Author: Dackel Princess

Happy Birthday, Candy

Today would have been my dearest friend, Candy’s birthday. Last year I sent her a 3 lb wheel of Vermont Cheddar Cheese and New Hampshire Maple Syrup. The year before I sent her a Red Velvet Cake, her favorite.

I sang her happy birthday and all was well. Neither one of us knew that last year would be her very last birthday on this earth.

Just over a month later, Candy was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I will never forget the night she called me. She had just gone to a walk-in clinic for her cough. They x-rayed her lungs and found the masses.

She called me sitting in her car in the parking lot. She knew. I kept trying to explain away what the doctors had found, but Candy being a nurse knew.

July 15 13 005How lucky I was to have been her friend all of these years. We could go for a while not talking on the phone and then one of us would call the other and it was like we just talked yesterday. It was always easy to talk to Candy. She understood me in so many ways, that no one else did.

1471833_10152064816746499_671583404_nWhen Candy and her husband visited us back in 2013, they both fell in love with our Greta. So much so that a few months later they got their very own wire-haired dachshund. Aurora went everywhere with Candy and she was the real joy in her life.

FB_IMG_1548898268358Candy was an identical twin. I wrote to her sister Mary and spoke to her last week. Needless to say, she is feeling an unimaginable loss. I knew this would be very hard for her. Firsts are the worst.

I was not only blessed to have been Candy’s friend all these years but during her last days on this earth, I was able to give back to my friend all that she had given me, by caring for her.

Oh, how I miss this wonderful woman. But as I told her the last time I saw her, “Love never dies, Candy. I will see you next in God’s Garden”.

Happy Heavenly Birthday!

Gone To The Birds

I know that recently my blog has gone to the birds. It seems I write about them a great deal. But these wonderful creatures have added so much to my life recently, and between sneezes and coughs, I have watched them, felt joy and taken pictures.

One bird that comes daily now is Mr. Cardinal. He used to be fed by my neighbor, but apparently he likes my Suet feeder because he shows up here every morning.

P1010006 (2) copyMr. Blue Jay is here daily as well. He squawks and squawks if we are close by, as he does not trust us too much…yet.

P6280014 (3)Mr. Oriole comes by too. Occasionally I put some grape jelly on the feeder, and sure enough, he shows up. Apparently he has a sweet tooth.

P6250024 (2)And I have both a Downy and a Hairy Woodpecker that come every single day. Today the Downy Woodpecker came by when I was walking Anneliese and he was not in the least concerned by my being less than 5 feet away. The Downy Woodpecker Male is probably my favorite.

These birds will overwinter here, and I plan to feed them all winter. It will bring me joy to watch this nature in my back yard. It really already has.

The Long Weekend

Our long weekend was not a bad one. I am still fighting this blasted cold, but I went outside in the warm air and all the beautiful leaves. It’s good for the soul to be surrounded by such beauty.
PA120005I think even when you are not feeling your best, the beautiful Autumn colors can turn your day around. And so it was with me.

The train went by again today, as it was the holiday. I checked their schedule and determined that next weekend is their last foliage train! Too bad. This year our Autumn is about two weeks late, so there would have been plenty to see at the end of the month.

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This is another quiet week for me, which is a very good thing. I keep hoping to shake off this cold and being able to take it easy and do a few crafts and rest is really helpful.

At least this is what I am telling my immune system!

The Friday Five

The Friday Five

The end of another week and as I sit here trying to collect my thoughts, I am reminded to be thankful for everything that went right this week, and not dwell on the things that went wrong. So here is this week’s Friday Five.

  1. It’s Autumn in my little corner of the world. And although TV Broadcasters say that we have full color, we really do not!20191008_145439

    But, it sure is pretty.

  2. I have been pulling over when I see a pretty scene in town, I pull over and snap a picture.
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  3. The birds have increased their visits to the feeders.
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    They’re looking for some seed as the abundance of nature’s food begins to dry up.
  4. My slight sore throat turned into an upper respiratory infection. AKA: A cold. I feel sleepy and stuffy, but really, it isn’t bad. More of a nuisance, really.
  5. Lastly, I think this will be a really slow weekend. I need to unwind, take naps, and perhaps toss in a few loads of laundry. But I have no big plans except to take care of myself.

So that’s it, folks.  Time to relish the Autumn days and catch my breath. Hopefully, I will feel better by Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Autumn in New Hampshire

Here we are, midweek in New Hampshire. The foliage colors are getting prettier and stronger, but we have another two weeks or thereabouts until we have peak colors.

Every day, busses of tourists from all over the world travel through the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and further north to see our beautiful leaves. I have always taken it for granted, but this year, I am enjoying it so very much!

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I took this as I came down my driveway today. You can see a little of the change of color, but also that we still have a lot of green around.

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I was out today driving around, and I got my hair done. It came so pretty. I’m just loving what my hairstylist Becca is doing for me!

In the next few days I want to slow things down. I have, what I hope are just Autumn Allergies, a slight sore throat, and stuffy nose. Fingers crossed it is nothing at all.

Getting Old Stinks!

My test results came back. And mostly it is all good news. My Gallbladder is healthy, my Pancreas is in fine form, my Kidneys, and Speen is outstanding. Sadly, my Liver is not.

The problem with my Liver is called Hepatic Steatosis. More commonly called “Fatty Liver”. It’s caused swelling of the Liver and my poor dear Liver has fatty deposits.

I also have been diagnosed with an Acid Stomach. The joy never ends! Ugh!

So, I have started Prilosec in hopes this will work to reduce the acid stomach, and started a slightly more restrictive WW Diet.

No, acidic foods, like tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, and onions. And for the Liver Disease, Low to No Fat foods. So goodbye French Fries, Fried Clams and well, you get the picture.

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Because I refuse to feel sorry for myself (well sort of anyway) I am trying to figure out what I can eat, and balance it all out so I can lose the weight that I need to.

Meanwhile, my dishwasher is leaking again, and after the repairman was here and couldn’t fix it, I fear a new machine will need to be purchased. Double Ugh!

 

The Weekend Wrap

So many beautiful thoughts have been passing through my mind over the weekend. As I drove down to Mandy and Matt’s, spent time with my grandchildren, walked the dogs, and just spent time gazing out the window, there were so many really amazing things.

  • The leaves are turning color here and there is a feeling of warmth that comes with gazing at the various colors.IMG_0671

    The leaves brighten your way as you drive down the road. It’s my favorite time of year!

  • Ah, my grandchildren. It’s wonderful to walk into my daughter’s home and have her children and their dog comes running to greet me. Hugs and kisses, and their squeals of joy let me know how much I am loved!70353836_10220195606662062_8616550860815597568_n

    And their dog Freya is always full of love and kisses too!

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  • I was able to stop in at my favorite shop and get a new pair of pants and a new shirt. Retail Therapy always makes me happy!
  • When I came back home, despite the fact that my dishwasher is broken, yet again, I was able to sit and enjoy my birds. The Cardinals were back, the Downey Woodpecker, and the Hairy Woodpecker, and the Chickadees. What a joy to discover the birds at this time in my life. What happiness I have found in feeding them.PA060001
  •  Jack wanted to go out and get a bottle of Scotch at the State Liquor Store. So we got the two dackels ready and off we went. We got there just in time to see Arnie and Anneliese’s best friend. She always has cookies for them!
  • Life is full of surprises. Good ones, that’s for sure. All you need to do is look around and you will find all sorts of amazing things.