Category: My Life

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.

This morning my dear friend Emily, straightened my locks. I’m not sure what to think, but probably opt for the curly look. Here I am with straightened hair. What do you think?

The day was cold and wet and by mid afternoon I was freezing. Since I was alone, I got the fire going in the hearth, and over the course of the afternoon, I fed the fire.

It felt so nice and warm and just perfect for the day!

Unfortunately, I fed the fire a little carelessly and I burned the inside of my wrist. The minute I did it I knew it was bad and bypassed the sink and ran to the freezer where I grabbed a bag of Edamame to hold on the burn.

It was quite a burn and I held the Edamame on it to control the pain. You see, I am a wimp. I wanted a morphine drip! It really hurt!

Hubby came home and insisted that I use the burn creme and wrap it loosely in gauze. So we set about wrapping it.

Hubby was right. The creme worked and made it feel much better. I was able to make dinner and clean it up with not too much discomfort.

Now I am just going to sit and watch some mindless TV, and get to bed early. Have a great Thursday everyone!

1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid?

Yes. One night it was so dark and I was in a heavily wooded area driving and I wasn’t sure where I was or how to find home. I now have my handy dandy GPS so I am all set!

2. Have you ever been to an island?

Yes, and I love islands. There is something very relaxing about them.

3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler?

I’m a thinking feeler!

4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray?

I struggle to see gray, but I tend more toward the black and white.

5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let’s pretend the Bible is already there, so you can’t say that.)

The complete Shipbuilders Book! LOL. I don’t know, just one? The first Harry Potter book or the last.

6. What are you most afraid of?

Of losing the ones that I love.

7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones?

I never want to lose my old memories. They are all I have left of so many wonderful and important people in my life. But I want new memories too. Tough question!

8. Pretend I’m looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them?

A picture of me with my firstborn daughter, Mandy; my second daughter, Katie; and my husband.

9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you’re single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.)

More and better pictures! Every thing else was perfect!

10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness.

It must be total and absolute!

11. You’re waiting in a doctor’s office. What is your favorite way to pass that time?

My computer! Two of my doctors now have Wifi hotspots.

12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better?

I hope she would be loving, as I believe I am a loving person. I also hope she would have more self confidence something I struggle with.

I am please to announce that my eyes came through their exam with flying colors! Dr. C. was delighted with the healing and declared it safe for me to travel to Germany, when Anneliese decides it is time. I was thrilled with that!

I had the 50 mile to and from Dartmouth Hitchcock all to myself. It is in an area that does not get cell phone reception, and so I was forced to entertain myself.

I put on a CD of Maribeth’s Classic Rock Favorites, and sang at the top of my lungs, songs that were popular when I was in high school. Since Hubby is a wee bit older, he is not as interested in those songs, so I save them for when I am alone.

I must say, that I was as good as ever (lol) and hit every note (lol) and it felt great! In fact it felt so good, that it put me in a very happy mood!

On the way home, I put on the Mama Mia CD and gave Meryl Streep a run for her money, singing all of those songs. Once again, I was fabulous (lol) and wondered why I had not been chosen for the Mama Mia movie role? Oh yes, I know, too young to play the character, Donna, right? Ha!

I like days when I can drive alone and just sing, or think or do a combination of both.

I love to drive the back roads here, especially in the spring, when all the trees are leafing out and the flowers are blooming.

Yes, it was truly a lovely day!