Dackel Princess

The Weekend Wrap

The weekend seemed to race by. Between laundry and cleaning, I didn’t find much time for crocheting.

I was also planning meals and cooking. There are days I cook two different dinner meals. I do this because if Jack ate the number of fish or turkey meals that I do, he would rebel. He’s a meat and potatoes man from way back.

I love to eat fish, I love to eat poultry and so I plan my meals around what WW would like to see me eat on the Green Plan.

It’s been nice and clear and cold this weekend. I love that. We’re actually due for much warmer weather, reminding me that Spring is around the corner. Yes!

Have a great week everyone!

7 Things I Love ~ March 1, 2020

Here are just a few things about Germany or from Germany that I love.

1. Shortly after the Berlin Wall fell, we went over to Berlin, Germany. The biggest thrill for me was climbing the Berlin Wall, without the fear of being shot! Yes, that struggling woman is me, being pulled up by Jack.

2. Here I am standing on top of The Wall, with The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) behind me. What a day that was! I loved it!!!

3. A few years later here I am standing where the Wall once was, with my dearest friend and sister in the soul, Uschi.

4. This was back in the early 1990’s. This is my friend’s Wire-haired dackel, the first and original Shubi. I spoke no Doggy German, and he understood no Doggy English, but it was love at first sight!

5. My darling Uschi and I enjoying some wonderful Greek food at our favorite Greek Restaurant in Berlin. We both had Gyros with ice-cold beers.

6. My darling Shubi. She was my first, sweetest, wire-haired dackel. She helped heal my heart and soul. What a loving girl. She was from Landshut, Germany.

7. Me with baby Greta. She was only 18 months here and already a little cuddle bug. Greta was from Rehden, Germany.

Happy March 2020!

This & That On Leap Year 2020

The other day when I did my grocery shopping, I stopped in and looked at some yarn. I love having busy work for my fingers and I was itching to start a new project.

I found the prettiest yarn, and in my mind, I knew what I wanted to do with it. So I made up the pattern in my head and then wrote it down and started.

The first time, I got three rows in and it was curling. So I ripped it out and started again. Nope, that wasn’t quite right. The third time was a home-run, and the project is progressing nicely! And once again, my hands are full.

Since this is for someone else, who I don’t believe reads my blog, but just might, I will say no more.

My laptop is acting funky. This weekend I plan to do a full backup of the hard drive, and then I plan to start looking at computers. Aside from Apple, does anyone have a Solid State Drive laptop that they love?

Believe it or not, it has been many years since I got a new one. This machine is a 2012 model.

I would like to really upgrade my system and get a really nice one. Fast, with good graphics and lots of memory!

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy the sunshine (if you can) wherever you are!

The Friday Five

The week flew by and although I wasn’t crazy busy, it certainly was a full week. It’s the last Friday of February, which also freaks me out. In any case, here is this week’s Friday Five.

It was my bi-yearly dental cleaning. I always have dental-anxiety due to a horrible dentist in my youth. My current dentist is very kind, but I still feel queazy when it’s my day to go in. I had no cavities, but my teeth in the back right have shifted causing me to have a pocket.

They showed me the neatest soft gum picks, which I absolutely love!
Wednesday was WW Class. I knew I had done well, but I wasn’t sure how well. I am not dieting, I have worked hard to change my lifestyle.
I am actually eating the foods that will help my liver problem as well as my slightly high cholesterol. If anyone tells you that losing weight is easy, they are not being honest. It takes time, strength and the ability to be honest with yourself at all times.
I am getting to be a real sleepyhead. It seems I cannot make it up past 9 PM. Two of my favorite shows are on at 9 o’clock and I’ve been falling asleep trying to stay up and watch them. Thankfully, “Homeland” shows the episode on Monday at 8 o’clock on Showtime and I can watch “This Is Us” on my computer the next morning. I do get up at 5 AM with the dogs, so I am thinking that has something to do with it. In another week our clocks go forward an hour, and then I should be better.
After looking at Arnie’s teeth it’s pretty clear he needs a dental as well! I called his Vet and made an appointment. He goes in next Thursday, March 5th. Yes, March the fifth. Can you believe it’s going to be March on Sunday?
I decided to try a “Sweet and Sour Tuna” for lunch. Well, I took one bite and really didn’t like it! I actually put it down the garbage disposal. Why eat (and record points) for something you do not like? I made some turkey breast along with my roasted eggplant and I was happy. Guess what’s for dinner tonight? A turkey tenderloin. LOL. Thank goodness I love turkey!

Well, everyone, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. It is supposed to be very cold here, but I have two things on my list. 1. Crocheting again and 2. laundry. You know you will never be lonely because you will always have laundry!

Koru

My life changed a few months ago. I was in the grocery store and I saw an Apple called “Koru”. Now I love apples anyway, so I decided to get a couple and try them.

I am over the moon in love with this apple. I probably eat two a day and they taste that good each time and for every bite! Yum!

Since Jack (AKA Apple Jack) knew nothing about this apple I decided to find out what I could about it. What type of apple was it related to? It certainly didn’t taste like anything I’d ever eaten.

So here we go. A little bit about my favorite Apple.

“Bringing KORU Apple to you is a story beginning with pure chance. From a little seedling, we have established an international commercial production over two decades. We hope you enjoy the journey…

Geoff Plunkett discovered Koru as a chance seedling in 1998 near Nelson, New Zealand. Plunkett and his family believed the seedling grew from an apple his wife’s mother threw into the garden. They began to be commercially available in 2013. Today, about 85% of the Koru apples in the US are imported from New Zealand. However, they also grow in the Northwest and Northeast of the United States. The number of Koru apples available to market has steadily grown over the past few years, as more people have discovered them. Some growers think it has the potential to have a larger presence on grocery shelves, much like the modern variety Honeycrisp.”

This week our local grocery store had a sale on Koru apples. I bought 10 pounds! (Remember, apples are heavy!)

So, give them a try. Their juicy, sweetness will win you over. At WW many of my Classmates have been convinced and were also going shopping to take advantage of the sale.

Disney Kids

Mandy and Matt took the kids to Disney for February Vacation. I love it! So many parents never take the time or opportunity to play with their kids. Mandy and Matt really like their kids, as well as love them. They enjoy spending family time together, just having fun. It’s just wonderful to see.

Matt & Savi

Mandy and Quinn.

Mandy has been sending me pictures and videos and I wait each day for her texts and pictures to arrive. It makes me so happy to see them having such a good time.

Quinn and Savi. How did they grow up so fast? It was just yesterday that they were little babies!

Aren’t they the sweetest?

I am just loving Savannah’s purple sandals. They look so comfortable! And just love those scary faces!

They’ll be back soon and I can hardly wait to hear all about their adventures!

Mandy and Matt are such good parents and I am really proud of them. Not because they go to Disney with the kids, but that they both have the ability to play with their kids, and their kids both know how loved they are.

Thoughts

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I am doing with my desire to lose weight on the new WW Plan.

I chose the Green Plan to follow, which in short means I am counting my points and really working at preparing filling, yet low point meals.

I was so dishearted at Christmas when I was weighing way too much. I saw the pictures and I looked like the Pillsbury Dough Girl! I was so unhappy.

My New Year’s Resolution was to cut it out and just do it.

I went back to class and began, again, the long process of losing weight.

One thing I can say about being 61 is that this time on WW I am facing all this with reality. I know I cannot have “cheat” days. I know I cannot drink alcohol and expect to lose. And I know, deep in my heart, that I will be following WW for the rest of my life. I am not naturally thin, and never will be. Even when I get to my goal weight, my body will always want to take Pasta and make big hips! This is me and this is my life.

Strangely, I feel okay with all of this. I am not on the brink of cheating or stopping the diet, and I am content.

This is totally a new feeling. I was always great at sabotaging myself. But, no more! I will do this. I know I can!

The Weekend Wrap A Little About New Hampshire

On Sunday we watched one of my favorite reality shows, “Northwoods Law” which features the Conservation Officers of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department who work tirelessly to preserve and protect the natural resources of the Granite State. They also aid hikers who are injured or stranded.

New Hampshire has 48 mountain peaks that are over 4000 feet, here is a list of them. Pretty amazing for a State that is only 9,349 square miles!

1 Washington 6288

2 Adams 5774

3 Jefferson 5712

4 Monroe 5384

5 Madison 5367

6 Lafayette 5260

7 Lincoln 5089

8 South Twin 4902

9 Carter Dome 4832

10 Moosilauke 4802

11 Eisenhower 4780

12 North Twin 4761

13 Carrigain 4700

14 Bond 4698

15 Middle Carter 4610

16 West Bond 4540

17 Garfield 4500

18 Liberty 4459

19 South Carter 4430

20 Wildcat, A peak 4422

21 Hancock 4420

22 South Kinsman 4358

23 Field 4340

24 Osceola 4340

25 Flume 4328

26 South Hancock 4319

27 Pierce 4310

28 North Kinsman 4293

29 Willey 4285

30 Bondcliff 4265

31 Zealand 4260

32 North Tripyramid 4180

33 Cabot 4170

34 East Osceola 4156

35 Middle Tripyramid 4140

36 Cannon 4100

37 Hale 4054

38 Jackson 4052

39 Tom 4051

40 Wildcat, D Peak 4050

41 Moriah 4049

42 Passaconaway 4043

43 Owl’s Head 4025

44 Galehead 4024

45 Whiteface 4020

46Waumbek 4006

47 Isolation 4004

48 Tecumseh 4003

You get bragging rights if you can say you have hiked at least 5 of these.

There are nearly 1,000 lakes and ponds greater than 10 acres in the state with a total surface area of almost 165,000 acres. With the exception of Lake Umbagog and Lake Sunapee, the largest lakes are in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. Lake Winnipesaukee (Winni-Pes-Aw-key) and Lake Winnisquam (Winni-Squam) are two of the largest.

Squam Lake was where the movie “On Golden Pond” was filmed.

Winnipesaukee is 72 square miles and there are 258 natural islands on Lake Winnipesaukee.

New Hampshire, a U.S. state in New England, is defined by its quaint towns and large expanses of wilderness. In the north, White Mountain National Forest is known for winter sports areas and Mt. Washington, the region’s highest peak, with a cog railway to its summit. Also in the White Mountains are moose, black bears and part of the Appalachian Trail. (From Wikki)

I love our State. It’s beautiful with so much nature to enjoy.

Happy or Sad

Mostly I don’t write about things that make me sad. I try really hard to think positive. It’s a challenge because I tend to be a half-empty glass kind of girl, But I strive to be a half-full kind of girl.

This all was something I struggled with recently, as an acquaintance of mine had seen an article in a newspaper about a horrific traffic accident that made her think of me. So, she wrote to me to remind me about it. Sending me the graphic article.

I’m sure it wasn’t her intention to hurt me like this. I’m sure that many people think that after 35 years you should be “over” the loss of your child?

But it did hit me very hard. You know, most days I get through and I do alright. Then I think of my little girl and the loss washes over me.

Katie

I really don’t need people reminding me of the horror I went through. It is never far from my mind.

I was also thinking of my Mom today. She has been gone quite a while now. Her passing was much easier for me because she was ready, we had wonderful loving words between us and although losing a parent is hard, it is more in the normal scheme of things.

Mom and I watching Siamese kittens being born.

Anyway, Mom was on my mind in a happy way, so I took out a bottle of her favorite perfume “Oleander” by Lily of Bermuda, and I put some on. All-day I have smelled Mom and it has made me smile.

Not all memories of our loved ones make us sad. They can be happy and full of love. Those are the ones I like to concentrate on.

This & That Feb. 22. 2020

I finished de-pilling the Afghan today. I washed the sofa cover and then placed the new Afghan on the back

It’s really beautiful. Especially if you stand at a distance and don’t see all the little mini pills that cannot be pulled out or shaved.

I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for me, this lovely Afghan will be a lesson. Never use yarn that says “Tweed”, as it will have little bits of yarn supposedly “woven” in, but actually causing madness and mayhem!

On the healthcare front, Jack’s finger/hand did not come out as hoped. He still has a few weeks of working with the finger/hand but will need to go back in three weeks if he is no better. He’s pretty disappointed.

The weekend is here! Make it a good one!