The Seasons – Page 13 – The Dackel Princess

Thunder & Lightening

It’s raining again. And this time we have the added bonus of thunder and lightening. This means that I have all four dogs surrounding me.

Especially Fritz. He is a big, beautiful White German Shepherd, but he is an awful baby!

The dackels seem to have a handle on the bad weather, but they do not like the rain and refuse to go out in it. I will have to drag them out later before bed!

I’m not a big fan of thunder and lightening either. I do, however, love the rain!

Peace!!!

The storms have passed and it is quietly raining once again. Oh I love that sound. I hope it will rain until I go to bed. I always sleep well with the sound of rain helping me slip into slumber!

It’s A Toad, That’s True!

Tonight, as I was walking the dackels, I spied my little frog-man. Each year in August he comes to the house. He sits at the top of the steps to the driveway and watches the world go by.

I’ve always wondered why the dogs give it a wide berth and almost ignore it. This innocent guy is a Bufonidae – True Toads. They’re actually a fascinating breed of Toad.The species in this family have warty skin, plump bodies, short legs, and parotid glands on the side of their heads. The parotid glands secrete a poison that can repel, or even kill predators.

True toads have no teeth or breastbone. Some people think that if you touch a toad you will get warts. That is not true. Most species in this family are dull in color and live on the land. They range in size from one inch to eight inches in length.

There are over 500 species in this family and they are found all over the world, except for in Australia and its surrounding islands.

I lay on the ground, in the dark, with my camera to get these shots of what I thought was a frog, but Hubby and I looked it up and we are certain that Kermit is a Toad and not a frog.

We have one like this each year. Almost in the exact same spot. I did see one in the garden earlier this year, but that one was not as big.

So I have learned one more thing about nature in my area. What do you think of my Toad?

Sizzling Summer

I woke on Saturday morning way too early. I guess I am a little bit like the dogs in that I wake as soon as the sun rises. Right now, that is about 5:30 in the morning.

Coffee always tastes best at 6 AM. I’m not sure why, but recently this has been the case. By 10 AM, I am all coffee’d out! But oh, those first few cups taste so good!

We’ve also had very weird weather this summer. First it rained most of June. This caused the cherries to rot. Now in July, we have had 90 degree + heat and the humidity, oh my goodness…grim!

We’ve also had some really strong thunder storms some during the day and others at night. Keeping us on our toes!

Poor Fritz really suffers during the storms. Between Hubby and I, we try to keep him calm.

The dackels could care less. They are too tough to even blink when the thunder starts!

I guess this is why I like winter better than summer. In the winter one can always add clothing. There is almost never a thunder storm, and there is no humidity.

I detest humidity, and so does my very curly hair! I am not looking too elegant these days. Yes, between the humidity and my bandaged nose, I’m rather a freight!

The End Of The Week

Hubby and I are unhappy to announce that the cherries on our trees all rotted! Yes, because we have had such terrible wet weather, the poor cherries didn’t stand a chance. They started to redden, and then turned soft and brown and so rotten that even the the birds didn’t want them!

Meanwhile, we picked our first cucumbers today. 2 slicers and 3 picklers. I think that Hubby should make his German Cucumber Salad.

With the vast amount of rain that we have had, the bees have not been doing their work, and the garden is not overflowing as it usually is! Hopefully the rain will subside a bit and once again I will be complaining about too much zucchini and summer squash!

After nearly ten years of life, guess who has discovered ice cream? Fritz! He absolutely loves vanilla ice cream! Since I only give him a little (people ice cream isn’t good for him), I plan to get the doggy ice cream for his birthday on July 26th! After all, a ten year old doggy deserves what ever he wants!

The Garden 2013

On Thursday, Hubby and I laid out the garden. My seedlings looked good and we are pretty much past when a frost can happen, so we raked up the hills and planted our vegetables.

For the most part, it was just Fritz out there with us, but later in the day we brought Arnie out too, and he was so good. He just hung out with us, and did not wander off.

The garden looks good. But working so long in the dirt, I felt like a kid who’s been playing in the sandbox all day.

When I came in I felt really grubby and needed nothing more than a nice hot shower! After that…..ahhhhhhh. I felt so great!

Oh, I am a little still, a little sore, but knowing that the garden is in and all I will need to do now is weeding, makes me incredibly happy!

It’s Getting Close

On Monday afternoon I planted my peas. A nice full long row. I was careful about it and I got it all done in a nice straight line. At the end of that I was planning on doing the beans, green, wax and purple, but my back gave out and I came in. I have promised myself that I will finish this tomorrow.

I want to wait until next weekend to plant my seedlings. We’ve had such weird weather (they had snow less than an hour north of here!), that I’m being cautious with planting them in the big garden. I’d also love to get some chicken wire to run along the back wall of the garden for the pea plants to climb.

Savannah’s first birthday is on Friday! Can you believe that? The year has flown by! Last year at this time I started to sleep with my cell phone next to me at night, and then, before I knew it, she was here!

Now I can’t imagine life without her in it. It’s like I have known her all of my life. One thing I know for sure, she can brighten my day, just by being in my world.Her smile, the smell of her sweet hair, and the touch of her chubby little baby hands.

Yes, my dear friends, Savannah brings sunshine to my life!

Memorial Day

On Thursday I was busy, busy, busy. I had a lunch date with a friend at our favorite local coffee house, I did some shopping, picking up incidentals for Hubby’s diabetes management, and got the mail. Doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but it’s Memorial Day Weekend, and I live in a tourist area. Traffic was bad!

In fact my little corner of New Hampshire has become a destination for Bostonians and New Yorkers, as it is close, and you don’t go broke buying gas to get here.

The Lakes Region of New Hampshire also offers an abundant list of things to do or get in the summer. You can fish, or hike, or go to local tax free Outlet Malls. The State sells cheap liquor and discounted cigarettes, making Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts residents, border jump for the cheap deals.

We also have craft fairs, chowder fests, and Highland Games. Zip Lines, camp grounds, and State Parks. Yes, New Hampshire is a great place to vacation!

In any case, as I drove up town, in the bumper to bumper traffic, I recalled why I love Labor Day Weekend, more than Memorial Day Weekend…After Labor Day, the tourists go home and we have our Town back again!

Oh well, our local merchants need the business to keep them going throughout the year, and I am lucky enough to live in a town with several Mom & Pop businesses. I want to see them succeed, so I’ll just have to be patient and share my little Town for the summer!

Even if that means crazy bumper to bumper traffic!

Chippies!

Lately it seems that when I go out with the dogs into my yard I am surrounded by nature. Now I am not a big fan of chipmunks, but today I turned scanning the yard, and there he was, sitting quietly in my lilac bush. This is a late in the season lilac, so it has not blossomed yet.

So anyway, there he sat, completely still. He watched me, and I watched him. I knew if I ran to get my regular camera, I would miss the shot, so I took my cell phone from my belt clip, and set up the shot. He never even blinked. Just sat there completely still, hoping the dogs wouldn’t see him.

I walked slowly, closer and closer and I was able to get about 3 feet from him, before he scurried down and dove under our screen porch.

Now this little bugger better not eat my garden when I plant it! Last year we had two fat chipmunks that lived in our stone wall, and wiped out my garden a couple of times!

I have been enjoying all of the critters that have found their way into my yard this year. It brings an easy smile to my face.

Life is good!

Spring Is Here!

Saturday dawned with a return from the cable company. They decided that it was time to run a new cable from the pole, underground, and up to our house. Pole work needed to be done, and at the end, we have a beautiful picture on the TV, and my Internet service is fantastic! I baked my first ever sugarless chocolate cake for Hubby’s birthday, and frosted it with sugarless frosting. All in all, it was great!

I wasn’t sure what I was going to cook. Usually I have a couple of lobsters, corn and potatoes, but right now Lobster has skyrocketed to $10.99 a pound, so that wasn’t going to happen. Instead I bought shrimp and made Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo! That was also great!

I was walking in our yard today and I walked by one of the cherry trees and the scent of the blossoms was so sweet! Ah, I love the smell of cherry blossoms in the spring!

I love springtime and I truly adore it when our fruit trees blossom!!! Aren’t the blossoms beautiful?

Happy Sunday!

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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In the last few months I have faced uncharted territory. I figured I had a small and insubstantial cancer, when in fact I have had to switch gears and recognize that in many cases, cancer is cancer and must be fought with every fiber of ones being.

It’s been a real roller coaster ride for me since the day in February when Dr. A called me and told me that the biopsy came back positive.

I thought it meant a quickie surgery, a couple of stitches, and then it would be done.

But then, cancer is cancer, right? Nothing is that simple.

Before I knew it, I had surgery, lost a large portion of my nose and I looked like the elephant man. I went into shock.

And I became depressed.

How can one not get depressed when they are really counting on the happily ever after and suddenly have to face the fact that it will be a long road.

For a while I couldn’t even think of my summer garden. I’ve had one for years and enjoyed it so much. But this year, it seemed like more than I could think of.

Then a few days before my latest surgery we were shopping in Walmart and I was in the garden center when I saw a seed section. My mind began to think about the joy, the love I have with growing our vegetables.

So, I went over and started grabbing packets of seeds. Hubby got me some wonderful soil and we came home.

I knew all my supplies were there, I just needed to sit down and do it.

So, on Sunday, I went out and while listening to my MP3 player, and with the company of my dogs, I started all my seeds (except my peas and beans, which I plant right in the ground).

You see, a garden is life’s way of giving me hope. Hope for a complete recovery, hope for a future of health and happiness.

As I potted the soil and put in the seeds I laughed, smiled and a tear fell from my eyes. One day I want to teach Savannah all about planting a garden. I want her to see how wonderful it is to plant a seed and watch it grow into something you can eat!