Dackel Princess

Flowers

On Friday my blog friend Rude Cactus asked a question on his blog.

“The Weekly Hypothetical. You can go backward or forward in time – or just stay put in the present day – with a notebook and a pen to interview anyone for one hour. Who do you interview and what questions do you ask?”

I answered, ” I would go back to 1985 and I would interview my daughter Katie. I would ask her about what she thought about life, happiness and love. I know it wouldn’t be profound for anyone else but me, but oh those moments would mean so much!”

Posted by Maribeth at February 6, 2009 1:27 PM”

I found out today that I had won a bouquet of the flowers of my choice. So I went over and selected this rose plant. We used to call Katie, Rose-bud as a nickname, so it seemed appropriate.

Plus I figured that the plant would live for a long while reminding me of Katie and of my friend.

So, thank you Chris, for this. It means more to me than you can imagine. By saying what you did and by supporting me over the years, you help to honor my daughter.

Thanks!!!

Waiting…..

I spent part of Friday doing errands with Anneliese by my side. All I have to do now is ask her if she wants to go for a ride and she is at the door with her tail wagging!

I’ve been taking her along with me as I go around the town, to the Post Office, the Bank, etc. getting her ready for our trip. At first she was nervous and scared, but now she has developed self confidence and does very well.

So, we went around and did our errands before returning home. During our car trip I kept talking to her and encouraging her to go into heat! I have learned that Anneliese is a stubborn little Miss. She will go into heat when she feels like it!

I was looking at the calendar from the last two years and discovered that she goes into heat every 8 months. That is NOW!

So, I have my passport ready and will start thinking about the clothes I will pack for me. All I need for my girl is her cute little panties! I bet Isegrim will really fall for her when he sees those panties!!!

(This picture was taken during her last heat)

Don’t you think she looks cute?

Anneliese & Isegrim

Today was a pamper me day. I got my hair trimmed and my roots restored to their youthful honey brown, all the while my hands were massaged and my finger nails done. Ah yes, true wonderful pampering!

I think everyone needs pampering. I mean lets face it, everywhere you go, everyone you meet can tell you a story of someone they know who is going through a hard time, or knows someone who is.

So it’s imperative to just step back and get a little pampering once in a while, and today was my day.

Now I am set totally for my trip to Berlin! Anneliese can finally stop wasting time and just go into heat. I’m ready. I look fabulous and I’m ready to take on Germany!

I also am so excited about seeing Uschi and spending some time with her. It’s been nearly 5 years since we have been together. It’s time!!!

I’m not really looking forward to traveling alone with Anneliese, but then, Hubby needs to be here to be with our other three dogs and to take care of himself. I’ve been cooking up a storm making meals for him so he doesn’t have to go out for dinner too many times while I am away.

Anneliese

So let me tell you. I have found a handsome husband for Anneliese named Isegrim. You can go here to see him at The site of the Vom Bruchsee Kennel.

He is really a handsome boy, (On the side bar of the Vom Bruchsee Kennel click on Deckrüden and you will see a nice face picture of Isegrim) and I am so excited about this mating. I think the pups will be fantastic!

Let’s just hope that Anneliese will be a nice girl and falls hopelessly in love with Isegrim!

Weight Watchers

Today was Weight Watchers. I got up and did my make-up and hair and dressed in some nice clothes. I even put on jewelry. I looked good.
I got there early, because I always weigh in, in my shorts and a tank top, and then re-dress in my warmer clothes. Tami is always there early and we talk.
Then people started coming in and I talked with them. A little time passed and they asked me if I could lead the group because our leader was delayed in traffic. So I got up and welcomed everyone and did the celebrations part of the meeting. I gave out 5 pound weight loss stars, and I even gave out a 10 % key chain! Oh I was so happy. I spoke for half of the meeting and then the regular leader, Suzanne came in and she finished.
After class she spoke to me for a while encouraging me to become a leader. Also several women at the meeting spoke to me and also said I should do this. One woman, she is very nice and recently started the program came over to me today. I had brought with me my before picture and I showed it to her and then she could see the after. She started to cry. I asked her why, and she said that I gave her hope that she too, could do this. I told her to keep my picture and to let it give her strength. She hugged me.

I think I will go to classes and learn to be a leader. It’s something I realize that I really believe in.

Blah…….

I’ve got one of those 24 hour stomach bugs that makes you just feel plain old blah! I’ve tried to work through it by ignoring it and just doing my usual work, but this darn germ is winning out.

At about 2 o’clock I took my temperature. It was 99.6 (F). Now usually my temperature is 97.5 so this little temperature of 99.6 is a big deal for me.

So I sat down.

I started having chills and then hot flashes. I’ve decided that being menopausal with a fever is a real pain in the neck. I mean, here you are already burning up with a fever, and your cute little menopausal body decides you aren’t hot enough and gives you a “royal flash”!

I’m not feeling too hungry either, but since I like Hubby I made him a nice meal of goulash and mashed potatoes. I think I will probably do something totally exciting, like make myself some cream of wheat and tea.

Hopefully by the morning I will be back on my feet and ready to go to Weight Watchers.

I really dislike feeling this way. Blah is no fun!

Why I Do, What I Do

When I first married Hubby he had a great dog. His name was Rex. I wasn’t his first Mommy. I was his step-mommy. Rex liked people and kids and was a great companion for me when Hubby was off flying.

There was a time when I was working in our orchard selling apples and I had a man threaten me with his movements and Rex placed himself between the man and me and gave him the biggest toothiest growl ever! Good doggy!!!

Anyway, as Rex got older arthritis seemed to be setting in. We had him on medication for that, and at night, when he could no longer walk up the stairs, we made a comfy bed for him.

One night when Hubby was off flying I decided to paint our bedroom. (Can you tell I was a lot younger then?) Anyway, it started to storm with great loud booming thunder. One thing Rex hated more than anything was thunder. As I stood with white paint covering my clothes I looked over at the door and saw that Rex was standing there. That sweet boy had dragged himself up the stairs to be with me during that storm.

Rex’s arthritis seemed to get worse and so Hubby and I took him to the Vet’s to see if there was anything we could do. They x-rayed his hips and then showed us something I didn’t think I would ever see.

Rex had no hip sockets. His bones were just floating in the hip area. No wonder he was in such pain! Hip dysplasia is a terrible thing!

We kept Rex as comfortable as we could until the day arrived that we made the last trip to the Vet’s with him. He had gone into a stream near our house to rest his hips in the cold water. We helped him out and when he could no longer stand, we called to go in.

As we drove to the Vet’s office, I thought about the night of the thunder storm. You see the day Rex left us, there was a terrible thunder and lightening storm.

I held my step-doggy in my arms as the Vet eased him from this world and I promised Rex then that if I ever went on to breed dogs I would do it right, so that they would not have these terrible, painful genetic diseases passed along.

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

A few years later when I fell hopelessly in love with wire-haired dackels, I realized that there were not too many of them in this country. Also the ones here were in-bred and many had terrible back problems. The more I read the more I knew that I wanted to do things differently.

So after bringing Shubi home and deciding not to breed her due to pedigree restrictions, I started to explore breeding practices. I found what I thought made perfect sense in Germany. So, I went back and I got Greta.

You see the German Breed Clubs are very strict with their breeding practices. In-breeding isn’t allowed and their dogs are in far better health than ours. I decided if I was going to breed the wire-haired dachshunds in this country, I was going to do it right.

I have had all my dogs judged by a German judge. He examines them from top to bottom looking for any disqualifications. I have their eyes examined to make sure they are not passing on a problematic illness called PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). And when I select a husband for my girls, I make sure that they are not related in any way.

I do this so that no puppy that I bring into this world will suffer from a genetic disease if I can possibly help it.

My dogs are one of the best parts of my life and I want other people to know how wonderful the wire-haired dachshunds are. Happy, healthy and full of fun!

Thank you, Rex. For being a wonderful boy and for teaching me such a valuable lesson.

Anneliese, Arnie & The Dingo Bone

I gave the three dackels dingo bones this morning. They each went off to chew their bones, but Greta wasn’t feeling well so she just sat next to hers. Soon Anneliese stole the bone from her. Greta did not care, but Arnie knew that Anneliese had stolen the bone and he began to follow her all around the house, barking at her.

She decided to drive Arnie crazy. She jumped up into the chair next to me and then she tucked the bone with her two front paws under her chest! Then I swear to you, she stuck that needle nose of hers in the air!

You can just see the bone peeking out between her two paws!

You can see how she tormented her brother, Arnie. Every time he got close she would snarl at him, “Get Away!”.
This lasted for over an hour. Poor Arnie was making us all crazy with his fussing and barking. Then Anneliese heard a truck drive down the street and she leapt to go and see what the noise was and Arnie dove in and stole the bone from her! But he was smart. He quickly ate the bone up and the little game was over!

I just love these dogs!

3 Dackels & Fritz

I had Anneliese out again today, as I try to get her ready for her trip abroad. She hopped into the car, and then I carried her from the car into the Post Office (I wanted to keep her feet clean!) where she greeted many strangers.

She did well and then on our return trip she was happily looking out the windows of the car at everything going by.

She is a happy little thing, and so loving. I’m just hoping when she gets to Germany and meets her German “husband” she will be as sweet to him.

Arnie wanted to get into the act too. As I stood holding Anneliese, he was jumping up wanting to be held. So I picked him up and Hubby snapped this picture.

I was pretty busy doing laundry today too. So I decided to grab Fritz’s toy named “monkey” and wash it. Once it was done I brought it back up and tossed it at him. Before I knew what was happening Greta leapt off the sofa and grabbed the toy in mid-air! Then she climbed up in my chair and dared anyone to just try to get it.

We all decided just to let her have it!
Wouldn’t you?

Another Day

We were up early today and I decided to bite the bullet and try to ski again. I told Hubby I would do this on one condition: that if I needed to stop he would not say one word.

I actually skied well. Four good runs on difficult trails before I stopped. Why did I stop? Well, I got tired. Although the conditions were really much better than they were yesterday, they still required a lot of work on my part and I got tired!

So after the four runs I skied down and told Hubby to ski until he was ready to go. Which he did.

We went for lunch, stopped to get the car washed (the salt is terrible on the roads!) and then came home.

Bright spot of the day was doing something I thought was sort of funny. It went like this.

When I arrived at the ski lodge it was mobbed with middle school kids, who were there for races. I found a couple of seats and started to sit down. This busy body type of lady hurried over and told me that the seat I was in was already taken. I looked at her and then at the hordes of kids mulling around the lodge and I said: “Look, I know I can’t take out all of those kids to get a seat, but I know one thing, I can take out you!”

Poor thing. I think I scared her. I smiled and told her I was just joking. A moment later a woman walked up, a friend of hers and it turned out that I knew the woman! We all talked and there was plenty of room for not just me, but for the woman’s friends and Hubby as well to get our ski gear on.

12 Plus

The weather man says we got 16 inches, but Hubby swears it’s no more than 12. Walking around today I think perhaps the weather man is a little closer.

As you can see we have a good three feet of snow sitting in the back yard. Some of it is from the previous storms, but most of it is from yesterday.

I did finally get Anneliese to pose for me. She’s the cooperative one. You can see how petite she looks next to the snow banks.

Now here are a few pictures of Hubby as he cleared the path for the dackels. I was shocked to see my picnic table. Now that’s all from this past storm!

Hubby works hard, but he tells me that it’s good exercise for him. I bet he will be tired tonight.

This was a small avalanche in front of the green house. Hubby got through it and now the dackels can get to their special place!

I love this one of Hubby, with my neighbor’s house in the background. Yes, that’s a lot of snow.

I went up to go skiing today, but I must confess that the snow was too much for me. I am an average skier, but I like the conditions to be packed and firm. Today was a powder lovers dream and my personal nightmare.

I kept falling and I got more and more afraid, until I just skied to the bottom, took off my skies and said to hell with it! Hubby wasn’t happy with me, but I have to say, when you feel like I did and you are a simple skier, you are much safer in the lodge!

I came home and took a long hot bath and tried to unwind. I don’t think I am calm yet. There is something terribly scary for me when I fall and end up buried in snow that is as deep as my arm.

I’m trying a new Weight Watchers recipe for Scalloped Potatoes. It smells heavenly. Wouldn’t that be a nice way to end the day, with a nice steak, asparagus and scalloped potatoes?