Dackel Princess

Dishes

Why is it that you get the cooking bug at the same time that your dishwasher has broken down? Now I do not mind washing a dish or two along the way, but my gosh, you should see the mounds of dishes that I have been washing!

My cousin Janet jokes with me because she actually likes washing dishes. She finds it relaxing.

For me, I could list about a dozen reasons why I really do not like to wash, dry and put away dishes, but I’m trying to remain on the positive side of things!

Today I made Italian Meatballs to go with the Spaghetti Sauce I made the other day. Jack likes meatballs with his spaghetti! Well after mixing the meat and then shaping the meatballs and using my cast iron skillet, I found I had a ton of dishes!

One thing is for sure. You are never really lonely in life. The dishes and the laundry will always be there for you. Right now the dishes sure are keeping me company!

Hopefully, the parts will arrive for my dishwasher by early in the week and my repairman, Barry can get it all fixed up!

The Friday Five

This week has flown by. The first part I was really under the weather and not doing much aside from watching tennis, but the end of the week found me incredibly productive. So here we go people, with this weeks Friday Five!

Our weather has started to dry out and cool down. Do you know what this means? Tea! Now I do drink hot tea year-round, but my goodness, when the temperatures drop there is nothing quite like a good cuppa tea! My favorite os Twinings English Breakfast Tea. There is a richness and full body flavor to it. In fact, I am drinking some now, as I put my feet up at the end of my very busy day!
Thursday morning I put together all the vegetables I’d chopped and made a splendid Spaghetti Sauce and meatloaf for Jack.The sauce really came out well, and in a while, I will put the meatloaf in to cook.
My other goal for Thursday was laundry. I am currently on my 5th load of laundry with one more to go before I quit for the day! It’s amazing how much I can get done if I use a timer to remind me to change the loads of laundry! So far things are actually washed, dried, folded and put away! Yes, I amaze even myself!
I am back to reading a little each day as well as crocheting. I’m trying to diversify how I spend my time. I fear I have been spending too much time on the computer and not enough time in the real world.
I finished watching Downton Abbey, but I am tempted to watch again, perhaps this time with Jack.
I want to catch all the little things I might have missed the first time and I think Jack would enjoy watching the entire series. He only watched the last two seasons.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Maribeth’s Marvelous Meatloaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Meatloaf!

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 tbs olive oil
½ onion finely diced
¼ cup finely diced green pepper
¼ cup finely diced red pepper.
2 tsp Cumin
2 tbs spicy mustard
3 sliced Italian bread
water
½ cup dry Italian bread crumbs. (you may need slightly more)
3 slices of bacon

First, take the 3 slices of Italian bread and place in a large bowl. Add as much water as it takes to cover them.
Meanwhile, in a saute pan using 1 tbs olive oil, saute onions, and peppers until the onions are translucent. Set aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, beat egg, Cumin, and mustard until well mixed. Set aside.

Take Italian bread and squeeze out all the water and pour all the water out of the large mixing bowl.

Add ground beef and ground pork.
Add soggy bread that you have mashed up.
Add the egg mixture
Add cooled onion and pepper mixture.
Mix thoroughly with your hands. Add the dry bread crumbs and mix well. You may need slightly more or less. Make sure mixture is well mixed and evenly mixed.
Place in large loaf pan sprayed with PAM.

Place bacon over the top lengthwise. Tuck edges down the side of the meatloaf.
Place in 350-degree oven and bake for 1 hour.
Turn heat up to 400 degrees and cook for 15 more minutes.
Remove from stove. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Carefully place on a platter. Slice into potion size as needed.
Serve with a salad, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Makes great sandwiches the next day!

New Hair

Tuesday morning I got up, only to find my dishwasher had leaked on the floor! Eeeek! Yesterday I had noted a loose seal on the door, but I had tucked it back in place and thought nothing more about it. Tuesday I knew the seal was kaput!

So, I emptied my dishwasher and then did our breakfast dishes by hand. I also looked up our appliance repairman and put a call into him.

However, after washing up the dishes I was off. I was starting with a new hairstylist and I didn’t want to be late!

I was so excited about this, as I decided to go back to my basic real color of medium brown and forever say goodbye to being a blonde. It simply isn’t me. And quite honestly, the chemicals used were too harsh and my hair texture was getting to be like Bozo the Clowns!

Here is my before picture.

Now that is pretty sad, isn’t it? Fortunately, It didn’t last long.

After sitting in a chair for a time with stuff that looked like mud on my head, I was rinsed out and Becca began to style my hair. She listened carefully to me about what I wanted in a style, and before I knew it, she blew my hair dry with a defuser, allowing my curls to pop back into place. Between the color and the curls, I started to feel like myself once again.

Front and back.

I am feeling like a new woman and I just love what Becca has done. I have known her since she was a young girl. I know all of her family too, so this is like coming home to a family member! Becca is so talented and I look forward to our future together!

Labor Day

Monday was Labor Day here int he States. Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

What does this mean in reality? Most businesses are closed. It’s a long three (or four) day weekend. Many people go away to celebrate the end of the summer, as the school year usually starts right after this. (Some places start just before.)

People have gatherings cooking hotdogs and hamburgers or steaks on the grill, and frankly, a lot of cold drinks and adult beverages are consumed!

Traffic is heavy, motels and campgrounds are booked up, and if you are lucky and the weather holds out, there is swimming and frolicking in the surf to be enjoyed.

This year Friday, Saturday and Sunday were amazing weather-wise. Monday I woke to the sound of rain hitting the air conditioner! Rain? How could this be? But it was and it rained all day, so what did we do? We watched the US Open Tennis! Thankfully two of their stadiums are now equipped with a roof that they can close in the event of bad weather. Good idea, I think!

I did make three meals and walked the dogs in between raindrops, and basically it was a nice quiet day!

Happy Labor Day & Happy September!

The Seasons

Sunday was quite simply, a beautiful day. If I could order perfect weather like this every day I would. Of course, then all the tourists would stay and the crowds would make me crazy!

There are reasons for the Seasons up here and I admit to enjoying them all. We’re definitely at the end of summer. With temperatures in the 70’s that is right where it should be.

The Sun rises after 6:00 and sets at just about 7:20 in the evening. The days are getting shorter and shorter.

Soon the trees will start their color change, leaves will fall, as well as temperatures. My truly favorite time of year! Autumn!

Here is a picture from last year.

Ah, before I know it, the lake will be awash in color! Truly, my favorite time up here.

Of course, winter will follow, but truth be told, I don’t mind that too much either.

Four beautiful Seasons! It’s why I love New England!

Sunday September 1st

Here we are, September first! Where did the time go? Where did the summer go?

The sun is setting earlier and soon the leaves will start to change color and true Autumn will be upon us.

I’ve been struggling with a cold the last few days. This morning after a rough night, I slept until 7:30. Even then I didn’t want to get up. But, I did, and while walking the dogs, I hung the bird feeders and then came in for my coffee.

I was feeling somewhat chilled and took my temperature. 100 degrees. No wonder I feel so listless.

I’m having a challenge with my laptop. It’s almost like it is possessed. I am in the middle of typing when all of a sudden the cursor moves to a different paragraph, or in the case a few minutes ago, it simply took me to a new web page!

I am trying to figure out what is wrong, but I may need to clean my machine in hopes that this will help.

You know, at first I thought that perhaps I was bumping the touchpad with my fingers, but after carefully typing I realized that it is not me.

Did you watch the Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka Match last night at the US OPEN? Not only was it a great game to watch, but at the end Naomi had Coco stay with her for the interview and she showed what a real champion does with a young girl. She was so kind and so gracious to Coco, that losing at such a high profile event was softened.

So, great match Coco, great match Naomi, and bravo to bringing back kindness and class to the game of tennis!

Lovely Day

Friday afternoon some of our friends stopped by. Here in New England if you have fruits or vegetables to share, you share with your friends. Each year we share our apples and peaches with our friends. Today they came over with green beans, watermelon, and cucumbers from their garden.

We sat outside at our garden table talking and visiting. They all got to see my Christmas Cactuses and no one could believe how they have come alive!

While we sat there, the Downey Woodpecker came up to feed at the feeder near us, as did the Blue Jay and a Chickadee.

The weather was perfect. Sunny, blue skies, about 80 degrees, and a very light wind. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

The Friday Five

Here we are on the last Friday of August. The summer certainly sped by. In fact earlier this week it was so cool in the morning I had the distinct feeling that it was closer to the end of September than the end of August! Thursday did warm up slightly, but overnight the temperatures will fall again.

So, here are this weeks Friday Five!

The people who supposedly fixed our driveway did a very poor job. The very next day after work was completed, the driveway failed! We have attempted to have the company come back, and see what they did wrong and fix it. So far they have avoided us. I am afraid that a lawsuit may be required for us to get the work done correctly. We held up our end of the bargain with prompt down-payments and then final payment when the work was done, but to literally have it fail overnight was something we could not have foreseen. If we had they would not have gotten their final payment!
It’s Eggplant Season. I’ve been getting eggplant cheaply and it is beautiful. I admit to being an Eggplant Addict! I love it. I simply spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and roast the sliced eggplant until they are brown and tender-crisp. I’ve been eating this for lunch for the last couple of weeks. Jack thinks I am crazy. He likes Eggplant Parmesan maybe once every five years. But for me, I don’t need any sauces or anything I just like the plain and simple roasted eggplant!
One of the greatest joys for me this week was having my grandchildren with me.
They wanted me to stay with them while they fell asleep and when they did I snapped this picture of the two of them. It’s pretty dark and Savi is turned away, but Quinn is sleeping and peaceful as they both were and that filled my heart with such happiness!
We finished watching Downton Abbey. Jack is now interested in the movie too. Just a few more weeks and we will actually go to the movies and enjoy! I so love Maggie Smith! She is such an amazing actress!
I’ve been watching the US Open Tennis. I’ve seen some really tough matches, some great matches and a few where neither player deserved to win. But oh my! I do love to watch these talented athletes!

The Wonders of Grandchildren

I had the pleasure of having my grandchildren for a few days. What a wonderful adventure. I learned so much more about each of them and was able to thoroughly enjoy the wonderful ages that they are. One is fully conversational now and the other tells wonderful stories with words that far surpass the actual age that he is.

Savannah was incredibly interested in me. She asked me about my previous marriage, what her mother was like as a little girl, and did I love dogs as much as she did? I could see the wheels turning in her head about what to ask me next.

I gave her simple answers for now. The only thing I corrected her about was when she asked if I was sick when I divorced her other grandfather. I told her no, but I was very sad. She asked then if I had loved him and I said yes.

She wanted to know how many years I was married to my former husband and then wanted to know how long I’ve been married to Papa Jack? 11 years the first time and 31 years to Papa Jack! She was amazed that Papa Jack and I had been married that long. I guess 31 years seems like a very long time to a seven-year-old!

Quinn is at the age where his imagination is running wild. He told me stories where he was the Super Hero with big strong muscles! He is extremely well-spoken for a three-year-old and his vocabulary is amazing! He wants to tell jokes, although he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of it. Still, I must say Quinn’s laugh is infectious! And I found myself really laughing with him!

It was nice to see that the kids felt at home with us here so that spending a couple of nights was easy for them. Both slept well and ate well, and played well. So the entire experience was a real success!

I hope we can do it again really soon!