Author: Dackel Princess

Cook Out Day

Sunday was hot, humid and hazy.Typical summer weather. Usually, I could care less about the heat in the summer, now that Hubby has air-conditioners installed in every window through out the house. On a 90 degree day, we can keep the house nice and dry and comfortable. Somehow today, despite the air-conditioning, I remained hot. (menopause?)
Today my best friend from my childhood came with her family. I have known Gail since we attended a Christian Summer Camp when we were 13 years old. I’d been looking forward to this since the spring when she told me they were going to Nova Scotia for vacation. I knew that to get there, they had to either come through here going or coming!


On their way home they stopped and spent the afternoon. We had a great cookout, christening Hubby’s new grill,

and ate a wonderful feast of summertime foods. Hot-dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, stuffed eggs, vegetables with dip and yes, my world famous, (okay, my Hubby’s favorite!) Strawberry Rhubard pie.

We talked and joked around and had the best time. It felt so relaxing to just sit and enjoy the porch, the people and the meal.
All too soon they had to leave to head for home. I hope they come back soon.
Even Greta had a good time.

Itch, Itch, Itch!!!

When I am an old woman, I will fence in my yard so that my dogs can run free without me having to worry about…Poison Ivy!
Yes, it’s July, and every July this happens. I wake up one morning and there it is, on my arms, where my dog has cuddled up close to me in the night, a bumpy itchy patch of Poison Ivy!
I didn’t have this problem, of course, when I lived in Florida. Then it was just heat rash that last year round! I bought Gold Bond Powder by the case! That, and insect repellent!
But when we moved back home to New Hampshire, I knew I was in trouble because of the large wild field behind my house. Oh, the wild flowers are beautiful, the butterflies a thing to behold, but the Poison Ivy leaves me itching from now until September.


The field, behind our netted cherry tree.

I’ve spoken to Hubby about fencing in the yard. Our yard is very large and if we did this the dogs would still have a large area to run without them running through the field and bringing home these horrible oils to rub all over me in the night. We also wouldn’t have to think about the deer, or in the future, the puppies getting loose.
Hubby is a naturalist. He likes wide open spaces and he loves to watch the dogs running through the field. He doesn’t get Poison Ivy the way I do.
I do love the open fields, just not in July!
Time for the brown soap and calamine lotion!
itch, itch,itch!!!!!

Another One About Food

In the last year I realized that I write a lot about food. I do love to eat, doesn’t everyone? Well, Hubby says that not everyone loves to eat as much as I do.
Now surely there are people out there who enjoy a good ice cream? I had the best ice cream Sundae, in Berlin two years ago. It was so good! It was also Hubby’s birthday. You will notice that while everyone was having a healthful fruit Sundae, mine was chocolate! The next day Miss Greta came into our life.


I am not above making cupcakes for the pups on their birthdays. This was Fritz’s birthday last summer. You will notice that, although Shubi was not in good health then, she managed to jump up and attempt to snatch the cupcake away from her big brother.
I do, in fact, celebrate each of my fur children’s birthdays. Each gets a cupcake, and maybe a special meal and oh yes, a candle on the cupcake!

Living in New England, I often cook Lobster. It is one of my favorite meals. One time Hubby and his college roommate were away fishing. The night before he was to return I bought myself a 2 pound Lobster just for me. An hour before I was to cook that big boy, they called and said they were almost home and would be here for dinner! Do you know how difficult it was to find two other big Lobsters on short notice? In fact I could only get 2 one and one half pound Lobsters and my cover was blown!

I recently learned to make Baked French Onion Soup. It is now one of my signature dishes. I made it the other day and that was dinner. Both Hubby and I could live on the stuff!

This is tonight’s meal. Wiener Schnitzel, Asparagus and Potato Croquettes. Not bad for a first attempt. I still feel that I am missing a spice in the schnitzel breading.

Last but not least, I try to go to my favorite restaurant Canoe a couple of times a year for my favorite meal. A Jumbo Lobster Roll, Sweet Potato Fries and the most wonderful Dill Pickle!

I know I have made you all hungry, but it is the start of a holiday weekend and I wanted you primed to enjoy it. After all, here in America the Fourth of July is usually celebrated with a barbecue. I know that’s what we’ll be doing. In fact I bought Hubby a new charcoal barbecue grill for Father’s Day just so I know that for one day this year, he’ll be doing the cooking!

Thursday Thirteen


Thirteen Things About Me and Falmouth Massachusetts

1 Falmouth was incorporated in 1686. It was originally a Whaling Village.
2. It is 44.52 square miles.
3. The county is Barnstable County and each year they have a huge fair. It is possibly the best county fair in Massachusetts!
4. The five largest employers in town are, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; Falmouth Hospital; the Steamship Authority; the Town of Falmouth; and Marine Biological Laboratories.
5. I was raised in Falmouth, although I was born in Wareham, MA because Falmouth Hospital hadn’t been built yet.
6. My Dad taught school in Falmouth from the early 1950’s until 1986. So he had many parents of the kids I went to school with as students. That was very weird.
7. Falmouth has the most beautiful beaches on Cape Cod and most of my childhood was spent on them. I loved to swim. In fact when I was really small they had to tie a rope to me to keep me from swimming away.
8. My favorite beach is Surf Drive Beach. It had the “Baby Pool” where we all learned to swim, The medium swim area on the left where you went when you were a bit more advanced and then on the right the longest expanse of beach where they had a raft. That was the best!
9. I was the first child in Falmouth Hospital’s Pediatric Ward when it opened, when my appendix ruptured. I was three and a half years old. I can still remember watching Captain Kangaroo through the bars on the “crib” they made me sleep in!
10. Both of my children were born in that hospital!
11. I graduated from Falmouth High School in 1976.
12. I married my first husband at one church in Falmouth, and my second husband, Hubby at another, of course, not at the same time.
13. I still dream of Falmouth. Mostly I dream of walking on the beaches.

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Never Wordless

A few bloggers I know do a Wordless Wednesday Meme each week. I knew that this wasn’t one for me. Since the day I was born I haven’t been wordless. In fact, my parents considered naming me Chatty Kathy.
All through my childhood, I was one of those kids who just talked. I drove my sister crazy. We would be lying in bed at night and I would start talking and asking her questions and I would go on and on and on. She would kindly tell me, “Good Night”, and I’d reply, “Good Night”, only to go right back to chatting all over again.
As the years passed I moved in with my Grandparents. I would sit and talk to my Grandmother for hours. I would tell her about school, about my day and go on and on.
She once told me, after I had married and left home, that the worst part of my moving out was the silence. The one and only time anyone has said this to me.
A few years ago a friend of Hubby’s’ was driving me across Florida to meet Hubby at another airport. We were driving along and I was doing my usual chatting, hardly taking a breath. Finally he interrupted me and said, “I bet you can’t shut up for 10 minutes”.
Ten minutes? Not a problem. We started the clock. One second, two seconds, three seconds…It was the longest ten minutes of my life! I did, however, make it, although I felt slightly queasy afterwards.
I don’t think I talk as much as I once did. At least I try not to.
What’s that?
Hubby is now laughing hysterically.
Well I am trying!

Twofer Tuesday

I had a perfectly good post written for today, but then life happened. So lucky you will get two posts today. Read them both and then vote for your favorite.

The first story is titled, “Outwitting The Birds“.

This past weekend Hubby and I worked together to “net” our cherry tree. Now that the cherries are starting to turn a little pink, the birds can see them. We noticed them coming from far and wide to sample the delicious sweet cherries.
However, Hubby would have none of that. A few weeks ago he sent away for a large net to put over and around the tree. Of course, due to the fact that his knees are still not up to par, I was the one who went up the ladder and did all the fitting of the netting. Don’t get me wrong, Hubby was there on the ground, helping me, but I was the one up on the ladder doing a job that spelled disaster for me.
You see, I’m not what one would call graceful. In fact I can be walking across a bare floor and trip on nothing at all! So I was quite nervous to be up on this ladder with a feeling that my life could end at any moment. I also have a fear of heights. Granted this was not too high, but I am even less graceful when I am off the ground, even if it is only by a few feet.
At one point I started to fall and grabbed onto the ladder. It was then that I said to Hubby that he should just stand in back of me so I can feel him there. That would surely make me brave!
The netting was finally in place, the seams sealed up and all the tools put away. Whew, I cheated death, yet again.


Last night our neighbor came down bringing strawberries for us! (YUM!) We sat on the patio talking and we noticed a pair of Baltimore Orioles flying around the cherry tree. We watched those birds flying around and around, trying to figure out a way to get to our cherries! Finally one was very tired and landed on the netting on the very top of the tree and just sat there. I grabbed my camera and snapped.
Right now I am feeling a bit giddy. It appears that Hubby and I are winning this battle for the cherries.
Now all I need to do is start looking for cherry recipes.
It’s going to be a big crop!

The second story is titled, “Mrs. Noah”

“God, it’s me, Mrs. Noah. Remember me? Right now my Hubby, Noah is laid up with his newly replaced knees. I’m waiting on him hand and foot, taking care of the animals. You remember the animals, God? The ones you told us to get?
Okay, Lord, today you sent us more rain. I wasn’t really happy about that. When I took the little ship out to get the mail, I noticed the path to the Ark was pretty rutted. Seeing as Hubby is still not doing well, I went out this morning and worked for over an hour shoveling mud and digging trenches. I’m not used to this kind of work, but I figured that I had best do it before the path washed away.
I came in after, sweating, (you know my feelings about that) and after taking my second shower of the day made Hubby his lunch. Then, because I was so tired I even got into my pajamas. I intended to just relax and not do another thing today.
God. How come you don’t like me? While I was sitting here trying to relax the rain started coming down in sheets. More rain than I’ve seen in a long time. 3 1/2 inches in less than an hour! Hubby was really impressed. I was simply horrified!


After feeding Hubby his dinner, I headed back up the path. I was shocked to find the drive nearly washed away. I shoveled and raked and raked and shoveled until my back and arms ached and I felt nearly drunk with exhaustion. All of this requiring a third shower.


So I’m asking again God, what do you have against me? I’m a good woman, I feed my Hubby, I feed my animals. I even planted a garden. Do you really need to help me water it so much?
I’ve got a little something to ask you. Could you please just cut the rain? I know you’re trying to improve on that 40 days and 40 nights deal, but come on, enough is enough.
A woman’s got to rest!”

It’s All In A Days Work

Hubby and I had an interesting exchange last night as I was writing my blog entry and he was watching some mindless drivel on the TV. It goes like this:
Him: “What happened to the rest of the Strawberry Rhubarb pie? Did you eat it?”
Me: “No I didn’t eat it, you ate it.”
Him: “I don’t remember that! I think you ate it!”
Me: “Honey, you ate the pie. I got it for you on Wednesday night when you asked for something to eat as a snack. And I even put some ice cream on top of it for you!”
Him: “Imagine. Having pie and not remembering eating it!”
Me: “Yes. Getting old really sucks!”

So today while he was watching the World Cup Soccer match, I went out to the store and picked up some rhubarb and some strawberries and made him a pie. What a good wife I am.
Then I was flipping through a cooking magazine that I get when I stumbled across a pork chop recipe. I do not cook pork well. About the best you can hope for if you come here and I serve pork, is that I will shake and bake it. Somehow doing that works. However, there was something about this recipe that sounded good. So I planned it all out as though I were Julia Child about to film a cooking show, and made Hubby a delightful meal of sautéed pork chops with a country herb gravy, mashed potatoes and boiled beets with butter.
When I served our dinner I felt like June Cleaver! I kept waiting for his praise. The oooohs and aaaaahs of delight.
Me: Isn’t this great?
Him: It’s very tasty.
Me: It’s a new recipe. I think it’s a keeper.
Him: Hmm. Very nice.
Me: It’s easy to make too. Only about 20 minutes from start to finish. You know these knives aren’t too sharp.
Him: I think it’s the chops. They’re fighting back.
Me: (ignoring this) In fact, it is so easy you can make them for me when I have my surgery.
Him: Hmm.
Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to go fishing for compliments.

Pork Chops with Country Gravy

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
2 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups fat free milk

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, salt, dried marjoram, dried thyme, and dried rubbed sage in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture, turning to coat; shake off excess. Reserve remaining flour mixture.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

Combine reserved flour mixture and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to pan; place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with chops.

Hot, Hot, Hot

I’ve always been one of those “cold” people. By this I mean that as long as I can recall, I have had cold hands, cold feet and even in the dog days of summer, I have needed knee socks, long jeans and a sweat shirt to keep my temperature up to the normal 98.6. In fact my normal temperature has always been 97.6, an entire degree colder than most. This also makes me wonder, if I was ever to die prematurely, would the local Crime Scene Investigators ever get my time of death correct?
But I digress.
I have spent my life fighting to stay warm, which is why this summer I find something very odd happening to me. I am HOT all the time.
I wake up hot, I go to sleep hot, I’m hot when I take a cold shower, or when I sit outside in a breeze. I can’t seem to cool down. I find myself sitting naked in front of my air conditioner.
Hubby, who has previously been the hot one in our family, and would force me to wear flannel pajamas in July due to the temperature he kept our bedroom, is now walking around the house in sweats all the time. Yesterday I caught him in a long sleeve sweatshirt, huddled under a blanket! Teeth chattering.
“I think it must be menopause” he offered, carefully today.
“WHAT!” I screeched. “I am far too young for that!”
“It’s just a thought.”
Menopause? No certainly at my age, (young and perky), it’s not menopause! Maybe it’s actually “Global Warming”!
Or maybe all I need is a new thermostat, you know, like an old car?
Shoot. Maybe it is menopause.