Bummer

Recently all I have been doing is complaining about the wretched heat.  Not while I'm inside with blessed air conditioning, but only when I had to go outside.  Rain was needed badly in our area so when it did rain these last few days it didn't bother me.  I was more than glad to see it and welcomed it with open arms, so to speak.   I love rain.  When I was little I used to play in the rain, barefoot, all the time.  My mother was always yelling at me to come inside.

It wasn't supposed to rain tonight.  But it did.  And it wrecked our evening.  I wrote a few months ago about the tickets we won to see a local band, Crazy Hearts.  It was a great concert and I became an instant fan.  Tonight they were appearing a few miles north of us for a local benefit.  They do a lot of local benefits.  Tonight the concert was free,  and the food vendors were hoping those that came to see the band would spend their money at the various food stands.

It started at 7:00 and we arrived a few minutes after that.  We found a space to sit under the trees using our portable chairs.  We settled in hoping for an evening of listening to country western music under the stars.  Within ten minutes it started raining ever so lightly.  Everyone thought it wouldn't last, including the band.  Soon it was pouring, accompanied by thunder and some lightning.   We gathered up our chairs and made a bee-line for our truck, which, thank goodness, wasn't too far away.  Sitting under trees while lightning is happening is not smart.


We ended up sitting in the truck quite some time hoping the rain would stop.  At least the lightning stopped and the thunder was soon farther away.  That indicated the storm was moving out.  Or not.  It wasn't long before more rain clouds moved in with more rain.  After waiting in the truck, and talking about other people we saw running here there and everywhere, we finally decided to leave.


Our evening was ruined.  We stopped at Mickey D's and had coffee and a soft ice cream cone and decided to come home.  Like I said...bummer.

You will also remember when we went to the first Crazy Hearts concert, I had just finished a ten-day regimen of a sulfa-based antibiotic.   I broke out with a rash, which my doctor said was hives, while we were at the concert.  I didn't know what it was until I researched it on the Internet and then it took awhile for the light bulb to go on over my head.


Fast forward to now and I am on a different antibiotic.  I learned the hard way that I am allergic to sulfa-based medicines and it didn't work like it was supposed to.  I can only hope this antibiotic works like it should.  The hardest part of this one is that I have to take it three times a day on an empty stomach.  Mornings are the worst since it has to be taken an hour before I eat.  There is nothing worse than a glassful of water on an empty stomach.  It almost makes me want to upchuck.


So here's hoping that by next week my infection goes away...and stays away this time.  Because ever since we lost our sister-in-law (my husband's brother's wife), I have been on the roller coaster from hell.  With all my symptoms, both real and imagined, I had somehow put myself in her shoes and thought the same thing would happen to me.  I know better now.

What A Difference A Carrier Makes

This is the story of Dakota-Sioux, aka Cody, and her recent visit to the vet.

Last year I transported all my cats to the vet in a soft-sided carrier with a zippered flap on the top. It worked fine for many years. But for some reason Dakota did not want to be in it when it was time for her visit to the vet a year ago. As soon as I got her in it, she popped right out and ran away. Try finding a cat, or catching one when you do find it, if they do not want to be caught or found. No easy task. She ran me ragged last year. When I finally caught up to her and was able to get her into that carrier, I was a blithering idiot.

 I called ahead to the vet explaining my dilemma and they were concerned we would miss our appointment. Five minutes prior to the appointment time we were still in the house, but I did have Dakota in the carrier. We decided to see if we would be able to get there in time. Normal drive time is approximately 15 minutes, longer depending on the traffic. Somehow we were able to walk in the door only a few minutes late.

 Fast forward to Dakota's visit this year. I have since started using a hard sided carrier that loads on the end instead of the top. Stick their head in and shove. Works like a charm. Once I picked her up and started walking she stiffened. It was like she knew what was coming, even though I pick her up and walk numerous times on any given day. That particular day I hung on to her so she wouldn't get away. Easy peasy this year.

 I should have switched to the hard-sided carrier long ago but I was determined to make the soft one work because it was smaller. Now that all the cats are bigger, the hard-sided one will always be used. For more reasons than one.

How Hot Is It?

It's so hot, they expect it to reach at least 100° today, maybe more.

It's so hot, I feel like I live in the desert and have to stare at this sun.

It's so hot, my cats outside don't run when I go out to feed. They stay right where they are. Lying on the cement or the deck. They usually all hightail it under the deck.

 It's so hot, that even with the air conditioning on inside, the minute I do housework, the waterworks starts and I soon find myself wiping my brow...and a few other things.

 It's so hot, my husband and I don't want to ride the trike.

 It's so hot, all I want to do is... oh hell, I don't know what I want to do. My brain is too fried from all this heat.

 One more day, they say. By Thursday morning things should be cooler. And then I suppose another heat wave is right around the corner, lurking, just waiting to pounce on us again and slap us right in the face when we step out the door.

Unhappy Days

We lost a sister-in-law a few days ago.  It all happened so fast I'm still not quite sure it's not all a dream.

Forty-two days. 

Forty-Two days from the time we learned what was wrong till the time she left this earth.

And now her widowed husband sits at home with her ashes not knowing what will happen to him from one day to the next.

When did life get so damn unfair?

In Response To My Previous Post

I haven't tried the Synch program again but I did realize that despite the fact that I had Internet capabilities on my laptop from the router, I still had to marry said laptop to the router. I don't know if that makes a difference and I am not in a hurry to find out.

 E-mail? I am currently using my Yahoo account that was set up on my PC a long time ago as a backup. I no longer have a need to download another mail system on the laptop and mess around with all that it entails. My Yahoo account is all I need for now.

 Eli, who had been sick with stomach problems along with nasty diarrhea, is much better. I always keep Culturelle for Kids in the house, so I started giving him that as well as all the other cats just to be safe. I am fairly certain Eli's problem was due to a change in his diet and nothing more. All four cats are now on the same page as far as food goes so hopefully this problem won't arise again.

We are finally experiencing some normalcy with the weather. After 11 or so days of excessive heat, sometimes into the triple digits, today is not as hot but you could cut the humidity with a knife. By Monday things should be much nicer with lower temps and humidity. All I can say is thank goodness for air conditioning. We recently installed another one in the computer room after not having one in there for a year.

Yesterday I thought I was going to the land of the munchkins. I went out to feed early due to an impending storm and I was hoping to beat it and get back inside before it hit us. Too late. I got caught while inside the greenhouse. I had to stay inside during the entire storm because the two vent flaps would have broken off from the high winds. So, while holding both of them down with both hands, I had to use my foot to close the door to stop the wind from blowing through the greenhouse. I ended up riding out that storm with winds at 70 plus mph not knowing if it was my last day on earth or not. Let met tell you...that was no picnic.

What A Week This Has Been

First of all, let me preface this by saying I finally have my laptop working.  I thought that day would never come.  I broke out the brand new Cisco Valet Plus  wireless router and hooked it up.  And it didn't work the first time I tried it, but I was not going to let it get the better of me so I tried again and that time it worked.  I then attempted to synch the two computers but that isn't going to happen in the near future.  They weren't speaking to one another and I didn't have the patience to find out why.  There are so many other things I have to do before I can figure that out.  Since both computers are on Windows 7, there is a Synch program but I couldn't get it to work.  I also tried Windows Live Mesh to no avail.  So it's not like I didn't try.  For now, I am quite happy that I have the laptop working so I am not tied to this computer room whenever I need to work on one.

Naturally, that has kept me busy most of the week.  The next major step is to figure out the e-mail system.  No hurry on that, but it will get done.

Moving on to another subject, we have a sick cat.  Eli is not quite a year old yet, he has a few months to go, but he is not up to par.  He has to see the vet and I will be making that call Monday morning. So I have been fussing over him while working on the laptop.

I always say, if it isn't one thing, it's another around this place.  A lot of times I think how boring it is sometimes and then something goes wonky and I have to eat my words.  I have been eating a lot of words this past week so far.

Dale Jr. finished 4th in the race Saturday night.  That hoisted him from 3rd to 2nd in the points.  Another top five finish to add to his bag of tricks.  Next week is Daytona, one of his favorite tracks.  Mine too.  Since Dale is running a lot better than he has been for the past few years, I am hoping he does well at Daytona.  Fingers crossed.

And that, folks, is all she wrote...for now.

 

Snooze-oma

Sorry folks, but that was just one big snooze-fest of a race.  I'm not all that fond of road racing to start with and today's race just proved why.

Dale Jr. qualified 19th and he was never a factor in the race, but with a few laps to go he was in the 13th position only to be punted off course and turned around by a has-been driver whom I will not name here simply because he does not deserve any space on my blog.

At least when we go to Watkins Glen road racing, there is some excitement during that race but Sonoma, California, just doesn't do it for me.  I was glad, however, that Clint Bowyer was able to hold off Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch for the win.  Clint needed this one to help him stay in the top ten in points.

Dale Jr. may have finished 23rd in today's race, but he is still the only Cup driver to have finished all the laps in every race this year.  No one else has been able to do that. 

 On to Kentucky next week where I hope to get back to some good racing once again.  I could have done without this weekend all together.

Congratulations, Dale Jr.!

He carried the paint scheme for the movie, The Dark Knight Rises.  And like the Dark Knight, Dale Jr. finally rose out of the ashes like a phoenix to win the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.  On Father's Day.  In a black car.  Need I say more?

After not winning 143 races, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finally won one.  It was four years ago this weekend that he last won a NASCAR Cup race.  At the very same track he won today.

Today was a day of reckoning.  He's back.  Finally.  He had been knocking on the door all season and finally broke through.  I hope there are many more doors he can knock over before the Chase begins.  Right now, he stands 4 points out of first place.  

You go Junior!  We Junior Nation fans all love you...

I'm Just Sayin'...

For many, many years I have been eating only Hebrew National beef franks as pictured above.  Occasionally, when out and about, and I get the urge to eat a hot dog (and it's cheap enough), I will indulge in what is being offered.  But that has been a rarity over those many, many years.

I love the taste of the Hebrew National franks.  There are only 40 calories per frank and they are 97% fat free and that means a lot for my diet.  There are no fillers, no by-products, no sugar and only 1 gram of the good fat.  Which means no saturated or trans fats.  There is a downside, however, and that is the sodium content.  But if I watch what sodium I eat for the remainder of the day I am okay.  I am on high blood pressure medication so I have to be careful with the sodium.

I checked to see what a regular hot dog contains and was horrified to see that there are at least 250 calories and 14 grams of fat in each frank.  Ouch.  

Of course, no hot dog is a good hot dog, but for me, when I get the urge to have one, the Hebrew Nationals are the best.  My husband doesn't like them, he prefers the what I call nasty ones.  To each his own.

Like I said in my title, I'm just sayin'...


(This is by no means a product endorsement...I just love these franks and felt I had to say something about them.)

I Thought I Was Dying

About a week or so ago I started having some weird and strange symptoms so I researched them on the Internet.  Yes, I have a very bad habit of doing that, but there are just some things I need to know...especially when it comes to my health.

I was having a bit of nausea, my upper arms hurt as well as my thighs, I developed a slight cough and one night I had what I thought was a slight sore throat.  I had trouble falling asleep, a lot of times sleep did not come till 4 or 5 in the morning.  I developed a stiff neck and that gave me a slight headache lasting more days than I care to think about.  It's still a bit stiff but at least the headache is gone.

On top of all of that, I got tired no matter what I did.  Sometimes I was physically exhausted.  

Saturday was the day we saw Crazy Hearts at the Lehigh Valley Zoo using the tickets I won from the local newspaper.  We took our chairs, found a decent spot to park our butts for the remainder of the night, and just took in all the scenery before the band played.  

It was still light yet when I looked at my one arm and noticed spots on it.  Prior to that my back was itching and I accredited it to mosquito bites.  I looked at my other arm and it too had spots on it.  Within a few hours the spots on my arms seemed to fade so I didn't think too much about it after that.

Once we got home and I looked in the mirror, I was horrified.  My cheeks were bright red, and my chest and back were far worse than my arms had been.  I immediately jumped into the shower and after I dried off,  I applied anti-itch cream all over.

All I can say is thank goodness for the Internet.  I suspected it was the antibiotic I had just finished taking on Friday night, a day before the concert.  And I was right.  I am allergic to sulfa drugs.  Just one more thing to add to my resume of stupid things that happen to me as I get older.

I didn't take my camera along, but here is a file photo of the band we saw: 

 

Today's My Lucky Day

I have been hard pressed as to what to write on my blog.  It is getting quite serious because my ideas are nil.  And the harder I think about it nothing jumps out at me.  

Today is our grocery shopping day.  After we finished that we stopped at a scratch off lottery ticket machine and purchased some tickets.  I chose a $2 ticket, and my husband chose three $1 tickets.  I have not been that lucky with this type of lottery (or any lottery for that matter), and because of that I don't get excited when I do buy one.  In this case, my husband bought it for me.

I did win in a second chance drawing years ago.  That was a jackpot of Elvis Presley items like a denim jacket with his name on, a large framed black and white photo of him with Betty Boop in color inserted with him in the photo, a watch, playing cards, four movies, and things I can't remember anymore.

I think the highest I ever won on a scratch off was $20.  Well, I beat that today.  I won $100.  My husband thought I was fibbing when I told him and he made me give him the ticket so he could check to see if I was right.  Of course I was right...I'm always right.  When will they ever learn?

We cashed that baby in  and came home.  The phone rang.  It was our local newspaper telling me I won two tickets to see a local country-western band (Crazy Hearts) at the Lehigh Valley Zoo this Saturday.  Food vouchers are also included with the tickets.

Since the day is not over, I am wondering what else will come along since they say things happen in three's.  I am not going to worry about it and push my luck.  I am happy with what I already got out of the day.

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...