Still Here, Still Pissed

,,,still hoping the damn site crashes and burns.

Dark And Gloomy

That's what we're headed for...dark and gloomy.  Six months of cold, nasty weather for the most part.  Because of that I decided to change my background.  Next Spring I will go back to the sunshine and blue skies.  It's hibernation time for me. 

I wish I could find a den with most of the comforts of home where I could spend these upcoming six months away from everything and everyone except my husband and my four fur babies.  I guess maybe I should have been a bear instead of human.  I know ~ six months is a big chunk out of a human life, so it would be nice if the body didn't age during those six months.

We were able to head north on Saturday and I took some fairly decent pictures before the sun decided it was tired of me and went behind the clouds never to come out the remainder of the day.  I will post those in the upcoming days.  I also want to post a little story about our new neighbors that moved alongside of us eleven months ago.  They are a real treat, believe me.

About the football season...

For me, it almost sucks.  The Giants are 0 for 6.  They play the Vikings tonight and will probably lose another one.  The Eagles played yesterday using their secondary quarterback who now has a concussion that he received during the game.  The unknown third choice quarterback stepped in to finish the game which they lost against the Cowboys.  I heard today that the Eagles are now worried as to which quarterback to put in the game against the Giants next week.  I said to my husband, they shouldn't worry about playing against the Giants...they can use their coach as a quarterback and they will still win the game.  Don't ask me what the hell is going on with my Giants.  The majority of the guys just aren't playing and that includes the quarterback, Eli Manning.  I know they have been plagued with injuries but that's no excuse either.

The 49ers, on the other hand, are playing well thanks to Gore and Kaepernick.  That game yesterday wasn't televised so I didn't get to see it.  As a matter of fact, I didn't watch any football yesterday.  I did watch the NASCAR race from Talladega.  What a stupid ending to that race.  Dale Jr. was running second behind Jamie McMurray for almost 14 laps and was going to pull out from behind him on the backstretch of the last lap to try and win the race.  Well, that never happened thanks to two rookies who messed everything up causing a caution to come out on that last lap and therefore the race was over at that point.  We'll never know whether Junior could have pulled that move off.  So he had to settle for second place...again.

Oh well, there's always next week.  On to Martinsville short track racing.

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night...

Well, not exactly; however, the day was gloomy.  The TV meteorologist said today would be warm and around 70°.  She added that this would be the last day before the cold weather sets in.  I wish she would have told me there wouldn't be any sun.

I didn't want to waste a so-called nice day before it got too cold, so my husband and I decided we would drive around with the truck instead of the bike, since we weren't sure just exactly when the rain would move in.  

We were off to see the foliage and hopefully I would be able to get some decent shots.   These are the best I could do:

All of these were taken out my window while the truck was in motion.  I love my Canon cameras.

The second last photo is to show how the sky looked most of the day.  Just above the horizon is where the sun was trying to peak through but the sucker never did come out till we were home.  And only for a little while.  Teaser.

The bottom photo is just a couple of cows, and after I shot them (with the camera, of course) I realized I should have aimed a little higher but my window of opportunity was quite small and I was lucky to get that shot.

You might notice in the foliage photos that there are no red leaves.  We haven't gotten a good, hard frost in this area but once we do the oaks will bring out all their glory.  That is, of course, if the trees still have most of their leaves yet. One thing we did notice today was the large amount of trees that have no leaves on them.  We can only assume it is due to the steamy hot weather we had over the summer months.

We're going to try and do this again Saturday but we are going to travel farther north toward the Poconos.  If it doesn't rain, that is.  I haven't checked the weather situation yet for Saturday.  Maybe I shouldn't.  They lie anyway.

Keeping Busy

It's that time of the year.  Cooler weather makes me want to clean.  I'm not one of those clean freaks though.  I do just enough to get by.

I have to take a break though and get outside so I can weed the bed alongside the garage.  A mess of Spring bulbs arrived a few days ago and they must get into the ground soon.  I ordered them back in May.  Things looked a lot brighter back then and knowing they wouldn't arrive till now made it seem as if once they did arrive it would be a snap to get them into the ground.  Of course where they are going wasn't full of weeds then.

We were not able to get away Sunday on the bike to see the foliage change north of us.  Sunday was the perfect day:  The area where we were going predicted it was the height of Fall Foliage viewing, there weren't any races on TV, neither of my football teams' games was televised, so only one thing stopped us.  Nasty weather.  It was overcast, cool, and misty in the morning into the early afternoon.  By late afternoon the sun did come out but it was too late.

Now we will have to just settle for a drive around our area in a few weeks when we have our own foliage change.  I am not equipped (clothing-wise) to ride in cool weather.  I never had to before we got this bike.  Now, all I want to do is get on it at the drop of a hat and just take off for places far and wide. I guess I have to get some leathers like my husband.  I'll think about it.

 

What Can I say? I'm A Lousy Blogger

Today it rained.  I am very lazy when it rains.  Or any other day for that matter.  I just made a bullet list of things to do.  That was fun.  Now all I have to do is listen to myself so I can check each chore off as I do them.  The list hasn't changed much from a few months ago.  But I keep making them anyway.  Do you get my drift?

I really have nothing to write about these days.  Ever since we had that whirlwind week during our birthdays, we seem to be winding down.  And now that the weather is getting cooler, I have no incentive to do anything outside either.

One thing I must do (and I forgot to add it to my list) is plant the bulbs I received in the mail last week.  But before I can plant them, the place they are going needs to be weeded.  I can't bend over to weed because of my lower back problem, so I guess I will have to get a mat of some sort to sit on while doing that nasty chore.  I am not looking forward to that at all and now I wish I'd never ordered those bulbs back in May.

Moving on to the sports in my life, which hasn't gotten much better than the past few weeks, although some things are looking up.  With the Giants being 0 for 5, I just don't know what to think.  Who stole their mojo?  And why the entire team?  That's why it's a good thing to have a backup team like the 49ers.  At least they are winning.  I also am enjoying the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos...neither team has lost yet and they are in the same division.

Racing?  Not many bright spots there either.  Dale Jr. lost his engine in the first of the ten Chase races which will determine the championship for 2013.  That dropped him all the way down to 13th in the points.  That is the lowest position.  usually there are only 12 spots but NASCAR had a problem which is too detailed to go into at this time.  By the end of the second race, Dale Jr. moved into the 11th spot; after the 3rd race, he was in the 10th spot, and on Sunday he moved up to 8th in the points.  I am smart enough to realize he will not win the championship this year, but he sure is making it pleasant for me to watch the races.  There are 6 more to go and then the season is over till next February.  I can hardly wait till it starts up again.

Did anyone see what happened to Dario Franchitti in Sunday's IndyCar race in Houston?  I turned that race off because Marco Andretti was doing so poorly and then Helio Castroneves had problems and by then I was just too frustrated.  I wasn't aware what happened on the last lap until late Sunday night and then I think I watched the video of his nasty crash at least ten times.  He is lucky to be alive.

I might miss a few of the racing programs this weekend because we are planning on taking the Harley up north for the fall foliage.  This weekend is supposed to be the best weekend for the leaves.  Let's hope it doesn't rain.  I would also like to visit the little town of Jim Thorpe and maybe take a train ride as well.

 

It's Been A Busy Week

The week started off with Monday which was my birthday.  My husband said it was my choice as to where we would go to eat, so I chose this place:

This was our second visit to this eating establishment, and we have decided it is the best place to get steak...or anything else they offer on the menu.

Wednesday was my husband's birthday so he chose to go here:

He was hungry for lobster.  I don't eat lobster so I had tilapia. 

 I always order off their Litehouse Menu which is lower in calories, fat, and sodium.

On Thursday we had an appointment for our Ford F-150 King Ranch Edition to have interior detailing done: 

  

I had to follow my husband in my Mustang GT so we had something to drive while waiting:

During our wait time, we decided to go to The Promenade Shops and walk around.  It's been quite a few years since we we there.  This place is as if someone created a shopping center, with its own streets, quaint street lights,and every imaginable shop there is, as well as a huge RAVE movie theater with countless screens, and dropped it onto nowhere land.  It is quite secluded and off the beaten path.  It's only a few miles from where I grew up.

 
On Friday we had an appointment to get this inspected:

Today is National Smithsonian Museum Day.  A few weeks ago I got an email invitation to print off a ticket for two people for any museum on the list in the entire country.  We chose to go here:

This museum consists of vintage things on wheels, from a child's tricycle to a Mack truck...any everything in between.  This was our second visit but it's not one of those museums that never changes...a lot of the cars are loaned to the museum for any length of time.  When their time is up, others come in for display. The currently highlighted vehicles are the woodies of old.  Or, if you will, of surfer fame.

Besides all these wonderful things that we did, this man is on the pole for Sunday's race at Dover, Delaware:

So there you have it.  Quite the week.  And I left stuff out.  This is one birthday week I won't forget in a long time.  Now all I need for the icing on the cake is to have Dale Jr. win the race on Sunday.  That would really be awesome. 

 

This Sunday Was No Better Than Last Sunday

One of these days I am going to learn not to get so involved in sports.  Here is my weekend recap:

Chase Elliott, an up and coming teen aged driver in the ARCA series, has been doing quite well in any race venue he enters.  But he can't win if there is water in his gas and his engine decides it can't operate on both.

Elliott Sadler, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, cannot win a Championship if he doesn't have one of the fastest cars on the track.  He finished his race Saturday but was not high enough to get the points he needs to jump ahead in the standings.

Dale Earnhardt Jr, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, finished sixth today in the second race in the Chase which will determine who the champion of that series will be.  At least he finished the race in one piece; not like last week when his engine decided it didn't want to be out there amongst all those other faster cars so it puked.

And that is just the racing part.  Football was very agonizing for me once again this weekend.  

The NY Giants got whipped by the Carolina Panthers 38-0.  They couldn't score a single point.  Unbelievable.   The Carolina Panthers?  You gotta be kidding me.  I'm glad I wasn't able to watch the game.

So by the end of the day I thought at least the San Francisco 49ers will brighten my spirits.  Yeah, right!  They lost to the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 27-7.

At this point I am wondering if things will ever get any better or am I doomed to follow losers?

Licking My Wounds

This past Sunday started out with bad news and just escalated to something I never saw coming.

The first bad news was from my daughter who called to let me know how her significant other fared in the local race the night before.  She said the good news was he won his heat and went on to win the final race only to have (and here's the bad news) that race win as well as the trophy taken away from him.  Why?  Inspection said his springs were illegal...the same springs he's been using all season long...the same springs that passed tech inspection the past two weeks.  Something a little fishy there I would say.

And then my beloved NY Giants lost their second game of the football season.   It was Manning vs. Manning and I knew the older brother would win, which he did.  That game was agonizing to watch.  The NY Giants are now 0 for 2.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup race came on, but before they could get to half it started to rain.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., sat in fifth place at that point.  So while they were in rain delay, I was able to watch a lot of my second favorite NFL team: the San Francisco 49ers.  I have been a 49ers fan longer than a Giants fan, but I like both teams equally.  Needless to say, the 49ers lost too and they are now 1 for 2.

Can it get any worse?  You bet it can.

The Sprint Cup race resumed.  And as if I had not had almost one of the worst days of my life, Dale's engine blew and just like that he was out of the race.  This was the first race of the ten-race Chase for the championship.  He is now so far behind the leader that any hope he had for the Chase is all but gone.  

Am I depressed?  You darn well know it.

But I know the world will go on and I will get over my bad day.  I just don't want to see one of those again for a long, long time.

Taking Things A Bit Too Far

Back in 1924 a local high school located in the midst of cement country decided to call their basketball team The Koncrete Kids and today are know simply as The K Kids.  That school was started by Germans and Austrians that emigrated there many years prior.

Koncrete is the German word for concrete (or vice-versa).  The town that the high school is located in is and has been always noted for that product.  So much so that before the cement mills put filters on their stacks, the film that blanketed the entire town made everything look like a light covering of snow had fallen.  (Cement is used to make concrete.)

On the front page of today's newspaper is a story about how Koncrete Kids offends a certain black man to the extent that he made a petition for that well-known petition website online asking that our governor make them stop using Koncrete Kids.  Only he wrote it as KonKrete Kids...see where he is going with that?

What the hell is wrong with people today?  Why can't they just let things go?  Why do they have to stir up trouble like he did?  It is people like him stirring the pot that are racist, not us European whites.  It really irritates me when people come over here from other countries and start telling us what to do or how to do things.  If you don't like the way we do things, then go back to where you came from and shut the hell up.

By the way, the school does not plan on changing anything, and why should they?

And to add insult to injury on this 9/11 day, while having breakfast this morning at a local diner that we always visit on a Wednesday, there were 6 or 7 females (with two toddlers) wearing those things on their heads (hijab) talking and laughing quite loudly.  It was all I could do not to get up and leave.  Yes, they offended me, and why not? 

I felt like with them being there acting the way they were was a slap in the face on this day of 9/11.

Things That Tickle My Funnybone

A man (monster) held three girls captive, treated them like you-know-what, got caught and then was sentenced to thousands of years in prison.  He spends one month in said prison, and then hangs himself and dies.  I know there is no justice in that, but did he ever reflect on what he did to those girls for ten years?  Probably not.  And he couldn't take one month in prison?  Wimp.

By taking his own life he helped those girls get closure I would hope.  By taking his own life he saved the taxpayers thousands of dollars to not have to feed him or provide shelter and health care.  By taking his own life just shows what a egotistical monster he really was.  May he not rest in peace.  

I ask one question:  why is his family in an uproar over his death?  Did they think he was going to get out of prison some day?  Did they think he was innocent?  Did they want to visit his sorry ass in prison?  Oh, puh-leeze.

I just don't get people these days.

 

Crop Circles?

These mushrooms have been quite interesting this year.  In the past years we have had an occasional mushroom or two in this spot, but this year we had a bumper crop.

We have no idea what kind they are and we don't care to find out either.  As I am writing this, they are long gone having been mowed down with the lawnmower and chopped up.

These mushrooms were right in my path to go to the back of the house where I feed the outside cats.  When I first came upon them they were smaller than this but by the time they were done growing, each one was quite huge.

The fact that they grew in an almost-perfect circle with just one in the middle was mind-blowing for me.  I have never seen anything like this before and hope to never see it again.  At one point I almost expected to see little green men climb out of them, running toward me and attacking my feet as I walked through taking care not to step on any of them.

Yes, I believe in UFOs but this was a little too close to home for me.

I Have To Step Up Onto My Soapbox

The way I feel at this very moment is like this cat above; I just want to rip my hair out, or rip lips off of anyone who will stand still long enough to allow me to do so.  Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and/or snacks because this is going to be a long one.

Let's start with my first bitch:

I had a dental appointment today.  Not the best way to start off one's day but it had to be done.  I don't have dental insurance.  My dentist retired about three years ago so I stayed with the new practice that took over.  This new hygienist and dentist seemed to find things wrong with my teeth every time I went and before I knew it I was shelling out big money.  I think I was an easy target because when people have dental insurance the practice does not get as much money as a cash paying customer like me affords them

Today I had a regular cleaning and then the dentist came in and within a minute she was finished.  When I went to the front desk to pay my bill and was told what it was after all the discounts, I literally hit the ceiling.  I left them know exactly how I felt and said I would pay the bill this time but I wouldn't be back.  They also want me back every four months.  I said six months.  They said no, so I said let's compromise...five months.  OK the dentist said.  That was before I went out to pay the bill.  They worked something out to my satisfaction so I left with my next appointment card in my hand.  I am still irate about the whole thing.

My second bitch:

After the dentist we went to pay our taxes at the local tax collector.  School taxes.  Oh how I love them.  I would love to have someone tell me why people like us have to still pay school taxes.  This state has such an antiquated way of collecting taxes for schools, it is pathetic.  And no one wants to do anything about it.  There are currently two bills going through Congress to change the way they collect them and it would be a huge relief for us people.  But it gets so far and then sits and stagnates.  Every blessed time.  It is just not fair.  I didn't mind them so much when the interest rates on our bank accounts were high enough so that the entire year of interest could be used toward the taxes.  Well, that is out of the question since the banks tanked years ago.  And to add insult to injury, we had a reassessment of property over a year ago causing the taxes to go up, as well as the school budget causing the same thing, so we got shot at with double barrels.

What really aggravates me the most is there can be a family with four or more kids who rent and pay no school taxes at all, compared to the two of us whose children are long gone from the school scene and because we own property we have to help foot the bill for the school.  That makes as much sense as a hill of beans.

My third bitch:

This one doesn't have any bearing on me but it could possibly sometime down the line.  I am sure you are all aware of the PET scans some people get.  They are used mostly for people with cancer.  It can show cancer's progress and vice-versa.  To me, it seems like a much-needed scan over one's lifetime, especially if they have cancer or are cancer-prone.  Well, Obamacare says only three PET scans per person per lifetime.  How rude!  There are people with cancer that get those scans every couple of months.  No longer.  Only three are now allowed.  Why?  Because the government said it will save them a lot of money.  I say, hey, government:  tell your stupid president to keep his ass home more often and stop flying all over the place using all that money just for fuel.  Stop taking all those vacations, stop sending your kids all over Europe just for the fun of it...I could go on and on.  Why is it the American public is so stupid and allows these things to happen?  What happens when this country collapses because of the stupid regime we have governing it?  Be scared...be very scared...

OK, I think that will do it for today.  I am sure other things will crop up to piss me off even further.  Right now I need something to calm me down.  A glass or two of wine might do it. 

I'm Back From My Vacation

Where did I go you ask? 

Nowhere...but it's the only excuse I can think of for not writing.

I would love to go somewhere on vacation, but we can't.  Besides the four cats inside, we also have a bunch outside.  They're not ours...they hang around so I feed them.  That has been going on for years.

And now that we have a new neighbor, problems have started.  They have a two-year-old.  The outside cats wander into their yard and they leave things behind.  You cannot teach a cat to stay out of someone else's yard, so there is nothing we can really do about it.  We have been approached by them about the problem.  The way I see it, it's not really my problem.  Like I said, they are not our cats; they just like to live on our property.

Weeks ago the wife told my husband she was going to plant sunflowers along the property line.  Once the sunflowers grew nice and tall, the only thing that did was hide their redneck yard from my eyes.  You would think they were running a day care center for all the crap in their yard. 

Today after the husband came home from work, he seemed like a man on a mission.  While I sat here working on my computer around 6pm, I heard banging noises coming from next door.  I looked out the window to see him walking quite fast back and forth along his garage.  Then I saw the fence.  At first I thought he was going to fence off the part around his pool, but later I saw that he is putting the fence on the outside of the sunflowers.  Whatever. 

All I can say is he needs an awful lot of that fencing to keep the cats out of his yard.  His yard is very long and narrow and it is going to take more than what he brought home to get the job done.  Of course, I could be wrong...he might have something else in mind.  Maybe he is just going to box off a portion of his backyard.  Then that part will look just as bad as the other side of his house where he has it fenced off with a garden and also to keep their son out of the street.

When I heard they were buying the place and our wonderful bachelor neighbor was moving to South Carolina I was worried that something like this would happen.  That neighbor kept the outside landscaping immaculate.  But then I found out these people have three cats inside so I felt a little better.  Well, that didn't last too long.

Before I get too bitchy and whiny I had better stop right here because I could write a book.  I have not spoken one word to either of them (my husband is the social butterfly in this family) and I do not intend to get cozy with them in the future.

What once was a cute little bungalow with gorgeous landscaping is now closer to the equivalent of living alongside of Honey Boo Boo.

Finally Some Good News

My doctor called me back after having to go through hoops with voice mail to his office.  I called before he had his first patient but he didn't call me until he was finished with his last patient, which I knew would probably happen.

We had a nice little chat, and the good news is that all my tests came back negative or normal.  The only thing he could see on the kidney ultrasound is that one kidney is a tiny bit smaller than the other.  I'm not sure if they are supposed to be the exact same size, but he said it is nothing to worry about because other than that everything looks good:  no masses, no stones, no fluid collections...

Believe me, I have been under this veil of worriment for many months now and it is good to know that all that worrying was basically for nothing.  The other good thing about it is we are now going to get rain every day this week through Friday and maybe longer.

Can you imagine how I would feel still worrying about my health and having rain every day?  Yikes!

It Happened Again

How many times can one person's credit card be hacked and used?  It happened again for me just a few days ago.  It all started when my husband and I returned from doing errands and found two phone calls on our service.  I called the credit card company and got everything straightened out.  But first I went into the card company's website to check and see what charges were on there that didn't belong and then I called them.

I don't know how it's done, but someone had my card number and used it at a T@co B3ll store in Cypress, CA, at 11:00pm for $14 and change.  That is what showed on my account.  That same person went to the T@rget store close by, apparently right after eating their free meal, and tried to charge the card with another $45 and change.  Apparently that was declined, so someone was on the ball doing their job.  

I live on the East Coast.  I have never set foot in a T@co B3ll store and I visit our T@rget a few times a year.  Maybe 2 or 3 times.  I have never been to California.  I was furious when I found out about these charges.  The credit card company has already wiped the one off that was on (and it was pending).  They not only called me, they also emailed me.  A new card is on its way and my account is clean.  

Last year my debit card number was used in another state as well.  It's very hard to keep up with thieves.  It's very hard to get accounts straightened out once something like the theft of a card number is stolen and used.  It's also very sickening.  And it keeps happening.  This is about the 3rd or 4th time for me.

On another subject, I had my renal ultrasounds done this morning and also gave more blood (without having to fast) at another place.  Now the worst part:  waiting for the results.  The blood test results will be mailed to my home and I should have them by the weekend, if not then on Monday.  I have to call my doctor for the ultrasound results.  I will drag my feet on that and maybe wait till next Tuesday when I know he is in his office and I am more braver then.
 

Finally Found Time To Write

I must admit, I have been quite lax lately.  And for that I am sorry.  I have some great excuses, too, but I won't go into detail...you just wouldn't understand.  No major changes in my life, still have my four little fur babies, still married to the same man, still on my low sodium diet...

My biggest excuse is some health issues I have been dealing with over the past year.  Hopefully it's nothing, but I won't find out till a few tests are done which won't be until next Monday.  

I had my regular doctor visit a few days ago.  A week prior to the appointment I had blood drawn for numerous tests.  My cholesterol seems to be under control after years and years of fighting it and always losing the battle.  I haven't made major changes in my eating habits other than curtailing the sodium in the foods I eat.  That also keeps me away from foods that have a lot of fat in them, too, so it is a win-win situation.

Another problem I had been having for years and years was high blood pressure.  Of course, whenever I went to the doctor's office it was always off the charts most of the time due to White Coat Syndrome.  The doctor's know that exists but very few believe you when you tell them you have it. My low sodium diet has also brought my readings way down to normal and below.  

There is one area that the blood tests showed that causes some concern on my part, but the doctor explained to me why those readings are higher and out of the norm.  One of the things we will do is get another blood test done but this time I will not be fasting.  Doc explained that fasting dehydrates the body causing those few readings to go higher than normal.  So if that is the case then my readings should be a lot lower when those tests are done one day next week.  It will be odd to not fast before getting blood drawn, since I have never had that luxury in the past.

Because of the dehydration and other things, it was decided to take me off the water-retention pill I have been on since being diagnosed with high blood pressure over ten years ago.  Now I have to take a blood pressure reading at least once a day and let my doctor know what those are...in case they start going up again.

When I start having health-related problems, my mind dwells on those things and other things do not get done.  I have been reading a lot of blogs (I cannot let a day go by without doing that at least), but I have not been commenting on any of them and I have not been thinking of things to write on my blog either despite the fact that ideas do come to me...I just was not in the mood to write about those ideas..  

Once all these test results come back (should be within the next two to three weeks at least), maybe I can get back to normal and not dwell on my health issues.  Bear with me.

How DId We End Up In Hell?

By Saturday I think I will be well done, as in cooked or baked.

Yes, folks, that is supposed to be the last day of this current heat wave in the Northeast.  I have lost count of how many heat waves we've had this year, but so far this one is the worst of the bunch.

We haven't hit 100° yet but the heat index has gone over that.  It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the humidity.  That is what makes it so oppressive, as the meteorologists like to say.  They use that word a lot.  

We had to go out on errands this past Tuesday and Wednesday, but that is the extent of it...I do not plan on going away from this house till next week.  I prefer to stay inside where the air conditioning feels so good and quite a haven after I feed the cats outside in the morning and again in the evening.  There is no relief at all out there.  It's like a jungle.

Stepping outside these days in like getting slapped in the face in slow motion.  Nothing moves fast out there.

By Sunday we are supposed to be in the mid 80's with less humidity.  That day can't come soon enough.

As to the question, How hot is it?  I can't even come up with a good answer to that either. 

Wiped Out

I'm not really wiped out, I just couldn't think of a better title.

I have watched five races in two days, so you might say that wiped me out.  My eyes are still focused and not crossed at least.

Saturday I watched the NASCAR Nationwide race which was on at the same time the IRL (IndyRacing League) race was on so I was switching back and forth between the two, and later in the evening I watched the NASCAR truck race.

Today I watched the second Indy race (Two in Toronto) and the NASCAR Cup race.

None of my drivers won in their respective race but most of them did finish fairly decent.  

My two days of heaven and solitude are just about over and then it is back to the craziness of the weekdays.  Why do I say heaven and solitude?  Saturday my husband went to a family picnic and I chose to stay home for numerous reasons.  The main reason is because his side of the family and I are like oil and water...we simply do not mix well together.  His ex goes to those gatherings and I prefer to maintain my sanity by staying as far away from her as possible.   The other reason is, I would not have been able to watch any racing yesterday and that is simply out of the question.  

I was raised in a racing family and it is very hard to rinse one's blood once that has happened.  I will go to my grave probably preferring racing over certain people.   Yes, that makes me a loner to a certain degree, but I honestly prefer it that way.  It keeps me happy and quite balanced.

Next weekend the only race being televised is the Nationwide race on Sunday.  I will have to be happy with that, as the Cup guys take a much needed break to catch their breath and regroup.  

My Personal Opinion Only

The rare times I go to the theater to see a movie, I usually go to be entertained.  I have always thought that is the whole idea behind the concept of a movie.

If I want to see something about truth or actual facts I will watch a documentary.  And then I am no longer being entertained, in my mind.

When I heard Johnny Depp was making a movie titled The Lone Ranger a few years ago I was very excited.  I thought July 3, 2013, would never get here I was that anxious to see it.  I told my husband it would be an absolute must to see that movie in the theater and not wait for it to be on TV.

I read some reviews and none of them were very nice both toward the movie or Johnny.  One particular reviewer was quite open with his statements and let me just say they were very harsh.  I couldn't believe my eyes were actually reading those statements.  At that point I wasn't sure I actually wanted to see the movie at all.  I am not one to be brainwashed or re-directed but, boy, was he doing a good job.

What I had to do was forget everything I knew about the Lone Ranger from the television show of years ago.  I had to erase my images of both Tonto and the Lone Ranger completely from my mind.  And actually it wasn't all that difficult to do.  I am a grownup, I can distinguish between real and unreal...and those two characters are and never were real.

So with an open mind I went to see the movie with my husband who was also quite eager to view it.  We both love movies of the Western genre and we both adore Johnny Depp no matter what he appears in or who his character is.

After all, we only wanted to be entertained.  And entertained we were.  Thoroughly entertained.  So much so that I would go to see it again.  I am only wondering what movie those critics were watching when they wrote those horrendous reviews.  Perhaps they think Tonto and Jay Silverheels, the actor who portrayed Tonto in the TV series,  are actually the same people?  Perhaps they felt Tonto was not portrayed correctly?  Or the Lone Ranger was portrayed as an inept fool by Tonto?  I have no idea what they thought.  

C'mon people...it's a comedy for heavens' sake.  Nothing more, nothing less.  If you like Westerns, if you like Johnny Depp, then go and enjoy the movie.  If none of those interest you, I am sure you can find many movies with no plot that are as dull as a doorknob.  

One more thing:  the last action sequence is worth the price of the ticket.

Someone Else Is Always Worse Off Than I Am

I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet. -Anonymous

 

I always think of this saying whenever I complain about something and then I find out there are others far worse off than I am.  Take for example the heat waves we have been enduring for a few weeks, with many more to come.  We are far better off than those poor souls out West.  The only difference there might be is that we also have high humidity with our heat, and that can choke a horse to death.

This week is a loaded week for us.  We have a lot to do.  It is time for the place I got my new glasses to call and let me know they are ready.  They told me 7-10 business days, and tomorrow is the 10th day.  I am anxious to get them as they will be my first pair of transitions. 

Our pickup truck needs brake shoes and it seems as if my husband wants to get that done this week as well.  He asked me today if we really need to go for groceries on Wednesday.  That is our normal day to go and we usually go to two different stores.  One has fantastic everyday prices and the other has fantastic sales.  There are a lot of items I like to buy that one store doesn't have but the other one does, so it is a must that we visit both.  Once in awhile we will only go to one if the other doesn't have a good sale.

Racing takes place in Daytona this weekend.  Activity starts Thursday rather than Friday.  That puts me in a bind as well but I may have to forgo some of that.

I won tickets to the Kutztown Folk Festival.  We used to go there a lot and it has been a few years since we last visited.  My German heritage on my father's side makes me want to go so I sent in the contest form and won the tickets.  I have no excuse not to go and it lasts through Sunday.

Herein lies the problem with all this activity this week, and I may have even forgotten some of it.  Saturday night my upper outside thigh started to hurt and by Sunday morning I could hardly walk upon arising.  At first I thought it was my hip but it's not that, it's something else.  I spent most of the day in my recliner feeling no pain.  But whenever I got up I would have to limp and the pain was excruciating.   This morning when I got out of bed I felt fairly decent but within a few hours I was back in the recliner, took a nap, and when I got up I felt so much better.  

I am hoping this pain goes away so I can walk without looking like some sort of drunken idiot.  I have been using Icy Hot and taking Tylenol.  Fingers crossed it gets better.  I only wish I knew how it manifested itself in that particular muscle.  Lord knows I don't do anything to cause such a thing to happen.

(Sorry about the caps but it carried through from the anonymous saying at the beginning.)

Holy Hell Where Did June Go?

It's hard to believe today is the last day of June and tomorrow is July 1st already.  Why is it when one gets older the days fly by faster and faster?

Funny story:  well, at least I think it was funny.  Today is our day to get flyers for various stores in our area that start the new sales week.  We used to get those flyers on a Sunday but our newspaper decided they were going to split up Saturday's and Sunday's editions and give us the flyers on a Saturday instead of Sunday.  As if I wasn't confused enough before.  I paged through our local Kmart and told my husband that they have jeans on sale.  He mentioned he needs new ones.  Making a long story short we decided to drive over to the store and see if he could find any.  Halfway there I realized something and I asked him when this new sale period started.  He didn't know.  I said I think the sale doesn't start till tomorrow (Sunday).  I was right.  So we tried to make a day of it rather than turn around and go home.  That would be a total waste of gas.

We did go to Kmart, looked at the jeans, and left.  We went across the street to Ollie's (an outlet store that makes big buy-outs of merchandise), bought a few things there and went next door to Wendy's.  Wendy's is not my favorite fast food restaurant.  As a matter of fact, it is on the bottom of my list.  I had a very bad food experience and it was this very same store where it happened.  

We ended up at husband's son's house to see his new gazebo, stayed there for a bit, and then headed on home to watch the prerace shows.  They were supposed to be racing Saturday night in Kentucky but mother nature had other ideas and it was rained out.  It will be run Sunday at noon.   I have no plans so that works out for me.  My driver, Dale Jr., is on the pole.  



 

Our Girl Dakota-Sioux

 Napping

 Playful

 Posing

Posing again.

She is the only four-legged female in the house but she rules with an iron fist.  Our three boys know where they stand with her.  

She will be seven years old later this Fall.  Dakota was acquired from a local shelter along with her brother, Junior.

For the longest time, Dakota was very stand-offish and aloof.  She did not give two figs about who we humans were as long as the food, water, and treats kept coming.  Eventually she developed a strange growth in her right ear.  A trip to the vet, an overnight stay for surgery, and a few days later she was back home with us.

Dakota became a different cat after her surgery.  She transformed into a very loving cat, one that wanted to be with me a lot more than before. 

Today she is the most affectionate cat in the house.  She lays with me at night on the recliner while we watch TV.  Well, I watch...she snoozes.  Prior to her falling asleep she makes biscuits (kneads me), and then she settles in for a nap.

Dakota is quite the talker, too.  Maybe that's because she's a female?  When she wants something she lets me know and does not give up till she gets her way.  I usually know what she is asking for, but there are times I don't know and then she gets frustrated.  Hey, I do my best.  I do not speak cat but I sure do try. 

barra de la leche de gato

 My title translates to cat milk bar.  This is Patch with her litter of four having a yummy meal.  A solid black, a red and white, with bookends of almost-twin calicoes.  This litter was born around the beginning of April of this year.  (The photo was taken through a window.)

 The three kittens in the photo above belong to Stumpy who looks like the one on the left.  Stumpy is so named because she was born with about one quarter of a normal tail.  This is the litter that shares a mother and a nanny, Cali-Red, who lost her litter so she decided to help Stumpy out, both with feeding and caring.  They were also born the beginning of April of this year. (The photo was taken through a screen.)

And this?  This is my munchkin named Punkin'.  He is the only one of our four cats that I did not name.  Otherwise he'd be sporting a different name altogether.  (Judging from this picture, it looks like my camera lens could use a cleaning.)

The above two litters are the only kittens that stay by the house.  Slash gave birth to two kittens less than a month ago.  She had them in the greenhouse where they stayed for a few days before she decided to move them.  Mother cats are forever moving their litters.  When it rains heavily, she brings them to the greenhouse; otherwise they are kept out of sight where it is cool on these very hot days we are currently having.

Nine kittens and counting...

Ouch!

First of all, congratulations to Regan Smith, Dale Earnhardt Jr's driver, for winning the Nationwide race in Michigan on Saturday.

After that race was over I watched the Indy cars at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, WI.  Marco Andretti had the pole.  He led the first 61 laps.

A bad pit stop (fueling issue) put him behind the 8-ball and many laps later the car stopped dead on the track.  They said later that it was an electrical problem.  He did get back on the track but was many laps down.  Marco went into the race 22 points out of first place but because he finished 20th in Saturday's race he fell to third in the points, now 50 out of first.  I think it's 50, it could be 51, they don't post the points online as quickly as I would like so I rely on what I see on TV directly after the race, which isn't always correct.

Love thy neighbor...a few towns away, but a neighbor nonetheless.

Congratulations to the winner of the race, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco's teammate.  Ryan celebrated in Victory Lane with his 6-month-old son, Ryden.  What a great father's day gift for Ryan.
 

RIP, Jason Leffler

Jason Leffler ~ September 16,1975 ~ June 12, 2013

What A Great Weekend For Racing

All my drivers in the four racing venues I follow did well this weekend.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finished third in the Sprint Cup race today and moved from sixth to fourth in the points.

 Elliott Sadler finished third in the Nationwide Series race.

Marco Andretti finished fifth in the IRL (IndyCar) race.

Chase Elliott won the ARCA race.

This photo above is Chase with his famous father, Bill Elliott.  Chase is now 17 years old and is running limited races in both the ARCA series and the truck series this year.  He does well in both series.  

Before there was a Dale Earnhardt, Jr., on the scene, I was a Bill Elliott fan.  I discovered him back in the early 80's when I first became attracted to NASCAR racing.  

When Chase was born I kind of figured some way or other he would be involved in racing.  Bill didn't push him, he left him follow his own path to see what he really wanted to do with his life.  He tried a few different sports before he finally settled on racing, and I am glad he did.

His full name is William Clyde Elliott, named after his father, but his godparents started calling him Chase when he was small and it stuck.  How fitting a name is Chase for such a youngster to be really good at what he does.

Two weeks ago when Chase was in the truck race he got nailed twice for speeding in or out of the pits and had to go to the rear of the pack.  He persevered, never gave up, and finished in the top five.  This past Saturday he had to start 32nd (there were 33 cars in the race), by lap 18 he was up to fourth, and went on to win the race.  With that win, Chase made history because he became the youngest ARCA race winner.

He is a developmental driver signed by Hendrick Motorsports...a very wise choice made by Mr. Hendrick as he watched Chase coming up in the ranks of racing.

Chase's next step probably will be in the Nationwide Series and eventually the Sprint Cup series.  I'll be watching and waiting.
 
 

This Just In...

Before I get started telling you all about my recent vacuum cleaner purchase, I would like to address the fact that we are in the midst of Tropical Storm Andrea.  Of all the weekends to visit us, when NASCAR is at the Pocono track, just north of us, for the race on Sunday.  Cup practice and qualifying have already been canceled.  Thanks, Andrea.  Oh well, the truck race is tonight and being run in Texas, the Nationwide race is Saturday night being run in Iowa as well as the IRL open wheel race being run in Texas during the same time span.  I will be switching back and forth as usual.

So let's get on with this review.  After many agonizing days, and I mean many days/weeks, I finally made my choice as to which vacuum cleaner I was going to purchase.  I had it narrowed down to around three choices.  One of them, made in Germany, was just too darn expensive, but it would have been my first choice if that wasn't an issue.

So I wavered back and forth between the two choices that were left.  I watch a certain shopping channel and it just so happened that they had one of my choices as their special value of the day.  Sometimes those items sell out early but I decided to sit on my decision until I was really sure it was what I wanted.  I exhausted every avenue available to me by reading lots of reviews on both vacuums until I was so exhausted I decided to get the special value and be done with it.

Hey folks, it's purple!  My favorite color.  But that's not the reason I chose this particular vacuum cleaner.  I have 4 cats and carpeting throughout the house, so therefore I need a lot of suction all the time.  And this seemed to be the one that would give me that.

When it first arrived and after I put it together, I tried it out and was quite happy with what I was seeing and how it handled.  I didn't want something that was heavy or hard to maneuver and it only weighs about 14 pounds.  A week went by and yesterday I finally decided to really put it to the test.

It has lived up to my standards.  It has drawn things out of the carpeting (cat hair) that my other cleaner left behind time after time.  It does not throw dust or allergens back into the air, but contains all that in the bag less bin.  Which, by the way, is so easy to use.  My other vacuum had the same setup but I had to stand on my head to get everything out of the bin even after removing the cup.  What I like about this one is the ease of removing the entire bin (the purple part), walking to the trash, push a button on top and the bottom drops open, and I never have to touch anything.

Another feature I love is how well it gets everything along the walls.  With my other vacuums I used the hose and an attachment and lost suction.  I would have to take the attachment off, get down on my knees, and get those areas that way by making sure the entire opening of the hose was covering the carpet.  Now I can stand up and be normal and save my back.  And I also find that this vacuum is very maneuverable allowing me to get at places I couldn't with the old cleaner, which is yet another plus. 

And lastly, I don't have to buy anything anymore in the way of belts, filters, or bags because there aren't any to replace.  The filter is washable and there aren't any belts whatsoever.  That was a huge problem with my last cleaner as I was breaking belts a lot and they aren't cheap.

So there you have it.  One more problem solved.  Next?
 

Hello Beautiful Weather

A lot of people don't like summer and the heat it brings with it.  I, on the other hand, welcome summer with open arms.  I hate winter, I hate the cold air, I hate the ice, I hate the dampness, and I hate the snow the day after.  One thing I do like and appreciate is newly fallen snow, especially as it is falling.  There is just something magical about that time, so I can't complain about it. 

But the next day when things start getting ugly, then it makes me yearn for the warm days of spring and summer.  Actually, we did not get to experience spring this year.  But that's okay...God willing, I will be around for it next year.

My days are fairly routine.  We keep Mondays and Tuesdays open for appointments and if there aren't any, those days become lazy days for us.  We do what we want inside or outside and just enjoy the day for what it is.

Wednesdays we do our grocery shopping.  These days a person has to visit at least two stores.  In our case, what one store doesn't have, the other one does.  I am careful on the amount I spend at both stores so it is never out of control.

Thursdays my husband usually goes to an auction.  He loves his auctions and getting together with a lot of his friends.  It is his day away from working around the house and also away from me.  And it also gives me a day of peace and quiet to get things done I ordinarily can't do when he's around.

Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are filled with nothing but racing on TV, but I don't sit and watch it non-stop.   Sometimes there isn't much coverage on a Friday so we take advantage of that and go shopping just to get out of the house for awhile. 

And all that brings me to why I don't blog like I wish I could.  I just do not have enough material to blog.  If I post once a week I call it a good week.  Sometimes I get an idea and I formulate in my mind what I want to say and it sounds so brilliant.  But when I actually sit down and want to type what I was thinking, I draw a blank.  And there went another good post.  Poof!  Up in the air.  I try, believe me, I try.  It just doesn't happen.  The reason for this post is because I love to type.  I always did and I will till the day I die provided my fingers work that long.

And now it is time to go gather my coupons for tomorrow's shopping spree.  Whee!

Why Do These Things Happen To Me?

Yesterday when I went for the newspaper, as I was walking back up the driveway I fell.  I landed on my knees, the heels of my palms, and the side of my face twisting my glasses.   I am still trying to figure out what happened.  I did not trip as there are no holes in the driveway, I did not fall over my own feet as I would have remembered doing that, and I was not lightheaded or dizzy. 

I picked myself up, brushed myself off, and continued on my journey back to the house wondering what the hell had just happened.  It was almost as if someone had come up from behind and with their two hands pushed me so violently as to make me fall forward with that kind of force.  I will never know what really happened so I just tried to forget about it.  My husband found a little pebble and blamed that.

Today I finally went to get a haircut and afterward my husband decided we would have an early dinner so we went to the diner not too far away.  Normally I order either a grilled chicken breast or a California hamburger.  Today I wanted to be a little different and ordered what I thought was stringed pork, grilled, on a roll.  I was even asked if I wanted mustard to put on the sandwich.  I asked my husband how do they grill stringed pork as opposed to slow cooking it.  You see, I thought it would be like the pork you get in a BBQ sauce but without the sauce.

When it came to the table, I took one look at it, and told my husband this is not what I ordered.  He said it most certainly is.  I denied it.  I told him I would never, ever order pork roll.  For one, I don’t like it, and for another, it has far too much salt in it for me to be able to eat.  So he switched our sandwiches since he had ordered a California hamburger and he knows I can eat those.  He hates pork roll he told me later.  He should have ordered something else but he gallantly ate it using the mustard that was supplied.  He said the mustard overwhelmed the taste of the pork roll…which he says is nothing but  glorified bologna.  I agree and that's why I hate it.

For the life of me I could not understand how I ended up getting something far different than I thought I had ordered.  We asked to see the menu and there it was:  grilled pork roll in all its glory.  I was wrong.  It read exactly what it was.  How did I get stringed pork out of that?  The only thing I could come up with was when I saw the word roll I must have thought, in my weak little mind, that it was pork on a roll, and not pork roll.

But in all of the confusion I can only ask, how many other husbands out there would do that for their wife?  After we were finished eating I felt so bad for him.  I guess I just need to pay better attention to my surroundings and what I think I am reading.

Here We Go Again

This weather is enough to drive me bonkers.  More so than I already am.  The temperature reached a whopping 50° Friday afternoon.  It is currently 46° with the wind blowing causing a wind chill. 

Just a few days ago it was so hot and in the 80's that we were ready to turn on the air conditioners.  And now I am ready to turn the heat back on.  But I won't.

My vacuum cleaner has arrived and I spent some of yesterday assembling it.  They give you cartoon instructions so I ended up running back and forth to the computer where I found a video on how to assemble it.  I haven't plugged it in yet but once I take it for a test run and put it through some hoops, I will post about it.  I hope it will be good news and not bad.  I really don't want to have to deal with sending it back if it comes to that.

So here we are in the midst of a holiday weekend that, for us, kicks off the start of summer.  I will be doing some grilling, only not outside.  I used to do all the grilling outside and then one day I decided I had enough.  To me, that should be the man's job but my husband didn't want to do it either. I got tired of running in and out all the time.  So I bought a Panini/griller combination and it has been working out just fine.

I am looking forward to all the races I will be able to watch starting with the Nationwide Series tonight in Charlotte NC.  Sunday morning is the start of the Indy 500 and then later that night will be the longest NASCAR race, the Coca-Cola 600, for the Cup Series also run in Charlotte NC.  Fingers crossed it doesn't rain and all three races go off without a hitch.

Nothing much has been happening in this part of the world and therefore I don't have much to write about or I would be doing that on an almost daily basis.  I must add here, though, that I was mighty disappointed with that jury on the Jodi Arias case.  If they can convict a person of first degree murder adding another verdict that it was cruel, then they should be able to agree on either life or death.  I know what I would have done.

A Little of This A Little Of That

Well, here it is Monday already.  Another week gone down the drain and hardly anything accomplished as usual.

It looks like a week of rain every day but the temperatures will be in the 80's for a couple days.  I know we need rain, but it's hard on the cats with kittens.  Speaking of them, the nanny and the mother brought the three little kittens back up to the hothouse.  They are getting big. 

There are a few races coming up that I am looking forward to:  the Coke 600, which is the longest race on the NASCAR Cup circuit, and the Indy 500.  I have been watching the qualifying for the 500, something I haven't done much in the past.  It always seemed to be boring but for some reason this year it wasn't.  All five drivers on Team Andretti made it into the top 10, with Marco Andretti, my favorite, starting on the front row in the third spot.

My latest quest was to find a good vacuum cleaner that will not only do well on my carpets but also pick up the cat hair that four cats leave on a daily basis.  Actually I started looking for one a month ago when my vacuum started playing games.  It stopped working.  It's not that old and hasn't been over used either.  I unplugged it like the manual said, waited about half an hour, plugged it in and started vacuuming again.  Only to have it stop dead once again.  I was not in the mood to wait another half hour so I unplugged it and banished it to a corner.

After researching endlessly, and driving myself more insane than I already am, I finally found what I want and it should arrive by the end of this week.  I decided to spend a lot more money than I normally do for a vacuum cleaner only because I am tired of having them crap out after a few years.

The only problem I have now is that I have no excuse not to use it.  I think I am going to enjoy vacuuming though.  That last statement is something I thought I would never admit, let alone write it down.

House of Panic

Today we had our alarm system upgraded.  It was long overdue after serving us for 15 years.

After the installer left life went on for us.  No, it didn't.  I lied.

When I went to use my computer later in the day, getting on to the Internet was a long and tedious chore.  I did get there but it took longer than usual.  About an hour later when I wanted to use it again, I no longer had a connection.  Things just weren't right, so I mentioned something to my husband.  

He said when the two of them were in the basement they did notice a bunch of wires hanging down near the alarm box so he just kind of tucked them up and out of the way.  That was the wrong thing to do.  

Later when he went down to finally try and fix the problem after hearing me complain a lot (something I am very good at doing), he found that the two wires that were supposed to be together were barely touching.  That explains why getting on to the Internet was sporadic.  I could and then I couldn't and then I could.  Finally the connection was broken all together.  Until husband soldered the two wires together.

Once again my knight in shining armor saved the day. 

I cannot stress it enough how the feeling of panic sets in when one loses their connection to the Internet.  It is not a good feeling.  It is a feeling I do not want to experience again.  Not in the too distant future anyway. 

Amazed

Yes, I am amazed...that some of you never heard of Craig Ferguson.  This is what Wikipedia has to say about him in just the first paragraph:

Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, producer and voice artist. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS. In addition to hosting that program and performing stand-up comedy, Ferguson has written two books: Between the Bridge and the River, a novel, and American on Purpose, a memoir. He became a citizen of the United States in 2008. For several years he performed as a stand-up comedian under the stage name Bing Hitler.
Before his career as a late-night television host, Ferguson was best known in the United States for his role as the office boss on The Drew Carey Show, Nigel Wick (1996–2003). He also wrote and starred in three films, directing one of them.

Does any of this ring a bell now?

I guess I just presumed everyone here in the States has heard of him, but I was wrong.  Please forgive me.

I also wrote that I felt a connection to Rod Stewart and I am going to assume, once again, that you have heard of him.    Rod's new CD will be out on Tuesday.  It is the first album of songs that he has written in 20 years.  His song writing ability came back to him as he was writing his autobiography a year ago.  I have ordered it after having listened to all the songs on this wonderful thing called the Internet and it sounds like a winner to me.

Just Another Scot

What is it about this man that keeps me coming back night after night to watch his show?  Or any other show he is on?

I am addicted to Craig Ferguson.  There, I said it.  Now everybody else knows.  I have read his books and followed his addiction problems over the years.  He sobered up around 20 years ago.

What is my connection?  Could it be because he is Scottish?  Think so?  Possibly.

I used to watch him as Mr. Wick on The Drew Carey Show but it is a lot different now when I watch him.  It has to be the Scottish blood running through my veins, because I haven't missed a single show.  It comes on at 12:37am and lasts an hour.  And, believe me, I am glued to that TV set.  All 61 inches of it.

Oh, and by the way?  I have a very strong connection to Rod Stewart as well...

Lost

Is it any wonder I have lost readers.  I should be ashamed of myself for not writing more often.  It's not because I don't have the time...I do.  I have plenty of time.  I just don't know what to write about these days.

Spring has arrived.  But as of now we are having damp, dreary weather accompanied by rain and lots more rain.  And more of the same tomorrow.  But at least it's no longer cold.  And I know warmer weather is on the horizon.

The three little kittens that were brought to our greenhouse by their momma when they were just days old are now able to walk albeit they are still a bit wobbly.  Their eyes have been open for almost a week.  They recognize my voice.  In all my years of caring for cats that come and go, these are the first kittens I have been able to watch grow.  Other times the mothers have taken their litters away and have hidden them on our property elsewhere.  This litter is being cared for by their mother and another female that had her litter but lost both kittens.  A mommy and a nanny.

Other than caring for the cats that are outside and my four fur babies inside, life goes on.  My husband and I relish the fact that neither of us has to get up to the sound of an alarm clock these days.  And on rainy days like we are having, sleeping late is wonderful.  Nowhere to go, no special place to be, and no one to nag.

All that will change once the weather gets much warmer and the sun shines almost every day.  Then we will out and about and not cooped up inside the house.

So till next time, take care, stay safe and know that I am still here thinking about all of you and feeling guilty as hell for not writing more often.