It is our precious Arnie and Anneliese’s 8th Birthday! Wow! The time sure has gone by fast. 8 years old! Happy Birthday, babies!
Arnie and Anneliese Birthday from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.
Category: Anneliese
Pets
Lili finished Puppy Class One last night. She failed! Not really, but let’s just say she is hyper active and probably needs medications for ADHD!
Again, kidding. She is a handful, and I am trying so hard to get her exercised enough, and also the classes so she learns how to be a proper doggy.
Her next class begins in two weeks. All the other pups, especially the other Shepherd who flunked, will be back.
On my way home last night I had to drive through a bad thunder and lightening storm. I do not like that. There were also torrential downpours that scared the daylights out of me. I slowed way down and took over an hour, but got home safely!
This morning I was up early, took a shower and dressed. I quickly made breakfast and jumped in the car with Lili and Anneliese for a trip to the Vets. Anneliese is having surgery on a growth on her teat. Lili needed her shots.
It is hot again, and the humidity is really bad. I think today I will kind of kick back a little. Tomorrow is a big day. Another Weight Watcher weigh in.
Home
It is hard for me to believe I have been home for a week. It seemed I was looking forward to the vacation, then it was here and gone so quickly. Ah, to be on a Princess Cruise Ship once again!
I guess I will have to plan another cruise in the not too distant future. That will give me something big to look forward too.
Meanwhile tonight I caught Anneliese eating wood. Hubby brought in some to have a fire in our fireplace, and the next thing I knew Anneliese had eaten some and then it was pretty obvious she had something caught in her throat. I tried to get it with my fingers. Then I tried milk and butter. Finally I tried peanut-butter on bread with a shot of milk! That did it. She is now fine and enjoying the fire.
Happy Birthday to Arnie & Anneliese.
A little montage. Arnie is Mr. Blue and Anneliese is Miss Green. It was SEVEN years ago! Really it seems like the other day.
So, Happy Birthday to my little sweethearts!
Sweetness Comes In Many Forms
Hubby went off to buy some essentials the other day, and when he came back he had gotten squeaky toys for the three dachshunds. They love them!
Arnie got some sort of raccoon animal that for about six hours went squeak, squeak, squeak! Greta got a big bow tie that although she liked it at first, she is mostly ignoring now, and Annaliese got a little red snowflake that also squeaks.
As I mentioned, Arnie has already de-squeaked his toy, Greta became bored with hers and Anneliese…well, she cares for that toy like she would a puppy. She carries it around the house, never squeaks too hard, and if you ask her where her toy is, she will run about until she finds it, and then bring it to her bed, where she promptly lays down on it! How different these fury beasts are!
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 last week I simply have not slept well. Thus, all weekend, it was much the same. Me crashing late at night and then up with the dogs at the stroke of 7 AM. Have I mentioned, I am not a morning person?
Coffee and quiet has been the saving grace. Except then Sunday morning I woke to a long, hard, thunderstorm! None of the dogs would venture out, not even Fritz, who will almost always go out.
But, let’s work our way back to Saturday.
I spent most of the day running errands, doing laundry, and cleaning the kitchen area. Why is it that I cannot ever seem to get it done? I feel like I am always cleaning or doing laundry. The cooking part, I love, so no complaints there.
Around three we got a call from our next door neighbors, for a last minute cookout. With Lamb, Spanakopita and salad. You would have to be crazy (or my cousin) to turn down a meal like that! We, naturally accepted!!!
Since I hate to arrive without something in hand, I quickly whipped up a gingerbread cake. It was a new mix I was trying and all I can say is ‘WOW’! It was a mix I’d gotten at the King Arthur Museum and shop and it was fantastic! I need to get a few more boxes of that to have on hand just for this sort of last minute cake! It took me 45 minutes and at the end of the meal half of the sheet cake was gone!
Then, as we were cleaning up two families arrived with their kids. I think there were 5 kids, but 5 kids under the age of 10 made it feel like much more! It all made me smile.
The adults also were quite interesting. A man who owns a gym in Pensacola, FL and Erik and Ellie Weihenmayer. Erik holds the record for being the first blind man to climb Mount Everest and Mount Ararat. He has written several books and has not allowed his blindness to limit the possibilities in his life. His amazing wife, is a sweet delightful woman, who treats Erik like anyone else. I found myself feeling awkward at one point when we said good-bye, and I wish I was so cool that I could be as terrific as his wife.
Their two kids were also delightful, and I was so please to become acquainted with their entire family!
You see, it made me realize that we are the only ones capable of ‘letting ourselves down’!
The night ended very late, and since we all know my brain goes to sleep at 9:30 PM, when we got in at 11 o’clock, I was totally wiped out.
I was up early due to the hard rain storm. Once again, Hubby slept in, and I kept the dogs quiet for a while.
After Hubby woke, we did breakfast and I started the laundry part of my day and the cleaning.
Now he is getting the nets ready for the cherry trees and I am continuing to work on meals, laundry and writing. The usual!
My cousins, Janet and Dave stopped by with both Rainbow and lake trout! Yay! It will be for dinner tonight and again in a few more days. I just love fresh fish!
The week ahead will be a busy one. Hubby will be staying home with the pups, while I drive down to see my sister and my mother. I’ll also be going to a baby shower for my nephew’s and niece in law’s twin boys. They were born on May 31 at 32 weeks and are both doing well.
Have a wonderful week!
I Got A Friend
I was sitting here today, thinking about the weeks to come. The surgery, the recovery, and how my nose might look. As I sat in silence, I looked down, and this is what I saw:
No matter how I feel, or what I am thinking, Anneliese is always by my side. She loves me, snuggles with me, and with her I know, I am never alone.
It started when she was really young. I think she was about 6 weeks old when I fell in love with her and she with me.
I mean, look at that face! How could you not fall in love with her?
As the years have passed, this little dog has learned to cuddle and comfort me, always be by my side, and despite the fact that she can be a real mischief, she is also as gentle as can be.
And now, as I near my surgery, Anneliese has literally glued herself to my side. She truly lets me know, that no matter what, I have a friend!
Happy Easter
I started moving around a bit more on Saturday and about mid day I had a slight bleed. Since my face was feeling painful, and I was a little tired, I sat down in the worlds most comfortable loveseat with the three dackels and fell asleep.
When I woke, I still had the face ache, but the bleeding had stopped, so this was good.
Hubby spent the day pruning fruit trees and clearing brush in the yard. Our temperatures were lovely, and warm and he didn’t even wear a jacket.
It was another shampoo day, and then I tied my hair into pony tails! I will be so glad when I can 1. Blow my hair dry in the curl way I always have, and 2. go and get my roots colored again.
I actually cooked three meals today for Hubby and me. Needless to say, I was tired at the end, but I felt good at the accomplishment.
Today is Easter and so I send my wishes for a Happy and Blessed Easter to you all!
Snowy Days
So, what do you do on a snowy day like we had on Saturday? The weather forecasters said we would get light snow. Perhaps 1-3 inches. The National Weather Service in Grey Maine said 3-5. No one predicted the hard, at time blizzard like conditions that found me asking myself, why on earth I live this far north?
Nor did anyone predict the 20 car accident on the highway near my home. At least, thankfully, no one was hurt.
I admit that it was very pretty to watch it today. Hubby helped me and we made clam chowder from scratch. That’s New England Clam Chowder, all creamy and nice!
About the time that I set the chowder on the back burner to slowly cook, Hubby went outside to use the snow blower. I knelt in front of the hearth and laid a lovely fire. I have to brag a little in my ability to make a fire that not only catches quickly, but burns nicely and evenly!
This talent stems back to the early days of living in the house. The heat was only under the basement floor to begin with, and first one up in the morning had to make a fire to warm the house. I was always up first, and so I wanted that fire going strong fast and throwing a lot of heat!
Anneliese is better today. The pain medication seems to really be helping her. I have had her out in the snow and she’s done just fine. Her medication is just a miraculous drug!
I just heard we may have more snow tomorrow. I’m simply not going to believe any of it!
I sure need a vacation to some place hot and dry right now! I’m really not enjoying the snowfall.
Bah!
Anneliese’s Christmas
Since we spent Christmas Day home alone with the dogs, we focused on their presents and gifts. They plowed through crunchie bones, and seemed to enjoy these natural bones that I got. The last few time I bought compressed rawhide, they have gotten sick. I looked at the label, and they were made in China! So no more rawhide from Asia.
We also had packaged wrapped and Greta made quick work on those. But Anneliese got the last package and this is what she found.
Isn’t she the cutest thing? She really seemed to bond with this toy and when Arnie or Greta took it away, WW III broke out.
So as I sit here, with a packed car, ready for my day with savannah tomorrow I am really enjoying watching Anneliese with her first ever Christmas toy! Oh she has had they before, but she’s just never really bonded with a toy like this before.