My Life – Page 93 – The Dackel Princess

Cucumbers, Sheets & Showers

I went out to my garden today, and checked to see what was happening. What I found was a long European Cucumber that was ready to be picked. It was interesting to note that this cucumber has spiny needles on it, so one must not pick it without gloves! Also when you bring it in, you need to wash it down with a scrubber that removes the spindly spines, but then when you slice it…total yumminess!!!

Tomorrow I also will pick another summer squash and tomorrow night I expect to be cooking my summer squash saute for Hubby. It is so thrilling when the garden starts to come in. Fresh vegetables every night!

I also have an Ichiban Eggplant ready for picking, and that will be eaten tomorrow as well.

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I gave the dackels a shower today and once they dried, I began to strip out their winter coats. None of them actually LOVE showering, but they tolerate it.

Arnie escaped Hubby’s drying attempts and jumped up on our bed, and rubbed himself in our sheets and blanket. So after I washed three wiggling doggies, I had to strip the bed and wash our sheets and blankets!

The only problem with that is, on a day like this, when the air is a bit heavy, and the mosquitoes are out I tend to spray down with bug spray during the day, and I wouldn’t want to get into a clean bed with that stuff on, so…yes, second shower of the day. At least I didn’t have the dackels with me this time!

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So now it is off to bed for me. What a nice long weekend it has been! How was your weekend?

What I Did This Past Weekend

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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The highlight of our weekend was definitely the wedding, but we also had other things going on, as this is America’s biggest Holiday Weekend. It is the 4th of July! Independence Day! Woo-hoo!

It means picnics and fireworks, and being thankful for the freedoms we have in this country. I thank my sister for this beautiful pictures taken last year at our local fire works.

Saturday I actually went into a grocery store, crowded as it was, and picked up a few things. I could not believe the number of people in there. We usually have summer tourists who come to enjoy our lakes and mountains, but due to the cost of gasoline, this year we are flooded with New Englanders who can drive close by and have a mini vacation.

Sunday is was just plain gloomy, gray, and cool, with showers off and on. Just not one of those super summer days like we enjoyed last week. Hubby and I tried to sleep in, but the dogs woke me early and I got up with them. Hubby slept in for a while, but then was up in plenty of time for “Breakfast at Wimbledon”! It was fantastic to watch Novak Djokovic with his first Wimbledon title.

My garden is growing really well, and enjoyed the rain sent from above, in fact my peas have flowers! Yay! Also my squash and zucchini are growing very nicely!

In fact we cut this squash today and will be eating it tomorrow!

This zucchini will be ready for cooking very soon.

My Ichiban Eggplant will also be ready this week.

And the tomatoes are starting to get some size!

So, today, Monday the 4th, we are going up the hill to our neighbors house for a cookout. Her grandchildren will be here from the West Coast and we are really looking forward to seeing them all.

So, that’s my weekend. How was yours?

Friday Fill-Ins

And…here we go!

1. Blue skies smilin’ at me, nothin’ but blue skies do I see. Bluebirds singin’ a song nothin’ but bluebirds all day long.

2. Take a stroll down memory lane some filled with happiness, some filled with pain.

3. Kids are the best part of life. They remind us to appreciate the simplest of things, like a sandcastle or playing in the yard.

4. New places, new faces, and plenty of joking around; these are some of the best things about vacation.

5. Love is simple things. Making a meal, or changing the oil in your sweeties car. Often the things that define love the most are the little things we do for our loves that say…I love you without actually saying it.

6. My grandma was the one who told me all about submarine races. She told me how she and Papa loved to go and watch them!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to the wedding of our friends daughter at the big lake, tomorrow my plans include some grocery shopping and Sunday, I want to Read the Sunday newspaper, and work in my office!

Summer Colds

A cold front moved through here overnight on Wednesday bringing cool, dry air to New Hampshire on Thursday morning. This is the sort of summer weather that I really enjoy, especially when I am sick.

Yes, I have the dreaded summer sinusitis. I finally got myself in to see my doctor (it took me two weeks to decide that I was actually sick enough to go) and three prescriptions later I was home, sipping lemonade and tea trying to rinse this thing from my system.

But I have to say, it is very stubborn, and although I have been on medication since since Monday, I still feel really lousy.

Now I have to tell you that the dackels are in Heaven. They can lie around with me, next to me, over me and think they are doing their part to help me recover. They make me laugh.

Should this thing not be better by Monday I will be calling my doctor for a consultation. But I am praying to the Lord above and the health fairy to please restore me by Friday. I have a lovely wedding to attend and I want to be feeling tip top for some dancing with my Hubby!

Blog Lovin’ Award!

Mushy Cloud nominated me for Blog Lovin’ Award. Basically this means we pass along the award, to be shared or just so you know, that I read you every day and your Blog makes a difference in my life. Thank you Mushy Cloud and here I go with the meme part of this award.

So now I will do my duty and list 15 blogs that I read. Thank for making my life more full because of what you write.

So here is the deal…

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

Mushy Cloud nominated me and I am really thrill with this. I think a lot of times we write our Blogs and wonder if anyone is actually reading what we write. It’s nice to know that not only are they reading, but my words have, at one time or another, spoken to them.

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.

1. I have three wire haired dachshunds and a White German Shepherd!

2. I share a birthday Danny DeVito, although he is a bit older than me.

3. I love peaches, fresh from the tree, that drip down my chin when I bite into them!

4. I had my appendix removed just before my forth birthday, and my mother gave me all my presents early. Then when I recovered in time for a party, she had to buy me more. I remember that year getting “Digger the dog!

And now I have dachshunds! lol!

5. My hair did not curl on it’s own until after I went through menopause! True!

6.I love to watch sports on the Television, but when I tried to participate, I ended up injured because I am a terrible klutz!

7. I love to cook, which is difficult because I also need to adhere to the Weight Watchers plan. The kind of cooking I enjoy is gourmet!

3. Pass the award along to 5 deserving blog buddies.

Rude Cactus
Mennonite Girls Can Cook
Betty at A Glimpse into Midlife
Friday Fill-Ins
The In Between Is Mine

Originally they wanted 15 blogs, but so many of the ones I read do not like to participate in memes. So I selected 5 and anyone out there who would like to participate, let me know! There’s a fair old mixture there which is a true reflection of my own mind and the things that keep me occupied and get me thinking. Thank you to all of you!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What makes you stand to your feet and cheer?

I don’t actually do it at home, but would do it at a sporting event, or recently when attending Hubby’s 50th college reunion, they also had two ladies there for their 75th college reunion! We all stood and cheered!

2. What’s your favorite patriotic song?

I love “America the Beautiful” but I also love “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.

3. Do you believe that opposites attract? If you have a significant other are you opposites?

To a certain extent. Hubby and I are very different, but we do have similar interests. I think that this is why our marriage has worked.

4. You’re going to get a behind the scenes look someplace…where would you like that someplace to be?

I’d love to go behind the scenes at a Broadway Show. I’d love to see how they change scenery, change sets, costumes, etc.

5. How far would you have to travel to ride a carousel (merry-go-round)?

I’m not really sure. I think Canobe Lake Park is the closest and that’s about 1 our and 15 minutes from here.

6. When was the last time you saw fireworks? What was the occasion? Do you enjoy fireworks?

Yes, I love fireworks. I think the last time I saw them was last year on the 4th of July.

7. Of all the ‘beauty products’ you own, what item do you consider to be the most overpriced?

If I thought they were overpriced I wouldn’t buy them. However, the nail polish at $6.00 a teeny tiny bottle is ridiculous!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We have finally had three days in a row without torrential downpours. This has got to be one of the wettest spring/summers that I can recall since I was a teenager.

Back then, I think I was thirteen years old, we had a summer (I lived on Cape Cod then), where it was cold and rained the entire summer. That was terrible for the restaurant owners and the motel owners because the tourists didn’t come.

Nothing grew in the garden and everything seemed to have a layer of mold on it. It was so damaging to Cape Cod’s economy that the newsmen spoke of it a lot. It also made quite an impact on me. I think, back then, I thought that life was full of sunshine and roses!

I certainly hope that the continuous rain cycle that we “were” on is over. Time for a little sunshine!

What I Did This Past Weekend

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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It was actually a busy weekend for me, despite the fact that I wanted to be lazy. Perhaps that is a good thing. Being lazy is not something I think I can actually pull off and be happy with. So here it is Friday to Sunday.

Friday I took Fritz in for his yearly exam. He did just great and came through with flying colors. It’s nice to know that at the age of almost 8 he is still in wonderful condition.
Made dinner on Friday and did the usual clean up.
Saturday found me making breakfast and then going off alone to do the grocery shopping.
Went to three stores and the gas station and loaded up on everything.
Made a nice dinner for Hubby and then watched two episodes of “From Lark Rise to Candleford”.
Sunday morning I decided that this pain in my sinuses and face is definitely a sinus infection, so when you read this I am more than likely either calling my doctor or on my way to his office to get some antibiotics.
Made WW French toast for breakfast, and then checked out the garden
It’s finally not raining and so I am enjoying the dryness even if it is still cloudy!
I changed our sheets and cleaned our bedroom. I had some help!

Arnie from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

I also started laundry. We needed our favorite bath sheets washed and dried.
I’m cooking pork ribs for dinner. They’re actually not pork ribs, but lean pork cut like ribs. Yummy!
I plan an early bedtime tonight so I can get in to the doctor early tomorrow.

The Cupboard Was Bare…

Saturday I woke up and peered into the fridge looking for breakfast, and I realized that there wasn’t much in there. An egg, a little bit of cheese, and some toast, but the cupboard was bare!

**Groan**

So, once I had made something for Hubby and me, I grabbed my list and off I drove the 25 miles to the grocery and supply stores. Hubby usually comes with me, but he was watching the tennis and having a lazy morning, so off I went alone.

I went to three stores and a gas station, bought everything on my list and then some, and spent over three hundred dollars. If we are lucky, it will last us ten days to two weeks.

I’d left the house at 9:30 and arrive back at 1:15. All I have to say about that is this: I used to be able to go on long shopping sprees with no problem. Now that I am over 50, well, I get tired.

That is funny. In my mind I feel young and vital. But as I write you, I am really feeling every one of my 52 and a half years!

But now, my husband has food and drink for the weeks ahead, and so do the pups, My job is done! Except I do have to cook it! lol!

What I would like to know is this…when did it happen? How did I suddenly get old? Is it all down hill from here?

Friday Fill-Ins

And…here we go!

1. Getting away for a vacation in the middle of the cold winter, to a warmer place is always wonderful!

2. Coffee, toast and an egg always help me to start my day off right.

3. Coffee, tea or ME! (HA!).

4. Fresh fruits and vegetables in place of junk food, will make me a cute little chick.

5. The lights are bright and my heart is full.

6. Find your happiness. It may be right in front of you!

7. And as for the weekend, Friday night I’m looking forward to watching some TV with Hubby and the pups, tomorrow my plans include writing up a few reports and Sunday, I want to kick back and watch more Wimbledon Tennis!

Thursday Thirteen

It’s summer! Here are some miscellaneous thoughts on this hot Thursday. It seems I’ve been busy with this and that, and so I will share with you what I’m up to.

Wimbledon has started! I love to watch tennis and thankfully we have Direct TV which offers great coverage during the week. We put it on at breakfast and just leave it on during the day as we do our chores.
The garden is growing quite well. I was concerned with the cucumbers as a whole, but suddenly all but one hill of them are doing well. I will not get the pickling cucumber seeds next year that I did this year, because over all, I am just not happy with them.
I brought Hubby’s trousers in to the dry cleaners, and guess what? They have lost his pants! I couldn’t believe it! They are still looking for them, but it appears that they are truly gone.
If said trousers do not appear, Hubby gets a new pair. He will have to go to a special men’s shop due to the length of his legs! Hubby is 6 feet 4 inches tall, and most of his height is in his legs!
Taxes are paid. **GROAN** Until December.
We have had the most awesome weather this week. Just what summer should be. Bright blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures. The humidity has been low and it makes doing anything that much nicer.
I went to Weight Watchers on Wednesday! I lost one and a half pounds!!! It makes me feel that I am finally doing something right.
One thing I do know is that it is important to me to keep on this plan. With the history of obesity in my family, as well as diabetes and heart disease, taking care of my body and my weight is important!
I went out to lunch with a friend of mine on Wednesday and before I went I decided to go, enjoy, but to stay on plan and only eat what would be good for me. I had a salad with lobster, but no mayonnaise and no salad dressing!
By the way, have any of you tried a spinach salad, with strawberries, goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette dressing? Oh wow! is that tasty!
We have friends coming for dinner tonight. We’re cooking Sauer Braten, mashed potatoes and sweet and sour red cabbage! It’s an old family recipe for the Sauer Braten, straight from Germany.
I’m looking forward to our cherries getting ripe. I think we are two weeks from that. Oh yum! Fresh cherries and cherry jam! Today we netted the trees against those thieving birds!
Yesterday was my cousin,Janet’s birthday. I just want to tell her again how much she is loved!