The Weather And Other Things

Here we are coming to the end of May and I cannot remember it being so hot this early in the year.  Today we hit 94°, a degree higher than yesterday.  

We also had a severe storm pass this way around 6:30pm but it wasn't as bad as they were saying it could be.  That is twice we dodged a bullet in the past week or so.  I do not like thunderstorms.  I feel somewhat safer when my husband is home but when I am here alone and one drops by I am a basket case.  But I have to be calm for the cats otherwise they will run and hide and I don't want that to happen.  If I remain calm so will they.

Well now that Memorial Day has come and gone it's on to the next holiday.  I am going to repeat what my mother always used to say the day after Memorial Day.  She would say that before we know it, the 4th of July will be here and then next is Labor Day and that's the end of summer.  It never failed, she would say something to that effect every year.  And I can't forget that.  Because it is so true.  And the older one gets, the faster the summer goes by.

I have been watching the TV show The Hatfields & McCoys on the History channel.  I never read any full accounts on that era, never saw any movies about them, and never read any books about the two feuding families.  All I can say is I am glad I did not live back then and that my name was neither Hatfield or McCoy.  All they did was shoot one another.  Retaliation after retaliation.  The third and final installment is on Wednesday evening.   I believe they will be showing it again.  Catch it if you can, especially if you don't know the family history. 


Speaking of history...I recently made another discovery about one of my ancestors.  My 4th great grandfather was an American Patriot in the Revolutionary War.  I have been toying with the idea to join the DAR, Daughters of The American Revolution.  It takes a lot of research and paperwork and is probably insurmountable when it comes to getting all the information together, but I am giving it some thought.  My ancestor has been assigned a number in the DAR/SAR so at least I would not have to prove anything.  It's the birth and death certificates that are hard to come by these days. 

Maybe it won't be as difficult as I think because I was able to get the pension papers for my 2nd great grandfather who enlisted in the Civil War.  When I get more information one of these days I will write about the direct line from my father straight back to my 5th great grandfather, the one who came over here from Germany back around 1750 and started it all.  And boy, do I have a story to tell about him.  All I can say is it's a good thing two of his descendants were soldiers.  I'll leave it at that for now.

Enjoy The Holiday Everyone!

Where Did We Go Wrong?

I don't know why, but when I woke up Saturday morning I felt as if I had just walked into the twilight zone.

It sort of was like a day from hell.  There are two adults and four cats in our household.  Both adults had something wrong with them as did the two youngest cats.

Let me elaborate.  I took another UTI test and failed it.  I have to go back to the doctor after I call and make an appointment.  Not something I am looking forward to but the antibiotics he prescribed did not work 100%.  

My husband complained of being dizzy most of the day so he stayed inside and rested horizontally most of the time.

As for the cats, Eli, our kitten, developed diarrhea and Punkin', our two-year-old, started hacking again only not as violently as when he was really, really sick a few months ago. Both of them were rescued from outside and both of them have issues where their stomachs are concerned.

One of the 4-1/2 week old kittens outside was dead in the greenhouse this morning.  I figured he wouldn't make it as he was listless the night before.  It's always very sad when I find one like that.  It's very stressful for me.

All of the above unfolded long before noon.  I was not ready for any of it.  

There was a bit of some good news, however.  We finally were able to sell our motorcycle that we have been trying to sell for ages.  Now that we have the trike there was no need to keep the bike.  The deal was done Saturday.

And the other good news is that Dale Jr. had a great car in Saturday night's All Star Race.  First he had to race his way into the main race and he did that very easily.  Then there were four segments prior to the main race, and Dale Jr. won the fourth segment which meant he lined up fourth in the All Star Race.  He finished fifth.  He raced his heart out all night and I am quite proud of what he did.  Of course I would have preferred he won the race but I am happy with what he was able to accomplish overall.

Now I can only hope the next few days will be much better than Satan's Saturday.

What I Am Thankful For...

First of all, I am thankful I was finally able to get this onto my blog.  I discovered I cannot load a picture through Firefox and had to rely on good old I.E.  Just another reason why I have to have two browsers.  The more the merrier I suppose.

OK, on with the post:

I am thankful most of all for my husband.  I don't even want to think of what my life would be without him by my side.  He is and always has been my knight in shining armor.

I am thankful for my daughter.  When my mother was alive, if I didn't call or visit enough she would get upset and depressed.  What my daughter and I have works out great.  I respect the fact that she has a life and when she needs to talk to me she calls or we send emails back and forth.  It's enough for me ~ I am not my mother.

I am thankful for my fur babies.  They keep me on my toes when they are awake.  They entertain us and give such unconditional love that it is unbelievable.

I am thankful for my religious beliefs.  I am a Christian with Christian beliefs and no one will ever sway me from that.

I am thankful for NASCAR.  What an escape from reality for me.  It keeps me busy Friday through Sunday, and sometimes as early as Thursday depending when and where the race is held.  Life would be a bit miserable without my NASCAR. 

I am thankful I no longer have to drive every day to and from a job.  Ditto for my husband.  Why?  The high cost of gas.  The last job we both held (at the same place) was approximately 30 miles one way.  Filling two tanks every week would make me very angry beyond anything you can imagine.

So there you have it.  There are other things I am thankful for but these are the most important ones.

For Every Mother

It's Monday...What Can I Say

Back in the day when I had a job to go to, I used to hate Mondays with a passion.  I hated them so much that by Sunday afternoon I would start feeling ill.  It wasn't always like that, though.  It was just that last job I had.  The company used to have a terminal closer to my house which was ideal for me.  I only had a few miles to travel.  Then they decided they were going to move half an hour away from that terminal to the west, farther away from my house.  I was given certain promises of things I would not have to do concerning my job duties by the terminal manager if I would make the move with them.  Needless to say he only lasted a few years and those promises went out the window.  Making a long story short:  Succeeding terminal managers, one by one, made my job suck.  Up until then I was really enjoying work and life and all that goes with it.  Of course, the long journey to and from work wasn't the best of conditions, but it was good money.  Now that the gas prices turned ridiculous I consider myself fortunate that I no longer have that commute and feel the company actually did me a favor, in a small way.

So here we are today.  I love Mondays.  They no longer represent what they used to back then.  Today a Monday is just another day for me.  I enjoy each day and try to get the most out of them since life is short and one never knows when they are going to get called to duty with the big guy.

It's been quite a few days since I last wrote anything here only because nothing spectacular has happened.  Believe me, had anything great happened, I would have written about it.  I don't like to let a lot of days go by without putting something here.  

Once my 5 days of antibiotics were done with, it took another two days for me to get back to where I was a month ago.  That was my first UTI (I know, too much info), and I don't want another one.  They are not the most fun things to have.  Very uncomfortable.

Yesterday's NASCAR race was so-so.  Junior started out with a great car, one he felt might have won the race for him if he would stay out of the wrecks and the car would not go south.  One by one guys were having engine problems and that is because it was a hot day and the way NASCAR restricts things on the cars it makes them run hotter than usual due to the small restrictor plates and the grill openings.  Once the #88 team realized what was happening, they backed off from trying to run wide open, cruised around mid-pack during the middle of the race, and toward the end is when Junior decided to try and move up to the front as best he could muster from the car without putting himself out of the race by overtaxing the engine.  Lord knows he does not need a DNF (did not finish) due to engine failure at this point.  He went into the race 5 points out of the lead for the championship and when the race was over he only lost 4 points, putting him 9 out of the lead and in third place.  It could have been a lot worse due to all the wrecks he so magnificently weaved through.  This coming weekend's race is at Darlington, the most unforgiving track of all.  Let's hope it likes Dale Jr.

 

Under The Weather

The good news is we got the permit to go ahead and have the shed put on our lot next door.  We have to stay five feet away from the lot line but it will be under the mercury vapor light we have in our backyard.  

The bad news is I have not been feeling well the past few days.  And the antibiotic the doctor has me on (one more day to go) makes me nauseous at times not to mention being lightheaded, which are both side effects of the pill.

The weather still hasn't gotten much better but it looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel in a few days.  

I have no idea if any of my readers are followers of NASCAR, but when I set this blog up it was to write about my favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  For the past couple of years, well a lot more than just a couple, he has not been doing all that well.  This year, however, is a different story.  Things are looking up and hopefully he will win a race or two before the season is over at the end of November.  He finished second in Saturday night's race and is now five points out of first place for the championship run.

Till next time...

I'm Half German, Don't Mess With Me

Since we bought the Harley we also need something to put it in.  For now it is crammed in our one-car garage with my '97 Mustang.  It works, but is not feasible.

We are having a mini barn shed (similar to the one above) being built as we speak.  We wanted to put it alongside the garage wall of our rancher.  I have a flower bed there and we had already dug out the hostas and put them in a new bed along our little shed behind the house.

Our township needs a permit for every little thing...I guess they are afraid they will miss out on something they want to be taxed.  This shed will not be permanent; therefore, it will not be taxed and that is why we went ahead and ordered one without consulting the township before getting a permit.

Husband went to the township Monday morning to get the permit.  Our land covers a little under three acres.  It is split into two separate lots.  One has our house, a small shed, and the large barn-type building we built back in the 90's.  Our lot next door has nothing but a few trees on it. 

The township informed my husband that all owners are only allowed their main dwelling and two other buildings on their property according to the acreage we have.  When my husband told me that, I immediately said, Put it on the lot next door.  He liked that idea.  So he called the township back and told the girl in charge what he wanted to do, but the head honcho of the zoning board was in Jamaica and wouldn't be back until the next day.

If they turn us down and do not allow the shed to be put on our lot next door, we will have to cancel the shed being built.  I have no idea what happens to the hundreds of dollars we put down on it already but someone is going to have a lot of explaining to do. The other alternative is applying for a variance.  I have seen how our township works when it comes to granting variances:  slow and backwards...and the variance would cost us an additional $750.00.  Ouch!

I can understand if our property was small, then there would be crowding and people would get out of hand as to how many buildings they have.  But our property is huge.  Both lots across the front are 230 ft. total and the depth is 543 ft. so what they are saying doesn't make sense.

I am so angry right now I could spit...

Short And Sweet

Nothing happening over the past couple days but we did celebrate our 22nd anniversary by going out to eat Saturday evening.  We have been doing that every year and it's nice to have that to look forward to; however, with each passing year it seems as if the anniversaries are getting closer and closer.

We are in the midst of nothing but rain and more rain and it is causing dampness in the house and in my bones.  Had to turn one of the infrared heaters back on which is something I had hoped would not be needed till it gets cold again.  The one good thing about this rain, other than we needed it, is that I don't have to water the hostas we just transplanted.  Once we moved them, the outside cats thought we made them a new bathroom, so we had to put rocks amongst the plants.  Darn cats.

On Sunday, Dale Jr. started the race in 7th and finished in 7th.  He was running up front for the entire race and was in 3rd for awhile.  Martin Truex Jr. led most of the race but was swept aside by Denny Hamlin who went on to win with only a few laps left.  That did not make me happy at all.  The race was at the Kansas track and it was boring.  I look forward to each race with such enthusiasm but once it gets started and nothing happens, such as cars passing other cars, I get bored and take naps.  Hopefully this weekend's race at Richmond on Saturday night will keep me awake.

And that's all I have going right now.  Boring, boring, boring...

Back To Normal For Now

I restored back to the old interface by clicking on the gear and clicking on the drop down menu.  They are saying changes are coming in April (we are more than halfway through April), and I am wondering what happens if we don't do anything and April is long gone.  Will my blog explode?

I don't like to be told what to do.  Blogger wants us to download Google Chrome and then we won't have problems.  The last time I checked I was still living in the US.  Who are they to tell us what browser to use?  

I currently have Internet Explorer and Mozilla FireFox as my browsers.  I do not "Google,"  I "Bing."  I try to stay away from Google for several reasons.  

Moving on to other topics:

We are having beautiful weather finally.  A few days ago it was almost 90 degrees, we came one degree short of that but we did tie a record for that day at 89.  Today it is absolutely gorgeous outside with 75 degree weather.  (I wish I had that little circle to denote degree instead of having to spell it out all the time.)

Our four cats are all doing well, with the two youngest getting into the most trouble.  There were several litters born outside with one of them being born right in the greenhouse.  After two days of the hustle bustle that was going on, momma moved them elsewhere.  I know where she moved them but I haven't checked on them since so she could have moved them again.  The others are way out back of our property tucked away till their mommas decide to bring them up to the house.

I still haven't ridden on the Harley yet but that day is coming.  Each time we were going to go somewhere the weather was nasty so we took the truck instead.  Now that it is warmer we can plan to ride. 

Until next time...

Blogger Hijacked Me

I was all ready to put up something new on here when I spied a little tag that said I should update.  I made the mistake of clicking on it.  Good Lord, it told me my browser no longer supported Blogger and it wouldn't work, probably.  Well, they were right.  I never learn.  The fact that they said something new was coming in April is what drew me into their sticky web.  Stupid, stupid me.

Luckily this is working with my Firefox browser.  The notice also told me I could download Chrome and then things would be OK.  I had Chrome once before and didn't like it.  Also, I need to keep Internet Explorer for obvious reasons.  I don't want three browsers. 

When this all took place it was like watching my life flash before my eyes.  I felt like I had lost contact with the outside world and I would no longer be able to post anything.  I felt like my readers (what few I have) would think something happened to me.  And I am not liking this one bit.  

I sincerely hope this new fan-dangled thing is going to work and not give me any problems now or in the future.  I do not like change.  I do not believe in messing with something that has been working.  It's just not my nature.  The devil made me click on that update button.  See what happens when you jump into the den of iniquity?  

I always have to learn my lesson the hard way...

The Easter Bunny Is Gone

When last seen he was being escorted out of town by the greyhound posse.

Also gone is most of the ham, the green beans, the mashed yams, and the lettuce with hot bacon dressing. And let's not forget the cherry crumb pie.

I hope your Easter was as yummy as ours.

The Easter Bunny Is Coming

Easter was always a big deal when my parents were still around.  We used to spend the entire day with them.  I would buy Mom a different flower every year and I would also get them an Easter card.  Good times.

My brother and his wife and family as well as my sister and her family (she divorced and never remarried) would gather at the dining room table and we would have a magnificent feast.  Of course, those days are long gone.  Both my parents have been gone now for over eight years.  My sister has since moved to California and my brother forgot he has a sister living here in the same state.

My daughter will be coming to visit the day before Easter.  She has not seen our trike yet and she is also anxious to visit with our cats...especially the kitten, Eli.

What's left?  My husband and four cats...and we will be celebrating Easter in our own little way just like we have been doing for the past years.  I always loved Easter.  It's a wonderful reawakening of the spirit and I especially love that it arrives in the Spring (my favorite season of all).  It is also the reason why our wedding anniversary is in April.

This year it will be my husband and myself on Easter Day, and at first I was only going to make some ham slices and a few trimmings.  We went to the grocery store today and there were these brown sugar hams that were so tempting we just couldn't pass them up at $1.49 a pound.  And once again I will be making a ham for Easter.  I can smell it already.  

At this time, I would like to extend to all my readers my wish for a Happy Easter...and don't eat too much candy. 

It's A Harley!

As many of you will remember out there, I requested someone to buy this for me for Christmas.  Nobody stepped forward so we took matters into our own hands.

My quest started late last year, maybe around October.   My husband wanted to go look at the bikes at a certain H-D dealer that recently changed hands.  When we got there they had a red trike on the floor and it was quite a beauty.  Literally breathtaking...but a little too rich for my pocketbook. We looked, chatted and left.  Of course I left my phone number with them for when the blue one came in so we could see it and make some kind of decision then.  Eventually they called us about the blue one, but at that time I had made up my mind that if I did get a trike, it would be black.

After the passing of a few weeks, the purchase of a trike was out of my head; too many other things were getting in the way of a purchase that expensive.  Christmas came and Christmas went and by February we got another call telling us the black one came in, did we want to look at it?  I told them that is the only color I would consider buying and added I wanted to wait till the weather got a little warmer before we would be back up.  Anything to delay having to go and talk to them again.  As much as I wanted a trike I didn't feel like parting with that much cash.

Meanwhile we got a notice about our taxes going up across the board for 2013, and after finding out exactly how much due to a reassessment by the county, I again said no bike, and ended up talking myself out of purchasing this trike yet once again.  And that went on for a few weeks...back and forth, back and forth...till finally one day I had had enough. 

Finally, I gave myself a good talking to, and the main idea I had was taxes or no taxes...I will not let them stop me from doing what I want and enjoying what time we have left.  One never knows when their last day on earth will be.  So if you have something you want to do just do it and don't ever look back.

Here it is just after bringing it home:

(Note to Peruby:  I know you guessed a bike, but this is not a bike ~ it's a trike.)

The Excitement Is Building

One more day...

And then the fun begins.

I can hardly contain myself.

One For The Road

A loud pounding on the door awakens a man and his wife at 3 o'clock in the morning. The man gets up and goes to the door, where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push.

"Not a chance," says the husband, "it's three o'clock in the morning!"
He slams the door and returns to bed. "Who was that?" asked his wife.
"Just some drunk guy asking for a push," he answers.
"Did you help him?" she asks.
"No, I didn't, it's three in the morning and pouring rain!"
"Well, you sure have a short memory," says his wife, "don't you remember about three months ago, when we broke down and those two guys helped us? I think you should help him, and should be ashamed of yourself!"

The man does as he is told, gets dressed, goes out into the pounding rain and calls out into the dark, "Hello, are you still out here?"
"Yeah," comes back the answer.
"Do ya still need a push?" calls out the husband.
"Yes, please!" comes the reply from the dark.
"Well, where are you?" asks the husband.

"Over here on the swing!" replies the drunk.

It's Getting Closer

By next Thursday I should have a new post up here telling you all about our little project. 

Keep posted.

Unless I think of something to write about till then.

Shhhhhhhhh...it's a big secret.

The Weather Outside Is...

...absolutely delightful!  It is noontime and already we are up to 75 degrees of beautiful scrumptious warmth.  This warmth will continue for at least a week when we may or may not hit the eighties.  I don't care...I am loving it. 

After next week I don't know what the weather will decide to do, but for now I am basking in it. 

We have been working on a little project which I will reveal to my readers by the end of the month at the very latest.  I can't talk about it yet because the deal hasn't been finalized, but by March 31st it should be all taken care of and in our hands. 

Yesterday's race at Bristol, TN, was going good until the final caution.  Dale Jr. was running high in the pack most of the day and was hovering in the 5th position when he fell back to the 7th...and then that dreaded caution came out so they went into the pits for gas, as they were running low and weren't quite sure they would make it to the end of the race.  The "speeding monster" in the pit area grabbed Dale Jr. and he had to go to the back of the pack of the cars that were on the lead lap...which meant he restarted in 14th position.  He never did get a grip on the track after that because it reared its ugly head and gave him a flat tire to add to his miseries and he finished in 15th place.  Very dreadful indeed. 

Next week they go to California, a track I am not at all fond of so I can only hope the #88 team does better.  As of now Dale Jr. is tied for 5th place in the points standings.

If anything major happens between now and then I will write about it; if not, don't despair...I am here to stay and I'm not going anywhere.  I hope.

Holy Smokes!

It got up to 76 degrees today people. If someone told me a few weeks ago when it was so dadgummed cold that it would reach that degree of warmth today,  I would have looked at them funny and walked away shaking my head all the while.  On this day back in 1993 we had a huge snowstorm that dumped well over 12-16 inches of snow on us.  I can't remember how much but I remember it was quite a lot. 

Eli went to the vet early this morning and had his neutering done.  He is resting comfortably in his crate till all the meds wear off.  He has not eaten since midnight and is not allowed to eat anything tonight either, so he will be hungry as a horse come the morning.  He has had water and will get some more later tonight. 

Punkin' is back to his normal self after being so deadly sick a week or so ago.  The day after we took him to the vet and he got the penicillin and other goodies, he was feeling so much better and the hacking stopped, too.  When he hacked like he did it used to rattle my bones something terrible.

I hope we are done with vet costs for awhile because between those two little ones it cost a fortune. 

Sorry If I Confused Anyone

In my previous post I wrote that texting in PA is illegal.  I meant while driving a vehicle, not just anytime.  Sorry I did not elaborate...