Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Of Abandoned Homes And Such

We live way out in the country. I'm amazed at how many abandoned barns, farm houses, Vehicles and buildings in general are still standing here. I look at these former homes and I wonder: who were they? Where they happy? Was there a lot of love in the house once? Why did the families seemingly walk off and let these nice old fashioned homes collapse into the ground. The structures are kind of artistic, really. Since I'm not good at drawing, I started taking digital photos of these places.


The land where this old home resides is very lovely. It's only 1 mile from our home, on slightly hilly ground (for southeast Georgia), has mature pine and oaks, and a fair size pond. Big Plus: it's on a paved road!

I waaaannnnttt! [lol]

I've been coveting this parcel for about a year now. My husband and I are avid motorcyclists and riding out on our one mile of dirt road gets kinda dicey.

Must be human nature ... just never happy.

Well, it's fun to dream ... and like my step-mom would so wisely say, "If you get eveything you want, dear, you'll be so bored." That's so true Myra. So true.

Have a great day y'all!

♥ ∞

Monday, February 9, 2009

Funny Motorcycle

In 1974, Steve rode his 1973 BMW R75/3 to the Daytona Bike Week (Daytona Beach, Florida). He noticed the motorcycle below and snapped a photo. I wish he had obtained the fellow's name who owned the bike but alas that is lost to history.

Front


Back

Oh, and the bike is a Harley Davidson Electra Glide, year unknown. I wonder how the guy could see where he's going!?

Ride safe y'all! :o)

**UPDATE 19 February 2009: We are now famous!! Costas Schuler "The Pen Man" at Art Car used these photos in one of his posts. Check him out! He has a wonderful site. I plan on also making a small donation to keep him on-line. ***


♥ ∞

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Just The Tax Ma'am

Since it's officially tax season, and the cross-hairs are on us all here in America, unless you're a politician, I guess they're exempt now ... I thought I'd get y'all in the mood.

To quote the great Bugs Bunny, "Ain't I a stinka'?"

And just remember ... if Obama's "Stimulus Plan" passes (i.e. bribe paybacks to big corporations for being elected), what's below will get a whole lot worse!

By the way, I didn't write this poem.


Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax him fast!

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers,
Then tax him more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.

Put these words
upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
It's time to apply
The inheritance tax.


The Taxes Referred To Above
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges, IRS Penalties (tax on top of taxes due)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Privilege Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Use Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax


Also, now that we are retired, this season I learned that up to a certain percentage of earnings from Social Security income are now taxed (per former President Bill "Cantkeephispantszipped" Clinton ... Hello AARP, where's your outrage for the elderly and on fixed income??!). Social Security is a tax to start with. The Gangster Government sticks a gun to our head and demands we "Pay up or else", then doles it back piecemeal "per needs" when 'they' consider you old enough AND taxes you again for that!!?

HUH?!?



There is something very wrong with this picture.

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the world happened? Can you spell 'politicians'? And that's Republicans and Democrats alike.

And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?!?

We put animals and plants on Endangered Species Lists.

Maybe it's actually we Americans that are truly endangered.


♥ ∞

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Chrome Won't Help


This blog is temporarily on Auto-Pilot. I am still recovering from surgery.

Please feel free to leave a message. I've left that option working but I probably can not respond just yet.

Have a wonderful day y'all! Thanks for stopping by.



UPDATE:

Everybody has been so kind to ask how I am doing since surgery ... well ...




I think I'm looking pretty good ... don't you?!?



♥ ∞

Friday, February 6, 2009

Postcard Friendship Friday (02/06)



Hosted by Marie at Voila! Cpaphil Vintage Postcards. [waving to Marie]

This blog is temporarily on Auto-Pilot. I am still recovering from surgery.

Please feel free to leave a message. I've left that option working but I probably can not respond just yet.

Have a wonderful day y'all!


♥ ∞

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Funny Cat Picture

funny pictures of cats with captions
more animals


I think I went to grammer school with this bunch of bird brains ...

Anyway, my blog is temporarily on Auto-Pilot. I am still recovering from surgery.

Please feel free to leave a message. I've left that option working but I probably can not respond just yet.

Have a wonderful day y'all! Thanks for stopping by.


♥ ∞

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

It's Go Time!

Well, I'm finally in surgery today folks. I know you're as sick of hearing about it as I am of talking about it. Therefore, I probably won't be on-line for several days. For your entertainment below are a few really cute doctor / surgery jokes. I hope you enjoy!

BTW, please think about my hubby sitting in the waiting room waiting on me would ya? I know he's a big boy but I worry more about him than me. It's really stressful on family and friends when someone they love is under the knife more so than the patient (been there, done that more times than I care to remember).

I'll leave the comments box operational (pun intended).

God bless and thanks for stopping by. I'll "see ya" when I can. Don't have to much fun without me! :o)

*** UPDATE: Sparky is home and feeling fine! The surgery went well and she'll be bad to blogging soon. 5:30 PM 04 Feb 2009 Wiregrass Steve ***







♥ ∞

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Day Before

So, I'm sitting here, trying to relax and the sofa feels like ...

OUCH!!

... and I'm trying not look TOO worried ...

You're gonna put WHAT? WHERE?!

... about my impending surgery tomorrow.

I'm good ...

I'm cool ...

I'm relaxed ...

Yeah, right!!

See ya later folks. In the infamous words of Arnie "I'll be back ..."


♥ ∞

Monday, February 2, 2009

It's All Relative

I am always on the hunt for more Georgia cousins. Recently I learned that I had a few MOORE family members who where buried not too far from our place. So this past weekend Sweetie and I traveled to the area to photograph their tombstones. I only partly surveyed the rather large cemetery. It is located in what is now Long County, Georgia at Elim Baptist Church, just a stone's throw from Walthourville. Long county was once a part of Liberty County (south to Savannah).

For some time I had wondered what happened to this line of MOORE. A direct descendant contacted me and very kindly shared his information. This particular lineage of MOORE got 'daughtered out', as we say here, and the trail runs cold with the MOORE surname at that generation. Their only son died young and is buried next to his mother.

He told me that I am also related to the wife that married my Mr. MOORE. It's a funny thing, it seems the further back I go on most of my known blood-kin, the more often I find that the person they married turns out to be another of my cousins!

It can get to complicated sometimes! Good thing I use Family Tree Maker software or I'd be totally lost in the quagmire of intermarriages and remarriages.

Case in point, this lady below:


Mrs. Caroline Mary "Carrie" Keaton Moore
Born: Jun. 7, 1866 in Taylor's Creek, Liberty Co, GA
Died: Aug. 27, 1924 in Savannah, Chatham Co, GA


Miss Carrie KEATON married my known cousin, Eli A. MOORE, C.S.A. She is a direct descendant of my PEACOCK blood-kin and is therefore also my cousin. Happens all the time now. So, I've learned to never say "We're not related" until I do a little checking. [smile]

Gosh, if I keep diving back into history, I'm going to turn out to be related to myself! [lol]

After the 'graving' we took a nice leisurely drive to the west through Tattnall County en route to Waycross for the evening meal. Along the way I spotted this old store just begging to be photographed.

Long County, Georgia - Photo Sharing by MyPhotoAlbum
An Abandoned General Store on County Line Road
Long County, GA

Click the photo to enlarge in a new window. See the old gas pump off to the side? And look at all that healthy Spanish Moss. It was just as pretty there as it looks in the photo. Makes me wish we had brought a picnic lunch so we could sit and enjoy the area for awhile. Georgia is quite picturesque. One of the many reason we enjoy living here.

And I also enjoy finding so many 'new' relatives and feeling connected to something bigger than myself.


♥ ∞

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Those Where The Days My Friend

In 1969, Steve was driving to work one morning in his 442 (a 1967 Oldsmobile). He drove by the Big R Chevrolet dealership daily. But this morning he glanced over at the dealership and they were unloading an orange and white 1969 Z-28 Camaro off a car carrier. It was Lust At First Sight! He immediately stopped at Big R and my ever impulsive husband traded on the spot.

 - Photo Sharing by MyPhotoAlbum
Click To Enlarge In New Window


They hammered out a deal. Then the smiling salesman loaned him a brand new demo, an Impala, while the Camaro was being prepped. He picked up his new car two days later (he had to wait on all the usual financial shuffling, etc.). Then he drove home a happy boy, uh, man.

From all the tales I've heard this Camaro was something else!

Chevy built the new Z-28 so that they could qualify it for the TransAm Series Race. It had the only 302 cubic inch V-8 that Chevy ever made. All the parts of the motor where straight from the Chevrolet racing catalog. It would only run on Sunoco 460 Premium fuel or it would knock and fuel economy was not a factor (15 highway, 10 town). It had no air conditioning or any of the now common amenities because the motor turned over 6000 rpm. Chevy wouldn't guarantee the air conditioner motor at such high RPM's. It didn't have power steering, so it was a bear to drive at slow speeds and in parking lots!

He once drove it from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach Speedway, which is approximately 90 miles one way, in under 55 minutes. By the time he got there, none of guys in the car could hear and they all felt like their insides were shaken not stirred!

It was definitely a man's car. A true muscle car.

Unfortunately, he had traded the Z-28 by the time I came along, but I get to hear all the fun stories about his shenanigans.

These old autos where uncomfortable as can be, but I miss really fast cars. They had character.


♥ ∞

Friday, January 30, 2009

Postcard Friendship Friday (01/30)

My sweet friend Marie at Viola! Cpaphil Vintage Postcards is up to something. She asked me to put a postcard on my blog today, so, this is what this post is all about. Check out her site for more details ... :o)

Here ya go Marie! Careful there ... it's an old card. Don't wanna damage it.


What is she up too .... ???? Let's go see ...


♥ ∞

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

We went migratory bird watching in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge yesterday. I had to punch out early but I'm glad I made the effort to go. It was overcast and rainy most of the day but we still had fun.

The whole album is on-line at this link, for anyone interested. :o)

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
It's actually located in South Carolina
just to the northeast of Savannah, Georgia.

Common Shovelers (Duck)

Common Shoveler (Duck)

Coots crossing the road

Alligators on the banks

Just a pretty, tranquil scene.

Cormorants and one Anhinga on the bottom limb

Bald Eagle

China Berry Tree

Great Blue Heron

Shhhh, look, a Wild Sparky!
(This is what I enjoy when I'm not
searching for missing Sapphires
and saving blog buddies from shark infested pools.)

The country sure has cute guys. [Hi Sweetie!]

The Weyenhauser Pulp Plant is a bit of a smelly blight,
but it's jobs for many.


♥ ∞

Monday, January 26, 2009

Tan Lines And The Weather

funny pictures of cats with captions
more animals

The weather has been so yucky here of late. I would welcome even odd tan lines right now.

I'm sitting here, waiting for the doctor's office to call about my soon to be neck surgery. It's almost lunch time people! (Have they forgotten? Lost my phone number? Should I call them??)

[pacing the floor]

And it just rains ... and rains ... and gets colder ... then it's overcast ... then it rains again. So depressing.

[heavy sigh] [more pacing]

Could someone pretty pleeeeeze with sugar on top send some warmth and sunshine!!? I need to get out of this house! I need to get some delta breeze on my knees! It sure would cheer me up to no end! For me, motorcycling is my 'drug' ... my therapy in a world of tedium and madness. Going without the wind in my face for too long makes me weird(er). HA!

My First Motorcycle
1979 Kawasaki KZ650

Oh, by the way, the above photo of the very cute kitty is from a fun website with a silly name: Lolcats 'n Funny Pictures of Cats. I've bookmarked it for future, um, 'reference'. [smile]

Stay tuned Sports Fans ...

*** UPDATE AT 3:20 PM - Doctors office said the surgery will be February 4th (Wednesday). The 'procedure' will be out-patient! Too cool! :o))) I like sleeping in my own bed. ***


♥ ∞

Saturday, January 24, 2009

We Only Want To Help You

I've decided not to worry about things anymore.

Didn't you hear? We will now be living on the "Big Rock Candy Mountain". Milk and honey will soon be flowing from the water tap.


All the terrorists at Guantanamo will be released and in gratitude will convince their brethren to lay down their arms and come to "Obamastock" to join in the great love-in.

We will all soon enjoy "free" health care which will encompass all those nasty "unwanted" unborn babies. They will be eliminated for our convenience.

Those mean 'ol Republicans and Christians who keep getting in the way of all our FUN will quit listening to Rush Limbaugh and talk radio, because HE said so, and join the love-in.

We won't have to worry about taxes because all those mean old rich people will finally have to pay everything they make in taxes instead of just the lowly 40%.

And all those disgusting fat people who eat the 'wrong' foods or drink the 'wrong' drinks will pay more taxes. All those taxes will help them lose weight.

The rich, seeing how life is so easy now, will simply stop working at growing businesses, inventing devices to save lives and new jobs and all that other stressful stuff, and join the love-in too.

And we will all be "re-educated" at the Obama camps.

Well, I don't know about you, but I can't hardly wait 'til all these great things come to pass, so I'm putting on my old bell-bottoms, digging my old "Rolling Stones" and "Doors" LP's out of the closet, and searching for my tie-dyed T-shirts ...


... Because "The Age of Aquarius" finally has arrived!

The great rock star god, Obama will supply our every need ... and for anyone who buys into this, I have a gold mine for sale in Patterson .... cheap.



♥ ∞