry room which is right off of the bathroom.  Once they are fed and their potties are cleaned, my next step is to feed the cats outside and that is done in the kitchen.  I usually have dried cat food mixed with water that has softened which I add a can of wet food to it, and then I heat that in the microwave since cats outside prefer warm food.  And since I am not a mouser and also I cannot outrun a mole, they get warmed food from me.  It's the least I can do for them.

Before I come back inside I fetch the paper.  I cannot start my day without reading an actual newspaper.  A lot of people have given up their newspapers and get their news elsewhere but I am not ready for that yet, although I do read a lot online and catch mostly old news on TV.  That's one thing nice about getting news online...it is fresher than what is on TV.  

While I am reading the newspaper I usually have my first cup of coffee.  I live on that stuff all day long and it's difficult to not be able to start the day with it.  I eat breakfast when I get hungry or there is the occasional morning when I make breakfast for husband and I eat with him despite the fact that I am not hungry yet.   That doesn't happen too often.   I like to eat when I am hungry, not just because it's time to eat.

Boy, did I go off course with this.  Back to the basics.  Back to what needs to be done.  I have curtains to iron and hang on the new round curtain rod with fancy balls on the ends that we put up yesterday.  It replaces two traverse rods.  Very old traverse rods...they were here when we moved in over 20 years ago.  I have kitchen curtains to iron and hang.  And then there is the usual housework...something I detest.  Who invented housework anyway?  And who said the women had to do it?   The only housework I like doing is laundry.  I have no idea why, I just enjoy doing it.

But for now?  It's time to go to bed and start all over in the morning.  Or is that mid-morning?  

A Full Day Of Sports

The pork roast is in the slow cooker making it that much easier for me to get dinner together tonight.  I can't be slowed down on a day such as this.  Too much going on for me as far as sports are concerned.

My main focus of the day will be the Good Sam Club 500 being run at the Talladega Speedway.  This is the fourth race of the Chase for the championship.  This is what is considered a plate track.  This is where Dale Jr. shines best.  Granted, his last few years of racing at this track proved fruitless; however, this year he is focused and on top of his game, so hopefully he will race well today.

While the race is being run, the NY Giants will do battle with the Cleveland Browns who are currently 0 and 4.  I will not let that sway my thinking and lull me into the fact that the Giants will win this game...those Browns may awaken from a deep sleep and trounce my beloved Giants.  Let's hope not.

Later this afternoon, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos will do battle against the New England Patriots.  No, I am not a Broncos fan, per se, but I am a fan of Peyton Manning's.  I am hoping to see him stage a huge comeback this year since his neck surgeries kept him out of football last year.  He has had his ups and downs so far this year and I am hoping it will soon turn to all ups.

So there you have it...quite a busy day for me.  A day of a lot of channel flipping.  I've done it before, I can do it again today.

Three out of three wins for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Eli Manning and Peyton Manning would make my day. 

*********************************************************************************
UPDATE:
Dale Jr. got wiped out along with 20 plus other drivers on the last lap and did not finish the race.  His championship hopes have gone up in smoke no doubt.

Peyton Manning and the Broncos lost their game to the New England Patriots.

Eli Manning and the Giants won their game against the Cleveland Browns.

SO I went one out of three.  Those are lousy odds wouldn't you say?

Rain, Rain, Rain

Where was all this rain when we needed it this past summer?

I guess it's helping the environment somehow and I shouldn't complain, but...

...I am not ready to turn any kind of heat on yet.

...it wreaks havoc on the cats outside, not to mention all the new kittens.

...second to nasty winter weather, a cold damp rain makes me crazy.

...it keeps me home because I don't like schlepping around in a downpour.

...But all in all I guess I should be very grateful for all this rain.  After all, without it Earth would not survive.  And with all the political crap that is going on projecting gloom and doom, it's all I can do to keep ahead of the survival game at this point in time.

For now anyway.  

Leaves of Fall

It's been two years since I have photographed the leaves in the Fall. I am anxious to do it again this year. I have my calendar marked as a reminder as to when the best weekend will be for my endeavor. Hopefully, we will be able to take the bike.  The first photo was taken out of the windshield of our truck. I have no idea where they were taken.

We had buckets of rain most of the night but for now it has stopped and the sun came out earlier this morning. We are in for rain for at least the next three days, as is Dover, Delaware, which is where the NASCAR race is being held this weekend. If it is postponed until Monday that's OK with me. I'm not going anywhere. 

This has been a long, hot summer but I'm not glad it's over. I will miss it despite the hellish heat we had most of the days. I enjoy the cooler weather just as much as the next person but I do not enjoy the nasty winters we get in this part of the country. And from what we are hearing this coming winter is supposed to be very nasty. It looks like I will be hibernating once again. I am getting quite used to that.

Not much news from this end since nothing exciting has happened lately. All the cats are doing fine and keeping us amused as usual. The new TV season has started so my nights are filled watching them. And, of course, I cannot finish off my day without watching Craig Ferguson's late night show.

Autumnal Equinox

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.

~William Cullen Bryant

One Happy Giant Fan

New York Giants:  36

Carolina Panthers:  7 

What To Do, What To Do

What with everything that is going on in the world today I just want to run and hide somewhere.

But where?

Just where is it safe these days?

Probably nowhere.

I am angry ~ very angry, but I am literally afraid to voice my opinion here on this page as it might get me in trouble with a lot of folks.

I have very strong opinions about so many things and yet I cannot talk about them.

So I won't.

You get the idea...

The Four Horsemen

Congratulations to Hendrick Motor Sports.  All the HMS drivers made it into the Chase which begins  Sunday, January 16th, at Chicagoland Speedway and runs concurrently through the next nine races ending Sunday, November 18th, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 

Left to right:  Kasey Kahne (wild card), Jeff Gordon (wild card), Jimmie Johnson (finished 4th in regular season points), and Dale Earnhardt, Jr (finished 2nd in regular season points).

May the best man win!

Time To Weigh In On The Mattress Topper

When I first started sleeping on the 4" memory foam I didn't get the results I had hoped for so I decided perhaps it was my pillow that was all wrong.  I searched high and low for the right pillow and when I finally found it, I purchased what I thought would be my savior.  Not so.  I have used that pillow three times, each time hoping it would feel better, and each time I have been disappointed with it.  Seriously, it is like laying my head on a rock.   Back to the one I was using.

But you didn't come here to read about my pillow.  It has been many weeks since I first started sleeping on the foam topper, and now it is time to tell you how I really feel about it.  

I am very happy with it.  I am sleeping better and longer.  Sometimes my mind is so cluttered when I lay my head down on the pillow that it is hard to fall asleep for many hours.  But once I do, that's it...I sleep well and long.  For the nights when I simply can't fall asleep I have at the ready a sleep aid.  Nothing harsh.  It is a simple over-the-counter medication that does not interfere with my other medications for my cholesterol and blood pressure problems.

The real test for the foam topper was when I first slept a full eight hours.  And those times have happened a lot since that first one.  The second test was after that first full eight hours of sleep, I also noticed a big difference in my back pain upon arising.  No, it's not gone entirely, but once I get out of bed I don't feel near the pain I used to feel.  And I don't feel like a creepy old zombie either.  Rather, I feel quite refreshed and ready to greet the day...and my cats and husband.

So, yes, I would recommend anyone out there with back pain and/or problems to try a memory foam topper.  I switched from a three-inch to a four-inch topper and am glad I did.  And I didn't purchase just any old memory foam...I invested in a brand name from a reputable mattress maker that starts with an S and ends with an a.

Now, if only I could get this kink out of my neck from being on the computer and having to look up at the screen.  And now I hear you asking why I don't adjust the chair or get one that lets me look straight on.  Well, I do have such a chair.  And right now Dakota-Sioux is napping on it.  That's how it is when one has cats.  They always get the best seats in the house.

Seasons Come & Seasons Go

Labor Day has come and gone.  It rained all day.  My husband and I spent the entire day indoors watching TV.  AMC had a Clint Eastwood marathon on so we watched one of his movies.  And then we watched whatever we could find that interested both of us.  It was a rather lazy day.  I did manage to get the dishes done and also made steak sandwiches for dinner.  But that's all I did, and I'm not ashamed to say it.

As much as I really hated the humidity and high heat of this past summer, I still hate to see it leave us.  Don't get me wrong, I love the autumn months, too.  I enjoy the leaves changing color, the cooler air, the warm afternoons, the aroma of anything made with pumpkins, crisp apples, and everything else that goes with the Fall season.  However, what follows it is not a favorite of mine.  Yep, that dreaded Ol' Man Winter.  Nope, not a favorite of mine at all.  I wish we could skip right into Spring from Fall.

I watched the Republican convention but I will not watch the Democratic convention.  Without going into detail, all I will say is I am looking forward to all the debates.  Those should be quite interesting. I love a good debate.

I watched a small miracle on Sunday evening.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., started the Advocare 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in the 35th position.  When the race was over he finished in the 7th position.  At one point during the race he was two laps down and got both of them back to be on the lead lap.  Later he went a lap down but was able to get himself back on the lead lap once again.  I am still in awe that he finished in 7th and will never doubt that team again.  Seriously, I thought Sunday's race was going to be a disaster.  Not so.  I am blessed to be a member of Junior Nation and Dale is blessed to have the crew chief that he has.



 

 

Our Forefathers

I thought you all needed a good laugh today.

Disappointed

Yes, I am a little disappointed that no one chose to comment on the video in my previous post.

It is what I have been preaching all along.  This country was born out of Christianity.  I don't care how many other religions there are or how many of those infiltrate this country, the fact of the matter is, I do not like when someone comes to these hallowed shores and wants to take our freedoms away from us.  And I mean those of us who were not only born here but have ancestors that came to this country a long time ago.

My great, great, great, great, great grandfather came to this country circa 1750.  I am directly related to him on my father's side.  He came from Germany and had ten children.  To this day I can safely say that I practice the same religion he brought with him to America.

I get very angry when so many people want to change things in this country.  There is a thing called being politically correct.  I am so sick and tired of hearing that phrase not to mention the fact that it is worn out and useless.  All I want is for the people of this country who can boast a background like me to get off their broad behinds and do something instead of talking about it.

Wake up and smell the coffee for heavens' sake.  Stop buckling under to bullies.  

Case in point:  we have a neighbor who moved near our property many years ago.  He moved here from New York.  He brought with him certain ideas that he was going to change things in the neighborhood.  He caused quite a ruckus between us and our township leaders.  I am of the old adage that, we were here first.  How dare he come into our neighborhood and stir things up against us?  And that is exactly what people who come to this country from another country do...not all of them, mind you, just a certain few.  Well, maybe more than a few.  It just irritates me and I don't understand one thing.  If things weren't so great from where they came, why do they come here and try to make things the same way they were where they came from?

I am climbing down off my soapbox now.  But I hope I gave you something to think about.

Christianity & America ~ Let's Get Back To The Basics

It's That Time Again

I am guessing it costs a lot to send a child back to school these days.  When I went to school almost everything was supplied by the school.  I do remember my parents having to pay for my school pictures.  

In my early years of school I am fairly certain that I really loved to go to school.  One of the reasons was that I had (and still do) a love affair with pens, pencils, crayons, paper etc.  To this day I have quite the collection of pens at any given time.  I love to write.  Before I even went to school I would find books in the attic and scribble in them.  Maybe that's why I went on to be top student in my shorthand class.  I can still take shorthand to this day.

And I loved to read.  Still do.  I am a chain reader.  As soon as I am finished with a book, I always have another one waiting to be read.  I never had trouble with most subjects, never had to really study.  I hated math and anything to do with numbers so that was the only class that gave me trouble.  My specialties were spelling, reading, and English.  As far as I was concerned anything else was just rubbish.

Now I am heavily into history.  In school it was just another pesky subject.  Like Home Economics, or Home Ec.  How I hated that class.  I would have preferred to take shop with my brother who was two years ahead of me in school.  Science was another subject I didn't like.  

I was in the high school band.  We marched in parades and we also played at junior varsity basketball games.  To this day I detest basketball.  Those games back then were so boring to me.  They scarred me for life. 

The main point of this post today is that once I graduated I never looked back.  Yes, most subjects came easy to me, but I actually did not like school.  I did not like being penned up all day having to move from one room to another like a rat in a maze.  

I don't remember graduation day.  I am sure I was elated the day had finally come.  And I swore I would never go back to any kind of school ever again.  But I did.  It was off campus where I attended law classes.    A few years later I went to another campus to learn how to drive tractor-trailer.  I loved learning and driving and passed my tests with flying colors but I never got a job driving truck.  Just the fact that I took the course and passed was enough to satisfy me.  That is what I told myself when no one would hire myself and another girl when we made the rounds looking for a job.  

Thinking about all these things and actually writing about them brings back a lot of memories.  And looking back at what I accomplished with my life, well, I wouldn't change a thing.   Or maybe I would...

Oh, Dear

That has become one of my sayings as of late and I have no idea where I picked it up.

Thursday evening before my husband went to bed he set his alarm for early in the morning.  He had an auction he wanted to go to which is something he does at least once a week.  I figured I would have much of the day to myself and that I could get a lot of work done around the house.  Those are the times when I feel I can throw things out.  Otherwise, with him underfoot, he questions what I am throwing out.  Uh...maybe it's because we haven't used it in over a year, or maybe because I am tired of cleaning around it, or maybe it's just because I feel like throwing something out.

At any rate, when I get up the first thing I do is come down the hall and go into the bathroom to get to the laundry room which is where I feed the cats.  After they are taken care of I then go out to the kitchen where I get the food ready to feed the cats outside.  

My husband has to sleep in a separate bed because of his knee, so he chose to sleep in the family room where the big screen TV is which I always thought was a wise decision.  I sleep in the bedroom with the door closed so the cats cannot come in and wake me up long before I am ready to wake up.  As I was puttering around in the kitchen I saw that my husband was lying on top of his bed.  After making sure he was breathing (yes, I do that a lot) I decided to question him once he arose.  Which was well over an hour later.

It seems he did get up when his alarm went off, got dressed, and drove to where the auction was.  Only to find out it wasn't until 4:00 in the afternoon.  So he went to the diner and had breakfast, then came back home and went back to bed.  I damn near laughed my butt off over that one.  He has some nerve making fun of me when I do stupid things, doesn't he?  At least I own up to my errors.



 

This Is So Much Better

Yes, it is so much better when one does the right thing in the right place.  I don't know where my  head was when I posted using the wrong browser.  I really should know better.  

I saw a sign the other day while on our way to the grocery store.  It read:

YOU THINK HEALTH CARE IS EXPENSIVE NOW, WAIT TILL IT'S FREE

And I thought to myself, well that is precisely the wording I have been trying to form in my mind but was too angry to make it work.  I hate what this country is coming to and also what it has become.  I am not going to pussyfoot around...I am neither Democrat or Republican so I can say what I am going to say without feeling one bit guilty.  I do not like our current leader.  I pray to God he does not get elected again.  He has hidden so much from the American public and I have always felt he came riding in on the back of a wagon and sold the people snake oil convincing them it was good for them. 

I am a Christian first and foremost.  This country was founded on Christian beliefs and principles and has been guided by such until 2008.  Now it just seems as if we are going to hell in a hand basket.  Hopefully that can be stopped.

People are nasty to one another, they are killing for no reason whatsoever, the younger generation is mostly disrespectful to anyone older than they are, the schools are not teaching manners or anything else that really matters.  I shudder to think what this country will be like in another 50 years, especially if it keeps on the path it is now.  

I read and re-read this post a couple times and each time I sat here thinking whether I should hit the publish button or not.  There are many more things I would love to add to this, but I need to bite my tongue.  I do not mean to offend anyone as this is my opinion and everyone has a right to their opinions.  

 

OK, I Know What I DId Wrong

Stupid me.  I was in the wrong browser.  Blogger does not like when I do things in Internet Explorer.  I have no idea why.  It prefers that I use Firefox, and I post so little that I forget that little fact.  Sheesh!

Now that I am in the right browser, everything is as it should be.  So for now, I am going to go look for those brain cells I lost... 

This Is Crazy

I wanted to write something and post it but to tell the truth I am at a loss of just what the heck is going on with this new template and other things that used to be available. It used to be that there were pictures all in a row and all I had to do was click on them and take it from there. Now all of those are gone but when I put my cursor where they should be it just shows a word instead of a picture. And when I take the cursor away all I see is...nothing! Once I pull a picture out of my album, if I keep it in compose mode it only shows half of the first photo and none of the rest. So I had to put this in HTML mode. This really sucks. I am beginning to not like this anymore. It is such a deterrent and I am wondering why the heck they have done this weird thing to those of us who were told our template needed to be upgraded. I don't remember doing anything wrong to deserve this. Oh well...I just have to make the best of a bad, and sad, situation. That is at least until I get fed up with it and quit altogether. Moving on: I have slept two nights on my new foam topper. The first night I had such anticipation of having a good night's sleep that actually it was quite the opposite. I guess I was expecting too much and it took me hours till I finally fell asleep. And then all I did was toss and turn. Funny what the mind can do to a person. The next night was better. That was last night. I am hoping now that each night does indeed get better and soon I will have restful sleep every night. My husband and I had errands to do today. One of them was paying school taxes. Ugh. That is never an easy pill to swallow. We now have nine months until we have to pay our taxes next spring which are county and township taxes. I don't mind those; but these school taxes we pay in this district are enough to choke a horse. And they will be worse next year since we were recently reassessed by the county and they jacked our assessment higher than a kite. That means all of our taxes will go higher yet next year. It makes me just want to set up a teepee somewhere in the boondocks where no one can find us with their idiotic taxes. There, I am glad I got that off my chest.

Why The Change?

There are those of you who have come to this blog that are shocked to see the huge change from what it was.  I know...so am I.  So let me explain just exactly what happened.

I wanted to change the background picture of Dale Jr. as I felt it needed a more current one.  For the past few weeks I had been tucking away those I felt would be a good fit.  Yesterday I had some time to sort of play around since I was home alone.  So I played around. 

To change the background photo I had to first take it from my personal album and put it into my Photobucket album because that was the only way I could get the IMG info for the template.  I have not been savvy enough to figure out any other way and what worked for me is what I used every time.  I try not to look for trouble when it comes to computers.

For some reason I could not get the new picture to work.  The IMG info I copied to drop into the template (while deleting the old IMG info) just would not behave.  Parts of it stuck out of the margin and each time I fixed it, it would just revert to sticking out again.  After a few times, and especially after losing the original photo, I just gave up.

It was then that I saw the orange bar that stated I needed to upgrade my template, so I clicked on that.  But only after sitting here arguing with myself as to whether I should or shouldn't click on it.  Once I did that, there was no turning back.  I found what I liked best from all the choices and what you see is what I chose...for now. 

Of course I'm not happy with it.  But I will get used to it.  All my info on the right side, including the adoption animations of my four cats and the wolf we support in Denali, are gone.  Not my choice.  My counter is gone but I can figure that out elsewhere.  I don't get that much traffic anyway so it's not a big deal anymore.

I am getting used to the new look.  It does uplift me when I click on it.  It's very refreshing and clean, so I guess I am satisfied with it till it bores me and I want to change it again.

I hope you like the new look...let me know either way, I have big shoulders.

A Day Alone

I don't get many days alone but when I do I try to take advantage of them and get a lot of work done.  During the summer husband goes to an auction every other week.  Sometimes it is three weeks in between and I look forward to my "day off."

What I mean by that is some days off I don't do a lick and just laze around and play on the computer or do light things that amuse me.  Other days off I get a lot of work done in the house.  Today is an in-between day.  I accomplished getting a lot of paperwork done and a few other lighter things.  Nothing heavy is on the agenda.

My memory foam mattress topper arrived this morning.  It is currently spread out on the floor and recovering from the tightly wound state it arrived in.  I cannot wait to sleep on it.  I have a three-inch topper on the bed now but it has long seen its better days and I am hoping it is the cause of my back pain escalating over the past few months.  The new topper is four inches thick.  Hopefully by Saturday night I will be sleeping on it.  And hopefully my back pain will subside somewhat.  I don't expect the pain to go away all together but the soreness I now have every morning is getting a little old.

Three years ago I had X-rays done on my lower back and it was determined I have degenerative disc disease...that is when I realized my trips to the chiropractor would not be doing me any favors so I stopped going.  Prior to having those X-rays done, I used to have lower back pain on a daily basis but not as bad as it is now.  It has only gotten worse within the past three months, so I really  am hoping the foam topper will work to my advantage.  Otherwise, I am at a loss as to what to do.  I suppose I will just take it one day at a time as usual.

On another note, three of my cats are celebrating their birthdays.  Yesterday, the 8th, Junior and Dakota were 6 years old.  Today is Punkin's third birthday.  Eli will be a year old next month on the fourth.  We don't do anything special for them, although we did get a certificate from our local pet store for a toy for one of them.  They all play with all the toys we have so it doesn't matter that four cats are only getting one toy.  They really don't know the difference.

I am quite glad for the moment that the weather has tamed down somewhat.  Instead of knocking at the 100's or baking in the 90's, we are having mid-80 temps.  We just survived Heat Wave #6 and I pray there will not be a #7 but those meteorologists like to drive me insane so I will be on the lookout for that #7.  What really bothers me the most is the thunderstorms that come with high heat.  Especially the ones that have high wind velocities and/or hail.  Lightning makes me insane, too.  Thunder is not so bad, other than the fact that lightning usually follows it.

Now I can get back to my "light duty" day.
 

Heat Wave #6

Here we go again.  

When I go outside to feed the cats in the morning and again in the early evening, by the time I am finished doing everything that needs to be done, the sweat pours down my face.  And all I can think of is getting back inside to the air conditioning.  It's such a wonderful feeling.

And it's fair to say that I will be staying home through the weekend.  On days like this, it's where I am the happiest.  And on most other days too.  And how do I entertain myself when I stay at home?  Besides the normal housework ?  This week and next I will be watching as much of the Olympics that I can.  But this weekend, Friday through Sunday, I tune in to NASCAR.  The boys are racing at our home track in Pocono, PA, this weekend.  Not one of my favorite tracks, but it's racing.

To take away from some of the boredom that the TV analysts throw at us during a race, I listen to it on the radio while watching it on TV.  The guys on the radio make the race so much more colorful and exciting.  Recently my AM/FM headset has been acting wonky and there has been quite a bit of static.  And the darn thing works better in some parts of the house than the other, but you know that it would not work when I am in my recliner.  Plus, I have to hold my head a certain way for it to work best.  I had a difficult time replacing it, but I did find one at R*dio Sh*ck and it was on sale $15 less than the regular price.  That was a nice surprise.

And speaking of the Olympics...congratulations to the five American gymnasts for their gold medal.  Also, congrats to Gabby Douglas for her individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics.  And who can forget what Michael Phelps has done over the past eight years.  Incredible.  Will anyone ever do better as far as winning more medals than Michael?  It's possible, but I doubt I will see it in my lifetime.

I have looked forward to the games, including the Winter games, ever since I can remember and it seems as fast as they get started, that's how fast they fly by and soon we are watching the closing ceremonies.  So I watch as much as I can.  What can I say?  I'm a sports nut.  Except basketball...don't even get me started on that sport.  In high school I had to endure the basketball games because I was in the band and we were required to be there to play.  And of course we can't forget March Madness.  Yes, it drives me mad when basketball takes over the channel I watch most shows on, which is CBS.  I wish they would broadcast those games on a sports channel where they belong.