I returned home from the Beach Trip with Savannah, only to find we have no hot water. Now, I wish it were as simple as the need for a new hot water tank, but alas, that is not the case.

We have under the floor, radiant, hot water heating. This is run by a Master Controller, made by Tekmar. It’s a great system, or should I say, it was until the Master Unit died. And when it is dead, it is really dead!

The unit is almost 20 years old, so I cannot fault it for its demise, but…have you ever tried to live in a house with 4 dogs and a husband, and no hot water? It’s…ah…unpleasant!

Now our system isn’t the easiest to work with. Most people say, Tekmar? What’s that? So we were lucky enough to get three names of people who do work on our system. The thing is, by the time we got those names it was late in the afternoon on a Friday, and so…no hot water for us for probably a week.

I’ve been heating water for sponge baths, and for washing my hair, I heat several containers to just wash it and rise. Then, I use a leave-in conditioner. But people, I am telling you, I am ready to run away from home!

Meanwhile, our dishwasher has a water heating setting, so at the very least, our dishes are clean and sanitary.

I’m only just slightly stressed but will feel so much better when we can actually reach a person to fix our system. Being in limbo is no fun at all!

Have any of you ever opened your fridge and not recognized any of the contents? Honestly, this morning I opened the door to get some cream for my coffee and it looked like a bomb had blown up in there.

I have several household chores that I really hate doing. I really dislike filing, scrubbing the toilet, and dusting. All are Ugh! chores. But at the very top of my list is thoroughly cleaning the fridge.

Today, since things were in such chaos, and I leave Jack tomorrow for a few days, I decided that a thorough cleaning had to be done! I pulled absolutely everything out of the fridge. As I was pulling each item out, I opened and check it out. I checked for mold, date of purchase, etc.

I will not give you the number of items growing mold, after all, who knows, perhaps I have science experiments going on in there. I also will not reveal how many items had expired. *Groan*,  I will say that is was a very good day to do this, as it will make my absence easier for Jack to handle. He will be able to find foods that are not going to poison him!

I washed each shelf and drawer and carefully put the fridge back together. This time I left a little more room on the middle shelf, as this is the one that is easiest for Jack to see.

I bought him some Hungryman TV Dinners, and he has some Frozen Breakfast Meals he likes too. I also purchased some fresh P&P Loaf for sandwiches, oh yes, and fresh bread.

So, the fridge is clean, and now all I need to do is clean and organize the Freezer Compartment. That’s on my list for this afternoon. Crazy, yes. But I guess it simply must be done.

Pass me my mittens!

Mothers Day was perfect. I was taking a slow day, watching some mindless TV, preparing to cook a nice meal of fresh Scallops, and working on stripping and trimming the dog’s feet, so make it easier to spot and get off unwanted ticks.

All was well until I was standing at the stove cooking the Scallops. Suddenly I felt my lower back just go out! I groaned in pain, and Jack asked what was wrong. I told him and he suggested my back brace. I have a really good one since this has happened before.

After dinner, I tried to get comfortable, but to no avail, so I just went to bed, hoping that this would do the trick. Allow me to relax, and have the slippery disc slip back into place.

Monday morning I woke to the smell of last night’s Scallops! Only the next day, things don’t smell as good, you know? So before I even got my first cup of coffee, I was cleaning the kitchen, again! This time I cleaned not only the stove top, but I threw in the grates to the stove top in the dishwasher. I also took every container near the stove, put the contents into airtight containers, and washed each canister in the dishwasher. All in all, I worked from 6:30 AM until 10 AM, just washing things. All without coffee!

I must have looked a fright as I was cleaning in my nightgown, tennis socks, and my black back brace! Certainly hilarious, I am sure.

I reached the point of having everything clean, but still, the scent was lingering. So I mixed up two pots to absorb the smells and perhaps help it to smell more pleasant in here. The first pot contained the morning used coffee grounds. Just add to water, and simmer away. The second pot contained water, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Again, simmer and hope it helps. To a certain extent it has, but I have a feeling this is going to take time. Ugh!

With my back out, I decided after lunch to just put my feet up and rest it. Oh crikey! I just hate it when the back is out. I will be very glad when the disc slips back in. Meanwhile, I think I will get my crocheting out, as I can do that while I sit.

Mama said there’ll be days like this
There’ll be days like this mama said
(Mama said, Mama said)

I woke up on Sunday morning only to discover that Dackel Princess was down and out. I thought perhaps my Web Maven was working on a few issues I’d been having, but she came right back to assure me that it wasn’t her and to contact GoDaddy to have them work the problem.

I did just that, and after nearly an hour on the phone with them, they finally had to admit the problem was on their end of things and that they’d be working on it.

Somehow this doesn’t reassure me.

Right now I am looking at losing the last 7-8 years of my blogging. Why? Well, somehow I didn’t back up the blog! There I have said it! I need to remember to weekly back up the blog. That is if I get it back.

Right now I am feeling queasy and my head aches. When I think of all of the work, all of the hours spent at the computer, it makes me sick with fear!

Later

About 2 PM I was contacted that Dackel Princess had been revived! The first thing I did was back up all my files, all 18 years of blogging.

It’s funny but when I thought of all the things I have written in the last 18 years I was so worried that I’d lost them. How on earth does one recreate the feelings you had the first time you held your grandchildren? The first time you watched your dog have puppies? or the happiness you felt when you made your first batch of peach jam?

It’s all backed up now, and I will continue to run backups each week. Meanwhile, I would love to print out the entire blog. I’m sure at this point it will be the length of “War and Peace”, but at least I will have it in front of me and I will not stress nearly as much. Or will I?

—

I have been working with GoDaddy to get my comments section unlocked. They have supposedly fixed this, and everyone should be able to comment now. So here is a test, before I pull my account with GoDaddy and move to another Server.

Could you leave a comment on this entry, letting me know if you get through. If it kicks you off and you find you cannot comment, please write me and let me know. My email is:  dackelprincess (at) metrocast.net

I am working furiously to get the comment section fixed so I can once again hear from all of you!

Thank you!

I woke this morning at my new normal. 6:30 AM. It was cold, the dogs were stretching, and I knew I needed to jump into my clothes so I could walk Anneliese, who has started to run off in search of the awakening critters in our stone wall.

What I wanted to do, and what I did were two very different things. Greta walked down the bed ramp and headed to the door. This requires a fast response, because the girl is old and needs to be able to go out, right now!

So there I was, in my underwear and socks, running through the bedroom and kitchen to put Greta and Lili right out the door! Thank goodness I live in the middle of nowhere, so no one saw me in my socks and panties! I then ran back to the bedroom, slipped on my jeans and a shirt, and some shoes and returned to the kitchen to grab my coat and Anneliese and her leash, and off we went.

I must say that my morning coffee never tasted so good, as it did after my early morning dackel chase!

This week seemed to go rather slowly for me. I’m not sure why, I was actually pretty busy around the house, but I remember on Wednesday feeling like the week would never end!

It was a great week, and all was going well until Thursday. Then it went down hill for about three hours. Luckily, the craziness did not last, and by the time I sat down on Thursday night to write this, life had resumed at a happy, merry pace.

I can look back and laugh now, so when you read the list below, just laugh. It was a pain at the time, but I lived through it!

Now here we go!

1. It started when we decided to go out for lunch at a local Chinese restaurant near our home. We’ve eaten there for ten years and have never had a bad meal. They usually have the best tea, and I always order Sesame Shrimp with Chinese Vegetables. I order that every time I go and I love it.
2. Today when they placed the plate of food in front of me, I knew the Shrimp was bad. I could smell it! I thought I was imagining it, so I took one very small bite, and then spit it into my napkin. (In a very ladylike way!) No, it was spoilt!
3. I called the waitress over and quietly explained to her what was happening. She didn’t know what to do, but after talking with another waiter, took my plate and offered me another meal. I ordered chicken and vegetables thinking this would be good, but it was horrible. I ate the white rice, finished my tea and set about leaving. The young waitress boxed up the food I hadn’t eaten and handed it to me. I should have left it.
4. When we got home, I was carrying some groceries up the stairs along with the remains of the Chinese meal, when the container opened and spilled all over my coat, my pants, my shirt, and even got my socks! (The words of exasperation I used were not that of a lady!) I took off all my wet clothes in the laundry room and put them right in the wash! Fortunately I had clean, dry clothes right there that I could put on.
5. Tonight Jack wanted some dinner, but I just scowled. I feel so over all food! I just want a nice hot mug of my grandmother’s warm milk and honey and a small pat of butter, before I go to bed. But because I am a good wife, I cooked Jack soup and made him up a plate of food to go with it.

So that was my wicked three hours, and in a few minutes I plan to go get my pajamas on, and get that mug of milk. The pups got me up at 5 this morning, and tonight I am one tired girl! But life is good and I am smiling again!

Well, we knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of time.

In the last 3 years Kitchen Aid has replaced our coffee maker, which was under warranty, 3 times. Each time the machine died, it was well under the one year warranty, and a new one was sent to us. This machine made good coffee, and we liked it. However, we didn’t like the fact that it would only work for 6-9 months and then it would go kaput!

The last time it died we talked it over and decided that “when” it died again, we would simply begin the hunt for a new coffee maker. The trouble is, we like a lot of coffee, and always buy a 14 cup coffee maker. Those are hard to find, at least a good one is.

Since the exchange of pots always took a little time, we went out to Walmart and got a $25.00 Black and Decker Coffee Maker. The only trouble is, it only makes 12 cups.

Now the good news is, this cheapo pot, actually makes a fairly decent cup of coffee. I told Jack that I didn’t mind making two pots of coffee if needed, but I was tired of paying big bucks for machines that died in under a year.

So for now we are drinking coffee made in the cheapo pot, and actually enjoying it. I’m not in any hurry to rush out, spend a lot of money for a pot that gives us just two more cups. Maybe we have reached a time in our lives when we don’t need all that much coffee. Or maybe we are just tired of trying to find just the right pot!

Monday was sort of a wild day. I was scheduled for an ultra sound/mammogram to follow up after a strange reading last fall. I arrived for my appointment and was greeted by the Radiologist who greeted me with, “Why are you here?”

“Well, Doctor, I got a certified letter from this hospital telling me I was due for this follow up after last Autumns irregular mammogram.”

“Didn’t you follow up at Dartmouth?” she asked.

“Why yes, yes I did.” I replied.

“Then why are you here?” she asked again.

“I am here because I received a Certified letter from your hospital concerning this. When I told the woman on the phone that I had been seen at Dartmouth, she said I still needed to be seen. So, here I am.” I said and smiled.

She walked out of the room and went to the Secretaries office. This is what I overheard. “Do you know how long I spend on a follow-up exam when someone has a suspicious result on a mammogram? About half and hour! This woman was seen at Dartmouth last fall and she does not need to be here now and I do not need to see her! You wasted my time!”

I never saw the lovely Radiologist after that. She sent the shaken Secretary in to dismiss me. But you know what made me a little upset? No one said, “I’m sorry to have taken up your time”.

Ah well, since I was out, I decided to go get the canned food I use for Lili and Arnie and to also pick up something easy for dinner. While I shopped, I found a copy of “The Pioneer Woman’s” new magazine! Oh joy! I love it.

As I checked out, I suddenly heard the rain begin to fall. As I got to the door and started toward my car the skies opened and in less than a minute I was soaked to the skin! I rained like this all the way home, reminding me of when I lived in Florida and we had torrential rainstorms very often. Ugh!

I finally got home only to discover that the power was out at home. And worst of all, our seldom used generator was not working. (It has since been fixed.) Fortunately, the power was restored in short order, but we had thunder, lightening and torrential rains until well after 7 in the evening.

As we ate dinner tonight I discovered something new about Lili. She likes corn on the cob. Well not the actual corn on the cob, but after I was done with my cob, I held it for her and she nibbled at the entire cob, getting every last bit! Next time we have corn I will have to get a video of her chewing the cob!

It’s hard to believe that some of the easiest and best comfort food  can be destroyed by improper cooking. I’m not talking about  burning it, but I am talking about the recipe.

Now take macaroni and cheese. That’s pretty simple. Cooked elbow pasta, a creamy, cheesy, bechamel, type sauce, and served nice and warm. Oh goodness, one could curl up with a bowl of that and just recover from anything.

The hospital’s version stirred in bread crumbs (whole wheat!) and broiled every last bit of moisture out of it! I wanted to cry.

Likewise, imagine my horror when I ordered a big chocolate chip cookie and it was made with whole wheat flour. Now no person in their right mind, while recovering from major surgery wants a  tasteless cookie like that.

I ordered hard cooked eggs and was shocked when they actually arrived in their shells! They were hard cooked, but I was too weak to open them!

I also tried for a blueberry muffin. What could they do to that? Yep, completely whole wheat, almost no blueberries, and dry as burnt toast! Ugh!

The nurses kept harping at me that I needed to eat something, over and over again, and I sure would have, if they had provided me with something, anything, that was edible!

On my last day I ordered french toast and there were four half slices of dried out wheat blandness!

I had tried almost all items and simply lost, at Hospital Food Roulette!