Holidays – The Dackel Princess

Mother’s Day 2023

Today is Mother’s Day. A special day for all the Mothers out there, myself included.

Here I am with my sister, Melodie, and our mother Rosamond. I’ve always loved her name. So beautiful.

This was taken in the Spring of 2008. The Cherry Blossoms were blooming in New Haven, Connecticut. What a beautiful day that was.

Then I became a Mum on December 20th. A much-wanted and extremely loved and adored daughter, Mandy entered my life. I remember that day, feeling like no one had ever had a baby as I did. She was (and still is) so beautiful and wonderful!

It’s funny how one loves their baby before they see their face, and when they do, it’s like they have always known those eyes, that smile, and those expressions.

Me and Mandy. This is one of my favorite pictures. Oddly enough, it was taken in a ladies’ room because it had great lighting and a wonderful background.

Amanda, Me, and Katie. Me and my girls. I have always loved being a Mum. These two just filled my heart.

Now I am an Oma! Savannah Rose came into my world almost eleven years ago. I didn’t know it could be like this! The very first time I held her in my arms was magic! She is amazing and my heart grew and continues to grow as this young lady continues to steal my heart!

Savannah is sweet and kind, she is loving and gentle. She loves to dress up and pretend, and swim and dance. She is my little Princess.

Then one day Mandy came running down the stairs waving a home pregnancy test! And we learned this little one was on the way. I was so excited, and it’s strange because a palm reader said I would have another grandchild and it would be a boy! She sure was right!

Quinn is also amazing. He is so different from his sister and I just love it! We play Spiderman, build Legos, and play Planes. We color and he is poetry in motion. He likes guy stuff and roughhousing. Yet at the same time, he can become sweet and caring.

Let’s face it, I have been blessed all the way around. I had two beautiful daughters of my own, And two fabulous grandchildren too!

Lovely flowers from Mandy, Matt, Savannah, and Quinn!

The Friday Five ~ December 30th 2022

Here we are the last Friday Five of the year. It seems that the older I get the faster time is flying by me. So, here we go!

I got all the wrapping done, loaded my car, and drove to my daughter’s house. I’m not sure who was more excited on Christmas morning. Me or the kids.
Heidi was a good girl and did not have one accident at my daughter’s home! Call me happy.Over the last year if Heidi gets excited she wee’s just a little. Those days appear to be over now!
I was lucky with my travels. On the way down I think I saw a dozen cars. Mostly, I just moved right along. The same coming home.
This year I did not go out for any after-Christmas sales. Just not in the mood.
I think this weekend I will put away all my Christmas items. Time to clean up, dust, and get the house back to normal.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Merry Christmas

Wherever you are, or what time zone you may be in, I wish you and yours, a very Merry Christmas.

My bags are packed and the presents too. I have also packed Heidi’s bag as she is coming with me.

Dear little Heidi leapt off my chair last night and hurt her back paw. I rested her today and she is worlds better. Of course, due to the frigid temperatures, (5-10 degrees F most of the day) she did not want to go out until she put her cape on. And she loves that fleece and leather cape and has refused all attempts to have me take it off.

Heidi and I leave early tomorrow for Mandy’s house. It will be wonderful to spend Christmas with Mandy and her little family!

So here’s to Christmas and all the joy the day brings!

Merry Christmas!

A beautiful new Christmas song by Tom Walker and Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge. It’s lovely. It definitely touched a place in my heart.

‘For Those Who Can’t Be Here’

Enjoy!

My darlings in 2005. Fritz and a youthful Greta!

Merry Christmas ~ Frohe Weihnachten!

The Friday Five ~ Christmas Eve

Well, here we are, Christmas Eve. The Year is nearly gone and soon Santa will arrive at people’s houses and children will squeal with joy! Christmas will be here!

I have been planning Fondue for Jack and me for our Christmas Eve dinner. I bought all that I needed on Wednesday and Thursday, and so Friday I will do some laundry and a little cooking. But mostly I will just be hanging out. Perhaps watch a Christmas movie or two. I will not be going to the store or Post Office or anything.
Today (Thursday) the new puppy gate arrived. I opened the box and everything fell out piece by piece! I sat in the middle of the kitchen floor laughing because “some assembly required” was indeed an understatement!
I sat there trying to make heads or tails of the instructions. Not one piece of the gate was labeled, but eventually, I did figure it out. I got it all installed and presented it to Jack.
He was not impressed and asked me to remove it until Heidi comes home.Really? Really?
So, I took it down and it’s all ready to go NEXT WEEK when I bring my girl home!
It’s cold and icy, and my driveway plow guy was here spreading sand. I am fortunate to have a Highlander that just pulls me right up the hill! Still, I would like it warmer than 12 degrees F!
Next week I have to drive Jack in for a blood test, and also I want to vacuum, and dust, and finish preparing for my trip!

5. Here is ABBA’s new Christmas song. It’s lovely and I find it joyous and soothing.

Happy Christmas Eve!

My Favorite Christmas Music!

In this day and age, my modern favorite Christmas Carol is Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time”. It just fills me with joy and I always stop and sing along.

After that, I go for some beautiful classic tunes, such as “Carol of the Bells”. This one makes me think of my dear friend Candy, who I lost nearly three years ago now. But this song fills me with peace and joy.

Silent Night is a classic and one I learned to sing very early on. It is still one of my favorites.

And probably the one I like the very most is this, “The Holly and the Ivy”. Candy and I once sang this with our choir.

What Carols make you feel all Christmassy this time of the year?

The Weekend Wrap ~ December 20th

The weekend seemed to rush by. I was busy with a few things, as I prepare for my trip in 10 days to get Heidi. I am actually a little under the weather myself with a kidney problem.

I started packing up my suitcase for the trip, and I also have a lightweight duffle bag with Heidi’s soft carrier inside and a few other things in it. It’s pretty much packed and ready to roll.

I cannot believe that it is almost time to go and get her. Right from day one, I knew that Heidi would fit in perfectly with us. People have asked how I knew? Well, I’m not sure. But it is the same way I knew that Anneliese and Arnie were meant to be with us.

The only dog I ever wondered about was Lili. She was quite ill when we got her, with Celiac disease. It took us nearly 4 months to get that diagnosed. Now she is sweet and kind and happy, and feels good! It’s amazing what the right food will do.

And for those who may have missed this, Lili also saved me during a daytime break-in back in January of 2019. If not for her growling, barking, and throwing herself against the door, I am sure the thief would have come in. But a German Shepherd, with a full set of teeth and a growl unlike I had ever heard, was enough to scare him off!

Lili also fiercely guarded my three dackels, Greta, Anneliese, and Arnie. Now she will have a new baby, Heidi!

On Saturday night and into Sunday we had 8 inches of snow fall on us! This found me going outside early in the morning to climb the ladder, to brush the snow off the satellite dish! It’s actually not hard to do. The ladder is a solid one and I have a great snow brush that reaches and clears the dish.

I hope you all had a great weekend and no matter what the weather was, I hope you could enjoy this last weekend before Christmas!

Happy 4th of July

Today is Independence Day for my country. Many will celebrate with cook-outs, parties, and fireworks. I always enjoyed the 4th growing up because we would sit at the beach in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and watch the fireworks between us and Martha’s Vineyard.

One year when I was a young mother I was showing the girls how to hold a sparkler so that they didn’t get burnt. Well, guess what? Yup, I ended up with a burnt hand and a visit to the Emergency Room.

So, I have always had a healthy respect for fireworks, and quite honestly, I leave it to the pros.

Flash forward to last night. In years past our neighbors have shot off a few fireworks and although it shook up Lili, it wasn’t too bad. But last night was horrible.

Our neighbors were shooting off high-quality explosive fireworks. You know, the ones that shoot far into the sky and then blossom out in various colors.

Explosion after explosion found Lili near panic as she raced around the house, trying to find a safe place. I sat with her, but each explosion found her jumping away. After about 45 minutes Jack got up to see where the fireworks were coming from and unfortunately, they were coming from a house one street over and one house up. And worst than it being so close and upsetting Lili, the sparks were coming down in our yard. Thank God for rain, as we had had moderate rain all day long and the grass was still wet.

Jack opened the siders to see how far into our yard the sparks were landing. That’s when the unthinkable happened!

A panic-stricken Lili slipped by Jack and ran out the door! I pushed Jack aside and began hollering for Lili. I yelled for two reasons. I desperately wanted her to come back inside for her own safety, and I wanted my neighbor to understand that things had reached a dangerous level.

So, there I was running up the driveway in my nightgown and slippers. I was calling for my girl, and just as I was going into my garage to get the car, I saw my beautiful girl running down the driveway toward me. I quickly got her in the garage and closed the door.

Jack was on the phone with the Police. In this one instance when Jack was saying to me that this had to stop, a voice from the other yard say “F-off”! Not what anyone should say to deescalate a bad situation. In fact, I react badly when someone says that to me.

The Police arrived and we explained that the sparks from the fireworks were coming into our yard, which made us quite nervous, (Think propane tank close to where the fireworks were landing!) as well as poor Lili.

The Police Officer said that he did not believe that our neighbor had a permit for these high explosive fireworks and that he would go over and talk to them.

I sat up with both Jack and Lili (and by this time Arnie was freaking out) until I felt sure that the fireworks were over for the night, then went off to bed.

I am sure I will be looked upon as being the bad neighbor, but honestly, this time I feel completely justified for my actions.

Please remember that not only do some dogs fear the noise and sounds of fireworks, but combat Veterans with PTSD find them horrific, as they bring the war right back to them.

In most cases, it is best to leave fireworks to the professionals. They have them in places away from people’s homes and animals.

The Men In My Life

Here are the five men, who shaped my life. In their own ways, they were my father or a father figure to me. They have all passed from this life to the next, but their memory and the love they gave me, lives on in my heart

My Dad. He was an amazingly talented musician and he passed along his love of music to me. Dad was devoted to our community. He played the organ at both the Congregational Church and the Catholic Church in North Falmouth.

He was the Music Director at Highfield Theater for many years. He also was a summer police officer in our town. And when we went to local parks for cook-outs, Dad was the burger-meister! He has been gone a long time now, but I still think of him often and miss his wry sense of humor.

My Uncle George. He was the father who taught me everything growing up. How to swim, how to dive, how to bowl, how to hike, how to play cards, and how to love unconditionally.

When I was about 7 years old I cut my toe badly at the beach and he carried me all the way home! And helped drive me to the doctor’s office for stitches. He was not a loud man, but in his quiet loving way, I just knew that I was one of his special kids. In fact, when Jack and I married, Uncle George walked me down the aisle. I miss this sweet, loving, wonderful man!

My Uncle Bob. He was fun to be with. But, he required that I act like a mini adult too. That was fine. I adored him and just wanted to spend time, quiet time, with him.

I did a lot of things with him and his wife, Auntie Cynthia. I remember being on his boat, or when they took me to their home in Quincy and to museums. And I recall my Uncle once got a monkey. Cute, but it didn’t last for long.

My Papa Fred. Another quiet man, who was quite old when I lived with him and Grandma. But he showed me something important.

What real love between a man and woman was all about. I would watch Papa and Grandma sitting on their sofa watching Lawrence Welk. Papa would hold Grandma’s feet in his lap and stroke them gently. He simply adored Grandma and had all of his life. When she died, he no longer had the will to live and passed eight months later.

My Papa Sam, my Dad’s Dad. I didn’t know him as well, but I remember him taking me to the Prudential Building in the summer to listen to the Barbershop Quartets sing.

I remember sitting on his lap and listening to him sing along. He had such a beautiful voice.

These 5 men helped to shape the woman I grew up to become. Each special in their own way, and now, each greatly missed.

Happy Father’s Day! I remember you all with love and many memories that make me smile!