Dackel Princess

Miss You, Mom

It’s been a year since our Mom passed. Every day I am thankful that she is no longer in pain.

Mom just loved all her great-grandchildren.

More than anything I am grateful for her parting gift to me.

You see, Mom and I are a lot alike. We both have wicked tempers and during my teen years we crossed swords more than once.

I often felt very much unloved. She was so much closer to my sister than she was to me. I was a mere accident. Or so I thought.

Then at her Memorial Service one of her friends (and I use that term losely!) said “When she told me that she was pregnant with you, I told her to get rid of it!” she hissed. “But she said no! She wanted you!”

All my life I wondered and suddenly here was my gift! Mom really did want me and she really did love me!

Mom’s last birthday June 28th 2013

I’m grateful that we knew she was dying. It gave us a chance to talk about what life would be like after her. We asked her how we would know she was with us. I thought she would say something like roses, beautiful roses. But no. She said she would be the beautiful butterfly that would fly around us.

I’ve missed her so much more that I thought I would. So many times I want to pick up the phone and call her, just to hear her voice.

Miss you so much Mom!

Grateful

I’ve been thinking about life a lot lately. How things in life during your adult years are not really what you thought they would be when you were a child.

I thought that when I grew up I would be totally autonomous. Able to do what I want, when I want, and not be encumbered by the craziness and the rules of life.

But that isn’t how it is. In fact I think there are even more rules! I can’t just do what I’d like, when I want. I cannot eat what I want any more ether. Post menopause finds me looking at food and gaining weight.

I work at following Weight Watchers and I am losing, but the loss is slow and when I see myself in pictures I still feel fat.

In my youth I enjoyed riding my bike and running wild around Falmouth, Massachusetts where I grew up.

And I never worried about being kidnapped or anything. Life was simple. I was in marvelous shape, and had a great tan.

Well now at 55, the tan part has come back to haunt me, but the 12 year old child didn’t know that.

Yes, if I could go back in time, I would tell that child about skin cancer and maybe avoid all that I have lived through in the future.

In youth the biggest heart break is perhaps losing a beloved pet, or moving away. Although I know of many people who have lost parents and siblings. And surely that is earth shattering for a child.

My biggest heart breaks came in my twenties, and I think, although I will never totally recover, I have managed to go on.

Yes, life is not what I expected, but then the blessings of my daughter, Mandy and granddaughter Savannah, leaves me forever grateful to God.

Well, Lili is doing better. The enzyme powder is helping her to properly digest her food (or close to it) and her empty belly is starting to fill out. We’re looking into a better food for her to eat (along with the enzyme powder) with hopes that this will calm her down, help her gain weight, and make her a less aggressive dog.

Oh, part of me would love to just bring her back. Nothing is easy with Lili. For instance, her food needs to sit 20 minutes at room temperature after the enzyme powder is mixed in. She can smell the chicken and rice and no matter where I try to hide it she simply goes insane. We have chosen an option. Hubby takes her out and I mix the food and then hide it (I’m creative!).

The thought that this will be how it is for Lili’s entire life, frustrates me. As a former breeder, I tested my dogs for various known illnesses in dackels.

But then, Lili adores me. She follows me every where. To the bathroom, to the basement, to the screen porch and she wants to be in my chair next to me all the time.

People talk about the sweet wonders of puppy-hood, and I have had that wonderful warm glow with every dog I have ever had, until Lili. Her illness makes her rather aggressive (especially around food) and not the cuddly sweet pup I had longed for and dreamed of.

We will be doing a blood test next week to pin point her illness. After that I think we will need to decide if we try to save her and make her healthy or contact her breeder.

Lili & The Beasts

Today the enzyme powder for Lili arrived. We started her on it for lunch and dinner. She already seems a bit better.

You see, Lili’s pancreas doesn’t make the enzyme needed for her to digest her food. She has not gained weight like most dogs and has just been miserable due to tummy aches and gas.

It made her rather hard to be around because she was just frantic. Frantically hungry, and frantic to be loved.

I wasn’t sure what would become of this girl, but the new medcine gives me hope.

The dackels are getting used to her, and Arnie will even cuddle up with her from time to time. It just amazes me how tiny Lili still is. We will certainly have to work on that!

Bread & Butter Pickles

1 gallon sliced cucumbers (16 cups of cucumbers sliced with a #4 food processor blade)
4 regular onion sliced thinly (I used a #1 blade)
½ cup coarse canning salt
crushed ice

Layer onions, cucumbers and salt with crushed ice. set plate on top with a full gallon jug of vinegar. Set aside in fridge for 3 or more hours. When ice has melted drain liquid from pot.

5 cups vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Mustard Seed
1 tsp Celery Seed

Make a syrup of the vinegar, sugar, mustard and celery seeds. Cook to dissolve sugar and mix spices.

When done, pour over cucumber and onion mixture. Cook carefully just to the scalding point, when the cucumbers begin to turn a nice yellow.

Pour into hot sterilized jars, fill to ¼ inch of top, run sterile knife around to get rid of any bubbles, and seal. Tighten bands.

Return to hot water and sterilize for 10 minutes. Set jars on dish cloth to cool and listen for lids to thunk down and seal. Do not try to tighten bands.

Makes 8 pints.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. The best part of waking up is

Coffee, coffee, coffee!!!

2. Given a choice, which animal interaction would you most like to experience (or for those non-adventurers…which would you dislike the least?)- Swim with the dolphins at one of several locations in the Florida Keys, a lion encounter ten minutes from Victoria Falls (Africa), or a day at a remote base camp high in the Big Sur wilderness via the Ventana Wildlife Society helping track California condors?

Swim with the dolphins.

I actually did this a few years ago and it was so wonderful that I tell my family that if I get really unhappy, I will run off and become a dolphin trainer!

3. What is something you fear about ‘old age’? What is something you look forward to?

About the only thing I fear is poor health. It was hard to watch my Mom die a painful death from cancer. Look forward to? All of Savannah’s life!

4. Hot sauce…are you a fan? If you answered yes, what’s something you make/eat that must have hot sauce? On a scale of 1-10 how hot is too hot?

Nothing. I destest hot sauce, period!

5. It’s been said that children learn what they live. What do you think children learn at your house?

I love to cook and for a while when the neighbor children came by I used to teach them to cook.

6. What’s your favorite movie with a number in it’s title?

The Sixth Sense

7. Saturday (August 16th) is National Tell a Joke Day…share one here.

What’s the difference between a lawyer and an algae eater? One is a scum sucking bottom dweller and the other is a fish! (I love most lawyers so no offence!)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

There are no words to express the sadness we all are feeling at the loss of Robin Williams. He made us laugh, he made us cry, he warmed our hearts. I wonder if he knew how greatly he was loved. Rest in Peace, Robin.

Dear Blog Friends,

I am so sorry that I have been among the missing this spring. With the loss of our dog, Fritz, brought a deep sadness. Such as I have never felt before.

Then we got Lili, and it has been a terrible nightmare. At first I thought it was behavioural only, but when I realized how sick she is, I knew that this was affecting her personality.

The summer has been flying by and I feel I have gotten very little done. Just in the last week or so, I have forced myself to do pickles twice and actually on Monday I will be making bread and butter pickles.

Soon the peaches will be in, and I will be very busy. I would like to make 4 batches of peach jam.

Still, I have not seen Savannah as much as I would like, nor have I gotten to the beach, which was something I really wanted to do.

So, gentle reader, I will try to pick myself up and go on, not allowing this depression to get me down too much.

Friday Five!

I spent all day Thursday cooking for Hubby and Lili. Cabbage Soup, Chicken and Rice. Yes, it kept me busy the entire day.
You wouldn’t think so, would you? I mean soup and chicken and rice. But trust me, there is a lot of chopping and cooking involved.
We had a hail storm and in a day or two we will know if it affected our fruit trees! Hopefully not.
I finally saw Hubby’s face. Oh my. I really do have a weak stomach!
Tonight is a quiet night. Thank goodness! I am tired!

Thoughts

Today was “fun cooking day”. This means that everything I cooked was fun both to prepare and to eat! I even prepared a super stupendous fruit salad that I will be eating over the next week.

Tomorrow I make Hubby’s Cabbage Soup and potato salad. I need to roast more zucchini too.

The garden, although I got a late start, has been an amazing producer. Particularly the zucchini!

I took a show on Wednesday morning and when I came out and was drying off, I noticed a dot of skin near my original cancer sight was bleeding. This is not good news and actually scary news. Luckily, I go to see the Dermatologist next week.

Lili is still sick, and right now we are waiting to get the first round of test results back. I sure hope this is nothing serious.

I feel like life is rushing by me again. I truly need for it to slow down a little.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What would you say is the key to success?

A positive attitude and believing in yourself!

2. Have you ever been to the Florida Keys? Any desire to visit that part of the US of A?

Oh yes. I have been to the Keys. All the way down. But my favorite place is on 58000 Card Sound Rd Key Largo, Florida. Best Conch Chowder and Conch Fritters anywhere, as well as a nice frosty beer!

3. When and where did you last see a real live donkey? Monkey? Turkey?

OK Saw a wild turkey Mr & Mrs and 6 Poults the other day. Monkey? Well, it has been a while. Donkey? Last January when we were on Princess Cays. They were everywhere!

4. An old Portuguese proverb says, ‘Beware of the door with too many keys.’ What do you think this means? Share an example of how this has proven true or false in your own life.

Forgive me, Joyce. My head is spinning this week, so I need to beg off on this one.

5. Besides your home, vehicle, and special jewelry, what is something you keep under lock and key?

My special papers. Will, Life Directory, etc.

6. When did you last get keyed up about something?

Tonight when I was cleaning up after dinner and not getting any help with the dogs. I kind of let loose!

7. Who thinks we need an easy one right about now? Key lime pie…yes please or no thank you?

Yes please! Especially the one they make at Alabama Jack’s!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I need sleep. Long, relaxing hours of sleep! And more time with Savannah!