Category: My Life

Rain, clouds, laundry, ironing, cooking.

Boring.

Not even the television provided a good escape. The dogs slept, lest I toss them out into the rain, Hubby worked and I finally, in self defense, got out a DVD to pass the time.

Last night I attended an scholarship banquet. Since I am new to this women’s group I was not too sure what the scholarships would be. I soon learned that these scholarships were for women going back to college! It is women helping women!

My club gave out several scholarships to some wonderful, marvelous women and I am thrilled to be a part of this.I sat with one of the recipients, a young mother of two, going to college to get her Nursing Degree!

The dinner was fine. I chose baked haddock with vegetables, and I drank water and coffee, I resisted a wine or beer for fear of ruining my latest attempts to get back on the Weight Watchers Band Wagon! This week it didn’t make a lot of difference, but I don’t let it get me down. After all, eating this way is something I will be doing for the rest of my life.

I am looking forward to my trip to Germany. (Do you hear that Anneliese?) I will eat as I wish, enjoy the best bread and beer in the entire world, and then come home and really get back to the Weight Watchers basics!

Meanwhile, until Anneliese goes into heat, I need to keep myself busy, and perhaps get the house cleaned just a little better than it is right now.

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart “go-to” meal to fix in a pinch?

Meatloaf, Mashed potatoes and peas.

2. What is one item you won’t leave home without. (Purse and license do not count.)

My inhaler, for obvious reasons.

3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting?

Germany! Natürlich!

4. Share one factoid of your family’s history.

My grandfather arrived on Ellis Island from Germany, when he was only 9 years old. After clearing customs, he and his father traveled to Boston to join other family members. He met my grandmother when they were children, and knew right away that she was going to be his wife!

Frederick & Mary, my grandparents. They were married for well over 60 years!

5. Complete this sentence:

“Once upon a time I ….was a little girl growing up in Falmouth, Massachusetts. My sister and I would wash dishes after each meal, with me standing on a chair to wash or dry them. We always took turns. Melodie would tell me stories while we worked, and I would say to her ‘Don’t start the story by saying Once Upon A Time’, and she would say okay, and then she would start the story saying “Once Upon A Time”!!! And we would both laugh and laugh!!!”

6. If you could win a one year’s supply of anything, what would it be?

Real Costa Rican, Pea Bean Coffee! I could never tire of that!

7. “One quirky thing you may not know about me is ….”

This is a hard one. I think I am pretty much an open book. Perhaps, that I like to get into my pajamas as soon as I get the dinner dishes done, even if it is really early!

I just like to be comfortable!

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy?

There is a place nearby that has $1.00 ice cream cones.

The flavors are yummy and the 1 scoop is more than enough!

9. “One thing that always makes me laugh is ….”

The dackels. They really are something else.

Whether it is my three or their puppies, or even other wire-haired dackels I have known in life. I call the wires the “Clowns of the Dog World”!

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal?

Stay true to the WW Plan when I go to an Awards Banquet tonight. I know I can eat fish, a salad and vegetables, but I need to avoid the dessert…Cannoli!

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else?

I would hope that perhaps a nice word, or a kind gesture would help.

12. What is one thing you’re looking forward to soon?

Going to Germany with Anneliese to breed her to Isegrim!

I will also have the added bonus of staying with my best friend, Uschi and her family and spending many hours visiting with her.

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day! The sun shone, the skies were bright, bright blue, without even a cloud. Although it was windy, I simply did not care because everything else made it so lovely.

Hubby had to go in to work, and so I decided to do the grocery shopping, get dog food, and check out a few items on my want list.

The groceries were fun because I had the new MP3 player to keep me company. I simply danced my way through the grocery store. I refrained from singing as I know how bad people sound when they sing while their ears are plugged up. Even the best singer cannot hold a tune when they can’t hear themselves.

On my way home, while I enjoyed the clear air and the scene before me. Mountains and fields. I suddenly realized how hungry I was and how late it was getting. I swung the car into McDonald’s and got a salad for a quick lunch.

It felt good to just eat something quickly, so that when I was done, I could put the groceries away and play with the dogs a bit.

I also planted the peas in the garden and watered the seeds. Hubby instructed me to get this done today before he left for work. Mission accomplished!

To reward myself for all of this work, I bought Lobsters at the grocery store for dinner, along with corn on the cob and potatoes for baking! Of course it doesn’t hurt when the beautiful Maine Lobsters are only $4.99 a pound!

This great picture is thanks to my cousin Janet.

Let’s see, what is my favorite food? Dark yummy chocolate or Lobster? That is a tough one folks. I’ve been leaning toward Lobster lately!

The weekend is over and a new week is starting. A busy week too. I have a few things going on, that I will share with you all very soon!

Until then, Happy Monday everyone!!!

Hubby has been working quite a bit lately, so today I decided I would help him out. Usually he does the lawn mowing, but the grass was starting to look like an overgrown field, so I got out the lawn mower (the small one, not one of the good, self propelled mowers. It does have an engine and all, but requires brute strength to push it!), and worked for one and a half hours in the back yard. Our back yard is lovely, but I’d forgotten that it is all on a hill. Or at least most of it is.

I stopped for water, and to tie my hair back, and then I got back to work. I was still mowing along when Hubby arrived home. I finished the row I was doing, and then shut down the machine and went in to talk with him.

Now any man reading this blog should understand that in this situation, a heartfelt thank you should instantly come from your mouth, so the little woman, who has just mowed a large chunk of the lawn will feel appreciated!

I’d gotten a small fence for my garden. Arnie and Anneliese keep going into the garden to eat dirt,  so I decided to fence it off. Hubby helped me with that and now the little beast’s cannot get in there! This is great, as after eating the dirt outside they come in and throw it up!

While Hubby finished the lawn, I roasted some salmon, made some rice and cooked the asparagus. Once the meal was done and the dishes were in the dishwasher, I literally collapsed in my chair with Greta!

So this has been one of my busier days and I am actually looking forward to going to bed. Under the covers where I can relax with my little dackels and go to sleep!

The end of another busy day at the Dackel Princess Ranch!

It was sort of a wild and busy day, so I decided to just quickly jot down the day’s happenings.

• Woke to rainy skies. It makes the early morning dog walk easy. I let them out and they hurry do their thing and run back in!
• Took Anneliese out for a ride. Now that we are less than a month to her Heat due date, it is time to start allowing her out to ride, so she gets used to traveling.
• She shook like crazy at first, but by the end of the ride, she was acting like she always went for rides like this.
• In fact, when we got home, she was showing off in front of the other dogs! It was so funny to watch!
• Hubby bought a new Peach Tree. A Reliance Peach Tree. I love the Reliance Peaches, and look forward to the time when they bear fruit!
• I bought three eggplant plants (redundant, yes?) and one green pepper plant. Hubby asked me why. That sure is easy. I love eggplant!
• After Hubby left to go to work, I spent time in the Greenhouse. I needed to re-pot some tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and Ichiban Eggplants.
• Hubby worked late and I was starved. Sine I am working hard on Weight Watchers, I did not blow the diet by eating junk. Instead, I went outside with the dogs and walked around the yard.
• Did I mention I now have a pedometer? Love it. I try to do 10 + miles per day.
• Since working up to over 10 miles per day, my feet have stopped hurting! Perhaps what they say is true…”Use It Or Lose It”!
• The rain stopped, and the wind blew up. The skies are clearing as the sun is setting. I sure hope tomorrow is a nice day!
• I made my Fiber One Muffins! That will be breakfast in the morning. Yum!

Today was another long drive as I had an appointment on the other side of the state. The day started out lovely and bright and with the lilacs and the fruit trees blooming, and the flowers out,  it was a beautiful ride, both over and back.

I arrived home late in the day, had a chance to have a quick dinner alone, fix a plate of left overs for Hubby before leaving for my evening meeting.

That meeting went well, and quickly, enabling me to get home in time to watch my favorite TV show, NCIS!

I do not believe I mentioned this, but my long time readers will all be laughing, as I fill you in on another computer illness. Now I have the worst luck with computers of anyone I know. I chalk it up to having a strange magnetic field emanating from my body!  I cannot wear a watch, as within a week it dies. Whatever the cause, if I touch a machine long enough, it breaks.

We have had our master, desktop machine for 3 years. We don’t use it much for actual work. We use it for storage, as the master of our wireless system, and for things like taxes, the annual Christmas letter and scanning.

I went in the other morning, after a power interruption and the machine would not start! So I unhooked everything, and drove it down to my computer gurus. The diagnosis? A blown Power Unit, a blown Video Card, and seriously outdated drivers.

A considerable amount of money later, the machine is back and plugged in and working. And the curse goes on. At least this time, it was simple hardware replacement, but I am looking over my shoulder for the next computer disaster!

I think I will have to start chanting or something to the Gods, for better computer karma! What do you think?

Can you believe that the year is just about half over? It’s May first with all the sunshine and and hope for another growing season underway.

As I sat here last night I was feeling cold and tired and as I listened to the wind blowing, I felt very un-springlike. In fact all I wanted to do was climb into bed and get warm with my little dackel friends.

So that is what I did, and I totally forgot to write anything for today! That is so un-dackel-like of me, isn’t it?

Well, lest you think I fell off the face of the earth, I thought I would write and share with you all a picture that  I took the other day.

This is Arnie with Emily and me. Em was visiting here last week and we managed on the last day to take pictures. She was working toward credits for a class at school and she worked with both a nurse and a daycare provider. It was so great to spend time with her.