Happy Birthday, Melodie!

Today is my sister’s birthday. I wish I could be down with her to celebrate her big day.

I do want to tell you all what a wonderful sister Melodie is. She is five and a half years older than me, and I was her “first baby.” She cared for me like a little mother and was always more like a mother to me than a sister. I am so blessed to have her!

Mel is one of the kindest women that I know. She always has a smile and a warm greeting for those around her. She loves her family wholeheartedly, rejoices in their successes, and comforts them in their sorrows.

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Ron and Melodie

She has been married to her husband, Ron, for over 50 years. They met at the age of 13 at summer camp and wrote to each other for many years before their wedding in November of 1971.

So today, on her 70th Birthday, I want to wish my beloved sister, Melodie, a very Happy Birthday!

293050308_10226394720787413_331198945436785005_nMy beautiful sister! I love you so much!

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Grandma Honey

February 4th would have been my Grandma Honey’s 125th birthday. It isn’t easy to imagine her at that age. She passed from this world into the next 38 years ago. She was a very important woman in my life and taught me so much. Even now, I miss her like crazy!

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Here she is, Mary Frances Daniell the day she married my Papa, Frederick Carl Prussman.

Here is a picture of Mel and me with our much-loved, Grandma Honey, at Goodwill Park.

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Grandma Honey and Papa Fred. Theirs was indeed an epic love story! They met when they were less than ten years old. Grandma was friends with Papa’s sister, Kätchen, and spent a lot of time at the house teaching Kätchen to speak English. The family had recently arrived from Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, and aside from the eldest sister, Hedwig, who worked as a Nanny, no one spoke a lot of English.

Anyway, Papa always said he fell in love with her then, and as a teenager, he would chase off any beau that tried to court her. My great-grandfather eventually allowed them to become engaged but insisted that Mary finish college before they married.

They were married until Mary eventually passed from this life to the next. He joined her 8 months later.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Grandma Honey!

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Happy Birthday Melodie!!!

Today is my sister’s birthday. I wish I could be down with her to celebrate her big day. Alas, this is one more Covid-19 moment.

I do want to tell you all what a wonderful sister Melodie is. She is five and a half years older than me, and I was her “first baby”. She cared for me like a little mother and was always more like a mother to me, than a sister. I am so blessed to have her!

Mel is one of the kindest women that I know. She always has a smile and a warm greeting for those around her. She loves her family with her whole heart and rejoices in their successes and comforts them in their sorrows.

274930746_695967774741261_327560952107647360_n

Ron and Melodie

She has been married to her husband, Ron for 50 years. They met at the age of 13 at summer camp and wrote to each other for many years before their wedding in November of 1971.

So today, on her Sixty-ninth Birthday I want to wish my beloved sister, Melodie a very Happy Birthday!

293050308_10226394720787413_331198945436785005_nMy beautiful sister! I love you so!

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom!

She was born Rosamond Ruth Prussman, to parents Frederick and Mary on June 28, 1929. She had a much-loved older brother, Robert, and a cousin George, (who grew up like a brother to her). In fact, until the day they passed, they really adored each other.

Mom’s brother, Robert, and his wife Cynthia.

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Aunt Betty, Larry, Janet, and Uncle George.

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She met my Dad when she was 13 and she was dancing and my Dad played the piano. I asked Dad once what made him look twice at Mom and he said “It was a bright red sweater that she was wearing! She looked so beautiful in it! I was hooked!”

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A collage of their life together.

They married early on, and Dad finished getting his teaching degree. They moved to Monument Beach,  Massachusetts,

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and lived in a little white cottage in the Burtonwood section, where my brother, Richard, and my sister Melodie were born.

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Then they moved to Falmouth, Massachusetts, and shortly after, Mom had me.

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My parent’s stayed married for well over 60 years.

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Mom was with him until the end of his life, and really until the end of hers too.  She never remarried. I think in her mind and her heart she was always Jimmie’s girl!

Her last days were spent, not in fear of dying, no, Mom knew Jesus Christ and she knew she would see Dad again. She just worried about Mel and me and all of our cousins.

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Me, Mel & Janet with Mom.

This was the last time we were together before Mom was diagnosed with Liver Cancer. It was a wedding. Mom was so happy to be with us all. I almost didn’t go because of my facial surgery, but I am so glad I did now. Seeing her so happy and sharing that day with her, left us all with wonderful memories.

The last time I saw her, at Hospice Care, Mel and I, sat there, with Janet and the four of us were talking quietly. I asked Mom how we would know if she was with us. She smiled and said, “You will see butterflies, and that will be me.” This really surprised me because she always related to beautiful flowers in the past.

But you know what? We see beautiful butterflies all the time. And we smile!

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Happy Birthday, Mom!

MomWe  Love you and we miss you!

TBT: Grandma Honey & Papa Fred

Here is a picture of my Grandma Honey and Papa Fred. This had to be before 1968, as we are still at our Clipper Lane home. When I found this picture I had to share it.

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I love this so much because they both look quite young and joyful. Papa especially is smiling happily. My guess is that they were 69 and 70 years old.

Notice how he has her by her elbow to escort her to the house.

They simply adored each other!

The Friday Five ~ July 23rd

Today is my sister’s birthday. I wish we were together, but sadly, traveling is still an issue for me. I wanted to tell you all what a wonderful sister Melodie is.

  1. She is five and a half years older than me, and I was her “first baby”. She cared for me like a little mother and was always more like a mother to me, than a sister.
  2. Mel is one of the kindest women that I know. She always has a smile and a warm greeting for those around her. She loves her family with her whole heart and rejoices in their successes and comforts them in their sorrows. If you are lucky enough to be loved by my sister, you will know that her love is a constant and she will always be there for you.

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Ron and Melodie

3. She has been married to her husband, Ron for almost 50 years. They met at the age of 13 at summer camp and wrote to each other for many years before their wedding in November of 1971.

4. They raised a great family and have six grandchildren. They always tried to put the kids first and over the years did many fun things with all of them.

5. So today, on her sixty-eighth birthday I want to wish my beloved sister, Melodie a very Happy Birthday!

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Sixteen Years

I noticed today that it is now sixteen years since I started to write Dackel Princess. Where has the time gone? I recall thinking that only three or four people would ever read me, and those people were all related to me.

Here is the LINK to the first entry I made all those years ago

However, over the years I have met so many great people as they found my blog. It really has been a thrill!

It all started with Shubi and then Greta and Fritz. My original three all those years ago.

Shubi Greta FritzShubi, Greta, & Fritz

Shubi was at the end of her time with us, and Greta and Fritz were puppies! Time sure does fly when one is having fun! And these three were so much fun!

Of course, soon Greta took a husband and she brought to us, Arnie & Anneliese. Fritz went to Rainbow Bridge and we got his niece, Lili.

Arnie Anneliese and LilArnie, Anneliese, & Lili

Of course, Anneliese left us in January, but there is still a lot of doggy love in this house!

During this time I also became an Oma! That is the best yet! Two beautiful and very special people named Savannah and Quinn came into my life. They are the loves of my life, along with my wonderful daughter, Mandy.

BeFunky-collage 2 (2)So in 16 years, so much has changed, but the love continues and the joy of sharing my life with my family, friends, and my pets continues. Each day presents an opportunity to find something new in life!

So Happy 16th Blogoversary to me!

The Weekend Wrap ~ May 3rd

The weekend wrap 2My weekend saw both very busy and then very quiet times. I spent time, just sitting watching the birds come to eat. I made meals, cleaned out the fridge, and took Arnie out for walks. We had rain, and wind, and then sunny skies! And the Forsythia bloomed.

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Meanwhile, back to my cleaning, after really working hard and nonstop on the entire plugs issue, I found myself a wee bit sore and so took most of the day on Sunday off.

My plan for Monday is to change sheets and vacuum the bedroom. And should I be lucky enough to have a little ambition left, I will be washing bathmats, and mopping floors.

I sure wish that this shoulder thing would go away and I could do a full day’s work without feeling achy.

Today would have been my brother’s 70th Birthday. He passed away when he was just 26 years old from Cancer. We all still think of him often and miss him.

img374Dickie was a super talented musician, with a beautiful voice!

We love you and will always keep you close in our hearts.Maribeth Dackel

Missing My Friend, Candy

On Thanksgiving 2018, my friend Candy was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I will never forget the night she called me. She had just gone to a walk-in clinic for her cough. They x-rayed her lungs and found the masses.

She called me as she sat in her car in the parking lot. She knew. I kept trying to explain away what the doctors had found, but Candy being a nurse knew.

July 15 13 005How lucky I was to have been her friend all of those years. We could go for a while not talking on the phone and then one of us would call the other and it was like we just talked yesterday. It was always easy to talk to Candy. She understood me in so many ways, that no one else did.

1471833_10152064816746499_671583404_nWhen Candy and her husband visited us back in 2013, they both fell in love with our Greta. So much so that a few months later they got their very own wire-haired dachshund. Aurora went everywhere with Candy and she was the real joy in her life.

FB_IMG_1548898268358Candy was an identical twin. I speak to her sister Mary when I can. Needless to say, she is feeling an unimaginable loss. I knew this would be very hard for her.

I was not only blessed to have been Candy’s friend all these years but during her last days on this earth, I was able to give back to my friend all that she had given me, by caring for her.

My darling friend Candy passed away on February 7th, 2019. She was one of the finest women I have ever known. She gave of herself constantly and never asked for anything in return. She was one of my constants in life. One of those people that I depended on just to be there.

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Candy and her darling Aurora.

I’m not sure I will ever “get over” losing this wonderful friend, who was more like a sister to me. I think perhaps I will not. I will learn to live with it.

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Oh, how I miss this wonderful woman. But as I told her the last time I saw her, “Love never dies, Candy. I will see you next in God’s Garden”.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Grandma Honey

February 4th would have been my Grandma Honey’s 123rd birthday. It’s difficult to imagine her at that age. She passed from this world into the next 37 years ago. She was a very important woman in my life and taught me so much. Even now, I miss her like crazy!

grandma

Here she is, Mary Frances the day she married my Papa, Frederick Carl.

Here is a picture of Mel and me with our much loved, Grandma Honey, at Goodwill Park.

img376

  img499 (2)

Grandma Honey and Papa Fred. Theirs was truly an epic love story! They met when they were less than ten years old. Grandma was friends with Papa’s sister, Katchen, and spent a lot of time at the house teaching Katchen to speak English. The family had recently arrived from Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, and aside from the eldest sister, Hedwig, who worked as a Nanny, no one spoke a lot of English.

Anyway, Papa always said he fell in love with her then, and as a teenager, he would chase off any beau that tried to court her. My great grandfather eventually allowed them to become engaged but insisted that Mary finish college before they married.

They were married until Mary eventually passed from this life to the next. He joined her 8 months later.