He Did It, He Really Did It

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

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

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

Things To Ponder

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

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

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

 
 

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

Our Trip North

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

The photo above is where we bought our Harley.

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How I Spent Mothers Day

 I'm the mother of one human (female) and four fur babies (one female, three males).  Above is my little girl, Dakota-Sioux aka Princess aka Cody.

Lying in the sun is Punkin'.  He's quite petite, just like his mother was.

 This is Junior, named after you-know-who.  Hint: my favorite NASCAR driver.

And finally we have Eli on the right with brother Punkin' on the left.  I'm a NY Giants fan, can you guess who Eli was named after?  Believe it or not, Eli is our baby.  He is also our biggest cat.

My husband named Punkin' so that's why his name is not like the others who were all named after someone or something like Dakota.

I guess being the cat mommy of these four-legged sweeties allows me to celebrate Mothers Day.  My daughter was here the day before to help celebrate the day as well.

On Sunday my husband wanted to take me out to dinner.  We usually go to Chris's Restaurant on Mothers Day and that is where we went again this year.  The temperature was around 80° by the time we were ready to leave so it was decided we would take our fifth "baby" ~

Yes, this was my first ride of the year and I am sure there will be many more to follow.  Last Fall we took a trip north toward the Poconos but it was cold and raw and I made a decision to come back to that area in the spring.  Well, that time is here.  The difference this time is that it will be so much warmer and we also know where we want to go and how to get there.  Last fall it was just hit or miss and we never did find one of the lakes we were looking for.  I have since figured out what route to take to get to that lake.  I plan on taking two kinds of cameras so there will be a lot of pictures taken.

I am really looking forward to this trip as well as the trees that are blooming now.  Our plans are to go next Sunday if the weather is nice and both of us are still in one piece.

After The Rain...

We have had a lot of rain the past few days.  But this morning the sky was blue and the clouds were white and fluffy.  The sun is not out in the photo above; it just looks that way.

This is what it looked like when I lifted my eyes to the sky and saw the sun just behind those clouds:

After I took care of the outside cats and was walking back toward the front of the house, I noticed that the daffodils took a beating from the rain but those darn dandelions were proudly beaming with their bright yellow flowers as if to say we can withstand almost anything.

The daffodils in the front of the house survived the brutal winds and heavy rains.  These daffodils are supposed to be white with a pink center but you have to look hard to see the pink.  And, yes, that is how green our grass is already after having to look out only to see nothing but brown for months on end.

This is my Cape Cod buoy wind bell.  It takes a good, strong wind for it to make any sound so whenever I walk by it, either coming or going, I give it a good shake.  That house belongs to our crazy neighbors, and that's being as nice as I can be.

Here's another photo of the wind bell taken from the other side with our King Ranch F-150.

And, yes, old Betsy is still doing its job of keeping our electricity lower than it would be without her.  It was actually spinning while I shot this.

After a day of sunshine we ended up with more rain once again.  But guess what?  The sun will come out tomorrow...

I Will Do My Best But...

The days around here just melt into one another and before I know it another week has gone by.  I think about writing something on this blog almost every day, but that's all I do ~ think about it.  I come up empty minded.

Easter has come and gone.  My daughter and her fiancé spent the afternoon with us.  Her birthday was on Earth Day so we had a cake for her.  Celebrating her birthdays just tells me that I, too, am a year older.  Yuck.

The weather these days is up and down.  We have nice warm days and then we get slapped in the face again with rain, cold windy weather, just some nasty stuff all the way around.  Right now it is quite windy and it is supposed to be that way all day.  

Speaking of the wind, I recently purchased a wind bell for my front porch.  It makes the sound of a Cape Cod buoy.  It reminds me of the sea...I have always loved the sea but we are too far inland to visit as much as I would love to.  The problem with this wind bell is that it has to be quite windy in order for it to work.  It's very heavy but I knew that when I ordered it.  Every time I walk by it I give it a good shake.  I do hope my neighbors appreciate that.  I know I do.

Listen, I could give two hoots about any of my neighbors.  We have about four of them within stone throwing distance.  We moved here 28 years ago.  I guess you could almost call me a hermit since I don't talk to them or even acknowledge them when they are out.  The one neighbor that I used to talk to has moved out of the state.  The family that moved in seems to be fresh from the Ozarks.  Or related to the Clampetts.  No, even the Clampetts had some couth.

Well, it seems I have said more than I should have so I'd better shut up while I am still being civil.

 

Spring Has Sprung & Our Taxes Are Done

Spring decided to make its debut at our house less than a week ago.  My daffodils were poking through the ground and today there are buds on some of the plants.  Those will be opening very shortly because the weather has been just wonderful these last two days.  However, we will get a sort of cold spell the middle of next week where the temperature is supposed to drop to the low 30's.

Once again I waited till almost the last minute to do our taxes.  It's a job I dislike and yet it is quite easy once I get started.  It's the getting started part I dislike.  Even though we get a refund every year, there is just something about doing the taxes that makes me balk.  I have no idea why and stopped questioning it a long time ago.  Now it's just a bad habit to wait this long. 

Now, let's talk NASCAR.  My favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt, Jr., son of the late great Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who detested being called Senior at any time.  So for the most part he was just known as Dale Earnhardt.

Well, now there is a new sheriff in town and he has arrived with his guns ablazin' as they say.  His name is Chase Elliott and he is the son of another great driver by the name of Bill Elliott aka Million Dollar Bill.  Bill is called that because he won three of the five tagged races in one year to win a million dollars back in his day.

Before there was a Dale Earnhardt, Jr., my favorite driver was Bill Elliott.  Bill is the one who got me interested in NASCAR.  But he has retired and is now concentrating on his son's career.

Chase isn't his real name.  It's William Clyde Elliott, the same as his father, and I don't know if they are tagged Senior and Junior as I have never read anything about that or seen it in any other print except one time when Chase was asked what is his real name.  The story goes that Chase's godparents gave him that nickname shortly after he was born and it stuck.  And what a great name for a race car driver.  Especially one who is so talented...and his genes aren't too bad either.

Chase is only 18 years old and still in high school.  He graduates this year.  I have never come across a young person like him that has everything together in life.  He is so savvy on the track it is scary.  He sees slight openings to go through to advance positions like a hot knife through butter.  His boss, Dale Earnhardt., Jr., says he is the new Elvis.   I have yet to figure out what he means by that, since Dale Jr. is a huge Elvis fan.  (As am I.)

Last week Chase won his first Nationwide Series race in Texas and just this past Friday he won again at Darlington, SC., which is known as The Track Too Tough To Tame.  I see many more races being won by this talented driver.  I remember when Chase was born and I couldn't wait to see him racing at the NASCAR tracks.  Well, that day is finally here and I am quite sure he will make history just like his father did back in the 80's and 90's.  

Hop in and pull those straps tight because we are in for one helluva ride with this kid.

Still No Sign Of Spring

Yes, my daffodils and irises are poking through the ground after a long winter's nap, but as far as warm and sunny days are concerned we haven't had any yet.

Nope, it still gets quite cold at night and we have been experiencing not only cold days but a lot of rain and wind as well.

The only thing to kind of cheer me up are my garden flags.  I changed to a snowman flag after Christmas and then Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and finally I was able to put out a flag for Spring despite the nasty weather.  About a week ago I put out an Easter flag with a bunny and eggs on it.  Once Easter is over the Spring flag will go out again until Memorial Day.

Hopefully by Easter the weather will be nicer.  I am eagerly awaiting my first Harley ride of the year and it can't come soon enough.

 

Warmth Is Just Around The Corner...

...but we have to get through a Nor'easter first before the warmth decides to finally visit our little valley next week.


According to those people on the news, very little snow will get this far north.  For once, I hope they are right.


We have been keeping ourselves busy around the house, and we decided that today was a good time to finally look for our surveyor pins for our property lines.


After we found one, we found two more.  Tomorrow we will be looking for the most crucial ones that we really must find.  One of them is for our property line between us and the bad neighbors alongside of us.  Did I say bad neighbors?  I most certainly did. 


They moved here about a year and a half ago and have turned what was once a beautifully landscaped property into something that looks like Honey Boo Boo threw up.  I think I wrote about them before but I didn't go into detail.  That is coming one of these days...with a lot of photos.


They came from the north of us and took over the property without finding out about the ordinances for our township.  Their backyard looks like a plastic factory exploded...with all the crap they have for their toddler.  There are piles of broken pallets ready to be used in their outside circular fireplace.  Their Christmas tree is amongst that trash as well as logs from branches he cut off trees that don't belong to him.  They belong to the farmer next door to his property.  This neighbor has no respect for anyone or anything.


He put up a dinky green plastic fence (after they dug a trench to plant sunflowers last spring), and that fence is now falling over at places.


My husband seems to think the fence is either on our property or very near to the property line.  We have put up with it by trying to look the other way.  But now he is messing with our outside cats...we recently discovered there are two traps that he does not check on.  On Sunday one of our younger cats born last year was found in the trap and we have no idea how long it was in there.  My husband freed it.  So now we have to find out who to contact about animal cruelty.


The weather is still in the 20's overnight and it is cold during the day and with the neighbor not checking the traps and leaving any living thing in them for any extended period of time has gotten me so upset and irate, that I am about to do something I may regret.  Don't ask.

Whew!

When others south and east of us received at least 6 inches of snow from the latest storm that hit yesterday, our area received absolutely none.  It's about darn time.  For once I can watch the news channels that are showing those areas that got snow and all the trouble it brings with it and I can laugh my you-know-what off.  And I don't feel the least bit guilty either.  However, it is still mighty cold in these parts.

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Last week I made a discovery I didn't like.  My dashboard page was taken over by a slew of posts someone had made on a now-defunct blog.  But because that blog was one that I made comments on when it was alive, this person's comments came to my dashboard.  The main character is a Tami Zella Bull, which sounds made up to me.  She has her own website where she sells some kind of over-the-counter pills.  And that particular defunct blog isn't the only one she used for her diabolical scheme...she used a lot more defunct blogs which I discovered while searching all over creation for her or whatever it is.

I tried in vain to get rid of them from my dashboard.  I tried in vain to make adjustments to my Reading List (I only have four on that list but now have five thanks to wonder woman of the defunct blogs).  One person on my Reading List stopped blogging years ago and I would like to delete that one as well.

I tried in vain to get rid of my Reading List all together...to no avail.  Finally, I called it quits and gave up.  There are other posts from reliable people on my dashboard now and I no longer have to look at the ones that don't belong there as they have been pushed to the next page, but it still irks me to no end that those long-winded comments (or mini posts) are taking up all that room in my space.

Recent Happenings

The biggest recent happening occurred this morning when I turned my computer on.  I couldn't connect to the Internet.  After many hours and doing as much as I could I caved and called my server.  The best they could do was bypass my router so I could connect to the Internet.  

Now here I sit without the use of my router or the usage of my laptop.  I don't know what my next step is.  My server could not help me since the router is not theirs.

The only thing I can think of that would cause this is that last week my server and I reset my password for them so that my recently hacked Email system would work.  A few days later I decided to change the password to get into my computer and I also changed it on my laptop.  Not the same one for my system, however, and I am wondering if I should have used the same password for everything.

At this point I am now wondering if I need to hook my router back up and change that to the same password.  I am very stupid when it comes to this computer stuff and I will wrack my brain till I find some type solution, but I am at my wits' end with this conundrum that was created by some a-hole that hacked my email.

Other than that the only thing driving me crazy is this weather.  We dipped way down low overnight and it is now in the upper 20's and very windy which makes it much colder than the temp readings.  The wind does help our turbine as far as lowering our kilowatt usage, but it is still much too cold for my taste.  I am wondering now if we will have Spring at all, or will we just go into Summer with all that heat.

With everything that has been happening to me (us) over the last week and a half, I am wondering how I have stayed sane all this time.

 

Titan Didn't Like Us

Now they are naming snowstorms.  Who knew?

The latest one that was supposed to hit us last night and into this morning did not show up.  And I am very thankful for that.

Titan did, however, drop a boatload of snow all around us.  And again I say I am very thankful for that.

I don't have to tell you folks just how sick of all this ice, sleet, snow, wind, bone-chilling temperatures, etc., I have become.  There are no words left in my vocabulary.  And, yes, I do mean all those four-letter words and many others that have more than four letters.  I can cuss with the best of them.  And not just in my own home.  That is what this 2013-2014 Winter season has done to me.  

On a lighter note...

Dale Jr. came in second yesterday in the race at Phoenix, AZ, where he has won twice in the past.  His car just didn't have enough oomph to take the first place away from Kevin Harvick, who drives for Tony Stewart this season.  Kevin also drives in the Nationwide Series for Dale Jr.'s team.  So his win keeps it in the "family" somewhat.

Getting back to the race, nobody had anything for Kevin Harvick.  Once he got out front he pretty much stayed there till the end.  But I was glad it was he who won and not those other two Penske drivers (Logano and Keselowski) that were giving me fits every time a caution came out which meant they were that much closer to Dale Jr. who was right behind Harvick.

Next race is in Las Vegas.  Viva Las Vegas!

Run For Cover

The week is not yet over and I am ready to...well, I won't go into what I am ready to do.

Let me set this up for you.  Last Sunday was one of the best days of my life because my driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., won the Daytona 500.  For me and the rest of Junior Nation that was huge.  More than anyone can imagine even if they are not a fan of his.

So, I was walking on air.  Elated to the max.  And then Monday morning came and lowered the boom.

We did not get a newspaper.  Now, I know a lot of you out there will say, big deal, it's just a newspaper.  I have grown up with a paper and in my later years I appreciate a good, hot cup of coffee and the morning newspaper.  And when that doesn't happen, this woman is mighty pissed.

With all my ranting and raving, my husband started making phone calls.  We knew our regular motor carrier stopped delivering about a week ago and we stupidly thought a new carrier would take over and the transition would be smooth.  Yeah...right.  Try and hunt down an apparition.  Because that is what our local newspaper has become since they were bought out awhile ago by another huge newspaper located in Chicago. It is the only newspaper in Lehigh County and surrounding counties as well.  Needless to say, my husband got nowhere.  Oh, but we did get a paper delivered later in the day.

Come Tuesday and again no newspaper.  More phone calls.  It was delivered later in the day as well.  The same thing happened on Wednesday.  Finally, on Thursday (today) we didn't have to call.  Fingers crossed that the problem has been resolved.

During all that I also had a sick cat.  With all the upchucking that was going on for a week or two, I thought all four were responsible.  It turned out that only one was, but she was so good at hiding the fact she wasn't feeling well that it took witnessing it actually happening to realize which one it was.  By then, she was also squirting liquid out the other end.  In the litter box, thank goodness.  That went on all day Tuesday and she slept most of the day between potty breaks.  I didn't let her out of my sight that day.  I told my husband if she wasn't better in the morning we would call the vet.  There was no need to do that because she was back to her normal self the following morning.  And by now you would never know she had ever been sick.  But that is what I was dealing with while the newspaper dilemma was going on.

Wednesday morning, making sure Dakota was OK, I wanted to check my Email before we went grocery shopping.  To my surprise I could not access my account.  When we came back from shopping that was where I headed.  Still no access.  I fired up my laptop and started researching why I was not getting mail.  Believe me, I tried everything I could think of and then some and worked into the wee hours of the morning.  So that when I awoke this morning (Thursday) the first thing on my mind was my mail.  When I got all my morning chores done I worked on more things I had thought of with a clearer mind.

Nothing I did worked, so I caved and got in touch with my server.  Well, they saw some pretty mysterious stuff going on with my account, like Emails flying out left and right supposedly being sent by me.  So they shut down my account.  And didn't tell me.  Just the Email account as I still had access to the Internet.  After I got in touch with them, they called me back and told me my address and password were compromised.  Holy sh*t!  I panicked.  But with their help my password was changed and all is well with the world again.

And just to cap off all this craziness, when I went outside to take care of the cats this morning I discovered that the large heated water bowl we recently bought apparently gave up the ghost because there was a huge chunk of ice in it.  I could have cried.  Actually, I think I did a little bit.  The temperature tonight is going down close to zero or less and the wind chill will be somewhere in the vicinity of minus 25.  Of all the times for something like that to happen.  Life is not being very fair right now.

So, yes, I am ready to run for cover...

WOW!

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finally did it!  I am so proud of him.  This is his second Daytona 500 win having won back in 2004.  

Hopefully this means 2014 will be an awesome year for him and maybe he can finally win that elusive Championship title.

Winter just got a little easier for me to bear.

Pardon me now while I relish this win and pop my heart back into my chest.

Sigh...

This has got to be the longest winter of my life.

I'm just sayin'...

It Just Keeps Falling Out Of The Sky

This woman will be one elated human in a few months when she will be able to see grass.

This was taken from the sliding doors leading out to the deck.

 I got a little lower to take this one from the sliding doors as well.

 This one was shot from a prone position.  Love the blue sky peeking through, but it didn't last long.

 Can you see that drift in the upper middle of this photo?  That is mild compared to the drifts we used to get, but since the neighbor slapped a crappy plastic fence up it has slowed down the drifting somewhat from the empty field.

 This was shot from our front window.  Our poor hedges.

 I always find it amazing how the camera cannot capture the depth the human eye can.  The snow just doesn't look the same through a camera lens.

Guess what?  It snowed again overnight, stopped this morning, and continued snowing well into the afternoon.  No relief for the weary.

Mother Nature Just Keeps Dumping On Us

I am not sure but I think what we just got overnight was the ninth snowstorm this season.  

This latest storm brought around 6-8 inches but I just learned that it isn't done with us yet.  There is more coming tonight into the morning.  Coupled with what we just got they predict a total accumulation of 12-18 inches. And that's on top of what we already had from previous storms, not to mention the ice coating as well.  I am beginning to wonder if we will see bare ground much before May.

And more snow is coming for the weekend...

Every time we get significant snow it is up to me to clear everything to and around the hothouse for the cats outside.  They also need a path shoveled from the door to under the deck where there isn't any snow and they can at least remember what ground is.

This morning I watched two cats come out of the hothouse, stop halfway between it and the deck, put their paws on the snowbank and looked over  the expanse of our back yard, thought a bit, decided that it wasn't a good idea to go there, and continued on to under the deck.  Can't see as I blame them.  Where would they go?  They fall through the snow when they walk on it and I can only imagine that's not a good feeling for a cat.

All I can say is thank goodness for the Olympics to keep me occupied and my mind off the snow.  And Friday begins the first practice sessions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.  Yes, it's finally here.  Maybe that will pull me out of the snow doldroms.