Blogging backlog

I meant to blog a few things last week, but I ran a little short on time. I'm going to dump all those random things into one blog. Yay for you, dear reader!

MASERATI: I drove in to work one day last week around 8 a.m. and got behind a Maserati on Lafayette Street. I'd say that's a pretty rare sight in Cleveland County.

NEHI: I took Lulu and Gracie to the groomer last week for baths and haircuts. On the way back, I stopped in Polkville for a peach Nehi. Can you guess which convenience store had it in a glass bottle?

The groomer I use is between Lawndale and Polkville. Here's what it looks like inside Animal Trax. I also checked out several new businesses in the upper Cleveland area and got a lot of story ideas, especially for the food page.

Want a sneak preview? One of those ideas is a new barbecue place in Fallston, which opens today (Wednesday). That's hopefully coming in next week's Star.

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll have more ramblings ready for you in a day or two.

Hay season

I got behind a tractor this morning.

Not all that unusual, except it was one of about 9 million on the roads this week.

Yes, it's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's a definite sign that hay season is here.

(As if the scratches on my arms, bruised and skinned knee, sore muscles and farmer's tan lines weren't a dead giveaway.)

At any rate, don't be surprised if you get behind a bailer or mower, or even a trailer full of bales in the next couple weeks.

If Cleveland County farmers are anything like my family, they're making all the bales they can, because you never know when you're going to have a season as bad as last year again.

It's impossible to haul hay and look cute.

There isn't a right thing to wear... you can sport jeans and a long-sleeved shirt if you don't want your skin to get ripped up. But if you do, you'll practically roast. You can wear shorts and a tank top and stay cool, but then you have to deal with the flying hay, dust and all the scratches and cuts the sharp hay pieces can dish out. There are middle-of-the-road options, of course, but with them, you end up with a farmer's tan line (such as mine, which was caused by a T-shirt, baseball cap and jeans).

There are really only four must-haves (other than equipment).
ONE: A pair of shoes with good treads. Loose hay + truck bed = slippery.
TWO: Allergy medicine. It's imperative to load yourself up with Benadryl, Zyrtec, etc. If not, you can find yourself having a hard time breathing for days.
THREE: Water. It's hot and sweaty work.
FOUR; Perseverance. After 100 bales, you feel tired, hot and sweaty; after 300, you want to die.

Bloodline update

Word came out today that there were tons of people clicking on the story about Nashville Star hopefuls Chad Duncan and Travis Powell.

Concerned that the duo had made the show and I missed it, I gave Travis a call. As it turns out, they were in the top 75, but did not make the show.

The two have, however, played at the recent Merry Go Round Festival in Shelby and will play at Mi Pueblito's on Thursday (5/28).

Here is their MySpace page.

The case of the missing M&Ms

I like to keep a candy dish on my desk, if for no other reason than to be one of the "popular kids." We all have high-stress jobs and there are a lot of people in the room who really like chocolate. Here's what Star newsroom staffers did to a bowl of M&Ms... in less than 24 hours. I have a limit of six M&Ms a day, so it wasn't me!

The bowl was originally overflowing. The first photo is of it after about 4 hours. The second is after 24. There are currently three M&Ms left... we'll see how long those stragglers last.

Puppy-sitting

I puppy-sat over the weekend for Eddie, a lab-poodle mix with loads of energy.

The entire time he was awake, his little legs didn't stop moving... he'd even run during his sleep sometimes.

He didn't really slow down until we were on our way to drop him back off at home... at which point, he took up residence in the back window of my car.

So to the person driving the Jeep behind us, apologize for all the dog booty you saw between Hickory and Shelby.

Garden help needed

When Julie Young moved to Hickory last year, she asked me if I would take over her role to coordinate what goes on at the PSN Seeds of Hope Community Garden.

It's a really cool project - anyone can cultivate a plot and have fresh veggies all summer - and it's time to plant now!

With food prices rising and more and more people becoming obese, a little garden work and more veggies should help people on several levels!

With that said, we need lots of help, especially at this time of year.

Here are some of our needs:

• More people who want plots
• Plot markers
• Help tidying up
• People who would be willing to donate money to the project
• People willing to help do fundraising
• People to help with the cultivation of a community plot
• Equipment, including a storage building
• Signs for the garden

Lastly, I need someone to step up and take over my part of the project. I have a lot of other community obligations and I can't keep up with everything at the same level as last year.

Anyone interested in any of these things should e-mail me at seedsofhopeshelby@gmail.com.

Seen and heard in upper Cleveland

I go to upper Cleveland County on a fairly regular basis and today I stopped by a few of my favorite Fallston places, along with one new favorite!

I started at Ginger's Gardens, where I was looking for a Mother's Day present for my mom. She'd sold the thing I had in mind, but I saw a lot of other cool possibilities... plus it was a nice day to walk around outside past the flowers and ponds, etc. they have set up. Here are two pics I took on my Blackberry while I was there.

Then I went past the new mobile Dairy Queen that's been setting itself up near the pharmacy and jewelry store in town. I bypassed the DQ in favor of trying out the Sweezy House, the new restaurant that opened there earlier this year. I had meatloaf, potatoes and green beans, in addition to sweet tea (of course!). I also ordered dessert to-go. Although the meal was great, the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake (which I believe is homemade) was WONDERFUL! There aren't any photos of it, though. It was too good to last long enough for a photo.


From there I stopped by Ashe's outlet between Fallston and Shelby on N.C. 18 (Fallston Road) and found out that they'll probably be closing in about a month. While I was there, I got a great deal on a featherbed. King size originally from JC Penney... $13! That's what I call a shopping triumph.

That's all for now... hopefully I'll be able to do more of these over the summer... it's kind of fun to give out the dish...

Wedding rehearsal photos

Despite a few bad moments, my cousin's wedding on Saturday went off rather well. Here are a few pics from the rehearsal. I didn't take very many though, because it's hard to take photos and learn how to be the maid of honor at the same time...

At any rate, here they are:


(CAPTIONS: Cousin Jeremy, my sister Erin, my cousin Molly and my sister Olivia and my uncle giving away my cousin Mandy to her fiance Stanley)

Doggie pics

I had to grill some food today for a photo shoot that will go with an upcoming Food page on grilling. While I was outside, I took a few photos of the food on the grill and also took a few of the dogs, who were being remarkably lazy today.

Despite the relatively comfortable temperatures now, here's a look ahead at what the dog days of summer will look like at my house.

Washer woes

I had bold plans to wash about six loads of laundry on Sunday... I had a lot of clothes and sheets and stuff to catch up on, plus it's time to wash the dogs' beds.

Unfortunately, all that had to go undone.

The knob that turns my washer on broke off.

Laundry rebellion!

I tried using a wrench and pliers, but to no avail.

So I'm resorting to my college laundry solution. Take it to mom's house this weekend.

Happy Mother's Day, mom!

(I will not, however, have her do the clothes for me... but only because I'm the good daughter.)