Author: Dackel Princess

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. June 23rd is National Pink Day. What’s your favorite something pink?

My new pink Otterbox cell phone case for my Galaxy S5.
Otter box

Trust me, it is bright pink! Makes it very easy to find in my purse, or when I am looking for it in the house. My old cell phone just blended in.

2. What did you enjoy most about gym class when you were in school? How about the least?

I loved doing gymnastics. Unfortunately I outgrew the sport. I never took a shower after gym class. I know, I’m a prude, but I like to think I am just shy.

3. What memory is brought to mind by the smell of roses?

My daughter, Katie and my Mom. Katie’s nickname was “Rosebud” and my mother just loved roses.

4. Do you prefer to read or write?

Oooooh. Good question. I do love to read, but after 10 years of non-stop blogging, I also love to write.

5. Sam Keen is quoted as saying, ‘Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.’ Would you agree? Is laziness ever respectable? How will you be lazy this summer?

I don’t get to be lazy in the summer or really anytime else. With Hubby and four dogs I am out straight most of the time. My guilty pleasure is when I go and get my hair done.

6. The Florida Keys, Disney World, or a resort somewhere on the Gulf Coast…which Florida destination would you choose (and why) if the trip were today?

I’d take the Disney trip and bring Mandy, Matt and Savi along with me. I can just see how thrilled Savannah would be!

7. What question do you hate to answer?

How many children do you have? How much do you weigh? What’s for dinner?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Tuesday we had dark skies and weathermen who were hyping the storm. We literally had three drops of rain, a little wind, but not the tornado everyone was talking about. Totally over hyped! I also learned that through the Weather Channel, the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine can send out rather loud warnings through my phone.

This & That

My back slipped out on me on Saturday. About 15 minutes before I was leaving for a Memorial Service, out it went. I decided that I was going no matter what, and so I took some Tylenol and off I went.

I made it through the service, and my part of it, where I spoke about my friend, Laura. I stayed for a while visiting with her family, and then I came home to my heating pad.

Now the good news was, that while I took things slowly so my back could rest up, I got to play with my Smart Phone. I have now determined that the phone is smarter than me!

One thing I am loving (and I always said I would never do this), is playing Words With Friends. I’ve been playing with my daughter and my sister, but if anyone out there wants to play, let me know. It is so much fun!

I also have been testing the camera in the phone, and it takes great pictures too!!! This was sunset on Monday night.

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The back is getting better, and I should be back to full power by the end of the week.

Answers

The Rheumatologist I have been seeing has diagnosed me as having  PMR, (Polymyalgia Rheumatica), with GCA, (Giant Cell Arteritis). Forms of Arthritis. Although it has been painful and somewhat debilitating for me, a month ago I started a new medication to reduce the inflammation, and I am feeling a lot better.

I am also working hard back at Weight Watchers, as losing the extra weight will also alleviate the chronic pain I am in. Before the new medication, the body pain was (on a scale of 1 being bad and 10 being childbirth) a 7-8 almost all the time. I just couldn’t escape it. With the medication, I am down to a 3 or 4 and when the doctor asked if I could handle that, I told him that would be a piece of cake compared to what I have been going through.

So now we work at getting me on exactly the right dosage and I continue to lose the weight, sensibly.

Finally. Finally I have some answers!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. June is National Great Outdoors Month. Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month? If so where, and if not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns?

Oh yes, I have been in my garden. Each day, it seems I have something to do besides water out there. This year we’re having a lot of trouble getting the cucumber plants going. But I hope (fingers crossed) that the newest replants will take hold.

2. What’s a current hot button issue for you?

I’m trying not to let anything bother me these days. I have too much on my mind. If I allow things to really bother me, then I do not sleep.

3. What’s a food or treat that ‘disappears like hotcakes’ in your house?

For me popcorn. I get the single serving size and those are a great low cal treat.

4. How hot is too hot?

Anything over 80 degrees F. Especially if it is accompanied by humidity.

5. Do you have an artistic outlook on life? What does that mean to you?

I’m really not sure. I think I used to, but now I am just practical. I really need to kick back and let my inner artist flow a bit!

6. What’s one question you’d like to ask your father, or one you wish you could ask your father?

I’d ask him more about his childhood and family. He never talked much about that.

7. Something you learned from your father?

My love of music of all kinds.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am still learning all the little bells and whistles of my new Smart Phone. Oh my, there is so much! I like the phone, but will be happy when I know what I need to, to make this phone work correctly for me.

The Wild Boar

Five years ago, I took a trip to Germany with Anneliese, to breed her. We spent a week with my best friend, Uschi, and we enjoyed our visit.

Like all good things in life, the visit soon ended and we had to fly back home. Both over and back, we got seats in Business Class, and Anneliese was the perfect little traveler.

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On our flight back the flight attendant handed out the Customs Declaration forms, to be filled out before we landed.

I had all of Anneliese’s paper work in my large carry on pocketbook, and knew if we were to be stopped I could produce the documents quickly.

I filled out the form, which asked if I was traveling with an Animal? I wrote, Yes. Color of animal? Well, her official color is Wild Boar, so that is what I wrote.

We landed at JFK International Airport in New York, and since I had all my bags, I just walked off the plane and right down to Customs.

The first Customs Official saw that I had an animal and sent me to the Agriculture Officer for inspection. The officer examined the customs form, and then asked to see the animal. So, I unzipped the top of her bag, and as I did this, the man took two steps back.

You see, he thought I was bringing in a “Wild Boar“!

Once he saw Anneliese’s head pop out he started to laugh! He told me why he was laughing and we both laughed together.

Lili

We have had Lili for a year now. This first year will go down as one of the toughest puppy dog years of my life.

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It’s not that Lili is a bad dog. Quite the contrary, Lili really has a good heart, and there is not a single mean bone in her body.

That being said, Lili has been tough to love. She came to us ill, and being a puppy, she just didn’t understand what was happening.

She became anxious and stressed, and then began to systematically destroy my house. Have you seen the movie “Marley and Me”? About a man and his wife who get a dog who destroys everything. That’s us. I have one entire room (The dog room.) that needs to be completely redone. That did not endear her to me.

I tried to take her to classes and she flunked. At that time I thought she had some sort of hyper activity disorder. Yet, here we are, Lili is over a year old now, and in the last week I have started to see a new dog.

She wants to please. She follows me everywhere. She is starting to play ball with Hubby, out in the back yard, and then when she is called for dinner she comes right in.

It’s unfortunate that we never really had that sweet, loving, puppy-hood, that I have had with my other dogs. Yet now, now I feel like the worst is over and she may very well become part of our family after all. So much time spent anxiously, on her part, but I think she may be through the worst.

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She is a beauty, that is for sure. Perfectly white with the exception of the very tip of her tail, which looks like it has been dipped in light apricot paint. Her nose is jet black, not reddish in what the breeders call snow nose. And her eyes. Those two beautiful brown mud puddles. When she looks at me, I melt.

Yes, we’re making progress with Lili. Quite happily so!

30 Years

It’s been 30 years since the car accident that took my youngest daughter’s life. (You can read about the accident HERE. )

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Kathleen Alynne

Katie would be all grown up now, 36 years old! Even after all this time, the shock and pain of her loss is unbelievable. And really, there is no way to explain it. Somehow Mandy, Bob and I, managed to go on, and yet for the rest of our lives, there will always be a spot, a bright star, in our lives, that is missing.

We never got to see her grow up, fall in love, graduate from school, or hold her baby in her arms. She was robbed, and so were we.

This year, the thirtieth anniversary of her passing, I will try to be happy. Happy for those six and a half wonderful years that we all shared with her. After all, she was really an amazing and greatly loved little girl!

In Memory of Katie from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

Friday Five

Five New Presents

  1. My new cell phone. Hubby realized that I really did need a Smart Phone, so we both researched it, with the help of my online friends, and Consumer Reports, and decided that the Galaxy S5 was the right one for me. Immediately I loved it! I also bought an Otterbox Case to protect it, as I am always dropping things! Bright pink! Perfect for me!!!

    Galaxy S5 with Otterbox

    Then three days after the purchase, they “upgraded my operating system to Lollipop and two of my apps stopped working. I spent most of yesterday looking up the problems on the Internet and then…I found my answers and fixed them both! Now I feel Smart!

  2. My daughter recently gave me a wonderful mini book of Savannah pictures. There are also pictures of my daughter Mandy with Savi.

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    I love it! It fits right inside my pocketbook, and as always, I am the doting Oma, and show anyone who asks (or even if they don’t) my beautiful girls.

  3. My sister heard that I have a rather weird neighbor who walks slowly to his car if I am out early with Lili.

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    So she went out and found the cutest summer bathrobe for me. It is light weight cotton, and so pretty!

  4. I bought myself a prezzie too! My old clog slippers finally died. They were a pair of Merrell Clogs I wore when I first was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis. (8 and a half years ago) After I got my inserts, I used these well worn and well loved clogs for slippers, as I could run out with the dogs and had good rubber soles. But all good things eventually come to an end. The soles literally peeled off!  I searched and searched and I found the same model, but in dove gray.

    merrell clog

    Not my first choice, but pretty none the less, and best of all, cheap at $29.89. They arrived on Wednesday and I love them!!!

  5. I also bought myself another prezzie. A new night gown.

    night gown

    Do you ever fold your clothes after laundering them, and realize you haven’t had a new night gown in like 5 years? Or more? Mine are all in rags, and so now that I have the new bathrobe, I bought a new night gown. It’s pretty and pink!

So there you have it. Five new things that I am extremely thankful for. The pictures of Savi and Mandy being the most loved, and the new Smart Phone being the most desired! A banner week for sure!