My Life – Page 162 – The Dackel Princess

Feeling Loved

I want to know how Carol Brady did it? How did she have 6 children and have them all grow up happy and healthy and seemingly well adjusted? Here I am with 4 dogs and I’m working pretty hard to give each of them “quality time” each day.

I noticed that Greta was a little grumpy the other day and was doing all sorts of things to get my attention. So I spent time focusing just on her. So what happens? The two puppies revert back to wee-weeing in unwanted places! All I can say is Thank God for the “Big Green Clean Machine” carpet cleaner!

Fritz is the only one not demanding a lot of attention these days and so I feel guilt ridden about that and work hard to pat and speak lovingly to him.

Today I felt so outmatched that I thought perhaps my only recourse was to hire a puppy nanny. Someone to come in and take the dogs for walks, clean up there messes, while I sit here and eat bon-bons and pat my little friends.

But no. Where’s the fun in that? Why once I get the puppies house broken, I will have that accomplishment to revel in! I’ll be in the grocery store talking to the Deli man saying stuff like, “And I house trained two puppies, at the same time and it was still winter!” He, of course, will look at me and exclaim, “Wow! I’ve only read about people like you!”

So after I’d cleaned the carpet for the second time and walked the puppies for the 10th time today, in the rain, (don’t you feel bad for me?) I sat down with both little pups and Greta in my lap and Fritz by my feet, and I was actually grateful for these four furry wonders. I felt so loved.

I know. Just call me crazy!

The Puppies Are 15 Weeks!!!

I’d planned on a nice quiet Sunday, but that didn’t happen. I awoke to find that I didn’t have enough eggs for breakfast for two, and there for would need to take a trip to the grocery store. So Hubby and I walked the pooches, and then headed off to get food.

The best I can say about our shopping trip was that it was interesting to people watch while we pushed the cart through the store. There were families shopping. This proved to be amusing because some of the husband/wife combo’s made sense, while others simply were amusing. Like, “how the heck did they ever get together?”.

Our trip was a short one and we returned home to play with the pups. Since our back yard is a vast sea of wet and mud I didn’t want to keep the puppies out there too much. So in we came, toweled them dry and set about playing.

Arnie

Anneliese

Playing with one of Greta’s big bones.

We watched them in awe and laughed a lot. Fritz is becoming more and more comfortable and does well with them.

But one thing I hadn’t considered is Greta. My poor little girl is a little jealous of all the attention the puppies are getting. In the last few days I have tried to spend some quality time with her. Funny. Dogs are like kids in so many ways.

Good/Sad/Good

I woke up Thursday morning and before my feet even it the floor it was a bad day. You see when I went to put on my glasses, the lens fell out of my glasses! I got out the glasses repair kit, and tried to repair the frame, and I couldn’t. I spent all morning trying to repair the stupid things and I couldn’t. In the late morning I finally gave up and took my shower and dressed. I needed to go to get my bangs cut, stop at the pharmacy and the post office before coming home.

Now here’s the thing. The lens fell out on the left side of my glasses. This is the eye that Dr. W. has already fixed. So I took the paper off of a twist tie, tied the frames together and found I could actually see pretty well doing this. So I got in the Jeep and off I went.

My bangs were half way down my nose and my wonderful hairdresser trimmed them up and showed me a new way to blow dry my hair. She also didn’t charge me for this! Okay, the day was picking up. Then I was onto the pharmacy where I got a new glasses repair kit and some hand lotion. Good……….Then I went to the post office and picked up the mail. Usually the place is mobbed and there is no place to park, but today I got a space right in front!

I was starting to become suspicious that the turn in my luck was only going to turn again into something awful. I drove carefully home, tried to repair my glasses once again (no luck) and then made lunch for Hubby and me. Once we had digested, Hubby suggested that we go shopping. We’re due for another winter storm this weekend, so it would be good to stock up before the snow falls. He said we could also swing by the glasses store and get them fixed.

So off we went. I stopped feeling bad about not being able to fix my glasses when the optician had trouble and explained that the screw hole had been stripped. Great! She was actually the one who had done it last week when my new lens had come in, but heck, let’s not get technical about it, after all she did fix it.

We stocked up on the usual St. Patrick’s Day fare of corned beef and cabbage and carrots and potatoes, and came home to four happy hounds! I wish we could also keep Arnie. He is such a sweetheart and I adore him (yes, I am getting too attached), and he fits in with everyone pretty well. Why today, even Uncle Fritz seemed able to handle the puppies better than he ever has. Alas, Arnie must find himself a home of his own and I must say goodbye to him. We hope that soon we will get that call from someone who will love that boy!

The day ended nicely even if it started off badly. Glasses fixed, warm pajamas and happy hounds!

Happy/Sad

Today was a day filled with mixed emotions. Most of the day I was on an emotional high because Anneliese is really getting the entire house breaking thing. Even in the mud and wet she is out there doing her thing, making me the proudest Mom around! Arnie doesn’t really like the ankle deep puddles of wet grass and mud, but he does go out and he does walk around with us.

Today was also the day that the two of them decided that Puppy food isn’t nearly as tasty as Greta’s food. I fed them breakfast and they looked at it, turned up their little noses and walked away. I could see them looking at me wondering if I was worried and would run over and feed them a steak or something. Ha! I have had dogs long enough to know that if you just change the mixture a little it will become more appealing. So, I mixed two spoons of Greta’s food into the puppy food, and a few minutes later then bowl was empty!

The little puppers went for a gazillion walks, played outside in the sunshine with their balls, and raced around the family room with their toys. We only had one accident on the rug (Arnie is blushing), so the “Big Green Clean Machine Carpet Cleaner” came out and the spot in question was cleaned and deodorized.

I had physical therapy today and the therapist has decided that I need to go back to the doctor. Shoot. I’d hoped to be back to normal by now and not having the swelling or the discomfort. I came home and called for an appointment (With Hubby’s knee replacements, this doctor is sort of on retainer for our family). The good doctor’s secretary got me in the same day as Hubby is seeing the doctor for his one year check up.

The house is quiet and he pups are asleep and soon I will be going to bed as well. Tomorrow will be here before you know it, and we’ll have another day of house training to work on.

PS: Little Anneliese steals my heart more and more each day. Thank you Greta, for this little gift!

Playful Pups!

Anneliese is really stealing my heart. I’m afraid that Arnie is too. What a splendid pair they are. I had them out this morning for a couple of hours after I got done sewing my braided rug. That rug is older than Hubby and at this point it should just be tossed in the dump, but I have a feeling the rug will be here for a long time, so I had better just shut up and keep stitching.

Back to the pups. What fun it is to watch them play with each other and with Greta. My favorite of their play events is when they are all running back and forth between the family room and the kitchen going 100 miles an hour! Greta loves to play this way with the pups and from time to time she will stop and roll around on the floor with them.

Anneliese likes to come over and stand on her back legs and almost dance to get me to pick her up. Then she will settle into my lap either showering me with kisses, or chewing on a bone. Arnie loves me too, but he would rather be playing rough with Greta all the time.

They’d been out for a while when I noticed the Fritz hair had gotten pretty bad. So I pulled out the vacuum and started to vacuum. Anneliese disappeared under my chair and Arnie ran for the puppy room where he promptly wee-wee’d on the floor. Poor boy! After the big bad vacuum went away, I coaxed them both back out and the play resumed.

I sat down with them on the floor and they came over and settled into my lap. Soon I noticed that their heads were slowly drooping. So I picked them both us and put them to bed in the puppy room.

They were out most of the afternoon once Hubby and I finished our lunches and then I fed them their dinner and they have literally crashed in their bed.

I sure hope a good owner for Arnie can be found. He is a beautiful boy and needs a loving family, but also one that will allow him to have his way with certain wire-haired dachshund ladies. I hope this miracle family comes along soon, because it will get harder every day he with us, for us to let him go.

My Life, Cell Phones & Puppy Dogs

I am so late writing this edition of Dackel Princess, as I was out spending money wildly today. Hubby and I had to break down and buy new cell phones. His dates back to 2002 and mine is over 2 years old. I probably could have waited a while longer, but I just knew that if I did, my phone would die, and then we wouldn’t be able to by the phones cheaply. We got a pretty decent 2 for 1 deal. In any case, after that we did our grocery shopping, picked up Hubby’s new glasses and I bought some new make-up at the Clinique counter, and got a special prize for doing so. (More make-up! Yay for me!)

The phone purchase put us way behind our schedule so when we came home it was a mad rush to put away the food, cook dinner and feed the doggies! I did it with a little help from Hubby, who peeled the potatoes, and soon we were all eating our respective meals!

Then the tough part of my day began. I’ve never been able to understand why they must radically change cell phones so that each time you “get a new one” you essentially must learn a new language. Once I had finished the dishes, I sat down with my owners manual and started to study our new phone. A few new features that I like very much, but some are simply a waste of time. And my clock. Now this is something I am very upset about. I can’t have it showing all the time on my phone. I must flip it open in order to see what time it is. I stopped wearing a watch years ago because I keep my cell phone on my belt. Oh well, next time (2 years from now), I will know that I need the darn clock on the outside to work all the time! Darn!

I programmed my phone and then Hubby’s. It took me a couple of hours. How I wish I were a Geek who could type faster with my thumb! Oh well, since it’s only every two years that we do this I think I can stand it.

Anneliese and Arnie are both doing splendidly! They went in for their check-up and shots today and they are just perfect! They enjoyed their ride in the car and seeing everyone at the Vets. They are good little puppies even if I have to spend part of my day tomorrow sewing my braided rug back up after some fierce puppy play.

I can also report that we had a bit of a heat wave here today with our temperatures getting up to 16 degrees (F) before starting to fall again.

Ah, spring!

It’s Fffffffffreezing!!!!!!

The temperature never climbed above 1 degree Fahrenheit today. The wind was blowing strongly with gusts up to 46 miles an hour. Greta went out only in her little doggy sweater and Fritz would run out and run back in as quickly as his legs could carry him. It was simply too cold to force the puppies outside. So I was very careful to make sure they had regular newspaper breaks.

Hello? This is March! We are supposed to be heading toward spring. Didn’t Punxsutawney Phil say we were having an early spring this year? Yeah, like I believe that today!

Tomorrow is puppy day. We go to the Vets so that Arnie and Anneliese can get their shots. I hope it is warmer, but if it’s not I will wrap them in a blanket and warm up the car first.

I got my surgery date for my right eye. I’ll be operated on, on May 8th. Springtime. Warmth. Sunshine! Yes, that will be a great time to have surgery. I’m not at all nervous about this. I know my doctor well, respect her work in so many ways, and feel totally comfortable in her hands.

But first, let’s get some springtime warmth here! Brrrrr! It’s too cold for me!

This, That and Good-Bye To Two More Puppies

Today was my first physical therapy session. I’ve decided that I could never have knee replacement surgery, because I just do not do pain very well. Anyway, I lay there while the therapist gently worked on the MCL and we sort of talked the entire time. No big deal, right?

Wrong! Tonight I can hardly walk. It’s amazing how much this stupid thing hurts. Nope, no knee replacements ever, ever, ever.

Two of the puppies left us yesterday. Anita has gone to Poughkeepsie, and is doing really well. I got a letter today and pictures of her at her new home. She looks so happy and loved! That makes me so happy! They have decided to give her another name (no big deal, after all Greta’s real name is Xochil!), and she is now being called Gabby! Isn’t that adorable?

Gabby (Anita) in her new home with her new friend, Rita.

Anja has gone as well. She is just down the road and I am hopeful we will see her from time to time. She is such a pretty girl and shows great promise for blood tracking of wounded animals.

Now we have Arnie and Anneliese. Of course Anneliese is staying, but Arnie is our little orphan. Things just did not work out with the people who had hoped to take him. You know how it is? Life happens. So my boy is up for grabs.

Greta is doing better today, and we have had the puppies out to play with her a lot. She enjoys the rough and tumble play, but then looks forward to their naps as well.

I caught Anneliese watching the TV today. I just knew this dog was supposed to be with me. She likes General Hospital! LOL!!!

All in all, not a bad start to the week.

Quiet

We are due for the mother of all storms tomorrow. They are saying we will get two feet of snow. And due to the temperatures around here being a tad warmer than they have been, I suspect it will be fairly heavy snow.

I like snow. I do. It’s pretty to watch as it falls, and if you go outside during the storm and stand very still you can hear something wonderful.

Quiet.

I think in this day and age most people have forgotten what real quiet is. We have the noise of TV, or music or automobiles or machinery. When was the last time you can remember hearing nothing? That sweet silence that you can only hear during a snowstorm.

I was about six years old the first time I realized that there was such a thing as quiet. I had gone outside of our house when the snow was falling after dinner one evening. I remember coming back in and asking my mother why it was so quiet outside and she explained to me about the snow soaking up the sound.

Pure quiet.

After that I would always try to go out in the snow during the storm, even if it was just for a moment. When I listen to the quiet of the storm it would always bring me back to that first time. When I was so very young and so very innocent. Back when a good snowstorm meant a day off from school and snowmen in the front yard and snow Angels on the lawn.

So tomorrow I am planning a little trip. Just a few steps outside my door where I will stand alone and listen and remember.

Quiet.

Eye Am Spectacular!

I went to Boston on Wednesday to see my eye surgeon. Can I just say, here and now, I really love her. She is just the sweetest woman! Anyway, I was examined and they found that my vision was correctable to 20/15!!! However, the glitch here is this, the stitches must stay in.

I have always had astigmatism in my eyes. With the stitches in, the astigmatism is gone. So, since I do not feel these stitches, nor do they bother me in any way, I feel, and so does my doctor, that it’s best to leave well enough alone. There are some patients who do not adapt to the stitches and need them removed, but heck, after what I went though before the surgery, I can safely say that this is easy.

So what’s a little fishing line in ones eye, anyway???

I had asked her to examine my right eye because we knew that this eye has a cataract and it needs to be removed. Today she evaluated my right eye and decided she will use the same lens in that eye and after that surgery, my vision will be really good and also balanced. Just think. I will be able to lie in bed and watch the TV with no glasses! Or go to the beach and not worry about losing my glasses or have to wear them into the water because I would be lost without them! All of those times when people wear their glasses because they can’t see past the end of their nose, will be gone! I will have to wear glasses for driving, and to read. But most of my glasses wearing will be cut down.

I have worn glasses or contact lenses since I was 13 years old. I put them on before I get out of bed in the morning, so I can find my way to the bathroom. Before meeting this doctor I thought my vision would never be returned. So to have this opportunity is beyond my wildest dreams!

She will be leaving the stitches in my right eye too. She asked if that bothered me? Nope! The way I look at it, we are all held together with a little string by the time we grow old, aren’t we?

And perhaps some of us, more than others!