Dackel Princess

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

The end to another wonderful day!

Saturday Scavenger Photo

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FAKE

The sentiments were real, but the little hats were not, thus my fake photo for this week! Greta and her Christmas puppies!

TGIF

I have post party exhaustion. I was doing really well until about noon on Thursday and then it hit me. I wanted nothing more than to lie down and take a long nap. Of course this wasn’t to be as there was still a lot of cleaning up and laundry to do. So in between changing the laundry and putting the serving dishes away, I sat quietly with my coffee and relaxed.

I’d hoped to just sit outside some on Thursday, but it was very hot and very humid here and the few times I ventured outside, this did not help my headache.

Oh listen to me, what a fuss budget I am! LOL

Actually, when I look back over the last 24 hours and I see what a great time we had and how well things went, I can only be pleased. It was a great mix of people who all got along well together, and best of all there was not only good talking done, but a lot of laughing too.

Thursday night there were fireworks here in town and I enjoyed every moment of them. Oh, how I love the bright lights, and even the sound of the rockets that shoot them off! Just like a child, I guess.

My dear old friend and neighbor, who enjoyed the puppy visits, is back in the hospital and not doing well. It saddens me, but I think, at 83 we must expect this. Still, when I get to be 83, I want to still be dancing under the stars and dreaming dreams of dackels in my future,

until one day I lie down and wake up with God. I pray this will be the case.

How We Spent Our 4th

The day did dawn bright and sunny and warm. I was thrilled with the prospect of a day spent eating appetizers, chatting with friends and family and the barbecuing ribs and chicken breasts.

We set up everything outside and as everyone arrived we sat down and enjoyed the goodies.

But as the afternoon wore on the clouds came and I got a bit concerned that the rain would fall. I set up tables on our screened in porch and moved the party inside. Thank goodness I did. No sooner had we settled down with our food than the rain began to fall, and it is still falling, canceling our fireworks! However, the meal went off without a hitch, and everyone remained wonderfully dry.

The day is now ending minus our fireworks, but happy that it all went off without a hitch.

Happy 4th Of July

The Fourth of July is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain.

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, picnics, baseball games, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Fireworks have been associated with the Fourth of July since 1777.

I’m posting this picture with the hope that today will be bright and beautiful and the day will end with a sunset just this nice. Happy 4th of July to you all and may you enjoy the warmth of your family and friends and enjoy the day.

A Puppy Heart Attack

We have a refrigerator out in our motor coach. When I need more space for food, I often turn it on. So, today I was putting the fridge in the motor coach on and Fritz came with me. He likes to help. When I came back in to the house Fritz stayed outside.

I went to take my shower and start my day. I took my shower and Hubby took his right after. As I stood in our bedroom in my bra and panties, in comes Fritz. I spoke to Fritz, Greta and Arnie and I start looking for Anneliese. No puppy! I went into the kitchen and I saw the sliding glass door open!!! Shoot! Fritz had let himself into the house!

I was panic stricken! I raced back into the bedroom to grab my bathrobe and I was calling Anneliese the entire time. I yelled to Hubby what had occurred. Then as I reached the kitchen door I saw Anneliese. There she was, in the back yard on the hill! She came running into the house!

Oh my God! My heart beat like it was going to leap right our of my chest! I thought I would die.

At this point Hubby and I have talked it over and decided to try harder to remember to lock the door when Fritz is out. The bugger is just too smart!

And Mommy Maribeth doesn’t need another heart attack!!!

Looking Back

I just reread the puppy category. I read all through each experience and happening. I looked at the films, and the pictures and relived those wonderful moments.

For many years I wanted to do just what I am doing. Have a really beautiful German female wire-haired dachshund and find her a nice “husband” and introduce these incredible creatures to New England.

I discovered a few things.

1. This is even better than I imagined it would be. The miracle of birth, watching Greta become a Mommy and helping to teach the puppies to be proper little dogs.

2. My heart grew bigger than I ever could have imagined raising these little beings.

3. Sleeping on the floor, on a mattress with my hand stuck in the whelping box for the first two weeks, probably made these pups really people oriented. At least this is what I tell my still aching back! (LOL)

4. Raising the puppies showed me how very different dogs can be. Each of our puppies were so unique .

5. I do plan to do this again. Greta should go into heat in December/January and then two months later give birth.

6. I will raise wire-haired dachshunds for as long as I can. They are the most wonderful breed of dogs and if I can breed healthy and happy puppies I will feel as though it is all worth it.

So it’s a good thing, this puppy love business. I can’t wait to do it again!