Today, Hubby and I went on a shopping trip to stock up on groceries. I wanted to do this because next week I will not leave Anneliese at all. We were able to stock up on dog food, and I picked up a container of Puppy Formula too. Just in case.
It was a nice day to be out and about shopping. The sun was shining, and it was pleasantly hot. Hubby and I actually went out to lunch, as well, and we talked. Interesting. You know sometimes I think we get so busy with everyday life that we aren’t as talkative as we should be. Today, we talked and that was so nice.
Before we left Hubby brought in such a load of cucumbers that I could not believe it. I knew I needed to make the Moonglow Pickles! So, I started to peel them and chop them up and soon, Hubby stood next to me helping me to peel and chop. It helped to make the entire process go much faster.
Friday we will cook and then can (bottle) the pickles. Janet, you simply must come soon so I can give you a good sampling of your pickles!
Anneliese is very tired and quiet these days. She is resting up for the big event. She sleeps either on the sofa or on my lap most of the time and if I am in the kitchen, then she sleeps by my feet out there.
Oh, I am so looking forward to the birth of this puppy!
Even though it was a very hot day, gardens must be tended. So, between Hubby and I we managed to do a fair bit of weeding. While buried deep in the garden I discovered this:
I really had to go foraging for the zucchini, because anyone who knows zucchini, knows that they like to hide, and grow to be the size of a baseball bat! Thankfully, I found this one in time!
As you can see, I really had to go into the middle of the garden to get this baby. But it was worth it. I now have three big zucchinis that I plan to make into zucchini boats which I will then freeze for later consumption. I mean, how many zucchinis can you eat before you fall over in a dead faint?
I’m expecting the tomatoes will be coming in very soon. We’ve been eating the potted tomato plant fruit for a while, but the ones that I planted in the garden are just starting to bear fruit. And yes tomatoes are fruit, even though we think of them as vegetables!
Soon our peaches will be coming in and then I will be busy making Peach Jam, and doing some canning. We’ve got a great crop this year, so I think that Hubby will be selling them to the Farm Stand once again.
I love it when we harvest things. There really is a sense of accomplishment that is hard to describe.
Meanwhile, Anneliese is still getting bigger. My hope is that on Monday we can find that she has, perhaps a twin in there. Wouldn’t that be nice.
Well, it looks like after all that traveling to Germany, and finding just the right husband for Anneliese, she has just ONE baby inside of her. I’m disappointed and worried about Anneliese because a big baby can be difficult for a mom to deliver, and can require a cesarean.
The ultrasound showed the puppy moving. I could see a little paw swimming, and a heart beating. That part made me want to cry with happiness! However, we could only find one puppy on the ultrasound, so we opted for the x-ray.
I’ve outlined (roughly) the baby so you can see how big it is and about where it is. It is still swimming around and my hope is that it will stay headed in the right direction and that Anneliese can deliver “Moose Puppy” without assistance.
Well, I guess we cannot get exactly what we want in life. I will just be happy if both Anneliese and her ONE baby come through the birth in one piece and healthy.
Please say a little prayer for both Anneliese and her baby. It will probably be fine, but I am a nervous mommy/grand-mommy.
I take Anneliese back in on Monday and we will have another ultra-sound and if needed an x-ray. We need to make sure that all is set for Anneliese and her big event. After all, the end of next week is her due date! August 5th!
So keep your fingers crossed that the baby puppy isn’t too big and that Anneliese is able to deliver it naturally and safely for both of them!
Meanwhile, tomorrow I will work getting the puppy room ready for our BIG little puppy! I cannot believe that it is almost time for “Moose Puppy” to arrive!
My days have been starting earlier and earlier, as little Mama to be, Anneliese gets me up to go outside into the wilds of my back yard. After a little coffee, we usually chat on Skype with a friend of ours down in Australia named Bernie. Anneliese will tuck herself next to me and listen to the conversation and even watch the screen. Today I was able to get a picture of her as she listened to the conversation.
Anneliese is just about 3 weeks from her due date. I can’t believe how big she has gotten! She is hungry, but wants to eat smaller, more frequent meals, and she sleeps an awful lot. I also get her outside too, so she can stretch her little legs! Then we come back inside and she climbs up onto the couch and falls asleep.
I love watching her, seeing her ever expanding waistline! I swear each day she grows more and more.
On Thursday we will bring her in for her next ultrasound. I hope then we can see the babies a little more clearly and perhaps get an idea of how many she has in there.
Meanwhile I am pondering names for this litter. This is my D litter so all the names must begin with D and must be good German names. Here are a few I found. Let me know which ones you like, or if you have any others I should consider.
Just after midnight my “host” got me up and running. In fact things seem to be running much better now than they have in a while, so perhaps this problem was a long time coming. Who knows! Thank’s to Bernie for posting in my absence, so you would all know what had happened!
While I was down and out, I missed you all terribly, and all I could think of was the great stuff I had in my head to share. Like how Anneliese’s belly is getting rounder, how we finally had a thunder storm that watered my yard, and how I made more pickles today! 8 jars!
First Anneliese. I cannot believe how each day, it’s almost like we blow her belly up just a little bit. Even Arnie likes keeping an eye on his little (and ever growing), sister!
She really is something to behold and I smile every time I look at her!
Towards the end of the day we had terrible thunder storm and then the sun came out and there it was. A beautiful rainbow. We don’t get them here very often.
That was right outside my back door. Too bad I couldn’t find the pot of gold! Then it would truly have been perfect!
I’m hoping that the pickles came out well. I think they did, but we shall see. Today I will be attempting to blanch and freeze summer squash and zucchini. I’ve never done that before, and since I have an abundance of squash right now, I thought I would give it a try.
It’s also my day to go and get my teeth cleaned and have my 6 month check-up! I’m a total Denta-Phobe, so please say a few prayers for me!
Once again, I want to thank Bernie for posting during the great “Blog Out” up here in the Northeast. Next time I see you Bernie, we will have Schnitzel and Beer, on me!
Saturday was a day of many jobs. The usual job or laundry and meals, the same and not so terribly exciting, and then the other jobs, which were a bit more thrilling, and so I will share them with you.
I went out for a walk with Anneliese early so she could get some good exercise. We enjoyed the walk, despite the already warm temperatures. We arrived back home and Anneliese came in and lay down on the rug and stretched out to rest!
Can you just see that big beautiful puppy belly? This picture really made me smile!
Then I took Greta and we went to the garden to do some cutting. My garden is so lush this year and extremely prolific!
The things that are growing the best are the squash and zucchini and the cucumbers. In fact, after giving away more squash today I still have enough for more than a week in the fridge. My friends had better watch out or I will bring some over!
I then stopped to cut some of my Japanese eggplant, called Ichiban. They are long and thin, but oh so sweet and delicious! Here you will see them in the basket with the summer squash and zucchini.
I decided then to make our bed with fresh sheets and a clean blanket, but while I was stripping off the old bedding, Arnie decided to help!
Then I decided that I’d better use up some of my cucumbers before they went bad! I got them out and made my first batch of Bread & Butter Pickles. I made 7 pints of wonderful pickles! Oh, how I love those!
As the day passed, Anneliese took another nap. This time stretched out on the sofa. She really is looking pregnant and happy.
You know. Having had Anneliese since the moment she was born, gives me a unique perspective into the type of dog that she is.
The most amazing thing I’d seen was when Anneliese was delivered into this world and came out squealing. I remarked to Hubby that we shouldn’t keep that one! Little did I know…
Anneliese
She would slowly start to grow on me. She would do the cutest things that made me smile. She never let the fact that she was a wee bit smaller than her brother and sisters keep her down. She would stand up for herself and play with wild abandon!
Anneliese
And she worked her whiles on me, until I started to slowly, completely, fall in love with her.
Me with Anneliese
She is three and a half years old now. We have traveled around the northeastern part of the USA, and into Canada. We’ve gone to Germany, twice. Each night she sleeps nestled up behind my knees.
Me with Anneliese
At this point in my life, I cannot imagine her not being in it. Now we have my girl facing motherhood for the second time in just a few short weeks. Once again, it will be me and my girl. We’ll handle the birthing and caring of her babies together, just like we did before.
Anneliese and her first litter
I can hardly wait to see what these puppies will be like. What they will look like. Oh, the fun we will have!
Isn’t it amazing how an animal can change your life? One, single, little animal changed mine. It was something I never expected at all. And yet…
Years ago, back in 1994, Hubby and I went to Germany to visit with friends. They lived very close to Munich, in a small village called Aufkirchen. Hubby wanted me to meet his friends there and we arranged a nice visit.
Lucie and Otto had a little dog. His name was Shubi. I’d never really seen a dog like him before, but it was love at first sight!
I’d always loved dogs, always had them, but Shubi was different. It was the very first time that I’d ever seen a wire-haired dachshund. I wanted one of my own, but Hubby complained that we already had a dog (and we did, a White Shepherd named, Max!) and didn’t need two dogs. I was disappointed, but agreed, all the while thinking that one day I would have my dackel!
A year passed and we learned that Otto was ill with cancer and so we planned a trip to see him and his family. We came at the beginning of February and when we arrived we learned that little Shubi had been hit by a car and killed.
My heart broke, as I walked through the silent house. At breakfast the next morning I said, “You know, it’s too quiet here. We should get wire-haired pups together!” Then Hubby and I went out to the shop to buy a few things that we needed. I think that was when I forgot to pack socks for Hubby.
We returned and Otto had found an ad in the newspaper for Rauhhaardackel (wire-haired) Puppies. He had called and arranged for us to go and look at them.
So off we drove to Landshut, Germany. That is where I met, and fell head over heels in love with a little girl puppy that I named Shubi!
She was small and sweet and lively. She brightened my days, just being in it. The picture above was taken in Landshut, where I found my dearest girl.
Our friends took her brother, Toni and the two were able to get together several times over the years. Shubi always remember the house in Aufkirchen and brother and sister always remembered each other.
Shubi was the wind beneath the wings of Max as he grew old and eventually passed from this life. And when we brough Fritz home as a puppy, Shubi became a Mommy to him.
Thus explaining why Fritz believes he is a dachshund. After all, his Mama, Shubi taught him all about being a dog.
Eventually Shubi began to grow old herself and sometimes even she needed a rest during a long hike.
Her health began to fail, and three years ago, she went to Rainbow Bridge. That was terrible day. I thought I would never feel for a dog the way I felt for her.
I started to breed dogs, and all the while I bred I thought that perhaps, I was breeding that one special dog for someone. It’s an amazing thing to see and feel.
Then just the other day, I was sitting in my chair and Anneliese came up and snuggled up against my face and looked at me with such love and I realized that here she is, my very own special dog.
I love all my dogs, you know, and until the other day I didn’t realize that this special bonding had happened. With Shubi it was instant. With Anneliese, it has come over time.
So who knows, perhaps one of the babies in her belly will be someones special Puppy! I certainly would like to believe so.
I was on cloud nine all day on Monday! Anneliese is pregnant, still not sure how many, but she is pregnant! I am so happy! Now we start getting ready for the birth in August. Her due date will be approximately on August 5th or 6th.
I can now look at Anneliese and enjoy her beautiful belly! I can look at her and smile, dreaming of how many babies she just might have in there.
In a few weeks I will have the x-rays done to see how many are in there, but in another 10 days they’ll repeat the ultrasound.
Meanwhile, we will increase her food, just a bit. Each day I want to take her on a walk, just her and me, around the neighborhood, so that she can stay in shape. I’ve been in touch with Makenna and she is all ready to help keeping Anneliese is shape and of course helping with the puppies afterward.
One thing I want to do this time, is to take more birth pictures. Last time I only got pictures of the first puppy’s birth, so now I would like to play around a little and photograph more.
