Waiting…

It was just me and the fur kids today. Hubby is off to the funeral and I am here with the pups keeping the home fires burning. By burning I mean that I shoveled the patio off so I can once again walk the pups without slipping and sliding around. Fritz and Greta assisted me with this chore. Sadly, the puppies had to remain inside because they are not the best “helpers” when one is shoveling snow.

Once I was done, I brought Fritz and Greta in and did take the two young ones out for a run in the yard.

All this was done while I had my cell phone clipped to my belt waiting to hear from Hubby. He called from each airport he visited on his way to the funeral.

In some ways, waiting for his calls reminded me of when we were dating and first married and he was still flying all over the world. His calls were always the best parts of my days and like a teenager, made me feel special and sometimes silly. This was before cell phones were a normal part of a persons life and I had to wait by the phone at home.

Today while I waited to hear from him I:

Shoveled the patio
I walked the dogs
Went to the Post Office
Did laundry
Walked the dogs again
Watched a movie (The Queen, good movie!)
Fed the dogs
Cooked myself some French Onion Soup
Walked the dogs again

All while I waited with the cell phone clipped to my belt. The calls came and each one made me smile and filled me with that special feeling you get when you talk to the one you love, reminding me once again how lucky we are to have found each other all those years ago.

My Friend

I wanted to share with the you all the obituary of our friend, Miller Hays. He was quite a man. Hubby leaves in the morning to attend the services and to be a Pall Bearer. Sadly, I cannot go this time, but I know in my heart that Miller knew how I felt about him.

hi-res passport Miller Hays 2

Miller back when he was a Captain on the 747 for Pan Am.

Miller B. Hays of Kerrville, Texas—airline pilot and world traveler—passed away on January 19, 2008, after a brief illness. Mr. Hays was born in Golden, Colorado on May 15, 1918 to Sarah Bevan Hays and Leon Percival Hays. During his school years, the family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where Miller attended Classen High School and Oklahoma City University, as well as Central State Teachers’ College in Edmond, Oklahoma. His lifelong fascination with scientific and mechanical knowledge led him into a career in aviation. During World War II, he was responsible for the training of pilots at a base in Ballenger, Texas.
After the war, he went to work for American Overseas Airways; he was one of the pilots who flew daring missions in the Berlin Airlift during 1948-49. He later served as a pilot for Pan American World Airways for nearly thirty years, rising to the rank of Captain. For many of those years, he lived in West Berlin and flew to various European cities, as well as traveling all over the world. In the final five years of his career, he became a Captain piloting 747s on Pan Am’s international routes. He was known among his colleagues not only for the meticulous precision of his flying skills but also for his generosity in mentoring younger pilots.
After his retirement in 1978, Mr. Hays moved to South Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, where he worked at restoring a grand old house and pursued his hobby of tinkering with cars and machinery. Then, in the late 1990s, he purchased a home adjacent to a small airstrip in Pipe Creek, Texas, where he resided until moving into the Plaza on the River senior living community in Kerrville early in 2007.
In 1943 he married Barbara Le Crick of Britton, Oklahoma; the couple was divorced in 1952. He is survived by two sons: Richard B. Hays of Durham, North Carolina, and Lloyd P. W. Hays of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and their wives, Judy and Mary; by four grandchildren: Christopher Hays, Sarah Hays, Kate Hays, and David Hays; by one great-grandchild, Madeleine Mei Hays; and by his sister Marguerite Woods of Bull Shoals, Arkansas, as well as by six nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on January 29 at Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 13313 N. Kelly Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73131. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012 MRC 321, Washington, DC 20013-7012.

The End Of A Lovely Day…

…For Me And My Dachshunds!

In the evening when I sit and watch TV, I find that my lap fills up rather quickly. My dachshunds believe, that this chair (my chair) is in fact their chair! Oh they let me sit in one small corner, but you can see that they completely fill up the rest.

Jan 17 002

I don’t mind sharing my chair, but their pushiness often leaves me no room at all in my own chair! You would think that a person would become upset, but it is hard to get too upset when the pups are as sweet as mine are.

Jan 17 003

In fact, I look forward to the evenings when I get to sit here and cuddle with them. It’s the part of the day when they are tired and just want to lounge around, and for me it is often a time when all I want to do is cuddle anyway.

Which one is the biggest cuddler? Well, honestly, all three are, but Anneliese (the smallest one on the left) likes to be right on my lap and probably cuddles the closest, although Arnie is a big cuddler as well.

Life is good, at the end of the day when we all get together and just enjoy the love!

Saturday Scavenger Photo

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Old Fashioned

This is my Grandmother on her wedding day. She and Papa were married for over 60 years and they adored each other. Papa would sit on the sofa either holding Gramdma’s hand or if she had her feet up, he would tenderly massage them. It was a beautiful and old fashioned love!
Gram2



Nerves

All day I had been nervous about going to my meeting. It’s normal. A woman of my age just can’t keep losing weight like this. I know eventually the day will come when I weigh in and haven’t lost an ounce. It’s just the way it goes.

So I went about my day telling myself that it was okay, and that if the worst happened and I didn’t lose anything, it didn’t matter. This isn’t a diet, this is a change in the way I am going to live my life, the way I cook my food and the portions that I eat.

I guess you could say that I had been giving myself a pep talk all day, so when I finished dinner and cleared the dishes, I put on my coat, kissed Hubby good-bye and bravely drove to my Weight Watchers meeting.

I was the first person to weigh in. I hopped up on the scale and closed my eyes.

“Well?” I asked.

“Oh I don’t have the scale turned on. Hop off and I’ll turn it on”.

So I did and again closed my eyes. (and held my breath!)

“Wow you did really good!” she said.

“How good?” I asked weakly.

2.4 pounds!!!

Relief flooded through me as I sat down to put my shoe and boot/cast back on my feet. I went and took a seat in the front row and spoke to other people who came to the meeting.

I felt good. I felt a part of the group for the first time, and tonight I will sleep well knowing that this program, this change in my life, really is working!

Thursday 13 #63

food

Thirteen Foods I’m Enjoying On Weight Watchers

1. Grapefruit. We got a box from my friend in Florida for Christmas and just finished the last of it today. Oh, it was sooooo good!

2. Oranges. Especially the navel ones with no seeds.

3. My super salads with tuna or chicken. They are so crunchy!

4. The fish I’m eating, from tuna to salmon. I do love fish.

5. Potatoes. Yes, I can eat small amounts of potatoes and I am really liking that. So many diets tell you not to eat any potatoes and then I miss them terribly.

6. Eggplant. This is pretty much a free vegetable and I roast it in the oven and eat! Oh I do love that.

7. Yogurt. I try to snack on one of these each day. The Weight Watcher brand ones are great and only 1 point!

8. My tuna sandwich. I make it with a 7 grain light bread and 1/2 a cup of tuna and fat free mayo it is easy and “normal”.

9. My Cream of Wheat mixed with banana chunks. I sprinkle a little splenda on that and the milk and it’s a nice warm way to start the day.

10. The pasta! There are so many good pasta recipes on the Weight Watcher Web Site and all the ones that we’ve tried have been good.

11. The Chili. It’s amazingly spicy and Hubby loves it. I can make it with ground turkey and no salt, so it’s very healthy!

12. The ice cream. Yes, I can have various WW ice creams and they’re just 2 points. Pretty good. Especially the chocolate ones.

13. These new things they have called Peanut Butter Bliss Bars! OMG! I have gone to Heaven with these! They give me my chocolate fix and they really do not taste like diet food at all.

The Laptop Part 2

I was hobbling around the kitchen today sweeping up the floor and washing counter tops and cleaning the coffee maker, when the dogs began to bark like crazy! I glanced outside on the patio and saw the DHL man carrying a computer box. Yes, my laptop was home once again.

This time I was not excited, my hands did not shake with anticipation, I simply signed for the box, closed the door and brought it into the kitchen. I cut the tape and opened the box. On top was a slip of paper telling me that it took them 10 hours to repair my machine and also replace my power chord. All on Warranty.

I plugged the machine in and held my breath for a split second before the battery charging light came on, indicating that the machine was plugged in to A/C power.

Now I got excited!

I called Hubby on his cell phone and told him all about it. He was also pleased. He said I should make sure that everything was working before letting the service man from “The Company” know that all was well.

So after lunch I added back in my browser and email program, put back a few of my files and found that all was well.

Ah, the feel of these keys working under my fingers is so calming. Here I sit, in my chair with all the dachshunds next to me, Hubby sitting in his chair, with his laptop, and all is right with my world. Does it get any better than this?

Now I can keep my foot up while I write my blog, visit the blogging neighborhood, and write my email.

The ordeal is over and my computer is home!

Ah………

This & That Tuesday

It was cleaning day here at the Dackel Princess house, and the vacuum came out to clean up all that white dog fur that Fritz so generously shares with us. It’s always a fun time. Anneliese and Greta run back and fourth chasing the vacuum wand, Fritz retreats to another room and Arnie hides under a bed.

Hubby was observing this and laughed wryly, “I see that the girls are the domesticated ones!” I giggled too, because this was all too true.

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I’m doing well on my diet. No cheating or even the feeling that I need to cheat. It’s still an adjustment, and I find myself reading the dictionary of points to see what I can eat without totally blowing my points for the day. All in all, Weight Watchers is easy. Remind me of all this cheerfulness on Thursday when I weigh in for the third time. I know I can’t keep losing weight the way I have and I am trying to get ready for a week when I stay the same or *gasp* gain a little!

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It’s freezing cold here right now. When we got out of bed this morning it was about -2 (F). I know, not too bad, but I do like it just a wee bit warmer!

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Congratulations to our New England Patriots Football team for winning their division championship on Sunday! Now Tom Brady and his fellow teammates will be going to The Super Bowl in two weeks. They’ll be playing against The New York Giants.

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Lastly, tonight we are grieving the loss of our dear friend, Miller. He was a longtime friend of Hubby’s and mine. He was an usher at our wedding, lived on our farm with us, which enabled me to travel with Hubby. Miller would tend to our animals back then and keep the house going.

He was a true gentleman, and I will always remember his quiet ways. He helped me bury my cat and rescued me from a mouse. (Farms are notorious for mice and ours was no exception.) He loved our white shepherds (this was before I discovered dachshunds) and I am hoping that when he reached Heaven, our two old shepherds, Rex and Max were there to greet him.

I could recount many more wonderful stories of this dear man, but for now I will say…

God-bye dear friend.

Miller Sept 30 005

Miller Sept 30 004

The Results Are In

Here are all the answers to the questions in my little quiz.

1. I have had four dachshunds as pets. Shubi, Greta, Arnie and Anneliese.

2 . My favorite food is Dark Chocolate. I would eat dark chocolate until it came out my ears if I could! LOL

3. My favorite vacation spot is any cruise ship. I love to cruise! I do love Cape Cod and Germany and England, but cruising really is so relaxing.

4. The name of my teenage pal is Emily.

5. Right now my favorite movie is “The Lake House“. I guess because it is very romantic, and because the movie is a great character study. Also the cinematography is beautiful!

6. I love to spend time on my computer best right now.

7. Thank God for my computer.

8. My eyes are deep dark chocolate brown!

9. My favorite musical group has been and always will be The Beatles!

10. And I will be 50 in November!

Emily
Mandy
Janet
Carol
Barb
Lynn
Michele
Renny
Goofy Girl
Jane
Grace
Betty
Mel
Jo
Burnt Offerings
Trish
Krush
Zootsmom
All scored pretty well and in that order. Thanks for playing. I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me!