Life – Page 29 – The Dackel Princess

Prep Work

This morning Hubby and I were sitting in our pajamas wasting time on our computers, when the dogs went ballistic! A few people had stopped by to buy our peaches for making jam and eating. I went out, as my pajamas are slightly more acceptable in public than Hubby’s are, and he raced off to get dressed.

The ladies bought their peaches and I shared my recipe with them for my jam. It’s sort of funny, but many people have trouble with the recipe, but it always works for me.

Later on, after our lunch, I told Hubby that I needed to go to the grocery store to get the last few things before the storm arrives on Sunday. You see, tomorrow is a huge craft fair in my town and they quite literally, shut down the down town roads!

Not a problem, we would go together as he had a Peach Delivery to make, and gasoline to get for our generator, in the event that we lose power. So I helped Hubby with the peaches and he helped me with the groceries. A fair trade.

I must say that today was a beautiful day. It’s hard to believe that on Sunday we will have a tropical storm that will bring high winds and a lot of rain, but having grown up on Cape Cod, I have lived through these storms before, and I imagine I will again.

I was able to buy farm fresh vegetables, as my own are now pretty much done for the year, and tonight we will eat corn that Hubby picked out himself. It’s just great when you have a farm this close and know the owners like this.

Friday night’s dinner is my own Pork Loin Roast in the slow cooker. You can find the recipe HERE. It is so easy and so delicious!

Have a safe and happy weekend, everyone. Especially those of you along the east coast.

Friday Fill-Ins

And…here we go!

1. How in the world did I ever survive.

2. I looked for love and it was right in front of me.

3. Life’s full of challenges. What matters most, is how you deal with those challenges.

4. A bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, cheese, meats, and fruit make an awesome picnic lunch.

5. That was where we had the time of our lives….

6. Bermuda and Barbados, I think of as “our places“.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to getting ready for the hurricane, tomorrow my plans include putting all our lawn furniture inside and Sunday, I want to ride out the storm with Hubby and the Pups!

Rain, Rain

We woke to dark skies and pouring rain. I thought for a minute what could be done on such a day, certainly not garden work, so I caught up with odds and ends I needed to do around here.The dackels all sat on the back of the sofa, looking out the window dreaming of sunshine and dry grass. Fritz lay by the sliding door and watched the puddles form.

Me? I tried NOT to go out, but unfortunately I did have to go, so I could file my report, and get a few supplies. The rain was ponding in the streets, but with my super-duper rain coat, I made it through to the stores and back.

I just did not feel like cooking today, so I thought I would throw some things in a crock pot and make dinner. At least I didn’t spend all day cooking. Tuesday I must make more tomato sauce and freeze it.

I think I will need to rearrange my chest freezer though, to accommodate more containers. In fact, I actually need to buy more containers! It’s been a banner year for tomatoes!

Hopefully the rain will end tomorrow and we will dry out. I miss seeing the sunshine!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Share a favorite song lyric.

“Before you cross the street
take my hand
Life is what happens to you
while your busy making other plans”

2. When was the last time someone yelled at you?

Oh, Hubby yells at me all the time, but that’s just “love talk”. Serious yelling, was probably the moron, who all but ran me over the other day and then rolled his window down, yelled at me and flipped me the finger! Hello Mr. Rudeness, I was in the crosswalk!

3. Money, fame, happiness…are they mutually exclusive?

I think if you are a Hollywood type, probably yes. They mostly seem to have ego’s that do not allow for happiness. And Heaven forbid that someone tell them NO. However, if you are a normal person, then I think that one could possibly handle it. I ask myself, could I handle all three of those? Sure…but fortunately my grandmother and sister, raised me well and I think I’m fairly well grounded.

4. What is your favorite dish to prepare for family and friends that doesn’t require turning on the stove, oven or an outdoor grill?

It’s a double chocolate cream pie with strawberries! Best of all, it’s low calorie and lo-fat! The recipe can be found HERE.

5. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. What is one thing you could do this week to simplify your life? Will you do it?

Finally finish cleaning out my office. Will I actually do it? Put it this way, after my vacation to the Cape, I will try!

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being 100% and 1 being not at all) how tuned in are you to your country’s national political scene?

I would say 9.9%. I read what I can, I listen to news and talk shows on several different stations on the TV and I’d like to think I have a good mind. I simply find it hard to speak out when people are being abusive, when THEY do not really want to listen to me. I believe EVERYONE has a right to believe what they would like. Unfortunately, I do not always get the respect that my opinion should.

7. What are your final parting words to the month of July?

Glad you are over, July. Emotionally this was a tough month for me, and I am just glad it is over.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

You know, today I am feeling a little tired. Which makes my upcoming trip to Falmouth, Massachusetts on Friday, a good break for me. I want to lie in the sand, swim in the ocean, and enjoy being in the town I once called home. I am also looking forward to going to my 35th High School Reunion. Seeing everyone after all these years.

Grrrr!

I worked all day on Friday to prepare a great meal for our guests on Friday night. However, my strove has been giving me fits, and the beautiful pork ribs didn’t cook the way I’d hoped! I also wanted to make a cake and the cake is just 1 inch tall…fail!

The best part of the day, was sharing good conversation, and some nice wine with our friends. The potato salad came out well, the green beans were sweet and fresh from the garden, and the cucumbers from the garden were also wonderful.

I guess the big disappointment was just the ribs. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

Now my house is clean, and I am happily tired and will go to bed thinking that perhaps it is time to get my stove checked. Perhaps it just the thermostat. We shall see.

Friday Fill-Ins

And…here we go!

1. Blue skies smilin’ at me, nothin’ but blue skies do I see. Bluebirds singin’ a song nothin’ but bluebirds all day long.

2. Take a stroll down memory lane some filled with happiness, some filled with pain.

3. Kids are the best part of life. They remind us to appreciate the simplest of things, like a sandcastle or playing in the yard.

4. New places, new faces, and plenty of joking around; these are some of the best things about vacation.

5. Love is simple things. Making a meal, or changing the oil in your sweeties car. Often the things that define love the most are the little things we do for our loves that say…I love you without actually saying it.

6. My grandma was the one who told me all about submarine races. She told me how she and Papa loved to go and watch them!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to the wedding of our friends daughter at the big lake, tomorrow my plans include some grocery shopping and Sunday, I want to Read the Sunday newspaper, and work in my office!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What makes you stand to your feet and cheer?

I don’t actually do it at home, but would do it at a sporting event, or recently when attending Hubby’s 50th college reunion, they also had two ladies there for their 75th college reunion! We all stood and cheered!

2. What’s your favorite patriotic song?

I love “America the Beautiful” but I also love “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.

3. Do you believe that opposites attract? If you have a significant other are you opposites?

To a certain extent. Hubby and I are very different, but we do have similar interests. I think that this is why our marriage has worked.

4. You’re going to get a behind the scenes look someplace…where would you like that someplace to be?

I’d love to go behind the scenes at a Broadway Show. I’d love to see how they change scenery, change sets, costumes, etc.

5. How far would you have to travel to ride a carousel (merry-go-round)?

I’m not really sure. I think Canobe Lake Park is the closest and that’s about 1 our and 15 minutes from here.

6. When was the last time you saw fireworks? What was the occasion? Do you enjoy fireworks?

Yes, I love fireworks. I think the last time I saw them was last year on the 4th of July.

7. Of all the ‘beauty products’ you own, what item do you consider to be the most overpriced?

If I thought they were overpriced I wouldn’t buy them. However, the nail polish at $6.00 a teeny tiny bottle is ridiculous!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We have finally had three days in a row without torrential downpours. This has got to be one of the wettest spring/summers that I can recall since I was a teenager.

Back then, I think I was thirteen years old, we had a summer (I lived on Cape Cod then), where it was cold and rained the entire summer. That was terrible for the restaurant owners and the motel owners because the tourists didn’t come.

Nothing grew in the garden and everything seemed to have a layer of mold on it. It was so damaging to Cape Cod’s economy that the newsmen spoke of it a lot. It also made quite an impact on me. I think, back then, I thought that life was full of sunshine and roses!

I certainly hope that the continuous rain cycle that we “were” on is over. Time for a little sunshine!

Wonderful Monday

Monday was the nicest day we have had in New England all summer long! Pleasant temperatures, bright blue skies and low humidity! I mean, how good does it get?

Hubby puttered around in the orchard, we both worked to water the garden and the potted plants on the patio, and I decided to try out the new laundromat, washing my heavy cotton blankets.

What I found at the new laundry, is a clean place, with new and well cared for machines, a family owned business, where someone is always there. And everyone was so nice! Best of all, the prices were reasonable, and since I had errands to do, I didn’t worry about leaving the blankets in the wash with the pleasant gentleman working right next to the machine.

So, I got the blankets done, and brought them home to dry, and then it just seemed that the rest of my day was terrific. The dogs were good, Hubby was in a good mood, my computer worked well….it was all good!

Tonight we’re grilling steak (for Hubby) and chicken (for me) with some baked potatoes and a spinach, strawberry and goat cheese salad, with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Yeah, I guess I do talk about food a lot! lol!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

It was another hot, but beautiful day here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire on Monday, Memorial Day. I decided that today would be the day I would select my clothes for the Reunion, and the shoes too. I’ve decided that men are far more lucky because Hubby only needs to pack oxford shirts and chino’s and his suit and a couple of funky ties and he is fine. A woman must pack pants, skirts, heels, flats, an evening bag, jewelry and of course, my blow dryer, curling iron and electric rollers!

Yes, it takes a lot more time and far more work for a woman to make herself look glamorous! At least I have most of it done and all I need is to get out the big suitcase and put these neatly stacked piles of clothing and shoes into it!

I also had a little episode that made me think that either I was pregnant or I was suffering from heat exhaustion. I came in and cooled off with the air conditioners, and sat down and drank four glasses of cold soda and sugar free juice. After the fourth glass, I felt like I was floating, but the dizziness had passed!

I love the summer, but not when we have 92 degree heat, with high humidity! Then I totally suffer. I prefer the temperatures to be in the upper 70’s or low 80’s. Then I am a happy girl.

As I go out and check on and water my garden, the dogs have all become great little helpers. They run back and forth around the fence, and play with their toys and each other while I water the plants. This is a departure from previous years when the puppies (Arnie & Anneliese) would run off, causing me to stop and chase them. In fact, this year as they get closer to turning 5, they have become more mature and pretty much abide by the family rules of staying in the yard.

Fritz is good. He just follows wherever you go and then while you are busy, he will lie down and watch you and stay close.

Hope you all had a great long weekend!

Tag

Tag:
I was tagged. By my friend Betty in Paraguay. She and I met some years back on another blog.

Anyway these are the questions I’m supposed to answer.

1. Do you think you’re hot?

I just finished shopping for a dress. It’s almost as bad as shopping for a bathing suit. Do I think I am hot? NO!

2. Upload a picture or wall paper that you are using at the moment.

3. When was the last time you ate chicken?

Tonight. (Friday) I made Buffalo Chicken Burgers!

4. The song/songs you listened to recently.

“Changes” by David Bowie. Makes me think of my High School days.

5. What were you thinking while doing this?

That the black flies really bit the heck out of my ear!

6. Do you have any nicknames? What are they?

Yes. Well, sort of. My best friend Gail, calls me Mari. And I refer to myself as MB to my family, but no one calls me that.

7. Tag eight blogger friends…
This is where I never follow the rules.
I´ll do five because I think that´s enough. But if you like being tagged and would like to play along, feel free and do so. You´re it!
1. Janet
2. San
3. Grace
4. Gattina
5. Michelle

Who’s listed as number one?

My dearest cousin!

Say something about number five?

She is a friend I met and felt instantly close to.

How did you get to know number three?

I met her on a blog. I cannot recall which one. We are now friends and I enjoy that!

How about number four?

I met her on Melli’s blog some time ago. But since then we have become good friends!

Leave a lovey- dovey message for number two?

Dear San, I am so glad we met each other and have shared this friendship for the last few years!

Now join in and have a great weekend!