Critters

I’ve got way too many cats running around here! Lets see now, in the neutered male division we have a large red, (from whence he got his name, “Red”), and a rather large and imposing solid black, who goes by the name of “Rocky”. In the spayed female ranks we have “Wild Thing”, sometimes referred to as “Momma Cat”, and a big fluffy grey we call “Jada”.

The newest of the bunch is a small striped grey that looks a lot like “Wild Thing”, in coloring, yet to be spayed. They all eat way too much and to top it all off they are all save the kitten bigger than my one house dog, a small female purebred shizu. The dog is nuttier then a fruitcake and twice as dumb! But ya gotta love her, she’s just so darn cute!

Lap Band

Lap band seems to become a very popular way for people to reduce their weight, which is a good thing all the way around. I’ve just heard that a family member (a distant cousin) who lives out in California, just received this surgical procedure and couldn’t be happier or healthier. He has been struggling with weight issues from day one, that side of the family comes from “large stock” but he is the first one to have this done, so I’m sure the rest will be following in suit soon.

He had the procedure done by a company that he located online at Topsurgeons dot com, where he read lap band testimonials a plenty and called their toll free phone number of 1-800-GET-SLIM and talked at great length with their top surgeons before consenting to have this new and improved procedure done for himself, which has changed his life so drastically.

To watch their lap band before and after video, one only has to go to their website, it has a lot to offer people that are contemplating this type of procedure. You may also receive a free lap band finance evaluation and see all the other procedures that they are offering in their many California locations.

Time Honored Family Traditions

I have to admit that the holiday season’s are still pretty tough for me considering that I am living at the homestead and farm that we all grew up on and our parents were running up until they passed away several years ago now. It is just me here, all though I have a ton of relatives that live close by. All of those holiday traditions are the hardest. My eldest sister and her family all try so very hard to keep most of these traditions alive and are always there for me each and every day and they go the extra mile during the holidays.

I haven’t spend a full Christmas day here at the house yet. So far I go over to my sister’s house and spent Christmas eve with them and spend the night there so that I can be there to see the kids eyes when they come down the stairs early Christmas morning. Then I am there dealing with the kids while my sister is busy in the kitchen preparing all the holiday foods for that evenings Christmas meal that she has taken over from my mom, with the rest of the family is on the road on their way to her house and the place gets filled up quickly through out the day.

One of the holiday traditions that we now have is going over to the family cemetery to pay our respects to our parents and all the other members of the family that are there with them as well.

Sheetz For Convenience

I have to say that Sheetz gets my business for their gas, their cigarettes and their milkshakes. Sheetz usually has the cheapest price in town for gas and there isn’t anyone anywhere that can beat their tobacco prices. Their milkshakes I discovered by accident but I’m glad that I did because they are really good milkshakes at a decent price.

Getting three cents a gallon off if you have them scan your Sheetz card. That is a big plus in my book.

three cents off a gallon of gas
Sheetz Rewards

Nubz Dental Treats

I have been a member of our local Costco for as long as I can remember. Every now and then I’ll go into town and take a trip to Costco and fill up with all kinds of goodies. They do have great prices if you don’t mind buying large items and items in bulk.  I always come out of there with a few hundred dollars less in my wallet, but I’m usually stocked up pretty well for my effort.

The dogs here really enjoy the  Nubz Dental Treats that they sell there, they even have coupons for these healthy dog treats in their monthly publications that I always take advantage of.  These treats are all natural, good for the teeth and there dog breath that can some times knock a buzzard of off a manure wagon!  I like that they are made in the U.S.A. and are made with real chickena and are even Gluten-free, which are both a big deal these days.

Shut up and drink your beer

This is a terrific recording by the old country singer Doye O’Dell from the late forties. I found the record, a while back at a flea market paid $1 for it and took it home because I liked the funny title, then I went to YouTube.com and found it there!  It’s a great tune, inspired by Irish music.

North Carolina Furniture

One of the things that I am determined to keep around this place is the north carolina furniture that my mother worked so hard to find and to purchase. Back in the day when there wasn’t the Internet to find and order items from, a person would have to travel a long way to find some things that you just could find locally.

My parents took several trips down to North Carolina to pick out the perfect living room furniture for mother to decorate this old house with. At least it wasn’t too long of a drive for them to handle and sometimes that would incorporate a visit with some distant relatives that lived down around that area as well.

Mother was looking forward to taking another trip down south to pick up some new furniture for the dining before they both passed on. One day I’ll get around to replacing the very old and well used and worn furniture in there myself. But right now I have other things to deal with and besides that old dining room table holds a lot of memories that I’m just not ready to part with.

Gonzalez Reeds And Other Family Dinner Chit Chat

Since I’ve never even had the opportunity to actually see or place in my hands any type of Clarinet, much less the Gonzalez reeds that my sister’s middle son was trying to explain to me at dinner at their place over the weekend. It felt good to get away from the house and the farm, with no major holiday or family events being celebrated, just a night away from all the critters and chores that keep me pretty chained to the old homestead the majority of the time.

A nice home cooked meal is always a welcomed change. One that wasn’t placed into some type of Tupperware and brought over for me to re heat by one person or another, usually my sister. I was able to sit and watch TV with my nieces and nephews, while smelling all the wonderful aromas that were floating out of the kitchen. It’s the small things like that which people that are suddenly on their own and secluded from most of the world.

Dinner was awesome, sis is a wonderful cook, something that my mother spend a lot of her time teaching her to do. So most of the dishes are from our mother and they taste just like home!

Summer Vacations

A few close friends and I were talking a few months back about taking a summer vacation together, to spend a week or so relaxing, having fun and bonding. The idea got me so excited considering I haven’t actually taken a vacation in about four years now.

We never really talked about the subject too much afterwards until I had brought it up at a backyard cookout we all attended together about month later. I’m very happy that it was brought up at the time because our friend’s mother that was hosting the cookout had over heard our conversation about our interest in a much needed get a way for the summer. She recommended a site that she told us offers some unforgettable summer experience options.

I took a look at it on my iPad that I had brought with me, and found that planning this vacation that we wanted so ever badly, was going to be easier then we all had thought. Not only was it easy but the site had found the absolute cheapest prices compared to others. I’m looking forward to our time together doing something we never thought we would do in our lifetime and am eager to treat myself to an awesome time with my closest friends. You can bet that we will be taking a boatload of pictures to share with friends and family.

vacationing in the summer months
Summer Time Vacations

Obesity Statistics, Eating Us Alive

The Obesity Statistics are a major concern right now. We have become a population of over eaters and the cost of the related medical care is eating us alive. I realize that most of the people I know are dealing with weight issues.  Being overweight and suffering from those complications are weighing heavily on their mind as well as their bodies. I’m so glad that the “fat gene” isn’t abundant in my family. To be honest, there are a few family members who could stand to lose a few pounds, nothing major though, ten to twenty pounds, tops.

family's fat gene
Don’t Accept Your Family’s Fat Gene