Category: Life

My new cell phone battery arrived in the mail on Saturday. I put it in the phone, charged it up and yahoo, my phone now works the way it once did. Meaning that I can talk on my cell phone for more than 15 minutes without it going dead.

Even better than the way this new battery works, is the fact that I got it for $9.99, including shipping and it arrived in less than 10 days! My cell phone company (who I do love), wanted $39.99 for this little battery!

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I managed to clean out our front hall closet in one day. This closet contained:
1. Our old record collection. Three large heavy boxes of LP’s!
2. Two fish bait buckets.
3. A tackle box.
4. Three wooden ice fishing line sets.
5. Various fishing poles.
6. A box of Reel to Reel tapes.
7. My collection of cassette tapes.
8. An amplifier from the 1960’s.
9. Half a dozen small throw pillows.

I’m not sure how all that stuff got into that closet. It just sort of happened over time. I decided that I was taking back my closet and so I removed this stuff, and put it down into the basement. I will deal with the basement in another life, but at least my front hall closet is clean and I can actually put coats, and boots into it.

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I tried a new recipe for Bratkartoffeln. Bratkartoffeln is sautéed potatoes with onions and bacon. It came out really well and we enjoyed it with the pork chops I cooked for dinner tonight. The recipe is below for the potato dish.

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Today I pruned my tomato plants back. They are still in the green house and believe it or not, still have tomatoes on them!

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I also helped Hubby to rake leaves, and played a little ball with Greta and Fritz.

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Greta has been eating and sleeping more each day. I’m hoping this is a sign that she is, in fact, pregnant.

When I was in the kitchen cooking I heard a noise and looked down and there she was with her dog dish in her mouth waiting for me to notice her and fill the dish!

It was shopping day for Hubby and me. This means we went down to the big city and actually went to some chain stores to buy some much needed supplies. A new wireless router, (works great and has increased my reception strength) a new mouse for Hubby’s computer, (his old one died yesterday) and a new pair of jeans for me, (my favorite’s, from LL Bean!).

We also did a big grocery shopping, which is always fun until you get home and have to put it all away.

Greta is nearly done with her heat. Thank goodness. I gave her a bath last night and put her in some fresh panties before bed. I think just a few more days and it will be over.

I really do wish it were possible to do an “Early Pregnancy Test” on Greta. The suspense is killing me! However, just think about this: me running around the back yard trying to get Greta to pee on a little stick!

Meanwhile, here is a picture of Greta that I took of her at her nap time.

It was flu shot day today for Hubby and me. Each year we get down to a flu shot clinic early and get “stuck” to avoid the aches and pains and general awful feeling you get from the flu. I went early (my number was #1, so this gives you a hint how early I was) and while I waited for the clinic to begin at the local Pharmacy, I walked around the store shopping.

Okay, I know, anyone who buys anything in a Pharmacy besides drugs obviously doesn’t get out much, right? Well, they had these great doggy steps that I had seen on TV. They were not expensive, and best of all, had no shipping and handling charge, so I tossed those in the cart. I also found a few Christmas presents and a couple of cards. Yes, I’m afraid I am a a Pharmacy Shopping Geek!

The Nurses showed up and I was injected and the nurse stuck a Band-Aid on me, to keep my “pretty pink shirt” free from blood. Well, guess what? She totally missed the place on my arm where she stuck me and I bled all over my “pretty pink shirt”! Grrrrrr!

As I drove home I was in total awe of the beauty around me. The leaves are so beautiful this year and I just soaked in their radiance. I’ve decided that I like Autumn the very best!

When I got home, I quickly got out the doggy steps and followed the directions and put them together. I just knew Greta would love them and that she would instantly use them, thus not stressing her back in any way, and of course giving her soon to be expanding belly plenty of room when she got up on a chair or the bed.

Greta sniffed the steps. She looked at them, then at me, like I had totally lost my mind. I got treats and tried to bribe her to climb up the pretty little steps. She hates them. I’m not giving up though, I will work with her each day until she comes over to me and using the stairs, climbs up in my lap and says, “Thank you for buying me steps, Mommy!”.

Until then I am stuck with the old saying, “The best laid plans…”.

Oh my, what a day! I knew it was going to be a busy one. I looked at my date book last night and hit my head! Why had we scheduled so much on one day? Because we’re insane, that’s why!

Hubby picked 3 bushels of near perfect MacIntosh Apples, and sorted them.

While he was working on this I went out to get my monthly treatment at the Fountain of Youth. This is my time to be pampered. I love what my hairdresser, Margarita, is doing with my hair these days. She is fantastic and I really enjoy our visits.

No sooner had I raced home, than I made lunch for Hubby and me. We ate quickly and set off for Hubby’s appointment with our doctor. He had to have a small cyst removed from his earlobe. I stayed with him, even though I know he would have been fine without me. Mostly I was curious to see the entire event.

It, was fascinating! When it was finally removed, I was shocked at how large it was! I know, ewwww, but really, fascinating! Three stitches later and we were out the door.

We raced home and I grabbed Fritz and the two of us went to the Vets. It was time for Fritz’s yearly exam and shots. He was such a good boy and I was very proud of him. He weighed in at 76 pounds even, and was just so sweet with the Vet.

I came home to find that Hubby was gone and so was Greta. I knew Hubby was bringing our apples to a local farm stand to sell,

but I didn’t know he was going to bring Greta. It turns out that not only did he bring her, but he was showing her off all over town! Daddy’s little girl!

By the time he was back and the dogs were fed, we started dinner. Keeping it simple, we made tacos with all the trimmings. It was done, eaten and cleaned up quickly and finally I was able to relax.

Tomorrow? Nothing that has to be done. Just some laundry and some writing and visiting some blogs I haven’t gotten to in a while. I just love days of doing not much at all. Those are the best!

I finally made reservations for Friday night down in New York. I had been trying to find a room for Hubby, Greta and me, but found so many places didn’t allow dogs, or if they did, they wanted $35.00 a night for them! Bah! I guess I am getting cheap in my old age, but if I am paying $135.00 a night for a room, then accommodations for 1 eighteen pound dachshund shouldn’t be $35.00 more!

Around the time I was ready to give up I called a smallish motel in the town the dog show is in. Did they have a room? Would I have to mortgage my home to reserve it? Yes, they did have a room and no, I wouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage!

The woman who helped me sounded so nice. It’s a family run place and she will be there to greet us when we arrive. She also mentioned that there is a good restaurant nearby for dinner and a diner up town which serves an awesome breakfast!

Now I simply have to worry about packing, and what to wear. I want to look nice when I present Greta to the judge from Germany. Each year the club flies a judge over to rate the dogs, and preside over the show. He looks like a kindly man. I hope this is true. I am so nervous about this, that I am afraid I will do something really stupid, like fall into his arms when I walk up to the judging table!

Many years ago before the end of the Cold War, I went to St. Petersburg, Russia with Hubby. He was working the flight, so I was in charge of getting myself through customs so I could meet him on the other side and ride with the crew to the motel.

I was rushing and in heels and a ladies business suit. A recipe for disaster! I came down a ramp, which was being reworked, and had plywood all along it. Just as I got to the end, my heel caught and I went flying…right into the arms of a stern looking Russian soldier! I nearly died!

So you see why I am a little worried that I might do something that embarrassing again. There is a precedent!

I did somehow manage to make it through the dog show when Fritz won Best Puppy in show,

(otherwise known here as “Fritz’s Glory Days”). I can only hope that I will stay calm and not be overcome by a hot flash!

Today I’m thinking that life goes by us far too fast. I wrote about Andre Agassi ending his tennis career yesterday and today Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter,, has passed away. So, I guess I’m feeling a bit blue.

Steve Irwin made nature fun. He had a quick smile, made people laugh at the same time he was teaching us about animals we might never have considered.

My nephew, Taft loves Steve Irwin. He loved to play “Crocodile Hunter” in my sister’s living room. Taft and his brother Luke would pile the seat cushions up and hide the croc and then discover and tame it ala Steve Irwin. One of Taft’s birthdays we even had a croc cake and Taft dressed up like Steve Irwin. Luke was often forced to be Taft’s faithful sidekick, Baby Bindy. They had so much fun and Luke never did mind being the side kick of the “Crocodile Hunter”.

The other day I got sent one of those “Getting to Know You” email questionnaires. One of the questions was, “What are you afraid of?”

Well, there isn’t much. I mean, I don’t like snakes or mice, or those types of vermin, but I can survive them. I’m not afraid to die, although I admit, I’m sort of busy living my life right now and it would be a terrible inconvenience for me.

What I’m really afraid of, came to me while I was showering this morning. It was after I heard that Steve Irwin had died.

I am afraid of the people I love, dying.
I want my loved ones to live long and happy and healthy lives. I want to watch them all get gray hair, wrinkles and watch their children and grandchildren grow and to see and to know that their lives are good.

So yes, I have a fear. It’s just not one I knew I had.

Rest in peace, Steve Irwin, I bet Heaven is filled with wonderful wild animals, who were there to greet you.

Why is it, when you have nothing to do, life goes excruciatingly slow? Why can’t it fly by, like it did when I had 60 pounds of peaches to can and only a few days to do it?

Ah, sweet mysteries of life!

I saw Dr. W. yesterday and she is very happy with my eye. We both sat there grinning at each other, as I’m not sure which one of us his happier, her or me! Here is my sweet Dr. W. with her favorite patient. I can safely say this because I brought a basket of goodies from our garden and orchard!

So yesterday was a real high. Happy, happy, happy! Today? Not so much. I woke up at 4 AM with a terrible eye/headache that has plagued me all day. I have tried everything and nothing has worked.

Oh well, into every life a little rain must fall.

Last weekend my cousin, Janet and our dear friend Megan
came up for a visit. They cooked, I ate and we watched movies. Life was so good. The cooking included Janet’s wonderful potato salad, a bean salad and Megan’s Chocolate Trifle! I’m still dreaming about that. I just go nuts for chocolate!

Thursday was a quiet day. Quieter than I had hoped or planned for. I took care of some paper work, and watched/listened to the TV. Fritzi kept me company much of the time. As did Greta and Emily.

Greta goes before the German judge in September for her rating. I am a wreck about this, (just call me a nervous stage mother!) and I hope she does well. Could I stand to have some stranger tell me Miss Greta isn’t perfect? I think not!

Finally, I am sad that Caroline Keptchure was fired from “The Apprentice”. I’m thinking that Ivanka Trump will take her place. Who says nepotism is dead?

It’s been another busy day. We canned 24 jars, (3 batches) of Heavenly Jam, (a peach jam).

I also went out and got my hair cut and styled. That’s always so nice. Having someone else do my hair for a change!

Cooking Day. Yes, today was cooking day. I planned it all out. I made the turkey stuffing in the morning, some brownies came next, a carrot casserole and then of course the main event, roast turkey in the afternoon.
I had an 11 and a 1/2 pound turkey in my freezer that I’d gotten for 49¢ a pound last December. So, it was time to cook it. I also decided to make up plastic containers of turkey, stuffing and gravy to freeze and now the bones are all simmering for a pot for turkey soup.
Why this sudden burst of domesticity? Desperation. I want to be able to eat while I am recovering.
Hubby is good with the usual things. He can mash potatoes, scramble eggs and he is absolutely legendary with shake and bake, but I learned long ago that his repertoire is limited, thus the sudden burst of cooking.
The brownies were fun to make. I didn’t have everything I needed to make brownies from scratch, so I found a great recipe for brownies made with…a chocolate cake mix! At first I thought this would be weird, but I have to tell you, if you like chocolate, make this recipe. You will simply never be the same.
The day is nearly done and I am taking off the apron for the day. A sense of domestic well-being is washing over me.
Ah, life is good.

The Peaches are coming in! Hubby went out and picked a medium basket of the large, ripe and juicy delights. Last year and this year as well, we will make Heavenly Jam, Brandied Peaches and then just can some. When we grocery shop, I will finish getting all the things I need to do this, including the, (hiccup) brandy!

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The lovely and talented Megan and her boyfriend, Jimbo came yesterday to share some food, some chatting and some wine. It was so much fun! We got to try batch #3 of the Mustard Pickles, and we also tried the Moonglow Pickles. Man of man, the Moonglow Pickles were some kind of good! I had only a few jars of this, and so I have decided that I need to make more. I will try to find some cheap pickling cukes to make up a new batch. I don’t think I will have 6 pints of cukes coming out of my garden in the next few days.
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Today was one of those really beautiful, warm, (upper 60’s) wonderful days. Instead of being like a day in August, it was more like late September. I will not complain, mind you, because I am not a hot weather fan. I like to be able to walk around in jeans and a shirt and not sweat to death. Today was like a breath of fresh air after the last few weeks of unbelievable heat! I say to the coming of Autumn, Bring It On!!!
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Have you ever noticed how there are movies you can watch again and again, or just have on while you’re working and you never get tired of them? Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was on earlier and I had it turned on. I made dinner, I fed the dogs, and I could watch or not watch and not lose my place. Harry and Company are all friends now.
No sooner had that movie ended than Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban came on. So I switched over to that and have been watching/listening to that too.
I sure hope that JK Rowling doesn’t kill off Harry, Hermione or Ron. I would simply be heart broken if she did. There are other ways to end the series.
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Lastly, the next ten days will be busy ones as I prepare the house for my post operative down time. I’ve frozen some meals, and now I need to get all the laundry done, stock up on some simply meal components, and show Hubby a few little tricks to housekeeping, cooking and patient tending!