I’ve been thinking a lot about life recently. How good it is, how wonderful the people in my life are, and how, despite life’s difficulties, well, life is really good. So, this week’s Friday Five are the wonderful things happening in my life.
Jinny and Ian are wonderful parents and my sister is reveling in her job as baby/daughter nurse. She has been over each day to help Jinny, and cook and make sure that Jinny is rested. I know my sister, and I can safely say, she is the best “baby nurse” I can even think of!
Here are a few pictures of Arnie when he was a newborn puppy. My dearest friend, Emily, always loved him the best and she lamented over, and over , that we should not sell Arnie.
Arnie was the only male in Greta’s first litter of five pups. From the very start, Arnie was low key and easy to get along with.
Arnie was, in fact, sold, but on the day his new owner was going to pick him up, she changed her mind. Hubby and I always intended to sell him, but less than a week later, we decided that Arnie, was home for good! With us!
Baby Arnie
Emily and Arnie
Arnie at about 7 weeks
Arnie at 12 weeks
Arnie now. We have never regretted keeping him. He is, quite simply, the best little guy around!
So, yesterday I woke up and got an email from a friend in Germany, telling me that Dackel Princess was broken.
I quickly checked the site, then called the service where I store her, and sure enough, Dackel Princess was broken.
The fact is, it’s been 6 years since I did anything to the site. By anything, I mean no upgrade to the system frame work. Truth be told, it’s time to get the latest version of WordPress and go from there.
So my Web Maven, Megan, will be working on the upgrade over the weekend, and then she and I are going to put our heads together and do a redesign in the next few weeks. New colors, new header, etc.
Meanwhile, I am glad to be up and running again! It’s such a helpless feeling to have the Blog down, and not know what to do to get her back up and running!
Thanks Megan!
For all you airline passengers that have had problems with a claim…
A Canadian musician from Halifax named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for YouTube exposing their lack of cooperation.
The Manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal.”
So Dave created and posted a retaliatory video on YouTube. The video has since received over 6 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was: “Good luck with that one, pal.”
Taylor Guitars sent the Dave two new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has led to a sharp increase in orders.
Way back, in 1989, Hubby and I were living in Germany. Berlin, Germany to be exact. We had leased a flat from another pilot, and I went about keeping house, while Hubby flew his day charters out of West Berlin. Yes, this was before the Berlin Wall fell, and living in West Berlin, was like living in an Island. The Wall surrounded our part of the city, and going in or out required a plane ticket or going through the East German Check points.
Anyway, I often wrote during this time, and since I did not have a laptop computer, I wrote in my notebook, with a pen.
I wasn’t there too long before my Bic ran out of ink. (Yes, I was doing a lot of writing.) So, I went down to the KaDeWe, and went to their stationary department to get a pen.
KaDeWe, the amazing German Department Store in the heart of the city, was close to our apartment. I looked around the department and my eyes fixed on the most beautiful of pens!
The Lamy Econ ballpoint pen.
Yes, I was in love. The pen fit my hand just right, and my fingers never spasmed, as the shaft was thicker and more comfortable.
I loved my Lamy pen, and I never went anywhere without it.
Then in 1999, we were building this house, and one day I must have tucked the pen into the notebook I was using, because, my Lamy became lost.
Flash forward to 2015. I was cleaning out a closet, and there was a notebook I had often used, way back when. I opened the binding, and there, carefully placed, was my Lamy pen!
It still worked, and I went online to see if i could get refills, and sure enough, I can, through Amazon.com!
I am once again a happy lady, with my sweet pen!
Did you ever have something like this happen?
I think we all can tell you where we were, and what we were doing on that fateful day.
September 11, 2001
It was a beautiful day here in New Hampshire. Sunny, bright, clear with blue skies. I was taking a shower getting ready for a dental appointment, while Hubby was working on shingling the house. It was a day like any other here.
Hubby had the TV in our bedroom pointed out the window so he could listen to the morning news.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm and Hubby told me I had to get out of the shower now, something was happening. I was a little dazed and confused. I shut the water in the shower off and grabbed my towel.
Hubby and I sat in our family room watching Fox News, ABC, and CNN. A plane had hit one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in downtown New York City.
While we watched, suddenly another plane came in and hit the other Tower!
We were both in shock. We listened to reports. No one was saying terrorism, not at first. But both Hubby and I knew.
I look at this picture, and I know that none of those innocent people got out alive. That thought brings me to tears each time.
We watched the Tower’s come down, one and then the other. We knew people had died. We just didn’t know how many.
At 12:30 I drove to my dental appointment. There was not another car on the road. Not one. I got to my dental appointment and found that I was the only patient that hadn’t cancelled that day.
When I got home we watched the TV all day. I called my family and my close friends. Just to hear their voices.
It doesn’t matter your political affiliations, or how you feel about the war. What matters is on September 11, 2001 innocent people died in New York City, In Washington, DC and in Shanksville, PA.
People like you and like me.
That was the day I learned that we are no longer safe here at home.
I also learned that when our country is attacked in such a manner, we pull together and unify.
God Bless all who lost their lives that day, to their families, who will never be the same, and all who serve this country each and every day to protect and defend us.
September 11, 2001: Basic Facts
Chronology
8:46 AM Plane crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
9:03 AM Plane crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
9:17 AM The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shuts down all New York City area airports.
9:21 AM The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halts all flights at U.S. airports. It is the first
time in history that air traffic has been halted nationwide.
9:38 AM Plane crashes into the Pentagon. Evacuation begins immediately.
9:45 AM The White House evacuates.
10:05 AM The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
10:10 AM A portion of the Pentagon collapses.
10:10 AM Plane crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
10:22 AM The State and Justice Departments, as well as the World Bank are evacuated.
10:28 AM The World Trade Center’s north tower collapses.
10:45 AM All federal office buildings in Washington, D.C. are evacuated.
1:44 PM Five warships and two aircraft carriers are ordered to leave the U.S. Naval Station
in Norfolk, Virginia to protect the East Coast.
4:10 PM Building 7 of the World Trade Center collapses.
The Flights
American Airlines Flight 11
From: Boston, Massachusetts (Logan Airport)
To: Los Angeles, California
Lives: 92 people on board
Crashed into North Tower of World Trade Center at 8:46 AM
United Airlines Flight 175
From: Boston, Massachusetts (Logan Airport)
To: Los Angeles, California
Lives: 65 people on board
Crashed into South Tower of World Trade Center at 9:03 AM
American Airlines Flight 77
From: Washington, D.C. (Dulles Airport)
To: Los Angeles, CA
Lives: 64 people on board
Crashed into the Pentagon at 9:38 AM
United Airlines Flight 93
From: Newark, New Jersey
To: San Francisco, California
Lives: 44 people on board
Crashed into rural Pennsylvania (southeast of Pittsburgh)
Victims
Victims came from more than 90 countries around the world.
The following are the number of people who died at each site:
World Trade Center 2,823 (includes airline passengers)
Pentagon 125 (not including plane victims)
Flight 11 – 92 people on board
Flight 175 – 64 people on board
Flight 77 – 64 people on board
Flight 93 – 44 people on board
The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m, the times the Towers were hit. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.
Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC
August 15, 2002
Mandy and Savi sent me a text the other night, asking me to scan some pictures of Mandy when she was Savannah’s age.
So I got out the old photo albums and scanned a few I had. Back then, there were no digital cameras, where you keep shooting until you got the picture you wanted. But somehow, I did get a few good ones back then.
So here we go. My daughter, Amanda way back when…
1. Last thing you did on the spur of the moment?
I went out for lunch with a friend last week. She called and I said yes, and away we went! It was so much fun!
2. How well informed do you feel about the current Syrian refugee crisis?
Too well informed. My husband is a news junkie and so we watch a lot, read a lot, and talk a lot.
3. What have you changed your mind about?
I used to be opposed to gay marriage. But through my life, I realized that if two people are lucky enough to find love with another person, then it doesn’t matter, they should be allowed to marry and have a family. I have many gay friends now and I share in their happiness, with no reservations!
4. A medium sized non-poisonous snake found it’s way into the pool trap this weekend. If you’d been sitting poolside would you have fished it out? Gone running? Called for help? Pretended not to know? Continued swimming?
I’d have run screaming from the pool and called 911! I “HATE” snakes! That last sentence should be all in capitals. I cannot tell you the depths of my fear! In fact here is a story of a snake encounter I had.
Many years ago, I was working on Hubby’s Apple Farm. (This is back during the friendship part of our relationship.) I’d gone out to fertilize trees and I looked down and a snake was lying across my boot! I screamed at the top of my lungs, and Hubby’s white shepherd, Britta, came running. She grabbed the snake by it’s neck and shook it, snapping it’s neck and killed it! Then she put it down, sat in front of me, and I swear she was smiling! I patted her, and thanked her for saving me.
5. September 10th is National TV Dinner Day…what’s your idea of a great TV dinner? (Or at least a pretty good one!)
My favorite is Hungry Man Salisbury Steak TV Dinner. I just love all the flavors. It used to be Hubby’s too, but I think he is into the Meatloaf right now.
6. Samuel Johnson is quoted as saying, “Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other.” Would you agree? Where have you seen that played out recently? What’s the second greatest virtue?
I think every day, one must have courage. Some days are just so hard to get through. Courage! Sometimes you need a little, sometimes you need a lot. The second greatest is a tie in my book between Charity and Kindness. I think people should always strive to help others, and I also feel that acting kindly toward all, would help make this a better world.
7. What are three words you have trouble remembering how to spell?
Definitely. Colonel, and Corps. I murder the spelling all the time, especially when I am tired.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I’m tired. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s not just all the cooking I am doing, but the heat wave we are in. For the last few days we have been in the 90’s each day with high humidity. We do have air conditioning, but every time I go out with the dogs, I simply melt! Come on, it’s September! I want some cool crisp temperatures and leaves turning colors!
I have so many pears, and so many peaches, that I have been trying to use them in cooking. The peaches, I have already made into four batches of Jam, and today I made Peach Muffins. I thought they came out well, but Hubby said that they had something missing. Perhaps more Peaches? I do not know. I’m thinking of making a peach pie, but again, I shall see where the spirit moves me.
The pears are a different story. Tomorrow I have to use them up, and right now I am thinking about making Pear Jam. I found this great old recipe for that and I think I am game! The pears are all set to go, all I have to do is cook the Jam up and then can it.
Today we reached an uncomfortable 94 degrees! The humidity was also high, reminding me, why I left Florida and moved back home to New England, except this kind of weather, really reminds me of my time there.
For some unknown reason, my hand has been bothering me. It woke me in the night and I had to use a heating pad wrapped around my hand to ease the pain. I’ve also used ice, but it seems swollen to me, and I am slightly worried about it. Perhaps I will leave a message for my doctor about it tomorrow.
Today was Heartworm and Flea and Tick day. Lili was the only one who was reluctant, but in the end, the job was done. The dackels are quite good, but then again, they are older and know that their cooperation is always rewarded with a cookie!
I have a turkey thawing in the fridge, and after I cook it, I will make soup, and also freeze up some sliced turkey. That makes for quick meals!
