The Stimulus Package In My Husband's Words

Hubby with his father
after boot camp in the Army National Reserves
Signal School, Fort Gordon, Georgia
August 1966
My darling husband wrote something the other day at one of the on-line motorcycle forums we belong to (MyGreatRides.Com). The subject of the phony stimulus package came up in one of their General Posts. I wanted to share this with y'all today:

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If you closely examine where most of this 'stimulus' money is going, that by the way we are borrowing from foreign countries, it's easy to see that it's mostly payoff money for the votes that were delivered by Democrat special interest groups. Both main political parties have become so corrupt in their quest for power that they trample on the Constitution as if it were a doormat.

The 10th amendment disallows most federal law that has been passed over the last 50 years. The 10th amendment states; "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

This is a simple statement to understand. Only the powers specifically stated in the Constitution are given to the federal government and all other powers are reserved for the individual states and the people. The federal government has become an overbearing monster that swallows up our personal treasure, involves us in illegal conflicts and erodes away our personal God- given liberties in the name of fairness. We the people have allowed this to happen because of our indifference to the rule of law and our sudden embracing of democracy, also known as mob rule. We are a republic, where all are supposed to be treated equally under the law, regardless of our social status. We are now becoming a democracy where the rule of the majority can quickly strip us of our fortunes, our rights and our dignity.

This is why we now vote Libertarian.

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... and you probably thought I only married Hubby because of the uniform ... HA!! :o)

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For The Funny Bone:

Japanese banks have been hit almost as hard as American banks:
The Origami Bank has folded, and we hear the Sumo Bank has gone belly-up too. Bonsai Bank plans to cut some of its branches. Karoke Bank is for sale and is going for a song. Meanwhile, staff at Karate Bank got the chop, and analysts report there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank, where workers fear they may get a raw deal.
Readers Digest (March 2009, page 80), Submitted by Barbara Padwell

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Postcard Friendship Friday (02/27)

Georgia is our absolute, hands down, favorite State. We love living here.

But our second favorite State is Texas. Texas folks are some of the best in the world and there are so many fun things to do there! We try to visit every year. So, we've been planning our Texas Hill Country trip for this Spring and I thought this would be a nice card to post today. Just once I would like to see the Blue Bonnets in full bloom. [sigh]

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted by my friend Marie at Voila! Vintage Postcards. Pay her lovely blog a visit if y'all have time.

Have a happy day!

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Me First!

Valerie said I could totally steal this idea from her at her blog It's A Wonderful Life. So, I did!

Below are a list of My Firsts.


MY FIRSTS

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
May 1973 with my first serious "go steady" boyfriend, Bill Anderson. We were both Junior's and he took me to the Junior-Senior Prom. It was the first time I got to stay out all night without having to strain for an excuse. [lol] I think Dad was hoping I'd run away so he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. Didn't work. I returned like a Homing Pigeon to finish my Senior year.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No, I used to but we kinda lost touch a couple of years ago. He still lives in central Florida and is a millionaire. I'm so happy for him! He's a really nice, decent fellow.

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Beer and whiskey. Dad gave it to me for a toothache. I was under 10 years old because Mom was still alive.

4. What was your FIRST job?
When 15, I had a summer job with a kennel in Mims, just south of Titusville. It was hard work but it was fun. I love dogs and this was a pleasure for me.

5. What was your FIRST car?
A red 1968 Renault. After it spent nearly every day after my purchase in the garage being repaired, I traded it for a 1966 Volkswagon 'bug'. It was actually a Trade Up for me. It was really easy to work on.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
I don't text.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
My sister-in-law, Cindy. We've got something cooking up in the financial department and I'm gonna help her with it. It's my forte'.

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
I have no clue. I don't even remember first grade!!

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
I was 12 years old, my mother was dead, and my father put me alone on a flight from central Florida to western Pennsylvania. Would any of you parents out there do that? I didn't think so. I had to fly back alone too. He dumped me on a plane so he could marry his third wife. A woman he only knew for a couple of months.

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
Karen Williams, she married a Mr. Towe and had a bunch of kids. We lost touch with each other years ago. I hope she's well and happy where ever she is. Karen was a nice girl.

11. What was your FIRST sport played?
Primitive Archery. I still enjoy it. Now that I've had neck surgery I hope to start it back up again.

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
I might never have been to one. I don't remember. My group wasn't much into that. We mostly played in the woods and rode our bicycles all day. I tried to never have friends over.

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
My hubby.

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
My first marriage in August of 1974.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Kick two dogs outta the bed so I can make a bee-line to the ... well, you know. :o)

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Never been to a concert, if they mean like a Rock concert or something like that. I've been in a High School concert. I sing Second Alto. Oh, wait, I've been to a performance by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (classical music) during the 1979 season. It was spectacular! Does that count?

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
My ears were pierced when I was 16. Absolutely, positively NO tattoos.

18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Niagara Falls, Canada. Let's see, I was very young (pre-1966) because I remember my mother being there. If it was just Dad, he probably would have left me there.

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law?
When I was 18. Before 1st husband and I married, we played a joke on a friend by 'rolling' his house with toilet paper on Hallowe'en. And I got caught ... by the Sheriff, no less!! Dang, I was embarrassed. Gosh, I hope Pappy doesn't see this. I'm such a hardened criminal. [lol]

20. When was your FIRST detention?
I've never had detention. I was good in school. I turned bad after graduation. [smile] I only sassed a teacher once and got a whoopin' for it. I never did that again.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Florida.

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart?
My father when he tore up his parent card in August of 1966.

23. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Never had a roommate. I can't stand to be around most people 24/7 except for my husband.

24. Where did you go on your FIRST limo ride?
Are you kidding, I've never been in a limo.

25. Where did you go on your FIRST date with your husband?
March 17th, 1979 at Shrimpy's in Jacksonville, Florida. Yeah, it was St. Patrick's Day. We still celebrate that day every year in memory of our first date. I was getting a divorce from my first husband and Steve asked me out to supper and a movie. We've been together ever since.


So there you have 25 of my FIRSTS.

And you're still talking to me! Eh, I don't care what they say, you're good people.

So, feel free to grab the Questions. I would like to know all of your FIRSTS too. If you want to join in, leave a comment here and I'll pop over to your place and Read All About It. Have fun!

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So THAT Is What Those Business Acronyms Really Mean!?

My husband found what is below at one of the MyGreatRides posts. I thought y'all would enjoy the humor this morning:


CEO -- Chief Embezzlement Officer.

CFO -- Corporate Fraud Officer.

BULL MARKET -- A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.

VALUE INVESTING -- The art of buying low and selling lower.

P/E RATIO -- The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.

BROKER -- What my broker has made me.

STANDARD & POOR -- Your life in a nutshell.

STOCK ANALYST -- Idiot who just downgraded your stock.

STOCK SPLIT -- When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.

FINANCIAL PLANNER -- A guy whose phone has been disconnected.

MARKET CORRECTION -- The day after you buy stocks.

CASH FLOW -- The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

YAHOO -- What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.

WINDOWS -- What you jump out of when you're the sucker who bought Yahoo at $240 per share.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR -- Past year investor who's now locked up in a nuthouse.

PROFIT -- An archaic word no longer in use.


We should have known this all along ...

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2009 International Motorcycle Show

Well, we are FINALLY home! Home Sweet Home. After all the hupla, prepurchased tickets, talking about the trip, making plans and months of waiting, we were able to attend the International Motorcycle Show in Greenville, South Carolina. For added pleasure, our long time good friends J.T. and 'Becca met us there for the weekend.

All good things come to those that wait. :o)

So, lock on your helmet and hold onto the handle bars ... here we go with a quick tour of the show!!


Show Room Floor

There were more motorcycles, scooters, vendors, vintage bikes, museum displays, observed trials, demo rides and whatnot than you can shake a stick at. This is only a small part of the show room floor. It did take us 3 days to see everything.


'Becca eyeing the 2009 Honda DN-01

It's a scooter ... she is new to motorcycling and prefers automatics at the moment.

Me ... I head for the dirt and adventure bikes!


2009 Honda CRF 230 Motard


2009 Honda CRF 230 L

But want I really, really, really would like to have is ...


2009 Triumph Bonneville T100

And just a little ...


Bling! Bling!

But ... none of that this trip. What I did buy was a new helmet. In white. Instead of trying to match my bike and jacket, I'm gonna 'trash it up' with a few custom made decals.

HJC Symax II

Yeah, it was worth the wait ... but I'm still happy to be back home.

For more about the show with lots of motorcycle photos, feel free to peruse all my photos on-line at MyPhotoAlbum. Enjoy Y'all!!

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Opportunity To Witness A Green Comet Monday

Comet Lulin

I enjoy astronomy.

Usually, I can't remember the stars or what galaxy is where but I do enjoy sitting out under the night sky with binoculars or our telescope and watching the heavens. Living so far out in the country we get many opportunities to do this. That's one of many reasons we don't have a yard light plus they contribute to the light pollution.

Tomorrow night (Monday 23rd) there is a very special event. Let's let the experts explain further ...

"WASHINGTON — An odd, greenish backward-flying comet is zipping by Earth this month, as it takes its only trip toward the sun from the farthest edges of the solar system.

The comet is called Lulin, and there's a chance it can be seen with the naked eye — far from city lights, astronomers say. But you'll most likely need a telescope, or at least binoculars, to spot it.

The best opportunity is just before dawn one-third of the way up the southern sky. It should be near Saturn and two bright stars, Spica and Regula.

On Monday at 10:43 p.m. EST, it will be 38 million miles from Earth, the closest it will ever get, according to Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object program.

The story behind the comet is more intriguing than its appearance — the greenish tinge may be hard for many to discern. The color comes from a type of carbon and cyanogen, a poisonous gas.

Lulin was discovered by a Chinese teenager two years ago. It still has many of its original gases — gases that are usually stripped away as comets near the sun. Unlike most comets viewable from Earth, this one hasn't been this close to the sun before, Yeomans said.

While all the planets and most of the other objects in the solar system circle the sun counterclockwise, Lulin circles clockwise, said NASA astronomer Stephen Edberg.

Thanks to an optical illusion, from Earth it appears as if the comet's tail is in the front as the comet approaches Earth and the sun.

"It essentially is going backwards through the solar system," he said.

It came from the outskirts of the solar system, 18 trillion miles away. Once it's made the journey around the sun, Lulin will gain enough speed to escape the solar system, Edberg said.

"If you are interested in comets, make sure you see it," he said. "But it's not going to be a real great blast for the general public."

Source: FoxNews Article

I couldn't find the star "Regula" referred to above (I believe it's a typo) but I did find a Regulus.

So, let's watch the heavens tomorrow evening. Who knows what wonders we'll experience!?

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2007 International Motorcycle Show

We are at the current International Motorcycle Show with friends in Greenville, South Carolina this weekend.

Below are photos of our 2007 trip (click for larger photo in new window). New ones from this years event will be posted as time permits:



Steve in our hotel room


Demo rides from various manufacturers are usually offered at these events


Buying our tickets to enter


HUH??!! What is it?


Steve LOVES Ducati's!
"Put the checkbook DOWN honey!!"


Engine Cutaway Diagram
There are interesting displays.


Show Room Floor


Some bikes are impractical but certainly creative!


One vender brought his cute little dog "Bear". He was a big hit!


Hey, guys, this is NOT a motorcycle ... !!


I like the vintage bikes personally.


There's always time for lunch ...

Well, that's it for that Motorcycle Show part of the vacation. On the way home we toured the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. Very pretty parkway but not as pretty as the Blue Ridge in North Carolina / Virginia. The speed limits are not being enforced on the Natchez Trace and there were too many speeders. My opinion is that distracted from the beauty of the area.


Start Of Natchez Trace


The actual trail still exists in many areas.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed the tour.

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Postcard Friendship Friday (02/20)

Ok, raise your hand if you scribble notations and do math on the backs of old scrap papers? I knew it! Ah, we're all guilty. Writing on something that may be worth lots of money one day.

Well, my contribution this week is another historical piece.

Interestingly, I am related to some of the Moore and Bird / Byrd family in Georgia. I don't know if these are any of my kin, but I'd be willing to bet even money that we're related somehow. It's such a small world here.


"The front of the postcard shows a 1916 postal mark and the back elaborates on the qualities of the “Boss” cane stripper. Note that this design differs from those made by the Brinley-Hardy Company."

Source: Southern Matters Sugar Cane Operations

Hosted by my friend Marie at Voila! Vintage Postcards.


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Motorcycle Show Preparations

Today we are making preparations to attend the annual International Motorcycle Show. This year the event is in lovely Greenville, South Carolina!! WAHOO!! It's finally here! We've had tickets to this thing for 6 months, no lie.




In years past, these events were held in a very nice area of Atlanta, Georgia. But then the Powers That Be moved the event into the darkest of dark sections and it eventually crashed and burned ...apparently others voted with their feet like we did because last year, we had quit going. We traveled two days to get to Houston, Texas just to attend the show. Now, the one in the eastern USA has been moved to a nicer area in western South Carolina and we are back to staying in the Southeast.

We won't be able to ride to the event due to the fact I am still recovering from neck surgery and they're calling for snow there! [sigh] Oh well. So, after dropping our three 'babies' (dogs) at the kennel, we are free! FREE!!

Then the following weekend, World Superbike starts for the season. The first race of the season is in lovely Phillip Island Australia. I would like to attend that one some day.

Then, American Superbike starts for the season, then my personal favorite, MotoGP. To see some very exciting racing, go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfPM77TsGaA. It's only a couple of minutes. These young fellas are real athletes.

Motorcycle racing is back for the year! Professional racing takes the winter months to rest and train.

The world is turning in greased grooves again.

So stay tuned for photos and updates y'all! I'm so glad that all these hotels have internet access now. I'm so spoiled. :o) And who knows, I may come home with a new Triumph Bonneville after all ... I really like that two-tone green and cream ... uh, just doing my part to stimulate the economy. [tee hee]

Cheers y'all,

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Wordless Wednesday (02/18)

Best served with ACORN squash and pulled pork

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Just Joshin' Around

In honor of my 150th post (wow ... have I been having that much fun!!??) here's a few jokes I found at the Triumph 1050 Forum to lighten the mood. Enjoy! :o)


WHATEVER HITS THE FAN WILL
NOT BE DISTRIBUTED EVENLY.

I have kleptomania,
but when it gets bad,
I take something for it.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
Except that one where you're naked in church.

Sometimes too much to drink isn't enough.

Kinky is using a feather.
Perverted is using the whole chicken.

Heaven is Where:
The Police are British,
The Chefs are Italian,
The Mechanics are German,
The Lovers are French
and
It's all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is Where:
The Police are German,
The Chefs are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The Lovers are Swiss
and
It's all organized by the Italians.

Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

In just two days from now,
tomorrow will be yesterday.

A bartender is just a pharmacist
with a limited inventory

The statement below is true.
The statement above is false.

I may be schizophrenic,
but at least I have each other.

I am a Nobody.
Nobody is Perfect.
Therefore I am Perfect.

KENTUCKY:
Five million people,
Fifteen last names.

Dyslexics Have More Nuf

I LOVE COOKING WITH WINE
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Preserve the Spotted Owl
(in formaldehyde)

Reality is only an illusion
that occurs due to a lack of alcohol.

I like cats too.
Let's exchange recipes.

Red meat is not bad for you
Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

I am having an out-of-money experience.

As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on 280 Interstate. Please be careful!"
"It's not just one car," said Herman. "It's hundreds of them!"

Don't sweat the petty things.
and don't ever pet the sweaty things.

Corduroy pillows are making headlines!

I want to die while asleep like my grandfather,
not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car.

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Another Federal Holiday And A Recap

And, as if you must be reminded, this is paid-in-full by ALL taxpayers.

Is there any way we Americans can renegotiate this 'contract'??



I Want All Your Money

And now for a re-cap of Mr. Obama's first two weeks.

1, The American people elect a black president with a total of 42 days experience as a U. S. Senator from the most politically corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to close Gitmo and make sure Terrorists civil rights are not violated.

2, The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm an Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists.

3, The CIA Boss, Leon Panetta, with absolutely no experience and anti-CIA leanings, has a daughter Linda we find out, that is a true radical anti-American activist who is a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere.

4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton; bought and paid for.

5. We got a tax cheat, Tim Geithner, for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes.

6. Bill Richardson, a Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges.

7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges.

8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct.

9. A Secretary Health and Human Services nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes.

And that's just the first two weeks ... but who's counting. Not the liberal news media, that's for sure!


America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ~ Barack, Nancy and Harry ~ and they are still trying to define "stimulus". Maybe they could put it in pill form to make it easier to swallow?

Stimulus is where the government gives a smidgen of your tax dollars back to you making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated] that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!

One Big Aching Mistake America

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The Chalk Garden (1964)

The Chalk Garden
I so enjoy old movies. One of my favorite actresses is Deborah Kerr and for me her best movie was "The Chalk Garden" (January 1964).

The movie in a nutshell is about Madrigal (Deborah Kerr), an Englishwoman recently released from prison after serving time for murder, arrives at the home of Mrs. St. Maugham (Edith Evans) to apply for the position of governess and companion to the elderly woman's 16-year-old granddaughter, Laurel (Hayley Mills).

She is hired, despite her lack of references, primarily for her knowledge of gardening because Mrs. St. Maugham has difficulty raising anything in the chalky earth of her garden. Madrigal keeps her past a secret, but Laurel, who lives in a partial fantasy world (she hates her mother whom she believes abandoned her when she divorced and remarried) tries to uncover the secrets of her new governess. Maitland (John Mills), the butler, becomes attracted to Madrigal and tells her that Laurel's wild tales are untrue. When the judge (Felix Aylmer) who convicted Madrigal comes to lunch, he does not recognize her, but they get into a heated discussion about the case.

Laurel suspects that Madrigal is the murderess in question but makes a pact with Maitland never to reveal her suspicion. Madrigal realizes that Laurel is much the same as she was at 16 and fears that Laurel might make the same mistakes if she is not told the truth about her mother. She tells Mrs. St. Maugham that Laurel's mother should be allowed to have her, and Laurel, overhearing them, realizes that she was never abandoned. When her mother arrives, Laurel is ready to go with her, and Madrigal remains at the house as companion to Mrs. St. Maugham.

Synopsis Courtesy of Turner Classic Movies



The Chalk Garden is an intense, wonderful psychological game of cat and mouse. It has excellent performances from all involved and the writing and direction is superb. I want so much to order it on DVD. (It's $30 new ... OUCH!!)

"At our last meeting, I died. It alters the appearance." A quote from the character from Madrigal/Constance speaking to the judge in a chance meeting. I can so relate to her character. I've never been jailed, of course, but I was in a mental jail from an abusive parent. My mother died in 1966 and my father tore up his parent card. When I allowed Christ to come into my life at the age of 14, God mercifully gave me the Key to get out ... and I did. I ran to that mental door and freedom!

Anyway, The Chalk Garden speaks volumes to me. Does anyone else enjoy this movie? Or are there any others you'd like to recommend?

I also like the old horror movies from the 1960's and 1970's. It's fun to curl up on the sofa with husband and watch them with popcorn on Halloween. Reminds me of when I was a little kid, mom was still alive, and I would watch those old movies on our 'big' 12 inch console TV that sat on the floor. Such delightful memories. :o)

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Happy Valentines Day

Like you know I had to have something with 2 wheels and a motor in it ... 'k???!! So don't pretend to be shocked ...

[snort]

Definate ((Hugs)) all around from your goofy bloggy friend!

Happy Valentine's Day Y'all!

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Postcard Friendship Friday (02/13)

“MOUNTAIN OX SLED-- A Blue Ridge mountaineer hauls fodder from the fields on his primitive sled, which oxen drag over the roads without benefit of wheels. North Carolina hill people retain the flavor and atmosphere of their distinctive country.”

Source: Image and caption from "Mountain Ox Sled," postcard NC 4 in Variety Vacation Land, Raleigh, N.C.: Department of Conservation and Development, [1939]. North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. VCp917 N87c.

Source: University of North Carolina Library

Hosted by: My good friend Marie at Voila! Vintage Postcards


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