Dackel Princess

The Weekend Wrap Feb 17, 2020

Over the weekend I finished my afghan project. It was meant to be a gift, but the yarn turned out to be a nightmare of pilling.

I have decided to de-pill it as best I can and then throw it on the back of our sofa. It is beautiful, but one giant pain. I now know why the yarn was on sale!

The usual work was done over the weekend. Sheets were washed, floors swept and dogs fed.

There is good news about the drops for my eyes. At first, they made my eyes feel really dry and uncomfortable. However, I started to use artificial tears every time I woke in the night. By doing this it has stopped all the side effects I was having. Now we wait to find out if these drops are reducing the pressure in my eyes.

7 Things I Love – February 16, 2020

Here is this week’s list of things I love.

1.Klosterbrot

2. Me and Uschi in Berlin.

3. The flag of my Country.

4. Pickling Cucumbers from my garden.

5. Newborn Dackel Puppies.

6. Dackel cuddles while I nap.

7. Walking through a Bavarian forest.

When It’s -8 Fahrenheit

It is cold. -8 Fahrenheit! I poked my nose out from under my comforter and groaned. Sub-zero weather has never been a favorite of mine.

I sat up and yawned and immediately wanted to dive back under the covers. Mr. Arnie had commando crawled under the covers, and Miss Anneliese was under my robe at the foot of the bed. Not a day fit for man or beast!

I grabbed my robe, my to the dismay of Anneliese, and padded out to the kitchen to turn on the coffee, meeting up with a happy Lili. You know, I have never owned a dog quite like Lili. Every morning she greets me with an abundance of happiness and joy, as she dances around the kitchen! I swear I can see her smile.

The dackels and I show a lot less enthusiasm, as we would much rather be in bed. Yes, in my previous life I think I was a dackel.

Due to the extremely cold weather, I think I will stay in and work to finish an afghan I’ve been making. I have only the border left to do.

I got some great news yesterday. My cousin and his wife are due for their first child in August! I am so very happy for them both!

Happy Weekend!

The Friday Five February 14, 2020

Here we are. Another week has gone by. It’s still amazing to me how fast life is going now. I remember as a child thinking each day was an eternity. Now they slip by faster than I care to think. I am not ready for life to simply slide by and soon I will find myself an old lady, whose pantyhose bags around her ankles. In any case, enough of that so here is this week’s Friday Five.

This was one crazy busy week. I was supposed to get my hair done but begged off as I don’t like driving in the snow. Hopefully, next week she can squeeze me in.
I’m still infuriated about the Insurance Company denying my doctor’s prescription for eye drops. Imagine some Clerk sitting at a computer who thinks they know better than my doctor! Yeah, that really irked me.
Tonight I am making fresh Green Beans and Roasted Turkey Tenderloin. One of my favorite meals. Tomorrow it’s fish. I’m taking my WW meal planning very seriously.
We did get snow on Thursday, but not near as much as they forecast.
Today is Valentine’s Day. I’m so lucky to have my family who love me very much.

Most especially my grandchildren.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

A Very Busy Day

What a full day I had on Wednesday. It started when I left the house at 7:45 in the morning, and it did not end until I returned at 3:30 in the afternoon.

First I had WW class and it was a bit of a frustration for me this week, but after looking back at the things I ate, I think a minor adjustment will help me for next week.

After class, I headed out for a day of shopping and doctor’s appointments.

I went to a discount store called TJ Maxx and found the cutest dachshund dish towels for my kitchen. Aren’t they cute?

Then it was on to the big Tanger Outlet Shopping Mall. There are several stores I really love there and I went looking for some good deals. I got a new tunic sweater and a pair of Yoga pants. Heaven!

I ran into someone I used to know too. It was fine, I guess, but strange nonetheless. She had once been a good friend, but one day she just dropped me. It hurt me a lot back then, but then I remember this saying and it is something I just have to let go.

After that, I pumped my gas at 202.9 a gallon and went grocery shopping. I needed so much and since I knew I was going to be out for a while I had thrown the coolers in the back of the car.

I had 45 minutes to get the groceries I needed and so I grabbed a cart and into the store I went. I hit all the places I needed to go, got all the foods we required and then got to the checkout in 35 minutes!

Then, off I drove to see my Glaucoma doctor. I got there 15 minutes early and I checked in and sat down intending to make a few calls, but as soon as my fanny hit the seat, they called my name!

The short story is that my left eye (which is horribly bloodshot due to sensitivity to the drops) had a nice lower pressure of 16! Yay left eye! However, my “good” right eye still had a high pressure of 24. I was disappointed, but apparently this is common in the early days of treating high pressures.

My doctor decided to order a new drop, which I will have to use twice a day. She called the prescription in. Great, I thought.

I drove back to Meredith and went right to the Pharmacy. Only to find out that my Insurance Company had denied the prescription! It’s too expensive they said!

Then I recalled that I also have prescription coverage through the VA. I gave the Pharmacy Tech my card and she looked it up and bingo! Approved! So the drops are ordered and will be in tomorrow.

I picked up the last few things I needed at Hannaford’s and then came home, exhausted. But I did feel rather good about all I accomplished!

We are supposed to get 5-8 inches of snow today. I wonder what it will look like? A small amount or a fair chunk of the white stuff. We shall see.

Medical Histories

The other day I accompanied Jack to the doctor. They handed him a one-sheet paper on which he was to write a detailed medical history.

When he has had different operations, medical conditions, medications, etc.

I tried to get it all written down for him, but this required me to play “Let’s ask a million questions with him”.

As I sat there, I thought about my own situation. I simply do not have this problem. Why? Because a few years ago I sat down and wrote out a detailed medical history. I add to it, as needed, but it is all there. And all I need to do is go to my file on the computer and print it!

My history starts with my name, address, and phone number. My height, weight (I always lie!) and my blood type.

From there I start with the first of my unbelievable operations and conditions. In order, year by year.

I have been asked if I am a medical professional. No, I am not. I just got tired of having to write out my long history and try to recall all of the dates.

I also include my medications, and their dosage, and then my allergies, including any food allergies I might have.

Click on the image to make it larger and download it for your convenience. I also have it in a Word Document and let me know if you would like that one.

It took me 45 minutes to make one up for Jack so that now he can print this to take to future doctor’s appointments.

I encourage you all to do the same. It saves time and could save your life if you keep this information tucked in your wallet.

This & That

I’m not sure what I hoped Monday would be like, however, I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I got up and it was snowing. Again. And at a good clip!

The plows had started running on the road below our home at 4 AM! Thus waking me and the beasts.

At 5 AM I got up and let the dogs out and watched the morning news. The forecaster said “Broken clouds and sun” Huh?

No schools were canceled despite the rapidly falling snow. Which I was surprised at. Jack had an appointment with the Orthopaedist and although I did not want to go, we went and the roads were surprisingly clear. Our snow totaled close to 4 inches.

The Presidential Primary is today in our State. We will go and vote as we always do.

On Wednesday I go to see the Glaucoma Eye Specialist for a pressure re-check, as well as WW.

Things have gone well with the eating, so I am hopeful I will continue to be going in the right direction. Although part of me knows that at some point the weight loss will slow. I’ve been on the path before and so there are really no surprises.

I just hope that I can keep the momentum up. It is easy to get discouraged when the weight loss slows down.

Well, Happy Tuesday everyone! Enjoy the day!

The Weekend Wrap

This weekend was really mellow. Besides losing the electricity on Saturday and part of Sunday, we also spent an inordinate amount of time watching the TV.

Since Sunday night was the debut of Season 8 of Homeland, we spent both Saturday and Sunday watching season 6 and 7 to catch up.

I have actually watched all the seasons from Season 1-7 in recent weeks, and I have to admit that I found things I had missed the first time around.

Again, what a great show!

Seven Things I Love February 9, 2020

This week I am concentrating on seven of my favorite bird photographs. Since starting my bird feeding, I have been engrossed in watching them and photographing them. They bring such joy to my life. Here are a few of my pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

1. Mr. Cardinal
.
2. Mr. Blue Jay

3. Mrs. Downy Woodpecker.

4. Another Cardinal.

5. Mr. Hairy Woodpecker

6. Mr. Downy Woodpecker in the storm.

7. Mr. Downy Woodpecker. He is my favorite.

Lights Out

Just before I was starting dinner on Friday night our lights began to flicker. We looked at each other and thought, “Uh-oh!”

Mr. Arnie braves the icy storm.

Our weather on Friday was quite simply, sloppy. It started with ice and then skipped over to rain and then back to ice pellets and because we had not had enough fun, it started to snow and the wind blew and then flicker, flicker, and the lights went out.

The ice was thick and on everything. Probably this is the reason we lost our power!

My cell phone was nearby and I used that to get over to the candle, which I lit and then used that to get the large flashlight.

It was then that Jack and I jumped into action! Jack took the flashlight and went down to set up the generator. When we built our home we had the generator hard wired in. So, off he went.

Meanwhile, I got three long extension cords so we could plug the TV, satellite dish, and cable box in. The next extension cord went from the kitchen down the long hall to the office where I plugged the computer, router, and wifi in. Thus giving us internet access.

Lastly, I plugged the two laptops into the third extension cord. Now we have everything basically working.

Of course, we also have the two fridges and freezer going.

My Downy Woodpecker trying to get some food in the storm.