Dackel Princess

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!

TBT: Germany & Me

I first went to Germany in the spring of 1989. Hubby was a pilot for Pan Am, and he was temporarily assigned to West Berlin. This was before the Wall came down, and nothing I experienced then, comes close to the reunified city now.

This was the Airbus Jack flew over from New York with a 3 man crew, and me. They showed me how to warm up meals and make coffee and I was able to experience a takeoff and landing on this flight in the cockpit, as well as see St Elmo’s Fire. There were no passengers on this flight. They had to fill up to the brim with jet fuel to make the flight from JFK to Berlin, Tegel Airport.

There we are, at Checkpoint Charlie, when it really was a crossing from West into East Berlin. I went through several times with the US Military (a special privilege they gave to Pan Am families).

Here I am in East Berlin at Alexander Platz. I recall the gardens there were so beautiful. I spent a lot of time walking around East Berlin, and I brought back many wonderful things to remind me of my trip. The items we have used the most over the years are the cotton Decke (comforter type blanket). I love the two I bought, but they have slowly fallen to apart.

I also learned to love Dackels! Friends of Jack’s had a wonderful male, Wirehaired Dackel, named Shubi. He spoke no English, and I spoke no German, but it was love at first sight for us both.

In the years to come each time we visited, Shubi was at my feet, in my arms, and my bed! Oh, I loved that little man!

Years later, during the fall of 1995 Shubi got out of their yard and was hit by a lorry. My first visit back did not feel the same. I mourned the loss of my little friend. I saw how quiet their house was and said, “You know, we should get puppies together!”

And we did! In February of 1996, we brought home a three-month-old female Wirehaired Dackel, that we named Shubi-2. Our friends got her brother and named him Toni!

She was the best souvenir that I ever got!

Arnie’s New Bed

In his old age, nearly 15 years old, I decided that Arnie needed a new bed. I had been hearing a lot about calming beds. After checking them out, I found one I thought my old boy deserved something cushy and wonderful. Something that would feel good on his old bones.

This bed arrived today. I got it in a darker color to hide any doggy dirt, and I got a slightly bigger size to accommodate a long dog! It is machine washable and dryable!

He loves it! He even chased Lili out of the bed when I first put it down. It was as if Arnie knew that this bed was just for him.

The Weekend Wrap ~ August 2nd

It’s hard to believe, but here we are the first weekend in August! It was a quiet weekend, with me babying my wrist, seeing my grandchildren, and watching the Olympics. Or at least trying to.
Okay, we will start with the Olympics. Never before have I seen such poor television coverage of the Olympics. There was no comprehensive schedule printed, and then when I did see events that I wanted, Tennis, Gymnastics, etc, the actual performances were abbreviated, and I am sure somewhere they showed Alexander Zverevs Megal Ceremony, but by golly, I couldn’t find it.
I also was very upset over many events that occurred at the Olympics. Although I am sympathetic towards anyone who truly suffers from mental health problems, I feel that perhaps athletes should be honest with their coaches, and their doctors and be strong enough to walk away and give other people a chance at their dreams.
My wrist is doing better! Yay! I have kept it splinted 24 hours a day and I am happy to report that there is progress.
I got to see my grandchildren on Friday.
I brought down some modeling clay and the kids had a great time making their beautiful projects, while they talked with me.

Oh, how I miss those two when I am not around them!

Me and my grandgirl, Savannah!

Me and my crazy grandboy, Quinn!
We also went out for lunch and I had my first Lobster Roll of the summer! Oh boy! Was it good!
The drive home, on a Friday afternoon in the summer was crazy! The traffic was heavy and it took me over two hours!
I had my Glaucoma check-up with my doctor. The right eye that has had laser surgery is doing very well. The left eye is the bad eye and it is time to do laser surgery. Three weeks from now we will do it.
So, although it was busy, it was quiet-busy and I enjoyed that so much. Have a great week everyone!

The Friday Five ~ July 30th

Well, that sure was a quick month! Imagine on Sunday it will be August and then it is time to begin the planning for summer to end, buy school supplies and clothes for kids as they (hopefully) return to school.

But here we are, and this is what’s happening!

Today, Friday, I am off to see my Glaucoma doctor. She will decide if I will need another laser treatment. Personally, I am hoping not. But we shall see.
After that, I am going to visit with Mandy and my darling grandchildren! I really miss them all, but I have found leaving home is not so easy anymore.
I found the most beautiful Lamb Chops at the store and when I get home on Friday night I will cook those up for our dinner. We haven’t had Lamb since before Covid came to call.
This week a new summer dress I ordered via Amazon arrived. It is even prettier than I thought it would be.I have found during the last year I enjoy daydreaming my way around Amazon and I have gotten some nice things at good prices. This little dress is so soft and yummy!
I will give my hand through the weekend and if it is no better on Monday I will make an appointment with an Orthopedic Hand Surgeon.

TBT: The Sound of Music & Me

Back in 1966, I played Gretl in our community theater’s version of The Sound of Music. Those were my wonder years as I was not shy and still lived in a world of childlike wonder. Therefore, I looked at the play as a great adventure, and no audience made me nervous.

I was the very youngest in the cast at just 8 years old. And when I look back at that time, I recall working with some of the nicest people I have ever known. I am the very smallest one on the end.

Both the woman who played Maria and the man who played Captain Von Trapp became life-long friends. They always treated me like I was their child.

I am just to the right of “Maria”.

I am not sure if you can read this or not. It is the review for the play. I get a very kind mention. But as I said, this really was a special time for me.

What a truly magnificent experience!

My Hurt Paw!

Day two of my dealing with De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis found me feeling almost a bit worse. Although I do well in the splint, if I move just wrong, the pain is terrible.

Jack seems to think that a good night’s sleep, along with a large tumbler of scotch will magically heal this. I do not have the heart to tell him that this may be a long-term problem and not something that will heal overnight.

Many years ago, during my physical exam, my doctor commented that I was fortunate to have Jack by my side. I laughed. Then I told him, “You and I had better hope that I never become seriously ill!”

And so it goes.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I had to do laundry today. And although I asked I got very little help. Ah well. I suppose he feels at his age, he needs to be taken care of more than I do.

Ah, enough of feeling sorry for myself. If I am lucky, I will see my daughter and grandchildren on Friday after my visit with my Glaucoma doctor. I pray for good eye pressure and lunch with the kids!