Author: Dackel Princess

Puppy Training

I’ve been working with the puppies to make them respond when I am outside with them and they are off the leash. I want them to come when I call them. In the past they ignored me and just went on their merry way, but I have learned a little secret.

You see, I have these horrible smelling liver treats that the dogs all love. They will do just about anything with the hope that they will get one of these things. So before I take them out, I fill up my pockets with these things.

The puppies will run around, they will even start to go to the big field in back of our home, but one call to them now reminds them of the liver treats in my pocket and they come running back!

Today I tried a little test. I walked up the hill to our neighbors house, with the puppies off leash. They followed happily and played in the yard. Whenever I noticed them starting to stray, I would call out “TREATS“, and they would come running back to me.

I know I cannot trust them in the yard. I still have to watch them like a hawk. I am, however, feeling pretty good about how their off leash training is going.

Cherries

We harvested the cherries today. This years crop was not as large as last years, but the cherries sure are good!

July 12 007

These are Lapin Cherries. Many people are surprised that you can grow cherries in New Hampshire, but there are several varieties you can grow here. So far the Lapin has been our best producer.

The cherries are bright deep ruby red,and they have the most wonderful flavor! Sweet and full of juice! Mmmmmmm!

A few weeks ago we wrestled with a net to keep the birds from stealing our cherries. Some of you might remember last year when we netted the tree because the birds threatened our crop. Once again this year we netted the tree, but for a shorter time. Still, wrestling with that net again made me laugh. You see, it is worth every struggle and tug to get it over the top and then wrap the net around the tree. These cherries are really that good.

We’ll eat some and share some and enjoy our first crop of the season. I wonder what our next crop will be? Cucumbers? Squash? Zucchini? We just love growing things.

Thursday Thirteen #47

Thursday 13

Thirteen Things That Make Me Smile

1. The sound of children playing on the beach below our home.
2. The feel of puppy breath on my hand when they have fallen asleep in my lap.
3. Watching the two puppies and Greta chase each other around the house.
4. A good home cooked meal.
5. Walking hand in hand with the one I love.
6. A beautiful sunset.
7. A light misty rain.
8. Dark chocolate. (I know, you already knew that!)
9. A warm fire after a day of snow skiing.
10. The colorful leaves in the fall.
11. The first cool crisp morning in the Autumn.
12. The first flowers in the spring.
13. The love of my family and friends.

No Cavities

Tuesday was my appointment with the dentist. I have hated going to the dentist since I was a little child and went to a real jerk, who seemed to delight in making small children cry. For many years I would go, but have anxiety attacks about the appointments.

Then I decided that if I was to maintain my teeth in a good and healthful manner, I would simply tell the dentist right away that I am afraid of them and that worst of all, I BITE! (LOL)

Surprisingly, I have discovered that there are a lot of people my age who have had experiences like mine. I call myself a “Dental Chicken“. In any case, there are now bright young dentists who want to make us happy and not cause us any pain at all.

Since finding Dr. T. I have become a model patient. I make my appointments in advance, I use an electric toothbrush, and I floss. I even keep floss in my pocketbook for use after very chewy meals.

Today Dr. T. gave me, not just a clean bill of dental health, but he told me that my teeth actually look better than they have in a long time. I told him I am sure that it is due to the electric toothbrush.

I left after a very short visit and felt so happy and carefree on my drive home.

Yay! No cavities and clean teeth!!!

Rainy Days & Mondays

Lobsters-Two-Maine-371

Monday was grocery shopping day. Now usually I don’t enjoy days like this, all the running around trying to get everything done in a short period of time, but on Monday, I really did enjoy it. Why, you ask? Because Monday we bought two Maine Lobsters for our dinner. They were on sale, (the first thing that made my day!) and they were about 1 1/3 pounds each (just enough to make you smile, but not too much to make you feel like you are eating more than you should).

Due to the fact that I have started my diet and did not want to fall off the diet wagon too soon, we loaded up the shopping cart with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Storms blew through New Hampshire today with thunder, lightening, strong winds and heavy rain. We were happy to have gotten our shopping done in between storms and somehow I also managed to avoid having to go outside in the rain with a puppy or two.

So all in all, Monday was, a very good day!

The End Of The Weekend

I love Sundays. It’s the one day of the week that I tend to kick off my shoes and relax. I can sit down with the Sunday newspaper, a cup of freshly brewed coffee and catch up on everything I have missed over the week.

At least on most Sundays.

This Sunday was the one after a major holiday. I did 8 loads of laundry, spent time putting my serving dishes away and found time, between raindrops to bring the puppies outside and toss their toy balls around. Oh yes, and I managed to work on grooming Arnie some more.

Still, despite that long list of chores, I felt fairly relaxed on Sunday night and not over worked. In fact I wanted to try something new and I made french fries using plain potatoes (not frozen pre-made fries) and cooked them in the deep fryer. The results were just okay. I think I would slice the fries thinner next time.

The week ahead finds me grocery shopping, going to the dentist and starting yet another diet. I know, I know. Since I started this blog 2+ years ago, I have started a gazillion diets. Oh well, at least I never give up.

july 6 032
Anneliese, Arnie,and Greta with me.

Have a great week everyone!

Friday & Saturday

The last two days have been full of fun. Yesterday Arnie and Anneliese’s father, and Greta’s boyfriend, the handsome Bernie came for a visit. He brought with him his Mommy & Daddy and his sister Veela. Bernie hadn’t seen his children since they were about 12 weeks old, so this was a nice time for everyone to get together. Now here is the real shocker. Anneliese looks just like her Daddy! I always thought that Arnie did, but getting all the dogs together it was easy to see that Arnie is quite unique.

July 4 027
Arnie, Bernie and Anneliese

At first it was madness and mayhem when the dogs got together. Anneliese wasn’t at all gracious, but eventually they all got along and things settled down.

Bernie, of course had eyes only for Greta. My little coquette, flirted outrageously with him

july 6 058

and then tried to bite him when he got too close.
july 6 061

Bernie’s Mommy brought with her delicious pastries from an Austrian baker in a nearby town. Mmmmmm. They were so good!

july 6 047

Today we decided to take our four dogs to the community park. Dogs are allowed there and you can actually let them off the leash and they can run. I was a bit more careful with the puppies, but Fritz and Greta knew right where they were and ran like two wild lunatics! Oh, they had such a good time.

Eventually we reached the lake in the back of the park and all four dogs played in the water. Fritz and Greta are great swimmers.

July 7 007

It’s so much fun to watch them. They love to fetch a stick and swim back and forth quite well. Arnie actually jumped in and swam around for the very first time. He did very well. Anneliese went in, but did not really swim.

Soon it was time to leave.

July 7 011

The end to another wonderful day!