Dackel Princess

Happy New Year!

Everything changes.

What do they say about life? One minute, you are at your top peak; the next, it is gone. And so it is.

I used to tell Jack not to be so hard on me as he would pull me into the grave with him. It’s been close, but I’ve decided to travel only on land after three failed cruises.

I want to go and see more of my grandchildren. I want to see my sons in New Jersey, but I need to be in better shape to do that. I want to see my sister, Melodie, in Connecticut; again, I need strength. And I will rent a small place on Cape Cod for Heidi and me.

When Jack and I married, I was just twenty-nine years old. He was forty-nine. We ran road races. We traveled everywhere, and I could not keep up with him.

Then, one day, it all stopped. He sat down and didn’t get up, and my job became twenty-four hours daily. I even slept in the family room so when he fell I could reach him quickly.

I’m afraid this tired old body needs some rehabbing of its own.

So, dear friends and family, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year! 2025!

Christmas

Well, here we are at the end of 2024. That sure went fast. I am posting this on the 21st, a Saturday, as I am going to Florida to hop on a ship!

I am going on a 14-day cruise. Since the cold and windy weather moved in, I sure am ready for some sunshine!
My suitcases are nearly packed, my house sitter is moving in, and life will continue.
I am getting positive feedback on my hair. People ask if I had this color put in. No, not at all. This is me, and I like it.
I admit to a bit of surprise seeing myself for the first time with gray hair. It’s a good excuse to buy some silver jewelry.
I have a book and some great music, and I am ready. I will be posting a little something each day.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday, Amanda

Today is my daughter’s birthday. It was a special day for her, but in the beginning, it was a very special day for her father and me. Our first baby.

Me & Amanda

Amanda was the first child born to us. She was healthy and happy and amazingly beautiful! We both immediately fell in love with our girl.

Amanda made me a mother, and as I took care of her, I realized that as each day went by, she was teaching me so much. It continues to this day.

She was a bright and alert baby, who seemed to grow up very quickly. Always sweet and loving, yet determined to set the world on fire.

Whatever she sets her mind to, she accomplishes, but perhaps her greatest accomplishment is the fact that she is a wonderful mother to her two kids and their two dogs and a cat!

Savannah & Amanda.
Quinn and Amanda.

I am so proud of the woman she has become. She is a self-made woman who continues tackling challenges many would run from.

So, on this special birthday, I wish her good health, much happiness, and the fulfillment of all her dreams.

I love you so much, Amanda!

Many years ago, my parents sent me to a Summer Camp that focused on our Episcopal Church. The place was called Briarwood.

Briarwood had once been an enormous estate that was donated to the Episcopal Church. The Church put it to good use as a summer camp for teens.

So there I was at the age of 13, feeling a bit lost and very nervous. I met two girls during that time and we became friends. One girl was the type that would be voted most likely to succeed at anything. Worst of all, she knew it.

The other girl, the one that has been with me ever since, was, like me, just trying to find our way.

Gail and I are in the middle of the second row. Back then, Gail was a brunette, and I was a badly bleached blond.

After camp, Gail and I began to write to each other. Long letters full of teen angst and news of our latest boyfriends. Back then phone calls were expensive so it was pretty much out of the question. Occasionally, my grandmother would have extra minutes on her old landline and she would allow me to use the phone for exactly three minutes. Her motto was, “If you can’t say it in three minutes, then write a letter!”

All these years, through thick and thin Gail and I have remained as close as sisters.

You can see that as we grew up, she became the blond and I became the brunette!

Today is Gail’s Birthday! And I wanted to take this moment to wish her the happiest birthday ever!

Happy Birthday, Gail!

Many years ago, my parents sent me to a Summer Camp called Briarwood, which focused on our Episcopal Church.

Briarwood was once an enormous estate that was donated to the Episcopal Church. The Church used it as a summer camp for teens.

So there I was, at the age of 13, feeling a bit lost and very nervous. I met two girls during that time, and we became friends. One girl was the type who would be voted most likely to succeed at anything. Worst of all, she knew it.

The other girl, the one that has been with me ever since, was, like me, just trying to find our way.

Gail and I are in the middle of the second row. Back then, Gail was a brunette, and I was a badly bleached blond.

After camp, Gail and I began to write to each other—long letters full of teen angst and news of our latest boyfriends. Back then, phone calls were expensive, so they were pretty much out of the question. Occasionally, my grandmother would have extra minutes on her old landline, and she would allow me to use the phone for exactly three minutes. Her motto was, “If you can’t say it in three minutes, write a letter!”

Through thick and thin, Gail and I have remained as close as sisters all these years.

You can see that as we grew up, she became the blond and I became the brunette!

Today is Gail’s Birthday! And I wanted to take this moment to wish her the happiest birthday ever!

Time To Pack

A few days ago, my computer blew up again with a virus. I backed up things quickly, but it seemed it kept eating my machine. I had previously backed up things, so things are well.

Okay, so follow me here. It’s Christmas. There are a lot of sales, so I got a cute little machine.

It was due to arrive yesterday, and Heidi and I waited. I was here, and I thought I heard a vehicle. I felt like frickin’ Santa Claus as “I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter” (is a line from the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as Twas the Night Before Christmas)

I was just in time to see the FedEx guy driving away and a note on my garage door accusing me of not being home. Well, FedEx if your Driver weren’t so lazy and walked up the steps I would not be sitting here at 6:20 AM computerless nine days before departure.

I need to program, clean, and pack! Ugh!

Also, my phone will not hold a charge, and thankfully, I had insurance so that a new one would arrive, and the Verizon guy would help me switch phones!

Lord, help me. By the end of the week, I will need this vacation!

The new me.

A Little Does Hurt

You might recall that a year ago, when I got back from my first cruise, Heidi came down with crystals, which required extensive surgery. At that time, my veterinarian suggested Heidi was way past fluffy and was now FAT!

I felt they were harsh, but I followed their feeding guidelines.

On my way in a woman was leading an older dog out. This dog should have weighed about 65 pounds, but here was this poor dog, at least 50 pounds above her ideal weight, barely held up by her spindley legs. My heart broke for her.

Then I brought in Heidi and the girls brought her to the scale. Now almost a year later I had to take Heidi in for an eye exam (perfect vision, and does not need glasses) But since she was there, they weighed her. Suddenly there was clapping and yipping!

Heidi has lost five pounds!

As you can see she has her girlish figure back and once again looks like a healthy long dackel!

It was actually easy. I put two measuring cups in the food bin. She gets 1/4 of a cup of her chow in the morning and 1/3 of a cup in the evening. She also gets a small pill pocket with dinner. And that is it!

Food is not love!

So, I am proud of her and proud of me and now I have a happy healthy pooch!

The Friday Five ~ November 22nd

Here we are a week before Black Friday. Is anyone going out shopping before the sun rises? Not me. It’s good to be elderly without needing to fight the crowds. So, here we go with this week’s Friday Five.

1. My plans were not set in stone before, but I can now share that I am going on a Princess Cruise over Christmas and New Year’s. I have a family moving in to care for Heidi and my home.
2. My Itinerary is:
  Ft. Lauderdale
  At Sea
  At Sea
  St. Maarten
  St. Kitts
  Martinique
  Barbados
  Grenada
  Trinidad And Tobago
  At Sea
  Curacao
  Aruba
  At Sea
  At Sea
  Ft. Lauderdale.
3. I have a couple of books, and my plans are to listen to music, read, swim, and hopefully relax—something I have not been able to do for a while.
4. I must drag out my swimsuit to see how bad I look. I have lost 20 pounds since the summer, so I hope I look better.
5. So, I am off to the recycling center. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sixty~Six

Yes, it’s true. Today is my birthday, and I am officially sixty-six years old. How in the world did that happen?

I was born and raised on Cape Cod in the 1950s-1960s. Back then, I could ride my bike all over town and pick up things for my mother at the local convenience store.

I recall going to the beach, lying on the sand, and thinking that this part of my life was far away. Yet, here I am.

I was a little raggamuffin, often without shoes and in junkie clothes. I rode my bike, climbed trees, and walked along the shore.

I married twice, had my babies, and started my travels worldwide.

Mandy, Katie, and me.

I fell in love with wire-haired dackels and traveled to Germany to get Greta.

What a significant part of my life Greta was.

Anneliese, Arnie and Greta.

She gave me Arnie and Anneliese. I thought it could not get any better.

Then came Heidi and I thank the good Lord who knew I needed a best friend because she sure is!

Heidi

I’m so lucky to have my daughter and grandchildren, Savannah and Quinn.

Savannah

Quinn
Amanda and me.

I have also picked up two sons and a daughter. Stepchildren, but I think of them as my own.

At sixty-six, I think of them all with great love, and seriously, I wonder how I got here so darn fast.

Ah yes. The age of decrepitude!

So here’s to these years. May old age be kind, and may they be full of fun and laughs.

The Friday Five ~ November 15th

Another week has passed. Soon, November will be over, and we will be counting down the days until 2025, the New Year. Crazy. So, here is this week’s Friday Five.

I had to go to an appointment with my glaucoma doctor. Although my pressures were high, my vision was correctable to 20/20, and my eyes showed no damage. So, it’s back to using my drops diligently.
I went to Walmart today and ordered some sunglasses. The light is bothering me as the sun’s angle changes.
As I approach my sixty-sixth birthday, I have considered expiration dates. Many of our most loved singers, actors, and writers are in their 80s. I suppose this makes me think about this because of Jack’s passing at 85, but I look around and wonder who will be next.
In the past year, my health has declined. I became diabetic, had problems with my heart (minor, really), and, due to issues with my balance, have started to use a cane. I am handling it all, but it makes me wonder about my own expiration date.
Well, sixty-six isn’t so bad. I wonder what the next few years have in store for Heidi, my faithful dackel, and me.