Dackel Princess

It’s All About…Taking Care of the Little Things

I went back to my Optometrist on Friday and my eye is healing very slowly. Due to that, I still have the special contact lens in and will return to see him on Monday at 12:30.

It’s really funny when I think of all the weird medical things that have been happening during the Pandemic.

All three dogs have had issues, my blasted eye, and Jack ran out of patio blocks and was threatening to go out in search of them until I found them three towns over.

So despite the fact that we are supposed to be sheltering at home, I certainly have been out quite a bit.

I have two things I need to handle next week. Two bits of stupidness. Two bills that never should have been sent. So on Monday, I will spend probably more time than I care to admit, being on the phone to handle these two bills.

I’m also thinking about getting an Air Fryer. Does anyone have one they like? Make and Models and a little about them would be greatly appreciated.

I hope you are having a great weekend!

The Friday Five ~ May 1st

Welcome to May! The first day of May, the first Friday too. Here we are entering our third month dealing with this horrible Virus.

As the week comes to an end, here are the five things happening in my world.

It’s been an odd week. I’ve actually been out quite a bit. Visits to the Vet and visits to my Optometrist kept me on the road.
Jack’s hearing aids came back via the US Postal Service and that meant that a trip there was also in the cards.
I have had almost no desire to cook this week. However, that doesn’t mean I got off scot-free. Meals were prepared and some frozen and some just eaten.
Rain arrived, bringing with it a fair amount of gloom. Today I must be out and about and of course, it is supposed to be a real soaker of a day! I do not care because I will be out!
Have you all seen Meghan Markle’s alleged face-lift? I was shocked. I think she must have gone to a really good doctor because the face-lift came out pretty well. I mean, as face-lifts go. What do you think? It is also my guess that she had some botox and dermabrasion too.
Before and now.

The new picture was taken from a video she made for her Charity helping women find jobs. Here is the video.

Guess we know why she hurried back to LA at the end of her last UK visit.
Since we are still self-isolating in our State, I have found some businesses that are considered necessary. We needed to get more patio blocks 16 X 16 inches in both red and charcoal. They are made by a cement company. They are considered necessary. Our blocks arrive later today.

Also necessary are the railroads. Today an engine pulling six cars heavily laden with railroad ties went by our house. They’re headed north to repair the winter damage.

So that’s it for the first day of May. Enjoy the day, and dream of Spring and the departure of this darn Virus!

Well, This is New

Wednesday morning I woke about 3 AM. As I staggered to the bathroom, I was hit with terrible pain in my right eye! I thought perhaps my eye was dry, so I put in some artificial tears.

I tried to go back to sleep, but the pain was getting worse and worse.

By 5:30 I gave up and got up. I washed out the eye, and put more artificial tears in, and grabbed a warm washcloth. Nothing was really working. The pain was so bad, that tears were flowing and falling down my face from my right eye.

Why do things like this happen in the middle of an epidemic?

I looked up my Optometrists Web site to see what his hours were and saw he is only seeing emergencies a few hours per day. I was so lucky to call early and get fit right in.

I had diagnosed myself with a scratched cornea, but found out that I had a “Corneal Abrasion”. You see, my right eye dried out so much that the lid stuck to the eyeball in the right side of the eye. When I woke up and opened my eye, I tore the skin off part of the eyeball.

Sweet Mother of God, did that hurt!

I thought I would need to goo up the eye and wear a patch, but no. What he did was place an extended wear, soft medicated contact lens in my eye as sort of a band-aid. As soon as the contact lens was in place, I felt instant pain relief!

I need to wear this lens for a few days so the cornea (eyeball) can repair itself. The luckiest part of it all is, when it hurts this badly, all you want is a relief. So I got right into the doctor before there was any infection.

I go back on Friday so he can reexamine it. Probably I will be able to remove the lens too, but I may need to wear it through the weekend.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Expect the unexpected on From This Side of the Pond. Here’s my x-ray question…when was the last time you felt like Superman? What’s your superpower? Explain.

This morning when I stepped on the scale and realized in 4 short months I have now lost 35.2 pounds! My superpower isn’t losing the weight, but by planning, cooking, and tracking the healthful foods that are making me work toward my goal of being healthy and slender!

2. Are you a fan of the ‘superhero’ type movies? If so what’s your favorite?

Not really, but since my grandson, Quinn wants to be Spiderman,

I will say the Spiderman series.

3. Have you postponed or canceled a trip to the dentist in recent weeks, and if so when do you think you’ll feel comfortable going back? How about other routine medical procedures?

I just had my teeth cleaned in February. Whew! I do need to schedule a mammogram and my colonoscopy. Both were canceled due to the Epidemic.

4. What’s something that makes you feel youthful? Something that makes you feel ‘not so youthful’? Tell us why.

Ha! After all this time without seeing my hair-stylist, the very gray roots on my head probably are what makes me feel older. As far as youthful, well it’s all in my mind. In my mind, I think young, but in a wiser kind of way. Oh, if only I knew then what I know now.

5. I feel compelled to include some sort of corona related question in the HP these days. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in relation to the virus? Something that really struck you as odd, made you stop and think, ‘Dorothy we’re not in Kansas anymore?’

Several. One was shocking! A young mother had her perhaps six-month-old baby in the grocery carriage and the baby was chewing on the handle! Ewe! Disturbing. The other was seeing a big, burly, motorcyclist, get off his Harley in leather boots, jean shorts, that had been torn to the knees, a t-shirt, with a puffy camo vest, a bandana on his face and another one on his head. Oh, and I almost forgot, his 8-inch beard was sticking out every which way! I smiled and stifled a giggle behind my own mask!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I guess my biggest thoughts right now revolve around the Covid-19 Virus and how long I’ve been away from my family and friends. I miss them all so much and I hope and pray that this will all begin to abate soon so that we can get together again.

This & That ~ April 28

Monday dawned rainy and cold. Thank goodness it was not snowing! Our trees all have buds on them and heavy snow would kill the fruit to come.

I watched “Homeland’s” series end episode and all I will say is wow! Once again, the writing and the acting was amazing! Still, it is very sad, because now the show is over and I can only visit the characters in reruns.

To occupy myself today I whipped out a bunch of vegetables and the hamburger and Italian sausage and made Jack a wonderful rich Spaghetti sauce.

I do this by making a really big batch, and then freezing a container for another meal.

Naturally, there is laundry to do and dogs to feed and walk, and people to catch up with. So far, we’ve been lucky and our friends and family have remained well.

I downloaded the book “The Descendants” onto my tablet and I think I will read that again. It’s an easy read and I love the lessons learned in the story.

Anneliese is doing so much better.

They switched her to Bactrim Chewable antibiotics and this seems to have taken control of the infection. She is once again bouncing around like a puppy!

Aside from all that, life is quiet and calm and there really is not much happening. I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy!

French Onion Chicken Bake

This French Onion Chicken Bake is so easy to make and delicious. A seasoned chicken breast smothered in French Onion Soup and topped with shredded Mozzarella (or Grueye) cheese.

Ingredients:
6 (4 oz.) chicken breasts, raw
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
2 tbsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled & sliced
1 (10 oz.) can French Onion Soup ( I use Progresso)
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella (or Gruyere)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet pan (or cast-iron skillet) add oil.
Add sliced onions. Saute the onions in oil until softened and translucent.
When onions become soft, place onions on a plate and set aside.
Using the same skillet, add a little more oil.
Season each chicken breast with paprika, garlic powder, and seasoned salt.
Place seasoned chicken breasts into prepared skillet.
Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium-high, on both sides or until chicken breasts are golden brown.
Add onions back into the skillet with the chicken breasts.
Pour in the can of French Onion Soup.
Simmer the chicken and onions in the soup for 2-3 minutes-this will allow the soup to caramelize the chicken.
If using a cast-iron skillet top each chicken breast with cheese. (otherwise-transfer chicken, onions, and sauce into an oven-safe baking dish and top with the cheese.)
Place skillet or baking dish in a preheated oven.
Cook for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday B-Litter

Today is the Eleventh Birthday of Anneliese’s 4 babies. Bogart, Baerbel, Baron, and Ali (Birgit).

This was Anneliese’s only litter. What a beautiful and good Mama she was to her babies.

They grew quickly and you can see how chubby they became.

And before I knew it they left to go to their new homes. This was such a fun time in my house.

So Happy Birthday to our B-Babies!

Savannah’s Point of View

The other day I was video chatting with my granddaughter, Savannah. In our conversation, the subject of my Harry Potter Scar came up. I told Savannah, who was just a baby when that all happened, that she was the only one who looked at me and didn’t see my terrible scars.

Before the plastic repairs and now.

“Wow,” she said. “You looked cool!”

It’s funny. children do not see the limitations that we see during times like that. I felt so hideous and disfigured, but Savi could only see in her wonderful imagination the sort of make-up one uses at Halloween or dressing up.

This is from 2013. She didn’t even notice my face. Just my heart.

I remember back then after my surgeries feeling so terribly ugly. But the sight of my smiling granddaughter helped me through that time.

Savi asked me, “What was wrong with your face?”

I explained about the skin cancer and how they had to remove it. But how lucky I am, because I am completely well now.

How blessed I am to have this sweet girl in my life. She sure helps keep everything in perspective for me.

The Friday Five ~ April 23

This week was an odd one. My days seemed to blend together until I wasn’t sure what day it actually was. Ah well, somehow I muddled through. So without further delay, here is this week’s Friday Five!

I got a few little things done, that I’d been putting off. I did a thorough decalcification of the Coffee Maker, cleaned the fridge, and made a trip to the Recycling Center to get rid of the trash.
Arnie was playing with his ears in such a way that I knew he had an infection! Now wirehaired dackels tend to have pretty bushy ears inside if you don’t keep up with them, (bad me) so I needed to trim the hair in his ears, and then clean them and he is on a week’s worth of drops to get rid of the infection!
My birds are returning from their trip south. Some of them, like the Cardinals and Woodpeckers, just have been happy to have their suet and seed.
Once again, watching them delights me.
I watched an old movie called “The Descendants” with George Clooney and Shailene Woodley.
What a fabulous movie, set in Hawaii and all filmed on location. The story is one that really touches me. And both the movie and the book were great!
Today I am planning to cook another roast chicken. This particular chicken, produced by Perdue, is cooked in an oven bag with wonderful spices. After I will bone it, cook the bones with some vegetables, and make my own stock. After that, I am making my Chicken and Cabbage Soup!

And what will you be doing this weekend?

The Blue Screen of Death!

On Wednesday, in the middle of an online WW Meeting, suddenly, and without warning, I got The Blue Screen of Death on my brand new laptop! It would not shut down, told me, using a sad face emoji that there was a problem, and I waited and waited until finally, it shut down.

I turned it back on. All was well. Well, sort of. I looked up The Blue Screen of Death and I was told that if possible, I should wipe the hard drive and start again, as it could be that there was a conflict with a program that had been installed.

I looked at my files and I realized that One Drive had gone berserk and downloaded files from the cloud, over and over again.

Taking charge, I backed up the files I wanted on the laptop after the wipe, and then, after crossing my fingers and holding my breath, I did a full system wipe and cleaning. The laptop was like it had been when it first arrived.

Systematically I went through the procedure of reloading it. Which included shutting off all access to One Drive!

I have just two things left to do, download a file from Dell and then install the one program that caused me a lot of grief before, Adobe Elements 2018. A favorite program, but a real bear to install!

On the bright side, I have continued to learn and relearn all sorts of computer programming tricks. Connecting via Wifi, my printers, was easy, as was getting my computer back into our home network. This is all big for me. I think it means that I am not so old that my brain is unable to retain new things.

So today I will finish up the installs and enjoy going to another online WW Meeting. I just hope that The Blue Screen of Death does not join me again!