Dackel Princess

It was a long day on Friday. When you have a female dog in heat, and a male dog who isn’t, trust me, it’s a long day.

It started as soon as we got up. I walked the dogs, one at a time, and even got my jacket and shoes on to walk Anneliese. I don’t want any accidental births!

I came in and Arnie would…not…leave…her…alone!

He followed her into the bedroom. He followed her down to the laundry-room. He followed her into the kitchen. He followed her into the bathroom. He wanted her in the worst way!

Finally after nearly an entire day of yelling at the poor boy, I gave him a tranquilizer.

Now he is following me. That’s fine for me as long as he leaves Anneliese alone.

I learned today that I cannot continue to breed Anneliese in Germany. I’m so disappointed. Since she does have one last litter in her I will try to find a male here in the USA that fits her needs for when she goes into heat next spring.

Or, I may say, it’s been fun and not breed her again. I think sometimes you need to know when it is time to hang up the old breeder shoes and just enjoy your animals.

Friday Fill Ins

And…here we go!

1. How can I weed and close my garden today, when all I want to do is play in the sun.

2. My coffee is tasting better than anything else at the moment.

3. That summer, when I was 13, my cousin and I rode our bicycles to Bourne Bride and road over it! What a huge bridge and we both were very scared! The worst part, was that afterward, we had to ride back over the bridge to go home.

4. We all must make our way in the world, whatever that may be and we respected that.

5. What was the moment in time, when all was well and bright?

6. To all I love both near and far, I hope they will stay in touch.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to cooking a new meal for Hubby, tomorrow my plans include going to Mandy’s house to celebrate Matt’s birthday and Sunday, I want to go see the movie, “The Ides of March”!

Braised Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

* 3 pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs (the thick ones with the bone on)
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
* 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 2 bay leaves
* 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pat the ribs dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if needed. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and then add the red pepper flakes and bay leaves.

Add the ribs back to the pan and add enough stock to reach halfway up the sides of the ribs. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Braise until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last half hour, uncover to allow the liquid to reduce and the pork to brown.

Serve the ribs with parsley on top to garnish.

Thursday Thirteen

Many people don’t realize this, but I am really a FAT woman. I have chosen to go to Weight Watchers, but no matter what, I will always be a FAT woman. Here are 13 things I have come to know about my self over time.

It started when I was going through puberty. Suddenly I got sort of chunky looking. Which I think is normal.
But, my parents, who were both very obese kept telling me, I was going to be just like them.
This terrified me.
In order to please my boyfriend, I just plain stopped eating in my mid teens. Probably a light form of Anorexia.
While pregnant I ate so healthfully for the babies.
As soon as they were born, I went back to near starvation, to get my weight down.
Then the accident happened and my daughter died.
Do you realize that people bring food to the bereaved?
Cookies, cakes, casseroles, breads!
And I started to eat. And eat, and eat!
At first I could handle it because I was also running at this time.
But then I blew out my hip and blew up my body!
Thankfully, I discovered Weight Watchers.

I will always be a FAT woman, but at least I am in remission now and can handle food, with the help and support of my Weight Watchers class. It’s still difficult and I would like to believe that I can eat all that I want, and it doesn’t matter, but the last 3 and a half years in Weight Watchers have been a real help. Much like AA.

In fact recently, I saw my mother and she told me that I would end up being just like her and I did not handle it well. I went out to Dunkin Donuts grabbed a coffee and a Blueberry Muffin (12 points). Not good.

The first thing I did when I got home, was go to a Weight Watchers Class. It’s my salvation!

Some people use alcohol, some people use drugs. I use food to self medicate when my world feels like it is closing in on me.

But when I look in the mirror I see that FAT girl, the one I will always be. At least now, she knows it is okay to get help!

That makes me smile!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What’s your favorite meal to serve on a chilly autumn evening?

A pot roast or chicken soup or beef soup. Something hot and savory!

2. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.

Oh yes, totally. And I do not like to be out of my groove.

3. What food product (no longer readily available) do you remember and miss from days gone by?

Jello 1,2,3. You mixed this jello up and it automatically separated into three levels of deliciousness!

I know it is silly, but I really loved it. I remember sitting at the table, as a child, and slowly eating this!

4. What’s something you’ve lost that you’ve never been able to find? Any theories as to what happened?

Lately, it’s a Weight Watchers book that I would like to replace. It’s got all the restaurants and their menu points in it. But in the past, I also lost a wallpaper hanging kit. This kit was an old kit that made hanging wallpaper a breeze. There is nothing like it on the market now.

5. Zoo~circus~ carnival…your favorite?

Zoo. Then I can see the animals at my own pace. They are also not forced to perform and their treatment is often better than in the Circus or carnival.

6. What song makes you feel instantly happy?

7. To what extent are you an argumentative person?

Everyone who knows me, knows that I hate arguments. I will remove myself from situations rather than argue.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Thursday is my soon to be son-in law’s birthday. So I send Matt a very Happy Birthday and may the year ahead be full of happiness and love, as he marries my daughter!

Love Is A Many Spendid Thing…

Arnie is driving us crazy. Last night it got so bad that we used a little Benedryl to help him relax. I mean, honest to goodness, with his sister in heat, he is just going crazy!

He’s been interested before, but this year he is REALLY interested. He follows her around, he kisses her ears, and he just generally makes a fool out of himself, and he drives both Hubby and me insane.

He is so adorable otherwise, but when a boy is a boy is a boy….there is only one thing he wants and that is…a girlfriend. Even if she is his sister.

We only started this a few days ago, so it will be about two and a half weeks until Anneliese is over this heat. Then we have 8 months until her next one. That gives me time to either find Anneliese an honest husband, or have her spayed.

I’m just not sure what I will do yet. We will see.

What I Did This Past Weekend

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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My weekend was a bit of a washout! Quite literally! We’ve had over 5 inches of rain, and there are puddles everywhere. Poor Hubby had the Jeep battery die…in the rain…and he had to call me to rescue him.

Because there is nothing we can do outside in all this rain, I have resorted to cooking new things, and preparing three solid meals a day. I guess I do that anyway, but I’ve been taking time, going slowly, and actually amazed myself with my awesomeness! (lol)

I’m still reeling from the fact that is is now October! How did that happen? I feel that as the years go by and I get older, time just flies by me.

I was working on a few things in my closet today, and I sat down and opened a box. It’s not a box I open often. In fact, I think the last time was about 5 years ago. But I sat, and opened it, and went through each item inside. All the pictures, drawings, lockets of hair and hand written notebooks, inside made me feel drawn back in time, and yet, at the same time as though it had all happened to someone else. I cried for a bit, and then I put it all away again.

~Memories~

I rebounded and refused to get lost in my grief, and before I knew it I was making a new recipe for our dinner and listening to some calming music.

What did you all do over the weekend?

Rainy Skies

Saturday was supposed to be a day with just a few showers. What we had was one, long day, with non-stop rain! I mean non-stop, full rain, falling out of the skies!

Hubby thought he would go to the Recycling center, so we loaded up the Jeep, and Hubby and Fritz went off. Fifteen minutes later I got a call, from Hubby…the Jeep’s battery was dead and could I please come with the jumper cables, and rescue him and Fritz.

I mentioned yesterday, that Arnie cannot be trusted right now, so I grabbed Anneliese, and out the door we went to rescue Hubby.

We stopped at the Post Office to get the mail and my new drivers license arrived, and then I was off to rescue Hubby. There he was standing in the rain, jump starting the Jeep. Poor Hubby, I really felt bad for him.

I made one prime rib for dinner and then Hubby and I split it. I took my usual three ounces, and Hubby got the rest! Let’s just say, he is still smiling! Next week is my future son-in laws birthday. We’re getting together for dinner and a small celebration.

One last thing before I close for the night. Please, by all that is good, let it stop raining!!!

Cooking, Cooking, Cooking!

I woke on Friday and made Hubby some breakfast. After we finished up, I went into the bedroom to make our bed and there were the telltale signs that someone had gotten their period. Since Anneliese is the only female in our house who has not been spayed, I knew that she was, indeed in heat! I broke out the little doggy panties, and got to work.

The entire bed was stripped, and I took both my big heavy blankets to the laundromat, and came back and washed the sheets here. (My blankets are too heavy for my washer) I raced back to the laundromat and picked up the wet blankets and came home tossing them into the dryer once the sheets were dry.

I made lunch late, and spent time take all three dackels out for walks in the yard. We have chipmunks and squirrels that are driving them crazy right now and I don’t want them chasing a squirrel into the streets.

Then I started to plan our dinner. I made wiener schnitzel. It came out okay, but I need to figure out how to tenderize the meat. It all came out okay, but the meat was a little tough.

My day ended with Arnie finally calming down after a day where he drove me up a tree with his desires for his sister. These will be three long weeks!

Happy Birthday Uschi

Today is the birthday of my best friend, Uschi! Oh how I wish she lived just down the street and I could bake her a special cake and bring it over, with a bottle of champagne, and celebrate the day of her birth!

Friendship

There’s a miracle of Friendship
that dwells within the heart,
And you don’t know how it happens
or where it gets its start…
But the happiness it brings you
always gives a special lift,
And you realize that Friendship
Is God’s most perfect gift.
-Jean Kyler McManus-

So Happy Birthday, my dearest friend and sister!