Author: Dackel Princess

Happy Birthday, Bernie!

It’s funny how you meet people these days. Years ago I met Bernie and his late wife, Louise online. They kept a blog and so did I. Soon we were messaging off our blogs and becoming friends.

Tragically, Louise passed from this world to the next and her physical presence is deeply missed, even though she lives in our hearts.

I was lucky to meet Bernie back in 2010, when I was in Berlin, Germany breeding Anneliese, and he was there on business. We hit it off right away!

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Today is Bernie’s Birthday. I want to wish him a happy day and a healthy year ahead! You are deeply loved and cared for by all you friends and family!

Happy Birthday Greta!

Today our darling Greta, the senior dog of our pack, turns eleven!

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I cannot believe the time has gone by this quickly! She is now, truly, a senior doggy!

We brought her home from Germany when she was just 8 weeks old. I worried that she would not handle the trip well, but she acted as if she flew on an airplane every day!

She grew to love Shubi and Fritz and after Shubi left us, Greta seemed to take over in her stead.

Before long she went to German Dog Shows and then she met her doggy husband Bernie, and they had their first litter of puppies! Arnie and Anneliese were her babies from that litter.

They had one more litter before Greta retired from breeding. I have to say that of the 10 pups she had, she was one of the best mothers ever.

Greta still tickles me daily with her attitude and antics. She demands the other pups treat her with respect and truly is our queen bee!

Here is a short video montage of my sweet girl over the last eleven years!

Greta's Birthday Video from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

Giving Thanks

Today I went to see my retinal surgeon. I go every six months to make sure my retinas are okay, and have been seeing Dr. C. since that fateful day when my first retina detached in 2002. You can go here and read about the first detachment.

My second retina detached in 2009. You can read about that one here. Anyway, today was my 6 month check up with him. Today I planned to tell him some very important information.

You see in the years since I first met Dr. C. I have learned a lot about retinas, a lot about his work, and how for every success like mine there are just as many people who lose their vision. Some weeks are good weeks for him. Others are weeks when no matter what he does, people go blind.

Today when I arrived I spoke with his physicians assistant. I asked how his week was going? She said, it had been a tough one for him.

So, I took out my Savannah picture book, selected this picture, and waited.

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When he came in, I told him, “I know that in your line of work, some days are good and some days are bad. I know you don’t always have the best outcomes. But I wanted to tell you that I thank God every day for giving you the gift to restore my vision. Every time I look at my granddaughter and see her beautiful face I feel so lucky. Thank you!”

He took the booklet from my hands and looked at each Savannah picture. Then he thanked me. He said he’d had a tough week.

I knew then that I’d picked the right time to thank him, in a very sincere way. I felt like at that moment, after all these years, we had become friends.

Teeth

On Wednesday I went to get my tooth ready for a crown. I had not anticipated such an ordeal, but it sure was. I was under the assumption that the worst was behind me. You know, the root canal and such, but the prepping for this crown on that tooth was brutal!

I have had root canals before, but not on a molar, and perhaps that is what caused the problem. The Endodontist did the root canal work, and then put a temporary closure on that. My own dentist had to grind down the tooth, make molds of it, etc, and then make a temporary tooth. The entire thing took from 11:10 AM until almost 12:30 PM!

My jaw is probably the most problematic. It does not handle being wide open for long periods of time. The actual jaw joint is really sore!

I came home and as the Novocaine wore off, I was in agony. I’d mentioned to the Dentist that I don’t do pain well, and his answer was, that I should take Motrin! Got to say, taking Motrin was like chewing a Gummy Bear. It did absolutely nothing for the pain!

So, here I am two day past the event, still hurting, and mostly eating soft foods. I hope by the end of the weekend I can be back to eating normal foods. I know I won’t be eating anything really chewy for a while, but at least normal meal foods.

On the bright side, this is really good for my diet!

TBT: Siblings

Here are my older brother and sister, Richard and Melodie. This picture was taken in front of our home on Clipper Lane, in Falmouth, Massachusetts. I was not even a glimmer in my parents eyes at this point. Arriving 5-1/2 years after my sister and 7-1/2 after my brother.

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I’ve always loved these pictures of them, so adorable in their outfits, as they stood holding hands. They were best friends all of my brother’s life, until his untimely death at the age of 26 from cancer. We both still miss him very much.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. ‘In like a lion, out like a lamb’…does the first part of this saying describing March weather ring true where you live?

Oh yeah. In fact as I write we expect 4-6 more inches tomorrow!

2. March 4th is National Grammar Day. What common grammatical error bothers you the most?

There, their, they’re. That’s the one that makes me the craziest.

3. William Arthur Ward says- ‘The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.’ Which one are you?

I guess I am an optimist. I expect it will change. This surprises me, as I tend to think of myself as being a bit of a pessimist.

4. What’s something you need to ‘march forth and conquer’ this month?

My return to Weight Watchers. I have messed around all winter and it is time for me to crack down and get on track and stay there.

5. An ongoing debate around here…do you dust first, then vacuum or vacuum first, then dust? Of the two routine household chores, which do you dislike the least? How’s that for wording?

I hate to dust. It usually leaves me coughing and sneezing. Vacuuming is okay. I tend to vacuum first

6. According to thrilllist.com, the ten most photographed sites in the U.S.A. are- Cinderella’s Castle in Orlando, Southernmost House in Key West Florida, The Space Needle in Seattle, The Site of the Boston Massacre in Boston, The Bellagio Lake/fountains in Las Vegas, The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Coit Tower in San Fransisco, The Art Institute of Chicago, Niagara Falls, and snagging the number one spot-The Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

How many on this list have you photographed? Which on the list would you most like to visit and photograph?

All but the Art Institute of Chicago and The Bellagio in Las Vegas. I’ve done my fair share of traveling.

7. Fifty years ago Monday (March 2, 1965) The Sound of Music premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in NYC. Have you seen the film? Do you own a copy? On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love it (or not)? Ten=best movie ever. If you’re a fan, what’s your favorite scene or song from the movie?

I love the Sound of Music! In fact back in 1966 I played Gretl in our Community Theaters production of the Sound of Music. Here I am, age 8 years old, and the youngest member of the cast.

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It was a magical time for me, and even now, when I sing the songs, I get teary eyed. I know the words to every song and for me, I recall the men, women and children who were in the play with me. It was a wonderful group and I have only happy memories.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My root canal went well, although I’ve had a sore jaw for most of the week. Thankfully, it is getting better. Today I go in and get fitted for the crown. And then this tooth problem will be a thing to put in the past!

Love Is In The Air

I think it must be the call of the wild.

I have three spayed female dogs in my home. Two are former mothers, but have been spayed for several years. Lili, of course, we had done right off in October, with hopes it would help her to calm down. One still hopes.

But Mr. Arnie is acting very strangely. Not so much with Lili, but with Greta and Anneliese. It started yesterday. Arnie began following Greta and Anneliese around putting his snout on their backs in a pathetically loving way.

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Last night, while trying to go to sleep, he made his way around the bed, trying to snuggle with the two girls. I could hear them growl at him, in an attempt to get him to cut it out!

No, Arnie is not neutered. We have simply never had a problem with him that required us to neuter him.

But, this is worrying me a little. He is a bit on the thin side and well, I can only wonder how long his “loving” ways will continue.

Still, his cuddling them is cute, and as long as he doesn’t start to roam, I guess it’s OK. After all, it’s not like the girls will cooperate with him.

So, I can tell, Spring is in the air! Or at least Love!

Washing Machines!

After several weeks of having a washing machine that was slowly failing, Hubby and I spent all day Friday researching machines via the Internet and Consumer Reports. We pretty much settled on a top rated LG top loading machine. At first I was a little reluctant because I have had a front loader for a while. However, the reviews from actual users, gave this machine high marks.

On Saturday we went off to Lowes and looked at this machine as well as the front loader I had also read about. Frankly, I liked the top loader better and now, after running 4 loads of laundry, I can report, this machine is totally awesome!

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It is quiet and the clothes come out CLEAN! Really, my old machine has been failing for sometime, I just was too crazy to admit it, and go and get a new one.

I guess I was overly attached to the old machine. I’d had it for nearly 16 years! Tonight, I must admit, I don’t even miss it! I know, I am a fickle woman!

I also must point out, that this is the fourth major appliance in less than a year. Yes, we bought all new appliances when we built the house and right now, the dryer is the last of the lot. I’m hoping it will last a wee bit longer.

So here I am, feeling fabulous about the purchase of an appliance. There is something so grown up about that, don’t you think?

Maribeth’s American Chop Suey

Somehow Hubby had never eaten American Chop Suey in his life. It was a staple for many of us growing up, so I decided that Hubby simply had to be introduced to this easy to make, and also easy to eat, comfort food!

Maribeth’s American Chop Suey

  1. 1 pound of hamburger
  2. 1/2 cup of green pepper
  3. 1/2 cup red pepper
  4. 3 garlic cloves minced.
  5. 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce.
  6. 1 tsp Oregano
  7. 1 tsp Basil
  8. 12 ounces of elbow macaroni cooked (more or less. See how it is when you stir it in to the tomato mixture. You want it to be nice and moist, so you may not use all the elbow noodles.

Cooked chopped onion, green and red peppers in a little olive oil. Once that is softened, add the hamburger. Cook until the hamburger is no longer pink and all broken up. Mince the garlic and add to this in the pot. Add the seasoning, and the tomato sauce. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat. Add the cooked macaroni, and stir well. Place in greased casserole dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350* (F). Take out, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. Yum.

Note: You can add more seasoning, salt or pepper to the sauce mixture. I always tell people to taste it to make sure it is to your liking.