The Dackel Princess

The Friday Five ~ May 27th

Can you believe how fast 2022 is flying by? In just In 212 days it will be Christmas! Oh my. I think it’s time for me to start Christmas shopping! In any case, here we go with this week’s Friday Five.

The mosquitoes are out here! This year they seem bigger and definitely want to bite me! With my being outside with Heidi so much, I am a mass of little bites!
Heidi is doing great. She is back on a normal diet and is feeling fine!
I was thinking today that she is pretty much house trained now. She gives me a look and walks to the door. She is amazing!
Lili was in for her yearly exam and shots, and she did fine. Her ankles are still a bit of a problem, but otherwise, she is good!
The day actually became quite lovely as I was driving around. Blue skies and almost every yard has beautiful and fragrant Lilacs!
Truly beautiful and my favorite flower!
I hope you have a great weekend, wherever you are. America is celebrating Memorial Day. It’s kind of an unofficial start to our summer. But in fact, Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. I expect there will be a lot of people around doing stay-cations. It’s just too expensive to go far.

Life or something like it…

I went to the grocery store today and it was mobbed. I have thought for a while that we will see many local people taking camping trips reasonably close to their homes. Currently, New Hampshire camping grounds are booked out!

As our gasoline prices swell to over $6.00 a gallon, even I do not do a lot of traveling. But it is what it is.

Today I take Lili in for her shots and I want them to check on her ankles. She still limps from time to time and this worries me. Of course, it could be simply old-age arthritis. That is what I am hoping for.

Now Lili in the car is not so fun. She hates it and has since we brought her home. I try to play soothing music and I hope this helps.

8-year-old Lili.

Heidi will be going with us, and due to the fact that she goes everywhere with me, she is a terrific rider.

After that, I plan to come home and take down the curtains in the family room for a good wash. While those are washing I plan to dust and wipe all surfaces down. Spring cleaning!

The weather forecast is for sunny skies and warm temperatures. Frankly, I am not convinced. It is dark and cloudy and looks more like the rain will fall than the sun will shine.

My friend had her 1 year anniversary since she began treatment for breast cancer. Her tests and scans show she is cancer-free! We are all rejoicing because this lady is one of the nicest and kindest women that I know. Cheers L!!!!

The Friday Five ~ May 20th

Another week has gone by and here we are halfway through 2022. The best part of 2022 so far is that Heidi has taken up residence in our home. So let’s go with this week’s Friday Five.

Most of this week was very quiet. On Tuesday I started to feel very stuffy and I was having trouble breathing. Since my yard is filled with blooming fruit trees I guessed that it was allergies.
The Internet Guy came to see what our problem was. The symptoms were strange, The connection would go in and out, and it was getting progressively worse. It was terrible when I was trying to stream a program, as I kept getting kicked off the Internet.
A very nice young man arrived from our Internet Provider. His name was Serge and he was from Ukraine. He came here several years ago and loves this country! After troubleshooting the problem, he knew exactly how to troubleshoot to determine our problem. In short order, he found three things that were wrong, installed new cables, and was here about 40 minutes before all was ship shape and running smoothly.
On Wednesday morning I went to attend my ladies’ meeting and as I sat there I began to feel worse and worse. I became totally congested, and all I wanted was to get into my pajamas and sleep.
Since then I’ve been running a small fever, coughing like crazy and I am very congested both in my sinuses, and my chest. I took a home Covid test, that said I was negative. I will retest tomorrow to be certain. Apparently, there are many cases of the Flu around the Lake’s Region where I live, so I am betting that is what it is.

That’s it for this week. My plan for the next few days is to lay low and sleep as much as I can. Meanwhile, Miss Heidi is a really great Nurse.

And So It Goes…

Lately, I have been avoiding the news, talk shows, and even my usual Vlogs, as I cannot stand the presentations of the world’s condition. Instead, I play with Heidi and watch movies that were produced long ago. I also listen to music from the late 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. After that, I find most of it is just noise. That being said, there are exceptions, but it is just easier to listen to playlists from that time.

We were able to get out cars inspected, which was funny because the old Cadillac that we have, only had been driven 22 miles last year!

I visited with Mandy, Matt, and Savi & Quinn on Saturday. The visit went far too fast. I told Mandy I would love to have the kids for a couple of days this summer. Go to the beach, and take them for hikes ad ice cream cones.

A cute collage of us on Saturday!

Have not felt terrible well over the last week. This is why:

Oh yeah, it’s beautiful, but I am so stuffed up I can hardly breathe!

And it smells wonderful! I know because I can smell it before the sneezing starts and fill up the nose!

The girls say Hi!

The Friday Five ~ May 13th

This week passed with some work around the house and some taking care of Heidi. In the end, it all worked out.

Monday found me driving Heidi to the Vet. She is fine now but it seems that her little tummy is sensitive to rawhide bones.
Oh my goodness, Heidi needs some work on her hair-do!
Each day the weather reported an increase in our temperatures. Our house has no shade trees and so we quite literally bake! Today a friend of ours, Bryan came and in no time he and his 3 years old son had all 5 air conditioners installed.
It’s such a pretty time of year here. The grass is emerald green and today the skies were robins egg blue. Just beautiful!
On Friday I go in to see my Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. I’ve been having a few problems. So, although I am glad to be going in to see her, I am also a bit on the nervous side.
Lastly, Mandy, Matt, and the kids are coming up on Saturday for a visit. I can hardly wait. This Oma needs a hug!

I wish you all a very happy weekend. I hope wherever you are, you can take a few moments to enjoy the beauty of nature!

Good Girls

Monday was a rough day. Heidi had been sick through the weekend, and on Monday morning I called the Vet and took her in.

She is now on medications and special dog food and tonight she seems to be feeling a little better.

I had the two girls out for a run in the yard when suddenly I saw two neighbor dogs running our way. Jack wanted to let them make friends, but I’ve watched too many episodes of The Incredible Dr. Pol, which made me worried that things could escalate into a bad situation.

I scooped up Heidi and then I called to Lili. “Lili, come!” While I was running into the house, with Lili on my heels, I was grateful that the one command that Lili knows well is “Come!” and she always does.

It has saved her from a skunk, a fox and stray dogs, as well as our neighborhood dogs that enjoyed their romp through the mud to our house.

Best friends.

The Friday Five ~ May 6th

Spring arrived this week, and as I write the grass has turned green and is growing, and the tight buds on the fruit trees will very quickly begin to open. But for now, here are this week’s Friday Five.

My back is pretty much healed. If I begin to overdo then it will pinch me and let me know I need to sit for a few minutes and rest before getting back to things.
It’s been a challenge as both dogs had tummy trouble within one day of each other. They’re fine now, but nothing moves you faster than the sound a dog makes just before they lose their dinner!
We just learned that a very old friend of Jack’s and mine passed away. She had attended college with Jack and they both graduated the same year from Middlebury College in Vermont. Carolyn married one of Jack’s good friends and theirs had been a very happy marriage. We are both very saddened by this.
It’s Cinco de Mayo tonight so I am making Tacos. Since we don’t get out much, I make an effort to celebrate these little holidays when I can.
Nothing much planned for this weekend. If possible I’d like to get the big vacuum out and run it all over the house. However, we will see how the back feels.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Moms & Grandmoms!

Happy 84th Birthday, Jack

Today is the eighty-forth birthday of my husband Jack. It’s quite a milestone for him. We met many years ago and were friends for a long time. We saw each other through many difficult times in life, and eventually, when we figured it all out, we got married and started our life together. How the time has flown.

Today we celebrate Jack’s birth and here is hoping for not only a happy day but a healthy and wonderful year ahead!

The Friday Five ~ April 29th

This was literally a crazy week. And here we are on Friday and although much was accomplished I ended up having to take some much-needed downtime. Let me explain.

On Tuesday I made up a grocery list and headed to our local store. I needed everything from Avocados to Ziploc Bags. So, I shopped and was helped by a new teenage bagger, who filled each grocery bag to maximum capacity.
When I got home I started to carry the bags up the stairs from the basement garage to the kitchen. Heavy sacks and I carried far too many of them at once.
Just as I finished the groceries, Chewy arrived and I went down to bring up a few dog food things. Nothing heavy, but as I hit the third step, my lower back went out. Each step, each movement, brought on excruciating pain! Once I finished putting things away, and with tears streaming down my cheeks, I sat down on my recliner.
I have worn my back brace some and used my heating pad, but the best relief I get is when I am reclined in my recliner.

Heidi makes a great Nurse.

So, I have decided that I need to get a reclining bed. Once I am mobile enough, I will start shopping.
Today our snowplow people came to repair the grassy area next to the driveway, where his plow truck skidded off. So far it looks good.

So that was the week that was. I managed to get through it and my back is slightly better. I’ve been walking and doing gentle stretches. I hate being laid up and want to be enjoying the sunshine. So, MY–BACK, get better fast!

My love, Heidi.

It’s All About…

It’s all About…What’s on the inside!

How many of you have looked around you and have seen beautiful faces and thought, I would like to get to know that person? Sort of an instant crush based on appearances only.

Here’s the thing, the external appearance should mean nothing to you. It’s all about what is on the inside.

Long ago my Grandmother told me that a youthful pretty face eventually would age and if you were not a good person inside, eventually, the meanness, the poor juju, the evilness would show on your face.

I think when I had my facial cancer surgery in 2013 I started to really look around and think about what Grandma had told me.

2013 – 2022

As I sat in the plastic surgeon’s office I saw people there to have serious rebuilds done to their faces. They were accompanied by a friend or family member. And listening to their conversations I heard the sounds of love, care, and concern.

There I was feeling very sorry for myself and the loss of the face that God gave me, and there were people far worse off, with people that loved them by their side.

I suppose that was when I started to consider the person I was, how I treated people, and how I wanted to live out my life.

I decided to look for beauty in every person I saw. At the same time, I needed to stop allowing myself to only find my value, in my face.

I think having my face rearranged was the best thing that could have happened to me. It made me grow. It made me look outside of the box at what real value is in one’s life.