Author: Dackel Princess

The Backpack Incident!

I recently purchased a new backpack for myself. Hubby’s been using my old one when he goes off to work in the parks here in town, and since I use mine to carry my computer and camera gear, I want a nice clean pack.

So LL Bean was having a big sale on their super padded back pack and I ordered myself a new one complete with my initials.

MJ*

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I was showing it to Hubby and told him it was official, he could now keep my old backpack, and he said it was very nice, but the old one also had my initials on it.

MJ*

I thought for a bit and then it hit me Hubby’s first name begins with J and since we have the same last name all I really had to do was remove the M and it would be completely personalized for him.

J*

I was so excited about this and told him my plan. He liked the idea and immediately went outside and got the backpack from the Jeep. I got out my stitch ripper and began removing the offending M while I watched the TV.

I was going along pretty well and then I started to feel cold. At first I thought perhaps it was a metal tool that was just cold from being outside in the Jeep. Then I started to feet WET! I felt down and it was wet!

I opened the backpack and there was a can of coke that had obviously frozen, exploded and was now leaking all over me!

I took everything out of the pack and tried just wiping it up, but that was not going to work as it was very sticky! So, I finished removing the M and then washed the pack in the washer using the gentle cycle.

Good as new, clean as a whistle and with Hubby’s two initials J*.

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Am I a great wife or what?

The Eye Has It Again!

I am happy to announce that I lost one and a half pounds this week at Weight Watchers, bringing me even closer to my goal weight. Will I get there before we leave for our cruise? I sure hope so!

I also went to Boston for an appointment with my corneal surgeon. All is well with my right eye, but my left eye has a few problems. Thus I will be seeing my retinal surgeon in two weeks.

It’s funny, I always thought an eye was an eye, but it turns out that there are specialists for almost every part of your eye!

As we returned home, what did we spy? SNOW! I couldn’t believe it, although it certainly was cold enough. We didn’t have any accumulation, but he flurries were quite pretty and a very clear reminder that winter is on it’s way.

Okay, I’m Getting Old!

I was all upset today because I couldn’t find the owner’s manual for the super cool camera that I own. I mean, this baby can take fabulous pictures in all sorts of settings, and here I was, without the manual!

I searched high, I searched low. I found the manuals for all my other cameras past and present, but not for the super cool one we bought last year for our trip through the Panama Canal.

Now my knee has been bothering me a lot. It’s swollen and sore and every time I have to bend it, I want to scream a little. It’s an old skiing injury that reminds me that I am not Jean Claude Killy or Pica Boo Street!

Anyway, I was looking around wondering what I could do when I went to the Olympus website and found that I could download the owner’s manual there.

Wonderful! Except that it is 100 pages long!

So back I went to searching this darn house. It had to be here. I went to a closet where I actually found the box the camera came in and found 2 owner’s manuals in there! Unfortunately I do not speak or read French or Spanish.

**Groan!**

I did not give up. Sure this soon to be, muddled 50 year old brain could figure it out. I sat down with Greta. I asked her what I could have done with the book? She stared at me as if she were saying, “come on, you dummy, think!”

It was then I had an idea. I went into my bedroom and found the box with all my brochures and memorabilia from my Panama Canal trip. Slowly I opened the box and there it was lying right on top!

Okay I now feel like I am getting old. I mean, how many people place their camera’s owner’s manual in a memorabilia box?

It’s a good thing that Hubby loves me!

Late Autumn 2008

It was another beautiful day here in central New Hampshire. Bright blue skies, no wind, and on the lake the water was so still it was as clear as glass. I glanced out the front windows and saw this beauty, so I grabbed my camera and headed down the hill to the beach where I could take a few pictures of the leaves reflected in the water.

It’s been a long, beautiful Autumn and I have enjoyed every day that we have had the beautiful colored leaves on our trees. I know that soon they will fall and the trees will appear as little more than skeletons against the gray skies of winter.

Until then I plan to stare, to watch, to enjoy each day. Here is a short montage featuring the pictures that I took. I hope you enjoy it.

The Summer’s End

Hubby and I took out the last of the air conditioners today from our windows. This is always significant because it means that we have finally accepted the fact that the summer is over, colder temperatures are here to stay, and we need to close up the areas in the house that would leak out precious heat.

I’ll miss the air conditioner. I love a cool bedroom, with the air circulating, and most of all I love the slight noise that the air conditioner makes. Call me a freak, but the noise fills my mind and puts me to sleep.

Usually at this time of year I have trouble sleeping. Why? You’ve got it. No noise. I wish I could find one of those white noise machines that sounds like an air conditioner. I’d be all set!

In other news, I have switched clothes from summer to winter and I have found I have far less of a wardrobe than I one had. I thought turtlenecks would fit no matter what, but an XL turtleneck is far bigger than a medium. I can hear shopping music, can’t you?

Hubby worked with some of the last of the painting he has been doing, and he has picked the last of our apples. It’s sad to see what the hail did to our lovely apples. Some we can use to make sauce, but so many will probably end up in a landfill.

The sun is setting, with the silvery cast across the lake. The sky is a pinkish blue, with those tell take signs that tell me….

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Yes, it is the end of the summer.

Greta News

On Friday my dear Greta showed signs of pain. Oh how I wish that my dogs could tell me what ails them! Alas, that is not the case. All I knew was that she seemed to be somewhat lame. My heart sank as images of a spinal problem danced before my eyes!

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I picked her up carefully, and without even calling my Veterinarian, I drove straight to their office. They know me well enough to know that I want the best care for my dackels and that I know my dogs very well.

They took her off and did a full exam, and then we sat and talked about what the doctor found.

A soft muscle pull! Oh my heart felt such relief I cannot begin to tell you. He prescribed some Rimadyl for her and told me to let them know if she didn’t respond int he next 24 hours.

I am happy to report that Greta was back to her normal self on Saturday, although I will keep her quiet and on her medication for a few days.

I am so relieved and I know I will sleep better tonight than I did last night. This morning I got a phone call from the Vet to check on my Greta. He wanted to be sure that she was feeling better.

I thought that was so nice. It makes me happy that my dogs are cared for by such nice people.

The Usual

Thursday was one of those days where we took care of all the essentials. You know, we shopped for groceries, picked up some hardware at a Home Depot, and after making lunch Hubby and I settled in to do our various chores.

He’s working on the screens for our porch, sanding, priming, painting, and re-screening.

Meanwhile, I paid bills, walked the dogs, put the groceries away, made some doctor’s appointments for me and for Anneliese and then later in the day prepared our dinner.

Now I had thought that dinner would be something usual like chicken, until we got to our grocery store and found an in store special for Lobster. Beautiful yummy Maine Lobster for $3.99 a pound!

Now after the last Lobster meal, I wasn’t all that sure I wanted to chance it, but how often have I had a bad Lobster in my life? Once. So I sidled up to the fish counter and ordered two – one and a half pound Lobsters.

I am happy to report that the Lobsters were excellent!

I also worked on sorting through my closet deciding what to take on our cruise. After all its just 23 days and counting….

Three Pounds!

I was up before the day dawned. I needed to go to the hospital for more blood work, and I knew that I needed to be there early to beat the crowds. I have been there when I have had to wait for two hours to get my blood drawn. So, today I was prepared.

I left my house at 6:45 and arrived at the hospital just after 7. I walked in, expecting the large crowd, and found the lobby strangely empty! I mean really empty!

I checked in with a nice young lady who was ready to help one and all, but had nothing to do because of the lack of patients. She has the cutest dachshund, and we talked dogs while she did my paperwork.

Then before I knew it, my name was called, blood drawn and off I went. It was 7:30!

I had planned on there being crowds, and this would occupy my time until Weight Watchers and I would breeze in and enjoy that meeting, but here I was two hours before the meeting was due to start!

I filled up the car with gas ($2.69 a gallon!) and then drove to the meeting hall. I decided to just sit and wait in the parking lot. I had the morning news paper and that would give me something to do.

However, when I arrived there was a woman there who does our weigh-ins. Her name is Tami and I have known her since my very first meeting when she weighed me in. She was doing a few bits of paper work, but welcomed the company.

She offered to weigh me in early so I could eat, and I quickly stripped down to my shorts and tank top to do this.

I LOST 3 POUNDS!!!!!

I was so happy, that the last three week plateau had been broken and I was on my way in the right direction!

Tami and I talked and talked until other people began to arrive for the meeting. Eventually the meeting began, and although it wasn’t the best meeting (in that some are both fun, funny and exciting) it was a good pep talk and got me ready for the week ahead.

I left and came back home and sort of had a sinking spell. I know I am getting old because I really need my sleep and I suffer when I don’t get it! LOL!

I was having a nice quiet afternoon when Greta went outside with Hubby for about half an hour. When she came in she smelled so bad I could not believe it!

Why do dogs have to go out, find the worst smelling pile of crap and then roll in it?

She is now bathed, AGAIN and smelling nice! At least I think she is, she may have other ideas!