The Dackel Princess

Brrrrrrr!!!!

Well, I’m quite simply, ready for Spring!

I woke on Saturday morning to -14 degrees! I put on my down parka, hat and gloves, Then dressed Heidi in her sweater, hooked on the leash, and went out for our first walk of the day. Heidi took three steps and quickly did her business and then ran back inside, and curled up in the blanket. I followed. At 5:30 AM, I wasn’t quite ready to get up.

Later on, I saw that I had a ton of mail. As much as I didn’t want to go out, I bundled up and went to get the mail. I was happy that I had brought my tote bag as I had a full mailbox plus packages. (One package contained 2 Covid 19 tests I had ordered before the Biden Give-a-way!

I finally started back on my healthy eating plan, and so I have been a bit grumpy. I think the first week off of all sugar products is the hardest.

Heidi is doing very well. She is almost sleeping through the night and despite the bitter cold, she is asking to go out.

Those of us in the deep freeze, stay warm, and everyone else, I am jealous of your warm temperatures!

The Friday Five ~ January 21st

Here we are another week gone by. It’s been so cold here in New Hampshire that Jack and I live in long underwear with layers over them, and for me, a blanket too. Besides freezing up here, this week, this is what’s going on in my world.

On Monday we called to order oil for the tank. We were down to just below a quarter of a tank, and with single-digit- below zero temperatures we knew that wouldn’t last long. On Thursday we were very nervous about running out, then the Oilman cometh! 219 gallons later, we are no longer worried about that and having to deal with freezing pipes.
It’s been fun to watch Lili and Heidi become friends. Although Heidi can still bug Lili when they play.
Mostly, they play together nicely. Lili allows Heidi to lick at her and snuggle her.

Heidi will roll on her back telling Lili that she means no harm. And Lili starts playing once again.
Heidi went to the Vet on Thursday for her shots. She weighed in at 11 pounds. I guess this means she’s eating well here and likes her new home. Our Veterinarians love her and joke that they would take her in a heartbeat!
I am slowly starting to feel better from the Flu. This has been a tough one to kick. I am sure glad I went and was tested for Covid, Strep, and the Flu, or I would have mistakenly thought I had Covid.
I’ve been home for a few weeks now, but aside from the dirty clothes that I removed from my suitcase, the case is not unpacked. I plan to set aside time tomorrow to unpack it and put the case away. I don’t see myself traveling now for a while.

So there we go. This week’s Friday Five. All good and positive things as we head into the weekend.

I hope you all are well and enjoying your days. And most of all, I hope that Covid departs very soon!

Heidi Almost 13 Weeks

I am sitting here thinking that Heidi is a prodigy. Here she is 13 weeks old and she is nearly housebroken. I say this because she shows a desire to go outside for all of her business.

Why over the weekend, she started barking at the door. However, I know that at this young age, I still have to stay on top of things with her and take her out every few hours.

Heidi is a sweet thing, but still has episodes of puppy nibbling. I have given her things to chew on as she teethes, and that has helped. I will be so happy when those pesky baby teeth are gone and she loses the desire to gnaw on everything. (Including her Mama!)

She goes in tomorrow for some shots and another Vet check. I can hardly wait to see how much she weighs and how she is doing.

We’re still sleeping in the recliner and I expect it will be like this for a few more weeks. She does very well curled up with me in the recliner. I want to make sure she is completely housebroken before I attempt sleeping in my bed.

I feel so lucky to have this little girl in my life. In many ways, I think all my previous Dackels told God to send her to me. She is truly a gem!

The Weekend Wrap ~ January 17th

The weekend proved to be a fairly quiet one for me. Aside from taking Heidi out to potty every hour or two, I was able to get some much-needed rest.

Do any of you recall the blanket I crocheted that was so bad, and pilled? I had to get a fabric shaver to make it look presentable?

Well, I pulled it off the back of the sofa, and since it is so heavy and warm, it has become my sick blanket. Oh, it is still pilling, and when I am well I will need to de-fuzz and de-pill it once again.

As I sat watching movies and contemplating life, I was reminded about the values instilled in me by my parents and grandparents. Doing what is the right thing to do in a calm and respectable way. (Not that I have always achieved this, but in later years, I certainly have tried.)

Then I watched the movie “Some Kind of Wonderful“, which is probably my favorite of the John Hughes films about growing up. There is so much in it about the right and wrong choices in life, and I wish people could watch and learn from it. If you have never seen it, find it on a streaming service and watch it.

Heidi is doing very well. She and Lili are becoming friends and she is also taking over the house.

Gone is that little bit of puppy fear of new places, without her Mom and Dad and littermates, and now she has accepted Jack, Lili, and me, as her family.

I’m not really using the crate. I mean it is in the room, with no door on it, and she actually uses it as a child would use a blanket fort. She races inside carrying a toy, rolls around, and then races out. It’s fun to watch.

So really, that was pretty much my weekend. Quiet, resting, and being a doggy Mama when needed. I hope your weekend was a good one!

Hurry Up & Wait!

On Thursday, with concern that Monday would bring heavy snow, I decided to venture out to our walk-in clinic and get tested for Covid.

I’ve been feeling unwell for a few days, and I’d convinced myself that I’d be just fine and I didn’t need to go. But when I started having breathing problems, I felt that I was just being silly and I could handle the Q-tip up the nose and just know for sure.

Usually, you walk in, get seen quickly, and then off you go. Yesterday was not like that at all. With the surge of the Covid variant, Omicron, the place was a Zoo and I was given a waiting time of 2 hours (to be spent in my car). Wanting nothing more than to drive away, I gritted my teeth and went back to the car to wait.

After close to two hours, I went inside to check on my status on the list. I was told it may actually be another two hours! I was asked to go home. I told them I couldn’t do that as I live ten miles away. The secretary was sympathetic and told me to wait in the mall area. A few minutes later, she came and got me.

I was tested for Covis, Strep Throat, and The Flu. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life. But the Nurse Practitioner came back and told me no Covid, No Strep, but it was the Flu!!!!

In all my 63 years I have never been so happy to be told I have the Flu! I felt so light as if I could dance right there!

I went to get my prescriptions, and my pharmacy is conveniently in a grocery store, so I picked up food that is easy to cook, and a few other things as we are due for that storm.

Then, with worry in my heart, I came home to see if Heidi had behaved for her Daddy. She had done well, and the house had remained in one piece.

So I am taking it easy, which is a bit hard right now as we have -10 below zero for our morning wake-up weather, with a stiff wind. Heavy snow is due on Monday with totals of 8+ inches.

But I can be lazy and sleepy and take care of this Flu. And hopefully, get over it quickly.

Sometimes it is better to know what’s going on than to be left in the dark imagining the worst.

The Friday Five ~ January 14th

The week sped by, and as I am a new Mom to baby dackel, Heidi there are not enough hours in the day. Here are the top five things on my mind this week.

1. Tuesday was a big day. I had to drive all over New Hampshire, as Jack had appointments. The roads were fine, but we left here at 8:30 AM and didn’t get home until 4:45 PM. It was also a big day for Heidi as she came with us!

Heidi on the go!

2. On Tuesday night I started to feel crappy. Tired, congested, coughing, and sneezing. I fell asleep in my chair and Jack claims I was snoring loudly. (Who, me?)

3. Wednesday I felt like I had a cold. All stuffy, tired, and with a giant frog in my throat.

4. The symptoms have stayed about the same and so I have not gone and been tested. I really think I have a simple cold. Jack is fine.

5. Heidi is teething, and she is chewing on everything. Bones, toys, me, and poor Lili. We are correcting her and look forward to the time when she is done with teething. For now, we keep providing chew toys and then when we must correction. Which is so frigging hard to do because she has the most innocent face ever!

So that’s my week. I hope you are all well!

12 Weeks

Our new baby, Heidi is now 12 weeks old.

She loves:

to run around the family room in circles until she collapses.
chewing, anything she can get her mouth on.
meals times. I have never met a dackel that didn’t love to eat.
snow. I know, go figure. She has these short little legs and is often dragging her belly through the snow, but she hops and jumps and plays!
going for a car ride. Currently, she is in her little carrier bag, but I am looking at car seats with restraints for her.
cuddling. After her rigorous play times, she either collapses on me or next to me.
thwarting all my attempts at dackel-proofing our kitchen and family room. Last night she had broken through all my well-thought-out blockades and escaped under the sofa, in the back of my chair, where she scurried about and barked. Let’s just say I was at my wit’s end. I finally took it all apart and rebuilt it. For the moment she is puzzled!
her new Daddy. It’s been a slow start, but yesterday after Mommy was undone about the blockade, she was kissing up to him like you would not believe!
Lili. Lili is still uncertain about this maniacal little creature, but at this point, Heidi isn’t biting her and pulling out her hair (progress) so they are starting to have a relationship.
all the doggy toys and chews! Like all toddlers, every toy and bone belongs to her. Poor Lili. I keep working to make sure Lili gets her own bones.

Well, that’s my shortlist of Heidi’s loves at 12 weeks old. She is doing well with her house training, and her sleeping is better too. Baby-steps!

Settling In

I think that Heidi is starting to settle in. She seems more relaxed and enjoys her days, eating, sleeping, and playing! Heck, I think perhaps I would like that schedule!

Everything was icy on Sunday and I nearly fell on our patio. Luckily, I did not fall, and during my 100+ times (an exaggeration I am sure!) I took walks with Heidi, I managed to stay on my feet!

There was a funny incident with Heidi on Sunday. She was climbing the doggy steps and Lili was sitting on the sofa, and Heidi raced over and jumped full force onto Lili!

Lili was so surprised, but she never growled or snapped. She just stared at the young whipper-snapper and then got down!

Yes, life is good and the pups are doing okay with their relationship.

Finding New Talents

Last night Heidi and I made it in bed, a real bed, from 11 o’clock until 5 AM! Oh, it felt so good to be in my own bed curled up with this little beauty. She does snore, but then, so do I, so we make a good pair.

She loves to snuggle and every once in a while she does this cute puppy sigh that makes me smile. I am so lucky.

I came out to walk her at 5 o’clock and it was all of 8 degrees. I got my heavy winter coat on, a hat, and gloves. I got out Heidi’s fleece cape and hooked on her leash and off we went.

She did her thing and we came in and I turned on the coffee, and off we went so I could change my clothes and put on some long underwear.

I was completely naked and barefoot when Heidi came in, stood on Lili’s bed, and gave me that look. Oh, no! She needed to poop!

I raced over and grabbed her and then stood for a moment thinking what should I do?

I can now tell you I have a new talent. I can completely dress, with one hand, while holding an 11-week old puppy! I mean, completely from socks, underwear, to leggings and a turtleneck!

Then I zipped on my boots, ran to the kitchen, put on my coat and hat and gloves, put Heidi’s cape on, and leash, and raced her outside!

If you’re guessing that she would not go, you would be totally wrong! She went out in the snow, and did her Poop! This is big!

We came in and she got a little treat and all sorts of praise! I mean, if a little girl like her goes out in the snow when it is 8 degrees and does her thing, well, God bless her.

She is doing well, and so am I.

And she is also so darn cute!

Who’s The Boss?

Heidi has moved into this house and brought with her a lot of happiness and sunshine! She will have these great episodes of activity and then crash and sleep, on ~~my chair~~ her chair, for a couple of hours!

Puppy feet!

Having a new puppy is very much like having a new baby. Especially if you are trying to keep accidents to a minimum and teach them all about enjoying their time outside in the sunshine. Please note, this is hard to do when the temperature is 4 degrees and the wind chill brings it well below zero.

Heidi does have a coat, but she still gets cold. So I have her outdoor gear and her indoor sweater. Most of all, she has several blankets on her chair and in the car, and on ~~Lili’s bed~~ her other bed!

A funny thing happened in the night after she went out. We came inside and went to sit on the chair, and she climbed into my bathrobe and slept on my chest.

I’m slightly worried about this. You see, everything she wants she works tirelessly to get. Is my robe next?

Today I hope to get down on the floor with her and take some pictures. Some good ones. If you ever wonder why the best pictures of Heidi show her sleeping angelically, it’s because if she isn’t sleeping, she is zooming around the house!

*Smile*

I am so happy, with my little dog-friend! She has brought joy into my life!