My Life – Page 163 – The Dackel Princess

A Day In The Life

Today was my yearly physical. I hobbled up to my doctor’s office with my cane, feeling like a 90 year old lady and checked in. My doctor gave me a good once over and aside from the knee, which he said was still quite swollen and full of fluid, I was proclaimed well!

I then hobbled home and fed the doggies, all seven of them, and then finished making Hubby his dinner.Thankfully, tonight’s dinner was a crock pot meal and there was very little to actually do once I tossed it all in the pot.

As I made the last adjustments to the meal before serving it, I looked over and saw this:

Now how cute is that? I spoke to them and I could see their little tails start to wag and then the next thing I knew four of them were at the gate.

Arnie, Angelika, Anneliese, & Anja

They’ll be leaving soon, you know. Going off to their new homes. Our life will get back to the semi hectic life of those with two dogs and a puppy to housebreak. I’m looking forward to it, but I also know that I will be sad to see the little monkey’s go!

I finished feeding them, and then Fritz and Greta and then Hubby. Once we were done, and he dishes were in the dishwasher, I quickly got on my warmest pajamas and got into my chair, with a pillow under my knee.

Hubby made me a fire in the hearth and the puppies are asleep. Life is good, and for at least a little while it is once again quiet.

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Antique

When I was a little girl, I would go to visit my grandparents quite often. They had a few toys at their home on Murdock Street in Brighton, Massachusetts, but the toy I always wanted to play with was the wooden Noah Ark. It had been my grandfather’s toy when he was a child in Germany (Papa was born in 1897) and came to this country with him when he was 9 years old. It was very fragile and I was only allowed to play with it in their living room while I was being very, very careful. I spent many hours playing with this wooden ark filled with hand carved animals and of course Noah’s family. It sits in my family room now, untouched by anyone but me, and when I do touch it, I am taken back to those long ago days when Papa and Grandma had me at their home and I played, happily.

Can We Say Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Injury Of The Knee?

I saw the PA (Physician’s Assistant) today and got the results of my MRI. I have a Medial Collateral Ligament injury, but luckily, no tears, no damage to the meniscus and I won’t need surgery. At this point, I will need to rest it until the pain is gone and then dive into physical therapy. This is far better news than I had hoped for and I am nearly dancing on the table with joy!

So, I am still feeling like a jerk, but at least not a broken jerk who will need to be put back together again like “Humpty Dumpty”. In time I will be good as new and feeling like my old self. The big question is….”Is that really a good thing?”

A Genius

I was lying in bed this morning, having just woken up from a restless night sleep, when I suddenly had a wonderful idea! Yes, this was the idea to end all idea’s, and it’s implementation would ease my life considerably.

I got up and got my cane and hobbled out to the puppy room. As I passed the coffee pot I flipped it on. I picked up a puppy and carried it into our living room where I have a playpen set up.

Anneliese

I plopped it into the playpen and went back for another pup. After I had all 5 pups in the playpen, I set a dish of their food in there and left them.

I went back to the puppy room and rolled up the well used newspapers, swept the floor and then washed it. Then I lay down fresh newspapers, fresh water and a dozen new puppy rawhide bones.

By this time the puppies were all done with their breakfast and I was able to bring each one back to the puppy room, where they soon discovered the rawhides! Each pup got their own bone and for the next 2 hours we had peace and quiet.

Anneliese is the one looking at the camera

Anja in the red collar, Anneliese, Arnie and Anita. Angelika is in the back with the pink collar.

I drank my coffee, ate my breakfast and even read my email. Yes, I am a genius!

The One About Poop

I am flexible. I had begun to think that I wasn’t during my first month at the health club. However, in the last week I have learned that I am not strong, but I am definitely flexible.

You see, since I hurt my knee I have still had to clean and maintain the puppy room. This means cleaning up their poop and wet newspapers. How do I do that when I can’t bed my knee? I bend at my waist, that’s how!

I wasn’t certain I still could move like that. After all, it’s been years since I actually had to do that. Although I have the dachshunds, I have always had the ability to bend my knees in order to pick them up. Bending at the waist? Well, not so much.

Nothing will get you bending faster than 5 puppies about to leap into their own poop!

I get up each morning and hobble out to the puppy room. I am always equipped with a large kitchen garbage bag, a pooper scooper and a bucket and mop!

I’ve got this whole, clean up after the long night thing, down to a science, but you have to move fast. Fast is something that, no matter how hard I try, is simply not possible when I’m dealing with a painful knee. Moderately fast is about all I can do.

I clean up, put down fresh newspaper (which, of course, is fouled quickly), and then I feed my little munchkins. I do this, by once again bending from the waist, and placing their dish on the floor.

Then I make coffee.

Yes, even more amazing than the fact that I am able to bend from the waist and accomplish so much on the floor is, I do it all before I have my first cup of coffee.

Yes, I know. I rock!

This And That

I have now graduated to a cane. Ah yes., a cane. At first I thought that if Hugh Laurie can do it, then so can I, but I soon found that using a cane successfully truly was a challenge. Pain is a great motivator though and I soon found my rhythm and was getting around pretty well. So what’s the problem? I did too much. By noon I could feel my knee really hurting, and tonight, well, not so good.

A good friend of mine came to spend time with the babies today and we took them out and played with them. I am watching the pups carefully these days as I am trying to evaluate which of the two female pups would be best for our family. Anneliese is a strong, energetic pup, with a sweet nature and endless amounts of devotion. She is also hysterically funny.

Anita is a sweet, pup, slightly less energetic, but who loves to play with Greta. I have also noticed that she will go up to check out Fritz, but when he gets upset, she will back off and give him his personal space. She loves to curl up in your lap and she is a kisser. She loves to be held and knows her name.

In fact all the pups seem to know their names. I’m surprised by this, but pleasantly so. They also come running to the door when they hear the can opener grinding, or when they hear me open my bedroom door in the morning.

Life is so good right now, despite my knee. Every day is full of wonder as I watch my babies grow and change. Yes, life if good!

I’m Just Wondering…..

I had Anita out today, to play quite a bit. She is a real hoot. Greta was playing with her and the two of them rolled around, chased each other and had so much fun. I did too. I love watching Greta play with one of her babies. As I sat there watching, it sort of dawned on me, that although Greta is very good with all her babies and is a wonderful Mother, she actually acts like a puppy herself with Anita. Had I been more flexible I would have jumped up and gotten the video camera and would be boring you with a mother/daughter video.

However, I couldn’t do that, so I sat back and just watched. Anita didn’t chase Uncle Fritz, and she doesn’t bark like her sister, and she is happy to just play quietly. Mmmmmm……could this be the puppy I should keep? I have said that I need to keep the puppy that is the best fit for our family and perhaps Anita is it. Mmmmmm….stay tuned.

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For anyone wondering, Uncle Fritz is doing better accepting the pups. At least he did okay with Anita this morning. By this I don’t mean to say he was happily playing with her, but after she went back to the puppy room, he went and smelled everywhere that she had been and was accepting of it. Mmmmmm, maybe Anita is the one?

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It was VERY cold here today. I think the highest the temperature got was about 10 degrees F. The winds were also quite strong, at 42 miles an hour. I hope winter is making a brief stop in so we know she still exists, and hen leaves just as quickly. Perhaps if I were in better shape and my knee wasn’t wracked up I would want more snow and more cold, bug for now, I would be happy if it were spring.

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I was actually productive today. I refuse to allow this silly knee to keep me down. I did three loads of laundry, thoroughly cleaned the puppy room and cooked three meals! I’m quite proud. The puppy room is never easy as we take the pups out, put them into a children’s playpen and then literally take everything out of the room, swab the decks and put things back before putting the puppies back into their room. But we got it done and now the entire house smells fresh!

Oooooops!

***Update***

Well it looks like a torn meniscus. I will have an MRI next week and then we will know for sure, how badly injured it is and where we go from there.

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Okay, I am not the most athletic person I know, I have never claimed to be, but yesterday I proved that although I would like to believe I am Peekaboo Street, I’m more like Klutz-a-boo Avenue!

The day started out okay as we arrived at Waterville Valley. The lodge was loaded with kids from the local schools, who were participating in races, a light snow was falling. We had arrived a bit early affording me the time to get ready at a leisurely pace. Our friends arrived and we talked and joked and laughed as we got ready to ski.

The first run was so nice. I felt pretty good. I must say that although I ski, I do not ski “pretty”. My friend, Carol, she skis pretty. Boy I love to watch her! Me? Well the best that you can say is that I get down the mountain!

Yesterday? Not so much.

On our third run I was bringing up the rear of our ski group when I screwed up and caught an edge and down I went. Bing, Bang, Boom!

Yes, you could say that was a bit painful, but the worst part? I couldn’t ski down the mountain, I had to go in the toboggan to the first aid center. Now this is not the way I wanted to go on my first toboggan ride. I had sort of planned that to be with laughing people, on a snowy day and after several “nice runs” we would all sit around and drink hot chocolate.

Not me, I rode down wrapped in an emergency blanket, being pulled by a young man who was young enough to be my son! Hubby met me at the bottom with our friends, where they collected all my gear, and put me in the back of our station wagon and headed off to the Emergency Room at the local hospital. The good news is, nothing is broken, the bad news is…..it hurts like heck!

So today I’m going over to see the P.A. at Hubby’s knee surgeon’s office and I will find out what I have done. I’m a little less sore today and since I spent the night in ice, the swelling is down.

I have to say, I am really embarrassed by this, but since I always share the good, the bad and the embarrassing with you, dear reader, I knew I had to write this down. Call this the confession of the stupid skier!

PS: I’ll let you all know what the doctor says….

My Report Card

I have been on my “healthy lifestyle plan” since the first of the year. I haven’t written about my struggles aside from a few times where I think I have mentioned sore bones, so today I thought I would update you on my progress.

You know I refuse to call this a diet. After all, if I do that then I will fail. I need to rework the way I eat and hopefully by doing this I can finally control my weight longterm.

I’m cooking some really fun meals with a lot of fresh vegetables, and I’ve been adapting old recipes to slim them down. I also make myself the most wonderful salad everyday at lunch. I really look forward to that. I have also found that I actually can drink water if I get the flavored varieties. Unfortunately I am one of those people who finds plain water just too….plain and not enjoyable, but a flavored water helps me to get that liquid in.

I found a great way to work some chocolate back into my diet. By skiing in sub-zero temperatures, for two and a half hours, I can safely have a sugar free hot chocolate!

Okay, back to the nitty gritty. I started exercising right after the first of the year. I’ve been either going to the gym or up to the mountain to ski. I have also cut out the fats, bad carbs and in between snacks I have, for years adored. I have also started drinking more tea. It calms me.

So, how have I done? In the month I have been on my “healthy lifestyle plan“, I have lost 11 pounds and I have really gained back quite a bit of my strength.

I have been using the elliptical machine, the stationary bike, swimming and best of all, lifting weights!

Here I am with two of my favorite weights!

Who says there are no perks when you are lifting weights?

Puppy Prescription

There are days when each of us doesn’t feel too well. A cough, a sniffle, a little cold. Today was a day like that for me. I felt run down, and quite tired and all the color had vanished from my face. I slept in a little after helping Hubby get off for a morning of skiing, and then when I got up and showered and dressed, I sat back down not wanting to do much at all.

However my little friends wanted to play and before I knew it, they had me laughing and smiling with their antics, their kisses and yes, running around the puppy room like little hellions.

It sure did pick up my spirits.