It’s All About…

Dog Pablo PicassoAccomplishment

The last few days have been good, and boy, have I accomplished things!

First, our Anniversary was a good one. I bought everything I would need to make a rolled boneless butterflied lamb roast.

Since I had never done this before I sat down and looked on Youtube for Ideas, but nothing was what I wanted. I could see it in my mind, so slowly I chopped onions and celery, and garlic and started to saute them with butter. I added Rosemary, Thyme, and then a seasoning called Greek Lamb Seasoning that I got from Penzy Spices.

My kitchen smelled like savory Rosemary. After the spices and herbs were soft and fragrant, I added about 2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing and a little water.  I then set this aside to cool. Once cooled I added a beaten egg.

I suppose I should have known, but the butterflied Lamb was full of fat. So I trimmed as much fat as I could from the inside, and then used a mallet to tenderize the meat. Then I took the cooled stuffing, spread it onto the lamb, and then using plastic wrap from under the lamb, I rolled it as tightly as I could and tied it up with Butcher’s Twine. I placed it onto a rack in a roasting pan lined with parchment paper. I brushed the top of the lamb with olive oil and sprinkled the the lamb Seasoning.

I put the roast into a preheated 425-degree oven. I let this cook for 20 minutes and then turned it down to a 375-degree oven and using a meat thermometer, cooked the roast until the temperature reached 155-160 degrees. I took it out of the oven and covered it with a towel and set it aside.

Really, it was so easy and delicious! I will make this again as we both enjoyed it!

My next accomplishment has nothing to do with food, but I am putting this under the category of “Everything a Woman Should Know”.

The handle of my toilet broke again. I attempted to fix it with a Universal Handle. What I discovered was, that a Kohler Toilet can’t use a Universal handle. I ordered from Kohler and this morning I installed the pieces necessary to fix my toilet handle! It has worked beautifully!

You know, I wish they had offered classes in basic plumbing, woodworking, and electric work. I find myself rapidly heading toward my 65th birthday wishing that I knew more about these things. Of course, back in my day women took home economics and the guys took shop. Meanwhile, I have taught myself many of these basic skills.

The Taxes are done and mailed, and tomorrow I will catch up on all the doctor’s appointments I missed while caring for Jack.

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Happy 35th Anniversary to Us

Today, Jack and I celebrate 35 years of marriage. It doesn’t seem possible that it has been that long. In the grand scheme of things, 35 years is like forever in a Hollywood marriage. And at my age (64) it certainly is a large chunk of time.

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In our thirty-five years of marriage, we have had 4 White German Shepherds, Rex, Max, Fritz, and Lili. Five Wire-haired Dackels, Shubi, Greta, Arnie,  Anneliese, and Heidi, lived in four homes. One was a farm in Lyndeborough, NH; a very beautiful ranch home in Punta Gorda, FL; in a motorcoach here in Meredith, NH for 9 long months; while we built our current home, and lastly, this beautiful house, that Jack and I designed.

We had four children, between us. Three are living, and they have grown up to be really good people. We also have two of the most beautiful, and wonderful grandchildren on the face of the earth!

Marriage is never easy, even if you are married to your best friend. There are days you want to murder each other, but lucky for us, those days were few and far between.

Forgiveness is so important when you live with someone this long. People do stupid things, and if you can’t forgive them, then you are with the wrong person. I am the Queen of stupid things and I am married to the King of stupid things. So it’s a good thing we forgive and forget.

You will also find during a long-term marriage (or relationship) that there will be those days when your significant other just makes you crazy. Whether it’s how they are chewing their food, or even sipping their soup, you will sit there and wonder how you never noticed this before!

But then, there are those times when a little look, the warmth of a hug, or a gentle squeeze of your hand, will make you feel loved and safe. During my illness in 2017, when I felt like I was dying, I was so scared, and Jack just kept the home fires burning, cooked my meals, did the laundry, and did not allow me to believe that I was leaving this earth.

Likewise, not even six months after that, when he got the infection in his foot that led to the amputation of his toe, I made sure I was at the hospital each day. I brought him goodies to eat, stayed to speak with each doctor, and informed Jack, he wasn’t leaving me just yet.

No, marriage isn’t easy, but the pros far outweigh the cons, and life would be, so lonely, without my Jack.

Even after all these years, Jack is still the first person I want to speak to in the morning, and the last person I want to speak to at night.

I made up a short montage of our life together using one of our favorite songs. I hope you enjoy it!


Happy Anniversary Jack!

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The Friday Five ~ April 7th

Friday FiveHere we are on the first Friday of April. A lot of our snow is melted and in a few places, the grass is just starting to green. So, here is this week’s Friday Five.

  1. I brought Heidi out to the Vet again, but this time it was to get different food for her. She has now gone on food for doggies that may have allergies. So far she not only likes the food, but her throwing up has stopped.
  2. Our taxes are done and will go in the mail tomorrow! Yahoo! I really hate Tax Season.
  3. I’m revisiting the Showtime series “Homeland”. That was such a great series and going back like this you find many things you might have missed the first time.
  4. Today I will be going out to buy food for our Easter/35th Wedding Anniversary. This is the first time since we got married that our Anniversary falls on Easter. The other times Easter fell on this day were 1939, 1944, and 1950. So I am going to make a nice meal complete with lamb, asparagus, and a twice-baked potato. Dessert will be a Strawberry Creme Cake and Champagne!
  5. As the week ends I plan for catching up on a little sleep, a little laundry, and some good home cooking!

So that’s it for this week.  I wish you all a Happy Easter!

 

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The Friday Five ~ March 31st

Friday FiveThis last week in March was a crazy one. In many ways, I felt I simply couldn’t get out of my own way.  I had appointments for Jack and me all week, but it seemed that each appointment brought with it a bit of frustration. Anyway, here goes this week’s Friday Five.

  1. Monday was very stressful. I won’t go into details about it, and in the end, my dermatology appointment was good. No new cancer!
  2. Heidi has become a very good rider and since it is still cold I packed up her crate and she happily slept in the car while we saw our doctor. The windows were down to allow air to go through the car and the parking lot attendant took my number should Heidi need me.
  3. Tuesday was grocery day. I actually enjoy this now. I no longer wear a mask and I can smile at everyone I meet. Best of all, they smile back. It is something I missed during the Pandemic. And perhaps it is one of the reasons so many lost the ability to be kind.
  4. Heidi is doing better. I think that she will need the Science Diet for her sensitive tummy for a very long time. I have my fingers crossed that she will stay well.
  5. Lastly, I had my hair done this week. My hair has been falling out and I have some allergy spots on my scalp too.

    mb2The new cut and color.

    So I got a new cut and some new shampoo and I am hopeful that my hair will stop breaking and I won’t end up in my senior years looking like Bozo.

Have a wonderful weekend and wherever you are enjoy the beauty around you!

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The Friday Five ~ March 24th

Friday FiveHappy Friday, everyone! It’s been a good week all around for me. I’ve used up nearly a tank of gas, but my running around was fruitful. So here we go with the week’s Friday Five.

  1. I took Heidi in on Tuesday to have an important blood test. My Vet is 21 miles over and 21 miles back. However, I must say that the two Vets there are simply the best in the area and they care about my animals as much as I do.
  2. Last week I’d gone over for the initial workup, and then back for an ultrasound to be sure that my little minx hadn’t eaten anything that got stuck in her stomach.
  3. Today I got the good news. No foreign objects in her tummy. No hernias, and best of all she was tested for Addison’s Disease and she passed it with flying colors, No Addison’s!
  4. So, Heidi is on an ID Diet, which is easier for her to digest.20230315_173113Best of all she loves it. She is back to normal and it appears she was sick with a doggy virus. I am so happy she is all better!
  5. Saturday finds me driving down to see Savi and Quinn. I hope to take them to their favorite place for lunch. One thing I need to do on my way down is to get gas.

So that’s it for this week. I keep hoping that Spring will come. Sadly I had to fill my oil tank once again. My pocketbook sure has taken a hit this winter heating my house. Ah, Spring, please come to us soon!

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The Friday Five March 17th

Friday FiveI fell asleep on Thursday night at 9:30. I’d had a long day and suddenly found my blanket and Heidi and the warmth I felt, put me right to sleep. So, here we go with this week’s Friday Five.

    • Heidi has been unwell for a few weeks. I’m no novice to healing a dog with tummy troubles, but Heidi finally freaked me out enough that I brought her in for a complete exam.
    • They took x-rays and blood work and examined every inch of her. Her white blood count was high, indicating some sort of infection.
    • The ultrasound was clear, so now we will check one last test on Tuesday.
  • Today is Lili’s 9th Birthday!


    Lili would have been great fun in a Circus. She loves to run and jump and run some more. A true whirling dervish! Winter is her favorite time, as
    she enjoys being able to leap through the snow at full speed. It’s like watching a deer.

    Lili rescued me on January 12th, 2019, when a man broke into my house during the day. He made it to the top of our cellar stairs, but the door was locked and Lili was fiercely barking and was between me and the door. She saved me that day!

    She adopted Heidi and loves to play with her and sleep with her, and when she goes out without Lili, Lili becomes upset and paces back and forth until her baby Heidi returns.

  • Yes, Lili is amazing and we all love being loved by this beautiful and sweet doggy.

    Birthday LiliYes, Lili is amazing and we all love being loved by this beautiful and sweet doggy!

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So, Happy Birthday to our St. Patrick’s Day Baby Girl! 

The Friday Five ~ March 10th

letitsnowThe week sped by as Jack and I struggled to dig out and get the yard all cleaned up for the dogs. Once that was accomplished, we noticed that mud was upon us once again. So here we go, with this week’s Friday Five.

  1. I’ve been trying to cook a bit more. Before the Pandemic, we used to go out once a week. In the last three years, I can count on one hand the number of times we have been out. Thus, my cooking skills have suffered.
  2. I had a network problem with my printer. Before I started making great changes, I checked the connections and found that the wrong Network was checked. Anyway, it was a very easy fix.
  3. My new glasses arrived and the distance vision is perfect. However, the bifocal part is terrible and I cannot see the screen on my computer. I have an appointment at the end of March to have the Optomstrist fix the prescription. Ugh!
  4. I need to drive Jack down for his testing. He is having an echocardiogram and is getting fit for a heart monitor.
  5. Lastly, this is the weekend that our clocks move forward an hour. Ugh! I wished they would set the time and then just leave it alone!

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Have a great weekend everyone!

The Friday Five ~ March 3rd

letitsnowHere we are. The first Friday in March. I have a feeling that 2023 is going to fly by as fast as 2022 did.  Looking back over the past week, here are the things that have been on my mind.

  1. It seems that every time we turned around it was snowing. I was actually lulled into a false sense of security, thinking Spring was just around the corner when what happened?332378415_720840299573933_441739483305285417_n
    Another snowstorm hit us. It was pretty and the day after it was actually nice and we actually had some sunshine.
  2. But then we got hit again on Wednesday into Thursday. More snow. A lot of snow! This snow was deep and sloppy and although Lili loved it, Heidi was not amused.

    329632681_1174808839892590_4475537431396399576_nLili is really white, but she looks so cream color when she is against the snow.

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    Neither was I. But what can you do?

  3. Heidi spent most of her time in the house.

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    When she is up to her ears in snow, she just comes back in as quickly as possible. On days like this, we snuggle a lot. Boy, does she need some stripping of her coat. She is looking pretty scruffy.

  4. And guess what Friday night is bringing us? If you guessed more snow then you would be right. I am going a little stir-crazy here. I just need lots of melting and beautiful sunshine!
  5. Lastly, tonight I am pretty tired. Besides the snow, I managed to get my closet cleaned, my dresser cleaned, and 5 loads of laundry washed, dried, and put away and make some homemade soup. Big week all around.

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The Weekend Wrap ~ February 27th

P1160020 (3)Just when I’d hoped for an early Spring and would be able to gloat that the rodent Punxatawney Phil, was wrong in his forecast of six more weeks of Winter, We got smacked with an honest 9 inches of snow.

I was actually scheduled to drive Jack down to the VA in Manchester for his doctor’s appointments that day, but they called me the day before the storm hit and rescheduled his appointment.

Cleanup came on Friday (although our plow guy was here on Thursday in the late afternoon). How happy I was when I had to clear our satellite dish, as I can reach this from the ground.

I went to get my hair done on Friday. A slightly new style, along with color.

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But I learned for sure, what I have suspected all along. My hair is thinning out. I have noticed this, but was choosing to ignore it due to the fact that a Great Aunt of mine, who I resemble, had almost no hair on the top of her head in her elder years It is my hope that I will not take after her!

Saturday morning I decided it was time to open my closet up and start the tedious and unpleasant job of cleaning it out.

With trash bags in hand to either toss things away or donate them, I took a deep breath and started.

What I found is that I have far too many shoes and not a single pair of sneakers! You see, I have bad feet. Merrell clogs keep my arches high and I am pain-free. And it was this Plantar Fascitis that got me going with the Merrell Clogs.

Many of you will know that most Merrell shoes and boots cost close to $150.00. And as a Thrifty Scott, I simply refuse to pay that kind of money on myself. So, over the years I watch the sales of Merrell shoes, boots, and clogs. Thus, yesterday as I reached the back corner of the closet I found four brand-new pairs of winter clogs. I also found three pairs of summer clogs. None of these had ever been worn.

Now I have a large shoe box that I have under Heidi’s ramp and that holds probably a dozen+ pairs of shoes that I wear day to day.

I should swear off buying more Merrell shoes. But…but…I really do need a new pair of boots for next year. We shall see.

On Sunday morning I woke early and walked the dogs. By the time I returned, the coffee had brewed and as I sat down to watch the weather report, I noticed a light snow had started to fall. “The Weatherman” assured us all that most of the snow would evaporate. Well, it started to snow around 8:00 AM and at this point (11:00 AM) it is snowing harder.

My goal today is to clean out my dresser. I went to get a pair of socks the other day and found a jumbled mess. So time to organize.

I hope you all had a great weekend.

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