So here is a picture of Lili that I put i with HTML code, and then used the HTML adjustment for pictures. So far it is working. Now, lets try another.
Here is Greta’s picture. I hope when I check it will also have been correct. She sure is a sweetie. Currently she is sitting next to me under the covers. 
Me, Mandy and her sister, Ally.
(Yay, got it figured out!)
I started to write my Wednesday Hodgepodge, when it dawned on me that today is Wednesday! I missed the whole thing!
I have a good excuse. My neck, shoulder and arm. All very painful. I did have my MRI yesterday and will see my doctor on Friday.
This whole neck, shoulder and arm pain has been a real…pain in the neck. Honestly it is one of the most painful things I have gone through. And I think the fact that the pain is not going away, also worries me a lot.
We were due to go away to New York for a funeral this weekend, but between this neck thing and the fact I can only sit for short periods of time, didn’t sound good. So Hubby and I decided the best thing was to cancel the trip.
So, just one more day and I will learn my fate. Wish me luck!
Our weekend was a good one. I had hoped to sort of vegetate around, as I have been so busy lately, but it turned out that I was incredibly busy, all weekend long.
Besides the usual laundry, meal preparations and dog care, I cleaned and stored some home grown pears, made a double batch of chili, and made a peach crisp.
Mostly I had the US Open Tennis on the TV playing in the background. But I honestly can’t say I have watched much of it, despite the terrific coverage.
I’m enjoying the clear weather, but would enjoy it more if there wasn’t so much humidity. Still, robin’s egg blue skies, with no clouds, is a real gift. I need to reread this post in January when life is bleak, gray, and snowy.
I am quite amazed that I am 56 years old (almost 57), and yet in my mind, I still feel young, and I hope I think young too.
I am enjoying the three dachshunds, and White German Shepherd, Lili. Lili has finally grown up enough that she is settling down, and it makes it easier to love her. You see, when she acted like the “Spawn of Satan”, it made it very hard to relax around her. Now she is growing and is understanding, more and more and best of all, calming down.
I’m reading all sorts of travel guides and preparing for our road trip. I’m glad we are taking two days to drive out and back. Long ago, Hubby and I would drive 500+ miles in a day, but we are both getting a bit old for that now.
Happy Labor Day to all of my USA friends out there. Enjoy your day off!
On Monday I harvested 22 Ichiban Eggplant and made a second eggplant lasagna. It came out really well, but even I get a little tired of it after a few meals!
So, I am cutting it into individual servings and putting it in the freezer for a quick mid-winter meal. I do the same when I break down and make regular lasagna.
Hubby and I watched the Stock Market open and crash this morning, making us very happy that we are in simple Money Markets right now. I feel pretty sad for people whose retirement savings has been affected.
Greta continues to be a little snuggle bug. Imagine that at the age of 11 years old! She sure has mellowed in her golden years!
Arnie and Anneliese, at the age of 8, are both at that perfect age. They love to be out, running around, and their behavior is really good. Most of all, they just adore each other. I guess that is the way it is with Litter-Mates.
It’s been a joy to watch them grow up together!
I decided to write a list of sevens to tackle an array of things. None of it really goes together, but it tells a little bit about me.
7 things I can do:
1. Cook things from scratch (Love to cook!)
2. Raise sweet doggies
3. Be a loyal & loving friend
4. Make people laugh
5. Write small stories for kids
6. Sing
7. Acquire useless bits of trivia (trust me. This is a curse. No one really wants to know how Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O’Hara, or what Billie Bird did every day of her married life to Florence Zeigfeld.)
7 things I cannot do:
1. Snowboard (I can barely ski on two skis!)
2. Math
3. Drive large vehicles
4. Change the oil in my car
5. Chop wood (heck I live in the woods, this is important)
6. Sleep on the ground (well I can but don’t want to)
7. Believe in myself (although I am working on this)
7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Good personality
2. Loyalty
3. A good heart
4. Sense of humor
5. Blue eyes (I’m a sucker for blue eyes)
6. Strength of character
7. Sense of fun
7 things I say most often:
1. Ya know
2. Where’s Lili?
3. What do you want for dinner?
4. Sh#!
5. whatever
6. Oh, really?
7. Ya think?
7 Celebrity Crushes:
1. George Clooney
2. Jude Law, (although he is a schmuck)
3. I like Hugh Laurie for personality and those eyes!
4. Colin Firth
5. Hugh Grant (eye candy, not substance)
6. Tom Brady from the NE Patriots
7. Bradley Cooper
Saturday was one of those quiet days. We woke to dark, damp, rainy skies, that really never cleared all day. I took this to mean I should sit back a little and perhaps have a slow day.
Friday I did a ton of housework, which included floor and carpet washing, dusting, laundry and 3 meals! So today I just felt like doing nothing too important. And that is exactly what I did.
I did watch three movies I have seen before. We watched, “Under The Tuscan Sun”, “The Fault In Our Stars” and “About Time”. It’s good that way, because I was able to write, wrap a gift for tomorrows birthday party, and play Words With Friends. My newest passion, and yet still follow the movie.
But really, all of Saturday was sort of a loss, and that was just fine.
Tomorrow is the ninetieth birthday for my former mother in-law. This is a woman I have known and loved since I was 15 years old. I am so happy to be included in the party.
Monday was kind of a crazy day. Not that I was really busy, but that I got bogged down doing things like laundry, changing sheets and general household stuff. Mundane crap, but it must be done.
I watched quite a bit of the Wimbledon Tennis and I have really been enjoying that. Direct TV has a sports package that we subscribe to and so we get all the matches. I love this!
The sunsets here have been amazing the last few nights. Bright pinks, red, and oranges!
I hope you are having a great week, Everyone!
My back slipped out on me on Saturday. About 15 minutes before I was leaving for a Memorial Service, out it went. I decided that I was going no matter what, and so I took some Tylenol and off I went.
I made it through the service, and my part of it, where I spoke about my friend, Laura. I stayed for a while visiting with her family, and then I came home to my heating pad.
Now the good news was, that while I took things slowly so my back could rest up, I got to play with my Smart Phone. I have now determined that the phone is smarter than me!
One thing I am loving (and I always said I would never do this), is playing Words With Friends. I’ve been playing with my daughter and my sister, but if anyone out there wants to play, let me know. It is so much fun!
I also have been testing the camera in the phone, and it takes great pictures too!!! This was sunset on Monday night.
The back is getting better, and I should be back to full power by the end of the week.
The Sunday Edition
Yesterday we watched American Pharoah with The Triple Crown! I was jumping up and down, and crying. Oh, I felt so emotional, because the last time a horse won The Triple Crown, I was sitting in the living-room at my childhood home, with my six month old baby, (Mandy), my parents, sister, and grandparents! So, it was very exciting!
I did get all the cucumber plants, purchased yesterday, planted. I hope these will take, and that we will have some good cucumbers. Next year, I will start my own seeds. I’ve been so disappointed this year with the store bought ones.
I still have not done the silly ironing, but today is the day, I promise! I simply have to get this done or have nothing to wear!
I have finally decided on a Smart Phone. I want to buy the Galaxy S5. I weighed all the comments I got from family and friends, then I went to Consumer Reports. After that I looked at what I need the phone to do, and the Galaxy seemed to be the one for me!
Yesterday, one of the dearest women I know from Weight Watchers passed away. Laura had Down’s Syndrome, but she never let that hold her down. She was sweet and happy and kind. Often wearing her chunky pearls to class. She just loved those. After my first facial surgery I went to class, and she hugged me and told me I looked beautiful, even though I didn’t. I will miss her, but will think of her often with a smile. Rest in peace, Laura.
We’re planning on a huge shopping trip on Wednesday. Motorcycle Week starts on Friday and during that week I try very hard to stay out of the stores and off the roads in this area. Last year, about 320,000 visitors came to New Hampshire for the annual rally and organizers say they anticipate about the same number of people this year.
The weather is due to be good, so hopefully the crowds will enjoy themselves. In recent years it has become a more family event. I really hope this is true this year.
The Saturday Edition
I planted my garden last week, and all was well. Then we had close to three inches of rain, and yesterday Hubby and I agreed, all the cucumbers (pickling and regular) are dead! I think today we will go out and see if we can find replacements, but I am slightly annoyed.
Today is the Belmont Stakes horse race. Do you think American Pharoah will win the Triple Crown? It would be thrilling to watch! Also I think Bob Baffert, who trains the horse (and has trained so many in the past) would be thrilled to see this horse do it all!
Meanwhile, the French Open tennis tournament ends this weekend. I’m pretty sure Serena Williams will win for the women, but who will win the men’s match, now that Nadal is out? I really hope it is not Andy Murray, as I find him generally annoying.
The Weight Watcher diet continues to go well. I am writing down everything I eat, and trying hard to make good choices. I would like to be at least half way to my goal by my birthday in November. That would be so nice!