My Life – Page 114 – The Dackel Princess

A Waiting Game

Here at The Dackel Princess Home, we are still awaiting the birth of Anneliese’s pup. Saturday saw her changing her usual personality and becoming more of a recluse. At one point she had climbed under our bed, and I managed to get her out. Now we’ve closed off the doors to any rooms with beds, and tried our best to encourage her to go into the whelping box.

But I can see her laugh at us because she doesn’t want the whelping box, but perhaps the softness of my bed to give birth on! That’s not going to happen!

While Anneliese follows her internal clock, I have kept busy canning more pickles and vacuuming the family room and kitchen, as I like to have a quiet house the first week the puppies are born. Even if there is just one this time.

I’ve been watching the Owls on The Owl Box. Their first egg hatched this morning and I was able to get this screen shot of Molly and her new Owlet, Ashley.

You can see Molly feeding her 45 minute old baby. I was so thrilled to get this shot! I had attempted two others and didn’t get the one I wanted and then, BAM! I got this!!!

I also had a weird thing happen to me. Last night I picked up an old newspaper to read in the tub and when I opened it up, there I WAS!!!

Now call me surprised! I came out to the family room and told Hubby I’d found some strange woman in the news paper! He laughed and joked about it for a while. The two newspapers were several days old (see how often I actually read a newspaper these days?), and I probably would have missed this if I hadn’t had the urge to bring them with me into the tub!

I guess some days it pays to read the local news!

Peaches, Pickles & Puppies

Wednesday, when I arrived home from Weight Watchers, Hubby handed me a peach. A peach from our very own Reliance Peach Tree. I bit into it, and the juice drizzled down my chin! Yes folks, it’s peach season here in New Hampshire!

We have a bumper crop and Hubby has already sold 35 pounds of peaches, with another 45 pounds ready to go tomorrow! I’m planning to make 2 batches of my Heavenly Peach Jam, but the rest will be given to neighbors and sold to the local farm stands.

I have another big batch of cucumbers and plan to make pickles again this weekend. I’m not sure which kind I’ll make. Moonglow or Bread & Butter. Probably the Moonglow.

Anneliese is uncomfortable, and I think she is ready to have this baby and be done with it! She sleeps a lot, and also tries to stretch out to give her belly and the baby some room.

Her constant companion these days is her brother, Arnie. He seems to sense that she is with puppy, and he snuggles up in an attempt to make her feel good.

Since her temperature is still normal I’m guessing it will be another couple of days. Last time her temperature dropped to 97 degrees and 36 hours later the puppies were born. So, I will keep taking her temperature (much to her dismay), and let you all know when it drops!

The Eye…Again!

I went in on Tuesday and saw my Retinal Surgeon. My retina is still in place, but I have quite a bit of vitreous gel in my eye causing these crazy symptoms. Great, I thought, no problem there, but my doctor cautioned me that we are not out of the woods yet and we must monitor the eye carefully.You see the vitreous gel can actually pull at and cause a retinal detachment!

I need to report any new symptoms, as a blow to the head or shaking of the head can, in fact, cause a retinal detachment. No heavy lifting or strenuous behavior either. I go back to see him in four weeks, or sooner if things get worse.

I grabbed a quick breakfast before Hubby and I drove back home arriving just before lunch. The dogs were overjoyed to see us and it was good to be home. I took a little nap after lunch, and I tried to figure out how to live with this “eye thing” having over me?

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Meanwhile, I am still having problems with my “Host”. So if you log in and can’t get on, please come back and try again later. I have been yelling wildly working with my host provider to get my blog moved over to a more reliable server, as the one that they currently have me on keeps going down…daily! How long I will put up with this madness is anyone’s guess.

Anneliese & Maribeth

Monday, I took Anneliese in for her exam at the Veterinarian’s Office. Yes, it is one pup. The pup is good size, but looks like she can deliver it okay. The head was about 1 inch across, and Anneliese’s birth canal is about 1 and 3/4 inches across so the baby should be able to pass through. She is due at the end of this week and we are all waiting. I’m taking her temperature twice a day, waiting for it to drop (this indicates the start of her labor). Hopefully it won’t happen until Thursday or Friday because…

Tuesday morning I must go in and have a surgical procedure done to my right eye. They believe that my retina is tearing away from the back of the eye again and I hope all I will need is some laser surgery and I’ll be right as can be!

You see, over the weekend I began to have some vision problems and today I called Dr. C.’s office and they arranged for me to come in today. Please wish me luck and hold a good thought for a positive outcome!

So that’s where we are today. Anneliese expecting one baby and Maribeth expecting another eye surgery!

Getting My Coffee Grounds Read!

I went to a Greek Festival today and while I was there I had the most delicious Greek Coffee! I sipped it slowly and when I was done, my cup was tipped and circled three times and then the woman read my coffee grounds.

She said “If you were pregnant I would see you having triplets! I see three babies!” I told her my dog was pregnant and she said that it could be that my dog is going to have three babies! Oh I hope she is right!

How many do you see?

Meanwhile, Arnie made himself comfortable in Hubby’s arms. Arnie is so affectionate and extremely demonstrative. I hope Anneliese has three puppies just like her brother!

Happy Sunday everyone!

The Start To A Good Weekend!

I started Friday with a shower. For me, and for Greta and Arnie. Somehow the two of them had gotten into something sticky and needed a shower. Anneliese is being quiet these days and thus, her coat is nice and clean. Besides, I didn’t want to stress her with a bath. Once I was done, I got out and Hubby and I toweled the two pups dry.

Isn’t Arnie cute?

Anneliese slept most of the day. She was uncomfortable and stretched as much as she could each time she lay down.

Next on my list of things to get done was to make the Moonglow Pickles. So after following the recipe, I got the pot of cucumbers on the stove and the jars sterilizing in a pot of boiling water.

I made 6 more jars of the Moonglow Pickles!

Tonight Anneliese just seems tired. You know, by this time next week we could have her baby all delivered.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Random Thoughts Sunday

I was walking around today with a gazillion thoughts running through my head. So instead of sitting down and trying to arrange all these thoughts into one coherent blog post I decided to just bullet it and let it all out.

I had two and a half pounds of very ripe tomatoes, so I found a recipe and made a basil and tomato sauce with turkey/Italian sausage meatballs. I’m not sure how it will taste, but it sure smells good.
Overnight I swear someone pumped up Anneliese’s belly! I sure will be happy later on when they scan her and we can see how many bambinos she has in there!
I ran into a friend in the grocery store and we got to talking about Weight Watchers. I was telling her that I have finally come to terms with my place in the weight loss world. Yes, I am a successful loser, but…I have come to realize that I am nothing special. It’s not like I am going to wake up and not have a weight problem. For ever and ever, I will have to be a diligent member of Weight Watchers, or I will return to my previously unmentioned weight. But you know, that’s okay. At least I have the tools to take care of myself.
Anneliese is slowing down. She sleeps an awful lot now and wants small meals now, not the larger ones that she wanted before. I sure wonder how many puppies she has in there!
Fritz is doing well, although he is still limping a bit. I told Hubby that Fritz needs to rest a bit more so when he goes out to check the fruit trees he walks Fritz and then tells him to lie down. Needless to say, Fritz is very happy to be out with his Daddy again!

I have found that I really do not want to iron today. I have thought up three good reasons. Want to hear them? 1. My head aches. 2. My back aches. 3. The dogs got me up at 6 AM and I’m tired! Good enough for me, so once again, the ironing is being put off!

Later

Okay, I did the ironing! Why? 1. Guilt. 2. I knew I needed to get it done today because we both needed the clothes! 3. Juno was on USA and I could watch and iron at the same time.
The spaghetti sauce I made from scratch came out really well. I was shocked! Using the fresh basil made it taste even better and I grated a tiny bit of Romano cheese on the top! Fabulous! I will post the recipe.
I love using our fresh vegetables to make meals. I feel quite pleased, especially when I have grown the produce from seed. Just call me Farmer Dackel!
I’m dreading Tuesday morning when I go in to get my old filling redone. As I have previously stated, I am a Denta-phobe and so any trip to the Dentist makes me really nervous.
I’ve been outside with Anneliese every couple of hours. It’s a funny thing when all of a sudden she just seems REALLY pregnant! Was it just yesterday that I was wondering about her baby-belly?

Happy Monday Everyone!

My Boy, Fritz

Tuesday wasn’t a good day for Fritz. He’d gone for a hike with his Daddy, and while they were at a friends home, Fritz not only got zapped by an electric fence that our friends have to keep their horses penned, but one of the horses stepped on his ankle. He yelped in pain, but at first seemed okay.

He had a bad night last night, and woke me whimpering. By this morning his ankle was swollen and we called our Veterinarian.

After Weight Watchers (I lost 1.2 pounds!) I drove home, picked up Hubby and Fritz and we drove to the Vet’s. They examined him, x-rayed him and although they did not find any break, they decided that casting the ankle and leg area was the best treatment. They also gave him a shot of “happy juice” that has kept him quiet all day long.

We drove him home and he was VERY quiet all day. Not necessarily sleepy, just silent and still, which is totally unlike him!

They’ve delayed Anneliese’s next appointment until Monday, as I am busy with Fritz and my sinus infection. So the next few days I will keep Fritz and myself quiet so we can both recover.

And We’re Back

Just after midnight my “host” got me up and running. In fact things seem to be running much better now than they have in a while, so perhaps this problem was a long time coming. Who knows! Thank’s to Bernie for posting in my absence, so you would all know what had happened!

While I was down and out, I missed you all terribly, and all I could think of was the great stuff I had in my head to share. Like how Anneliese’s belly is getting rounder, how we finally had a thunder storm that watered my yard, and how I made more pickles today! 8 jars!

First Anneliese. I cannot believe how each day, it’s almost like we blow her belly up just a little bit. Even Arnie likes keeping an eye on his little (and ever growing), sister!

She really is something to behold and I smile every time I look at her!

Towards the end of the day we had terrible thunder storm and then the sun came out and there it was. A beautiful rainbow. We don’t get them here very often.

That was right outside my back door. Too bad I couldn’t find the pot of gold! Then it would truly have been perfect!

I’m hoping that the pickles came out well. I think they did, but we shall see. Today I will be attempting to blanch and freeze summer squash and zucchini. I’ve never done that before, and since I have an abundance of squash right now, I thought I would give it a try.

It’s also my day to go and get my teeth cleaned and have my 6 month check-up! I’m a total Denta-Phobe, so please say a few prayers for me!

Once again, I want to thank Bernie for posting during the great “Blog Out” up here in the Northeast. Next time I see you Bernie, we will have Schnitzel and Beer, on me!

Sunday Headaches

Sunday was sort of a lost day for me. Oh, it started out alright, but by lunchtime I was overcome with a migraine headache, complete with sensitivity to light and sound! Which is just what you want to have on a bright sunny day with 4 dogs in the house!

Once the British Open ended on cable, I shut off the TV, got the blinders I’d recently gotten on my trip to Germany, and put those on, and curled up in the fetal position in my chair. Praying for relief.

Anneliese came over and snuggled with me, as if comforting me. She even kissed the side of my head a few times.

I took some medication for the pain and by 4:30 I was able to stand it enough to sit up and think about the last bit of work for today. Dinner. It’ll be a simple meal of corn on the cob, baked potatoes and grilled steak. Then I am done.

Although I get headaches, they aren’t usually this bad. I’m looking forward to waking up tomorrow and having this blasted thing gone!