Dackel Princess

The Friday Five ~ August 20th

This week truly did fly by! It seemed I was here, there, and everywhere and once I thought things had calmed down…well, here is this week’s Friday Five!

I started the week cleaning shelves and changing sheets. It’s sort of funny that you start one thing, and it leads to a laundry list of other things you need to do. Cleaning was big this week.
I also did some cooking. Once again our local grocer had lamb chops reasonably priced. So I bought those and we really enjoyed them.
On Wednesday I started to feel ill. It wasn’t anything I could put my finger on, I just felt unwell. I woke at 2 AM Thursday and there was no question about what was wrong. Another UTI!
At six o’clock, I got out of bed, drank as much as I could, and dressed, getting ready to drive to the Walk-In Clinic. I was running a small fever, and I prepared myself for a long wait. Lucky for me, I got in quickly, my diagnosis was confirmed and they called in a prescription.
After waiting for the prescription to be filled, I finally got home and I wasn’t in the door for too long when a young woman brought me flowers! Beautiful flowers like you would find in a home garden.They made me smile and when I read the card I cried. They were from my daughter. My sweet Amanda, who knew I needed something nice like this on a rather bleak day. Thank you again, Sweetheart!

So, that was my week. Today, (Friday) I am off to have Glaucoma Laser Surgery on my left eye. After that, I plan to do nothing for the weekend!

TBT: Shubi & Me

This is a picture of Shubi and me taken at sunset the year we built this house, 1999. It’s a favorite of mine and one I keep on my dresser.

Me with the little love of my life, Shubi!

Tuesday started out cool, but with excessive humidity. By the afternoon, we had temperatures near 85 degrees. When I think of it, I am actually looking forward to the Autumn, when the leaves change and we have a cool, crisp day throughout the month!

I decided to go to the Post Office today despite the fact that I knew we didn’t have much mail. Thankfully, I got a good parking place and I was able to get the sale fliers and junk mail that gets sent out. I also needed to fill out a new form with a lot of information on it. Name, street address, email, and phone numbers. I was puzzled because I have had my Post Office Box since 1999. But yes, my email had changed and I do have a Smart Phone number.

Done!

I’d decided to get Jack a Subway Sub (grinder, hoagie, etc). However, when I got to their shop they were completely out of business, and all the equipment is gone.

We also lost our only Chinese Restaurant in town. Locked up with no sign of opening.

More than likely they both were casualties of the Pandemic. Sad. This really is very sad.

In our little town, there are signs for help wanted. If you want a job, come to New Hampshire. There is a job just waiting for you!

Today I did something that I truly dislike. I dusted! Ugh! But the dusting was done and now I have a wonderful feeling of being productive! ~~Not!~~

In the last few days, I have not slept well. My brain clicks on and I simply cannot get back to sleep. I sure hope that I can get some sleep tonight.

Maribeth’s Meatloaf!

Maribeth’s Marvelous Meatloaf

(This is my favorite meatloaf recipe. I know it looks complicated, but really, it is not! Best of all, the sandwiches the next day are fabulous!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 tbs olive oil
½ onion finely diced
¼ cup finely diced green pepper
¼ cup finely diced red pepper.
2 tsp Cumin
2 tbs spicy mustard
3 sliced Italian bread
water
½ cup dry Italian bread crumbs. (you may need slightly more)
3 slices of bacon

First, take the 3 slices of Italian bread and place them in a large bowl.
Add as much water as it takes to cover them.
Meanwhile, in saute-pan using 1 tbs olive oil, saute onions, and peppers until the onions are translucent. Set aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, beat egg, Cumin, and mustard until well mixed. Set aside.
Take Italian bread and squeeze out all the water and pour all the water out of the large mixing bowl.
Add ground beef and ground pork.
Add soggy bread that you have mashed up.
Add the egg mixture
Add cooled onion and pepper mixture.
Mix thoroughly with your hands. Add the dry bread crumbs and mix well.
You may need slightly more or less. Make sure the mixture is well mixed and evenly mixed.
Place in large loaf pan sprayed with PAM.
Place bacon over the top lengthwise. Tuck edges down the side of the meatloaf.
Place in a 375-degree oven and bake for 1 hour.
Turn heat up to 400 degrees and cook for 15 more minutes.
Remove from stove. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Carefully place on platter. Slice into potion size as needed.
Serve with a salad, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Makes great sandwiches the next day!

The Weekend Wrap ~ August 16th

This weekend I attempted to read my book. I finally accomplished this on Sunday afternoon. In fact, it was quite easy to do because there was absolutely nothing to watch on the TV.

In the morning, I did watch a movie I had not seen in years. Beverly Hills Cop! Now that sure was a fun movie.

Northwoods Law was on in the afternoon, but I had seen all the episodes, so it was just background white noise even though it was on.

I’ve been working through Ancestry.com tracing our family’s roots. I recalled my Grandmother Stevens had a younger brother who served in the Canadian Armed Forces in WW I. Just for the heck of it I googled his name and the battle that took his life. I was shocked to find this:

He was just 20 years old when he died. He is buried in France. So sad. His life had not even begun. I can see my Dad’s eyes in this young man. Oddly enough, my Grandmother never spoke of her family. I think my Dad may have mentioned it to me along the way.

You just never know what you will find when you Google someone!

Our weather finally has changed. We’re back to cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Thank goodness. I moved back here from Florida because I could not handle the intense heat and humidity. One thing that’s for sure is that when I eventually leave this house, my next home will have air conditioning.

For the most part, I can say that my desire for a quiet weekend finally happened.

The Friday Five ~ August 13th

It is now one very hot summer. The dog days of summer? Probably yes. We had a rainy July, and now August finds us being cooked with our temperatures in the 90’s with Florida-type humidity! All I can say is ugh! So, here we go, this week’s Friday Five.

I was actually pretty productive this week. At least until the heat arrived. On Monday I loaded up the Highlander and made a run to the Recycling Center. I have decided to just do it on the same day each week. As the load I took was really big.
Tuesday found me getting my hair done. No cutting yet. Just some creative coloring. My goal is to grow it out so I can wear it up or in a ponytail or braids. Apparently, for an old thing such as myself, I still have a ton of hair!
I changed sheets, washed and dried them, and even did four more loads of laundry. I washed, dried, folded, and put everything away! That in itself is amazing.
I’ve been listening to a lot of music lately. I know I am getting old as the music I enjoy comes from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I know there are a few from the 90s, but not much. Ah, music! It helps me to get into a wonderful calm place!
This weekend I plan to sit and read for at least two hours each day. LOL. Now if I actually accomplish this, I will be amazed.

Have a wonderful weekend!

TBT: Uncle Bob, Uncle George & My Mom

This old picture I simply had to share. This week’s Throw Back Thursday is a picture of my Mom and her brother, Robert (left), and her cousin George (right).

She was the youngest in her family, like I was the youngest in my generation, with the exception of my cousin, Larry who is a year or so younger than me.

How quickly time goes by, and these three kids not only grew up, but also got married, and had their own families and are now gone from this earth. But the memories of each of them are held tightly in my heart.

A Shubi Tail

Written in 1996

It was a cold night in Bavaria when a little Dachshund Mommy named Elfi lay in her whelping box giving birth to four beautiful, healthy puppies. This was her first litter of pups with the young boy dog named Sam. She had two little girls and two slightly larger boys. As Frau Lanzingher bent over the box and patted Elfi she told her, in German of course, what a good little mother she was.

As the days passed the puppies began to open their eyes and play about. They were tiny and had black and brown wiry fur. One of the girls was particularly loving with all who came to see them. Frau Lanzingher would always hold her up and give her a little kiss.

One day when the puppies were a little older, Frau Lanzingher brought the basket of puppies into her kitchen. It was warm and the puppies could smell good food being cooked on the stove. A man came and took one of the girl puppies away. He said she would be going to Italy to live.

A while later three ladies and a man and a boy came into Frau Lanzingher’s kitchen. The little girl dog spotted a tall woman with a kind face. This lady bent down and said words that this pup had never heard before. But she liked the face of the lady, so she began to wag her tail and jumped around trying to get the lady to pick her up as Frau Lanzingher did. The lady didn’t need much prompting. She bent over a little more and carefully picked up the little girl.

“Hello there, little pup!” said the lady. Of course, the little pup was a German dog so she didn’t understand what the lady said.

Then the lady kissed the top of her head. That, the puppy understood. The little girl began to plant kiss after kiss on the lady. The lady giggled and snuggled the puppy some more.

“She is wonderful, Jack!” said the lady.

The little girl pup liked this lady. She gave lots of kisses and she snuggled pretty well, too. She didn’t understand a word she said, but her voice sounded nice, so the little pup decided she liked the lady enough and curled up in her arms and started to fall asleep.

The man told Frau Lanzingher, in German, that they wanted to buy the little girl and one of the other ladies was buying the friendly boy puppy. Then the man told Frau Lanzingher that the little girl dog would be going all the way to America! The little girl puppy listened and wondered where America was. She figured it would be okay because the nice lady would hold her.

So the man paid Frau Lanzingher and the nice lady, still holding the little girl pup, thanked her, and then they went outside into the cold and snowy day. The lady placed the little girl pup on the snow and the little girl pup wee-weed. The other lady placed the boy puppy down but he didn’t need to go.

They all climbed into the car and the nice lady held onto the little girl pup and carefully tucked her under her coat.

“That should keep you warm,” said the lady.

And she patted the little pup who was shaking with the cold and with nerves.

“Well, we know what your name will be, little one.” said the lady. “You will be Shubi. And I will be your mommy.”

The little pup didn’t know what the lady said, but she liked the sound of Shubi. The lady kept saying that over and over again. “Shubi” The little Shubi girl settled herself against the warm lady and snuggled further under her coat. Then she fell asleep.

The Weekend Wrap ~ August 9th

I’ve begun to think I should simply give up on having a quiet lazy weekend. No matter how I try, I seem to get caught up in things around the house, or out and about our little town, that is bursting at the seams with Tourists!

During my days, and the times spent alone in my car, I have thought about so many things. Mostly, happily, about my dogs!

I remember how naturally my first Dackel, Shubi walked with me. I did use a leash when walking her around our home in Florida, but when we took her back to Germany to visit her brother, Toni in the Munich area, I never used the leash. It seemed that Shubi was always happy to walk by my side.

She would lay by my feet in restaurants and in parks when in Germany. It was as if she already knew the rules for little dogs in Germany.

I thought about my Greta. Another German girl. She was fierce and brave and loved being out in our yard running around. I recall one Easter morning when Greta found a snake in the yard. Forget about Easter Eggs, Greta had an Easter snake!

We were also camping with Greta when a young girl came over and asked about her. What type of dog? Where is she from? I said, “Oh she is from Germany” and the child asked, “Does she speak English?” The same girl said, as she turned to leave us, that she liked Greta’s bangs!

Greta and her bangs.

Greta was also the best little doggy-mama ever. In fact, I remember her nursing the pups at 12 weeks of age, as the new owners were about to carry them away.

Mama Greta and her five babies!

This brought to mind darling Fritz. He was a 78 pound White German Shepherd who I think thought Shubi was his Mama. He was so respectful of her and then Greta, Arnie, and Anneliese.

In fact, one day when Greta was outside with her first litter (this included babies Arnie and Anneliese), a stray dog came into the yard and was heading for the puppies.

Fritz.

Before I could react, I felt a brush of white fur against my leg, as Fritz sped by and broadsided that stray dog! He then made sure the stray dog left our yard. Yes. Fritz just knew that he was born an ugly dackel!

Which got me thinking about a trip we took to New Mexico in our motorcoach. We had yet another White German Shepherd, named Max and Shubi with us. Both were excellent riders and we really enjoyed the trip. We looked up an old Pan Am friend of Jack’s and parked the motorcoach at his home.

We were delighted to discover that they had four Corgis! So cute. Well, they wanted to play, but the story went like this: They sniffed and looked over both dogs, decided that dackel Shubi was close enough to be a Corgi, so they allowed her to play.

Shubi and Max.

But dear, sweet, beautiful Max was not allowed to play any Corgi games! To watch the Corgis plus One, brought a smile to my face.

Anneliese was my quiet girl. We had wonderful adventures going to Germany to meet her boyfriend, and my little love was such a gentle soul. She never demanded attention but was just happy to be around us all. She loved traveling and made many new friends at the airports we were in and also in Germany.

Anneliese and me in Germany.

And then there is Lili.The niece of our darling Fritz. She has that same sweetness in her personality, but this dog goes from zero to sixty in mere seconds. She also is able to jump higher than any dog I have ever had. My beautiful Lili Marlene! She also saved me when I was home alone and there was a daytime break-in at my home. I do not want to think what could have happened if she had not been here!

Lili Marlene.

Last but by no means least is my Arnie. My precious, darling. When Greta gave birth to her first litter, most people wanted females. In this litter, there was one male. Handsome Arnie. He allowed his sisters to do whatever they wanted and he hung back. The term, I’m a lover, not a fighter could be said about my boy!

Arnie was sold to a Professor at Cornel University. She wanted to show him and have a companion dog.

The day she was due to pick him up, I got a call. She had lost her job, her husband had run off with a student and her daughter had moved out of their home. I told her she needed this pup, but she said no.

Over the weekend we went back and forth about this wonderful pup. He was sweet and gentle and loving and everyone who met him fell in love with him instantly!

Anneliese peaking around her brother, darling Arnie! My twins!

On Monday morning we looked at our little dog family, Fritz, Greta, Anneliese and decided that Arnie was home. How difficult could it be to take care of four dogs?

And you know, in the nearly 15 years of Arnie’s life, I have never regretted the day we decided to add this marvelous boy to our pack!

***************

It amazes me when I recall each and every dog that I have had and the fun we shared. I have never looked at my doggies as anything but my fur children. Gently handled, greatly loved, and sorely missed when they leave me.

The memories of these splendid friends gave so much to me and to my life. Each, in their own way, saved me. Whether it was making me laugh when I was sad, or licking away my tears, or pressing their bodies close to mine when I felt down.

Max Anneliese Fritz Greta

Arnie Shubi Lili

How lucky I have been!

The Friday Five ~ Plus 1 ~ August 6th

My oh my, what a week it was. I had planned on having a quiet week, but as it turned out, I was busier than I have been in a while. So, here we go with this week’s Friday Five Plus 1.

On Tuesday I drove Jack to the prosthetics shop, as he needed new shoes. When you have had an amputation, you need special shoes so you can walk correctly without injuring your foot or the other toes. The Staff was wonderful and his new shoes will be coming in a few weeks.
After the appointment, I took Jack to the grocery store. Three isles in and he was fading fast, so I paid for the groceries and then drove home. He asked to go the back way, which was fine, but then as I started to go that way he did not recognize the route for a bit.
Upon arriving at home, he mentioned he wanted potato salad. Ah, well, he’d finished up the last bit the night before, so I set about making more. That’s when I realized I had no celery. So off I went to the grocery store (locally) to get the things I had not gotten earlier because Jack needed to get home.
My new coffee maker arrived. Those of you that have known me a while, know I have bad luck with appliances.
In any case, our old machine was leaking after a literal meltdown inside. It lasted three years. We liked it though, so we bought the same model.
At the grocery store today they had a plethora of farm-fresh vegetables! They also had sales on melon, blueberries, cherries, and grapes. So I stocked up. They also had split whole chickens. So that is what’s for dinner tonight.

+1. Currently, our Main Street is being repaved, and all the man-hole covers are being replaced before the paving. Now if they had waited 5 weeks our little town would be empty of tourists, and they could get it all done quickly. But, I was out on Thursday and I needed to stop at the Post Office. I started to park across the street when one of our local policemen waved at me and yelled something. Once I could pull away from the parking spot, I pulled over to him and asked where I could park to go to the Post Office? He said to “Go around and then park near the church.” So I began to do a U-turn when he started yelling at me again. “You can’t do that here!” I started to cry. Not great big ugly sobs, but tears sprung and I must have gotten to him because he spoke kindly to me and said, “Just back up now, go down to Waukewan Street, and then take Waukewan Avenue to park.” So I did and tried to catch my breath. When I got inside the Post Office the Clerks were telling me that they were stuck, not being able to get out to have their lunches. Until they finish the paving, I will be avoiding Main Street.

So I will be kicking back, and catching up on things this weekend. Housework, laundry, and perhaps start reading a book on my tablet.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Author: Dackel Princess