Author: Dackel Princess

The Dogs Paddle!!!

Yesterday we took the dogs swimming. Fritz is a natural. He will swim out to chase a stick, and he looks so relaxed, that his effortless strokes leaves you amazed at his talent! I was watching him as he swam back to shore and I swear I could see him smiling!


Greta is our biggest surprise. The first year we had her, she hated the water. I despaired that she would ever get used to it. Then last summer we were at the lake playing fetch with Fritz and Shubi, when Greta just jumped in and started to chase the stick as well.
Last night Greta was swimming with delight. Seeing as she is so small, she really has to work at swimming the dog paddle, but she is so happy and just loves to swim that it makes watching her a pleasure.

I would throw Fritz’s stick first and off he would go. Greta would start after Fritz’s stick making the cutest noises of excitement, and I would toss in her stick.
At one point I had tossed her stick and she ignored it. I thought maybe she hadn’t seen it, but she swam right over to Fritz and took the stick out of his mouth!
Even when this girl is in over her head she runs the show!
The funniest thing is, people notice Fritz and not Greta. He is large, white and beautiful and one boy asked if he was a wolf? Once I assured him that Fritz wasn’t a wolf, then he wanted to pat him.
Another person was surprised that Fritz was a German Shepherd and asked if he was a full blooded one. I smiled and said yes. It’s always amazing to me that people still don’t know that there are white shepherds!
Greta doesn’t mind that Fritz was getting all the attention. She is very secure in the fact that she is the most beautiful dog, the most talented dog on the beach.
They both came home after their swims and happily collapsed.

The Kids Are Back

The children are back and have been down several times to play with the dogs. It’s so wonderful to see the dogs playing so happily with the kids. Matina especially, is so good with them. She would do well in a junior handlers program, showing dogs.



Hubby and I barbecued out on Friday night. We prepared the shish kebabs again, but this time we made up a few all vegetable skewars. Fresh summer squash and zuchini from my garden, red onion and a cut up eggplant. I had marinated the entire lot on the Kebab marinade, and I am here to report that it was extremely yummy! Especially the eggplant. In fact the eggplant was so good that I have decided to plant some in our garden next year.
The recipe for the kebab marinade can be found under my cooking section.


We sat out on the patio and ate our dinner. It was so quiet and peaceful and a pleasant way to spend a Friday night. Even the dogs were good little pups.
I had written an entire post about some of my pet peeves. In the blink of an eye Pfft! It was gone. I take this to mean that the Blogging Fairy didn’t approve of the subject matter.

So on this hot, humid and hazy Sunday I plan to do what all intelligent people do. Not a whole lot. I’ll read the Sunday newspaper, maybe go for a quick swim and most of all, enjoy the air conditioners, God Bless them!

It’s Just Not Right

Okay, I have been on my diet for three days. Three full days! So how come I am not 10 pounds lighter already? It seems to me that all the struggle, all the work preparing these vegetable laden and healthy meals, would also aid in my weight loss. How come when you eat wildly, you gain weight overnight, but when you are good and eat in a dieter’s fashion, then you don’t lose the same way?
It’s just not right!
Today I actually got up and did some of that horrible stuff I have mentioned before.
I exercised!
I am not what you would call lazy, but I just hate to sweat and when you exercise you sweat. Yuck. However, today I decided to brave the gawkers and go to the town beach to swim.
I put on my swim suit, the one I bought because is holds my tummy in, my boobs up and doesn’t make my bottom look like the back end of a “wide load” truck! In other words, it hides things pretty well.
I went down with my neighbor and her family and paddled around and around and around for almost an hour. No sweating there, right?
I knew that all this “work” had to have paid off with a big weight loss.
I rushed home and ran into the house and jumped on the scale. No change!
Oh, of course, I needed to take off the bathing suit. It’s wet and probably weighs ten pounds, right? So I started to take off the suit. The spandex that I loved so much an hour ago, was now like sprayed on latex that would not budge. I shimmied and shook and I sucked in my stomach. No go. About the time I was thinking I would have to either sleep in this thing or have Hubby cut me out of it, I found that rolling it down, worked.
By the time I got the stupid thing off, I forgot about weighing myself and just dressed in my shorts and left the room.
It’s just not right.

Thursday Thirteen, Greta



1. When I wake up each morning, Greta is under the covers lying on her back with her feet stuck up in the air.

2. Greta can hardly wait for Hubby to wake up each morning. When he finally does she races over to him and squeals with delight!

3. She will chase Fritz around the house, just for the fun of it. But they are friends.

4. Her favorite place to sit is on the back of the sofa, where she can look out the window and watch the world go by. Should a cat creep into our yard or a person walk down the street, all heck breaks lose!
5. She doesn’t know she is a small dog and will go up the drive and bark at the Newfoundland Dog in the next yard.


6. She talks to you with all sorts of tones in her voice, and will keep it up until you pay attention to her.
7. She loves to curl up on my chest and tuck her head under my chin.


8. She claims all rawhide bones in the house are hers and will run Fritz off, growling and barking, from any bone he gets near!


9. She steals my seat and when I try to sit down she pushes me with her back legs. She tries to win this one, but never does!


10. She loves children. Most especially Matina, who arrives tomorrow.


11. She will jump up in Hubby’s chair and wag her tail wildly waiting for him to sit down with her.
12. She watches me, out of the corner of her eye, when I eat my meals. I know she is just waiting for me to drop anything so she can steal it!
13. Her nick name is Greta Garbo, and she actually will come if you yell, “MIss Garbo!” Yes, Greta just knows she is a star!!!


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A Funny Little Girl


Greta is a funny little girl. She loves to be outside, but her nose gets her into a lot of trouble. As soon as she smells something interesting off she goes. Under a bush, over a stone wall, into the tall grass, we never know. Greta is like a two year old child. You must constantly be watching her, lest she slip away.
I’ve been talking to Hubby about that darn fence again. I have a feeling this is a talk we will have over and over and over. I think I have valid reasons to put up a white picket fence, but Hubby is still not convinced. Even when he comes into the house as he did today to ask for help when he “lost” her.
Me: “I think that a fence is a good idea.”
Hubby: “It’s fine, we don’t need a fence.”
Me: “What about my poison ivy?”
Hubby: “You’re the one who wants to sleep with your dog.”
Me: “What about when Greta runs off?”
Him: “Well, that’s your fault too. You should train her.”
Me: “If I win the Lottery, I’m putting up that fence!”
Him: “Over my dead body!”
Me: “That can be arranged.”
Until then, I will continue to campaign for the fence, and I will watch Greta like a hawk. How can a pup with the face of an Angel, be such a sneak?

Beef Shish Kabob

1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
3/4 cup oil
1 green onion, chopped
2 1/2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

3 green bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 red onions, cut into 1 1/2 inch wedges
10 metal skewers

Mix soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder, oil and green onion. Add sirloin and marinate several hours or overnight. Skewer beef, and vegetables in desired pattern. Grill over hot coals for 18 to 20 minutes. 10 servings.

Note: On a hot grill this cooks much faster. It was really delicious!

Oh Woe Is The Fat Lady!!!

Well, here we go again.
I was getting ready for a picnic yesterday when I found that my cute, summer shorts were too tight. My first thought was, “How’d these shrink?”
After deciding to have my dryer heat settings checked, I pulled on a pair of stretchy all purpose shorts. These are my fall back ones. They always fit, never shrink and can be worn anywhere.
I finished preparing for my day, loaded all the food into the car and off we went.
I felt good, comfortable and we had a great time, but when I downloaded my pictures onto the laptop I saw this strange woman in them. She was sitting in my comfortable shorts, with my hair and glasses, but this woman, this chubby woman, couldn’t possibly be me!
I went into the bathroom stripping off my clothes as I went. I stepped on the scales and I swear I heard groaning! (My own, perhaps?)
“I don’t weigh that much!” I screamed, “Surely it’s all the iced tea I drank today!”
I came out and asked Hubby, “Do I look fat?”
He looked at me with real fear in his eyes. He stumbled, he stuttered, and smartly, he did not answer me.
So, what now, I wondered? I knew even before I finished the question.
It’s back onto the diet wagon. The one I fell off of last January. The one I tried to climb back onto, and fell off of again and again this spring.
So why stay on the diet this time? It’s easy. You see, aside from these ugly, all purpose, shrink resistant shorts, all I have to wear is my underwear and a pair of raggedy pajamas!
It’s a good thing I planted my garden of vegetables, because it’s all I’ll be eating for a while!
Oh woe is the fat lady!

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Blueberry Cake


This is how my cake looked today at the picnic.


1 cup plus 1 teaspoon of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained (may substitute frozen blueberries, or substitute some of the blueberries for raspberries)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Confectioner’s sugar

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and dust with flour. Or use a 9-inch round cake pan that has been greased and dusted with flour and lined on the bottom with parchment paper.

2 In a small bowl combine 1 cup of flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside.

3 Using a mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the baking pan.

4 In a medium bowl, combine the berries with the remaining teaspoon of flour and the lemon juice. Spoon the berry mixture over the batter.

5 Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.(It took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes) Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. If using a springform pan, slide a thin knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan before you release and remove the springform. If using a cake pan, slide a thin knife around the edges of the cake and invert it onto a cake rack. Transfer the cake to a platter, berry side up. Dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

Sweet Magic

This morning was full of sweetness. I was sitting watching the men’s final at Wimbledon, and Greta climbed up into my lap. She wiggled and snuggled and the next thing I knew she had fallen asleep with her head resting under my chin, just like a baby. For a few minutes my arms felt pleasantly full of a little bundle of love. Sweet magic.


You know, one of the things I have learned in my life is to stop and enjoy the moments, be they little or big. Sometimes when you stop and do something unusual, you will find something wonderful happening, and sometimes when you least expect it, MAGIC!

One of my best stories of sweet magic was finding Shubi.
We didn’t go to Germany to get a dog. We went to see our friend, Otto, who was ill. We wanted to spend time with him, and we were visiting and having a good time, but I missed Otto’s old dog, who had passed away. I mentioned this and how much I also wanted a dog like their late dog.
The next day I was holding Shubi in my arms.

Sweet Magic.


This sweet magic lasted between us for the ten years we shared.
So sweet magic comes to those who know enough to sit down and let it come to them, as much as to those who remember to always keep their eyes open to the possibilities in life.