My Life – Page 122 – The Dackel Princess

Springtime Colds

I woke on Monday morning with Hubby’s cold. He claims it is not his cold that I have gotten, but I know better. It’s his, I can tell!

I decided that the best course of action was no action at all. Rest, warm fluffy blankets to keep me comfortable during my feverish chills, a dackel or two sitting next to me and vast amounts of herbal tea with honey to soothe my tender throat.

That and I watched a marathon of a show I had never seen before. It’s called Amazing Wedding Cakes and it is fascinating. I watched them spin sugar to make chandelier like decorations to go on a cake, another cake was of (cake) shoe boxes and (edible) stilletos and a (cake) purse for a woman’s bridal shower, and lastly a wedding cake for a couple who are crazy for silent movies. These people are really amazingly crafty!

Listen, when you are sick you do not want to watch anything too serious on TV because it’ll just make you cry. I was talking to my sister on the phone this morning and I started crying just talking to her! Yeah, I cry when I have a cold pretty easily. Add to that this silly thing called menopause and it’s no wonder I have purchased stock in the Kleenex Corporation!

I have decided that this cold will not last longer than a couple of days. I have far too many things going on to be down and out again with a yucky cold!

Knitting, Laundry & Chili

For anyone who may be wondering, I have been working on my scarf quite a bit.

I’m now not sure that I am as crazy about the color as I was when I started, but I’ll finish it and then bestow it upon some one who loves me. I’ve actually been enjoying it and it has helped me to learn to relax. You simply cannot knit if you are bouncing off of walls. I mean, you can, but it isn’t pretty in the end.

The knitting has come to school board meetings with me, town meetings and has been keeping my hands occupied when I watch TV and just when I need to sit down and zen out. I use it as a total de-stress tool. Sometimes I pick it up and just do a row.

What do you do to de-stress when life is pulling you down?

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In other news, I managed to get 5 loads of laundry done, after ignoring it most of the week, and I made a triple batch of chili, which we will have for dinner tonight, and then I will freeze several meals worth for Hubby. You see I decided to breed Anneliese again and so when she goes into heat in May, I will be going to Germany!

I will spend time with my Uschi, and we will enjoy the sights, sounds and foods of Germany in the spring. Anneliese will spend two days with her “husband” Isegrim, and hopefully come home pregnant.

So, I have been cooking and freezing meals for my wonderful husband, so he doesn’t have to eat at McDonald’s every night.

After all, Anneliese could surprise us all and go into heat at any time.

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Monday is the big day. I am pulling down my curtains and washing them. I’m in spring mode and all of the household curtains need to be taken down, washed, dried and put back up! Then I can take a deep breath and enjoy the smell of clean!

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I watched the movie Babe today. What a precious story that is. I liked that so much more than yesterday’s movie, “Crazy Heart”. I like simple stories with characters I can relate to.

Loving Spring

This morning I woke to bright sun and another beautiful day. However, after my long walk yesterday I was literally doubled over with leg cramps last night. I tried to walk them off, but wound up using my heating pad to release the muscle spasms.

Okay, yes, I know. I am old!

I made sure the pups all played in the yard with their toy balls, got a little domestic work done, before going to see a matinee of “Crazy Heart”.

First off, we were the only people in the theater to watch the movie. I was really surprised by that! After all Jeff Bridges won the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the lead character. The nice part about being the only people in the theater? We could talk during the movie, ask to have the volume adjusted, and when I got a charlie horse in my leg I could stand and no one complained!

Anyway,

I think I am the only person on the planet that didn’t like this movie. I want to have some sympathy/empathy for the lead character, but he was a dirty, down on his luck, and not doing much to help himself, drunk and I just couldn’t like him. In fact I wanted to scream at Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character to run the other way!

Hubby liked the movie and felt it was a great character study. He also felt the movie is not for every one. He liked the music.

Yes, Jeff Bridges was good, but heck, I liked him better in “The Fabulous Baker Boys” or “Fearless” better than I did in this. But….no one asks me.

I thought Maggie Gyllenhaal looked very beautiful. Someone said recently that she has trouble getting good parts because she is not beautiful enough. I do not find this to be the case, and I like her acting as well. She was wonderful in “World Trade Center” a true story movie she made a few years back. If you have not seen it, watch it. That movie reminded me of how good Americans can be during a crisis like that.

We came home to wild dogs, who wanted to play outside. Hubby took them out and I made some tea.

The ice is nearly gone from our small lake and I will not be surprised if they declare ice out on the Big Lake today or tomorrow, which would break all records!

Sunday will be a catch-up day. I need to do laundry and some more cooking and perhaps even do something wildly crazy, like dust!

A Walk In The Springtime

It was a perfectly beautiful day. So perfect that I decided to take Anneliese and go for my first walk of the Spring. About 10 o’clock I put on her cute little harness, snapped on the leash and we headed out. I wanted to go to the Post Office and the docks down on the big lake. After that, I was open to almost anything.

Up the driveway we went until we ran into our neighbor, Frank. He is a 92 year old man who served during World War II. He is the most positive, happiest and fit man that I know, for his age. I tease him all the time and call him my boyfriend! Anneliese and I gave him hugs and kisses and off we went.

We stopped at the Post Office and got the mail. I had a plastic bag to put it in, but in the future I really need to use my back-pack. Those silly plastic bags really cut into you after a while.

So off we walked to the big lake. It was beautiful. The lake temperature is up to 39 degrees (F), so we should have ice-out almost anytime.

As you can see around the dock area it is clear of ice.

Anneliese is such a big girl and she handles herself so well. She does not know she is a small dog and when a Greyhound passed her by, she barked like she was going to eat him! The poor thing just shook! The Greyhound, not Anneliese!

I spoke to her a lot and then I remembered that I needed to get sworn in at the Town Hall as a Library Trustee for the next three years. I turned back and walked to the Town Hall and went in. I took my Oath of Office with Anneliese as my witness. (The Tax Collector was also my witness.) Then we started our walk home.

Anneliese was so good and when I spoke to her about our walk she stopped and turned back and looked at me with love in her eyes. Or is that annoyance that I am photographing her again?

Eventually after about three miles of walking, we got to our driveway and started down hill. It was so beautiful that I stopped and took a few pictures.

As you can see our little lake is nearly ice free. Truly amazing. Usually it is late in April when this occurs.

I think Spring is here!

Flashback Friday!

I actually posted a great post (I think) last night for today. Then when I was trying to correct a link I erased it all! How I could do that is simply beyond me! In any case I am trying to redo it although I know the prose will not be nearly as good.

I’ve decided to start having my very own Meme on Fridays. It will be called Friday Flashback. I’m trying to create a link back, but please be patient. I know very little about writing actual HTML code, but I am trying to learn.

Okay, the first picture is of my brother, my sister, Mel in the middle, striking a pose. and little squirt me, playing the kazoo. Mel and Dickie were best friends growing up. They were just 2 years apart in age and had so much in common. I was 5 years younger and quite a pain in the neck! Sadly, my brother passed away at the young age of 26 from cancer.

The next picture was taken when I was 15. I had all four Wisdom Teeth removed as well as part of my jaw bone. Back then they actually hospitalized you. I was swollen like a chipmunk, and totally spaced out on pain-killers!

This is my High School graduation picture. I was not yet 17 years old. I loved that dress as it was a mini, mini, mini skirt. I definitely don’t wear them that short now!

This is me with my sister Mel. In our twenties we looked very much alike. I don’t think we look so much alike now. We always joke that we are really twins separated by 5 years!

Lastly, is a picture of Amanda at about four and a half years old. She was the flower girl in a wedding. She did a great job and I was very proud. I have always loved Mandy in dresses and flowers in her hair!

So Fridays will now be my Flashback Fridays. I will be scanning in pictures and then telling you the story behind them. Hopefully next time I won’t erase what I have written!

Sundays

Yesterday I wrote that I’d hoped that my cousin’s picture of me and her dogs came out. I spoke to her today and she forwarded it on to me this afternoon. As you can see, Max and Wolf love their Auntie Maribeth!

You probably can’t tell, but I’m a real dog lover!

I woke at about 1:50 AM Sunday morning. I knew that at 2 AM the time changed and we were due to leap forward an hour. Now, my bedside clock is a satellite clock and I wondered if it would reset itself at 2 AM. I truly wish I were not so inquisitive because I lay there watching the clock until 1:59……3:00 AM!!! I was very impressed and fell back to sleep smiling.

It rained all day on Sunday and yet I needed to go out to the store, because after buying out the grocery shop the other day, I realized I had forgotten celery! Now how could I have done that? So off I went, in the rain to get a bunch.

I drove down town because I wanted to see if the Bob house was still on the ice, had been removed, or fallen through the thin ice. If you guessed that it had fallen through then you would be correct. All that showed was the very top of it that was somehow floating. Our town will need to dredge that area out before The Mount Washington Cruise Ship can come into the town docks.

Hubby still has a cold and I feel like I either have hay fever or a small cold as my nose is pretty stuffy! A feeling I do not like.

I take the dackels in for their yearly shots today. They love the ride over and it’s always nice to see my Vets.

Have a good Monday, everyone!!!

Girls Day!

Saturday was girls day! I met up with my daughter, Mandy and my cousin Janet for a luncheon date and some serious girl chatting! I arrived first at my cousin’s condo and the two of us talked and I snuggled with her two dogs. I got this picture of her Shiba Inu, Wolf.

Wolf and I have a thing going. He loves me and I love him and his soft fur. Janet warned me about how much he sheds, and I was amazed at how much fur he left on my slacks! But I didn’t care. He was really sweet with me. So was Janet’s other dog, Max. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of him. I hope the one of me with the two dogs that Janet took comes out!

Janet took us to a Great restaurant in Lowell called “Life Alive”.

I had “The Innocent”, a fusion of delectably nutritious flavorings forming a savory sauce for steamed sweet corn, shredded carrots, broccoli and tamari roasted almonds all served over light and protein rich quinoa and short grain brown rice.

Mandy had the same but added some cashews, apples and carrots.

And Janet had “The Goddess”, a nurturing blend of smoked tofu, short grain brown rice, steamed carrots, beets, broccoli, and dark greens surrounded by our zesty Ginger Nama Shoyu dressing.

I also decided to order some tea. I was glancing over their teas when Something caught my eye.

Yerba Mate was recently written about on my friend Betty’s Blog, A Glimpse Into Midlife! Just two days ago she had written about this tea, so I knew I had to try it. It was wonderful and I really enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing the information about Yerba Mate, Betty!!

We ate our lunches and talked the entire time, we sipped our teas and enjoyed each others company. I really think we need to have these “Girls Days” more often. It was so much fun! Here I am with Mandy at the restaurant.

After lunch we went back to Janet’s and had some coffee and dessert. All too soon it was time to say goodbye, and head home. I hugged Mandy and Janet and said my good-byes.

The ride home was something else! It was pouring rain and windy. I drove slowly and carefully, and I made it home in good time. However at one point the wind picked up and blew the car all over the place. It was just a bit scary!

Now I am sitting here with all three dachshunds asleep around me and Fritz at my feet. I am so happy to have such a loving family and loving pets too!

TGIF

The day was gray and drizzly. We managed to get quite a bit done though. After a couple of weeks, where we were too busy to shop, we finally got out to do a full grocery shopping. We had to go to three different shops to get all the things that we needed and we spent a fortune! But with the food that we bought, I think we will be good for a couple of weeks at least.

When we got home I had to put it all away, and bag up some of the meats that we bought before putting them in the freezer. By the time I sat down I felt totally spent.

I managed a nice meal of Swordfish, baked potatoes and spinach for dinner.

Now that the dishes are done I am quite happily sitting with Arnie in my chair, watching “The Bourne Identity”. I did not go to see the “Bourne” movies in the cinema, because I thought it would be a waste of time and money, but I found that I enjoyed them on the TV movie stations.

Saturday finds me getting together with my cousin Janet and my daughter, Mandy. I will take pictures! I’m looking forward to getting out with the girls! We’re going to Janet’s favorite restaurant and I will take lots of pictures!

Meanwhile, Hubby will be home, taking care of the dogs. He is such a good guy!

My Election Story

The great vote is over now, and the town meetings are history. In the past, I have always cast my vote at election time, but this year, I was smack dab in the middle of all the political discourse in our town. Actually, as I stood in the 40 degree (F) weather with a stiff wind, I have to say that with the exception of one candidate, we all got along splendidly! No kidding. We joked, and laughed and talked about our love for our town. I can honestly say that I grew to truly like the people I stood with that day (with the exception of the “Bully”). These terrific people are the reason I love my town. Here is a picture of us as we campaigned. The “Bully” is there, but I will refrain from pointing him out. Just think pretty boy John Edwards.

I got to the Community Center at 6:45 AM that day and set up. I then went inside and cast my ballot. I felt proud to see my name on the ballot, at the same time it was a little surreal. I was Voter # 2 that day. We had a total of 941 people come to vote.

Hubby was a sweetheart. He brought me 2 thermoses of hot coffee, and Holly, one of the candidates went off to get lunch from McDonald’s for us all. I grew to really like her, and we talked almost all afternoon.

I stopped people and told them my name and what I was running for. I always shook their hands. I smiled, but it was an honest smile. I was happy to be there and happy to be running for office.

The other candidates teased me in a nice way, about greeting the voters. I have to admit, by the very end of the day, I almost didn’t know my name or what I was running for.

During the mid day, the sun was out and we all stayed warm, the tough part was the end of the day when the sun had set and the temperatures were falling. Then we all froze.

At 6:55 PM we went inside and waited until they ended the voting. Then we were able to go into the hall and wait for the machines to tabulate the ballots. I sat, thawing and listening to the moderator read the results. He read my name, said I received 905 votes and I felt such a surge of relief and pride!

I said my good-byes to my fellow candidates (The “Bully” was long gone, and he did not win his race either!), I hugged them and we all got in our cars and left.

When I got home I had some hot pot roast that I had thrown in the crock-pot at 6:30 in the morning. It was wonderfully hot and delicious! Hubby popped the cork on the champagne bottle and we celebrated my election!

At 9 PM I was in bed with all the dogs and my day had ended.

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Today I noted that a “Bob House” on our quickly thawing lake had fallen through. Another one is so close to open water it will probably go in overnight. If you look beyond the one “Bob House” you can see you can just make out the tip of the sinking “Bob House”!

I think we will have an early ice-out on the lake this year.

Random Dozen

So, are you ready to play Plinko?

Definition of plink: “Plinking refers to informal target shooting done at non-traditional targets such as tin cans, glass bottles, and balloons filled with water.” Plinko is also a carnival game we play at Oneighty, but pot-luck shots fits this meme better, I think.

So here are your random plinko questions lined up in a row just like tin cans:

1. How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet? 10 years?

2. Did you buy Girl Scout cookies this year? No I stopped buying when I joined Weight Watchers.

3. Do you know how to ballroom dance? If not, would you like to? I would love to learn!

4. Were you a responsible child/teenager? I think so.

5. How many of this year’s Oscar-nominated movies did you see? None. They never get this far up in the woods. However, we are going to see Jeff Bridges movie on Friday.

6. If you’re going to have a medical procedure done, such as having blood drawn, is it easier for you to watch someone else having the procedure done or have it done yourself? Having blood drawn is no problem, but I don’t want to watch myself being stitched up and I didn’t watch the carpal tunnel surgery either.

7. What is your favorite day of the week and why? Sunday. Newspaper, coffee, relaxation!

8. Do you miss anyone right now? Yes. I miss my daughters.

9. Do hospitals make you queasy? No.

10. At which store would you like to max-out your credit card. Not that you ever would, you responsible person, you. Coldwater Creek!

11. Are you true to the brand names of products/items? Sometimes. Although I love a good deal.

12. Which is more difficult: looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when he/she is telling you how he/she feels? I love eye contact, even if the news is bad. I will always look you straight in your eyes, so be prepared.

OK … ready, aim, PLINK and LINK!