Dackel Princess

Cold & Getting Colder!

The moon is setting over the lake.

When I woke on Friday, it was 1 degree Fahrenheit, with a bit of wind.

I delayed my shower so I could have a hot cup of tea and catch the local weather. I had noted the previous day that I had about a third of a tank of heating oil, and that made me nervous. Our temperatures are set to remain relatively low, and the thought of a cold house and frozen pipes haunted me. I resolved to call at 7:30 when the office opened.

While sipping my tea, I heard a noise outside in my driveway. Heidi and I jumped up to see who was there.

Yes! The Oilman Commeth!

I always go out to say hello and thank the deliveryman, and I want you to picture this. I was wearing knee socks, boots, a long nightgown, a winter hat, a down parka, and gloves. I have to laugh at that!

He filled the tank, and all I can say is, if colder weather is on its way, bring it on!

The rest of the day was spent with the usual tidying. I know many people took down their Christmas trees, but I left mine up. There is something so pretty about the ornaments and lights. Maybe next weekend.

Have a great weekend!

The Friday Five January 2, 2026

Welcome to a new year! 2026! If last year proved anything, it was how quickly a year can rush past us. So, as Heidi and I drove around a bit today to look at the recent snowfall and icing, I couldn’t help but think that I am ready for spring! To start this year’s Friday Five, here we go!

I know I have mentioned that I had one more closet to clear out in 2025. I filled up crates with all the shelf and floor stuff and brought it out to the family room. While watching TV, I have gone through everything, and by tomorrow, I will begin arranging the shelves in my two closets. Finally, this will be done!
This is a special time of year for me. Four years ago, I flew to Nashville and then drove up to pick up Heidi.
She was such a little snuggler, even from the start

Our first night together at the hotel.

I remember holding her for the first time. I am so grateful that I found this girl. What a loving companion she is for me.
The year has started with a fair amount of snow and ice. Yes, it is pretty, but with it comes the bills for heating oil and snow plowing. Ah well.
Next week I’m going to an Optician for an eye exam and to order new glasses. Oddly enough, the idea of getting new glasses is something I am looking forward to.
Today, I will enjoy the beauty all around me. How fortunate Heidi and I are to live amongst such beauty, even if it is cold!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year’s Eve

On Tuesday, the light snow lingered most of the morning. Underneath the inch or so of soft white snow was about an inch or two of solid ice. Heidi was slipping around, but I looked around and decided to stay home today.

I listened to music, and I watched some TV. I also tossed some laundry in to wash. You know the usual thing one does on a winter day—busy work.

And today, it is New Year’s Eve. I have a small dinner I will prepare for myself, and some eggnog. Love eggnog!

It is 8 degrees here, and even the trees look cold. Heidi wastes no time running out, doing her business, and running back in.

I’ve been thinking about making a list of New Year’s Resolutions. Each year, I tend to say I’m going back to Weight Watchers, but quite honestly, Weight Watchers ditched us during the Pandemic and has not returned to New Hampshire.

So here’s my little list.

I want to get my nutritional cooking under control. I need to plan meals. I need to think before I eat.
I want to start walking a little each day. It’s too icy right now, but once it melts, I want to take Heidi out and walk with my Her.
I am going in next week for an eye exam to get a new prescription. I will also get new glasses. Now that is exciting. I love new glasses.
And lastly, I want to write more often. 2025 found me not writing very much. However, in the last few days, when I sit down with Heidi, I have found the words flowing from my fingers.

So that’s my list. Nothing dramatic like losing so much weight that I fit into a micro bikini, or dying my hair pink. Just slow and steady changes to make me a healthier person.

Winter

I was lying in bed on Monday morning. A few things seemed odd. First, it was very quiet. Too quiet. However, I could hear the ice striking the roof and the windows. I knew it had to be early as it was still dark outside. I rolled onto my side to look at my alarm clock, which was dark. I sat up and looked through the bare trees to see if my neighbors had lost their power as well. They had.

I keep a large flashlight by the back door for my evening strolls with Heidi. So, I got up and slowly felt my way from my bedroom to the kitchen door. I picked up the flashlight and turned it on. I shone it at Heidi’s crate. There she was, staring at me, wondering why I was acting so strangely. I fed Heidi and brought her back to the door to encourage her to go outside. She was having none of it.

I picked her up and, on slightly wobbly feet, I took her outside. The patio was sheer ice, and I felt myself losing my balance here and there. Somehow, I reached the safety of snow and then demanded Heidi perform her morning constitutional, even though she hated the icy wetness. She did, and then we managed to slide back to the house and get inside.

We still had no power (thus no heat), and I pulled out my old tea kettle, lit the gas stove, and boiled a little water for tea. One of the best things we did when we built the house was to install a gas stove.

I called the electric company and reported the outage. They said they knew about it but had no idea when the power would return.

I decided it would be wise to get dressed and get my boots with trax-treads, my hat, coat, and gloves out.

It has been icy all day, and because my driveway is 600 feet uphill to get out of here and 600 feet downhill to get back, I decided my best bet was to stay in today.

My neighbor loaned me some battery-operated lanterns, so if the power goes out again, I am prepared with lights. I turned up the heat so that the house is a bit warmer. I am prepared.

So far, the power has remained on, and the Internet as well. However, Tuesday morning found me waking up to another round of cold temperatures and snow!

I guess Heidi and I will continue to snuggle up with her ratty old blanket. I crocheted this many years ago and never really liked it, but Heidi claimed it as her own.

Stay warm and dry, everyone!

Thankfulness

Over the last few days, I have been thinking a lot about my life over the previous year. In the past, I would put together a yearly letter about all the things Jack and I had done, places we had gone, and our plans for the upcoming year. I pulled up a few of those letters and knew I no longer wanted to send them out.

I stewed about it, thinking my life was empty and that I had nothing important to share. This bothered me, but then, at least my life with my dackel Heidi had been relatively quiet. And if nothing else, Heidi makes me feel well-loved.

On Christmas Day, I dressed up and took myself out for a fancy dinner. As I sat glancing out the window at Meredith Bay (part of Lake Winnipesaukee), I started to think about all that I had accomplished in 2025.

There were three big things that I accomplished in 2025. The first thing. My driveway looked like it had gone through a 7.5 earthquake in California. After getting several estimates, I finally found a contractor I was comfortable with, and the work began.

By the time my driveway was done, I casually watched my TV one Saturday night, and I suddenly had double vision in my left eye. Thinking this was from being over-tired, I went to bed, thinking all would be fine in the morning. Needless to say, it wasn’t. I was referred to a surgical Ophthalmologist, and surgery was set for July.

The morning after the surgery, I could feel something running down my cheek. It was blood. I went into the surgeon’s office to get the eye unpacked. I’d had a hemorrhage in my eye, thus blocking the vision. They asked what I could see. I couldn’t see anything—just blackness. My doctor was very reassuring, but I was a wreck.

The days and weeks passed. I would wake in the morning depressed and convinced the vision would never come back. My doctor kept trying to encourage me, but by the end of September, I’d given up…or almost. One morning, I woke, and my vision in the left eye had begun to return!

I started looking for a construction company that specializes in cleaning and restaining cedar shakes. I found a man who’d actually worked on Cape Cod with shingles like mine. He had an opening before the snow flew, so my beautiful house looks lovely once again.

So even though I felt that there was nothing to celebrate in a short note in my Christmas Cards this year, I realized that I genuinely do have a great deal to be thankful for.

I hope your Christmas was a joyous one and that 2026 will be full of much happiness.

Love, Maribeth & Heidi

Happy Birthday, Amanda

Today is my daughter’s birthday. It was a special day for her, but at first it was a very special day for her father and me. Our first baby.

Me & Amanda

Amanda was the first child born to us. She was healthy and happy and amazingly beautiful! We both immediately fell in love with our girl.

Amanda made me a mother, and as I took care of her, I realized that each day she taught me so much. It continues to this day.

She was a bright and alert baby who seemed to grow up very quickly. Always sweet and loving, yet determined to set the world on fire.

Whatever she sets her mind to, she accomplishes, but perhaps her greatest accomplishment is being a wonderful mother to her two kids, their three dogs, and a cat!

Savannah & Amanda.
Quinn and Amanda.

I am so proud of the woman she has become. She is a self-made woman who continues tackling challenges many would run from.

So, on this special birthday, I wish her good health, much happiness, and the fulfillment of all her dreams.

I love you so much, Amanda!

I Think I Need…

In the last few months, I have been living at my Physical therapist’s office. My body, in general, has stopped doing what it should. Shoulders that don’t work, a back that seems to go out more than I do, and a mind that finds naps insanely wonderful!

So as my Therapist was working on my right shoulder, I began to think. You know what I need now that I am getting old(er)? A stunt double to handle all my miscellaneous body movements!

Imagine waking up each morning and giving your body double it’s chores for the day, while you sit in the sun at the beach…ah, Heaven.

The Friday Five ~ December 12th

Can you believe it? Here we are, in December, the last month of 2025! I am sure many of you will agree: 2025 has gone awfully fast! This past week was going to be a busy one, so I decided to call the “Puppy Nanny” to care for Heidi and go to Salem and stay for a few days, as my events were all in that area.

I was invited to my cousin’s 70th birthday bash last weekend. Dave is the kindest man in the entire world. He is married to my cousin, Janet, who grew up with me and is very much like a sister.We all love Dave dearly. Left to right, my cousin, Larry, brother-in-law, Ron, the birthday boy, Dave, Melodie, me, Janet, and Traci. The party was so much fun, and I got to see so many people I hadn’t seen in a very long time, as well as my sister, Melodie, and my brother-in-law, Ron.
The next day I was free, so Janet picked me up at the hotel I stay at when I am in Salem, New Hampshire, and we hit the Mall. It dawned on me that aside from the small Outlet Mall near me, it was the first time I had been in a real Mall in ten years.
It felt good to walk around, and I even purchased a few things for myself. Like, two pairs of jeans that are now two sizes smaller than what I was wearing 4 years ago, two pairs of winter gloves, a bed jacket, and a beautiful scarf.

We stopped for lunch at a Greek restaurant decorated for Christmas and enjoyed an excellent meal!
Janet dropped me at the hotel, where I napped and also had a quick meal before falling asleep. I stay at the IHG in Salem and have each time I had appointments with my Eye Surgeon.
Tuesday dawned, and I got up and had a quick breakfast. My appointment was set for 11:30 that morning. I was nervous, but also felt that my eye had been doing well. After having the inside of both eyes photographed, pressures taken (16 and 15), and getting dilated, I was ready to see Dr. S. He came in, carefully examined each eye. We lamented about all we had been through together before he told me I was good to go. Come back in one year, unless something unforeseen happens, and then call. I left the office on cloud nine!
Now I need to go to my local Optician and get new glasses. I will make an appointment after the holidays.

However, as Christmas nears, it is safe to say I got the best gift of all—my vision.

Oh Yes, Life Goes On…

You probably are wondering where I have been the last few weeks. A lot has been going on, and by the end of the day, I usually snuggle up with Heidi and fall asleep.

I had contracted with a company to clean and restain my cedar shingles. We weren’t sure if they would get to it this Autumn, or if we would need to wait until Spring. However, they called me almost right away and were able to start. Here is a before picture.

The process of cleaning (pressure washing) the shingles and restaining was awe-inspiring. I wish I had a good front-of-the-house picture, but here is the front now. Restained and new shutters!

Although the shutters look black in the picture (I blame the snowstorm), they are, in fact, a deep blue.

So the madness and mayhem of construction were all around me, and I sat down to write a letter on my laptop, and everything was crazy. Those who know me well know that computers and I do not always get along. However, a long time ago, I met a man named Brad, whom we always called for repairs. My brain wanted to understand computers, and Brad taught me gently what I needed to know.

I always remember him telling me, “Give it a go and if you can’t get it done, call me.”

I decided to back up everything this time. Then I sat down and completely wiped the hard drive. I took my time, thought it through, and planned. Once it was done, I began to reprogram the laptop.

The first thing I did was uninstall OneDrive. I swear that program has caused me more trouble than it ever has actually helped.

Then, slowly, slowly, I added the files I wanted, leaving the rest on my external hard drive.

Naturally, there was a day spent going through accounts to add in auto-fill answers and also setting up other programs I use frequently. I went very slowly, and finally, I can say, it is all done.

Then Thanksgiving was upon us, and I had a long drive to my daughters and back.

Life quieted down briefly, and now I am back up and have two full weeks of appointments coming up. One day I am free, and I think I may go to the Outlet Mall.

Snow fell for the first time yesterday. We got between 8 and 10 inches of snow. Previously, I had gotten a small electric snow blower. I was a bit hesitant to use it in the dark. Today I got it out, and here is what I found.

It works great every 3-4 inches. Now I know I will stay on top of things. After all, little Heidi has short legs and needs help getting through the snow.

I also had a dental appointment to clean my teeth and have a tooth that has been bothering me checked. Much to my dismay, a root-canaled molar crown had gotten chipped. Next week, they will remove the old crown and get me ready for a new one. It could have been worse.

Just as I was catching my breath from all of the above, I realized my big goal of cleaning closet #2 had been forgotten. So, as I got out my hat and gloves for the snow, I also started pulling things out of the closet to deal with. All in good time.

Happy 54th Anniversary ~ Melodie & Ron!

Fiftyfour years ago today, I stood by my sister’s side as she said her wedding vows. Melodie was marrying her soul-mate, Ron. I watched them look into each other’s eyes, and I knew their marriage would last. Here is what Mel has to say about her life with Ron and a short montage after.

“Ron and I celebrate 54 years of marriage today! We are so blessed to have each other and still be so in love! We did not have beautiful wedding photos so during the past year we dressed up and took many pictures of us at several special places! It was great fun! Once we had taken all the photos my dear sister made a wonderful slide show set to our pick of music! Thank you Maribeth for doing this for us!! We hope you all enjoy it!”

Happy 54th Anniversary!