Theme post: Cheap Gadgets I had to Buy

Today is a theme post called 'Cheap Gadgets I had to Buy'.

Please check out my other two blogs to see what cheap gadgets I bought for the garden and kitchen.
For $3.00 this little gadget says it will 'organize anything'. Anything? Really? Because I am having a lot of trouble organizing my coupons and magazines and I really don't see how this is going to help. Sounds like false advertising.

I purchased 2 of these so I could hang my brooms up on the wall. One for the inside broom and one for the outside broom. If you feel the need for a Funnel Fits Universal Organizer visit their website.

Look at the bottom left corner......it's safe and secure. I better check for warnings. I might need to save the warning with my other warning (from the watering cones) and mattress tags. No more warnings but look closely......Made in China.....now I'm skeered.

I nearly forgot........Goooooo Smoke. Tomorrow's race at Bristol should be a good one. I'll miss the last part of the race because we are going to a Piston/Miami Heat game. If you have never been to a NASCAR race and only can go to one, Bristol is the race to go to. I've attended the night race at Bristol. It is unbelievable. 140K plus of people around a short track carved out of the mountains in Tennessee. Also the best way to attend a race at Bristol is through a race tour. They take care of lodging, tickets, transportation, and VIP tent. It just a little more expensive than buying your own tickets but you get free transportation to and from the track (worth hours of time saved), probably better tickets, and the VIP tent gives you the opportunity to meet drivers, win prizes, eat, and possibly tour the garage area before the race.

Time

It's time for a theme post. Time is the theme on all three of my blogs.

I really thought that once I was retired..... I would have time. I was wrong wrong wrong. Really is there ever enough time????

I have slowly been going through piles of magazines, paper work, recipes, etc etc. I figured that I could get caught up on the inside chores so that I would be ready for the warm weather chores. But the more I clean, the more I find, the more I find, the more I need to clean.

I cleaned out my make up drawer and medicine cabinet the other day. How I accumulated so much lipstick, I'll never know. I threw out a lot. I can now find the 3 or 4 items that I use everyday.

The medicine cabinet was a mess. Every band aid we own was out of the box (R's doing), prescriptions from 1998, prescriptions for ailments unknown, and vitamins that we should have taken but didn't, and now they have expired. I threw out a lot. I can now find the 3 or 4 items that I use everyday.

See a pattern?????

Back to time. I began to sort my jewelry. I'll admit it...I love my baubles. R and I collect vintage watches, particularly wristwatches from the 30's, 40's, and 50's. Mechanical watches....the kind you wind. Since we both have mechanical backgrounds we really appreciate the complexity and minuteness of these mechanical wonders.I have self taught myself how to oil, adjust the speed, and how to determine whether the watch is beyond my ability and beyond the size of my wallet to fix. I also can rejuvenate a watch crystal if the scratches are not overly deep. I love the feel of watch crystals from the 30's-50's. They are thick, sometimes beveled and convex.

I'm currently having a platinum watch from the 20's refurbish by a true watch maker. His name is Gunther. While at his shop, he told me that the United States is currently in need of 1500 true watchmakers and that in the next decade or two you will not be able to get a mechanical watch serviced. A true shame. If you are interested in becoming a watchmaker, it is a 4 year apprenticeship. You work 4 years with a journeyman watchmaker, without pay. No different than college.....4 years.....no pay.

Here are photos of my favorite watches. Most are from the 40's and 50's. I'm partial to Bulova. Yes, I know these are watches for men. But they are the size of ladies watches today. Ladies watches of that era were very small. I have a few in my collection but I just don't wear them.Several years ago for R's birthday, I was able to purchase a Bulova watch made in 1952 the same year he was born. This watch was new old stock (NOS) meaning they never sold the watch to anyone back in 1952. It came with all paperwork, case, and outer cardboard box. It even had the hang tag with the price still attached. The cost back in 1952 was $95.00. Think about it.....$95.00 was a lot of money back in 1952.It's a great watch.

R and I also like clocks. Not new clocks but old clocks. Several years ago we purchased a circa 1880-1890 Kroeber porcelain mantle clock. We purchased it off eBay and the seller was unsure if it still worked as it did not come with a key. We are currently looking for a Kroeber key of the correct size. Gunther remove the movement for us and when he lifted it out, things started spinning and moving. Our fingers are crossed that it was a good sign. The porcelain is in need of repair to fix a bad glue job on a small broken piece. We may or may not have that restored. We do need to replace the wood access door on the back. We have purchased the wood and need to trace the old door shape onto the new piece, cut it out, stain it, and screw the brass access cover back on.This photo was taken while the clock was in storage, please disregard the dust.

It's a great clock.

We also purchased a Swedish Cartel clock. Gunther has a couple but they are out of our price range. We found a smaller less ornate Cartel clock and just recently found a key. We wound that bad boy up. I could barely turn the key. I thought "oh boy this thing is going to chime in the middle of the night and knock me out of bed." As it turns out......it has a very wimpy chime. But that's quite alright with me. The clock runs a bit slow. I need to take it off the wall and try to figure out where the adjustment is. It's a great clock.

Why would people pay such a large percentage of their income, back in the day, just to know what time it was??? How did they originally set their clocks and watches??? There wasn't a TV or telephone to use to call and find out the correct time. Did it really matter???? They got up with the sun and went to bed when it set. Hence the saying "Daylight's burning."

So why would anyone even need to wear a watch back then?

These days, every item you own has the time on it, TVs, cell phones, VCR/DVD players, stoves, microwaves, thermostats, even refrigerators. When you are in your car, you have a clock on the radio, and every bank sign has the time and temperature.

So why would anyone even need to wear a watch now?

It's ironic that everywhere I turn I can find out what time it is. Do I need a clock to know I'm running late? It's a given...there is never enough time. Now I just need to find something to turn back time or invent more time.

And speaking of time....It is time for a Goooooooo Smoke!!!!!!

Shhhhh...don't tell Tony

The vast amount of miles I drive has produced at least three good things.

OK let me clear this up before I get a rash of emails from my friends (who refuse to leave comments but email me instead!!!). I know they are gift cards to Lowe's and Tony drives for Home Depot but come on.....they were FREE!!!!!! Yes....free I tell you!!!! When it comes to FREE stuff what can I say.......I'm easy.

Well anyways...I decided to cash in my points at Speedway Gas Station. So now I am on a quest to see how inexpensively (cheaply) I can purchase a 2 drawer stainless dishwasher. I know I can obtain a 20% coupon from Lowe's. The dishwasher I want is the Fisher & Paykel 24-Inch Double Dish Drawer for $1400.00. So that brings the price to $1120 minus the $75 in gift cards bring my current cost to $1045.00. So far I've saved $355.00

or

I could purchase the Bosch24-Inch Integra™ 300 Series Dishwasher for $798.00. I already have purchased a Bosch cook top. Let me see what my cost would be........calculating........$563.40 is the cost with a savings of $234.60. That's a big difference.....I'll have to think this over.

I won't need to purchase this appliance until the summer so maybe by then I will have used enough gasoline to deplete another oil field and obtain another $25 gift card.

So let's just keep this little nasty Lowe's secret between the two of us. No need for Tony to know that I'm cheating on him. I'll wear a #20 shirt when I go to Lowe's to purchase my dishwasher. I do have some scruples.....my God I don't want them to think I'm a Jimmy Johnson fan!!!!!!

Speaking of Tony......two in a row in the Nationwide Series and a 7th place finish in the Cup race. Tony is currently leading the Nationwide Series and is 3rd in points in the Cup Series.

Go Smoke!!!! Hey I'm a fan but even I wouldn't want this item.

Window update......Roger invested a hour filling and sanding. Myself......well I had good intentions Sunday night of finishing the last glass install but Pride and Prejudice was on. Come on...it was Mr. Darcy and that twerp Mr. Collins. I didn't like Mr. Collins when I read the book many eons ago and I still don't like him. AND thank gosh they don't have that entailing anymore. Well anyways.....I was sidetracked by Mr. Darcy and really only worked on them for an hour. If they ever make Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert into a movie, I'll never get anything done. You do know Flaubert had a foot fetish, didn't you?

Time invested 2 hours. Total time invested 36 hours and 40 minutes.

Foyer light

One of the first pieces of 'real' artwork I purchased was a watercolor. My friend purchased this watercolor at an auction (early 1990's) in it's original frame. Both her and her husband hated the watercolor but loved the frame. The frame was OK but I fell in love with the watercolor. We split the cost and for $35.00 I had a wonderful piece of artwork. That painting is the inspiration for my foyer. I'm sorry the photo does not show the full painting. There was a glare on the glass and this was the only angle that didn't produce a glare. But back to the inspiration. Notice the hanging light??? It appears to be iron, probably wrought not cast. The glass appears to be colored probably slag. On eBay I came across a metal lantern similiar to the above light for less than $20.00. I could see by the photos that it had some rust but that's OK I like to use the sandblaster.The light came with clear bumpy glass. That glass will be replaced with the same slag glass (swirled pale lavender,cream, medium purple) that matches the other hanging light fixtures in my home. I am in the process of sandblasting the light and it's taking longer than expected. I'll post a photo when it has been derustified.

So now I am in search of a cast ceiling cap/canopy to use with this light fixture. If anyone know of a cast brass, aluminum, or iron ceiling cap/canopy let me know. I seem to only come across pressed metal cap/canopys and I believe that would not look quite right.

Before anymore asks.....the frame was a copper gilt Arts and Craft frame, more than likely from the 30's. I wish I had the frame, but not for this painting. It was just a cool frame.

My taste in art is pretty board. But the vast majority of my pieces are from the 30's and 40's and are in the impressionism and expressionism styles. I have one large pastel that will hang over the fireplace in the living room. It is not signed nor dated. But due to the large size I have to believe the frame is original. My plan is to have the frame restored. Hopefully at that time they (who ever I have restore it) can determine age, maker, or both. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a cool maker like Newcomb-Macklin. The frame looks to be in better condition in the photo than in real life. The corners are coming apart and need some gesso/plaster work.

Please do not pay any attention to the cobwebs/dust. We are currently using the living room for storage.

This is my mother's favorite. Just kidding. She says...."it's gross!" Who knew she was an art critic.

Well racing season is upon us. Congrats to Tony Stewart on his 3rd place finish in the Daytona 500 and his win in the Nationwide series. On a side note. I didn't like the long hair at first but it's growing on me. Get it??? Growing? Oh nevermind. Gooooooooo Smoke!!!!

Glazing points, glitter, and grey weatherstripping

My intent was just to run into Home Depot during my lunch and run right back out. How hard could it be, all I wanted was some disposable natural bristle brushes and a couple packages of glazing points. Both should be in the paint department.

As I turned the corner into the paint section the brushes were on my left. No problem. Picked up three 1 inch wide brushes for 77 cents each and three 2 inch wide brushes for 44 cents each. Hmmmm doesn't make much sense. Twice the brush for half the money. Oh well.

Down the aisle I go, caulk on the right side....let me see......glazing compound.......yup......ok the glazing points should be right here.....well maybe here......look up there....nope....look down here...nope. Oooooooookay. I guess I'll just have to ask the 2 associates and 1 manager that are standing RIGHT HERE where the glazing points should be. "Oh excuse me, could you tell me where the glazing points are???" Well, I might as well have said "I am from Mars and is this Lowe's?" The guy just stood there and stared at me. Now I know they were deep into counting tubes of caulk...I mean it was taking THREE of them to do it. Finally he says to the manager, "she's looking for something called glazing points." Now this is why they pay the manager more money, he says "Oh I have heard of those, but I don't know what you use them for. But they should be right here." He begins to look in the putty knife/scraper display. I know that scraper section and the glazing points are not there. Then he turns around and see the tubes, tubs, and cans of glazing compound and says "Oh they should be right here." He looks up and then he looks down and says "They're not here." Well no kidding. It was at this point that associate number 2 volunteers this tidbit of wisdom. "I think they are in lumber. Check around the trim section." The manager fully agrees and they go back to counting caulk. 1 tube of paint able silicone caulk........two tubes of paint able silicone caulk......... oops here's a tube of almond color caulk.....now where was I?......three tubes of......

Grrrr....so I turn and head down the aisle, turned right, and there at the end of the NEXT aisle on an end cap were little packages of glazing points. Well of course.....it all makes sense now. Glazing points, tubs of glitter, and rolls of grey foam weatherstripping. What was I thinking...I was in the C section (caulk, compound) and I needed to be in the G section (glazing points, glitter, grey weatherstripping).

On my way to the register I passed the caulk counting think tank and told them it was with the glitter. They all looked at each other and acted like "of course......glitter." And they all went back to counting. This is why they need to hire someone to design the layout of their stores who actually uses their products. Instead they hire some "expert" who lays the store out to maximize the probability that you will buy more than you need by sending you all over the store to buy related items. Ha....fooled them......I didn't buy the glitter. I was tempted but all they had was gold colored glitter......remember it was the G aisle.

Being at Home Depot reminded me that it's almost Tony time again. Although I'll always be a Tony fan, I am still not happy with the manufacturer switch. It's bad enough that they had to go with those ugly COT cars.

But here's a gratuitous "Go Smoke" anyways.

Catching up

The end of September and the beginning of October have been nothing less than hectic. Add to that the fact that I was sick and well...to say the least I've gotten behind on a few things. So here I go on catching up.



First....the wedding was just beautiful, just like the bride. October weddings should be chilly, maybe a little nip in the air??? Oh no, it was sunny and 90. Yes, I tell you, 90 hot hot hot degrees and I was in black velvet with a fever from a viral infection. Try putting on pantie hose when it's 90, you have a fever, and you're so weak you can barely get them to your knees let alone all the way to your waist!!! Which brings me to ask this question...who in their right mind invented pantie hose????? Had to be a man...right???? Someone who has never had to put the damn things on. Didn't Joe Namath once wear pantie hose??? Well anyways.....I hate those things. Can't get them up and once you do...you have to pee. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


Here's a photo of the tables. Barbara did a great job on the centerpieces. You can't tell by the photo, but the vase had a little LED light that lit the vase and made it glow.
Let's all say "ahhhhh aren't they cute?"



Second....I can't work on the house when it is 90 outside. But don't worry...it's Michigan where one day it is 90 degrees and two days later 49 degrees. I also can't work on the house when it is raining. We had several days where we had tornadoes here in Michigan...in October. Last October it snowed!!!!


Third.....I have been informed by those who read my blog that indeed my bird bath base is level and that it is I who is a half bubble off.


Fourth....Roger wants to rent a skid steer again. He says he needs it to move large rocks for MY hosta garden. Pffft.....who's he kidding. He just wants to do donuts in the yard with the skid steer. So I put the kibosh to that notion. So he is back to the lawn tractor and snow saucer for moving the rocks. Please no hate mail from the guys!!!! Roger gets to play plenty!!!!! Plus maybe next year I'll let him rent one, but don't tell him.


Fifth....and not the Stoly kind either, but after this month I may need one. Roger rototilled the Hosta La Vista bed and positioned several large rocks. Hopefully tomorrow we can plant the hostas and put that bed to rest. No pun intended. Stop groaning.

Well hopefully this post will clear up any notion that we have been slacking off at "The Gear."

Also......a gratuitous Goooooooo Smoke. Tony is currently in 4th place with several races to go before The Chase is over. Anything can happen when there are two Busch brothers on the track, so don't count Tony out just yet.

Goooooooo Smoke!!!!

Level with me....

OK, I need you all to level with me. In the below photo does the base of the concrete bird bath look straight or tilted?

If you said tilted...I agree with you. But...and isn't there always a but....the level says it is level. Is it an optical illusion or am I delusional?

Let's say for the sake of argument, that it is most definitely level. Do I leave it the way it is or do I adjust until it appears to be level???

I would hate for people to leave "The Gear" saying "Oh my gosh...did you see how crooked her bird bath was?"

On to the other hosta bed. After clearing out little stumps and sod the bed was ready to be filled with sorted varieties of hostas.

The photo below was taken after we planted most of the hostas. All that is left to do is plant Patriot hostas around the edge, put the bowl on the bird bath base, and paint the bird bath.
Since it is "Chase" time for Nascar's Nextel Cup Championship, I would be remiss if I didn't give out a gratuitous "Gooooooooo Smoke"! Tony Stewart is currently in second place and only two points behind the leader, Jeff Gordon.

Buried treasure?.....

I'm always reading about people finding buried treasure in their yard or finding something incredibly interesting or valuable in their attic...well guess what??? We found something. Buried. In our yard!!!!!

Using your best Jim Nabor/Gomer Pyle voice say "Surprise, surprise! Shazam!" Look at what we found!!!!!!

A sidewalk!!!! Yea!!! What the heck, you say??? Well if you read carefully, I said other people find buried treasure. I didn't say we found buried treasure, I said we found something buried!!!!

While Roger was tilling the dirt on the north side of the house and he noticed that at some spots the rototiller was going over something hard. I took the shovel and starting poking around and could hear it hit something. I shoveled a little and then realized it led in the direction of the gate. Hmmmmm. Sure enough it turned out to be a walkway that wraps around a large Norway pine. The walkway also has the same embedded colored slate as the walkway in front of the house and behind the sun room. I think this will be a perfect spot to plant more hostas!!!!!

This photo is a little dark, but it shows the embedded slate.

In other developments. Planted 22 lilacs last weekend. Dark purple, light purple, white, pink, pinkish red, and burgundy. We also finished our rock circle and planted Guacamole hostas around the tree. Tomorrow we will plant the final two bushes....two snowball bushes. Then we should be done with the planting in the front yard. Except for the hosta beds.

Here is Roger cutting down one of the two Hawthorn trees that were growing on top of the walkway.

Back to the race. Tony is in 4th after 344 laps. Gooooooo Smoke!!!!

Don't even ask me about the change to Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing. Scuttlebutt is that Tony is not happy about it but has a contract through '09. Home Depot also has a contract through '09. I look for Tony to take Home Depot and go to RCR. That's my 2 cents worth and my prediction.

Tony Stewart and the weather Part II

Both Tony Stewart and the weather are still "hotter than the hubs of hell."

I think we Michiganders have gotten used to less humidity. The last couple of years the humidity rarely gets above 60% and it's usually been staying in the 30 to 40% range. Now I know for you desert people 30-40% is a killer but us Great Lakes people usually have to endure 3 months of sticky weather. So now that we have had to live through a week of not only hot weather but high humidity....well......I just can't take it like I used to!!!!! Yuck, icky, sticky weather. So in a nutshell...not much has happened at "The Gear", workwise that is. Seems lately all I do is water plants. Some are looking rather droopy due to the heat. Relief is in sight. Tomorrow should be very enjoyable, so I should be able to get something accomplished before I go to work. Operative word being "should".



Also a shout out to Tony Stewart who won at Watkins Glen on Sunday. Smoke is HOT, HOT, SMOKING!!!!

Tomorrow I'll fill you in on our plan for the northwest corner of the front yard and why this boulder is sitting in the driveway with a strap around it.

I just realized, after looking at the above photo, that the vegetation growing in the cracks of my driveway are greener than my lawn. Go figure.

Also, I have no idea why my paragraphs either have large spaces between them or none at all. It appears just fine in my drafts, but when I publish it...it's different. The paragraph gods are not being kind to me at all. But just in case a former English teacher or professor reads this...I swear I'm doing it correctly.....it's the computer's fault...I swear. Has absolutely nothing to do with the idiot running the keyboard.

Tony Stewart and the weather........

What do Tony Stewart and the weather have in common???????

They are both currently "Hotter than the hubs of hell!!"

There is absolutely no way we can work on "The Gear" in this weather. The weatherman is forecasting 98 degrees tomorrow. So tomorrow will consist of watering plants, fruit trees, and pretending the house is dark grey.

Sunday I plan on power washing the house to remove any loose paint and hopefully loosen the little bit of paint that is actually stuck!!! I know....I know......you're not suppose to power wash wooden shingles. Normally I wouldn't, but these are not in the best of shape and are slated for R & R. Not "rest and recreation" but "removal and replacing". The plan is to replace one side of the house each year, starting in the back. Hopefully by the time I get to the front, I will be shingling like a pro. The shingling that my Dad and I did last summer actually came out really well and that was using old shingles.

I was reading somewhere, i.e. Internet, magazine etc. that using rocks in your landscape as mulch was not exactly a good idea because it warms the soil too much. Well ......not so. I have part of my front bed covered in rocks so far. I have two clumps of coneflowers, one is surrounded by rocks and the other isn't. Which one do you think was dried out and which one was still perky??? That's right ....you guess it, the one surrounded by rocks was perky. As far as the soil being too warm due to the rocks.......I doubt if it will ever get any warmer than it is today. I actually think the rocks keep the moisture in the ground and act as insulation. Sure the top of the rock is "hotter than the hubs of hell!!!" I like that saying!!! But if you pick up the rock and feel the bottom of it, it is cool to the touch. Of course not as cold as a "witch's t*t in a brass bra" but it is cooler than the air temp. I like that saying too!!!

Speaking of "hotter than the hubs of hell", Tony Stewart is on fire. He's now won 2 in a row. In an earlier post I wrote about kissing the bricks at Indy. I included a photo of Jimmy Johnson kissing the bricks. Well as you know......or maybe you don't......Jimmy Johnson is sponsored by "Lowe's" and Tony Stewart is sponsored by "Home Depot". Several of my friends questioned my choice of including Jimmy Johnson's photo. I'll admit I was lazy and that was the first photo I found of someone kissing the bricks, so I used it. So without further ado....here is Tony Stewart aka "Smoke" kissing the bricks at the brickyard.

Smoke and the rest of the Home Depot crew climbing the fence at "The Brickyard".

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that Tony was fined $25,000 dollars for using a "bad" word in his interview with ESPN. 25,000 smackers...holy cow....you know what I could do with $25,000...let me see. I could hire someone to paint my house or I could hire someone to re shingle my house. I love that line in the movie, Exit to Eden , where Rosie O'Donnell's character says, "You want to do something nice for me? Paint my house." I digress.......The reason Tony said what he said was because....It was "hotter than the hubs of hell"!!!! Geeeees........so he swore.....whoopee...he's sponsored by a home improvement store and anyone that has undertaken some sort of home improvement has swore at one time or another. Damn it!!!

Racing news on the home front......Gavin, in only his second outing in a midget, qualified 5th, placed 4th in his heat race, and finished 7th in the feature. Plus, he was named "Hard Charger" of the race for passing the most cars!!! Good job Gavin. Here's a photo of Gavin.

Here is the lovely Barbara pushing Gavin out onto the track for the feature. Good job Barbara!!!!

Free stuff.....gotta love it

In a previous post I mentioned that my camera quit working and that I needed to purchase another, hopefully smaller camera.......well, I did and it was free. Which has lead me in hot pursuit of more FREE stuff.

First I'll start with the camera. Friends and family know that I drive 70 miles to work and 70 miles home at least 6 days a week. This consumes ALOT of gasoline. I happen to know exactly how much fuel because last year I participated in a fuel additive study for our local TV station. In a nutshell I did pre additive fuel economy testing and testing with additive during my daily drive. So I know I get 21.7 mpg. As you can see I use a lot of gas. Don't worry I'm getting to the free camera part. I fill my vehicle up at Speedway gas stations and use my Speedy Rewards card. I recently redeemed my points for 8 $25.00 gift cards for Circuit City. I then purchased a 7.2 mega pixel Panasonic camera with a 6X zoom. It didn't cost me a single penny.

So...hmmmmm....what else can I get free?? Kinda like FREE stuff. Oh wait....a guy I work with has talked me into saving Coke bottle caps. Originally I was saving up points to enter their contest to win an autographed Tony Stewart helmet. But instead I just accumulated 1200 pts. and now I am getting more free stuff. FREE stuff like......A Diet Coke 25th anniversary commemorative silver bottle, a free 20 oz Coke product, a free Coca Cola memory stick, and free Coca Cola retractable ear buds (ear plugs). All FREE FREE FREE.....see more possible free stuff at My Coke Rewards

But the FREE stuff didn't stop there. I work for a very large corporation that gives their employees a 25 year gift. The employee can pick from a selection that ranges from jewelry to junk. I realized that although I had 31 yrs, I had never availed myself to this free stuff. So I did and I am now the proud owner of a brand spanking new 10 inch, 15 amp table saw from Skil. It should come in handy when my Dad and I make the remaining shutters.

But WAIT.........there's more. I was cleaning out my purse and found a mailing from a local nursery in the area. Since I am a VIG member (very important gardener...what a hoot) I get a monthly mailing telling me I need this and that for my yard and flowers. I quickly opened it just to see what I was SUPPOSED to be buying when I noticed a coupon that said FREE. Yes....FREE 5" potted miniature rose. Hmmmmm...I like roses and well it's FREE. So I went to the nursery and they were all out of roses but don't worry....I got a FREE hydrangea instead.

So now I'm afraid I will have to enter rehab for my FREE STUFF addiction. Hey maybe I'll meet a celebrity or two........oh Lindsey...Brittany......maybe I can help them find some FREE underwear!!!!!

Oh and lest I forget....a gratuitous ...."Go Smoke"......Tony started 41st but lagged back on the start so he could start 43rd (last) and he finished in 3rd...way to go Smoke.

Tip toeing through the tulips....

Nothing much has been done at The "Gear" this week. I am working 12 hrs 7 days this week. That hardly gives me time to smell my flowers. That's right, I didn't smell them but I did take photos of them.

So without further ado....The Tulips at Gear Acres.........ignore the dandelions!!!!
These are a lovely mix of tulips...pretty...but they were suppose to be dark maroon and cream.

These are so cute....I wish I had bought more....I think they were in the clearance bin at Kmart. Martha Stewart tulips, I do believe....."that's a good thing." Don't look directly at the dandelion..."That's a bad thing."

These look exactly like the photo. I'm buying more of these. They were from Home Depot. Which means I can say "Go Smoke". That was a gratuitous Tony Stewart plug. I don't think Tony likes tulips or Nascar at the moment!!! Damn caution flags!! Those of you who are not race fans........didn't understand any of that.

Just like the photos. White ones were purchased off eBay. The purple ones are more from Home Depot.

These are from Frost Gardens. The photo just doesn't do them justice. BUT...sorry they just don't match. I'm going to have to relocate these. That big rock behind them is a piece of petrified rock from the Great Lakes area. Very interesting rock.

Here is my all time favorite tulip, Queen of Night. Black tulips do not exist, so this is the closest thing to it. Black tulips have been the subject of poets and authors.

Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to flower

Comes a pause in the days occupation

That is known as the Black Tulip hour

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I just recently purchased the book The Black Tulip or as it was originally titled Tulipe Noir by Alexandre Dumas. You remember him.....The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monti Cristo, and The Man in the Iron Mask. The Black Tulip is a romantic tale centered around a fictional black tulip. It is a love story laced with murder, torture, greed, dastardly intrigue, and sudden surprises.....or so they say. I'll let you know after I read it. If you're a race fan...you probably didn't understand any of that.

Tiptoe to the window, by the window that is where I'll be, Come tiptoe through the tulips with me!Tiptoe from your pillow, to the shadow of a willow tree, And tiptoe through the tulips with me! Knee deep in flowers will stray, we'll keep the showers away. And if I kiss you in the garden, in the moonlight, will you pardon me? Come tiptoe through the tulips with me!

Recorded by Tiny Tim

Lyrics by Al Dubin and Joe Burke

So Thank you for Tip Toeing Thru' the Tulips with Me...........geeeeees Louise!!!!! I just couldn't help myself....it's late...I'm tired.