Memories – Page 10 – The Dackel Princess

TBT: 2005 When It All Began

Looking back, May 2005 was when I started writing Dackel Princess. Sometimes I like to go back and read my thoughts. It’s been a lot of fun. We all have my cousin, Janet to blame, as she got me into writing. 10 years! And even though I have not been as diligent in the last year, I am going to try to be better about keeping my blog up and running. So, here is what I wrote that first day.

As this is the opening day of The Dackel Princess, I would like to welcome everyone to my site! As I write, spring is upon us here in the mountains of New Hampshire. With temperatures on the high 70’s my apple trees are starting to blossom and the trees on the hill are starting to leaf out. It is so beautiful! All three dogs have been running around in the yard this morning. Currently the two dachsies are taking their second nap of the day, (more like one long, long nap) and Fritz is outside asleep on the patio. His favorite spot to be. Me? I’m sitting in front of my computer trying to figure out a new bit of software. So here’s to the first entry! With many more to come!!!

This is Shubi!

June 29 008

Greta

Fritz

Happy Anniversary Jin & Ian

Two years ago today my niece Jin, married her best friend, Ian and they started their life together. They make such a magical couple, and their wedding was beautiful!

It was the last big event for our mother before she passed. She was so happy for them, and to go to the wedding where she could see all of her family.

Me, my sister, Melodie, and cousins Larry and Janet, with my Mom.

Jin and Ian taking their vows.

The newly-wed couple.

It really was one of the most joyful family events we’ve been to in a very long time. Jin wore a magnificent Korean Wedding Hanbok. She was, simply lovely!

Now we know that their love has multiplied and they are expecting their first baby in September. Call us all super excited!

TBT: 27 Years

Twenty-seven years ago today, Hubby and I said “I do”. For better or worse, in sickness and in health, our journey together has gone on.

We’ve always been there for each other, and together, I don’t think there is anything we can’t get through. It’s really a stroke of luck, when you marry your best friend.

No matter where I am, when I wake up in the morning, or just before I go to bed at night, I want to talk to Hubby and tell him all about the day.

So, Happy Anniversary Hubby!!!

Cream Rum

When we were in Barbados, I sampled a Rum Liquor called Crisma.

It is much the same as Bailey’s Irish Cream, only this is made from Rum and nice and smooth. The women who were doing the sampling said it is a ladies liquor, and I guess they must be right, because Hubby really didn’t care for it. I, however, loved it!

When we arrived home I started looking for Crisma. I found it is not sold in the northeast, but is sold in Arizona. They are not allowed to ship it to New Hampshire, so I was stuck.

I went to our New Hampshire State Liquor Store and checked out what they did carry. That’s when I found Rum Chata. I was reluctant to give it a try, but thought, what the heck. I almost didn’t try to Crisma, and look how that turned out!

So I purchased a bottle and brought it home and at cocktail time I poured myself a small cordial glass of it. The Chata looked the same, smelled the same…and TASTED the same! Score one for the old girl!

I was so excited and told Hubby about it, and he said that he didn’t care for that. This is just fine with me. Because I just love it and it makes me think of my favorite island in the Caribbean, Barbados!

My Loves

Thursday I decided to make a collage for my fridge. The last time I did this, Greta was a mere pup herself! So we’re talking almost 10 years ago, maybe?

Since then, Mandy has a handsome fiancee, a beautiful daughter, Greta has had two litters, (one of which produced Arnie & Anneliese) and my sister’s grandchildren have all grown, plus two more were added a year ago…identical twin boys!

So it was time. Walgreens was having a sale on posters of various sizes, so I got to work and a couple of hours later I ordered this!

You could call this, a poster “all my loves!”

Soon I will need to gather pictures for my yearly wall calendar. Mostly those are pictures of Savannah. It was so much fun to do the collage, imagine how great it will be to do the calendar!

Have a happy Holiday Weekend!

One More Thought

As I approach my twilight years, I am struck by the inevitability that the party must end. And one clear, cold morning after I’m gone, my spouse will awaken in the warmth of our bedroom and be struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t “anymore.”
No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more “just one minute.”
Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, or say “I love you.”
So while we have it, its best we love it, care for it, fix it when it’s broken and heal it when it’s sick.
This is true for marriage. And old cars, children with bad report cards, dogs with bad hips, and aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
Some things we keep — like a best friend who moved away or a son-in-law after divorce. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what.
Life is important, like people we know who are special. And so, we keep them close!
Suppose one morning you never wake up. Do all your friends know how you really feel?
The important thing is to let every one of your friends know your true feelings, even if you think they won’t love you back.

Author Unknown

Family

When I was growing up in Falmouth, Massachusetts, my Dad had two jobs. In the winter he was a music teacher, and in the summer he was a “Summer Cop”. He started that by directing traffic on Main Street, but as he aged and got a little bit of seniority he moved inside to the desk.

It was a great job for him as he could play the organ for weddings during the day and then answer the police phones and dispatch cruisers at night.

One of the things I enjoyed was delivering Dad’s dinner to the Police Station. Mom would cook our dinner and we’d eat. Then she would put a hot dinner on a foil plate, wrap it in tin foil and we would take it to him at the station. Dad was always happy to see us, even if things were crazy, and they tended to be in the summer.

One thing I knew very quickly was to stay out of trouble because everyone knew Jim’s kids, and due to his connections with the police, he would be the first to know!

One day my parents got a call. Did they know where their three children were? Well, they knew we had gone up town, but in a beach resort town, they weren’t exactly sure.

It turns out the three of us had rented a little buggy where two people peddle it and a small person (me) could fit in the middle.

That day we drove all over Falmouth, down by the beaches and even down Main Street! What a time we had! My sister probably has more memories of that day, as I was very small. (5 years younger than her and 7 years younger than our brother, Dickie)

They grew into their teen years and more often then not didn’t appreciate having a kid sister around. But oh, how I longed to be with them, like the old days.

Time goes quickly, you know. Before we knew it, they were all grown up and as a family, we faced my brother’s early death to cancer.

Makes me happy that at least I had some of those early years to enjoy.

Thoughts

WHEN you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

William Butler Yeats

Enjoy

I get tired. Therefore, I didn’t always make it up to 11:30 to see some of the events that actually happened hours before at the Olympics. I was really looking forward to watching Meryl and Charlie at the Exhibition at the very end of the games. I love Ice Dancing, but I fell into a deep sleep about 9:30 that night.

Today I was sent this link from The Meryl and Charlie website. I finally got to see their beautiful, romantic performance! Go ahead, take a look!

The Beatles

I have been thinking about life. Last night I watched a program on PBS about John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and their fight around the world for peace. They really believed in what they were doing, and yet….in the end, John was murdered by some crazy, and silenced forever.

Yoko, love her or hate her, has never remarried. She has fought hard to protect John’s legacy and memory.

Then I thought of George Harrison. The quiet Beatle. He wrote beautiful songs, and no one could match him on the guitar. And yet, he too suffered at the hands of a crazy, who broke into his house in England, nearly killing him and his wife Olivia. In the end, George died a rather painful death from throat cancer.

“And in the end the love you make is equal to the love…you make.”

Ringo, and Paul had their share of madness in their lives, Paul with the cancer death of his wife, Linda and Ringo with his divorce, and eventual death of his ex-wife from cancer.

We all know that Paul made a huge mistake with his second wife, but seems to have thankfully found some happiness with his third wife.

And Ringo? He found himself a Bond Girl, and they’ve had a long and loving marriage.

The thing is, that if you look back 50 years ago, at the talented young me who burst onto the music scene, you realize that they paid a high price for that fame. And no matter how much they gave to the world, it really was never enough.

I hope that Paul and Ringo are happy now. I hope they will live long healthy lives. After all, when they are gone, it is the end of an era.