Dackel Princess

The Brutality Of Mother Nature

I’m happy to report that a dear friend of mine in Panama City, FL is okay after Hurricane Michael went through. I’m not sure about her home or her place of business, but she and her kids are okay and I am thanking God for that!

Amanda W. was my house/doggy sitter when I lived in Punta Gorda, FL. She was in her last years of High School and took such good care of Max and Shubi. She has always been one of my favorite people.

Have you seen the devastation in the Panhandle of Florida? Two towns have been wiped off the map! I was shocked when I saw Mexico Beach, FL. It quite literally looks like a Bomb was dropped there.

I cannot fathom the destruction. I hope and pray that people heeded the warnings, and left their houses. There is nothing really left now.

It’s the unpredictability of the weather in Florida that caused me to want to move back home to New Hampshire. I can handle 4 feet of snow. I cannot handle Hurricanes, Tornados, Wildfires, and Torrential Rain, not to mention, Alligators, Snakes, Bugs of all kinds and sizes, as well as birds (Eagles & Vultures) that followed me every time I walked my little dackel, Shubi. In fact, I had an Eagle that took up residence at the top of our sailboats mast, just waiting to swoop in for a little dackel lunch!

Still, my heart breaks for these people as they set about rebuilding their homes and their lives. It won’t be easy, but I know what a hearty bunch those Floridians are.

The Friday Five

This week was one of the busiest yet for us. However we got a lot accomplished and as I sit here writing, there is a smile on my face. So without further ado here is this weeks list.

The Sandwich Fair was really awesome this year. I spent so much time walking around with Karin, and we saw so many great animals as well as some lovely foliage and scenery. And did I mention the fox that ran out in front of my car? It was healthy and it sure was fast!
We drove around looking at leaves and also helped our friend from Germany get the last few things she needed before she headed home on Wednesday. It was a nice visit and I hope she comes back soon.
Our glasses came in and Jack immediately adjusted to his. After a full day, I finally feel like my eyes are adjusting. You all have seen me, now, here is Jack in his new glasses!
I had a fair amount of the roast beef leftover from dinner the other night, so today I made a nice and hearty beef stew. It was actually pretty easy and yet, it tasted so good!
Today is grocery shopping day to get the things we will need over the weekend. Not too many things are needed, just a few important things. Next week we’ll be doing a big shopping.

And so ends another week!

This & That

When I woke on Wednesday morning, I stretched and cuddled Arnie and basically didn’t want to get out of bed. I closed my eyes and began to drift off, when suddenly I heard the five beeps from the coffee maker, indicating the pot was brewed and ready to go!

Well, I admit. I live for that first cup of coffee each day and with the coffee maker calling me like that I just had to get up and go and have some.

I threw on my jeans and a short sleeve shirt (It was an unusually hot day!) and headed for the pot. I poured that first luscious cup of my special blend of coffee (I mix 1/2 decaff Columbian and 1/2 regular Costa Rican Beans together, grind it fresh) and Oooh-la-la! Great coffee.

But I’ve been feeling so tired lately that basically I just wanted to climb back in bed, taking my coffee with me. That wasn’t going to happen, as today our friend from Germany was departing, our new glasses had come in and we needed to go and pick them up and sheets needed to be changed and washed.

So I told myself to suck it up, buttercup and get on with it.

I stripped one bed and started the laundry. I made a super duper breakfast with bacon and eggs, juice, toast and muffins. I stripped another bed and changed the laundry and about that time I realized I needed to start working on a nice lunch. Italian Wedding Soup, Salad, and Sliced Avacoados. It was then I noticed my eggplant was going and wouldn’t last another day, so I quickly slice and roasted it. To say that lunch was amazing would be a total understatement.

We hugged and kissed our friend goodbye and then off we went to get our glasses. It was really hot today, (88 degrees!) and humid.

The ride down was a beautiful one. The leaves are really pretty and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Just one of those really nice days!

We arrived at the Eyeglass Center and had our glasses fit and off we went. I love mine, but it will take me a while to get used to Jack’s. He has always worn gold frames and this time he got silver ones. Trust me, that is a big change.

These are my new ones. I needed a larger glass surface to help me see better. I like these. They also feel very comfortable to wear. The weird part is that my eyes feel a bit strained. I think because I am still getting used to the stronger prescription.

When we drove back down our driveway, I stopped and took a couple of pictures. Here is the view looking down our driveway toward our house and the lake in front.

Please note the long downhill drive to the house. I mention this because in the middle of winter when the snow and ice are flying, there is no way you are getting out of our house without a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I have also been caught coming into the drive and sliding off toward the ditch. Upon getting out of the car I fell flat on my behind! More than you wanted to know, right?

So here I sit on Wednesday evening writing to you all and counting down the minutes until I can go to bed. 8:15 really is too early!

Beauty & Beer

We decided on Tuesday to go on another Leaf Peeping Trip around our State. We drove through the mountains and caught some pretty colors.

We also saw, as we drove, houses that are so far out of town and up a mountainous dirt road, that had beautiful views of the woodlands, but would be literally cut off after a two-foot snowfall.

(Oh my, that was a very long and poorly written sentence! But I was feeling whimsicle!)

As much as I loved these places, I recognized the fact that I would not enjoy being cut off, even if it was for a short time.

We drove to Stinson Lake, which is pretty far up the mountain. Once again, spectacularly beautiful, but so very far out! The colors were breathtaking!

We then mosied along to a Deli called Biederman’s for our lunch. Both Jack and I had Rueben Sandwiches and Karin had a Pile-Up Sandwich. We enjoyed them all! This Deli was a place where Mandy would go when she was in College. They had Poetry Readings and Cheap Beer. A great spot for College Students!

They also had German Beers on Tap. Three Spaten Beers were enjoyed! Although I must admit to feeling ready for a nap after finishing up mine!

I had to laugh because I remember when we lived in Germany and I would drink beers quite often during the days. Then I would go out and walk all over the city! It’s the sixty-ness I tell you! Ha! That was one very long hot summer and an ice cold beer tasted very fine!

I was notified that the new glasses are in so I expect Jack and I will head off tomorrow to pick them up. I can hardly wait to get them and start seeing the world more clearly!

Happy Wednesday!

Phishing

I got a scary, yet interesting email this morning. The email told me that the person was in possession of a Porn Movie of me. They said I had two options. I could either pay them $7000.00 and they would not do anything to publicize this Porn Movie, or if I didn’t pay they would send it to all my contacts.

I felt very uncomfortable about this. I have never been threatened like this before. I thought about it and decided to call my Internet Provider.

The young man said it was a Phishing Scam, and to block the address on my Spam filter and then completely delete the message.

While I was speaking to the young man, Jack piped in “How come I’ve never seen this movie?”

Both the Technician and I burst out laughing! The Technician said I had just made his day!

It leaves me feeling uncomfortable though. This wasn’t your usual Phishing Scam. This was a downright threat. All I could think was, “What is this world coming to?”

The Sandwich Fair – 2018

Yesterday my friend Karin and I went to the Sandwich Fair. Each year over the Columbus Day holiday weekend, this Country Fair is held. People put their best pies, cakes, cookies, jellies, jams, and loaves of bread into a contest to see who is the best Chef, and the kids in the 4-H program bring their livestock to be judged.

4-H is a global network of youth organizations whose mission is “engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development”.

I spoke to many people who brought their animals to the event. But this one teenager captured my heart. As I was walking by her was lying down in the hay with his Bull (Cow).

The Bull kept snuggling the boys neck and the boy would stroke his neck and cuddle with him. I asked how big the Bull was? The young man told me, quite proudly, that the Bull weighs 2500 pounds! That is one big Bull!

But, here was this enormous creature, who was loving and kind with his teenager. Such a beautiful picture!

Here is another Bull Cow. I thought that he also was quite handsome.

I am actually a great lover of all farm animals. I look forward to going to these Fairs and to Zoos as well, so I can see them.

Here is another young man with his team, getting ready for the “Log Pull”. He was so proud of his team.

They also had “Horse Pulls”, where teams of horses pull cement blocks. Not just any cement blocks, but very heavy cement slabs.

I stood patting the soft nose of this magnificent creature. I enjoyed every moment and so did Karin.

We went into the area where they had Floral Arrangements, and there was a straw and flower arrangement depicting a horse and his saddle.

The next photo was taken as we walked across a small footbridge. The leaves are just starting to change, and the stream was flowing along so beautifully.

Yes, I met another new friend, this handsome young goat! I have always enjoyed goats.

And lastly, I saw these weird goats with no ears. At first glance, I thought that the goat might have had an ear chewed off, but it turns out this is an actual breed of a goat! It’s called an American LaMancha Goat, that was first bred in California, by Faye Frey, in the early 1940’s.

The Fair was a wonderful success and a great time for us, and those that attended. The weather yesterday was perfect and we were able to enjoy the event without becoming overheated. I also saw many local friends and their children and grandchildren. This is part of the joy and fun of a local Country Fair!

When I’m Cooking

Yesterday I prepared an Herb Crusted Prime Rib Roast for dinner. The prep work for this is a bit daunting, as there is a lot of chopping and handling of the meat while rubbing it down with all of the herbs. But the end result was a perfectly cooked 4-pound roast that was seasoned just right!

I used Garlic, Shallots, Rosemary and Thyme, along with Salt, Pepper and Dijon Mustard. You can find the recipe HERE.

We ate it with some creamy horseradish sauce and it was just perfect!

I admit it. I like cooking. I also like it when everything comes out just right. Although the roast was perfect, my roasted potatoes did not come out well! Ugh! They did not cook in the time I had thought they would. So it was the microwave to the rescue.

Today I am planning to make Maribeth’s Marvelous Meatloaf, which I made up when my cousin Larry came to dinner. I took a bit from one recipe and a bit from another and made this up. It should be a good meal.

You can find the recipe for Maribeth’s Marvelous Meatloaf HERE. Aside from some chopping and mixing the ground meat with your hands, this is an easy meal. I’ll make mashed potatoes (and hopefully not mess them up!) and I think a nice garden salad.

Tomorrow I am planning to make my Roasted Chicken. That is a crazy good recipe that is fairly easy. You can find that recipe HERE

This is a Julia Child recipe that I follow and it comes out perfectly every time! I encourage you to try this. Especially if you are a chicken fan like me.

After this, I will have enough leftovers so I will not have to cook for a few days. This will be a very good thing!

The Friday Five

It’s Friday? Really? Wow, did this past week just fly by. Having doctor’s appointments, getting our flu shots and other things, kept us on our toes all week long! So as I sit here on Thursday night looking back over the craziness that I call our life, here are the five things that stand out the most.

Thankfully the error was found that lead to Jack’s Mohs Surgery being canceled. Jack’s margins were clean and so he avoided that procedure. I am so very glad. My experience with Mohs Surgery was not an easy one, and I would not wish that on anyone! Especially my husband!
Every year I get a flu shot and every year I react to it. Sometimes I get the flu, this year I have just run a temperature off and on. I guess I am just a sensitive soul.
I went to a new Eye Doctor (Optometrist). I felt sad that I couldn’t go to my longtime doctor because this year the Company changed Coverage and Providers. But I have to tell you, the new doctor gave me such a thorough exam, that I do not feel the need to go for a secondary exam at the hospital. She checked everything! My retinas, my eye pressure, my optic nerves, as well as prescribing new glasses. Honestly, she was wonderful and I am happy with the change.
I ordered new glasses and new sunglasses. It was crazy how it happened, but the two frames I liked were made by Coach!

Yes, very chic and they fit like they were made for me!
And last but not least, we have a friend visiting from Germany, so we have done a few things like go for Foliage Trips, out for lunch, and yes, enjoyed New Hampshire’s Tax-Free Shopping!!!

Not Quite Foliage Season

We took Arnie for a little ride yesterday in search of foliage.

While we were out on the back roads, we discovered this beautiful young fawn. It seems wherever I go these days I see these sweet creatures!

The foliage is really spotty right now. Another week or two and a few cold nights will need to pass before the bright colors come on.

As you can see below, Arnie was very attentive during the drive. That was before he fell asleep!

It’s All About…

Coming Home

One of the things people forget when they are traveling is the joys of coming back home. Certainly, I looked forward to doing things in my own way, but never have I experienced a homecoming quite like the one I had when I returned from Virginia Beach a few days ago.

Because we drove the nearly 13 hours from place to place, with a few brief stops along the way, I was truly ready to be out of the car and settled on a chair that wasn’t moving.

But, when we opened the door to the house and were greeted by three wonderful and happy dogs, all who were dancing around us, did I feel the real blessings of our little fur family.

Lili leaps in circles and I swear I could see her smiles, and both Arnie and Anneliese were talking in little yelping songs, welcoming us back! They followed me into the bathroom, into the bedroom and back into the family room, all the while talking up a storm and smiling! (Anneliese truly smiles, showing her cute little white teeth.)

It was a homecoming unlike any other that we have had. (Eat your heart out cat owners! I have had cats before and they always want to make me pay for being gone!)

I sat in my chair, had a small glass of wine, and snuggled the two dackels. I patted a splendidly white Lili (Who visited the groomers for the first time after an encounter with a skunk!), and reveled in the pleasure of putting my feet up and being in a clean and familiar place!

Later, my bed called to me and when I crawled in and felt my wonderful blanket and the little dog-by Arnie by my side, I knew that being at home was the very best.

The next morning, I turned on the coffee maker and drank my Special Brew (1/2 Decaff Columbian and 1/2 Regular Costa Rican beans that I blend and grind myself), and as I sipped I knew I had not had a decent coffee for over a week! Call me spoiled, but I do so love my specially ground coffee mix!

I pulled together a breakfast for Jack and me, but it was obvious that I needed to do a big shopping. So as I sat sipping my coffee, a detailed list was made.

Coming home made me smile and filled me with warmth. I love my home and I love the fur-kids that dwell in it. I was telling Jack this when we went out in the car later in the day on Monday, and he agreed. As wonderful as going on vacation is, coming home is always the highlight of the trip!