Dackel Princess

Electronics & Me

I missed posting the weekend wrap due to network problems and cell phone problems. Both made me want to curl up in a ball in the corner and weep, but then I recalled what my friend Brad always said, “Give it a try! What’s the worst that could happen?”

So, I plunged in, not to be deterred by the fear of the unknown. The first thing I needed to do was get the Wifi system up and running. After going through an unplug, wait, and then reboot the entire system. It worked. And my 40 minutes of troubleshooting got the internet going.

Next on my list was to do a complete reboot of my cell phone. I like the phone, but it has acted wonky since I got it. The salesperson was so insistent that he speed load the cell phone, that many of the Apps didn’t work well.

So I read and reread how to perform this task and I sat down and wiped and reloaded my cell phone. I have it pretty much set up now but only the next few days will tell me for sure.

Today was hot and humid, much as it was when I lived in Florida. I really had trouble with that. The heat would simply exhaust me. I spent most of the time in the house with the air conditioning going. Such has been the case today!

All else is well, and it is my hope that all the electronics in this house will give me a break for a while. I am grateful, however, for all that I learned today.

The Men In My Life

Here are the five men, who shaped my life. In their own ways, they were my father or a father figure to me. They have all passed from this life to the next, but their memory and the love they gave me, lives on in my heart

My Dad. He was an amazingly talented musician and he passed along his love of music to me. Dad was devoted to our community. He played the organ at both the Congregational Church and the Catholic Church in North Falmouth.

He was the Music Director at Highfield Theater for many years. He also was a summer police officer in our town. And when we went to local parks for cook-outs, Dad was the burger-meister! He has been gone a long time now, but I still think of him often and miss his wry sense of humor.

My Uncle George. He was the father who taught me everything growing up. How to swim, how to dive, how to bowl, how to hike, how to play cards, and how to love unconditionally.

When I was about 7 years old I cut my toe badly at the beach and he carried me all the way home! And helped drive me to the doctor’s office for stitches. He was not a loud man, but in his quiet loving way, I just knew that I was one of his special kids. In fact, when Jack and I married, Uncle George walked me down the aisle. I miss this sweet, loving, wonderful man!

My Uncle Bob. He was fun to be with. But, he required that I act like a mini adult too. That was fine. I adored him and just wanted to spend time, quiet time, with him.

I did a lot of things with him and his wife, Auntie Cynthia. I remember being on his boat, or when they took me to their home in Quincy and to museums. And I recall my Uncle once got a monkey. Cute, but it didn’t last for long.

My Papa Fred. Another quiet man, who was quite old when I lived with him and Grandma. But he showed me something important.

What real love between a man and woman was all about. I would watch Papa and Grandma sitting on their sofa watching Lawrence Welk. Papa would hold Grandma’s feet in his lap and stroke them gently. He simply adored Grandma and had all of his life. When she died, he no longer had the will to live and passed eight months later.

My Papa Sam, my Dad’s Dad. I didn’t know him as well, but I remember him taking me to the Prudential Building in the summer to listen to the Barbershop Quartets sing.

I remember sitting on his lap and listening to him sing along. He had such a beautiful voice.

These 5 men helped to shape the woman I grew up to become. Each special in their own way, and now, each greatly missed.

Happy Father’s Day! I remember you all with love and many memories that make me smile!

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up…

On Friday I was out quite a bit in the morning. This is the last weekend of Motorcycle Week and my little bit of Heaven is jam-packed with people, mostly Bikers.

Since I had to drive Lili out to the Veterinarian and then go back to pick her up after her teeth cleaning, trust me, I saw way more driving than I wanted to be doing.

On my way out and back in the early morning, the Bikers were just up. Restaurant parking lots were packed with isle after isle of motorcycles. Most of these people were middle-aged and were riding their HOGS (Harley Davidson). Some were riding the newer fad for us Senior Citizens, a three-wheel trike so as not to fall over.

The disturbing vision I saw was a younger Biker with no helmet, who had a 5 or 6-year-old boy on the back of his bike. The child did have a helmet on but was wearing shorts and sneakers and a short sleeve shirt. He also did not fit in, tucked next to his Dad, but was positioned so he almost looked like he was flying behind the bike. I just felt like this was a tragedy waiting to happen.

The next bike passenger made me both laugh and shake my head. She was a young woman, with neat French braids. She wore no helmet, but here is a list of her clothing.

One pair of cut-off jeans shorts, that are the shortest I’ve ever seen. She was very thin, so she could get away with them at say, a cookout, but…

Next, she was wearing a tube top. This skinny little top left nothing to the imagination and I think this item might be banned in several states! I would bet one large bump would find her girls displayed for all to see! But here was the ultimate of unsafe bike-wear. On her feet, she was wearing flip-flops! Now there is a girl who would suffer severe road-rash and injury should her boyfriend have an accident driving his bike.

Honest to goodness, you can’t make this stuff up!

Meanwhile, the constant hum of motorcycles continues and tonight there will be live music less than a mile from our home. It is what it is. Once a year, loud, a boatload of cash coming into our area. After a smaller Bike Week last year due to Covid, people are really enjoying this year! And it’s good for our businesses!

PS: Lili made out very well with her dental. Her teeth were all perfect and now her teeth are clean!

The Friday Five ~ June 18th

This week was an incredibly busy one. Each day was full and I covered a lot of ground. So, here are the top things in this week’s Friday Five.

Monday was Jack’s first appointment with his new Primary Care doctor. I’m doing all the driving now, but I also wanted to go in with him for his appointment. Jack has had an infection in the toe next to the one that was amputated and I felt he needed to get on some antibiotics. I should get paid for my diagnosis. Sure enough, he was put on a strong antibiotic. And an appointment to see his Podiatrist was made. On our way home, we stopped and got gas and groceries. What a long day!
Tuesday I was trying to get some housework done and I actually did get some basics gone. But there is still more deep cleaning to do.
Wednesday we were off to the VA again to see Jack’s Podiatrist. The doctor debrided the infected area on the toe until we could see the ulcer. It is not very large, which means I got to it in time (I hope!). Jack now has to allow me to clean and dress the toe daily and finish all the antibiotics.
Thursday was another kind of crazy day. Sheets were washed and beds were made, I went to get some fresh fruit and popcorn at the grocery store which I like. The last time I shopped I got Jollytime Popcorn, and it was terrible. It was very salty and it tasted like crap! I like Orville Redenbacher’s Kettle Corn Mini Bags. It’s the best of the diet popcorns out there. I also went to get the mail at the Post Office, only to find out that I had paid my property taxes and was 5 cents short! Needless to say, I stopped and left the nickel to pay the town what I owed.
And last but not least, today Lili is going in for a dental and her shots. I know the trip out to my Veterinarian will be crazy as Lili is not a good car rider. But I also know the ride home will be nice and quiet as she will still be sleepy. Thus ending another long and busy week!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

TBT: Greta Meets The Lake

Way back, when Greta was a very young pup, we were taking her daily for walks in the forest to a local lake. Each day, our German Shepherd, Fritz would jump in, but Greta would just stand there and watch.

I tried to get her interested, but she just stood there watching Fritz swim. She was so stubborn!

Then one day Jack threw a larger stick out, and Fritz jumped in, along with Greta!

Jack was panicked and began to take off his shoes, and remove his wallet from his shorts, as he feared that Greta would not know how to turn around and come back to shore.

But Greta was far smarter than anyone knew, and when Fritz grabbed the stick and turned to swim in, so did Greta.

And thus began Greta’s love affair with the ponds and lakes in Central New Hampshire.

The Weekend Wrap ~ June 14th

The weekend started in a rather dramatic fashion. And I am sure my neighbors all wondered who was getting killed in my yard. I admit to being very loud, but when you read why, I think you will understand.

There are a few things I worked diligently to teach my pups when they came to me. The first is to “Come” when I call them. The other is to “Leave it”. Both commands could save them in serious situations.

Greta and Anneliese were not particularly good at those commands, but for some reason, Arnie and Lili were star pupils!

On Friday night I was walking Lili and Arnie just before bed. Lili immediately raced up the hill and Arnie followed. I ran as quickly as I could and I could see against the stone wall was a SKUNK waddling away.

LEAVE IT, LEAVE IT, LEAVE IT!

Then I yelled: COME, COME, COME!

Well, I am happy to report that Lili and Arnie stopped, turned around, and came to me! No Skunk spray was emitted! It was amazing. I dodged a bullet! Nothing is sadder than a beautiful White German Shepherd who turns pink after being soaked with tomato juice!

Whew!

The rest of my weekend was mostly quiet. It’s what I wanted. I read, watched a few movies, and just enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Thinking About Katie

11/8/78 – 6/19/85

I had a lovely daughter, named Kathleen “Katie” Alynne. She was my youngest daughter and quite amazing. She was six and a half when she died after a car accident that occurred on June 13th. She lived until June 19th, but she never regained consciousness after the paramedics pulled her from the car. So in my mind and my heart, the 13th is the day that she left us.

People have wondered and actually said to me, that after 36 years I should be over losing her.

What I know is, you never get over losing a child. But you learn to go on and to make a new life for yourself. But on days like today, I like to remind everyone that once long ago, lived a beautiful little girl named Katie!

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

This is so beautiful. I was crying by the second line, Written by Henry Scott Holland (27 January 1847 – 17 March 1918) was Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford.

A few years ago, an old friend was sorting through his pictures when he found this one of Katie. I’d never seen it before, and it was such a wonderful gift!

Most days I do well. I don’t dwell and I can look at her lovely face in pictures and smile. Then there are days that it hits me all over again and I am overwhelmed by grief. I don’t stay there long. Katie wouldn’t want that.

I miss you each day, Katie.

The Friday Five ~ June 11th

Another week has gone by. Somehow we survived the heat. But as this week ends, thus begins “Motorcycle Week”.

I went with Jack on Wednesday for his hand procedure. It was the non-surgical procedure to “cure” Dupuytren’s Contracture in his left hand. I did not expect what happened, (his skin tore!) and all of the blood. Now Jack has a one-inch cut at the base of his finger. Honest to goodness, if he had done this at home I would have taken him in for stitches. Now I have to dress his hand and clean it until it heals. No stitches involved.
I usually do okay with these things, but watching this done and all the blood, well, I felt a little faint. That is the first time that has ever happened. At least the bleeding has stopped and it looks a tad better.
I keep working, making tweaks on my bird suet feeders. I love feeding the birds, but we have several crows and a raven that like to fly upside down and clean out the feeders. I’m attempting to train Lili to chase them off!
I had a major update on my phone yesterday and suddenly all my pictures disappeared! I was frantic. I headed to the Verizon Store and asked what was going on? Somehow the Google Pictures had been turned on and had taken all my pictures and sent them to the cloud! And worst of all, if I reach my limit there is a fee to store them there! I already use Flickr, so once home, I turned Google pictures off! I have an SD Card in my phone with plenty of backup space.
I have no plans for this weekend. I want to watch tennis, and also maybe a movie or two.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday Thirteen ~ June 10th

Things have been sort of strange lately, I thought I would use this week’s Thursday Thirteen to tell you about it.

I was driving to my Ladies Meeting today and I noticed all the Vendor Tents being put up in Weirs Beach. This Friday is the start of Motorcycle Week. This means that my little piece of Heaven will be overrun with motorcycles, campers who bring their motorcycles, and motorcoaches filled with people who are towing a trailer with motorcycles. It gets pretty noisy up here from about 10 AM until 1 or 2 in the morning. It’s not my favorite time of the year, but after being shut down for Covid, many businesses need the cash that the Bikers bring. I hope everyone stays safe!
Today I was driving home after Jack had part two of his hand surgery done, and I saw a very large turtle in the road. I put on my Emergency Flashing lights and jumped out of the car with a beach towel. I’ve been watching countless episodes of “Northwoods Law” ( A TV show about the Fish & Game Departments in both Maine & New Hampshire) on National Geographic Wild, and so I was ripe for a rescue! At that very moment, a young man stopped his motorcycle to help.
My turtle resembled this one!

Well, my goodness, this was a very large “Snapping Turtle“. The young man seemed to know what he was doing, as he gently lifted the turtle at the back of his shell and we walked her over to the edge of the water, which is where we suspect she was headed. While we did this, I stopped traffic and looked at the man, and said, “Well, we just did our good deed of the day!” Really. It made me so happy to do this.
I was unhappy with the coverage of the French Open Tennis. I love to watch tennis, and unfortunately, The Tennis Channel has the rights to this Grand Slam this year. Now I have The Tennis Channel on my Satellite, but now they have “Tennis Channel Plus, ” advertised on the regular channel. My problem is that they took several of the really good matches and only showed them on their premium channel! Now, not everyone can afford to spring for their “bonus” coverage. It makes the tennis coverage for the French Open for the “Elites only”! Sad. Just sad!
My daughter gave me a box of Teas from India. I enjoyed all but one of the blends. Not a fan of Tumeric Tea. But I also had Darjeeling Summer Tea. Which I really fell for. Upon discussing this with Jack, he said that Darjeeling, First Flush Tea was the very best.
I was almost out of the Summer Tea, and I looked up the grower on Amazon and ordered myself some of the Darjeeling First Flush. Oh, my goodness! It is spectacular! It is perfect! I am now truly a spoiled Tea Drinker!
My meeting on Wednesday was so full of laughter and merriment. I realized that the last year+ has been so serious. Today we just let loose and the joking and teasing felt so darn good. How lucky I am to belong to this group.
I’m amazed at the larger birds that have been in my neighborhood this year. Eagles, Hawks, and of course the pesky Crows. I do love the Eagles and Hawks. I love watching them ride the currents during these hot days.
We also have several families of Canadian Geese downtown. The chicks are still a soft yellow as they waddle around with the parents.
I was thinking about the Mod Squad today because I was watching an episode of Law & Order and Clarence Williams III was the guest star. He played Link Hayes in the Mod Squad. He was so cool and a very good actor. So I looked him up only to find out he’d passed away on June 4th of this year. Rest in Peace, and thanks for the memories!
I’ve been a wee bit on the tired side this week. I haven’t been sleeping well. Now that Jack’s hand is done, I actually have nothing on my calendar until next week when Lili goes in for her dental (teeth cleaning).
My grandson, Quinn, graduated from Pre-Kindergarten!
Quinn

Next year he will be going to all-day Kindergarten and his sister, Savannah will be in 4th grade! These two are growing up so fast!
Has anyone noticed that there is almost nothing on the TV right now worth watching? We have resorted to streaming a few programs, but honestly, TV is a bore. So I am reading. I really do enjoy a good book!
My plan for tomorrow is…laundry and shelf clearing and cleaning in the kitchen. I would like my counters to look neat!
And lastly on this crazy list is my wish that each and every one of you is having a happy and healthy day!

The Weekend Wrap ~ June 7th

It’s pretty strange, but right now, the last six months I feel like time is rushing by me! The days slip by, and look, here we are and it is June! How the heck did that happen?

On Saturday I drove down to Mandy & Matt’s house to spend time with them and my grandchildren. It was another scorcher of a day and as soon as Savannah opened her birthday presents, we all slipped into our suits and jumped in the pool.

Since my Dermatologist lectured me the last time about sun exposure, I wore my swimsuit, a rash guard, and a silly all-covering sunhat!

Yes, I look ridiculous!

I have to tell you all, swimming with Mandy, Matt, and the kids was just what I needed!

It was a lot of fun watching my two little fish! Both love to swim and play and swim some more. I was in for a while, but once I was out, I sat drying, watching them all play around. It made me smile.

I just love being with the kids. They make me laugh and smile and seeing their happy and healthy faces, well, what can I say? It makes the care that we all practiced the last year or so during the Pandemic, was worth it.

The 140-mile round trip was definitely worth it! I wish I could have stayed longer. But, not right now. Too much happening here.

Arnie is doing really well. I cannot believe how this mixture of cranberries and herbs has changed Arnie’s health. He is like a whole new dog.

Jack is going in tomorrow (Monday) for the injection into his hand. He has Dupuytren’s Contracture, and he is having an injection that will help it and in the end, give him better use of his hand.

He also needs to have his blood work done, so I’m driving him all around.

I hope wherever you are you can stay cool. Most of the US is in a heatwave. In the upper 90s, with high humidity. Ugh! But it could be worse. It could be snow and below zero temperatures, so I will take the heat!