Dackel Princess

Happy Birthday, Candy

Today would have been my dearest friend, Candy’s birthday. Two years ago I sent her a 3 lb wheel of Vermont Cheddar Cheese and New Hampshire Maple Syrup. The year before I sent her a Red Velvet Cake, her favorite.

I sang her happy birthday and all was well. Neither one of us knew that birthday would be her very last birthday on this earth.

Just over a month later, Candy was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I will never forget the night she called me. She had just gone to a walk-in clinic for her cough. They x-rayed her lungs and found the masses.

She called me sitting in her car in the parking lot. She knew. I kept trying to explain away what the doctors had found, but Candy being a nurse knew.

How lucky I was to have been her friend all of these years. We could go for a while not talking on the phone and then one of us would call the other and it was like we just talked yesterday. It was always easy to talk to Candy. She understood me in so many ways, that no one else did.

When Candy and her husband visited us back in 2013, they both fell in love with our Greta. So much so that a few months later they got their very own wire-haired dachshund. Aurora went everywhere with Candy and she was the real joy in her life.

Candy was an identical twin. I wrote to her sister Mary and spoke to her last week. Needless to say, she is feeling an unimaginable loss. I knew this would be very hard for her. It never gets easier.

I was not only blessed to have been Candy’s friend all these years but during her last days on this earth, I was able to give back to my friend all that she had given me, by caring for her.

Oh, how I miss this wonderful woman. But as I told her the last time I saw her, “Love never dies, Candy. I will see you next in God’s Garden”.

Happy Heavenly Birthday!

The Friday Five October 16th

What a beautiful week it has been. Despite a little rain, the leaves are still bright and the skies returned to blue. Yes, a lovely Autumn we are having. So, here we go, this week’s Friday Five.

I’ll start with the weather as that has been rather crazy. We’ve had several touches of frost, a lot of rain, and then beautiful warmth with blue skies. Not bad for the middle of October!
Because I get bored easily, I decided to crochet another afghan. I let Savannah pick out the yarn and in the end, she will probably get it. I am working on it when I sit to watch the TV and the yarn is soft, chunky, and will make a wonderful, cuddly, blanket.
I had a strange week on the diet front. I was doing everything right and managed to gain a small amount.I was upset at first, and I weighed myself several times to be sure it was correct, and it was. Ugh! At first, I was upset, and then I decided to look back in my food journals and then see what I was eating. I have made a few adjustments and I hope to see some movement on Tuesday!
I received my small 5-inch cast iron pans. Many people use them to make big chocolate chip cookies, but I have made baked apples in them and they have been great!
Thursday I loaded up the car with all the garbage and took a trip to the Recycling Center. Arnie rode along with me and we had a great time! Now that is done, I was able to clean the garbage cans and my garage is also smelling sweet. Well, like bleach, but that’s a vast improvement!

So, my gentle readers, I hope that you can enjoy the weekend. Stay safe, and enjoy the little things in your life. Hopefully, this darn Virus will be over soon!

Christmas 1961

A picture of my family for that year’s Christmas card. I imagine that Dad set up his camera to take the picture. There I am at three years old being held by my Dad, Melodie is in the front, then my Mom and brother Richard. These events were pretty stressful for us all. These were back in the days of “film” and taking an entire 36 pictures hoping to get one good one! It is so nice to have these pictures now. There are not too many of the five of us together.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge October 14

1. Let’s start things off right…Wednesday is National Dessert Day. What are we having? How often do you make/serve dessert? Store-bought or from scratch?

We don’t have dessert often, but, that being said I have been baking apples this week and they’ve been yummy.

2. Slow as molasses, the icing on the cake, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, have your cake and eat it too, a half-baked idea, that takes the cake…which phrase might be applied to something in your life in recent days? Explain.

Probably the “icing on the cake” as I have felt frustrated this week and I swear just one more thing…

3. Something that’s ‘easy as pie’ for you to do?

The simple ritual type things. Make coffee, throw together a quick meal for Jack, or make and toss a salad.

4. Are you someone who likes to ‘sugarcoat’ news you think might not be well received or are you more of a tell it like it is and let the chips fall where they may? Do you like to receive your news the same way you give it?

I try always to be kind, but at times it’s not easy. I am also very sensitive and I am easily hurt.

5. Something you did recently that made you feel like a ‘smart cookie’?

Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps the diet. I just keep chugging along. Good for my health and good for me!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I purchased some new yarn to make a blanket. Tomorrow when I get home from my meeting, I will sit down and start it. I can hardly wait!!!

Oh yes, And I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to my friend down under, Andrew! Hope your day is a great one!

The Weekend Wrap ~ October 12

The weekend was a fairly good one. Since I’d gotten almost everything done on Thursday and Friday, there was not a rush to do laundry or to cook too many meals.

This turned out to be great luck, as on Sunday I really needed my rest my sore foot.

Jack and I are not watching the news right now. So, instead, we watch movies, series TV such as “Air Disasters” on Smithsonian, as well as countless hours of “Chicago PD“, “Blue Bloods“, “Law & Order SVU” and “NCIS“. Truth be told, I spend a lot of time with my headphones on, listening to podcasts and music and basically checking out.

It’s strange, but when I watch TV I see people hugging each other, sitting closely or kissing, and I wonder what planet they are on.

Yes, it’s pretty isolating right now. And with New Hampshire’s numbers of Covid-19 cases climbing, it makes me feel pretty uncomfortable to just go out. I will be even more careful, as I think this will get worse before it gets better.

So, Happy Monday everyone. Here in the USA, enjoy “Columbus Day”, and everywhere else, I hope your day is a really good one!

Ouch!!!

I find it extremely amusing that once you are over 50, Mother Nature often tosses you curve-balls just to see if you are awake and knows who is boss!

It is so with my body today. Ugh!

I woke at 1:00 this morning, sat up on the side of my bed, and like I do every night stepped off to go to the bathroom. When my left foot hit the floor and held weight, pain shot through me, and I fell.

We have nice cushy carpeting, so my fall did not injure anything but my pride, but as I sat there on the floor I realized that my Plantar Fasciitis was back in full force in my left foot!

I got up, and finished my trip, and returned to bed. As I lay there I tried to rub my foot and release the pain, but no. I’m afraid it’s going to be around for a while. For those of you who have had Plantar Fasciitis, you will know immediately the pain one can get!

In the real normal world that we once lived in, I would have called my Podiatrist and gone in and have him wrap it with sports tape and designed a game plan for lessening the pain.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the real world anymore. Due to the Covid, I would need a referral from my Primary Care doctor, and then who knows how long it would take to get in? I may call her on Tuesday and see what she can do for me.

As I said before, dealing with an illness or injury during the dastardly Covid, is not easy at all.

This morning the foot is no better and after my shower, I got out my shoes with my orthotics and I am wearing those, but limping pretty badly.

Ah yes, getting older is not for sissies!

Life In My Sixties

In just over a month I will celebrate my sixty-second birthday! I’m thrilled to death. Many people I know have long since stopped counting birthdays and groan when their day arrives. Not me! Here is why.

I never felt good in my skin. I was so insecure. I didn’t really know myself and my reality is that I married far too young, finding my only value as a wife and a mom. But let’s face it. Getting married at 17 is a crazy thing, and I had no business doing that. The divorce broke me and the entire thing was just plain bad. I’m fortunate to have mended fences with my former husband, who I now count as one of my friends.

Feeling I had no self-worth after the divorce, I married my friend. I was the Captain’s Wife and tried to find my value and self-worth there. I’ve been the Captain’s Wife now for 33 years. But over the last ten years, I have discovered something really amazing.

I am truly a unique and loving woman of great value and it is not tied to anyone but myself.

You see, I learned that I needed to develop my own personality, I needed to grow and find my own way in this world, and as I approach the age of 62, I can look at that woman in the mirror each morning and smile.

Oh, I am not perfect, and I still have a ton of flaws, but you know, I have learned to love with my whole heart and after a lifetime of not listening, I have closed my mouth and opened my eyes and ears.

I also have discovered what having friends is all about. I was not always the best of friends with people. I tried, but seeing as I felt little self-worth, I did not feel I had much to offer.

When WW dispanded up here, the back row crew just couldn’t survive without each other. There are twelve of us, who meet each week, and we sit socially distanced in a parking lot, and go over the important things in our lives and in our weight-loss goals. It’s getting cold, but we are still meeting!

When I arrived last Wednesday, I looked at these beautiful women and I said, “You know ladies, I just love US!” And I really do.

It’s my hope that in the years I have left on this earth, that I will be able to love, share, and offer a shoulder to those who need it.

The Friday Five October, 9th

Well folks, the first week in October has flown by! I cannot believe how quickly time is going right now. In the early days of the Covid Virus, time seemed to almost standstill as we all stressed and tried to hold it together until we knew more about the virus. Now, here we are several months down the road, and we know if we are diligent we can avoid getting sick. Okay, enough of that. Here are this week’s Friday Five.

1. This week I decided to make the most out of each day and although I wasn’t Wonder Woman in my accomplishments, I did get some things done and I feel good about that. Some weeks are better than others.

2. At our Ladies Group Meeting (In a parking Lot in Lawn chairs with blankets as it is getting cold!) one of our gals made us all table runners! Oh, my goodness, they are all beautiful!

R is so talented and each runner looked professionally made. I am thrilled with mine! Isn’t it beautiful?

3. I made the absolute best standing rib roast beef this week! The recipe is easy and the roast was fabulous for two meals and I think I have more meal of it for Jack. Score one for me!

4. Of course, I also had a cooking fail, trying to make Apple Crisp, low-fat, lo-cal. It was a total failure. Back to the drawing board!

5. And for #5 I will leave you with this beautiful thought. Happy Weekend Everyone!

TBT: Queen of the Ball

Long ago and far away, in a place called Massachusetts, I was growing up. At the time I belonged to The Rainbow Girls, and although I never did as well as my sister did in the organization (she went all through the chairs and became Worthy Advisor), I did hold several offices, and I sang. Yes, yours truly, who is quite nervous about singing in front of people actually used to sing for large groups at our local organization as well as get loaned out to other chapters.

The year I was 15, I was the only girl going to the Rainbow Ball in Boston from our Chapter in Falmouth. Thus I was entered into the Pageant to see who would be crowned Queen of the Ball.

When I arrived, I was given an entry number of 13. Yup, 13. I remember thinking that I sure was sunk now, as 13 was an unlucky number.

My date that night was my ex-husband, and as we danced he joke about it a little, trying to get me to relax. I did and I recall there being a lot of fun and laughter that night.

My sister had attended this Ball in the past but had not won. So, I knew that I didn’t stand a chance. Melodie is delicate and beautiful and everything a fairy princess should be. At 15 I was awkward and big-boned and totally unsure of myself!

The evening wore on and I danced in the beautiful yellow gown that my mother had made for me, and I talked to my date and laughed and had a great time.

After all, I wasn’t going to win!

Eventually, we were all called to line up with our dates and promenade around the dance floor. A person would come up and tap your card and you would go to sit down.

Well, we walked and walked and walked, and other girls were removed from the line-up. Then there were probably three of us left. They called the second runner-up, then the first runner-up, and then that left me!

I was escorted by my date to the dais where I was crowned the 1973 Queen of the Rainbow Girls Ball!

Looking back I still cannot believe that I won. My escort always claimed it was because he was my date that night.

Whatever the case, it was the first time in my young life that I truly felt pretty.

And for one night I truly was, Queen of the Ball, just like Cinderella!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

Since I have not done a Wednesday Hodgepodge in a while, I thought I might join in this week! Here we go!

1. What’s one part of your everyday routine you’d be better off without?

I wish I did not have to make two breakfasts. I am an early riser, and Jack often sleeps in until well after ten o’clock. So I make my meal at 7:30-8:00 AM and then his late morning!

2. October 5th is/was National Do Something Nice Day. So what did you/will you do?

Well, I made a nice dinner for the two of us. I had some Turkey Cutlets and made Jack fries in the Air Fryer.

3. What question do you hate to answer

How many children do you have? It’s always tough. Do I tell a complete stranger about Katie or simply omit it until I know them more? I used to tell everyone two, but now I say one and two fabulous grandchildren. If I get to know that person better down the road I will tell them about Katie.

4. Do we have control over technology or does it have control over us? In that same vein, have you watched The Social Dilemma (available on Netflix), and if so what did you think?

I do not have Netflix and actually, I probably won’t. Happy with all the TV stuff I have.

That being said, I do think that technology is taking over. I force myself to learn all the new programs simply to keep up.

5. What are three small things that make your day better?

Arnie, Anneliese, and Lili. Every moment of every day. I am grateful for my furry friends and their unconditional love!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

As Autumn comes to us, I truly wonder what it will bring. I hope people are getting their flu shot, to help in preventing a Regular Flu Pandemic. I also worry that if someone gets a normal case of the flu and then contracted Covid they’d be a goner. I guess all I can do is take care of myself and hope for the best in the world.

I wish you all a good week with a lot of sunshine!