DWI For Sure

Posted on July 15, 2012 by civilwarrose5

Last night I discovered just what is involved in a sobriety test as administered by the local police. It was an interesting learning experience. No, I was not at all involved. Instead, I was merely a witness to the proceedings at it took place on the sidewalk in front of Jay’s house. We had front row seats to the show. I suppose that I shouldn’t be excited about another person’s misfortunes, but it was of their own doing. If you don’t want to be made into a spectacle on the side of the road then find a DD!

Jay and I were talking in the kitchen when we heard the police siren. That is not unusual around here because he lives one block away from a main road. The unusual part was seeing the flashing lights stop in front of his house. Looking out the window we saw a Lincoln Navigator pulled over. This Lincoln Navigator happend to have the passenger side mirror hanging loose on the door. Not a good sign.

This woman swore up and down that she wasn’t drunk, and the bad thing was that she was very close to her house, just a hundred feet or so from where she was stopped. After the usual checking of the license and plate he asked her to step out of the car. I have to feel sorry for the cops because I’m sure that dealing with a lot of these DWI cases it’s the same. They swear up and down that they didn’t have much to drink. When they get pulled out of the car they swear up and down that they are fine, and how about if they just let them go. If the person doesn’t do so well on the tests then they start rationalizing and trying to impress upon the police man about how important it is that they don’t get ticketed for DWI because they could lose their job, etc. If it was that important then you should have done a better job of not getting drunk and then driving.

The first test involves standing with one foot up off the ground for 30 seconds. This woman tried it, but first she raised her foot way too high and she almost fell over. Then she just couldn’t seem to keep her balance with the one foot raised. I gave her a pass on that one because I have trouble with my balance, too, so I’m not sure that I could do it if I was really nervous and knew that the cop was looking to see if I was drunk. My luck I would flunk that one horribly.

 Test #2 is the one that most of us are familiar with from movies and TV. You walk a straight line, putting your heel to your toes as you step, turn around after nine steps and head back to the point from where you started. Now, that one should be easy enough. Even I could do that. This woman last night was having issues with that one. I had to laugh (and I know… I shouldn’t!) but after about five attempts of putting one foot in front of the other she settled into more of a regular walk. She gets back to the starting point and stands there saying, “See! I’m fine! Now please just let me drive home.” The cop was very nice and I never once heard him speak sharply to her.

The last test you stand in one spot, tilt your head back, close your eyes, and then with your arms outstretched you bring your pointer finger in to touch your nose. The police officer will tell you which arm to use so that you don’t have to worry about that little detail. The woman last night was having a bit of difficulty with that, sometimes not keeping her head tilted back or even making quite the movement with her arm to hit her nose.

As soon as that test was done the police officer looked at his buddy and gave him a nod. This second cop had pulled up about the time that the first test was going on. As cop #2 goes walking to his patrol car the woman again starts pleading to just let her go because she was fine. That’s when the cop mentioned the fact that she had hit another car, which is why her mirror was hanging limp at the side of the car. The woman then starts insisting that she’ll pay for the damage if he will just let her go. Cop #2 comes walking back up to them carrying the breathilizer device. I have no idea what she blew because if they told her what it was they didn’t say it loud enough for us to hear from our perch in the window. All we know is that after the second round of blowing into the device, they said a couple things to her, and then cuffed her and put her in the monkey cage.

Cop #2 pulled a hunk of glass out of his car and it matched up perfectly to the limp side mirror. Must be he had gathered that from the crash scene and just needed it as evidence to verify that it belonged to her car. Then they went through her car to see what they could find. They pulled out a case of beer and an open can. I have open cans rolling around in my car sometimes (not beer cans, though), but there wasn’t any leg to stand on when he tipped it and poured out what had remained in there. The first cop went to his patrol car, read her her rights, and then told her what they were going to ticket her for. One of them was DWI and the other was for an open container.

They finished up with that, took her off to the pokey, and then the second cop left after the tow truck came and hauled her stinkin’ Lincoln away. Go ahead… call me a dork, but it was entertaining. Growing up in the middle of nowhere I never got to see things like that. And considering that I don’t drink and drive, I have never had to personally experience any of those tests. At least now I know what to expect! 😉

Sorry if you thought this post was boring. Maybe you had to be there…

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Vegetable Garden 7-12-12

Posted on July 13, 2012 by civilwarrose5

Kerry, Kerry, quite contrary…. how does your garden grow?

With Cherry tomatoes….

Beef steak tomatoes…

And pepper plants all in a row.

Considering the fact that we haven’t had much rain this year, my garden is doing okay. This will be all that I have to harvest this year, unfortunately. I had started some pea plants, zucchini, and cucumber plants in a side plot, but they all died. *sigh* If anybody has more zucchini than they know what to do with when it starts growing, please let me know! I’m in the mood to make some zucchini relish. Mmmm….

In other news, I have taken the chain link part of my chain link fence down. This fence was annoying to me because it didn’t serve a purpose anymore. I managed to get the chain part off, now I just have to figure out how to remove the posts. They are in the ground quite solidly!

 

 

Look what I found growing in among my roses! I knew that there was a reason that I left that plant when I was ripping and tearing. It’s a Glad! Hopefully it will be gorgeous when it fully blooms. 🙂

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Changes…

Posted on July 12, 2012 by civilwarrose5

The only constant thing in life is change. A lot of people are not good with change. Some people thrive on it. Others don’t worry about it until they are confronted and have no other choice. As for myself, I’m weird when it comes to change. There are times when I look forward to it, and even crave it. Other times I dread it and hope that it doesn’t ever come.

I like to use the excuse that my astrological sign is Gemini, so therefore I get bored easily and need to try new and interesting things. Except, that’s not necessarily true. When I have an established routine, especially at work, I don’t like for somebody to come along and change it. Maybe it’s not so much the change as having somebody else tell me that I have to change. I tend to get stubborn and dig my heels in at that point. At least, as much as I can.

The thing that bothers me the most is when I have been trying to make some changes and it’s not working! For instance, you read about the people who just have to stop drinking pop and they lose 20 pounds in a month. I think that they lost it and I found it! lol. It seems like no matter how many salads I eat for lunch, or how many miles I walk, that I’m never going to lose any weight. *Sigh* It can get a bit frustrating.

I have been trying to do things to make myself happy lately. After being at work for ten hours during the week, I come home and do things around the house. I work in my yard, tending my vegetables, or I work around the house trying to keep the cat fur at a minimal level. But at 9 pm, I get to stop everything and do whatever I want. That might consist of writing a post for my blog, or I turn on a movie and spend the next hour and a half cross stitching. No, I don’t have a family to care for or worry about, but I have a full schedule of things that need to get done. I have very lazy cats and they refuse to do any chores while I’m at work. Stinkin’ cats! Perhaps I’m also being selfish trying to fit everything in during the week so that I can spend my entire weekend with Jay. Thus I have been trying to eliminate things from my life that stress me out and frustrate me. It’s my life and I deserve to be happy.

So I’m working on changes in my life. Good ones. Ones that make me happy. Ones that eliminate some frustrations and stress. Wish me luck!

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CW General Dating Game

Posted on July 11, 2012 by civilwarrose5

Today’s post was actually inspired by a conversation that I had with Jay this past weekend. I don’t even recall how it came up, but he asked me which Civil War General I would date. This was a REALLY tough decision for many reasons. After all, they might be my favorite military guys, but would I want to marry them? Let’s find out, shall we? It’s time for…

The Civil War Dating Game!!

Bachelor #1

Our first bachelor really knows how to set his ‘sites’ on what he wants! Though he lives his life by the ‘Book’, when it’s time to cut loose he is more than capable of pulling the trigger. This bachelor spends his days teaching and his nights ready to cuddle by the fire. You will never have to wonder where he stands for he’s known for standing as a stone wall and strong with his convictions. His first date would include a nice prayer meeting followed by conversation over a glass of lemonade. Say hello to our first bachelor, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson!

Bachelor #2

Our next bachelor is a quiet Virginian. His lips might not talk much, but his good looks scream, “Wow!” His hobbies include the military, traveling for the military, and performing his military duty. Some of his favorite places to visit are Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and Manassas. When he’s not in his tent you can find him hanging with his homies, Jackson and Longstreet. His idea of a perfect first date would be a horseback ride in the country. Ladies, please give it up for General Robert E. Lee!

Bachelor #3

Our final bachelor loves a good time, whether it includes a night out on the town or perhaps an evening with friends. His friends call him ‘Pete’, but you can call him yours! A tall and dapper fellow, even while wearing his slippers into battle, your friends will be jealous of this handsome man in uniform. No charging him, ladies. Let’s give a big welcome to General James Longstreet!

I’m sorry if you don’t get some of the jokes that I wrote in there. If you did, then I hope you enjoyed them.

Yes, these are my three favorite Confederate Generals. While I like each of them for different reasons, I would have to say that I would most likely date Longstreet. Jackson was a brilliant military mind and he also had very great faith. However, I think that he would be much too serious for my tastes. Lee was everything that a southern gentleman should be, and rumor has it that he could be quite the ladies’ man. I think that he’s too much of a proper figure for me that I wouldn’t be comfortable dating him, on the off chance that I might do something to upset him. We could definitely be friends, though. Longstreet got my vote because not only was he tall, strong and handsome, but he also had a fun side. Prior to the deaths of his children from illness he was quite the figure, playing cards and cutting up with the other guys in camp. Also, considering I’m a Yankee, I think that he would be the one who would most easily give me a chance. His best friend was Ulysses Grant and he would become a Republican after the War. In fact, many in the south thought of him as a turn-coat and he was not the revered hero that many ex-Confederate Generals became after a time. Despite the fact that he led one of Lee’s divisions, there is only one statue at Gettysburg with Longstreet’s ‘likeness’. It’s not a very pretty statue and it kind of looks like it started to melt in the sun. It’s set back, out of the way, and you have to search for it if you want to see it. Poor Longstreet!

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Warthog Cross Stitch 7-9-12

Posted on July 10, 2012 by civilwarrose5

The last time that I posted, this is what my cross stitched hog looked like. I was just beginning to use other colors on it and that made me happy because at least they were different shades of blue. lol

I haven’t had a whole lot of time to work on it in the past two weeks, but I have managed to make a little bit of progress.

 

Please ignore my shadow on the fabric. I have a hard time finding a good place to take a picture at night. I am starting to use some grays and other shades of blue. Because of the light you can’t really see it well, but that puff of gray towards the left is a cloud of smoke. In person you can really kind of see it.

 

Just as a reminder, this is the picture that I’m stitching. Again, I’m not sure that it’s going to turn out the way that I want, but I’ll do my best. If it doesn’t turn out very well I’ll just say that it’s an Abstract A-10. 😉

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A Baby MiG!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by civilwarrose5

This hot air balloon really doesn’t have anything to do with a baby MiG, except for the fact that it was up at the flying field Friday night. The same night that I was able to see the baby MiG for the first time. I’m just trying to create a little suspense for the unveiling. lol

 

 

Here he is! Isn’t he cute???!! We saw one of these fly when we were at SEFF in April. Everything else was grounded because of the wind, but this tiny little MiG flew like it was a calm day. It was the neatest thing to watch. Jay had the hobby shop order one for him, and the guy should really start paying Jay a commission. This guy ordered four in total, with two being spoken for. Within 5 minutes of having the Baby MiG in the air the remaining two had been sold.

 

It’s so cute when it’s in the air, but it doesn’t have the same nice ‘turbine’ sound as its daddy. That’s okay, though. The guys seem to be having a blast with it. I know that Jay really likes it.

 

 

 

At one point Sam, one of the other guys, had his in the air. The two baby MiG’s were flying in formation. It was work to remember which one was yours, though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That little jet zips around like it doesn’t have a care in the world. After Jay finished flying this little guy it was my turn to fly. I managed to get in about another 15-20 minutes on the LT-25. This time we practiced landing. I landed about 8 times, with only one assist. Jay says that I’m doing VERY well, but I think that he’s just saying that. lol

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A Very GREAT Day

Posted on July 8, 2012 by civilwarrose5

Have you ever had one of those days where it seems like nothing bothers you? Where you can find the humor in almost anything? Where all you do is laugh and laugh, without the aid of alcohol?? I had a very good day yesterday.

Most of it was due to the company that I was keeping. Jay and I have been dating for almost a year already, and yet it seems like it’s been so much longer than that. Life is good when you can find somebody who will give you a hug when you are down and then be able to tease your frown into a giggle. Jay is very good at that.

We took the A-10 up to the field to fly and were joined by a few of the other guys. The weather was hot, the biting flies were out, but there were plenty of laughs and good-natured teasing going on. It was a good day.

 

 

 

The Hog flew beautifully, like always, and everybody marveled at how great it looked in the sky. I was overflowing with pride because Jay had built that practically from scratch and it is so beautiful. I wasn’t proud that I was dating this guy who is so talented. I was proud for Jay because he was receiving the accolades that he fully deserves. He is so talented! Maybe not everybody would appreciate that, but I do.

After we left the field we went out to dinner. I was in a very giddy mood and Jay noted that perhaps I’d had too much to drink. I hardly think that one wine cooler and one small mudslide constitute too much to drink. We were having a great time, though. A much better time than the couple who were sitting across the bar from us. We think that it was a first date. I enjoy people watching, and last night was no exception. This date was not going well. He was doing his best to engage her, sitting sideways at the bar to face her with his complete attention right at her. She was sitting facing the bar, arms crossed across her chest, eyes on the TV on the wall, and her phone sitting on the bar in front of her. There was very little eye contact and she didn’t hesitate to pick up the phone to reply to a text or answer a call. I felt so bad for the poor guy. Actually, I felt bad for both of them because they had to put up with seeing Jay and I across from them, having a blast. And no, it was not because of my alcoholic drinks. lol

My message to anybody who is single and reading this blog: Don’t settle for ‘good enough’. Keep looking until you find that one person who can instantly put a smile on your face and who makes you laugh. Just for who they are.

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The Turning Point of the Civil War

Posted on July 6, 2012 by civilwarrose5

I know that it’s not Wednesday, but I still wanted to write a Civil War post this week. I promise that I will get back onto the Wednesday schedule next week. This particular week in 1863 was too important for me to just skip it.

The most well-known event that occurred during the first week of July during the years of the war was the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. This battle would be known as the High Tide of the Confederacy because it seemed that after this point in the war things changed. It was the last time that Lee would take the offensive and the Confederates no longer meet with as much success as they had previously. The Union would start to see an upswing in things. Ulysses S Grant would be brought east and placed in command of all the Union armies, and he would finally get the results that Lincoln had been longing for all along.

What had Grant done that would have Lincoln deciding to put him in charge of the army? Prior to this point in the war very few people would have even considered Grant as overall commander. There were rumors that he was a drunk and his most trusted general in the west was crazy Sherman. In fact, when somebody approached Lincoln with the accusation that Grant drank too much, Lincoln replied, “By the way, can you tell me where he gets his whiskey? He has given us successes and if his whiskey does it, I should like to send a barrel of the same brand to every general in the field.” Grant was doing exactly what Lincoln had been hoping that the other generals would do, he was getting the job done. He went after the Confederates and didn’t stop until he’d found a way to get them.

Vicksburg is a good example of Grant’s inability to allow the Confederates to get the better of him. Grant knew that Vicksburg was the key to controlling the Mississippi River. If the Union could gain complete control of this they would split the Confederacy in half and have a better position at choking off the Confederacy and getting them to give up. When Grant couldn’t take over the city by attacking it he did what he was good at doing… waiting. He laid seige to the town of Vicksburg, slowly choking off their supplies and contact with the outside. The Navy was aiding in Grant’s campaign, helping by a constant lobbing of shells into the town. The people of Vicksburg took to living in caves that they had dug into the ground in the hopes of getting away from the relentless shelling of their homes.

The seige lasted for forty days, during which time supplies were stretched so thin that the soldiers in the city had their daily rations cut to one small biscuit and a piece of bacon. They were literally starving and the Confederate army was unable, or unwilling, to assist them. Confederate General Joseph Johnston was in Mississippi, but he was having problems trying to scrape together enough men to help support Pemberton in Vicksburg. Most of the ‘extra’ men had been shipped east when Lee started his campaign into the North, which would end in Gettysburg. Johnston instead urged Pemberton to leave Vicksburg and join him so that together they could then attack the Union and perhaps regain Vicksburg. Pemberton refused since he’d been given orders to hold Vicksburg, and he was determined to do so.

Each day Pemberton, his soldiers, and the 3,000 citizens of Vicksburg hoped that Johnston would be able to break through and help to save them from the seige. What they didn’t know, though, was that Grant had been able to amass 70,000 troops to counter the 30,000 that Johnston had at his disposal. President David didn’t have any more troops to send to Johnston, so it was just a waiting game. On June 28th Pemberton received a message from the soldiers saying that he had better do something soon because the starving men were ready to mutiny. On July 3rd Pemberton sent a message to Grant asking for terms of surrender.

July 4, 1863 the Confederate soldiers marched out of the city and stacked arms, while a Union division entered Vicksburg and raised the Stars and Stripes high above the city. The naval boats celebrated out on the river while the people of Vicksburg choked back tears, insulted by having to surrender on July 4th. To make matters even worse, the Union soldiers behaved themselves and even handed out rations and supplies to the Confederate soldiers and citizens of Vicksburg. How dare this horrible enemy from the North act like civilized human beings!

Vicksburg would show Lincoln and the papers in the east just what Grant was capable of accomplishing. Shortly after this victory Lincoln would call Grant east to lead the army from that arena. As for the people of Vicksburg, it would be many years before they would again actually celebrate July 4th as Independence Day. They did not officially celebrate it again until 1945, after the end of WWII.

 

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Happy Birthday, America!

Posted on July 5, 2012 by civilwarrose5

 

I realize that I’m a day late with this post, but yesterday was busy and I didn’t have time to get on the internet. Better late than never, right?

Dear God,

Please help to keep our country strong and our people standing proud. Please help us to always remember all of the brave men and women who have given their lives in service of our country. Let us not take for granted the freedoms that we still have due to this great sacrifice. May the people who wish to see us torn apart instead be shown the light and understanding of what makes this country great. Lady Liberty’s torch has been dimmed in recent years, and especially last week with a huge blow to our freedoms served up by the cowards in the Supreme Court, but with your guidance and love, Lord, I know that we can reclaim our freedoms and come back stronger than before. I know that you have blessed this country and there are many others who realize this as well. Please help us to spread that message and return to being the land that our Founding Fathers originally created with your help. There are tough times ahead, but with your love and guidance I know that we will make it through. Thank you, Lord, for giving us this country and our freedoms.

Amen.

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Bakerella.com

Posted on July 2, 2012 by civilwarrose5

You have probably heard of Bakerella, but just never realized it. I am subscribed to her blog so I get an e-mail every time she posts. And I love it! I swear that I gain 5 pounds every time I read about one of her latest baking experiments. At any one time I probably have no less than 3 of her e-mails sitting in my inbox until I can write down the recipe in that post. I have added a few cookbooks to my Amazon wishlist, too. Thanks, Bakerella!

If you’ve seen this book, or have even just heard of a cake pop, then you’ve more than likely run into her work. I am always astounded at how creative this woman is when it comes to baked goods and sugar. She molds these cake pops into all different shapes and sizes, and they all come out freakin’ adorable!

 

 

One of the most memorable (and my own personal favorite) posts that she ever did was around Christmas time. In the winter stores carry the novelty round Coke bottles that hold about 8 oz of pop. She was creative enough to make a snow globe out of it, using a cupcake as the stand, and her cake pop recipe to shape the polar bear that is placed inside of the cleaned out plastic bottle. Isn’t that adorable?? I have no idea how in the world she thinks of so many creative things! That’s why I love to open her e-mails every week. I never know what delectable piece of adorableness is going to greet me.

If you’re not into cake pops, that’s fine. She does many other things as well. Last week she posted about a Key Lime Cream Cake that she made, and which I had to save the recipe so that I can make it for Jay at some point. The week before that she experimented with Homemade Marshmallows that she had to try after finding a cook book filled with recipes. You just never know what you’re going to find when you open the e-mail!

At one point in time I thought about decorating cakes as a side job. I taught myself how to do a lot of the different techniques and then took a cake decorating class when it was offered locally. I don’t have many pictures of my creations, but this is a birthday cake that I made for my dad and sister a few years ago. Not my best, but not too shabby. I haven’t really enjoyed baking since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and having to go gluten free. It’s so expensive that I hate to experiment, you know? I used to enjoy baking for my coworkers, but after I made some banana cupcakes and nobody ate them because they thought they were store bought I decided not to make them anything else. That and they truly didn’t appreciate the expense of the gluten free flours as compared to regular all purpose flour.

My creations aren’t nearly as adorable as Bakerella’s, but that’s okay. When I make them the person who is on the receiving end knows that they must be somebody special. I would like to do more baking, but my oven doesn’t work correctly and my waistline really doesn’t need it. I would bake a lot more for Jay, but he’s not really big on sweets. You’ve seen the pictures that I’ve posted. He’s scrawny. Does it look like the boy eats a lot of sugary sweets? It’s a bit disheartening, actually. What I wouldn’t give for a waistline like his!

Anyway, take a moment to peruse Bakerella’s website. It will be well worth it!

Posted in Baking | Tagged | 2 Comments