Dackel Princess

Snow, Decorating & Dogs

It snowed today. It snowed a lot. The last time we actually measured there was 9 inches out there, but I am thinking that there are probably 12 inches now.

I’ve been out several times with the puppies. They love to run and run and run in it. Arnie gets little snowballs all over his body. Anneliese just gets covered with the snow,

as does Greta. I am not sure why Arnie gets the snowballs all over him,

but I suspect it has something to do with his fur being slightly longer and softer than Greta’s and Anneliese’s.

Fritz…well it’s like watching a deer leaping. Quite beautiful. He has such grace when running through the deep snow. Here he is flying in the air, while Hubby and the dachshunds watch him.

I did my usual first snow meditation. I went out early and stood in the falling snow and listened to the quiet. There is something so soul cleansing about that.

Then I came in, had my coffee, and once Emily and Jacqui arrived, worked decorating our home for the holidays. Nothing too wild. It’s simple, pretty momentos that have either been given to us, or we’ve gotten during our travels. This is my favorite. My daughter, Mandy gave it to me last year.

It’s lighted and the two ice dancers are twirling around. It’s really beautiful. You can also turn on Christmas carols, but mostly I just sit and enjoy the pretty ice skaters.

This is a door hanging we got about 18 years ago on a trip to Guatemala. I love this and it always makes it up in our home. I also have a small ceramic Christmas tree that my sister made and gave me years ago. I love that too!

So the evening is quiet and we are all tired. Hubby from snow-blowing the 500 foot driveway, the dogs from frolicking in the snow, and me from the snow, the decorating and cooking.

All in all, a good day!

Habits

I woke up this morning and, as I sat on the edge of my bed, the thought hit me. “Where are my glasses?” I was still half asleep, but years of near-sightedness found me in the habit of waking up and putting on my glasses so I could find my way to the bathroom. Now, since my operation in May, my distance vision is 20-20, and I no longer need glasses to see across the room.

However, without my readers I cannot see the keyboard on my laptop, the cutting board in the kitchen, or read a menu, so my little reading glasses have become a fixture on the end of my nose.

Which do I prefer? Probably the reading glasses, because I can do without them quite easily if I have to.

But this really got me thinking about habits. So many things we do each day, we do by habit.

For instance, each night as I finish up the dishes, I grind coffee beans and set up the coffee maker for the next morning. Heaven forbid that I have to think about actually making coffee first thing in the morning.

You see, once I am up and in my robe and slippers in the morning, I turn on the coffee pot and my computer, let Fritz and Greta out and then go and get the puppies. I struggle into my coat, hat and gloves (It was 14 degrees F. here this morning!), and take them out for a walk in our back yard. (I am sure this is quite a picture! LOL!) By the time we get back, the coffee is done, the computer has booted up, and my day has officially begun.

Hubby quit smoking 25 years ago. He says that it took him about 10 years until he stopped reaching in his shirt pocket for a pack of cigarettes that wasn’t there.

Fritz and Greta know that at 5 o’clock in the afternoon it’s time to have their canned food. They will hunt me down and stare until I “get it”!

But I think the funniest habit is Fritz’s. Each night at 9:30 I take all the dogs out for the last “wee-wee” of the night. When we come in Fritz wants to go straight to bed. He will walk back and forth between the family room and the bedroom staring at me. If I ignore him he will come over to me and stand right in front of me and stare very hard. What’s a girl to do?

Now you all know why I go to bed so early. I have a “creature of habit” living in my household………Fritz!

Yay!!!

I got some great news today. Emily and her family will be moving to a new home. However, the new home is just up the street and is a short walk down the hill to our house!!! Her folks have been looking for a new house, and I was so worried that they would move far away and I would really miss Emily. Now I am so happy and so is Emily!!!

Now she will be here for Greta’s next litter, for playing with the puppies and for the planning of my garden next spring. She will be here to babysit the dogs, and to keep me company on those long winter days.

Yay!!! Emily and her family are staying close by…and they are moving into a really nice house too!!!

December 1, 1995-February 18th, 2006

FOUR FEET

I have done mostly what men do,
And pushed it out of my mind;
But I can’t forget, if I wanted to,
Four-Feet trotting behind.

Day after day, the whole day through–
Wherever my road inclined–
Four-Feet said, ‘I am coming with you!’
And trotted along behind.

Now I must go by some other round–
Which I shall never find–
Some where that does not carry the sound
Of Four-Feet trotting behind.

— Rudyard Kipling —

Saturday Scavenger Photo

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For this weeks theme I chose my loving Macaws. Truly, I stood there in Guatemala, watching them for over half an hour. I would still be there, captivated, had I not been forced back onto the tour bus. They were so beautiful and so loving with each other, that I will remember it all of my life.

If you are looking for the Panama Canal entries, look on the right hand sidebar under Memories, Panama Canal.

It’s Good To Be Home!

It’s the start of the ski season here in New Hampshire. Hubby went off this morning quite early, but I stayed behind as my stomach is still not 100%. Once he was out the door, I lay down on the sofa and little by little the dogs came to be with me.

First Greta climbed on my shoulders and nestled her head by my neck. (A few kisses were exchanged) Then Arnie jumped up and claimed his position behind my knees. He placed his snout on my knees. (He brought his bone with him to chew on.) Then Anneliese came up and snuggled by my stomach, resting her head under my chin. (She just brought herself and was happy to cuddle!) Then, last but not least, Fritz came and slept on the floor in front of me.

I wanted to move, I wanted to shift off of my right hip, but I dared not move, for fear of disturbing the dogs. Soon I just fell asleep, and remained like this for over an hour.

I finally rose and all the dogs stretched and yawned. I made lunch and just after noon Hubby arrived after his first day on skis. He says it was good, although his legs feel like jello tonight.

You know it was sort of nice to cuddle with all the dogs today. I really missed them and it was nice to see that they missed me too.

It’s so good to be home!

Thursday Thirteen #56

Why Our Cruise Was Great

1. Once we unpacked, we didn’t have to repack for the length of our trip.
2. Someone came in and made our bed and gave us fresh towels each day.
3. You don’t have to cook any meals. All you need to do is show up and eat.
4. The food was spectacular!
5. Needless to say, you don’t have to clean up after your meal either. (Yay!!)
6. People are polite. I think manners are a lost art, really, but on the ship everyone was pleasant.
7. We had great weather. Just one small rain storm, which lasted about 1/2 an hour.
8. We saw such beauty and many magnificent man made and natural wonders.
9. Such as the Panama Canal, and
10. the Rain Forest in Costa Rica,
11. also the wild Macaws in both Costa Rica and Guatemala.
12. We had some wonderful Central American foods, like plantains, rice and black beans, pulled chicken and flan.
13. The time spent together was sweet, and romantic. My birthday was special and unlike any other I have spent.

All Is Well

Something lovely has happened since we have been back. Our dogs are so happy to see us that they have all become little snuggle bugs!

In the evenings the three dachshunds manage to all get into my recliner and cuddle up. Usually Anneliese is on my legs, Greta next to me on the left and Arnie by my feet on the elevated foot rest. Oh yes, there is the love!

Fritz is even being pretty cute. He will come sit by my chair in the morning before Hubby wakes up, and in the evening he will lie at Hubby’s feet, showing his Daddy that he is happy to see him back where he belongs.

Today my stomach was feeling a bit yucky (I’ve never been able to go to Mexico without leaving with stomach problems!), and the three dachshunds followed me back to bed. At first all was well and quiet and I was being cuddled. Then Arnie started playing with Anneliese who jumped on him and he jumped back on her and suddenly the bed was rocking. Then Fritz came in and jumped up on the bed and finally I got up and put them all out of the bedroom. Then I slept until noon.

Now the day is nearly done and I’m sitting in my chair with my three dachshunds and Hubby has his boy Fritz.

All is well in our dogs’ world!

I Need A Vacation From My Vacation!

The suitcases are all unpacked, the laundry sorted, and the dogs have decided that everything is okay now and we are not going to leave them.

I got up today, after a full night’s sleep, with the intention of getting the laundry washed, folded and put away. Did I accomplish this?

No.

Why?

Well, it goes like this. You see, while we were on vacation we went places and did things and kept ourselves busy from early morning until late at night. The excitement of being on the ship, kept us going, but on the last day I could feel it coming on…”The Vacation Exhaustion”!

On the plane to Boston I felt my body crashing. There were no pillows on the plane, so while my head bobbled around like one of those dolls, I started to sleep. That half awake and half asleep feeling has been with me ever since.

I thought after last night’s long sleep I would have recovered. However, the two and a half hour nap I took today with three warm dachshunds, told me that I probably have a few days left until I am almost back to normal.

Maybe.

Yes, I need a vacation from my vacation!