My Life – The Dackel Princess

All in a Days Work

Today was go through the fridge day and determine what needed to be tossed, what needed to be cooked, and what needed to be prepared.

This found me making a huge garden salad, Jack made his cucumber salad, and I prepared everything so we could saute up bacon, onion and Brussel sprouts for our dinner tonight.

So that was also a lot of cutting up and chopping as well as preparing three meals for me and three meals for Jack.

Whew!

At least I have all the vegetables prepared for the next few days and I will just need to cook the protein part of the meal.

This is good because nothing will go to waste and I can now get on to other things.

I couldn’t stand not doing something about my roots so I ordered some color from a mail-order company. It should be here next week. I hope it comes out well because I am not sure how long it will be until I feel safe going to the hair salon. I will keep you posted.

Tomorrow is clean my closet out day, as suddenly I have an interesting problem. After losing 38.6 pounds, I have a closet full of clothes that are way too big for me. So I need to weed them out.

I slept like a baby on Wednesday night, and I am sure I will tonight too. Having the air conditioner makes all the difference!

Happy Thursday!

Comfy & Safe

During the lock-down against this blasted Virus, I have actually felt pretty comfortable. Let me tell you why.

When I started WW in January, literally, nothing fit me. I had purchased several sets of leggings and tops and I wore those with one of my aprons. (Have I mentioned I love Aprons? Especially the one-piece Japanese ones.)

Anyway, while in exile, I have worn these legging sets every day, except when I go out to the store, and then I am forced to put on “real” clothes.

Over time, I have gone from the leggings being “skin-tight”, to them being really comfortable. Of course, now our temperatures are starting to get warm, so although I can still stay in the leggings, I must now switch to short sleeve tops.

I am so comfortable in these leggings I could live in them for the rest of my life. I will be in for a rude awakening when we go back to the real world, one day.

What has been something that has been positive for you during the wild and crazy time?

Have you learned anything new about yourself? Have you been able to remain positive?

I do have my days, where it all seems bleak, but really now that our weather is warmer and sunnier, I am feeling the love.

I sure hope you are too!

The Power of Suggestion

I had a bunch of urgent errands to do on Monday. What this meant was, that I got up, put on some easily washable clothes, and prepared to go out and face the world.

With mask and gloves, I went to get the mail, and also to the grocery store. I just needed to get fresh vegetables and a few other little things. Then it was off to the eye doctor.

I had the lens removed today from my injured eye. It did not feel great, but it was not nearly as bad as it had been when I first went to him last week.

I was sent home with gooey ointment and will to see him in 10 days for a recheck.

On my way home I was thinking of the wonderful shower I would be taking upon arrival.

I don’t know about any of you, but when I have been out in this germy world, I come home and immediately strip down, run through the house and take a shower.

As I thought about this I began to think about my face. Ever since Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx told everyone to wash their hands and not to touch their face, suddenly that is all my hands want to do!

I’ve never been a big make-up wearer, and so the hand to face thing was never a problem for me until the good doctors told me NOT to touch it! Now all my hands want to do it itch or brush aside something on my face. It all means touching my face!

As I drove I thought about the things I love to feel on my face. I love to feel Dove soap, as it slips around and washes my face. I love the smell and the softness of it.

I love to feel the saltiness of the Ocean and taste it on my lips. Both are so calming.

But nothing ever made me want to constantly touch my face until now. I know, it’s the power of suggestion!

So, for now, I need to stop thinking about my eye and my face and all that other crap and focus on something else. Did I mention I just downloaded the Prequel to the Homeland Series? “Homeland: Carrie’s Run: A Homeland Novel (Homeland Novels Book 1)” and “Homeland: Saul’s Game: A Homeland Novel (Homeland Novels Book 2)”.

Now that my eye is on the mend I can get back to reading!

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.

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.

Life of a Social Hermit

I’m feeling a tad frustrated right now. I really don’t enjoy this social distancing thing.

When I go out to the grocery store, I actually enjoy smiling at people. My grandmother told me to smile at people. After all, it might be the only smile they see all day. This has been something I have done since I was a little girl. Somehow, it doesn’t work when wearing a mask.

I’ve never been a big ‘go out to eat’ girl. That being said, I do enjoy going out for celebrations. Anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Our 32nd Anniversary, we stayed home and I cooked. That is just wrong, wrong, wrong!

I have now lost over 32 pounds! I am so excited. I’m able to wear clothes that I have not worn in almost two years! I am really starting to look like myself again. And there is no one to see! Imagine Jack’s confusion the other day when he looked out the window to the driveway and there I was taking off my coat and apron and standing there in the driveway in a tada position!

The story is, my neighbor was on her porch and I was hollering with her (social distancing, you know) and took off the outer layer of clothes so she could see my shape!

At no time was I naked, just in my leggings and form-fitting top! And people, I am looking good, just no one is seeing me!

Anneliese is better. I knew that once the antibiotics kicked in she would start feeling like herself. I’ve had her outside and running around and I can see she has more spring in her step. She is also eating well, and slept through the night last night.

I was working on dinner tonight and I was taking inventory of the foods on hand. I’m happy to say I will not need to go out until mid-week next week! Yay!

Have a great day today and very soon, we will all be able to be together again.

A Very Good Day!

Monday, was a pretty good day. Despite the rain, which we really do need, I found that some previously unfinished things in my life were attended to.

I was contacted via text message that I had two packages waiting for me at the Post Office. One was my pills that I take each night, and the other was a package of items I’d ordered some time ago, which came from China.

I was perplexed when I saw the writing on the package. It was written in Chinese! Well, lucky me! I have a cousin who speaks and writes fluent Chinese! I snapped a picture and sent it to her and she translated it for me. How cool is that? Thanks, Cousin!

I’m made a Perdue Chicken in a roasting bag yesterday for Easter. There was no crunchie skin, but the chicken meat was tender and juicy. After dinner, I boned the chicken and put the bones in the crockpot and began the 24 hour cooking of the bones. That gives you the best-tasting stock!

For dinner, we’re having the Chicken and Cabbage Soup recipe I made up. It is so good and very low in points.

Since I was out getting the mail I also got a few groceries before coming safely home. Almost everyone wears masks now. I did see one thing that puzzled me. A woman was wearing a mask and with her was her daughter, about 10 years old. And the daughter had no mask! Where is the sense in that?

The Grocery Store workers were now wearing gloves and masks. That made me feel good. Not because I think they would make me sick, but for their own safety.

I have had a terrible time downloading a program onto the new laptop. I have been working on it for such a long time. Weeks! Well, I did a search on Windows Explorer looking for all the files associated with this program. I deleted them all, and then took a deep breath and did a 100% clean install. And guess what? It worked!

My computer Guru, Brad, told me that I should start at the beginning of a problem. Ask on a search who has had the problem? Then if all else fails, do a clean install, like I finally did.

One more thing Brad always said was to believe in myself. And I do. It seems the more I work at computer problems, the better I get at solving them.

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Anniversary to Us

Today is our 32nd Wedding Anniversary. It was a picture-perfect day on Cape Cod, and although it was a small wedding, it was a very nice one.

So, Happy Anniversary, Jack and may we have many more.

It’s Getting to Me

This morning Jack decided I had to go out. He needed new batteries for his blood meter for his diabetes, as the current battery was close to death.

I had planned to go out tomorrow. I planned on wearing dirty clothes to the store, using head covering, facial mask, and gloves. I was ready for that. But suddenly, having to go out today, found me having a panic attack.

Would I make it? Would I be infected? Okay. I need to do everything I had planned for tomorrow, just one day early. I was terrified.

You see one of the cases here in my small town presents like this.

“A young woman was self-isolating at home with her children. She just went to our local grocery store and back and always wore a mask and gloves. Suddenly this healthy young woman is stricken with Covid-19. Was her husband also self-isolating? Well no. he works for the State for the highway Department and went out every day, without protection. Their carelessness has caused real problems for us in my little town. Several more cases have been reported and it all stems from that one, thoughtless couple.”

The cashiers, the workers, and even the patrons such as myself, are angry. Angry at being put in this position.

When I got to the store today I was all done up in my homemade hazmat suit. A few times I felt like I was having a panic attack, and I was grateful to the mask, as it kept me breathing and not passing out.

I found myself looking at people and wondering where they had been? Did they look germy? I saw a young mother with her little baby, who sat in the front of the carriage, chewing the basket handle!

***Shriek***

I was able to get our prescriptions, food for a couple of weeks, and I stopped and got Jack his wine. I picked up our mail, which had Anneliese’s prescription and a couple of bills. I was home by 1:15, wiped everything down in the basement, brought it upstairs, and then ran into the shower.

Then I prayed. I prayed that I didn’t pick up any germs while I was out.

I made my lunch (my favorite roasted eggplant) and now I am sitting here, in the warm sunshine trying to relax. I put my pajamas on after my shower and I feel delightfully clean and comfy.

Yes, a good way to unwind.

I am a Moron

When one has copious amounts of time on their hands they begin looking for things to do. It had been some time since I updated my Ipod (which I seldom use due to using Amazon Music on my cell phone). Well, two things have changed. The first being that I have a new computer, and would need to set up the new machine with Itunes, and second, my brain does not retain what it once did, thus I recalled nothing about setting this all up.

(Greta and the laptop.)

In fact, I stumbled all around Apple’s Web Page until I locked myself out of my account.

Call me crazy, but I honestly could not recall the sequence of events I needed to go through to get Itunes to recognize my Ipod.

I tried and tried to go through their unlocking process and finally, after about an hour I looked at the screen and realized I’d been using the wrong username! Yes, call me embarrassed!

Now that I have unlocked my account, I need to figure out how to get Itunes to talk to my computer. I’ve saved that joyous learning session for tomorrow, as I am just done in from today.

I know just enough about computers to be dangerous! Not really. I do pretty well, but since I got my last laptop, so many things have changed and instead of converting things back to a menu I know I have decided it is time for me to learn the new “better” systems. Forced learning. It’s maddening but necessary.

I have one little crocus that pushed through the earth today. It’s adorably cute and I have threatened Arnie that he is not to wee on it!

Our Lake has no ice left in it now and once again we have a moving, living, breathing Lake. I do so love the Lake at the beginning of Spring. So full of life.

Thankfully, I do not have to cook tonight. It is all leftovers! Yay! Not that I mind cooking, but right now it is rather intense cooking three meals a day, seven days a week.