Mother’s Day

I’m usually not one of those people who gets too excited about Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, but on Sunday we met up with Mandy and her boyfriend M. and his parents. We went to a fabulous restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire called Fratellos.

The food was delicious and while we ate, we talked and talked. It was warm and friendly and I felt like I had known M’s parents for a very long time.

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Here are the ladies.

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And here are the gentleman.

What you see in the picture above were the appetizers. They were awesome! An Antipasto, and Bruschetta with a side order of Calamari, that was cooked just right!

Soon our meals arrived. M. and his Dad had the Prime Rib, while Hubby had the Seafood Fra Diavolo. M.’s Mom had salmon, Mandy had Stuffed Haddock and I had Lobster Ravioli!

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Doesn’t this look wonderful!

We talked and talked and soon the hostess came over and gently reminded us that they needed to prepare our table for the next seating. So reluctantly we said good-bye.

I hugged my daughter, this beautiful woman who made me a mother, and thanked my lucky stars. She is someone I would want to know, even if she wasn’t my daughter.

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My Mother’s Day was complete, and I thank Mandy and M. once again for such a wonderful afternoon!

This & That

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

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  • 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!

Computer Karma

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!

The Dackel Princess Reading her Mail

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?

May 1st

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.

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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.

Hair/Burns

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?

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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.

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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.

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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!

Random Dozen

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.

My Monday

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.

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

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Yes, it was truly a lovely day!

Bumble Bumble Bee!!!!!

Saturday was an incredibly busy day. It started early with the dogs, and I’m afraid I got carried away with house work, and then running errands, that before I knew quite what was happening, it was dinner time! Where had the day gone?

It was a lovely spring day and I was bale to catch the bumble bees as they worked the peach trees. One big fat bumble bee, was quite cooperative and seemed to almost pose for me!

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After dinner we put on “The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock!

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What terrific movie. You know, one of those feel good movies! I cannot tell you how much I loved it, and what a great job Sandra did!

It’s very late now, so I am going to go to bed and get some sleep. I have an equally busy day tomorrow, and I sure do need my beauty sleep!

Random Dozen

1. Ever had any run-ins with the “library police?”

Well, since I am a Library Trustee, I tend to be a very good girl in all regards at the Library.

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?

I have Christmas paper all boxed up together and it’s very organized. Usually I buy birthday paper as I need it.

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?

Yes. Hurricane in Florida and blizzards up north, oh yes and the floods two years ago up here in New Hampshire, that washed away roads.

4. What’s your favorite Barry Manilow song?

Mandy. Guess why. Yep, my daughter is named Amanda (Mandy) after that song!

5. What’s the best costume you’ve ever worn?

Queen of Hearts. I made it myself!

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

Thesaurus

7. What’s your favorite breakfast food?

Pancakes with real maple syrup and crisp bacon!

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?

Yes. My Ronco Rotisserie Oven! Love it!

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Yes. Breaking into my own house!

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

No. Lust at first sight. Love comes with time and getting to know a person.

11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?

4 pair

12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on “Ace of Cakes.”)

Okay, it would be a red velvet cake with cherry blossom petals over the cream cheese frosting and a little bee here or there in the cherry blossoms!

I know, I’m really into the Cherry Tree this year! Here is today’s amazing Cherry Blossom/Bee picture!

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The Dirt!

On Friday I went to my local garden center and told the owner I wanted good, potting soil to start my garden’s vegetable seeds. It’s the same man I have dealt with for several years, so I trusted him. He sold me what I thought was the correct stuff, and I got this gigantic, heavy bale home, and unloaded. I thought that on Sunday I would plant my seeds and get things going.

Well he sold me the wrong stuff! I hadn’t opened the bag yet, but Hubby was looking at the bale and he said that I got it all wrong! (Insert the expletive of your choice here!)

So, on Monday I must drag this heavy bale of (expletive) back to the garden center and somehow explain (again) what I want! Then I will need to come home and plant all the seeds for “Garden 2010”!

Do I sound annoyed? I guess I am a little! Although I will take a deep breath and try to blow it all off! Life is too short, isn’t it?

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Just to keep you up to date. You will recall that I have bad luck with coffee makers as I recently wrote about it here. Well I am happy to report the new coffee maker is absolutely fabulous, and makes a great cup of coffee and keeps it delightfully hot! Both Hubby and I are in coffee heaven!

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I am hoping that the Volcano in Iceland will just cut it the heck out! I have a trip to Germany coming up in the near future and I really do not want to have to put it off until next February. I have spoken to Anneliese and explained that she must not go into heat until the 2 million displaced passengers are returned to their homes. I hope she is listening to me!

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Well, everyone, have a great Monday!

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