A Good Race Results Day And A Very Happy Me

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

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

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

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

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

Still Here...Not Going Anywhere

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Am Back From Nowhere

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

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

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

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

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

A Nose Tale

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

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

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

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

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

Will Winter Ever Leave?

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

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

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

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

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

My Freaky Hysterical Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another Major Accomplishment for Danica

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

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

And now...

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

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

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

Go Danica!

My Weekly Check-In

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Confused And Befuddled

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In A Deep Freeze

Brrrrrrrr...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outsmarted

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nasty Weather Has Arrived

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

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

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

Fooled Again

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

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

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

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

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

Meatloaf and Justified

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bye Bye Christmas

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here We Go Again

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

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

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

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

To All My Readers

Where The Heck Did That Holiday Go?

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas Everyone!

From our house to your house...

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

Have A Meow-y Christmas.

Dentist, Anyone?

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

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

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

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

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

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