The Dackel Princess

The Friday Five ~ September 23rd

A lot went on this week, and I either contributed something to the day, took blissful naps, or watched Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. In any case, here is this week’s Friday Five.

I had a relapse of my pneumonia. Back to the Walk-In Clinic I went and I am back on antibiotics and cough pills. Today, (Thursday evening) I am feeling better. Hopefully this will do it and my health will be restored!
Last night shortly after 11:00, Lili went crazy. Something had flipped on our motion detector lights, and although we couldn’t see much, both Lili and Heidi could. I got out my good flashlight and pointed it up the hill. There, caught in the beam of my light, were the eyes of a grown Fox. We have apples dropping from the trees and I guess that the Fox had a nice feed.
I downloaded a program called Telegram about a month ago. Yesterday an email from a friend arrived and after that Bitcoin crap began popping up. I searched my mind, and did scans with my antivirus and malware programs, but nothing was working. The next morning as my computer started up, as soon as Telegram loaded, the Bitcoin pop-ups began. So, I did a search on how to get Telegram off my machine (it was not easy!). But since I did and then cleaned my machine, all is once again well.
I really admired all of the pomp and circumstance for the Queen’s Funeral. The pageantry, the music, the dress outfits for the Military, and of course the beautiful dresses of the Royal Family. I watched in wonder Prince William, and Princess Catherine’s children, George and Charlotte attended and were very good.
I’m not really sure how to put it really. Good doesn’t sum it up. They had parents who explained things well, and then a family to show them love and support. I think I was George’s age when my other grandmother died and I was very confused. No one explained. I was lucky to have my sister who held my hand.
Lastly, I will end this week with my thoughts about Harry and Meghan. At their ages, they should have used better judgment. Both proclaimed their deep and abiding love for Queen Elizabeth, yet they ignored her invitations to come to Balmoral (excellent security). I believe that the Queen knew her time was getting closer. Reports from Buckingham Palace (allegedly) confirmed the invitations as well as the refusal because they were too busy. What I would give for one more moment with my Grandma. A nice cup of tea and cookies and the long chats we once shared. Harry and Meghan should get over themselves. The two of them are not the most important people on the earth. There are times in your life when you need to put the feelings of others before your own. The Queen loved them and her heart ached. I know she never said anything in the press. She respected the privacy of the family. How would they feel if Archie and Lily grew up, and in their final years basically flipped them off? At least now, that dear lady, who gave her life for her Country, can not be hurt anymore and will rest in peace.

Just my thoughts on this Friday.

Memories of Fritz

This weekend I was trying to catch up on some sleep and on Sunday while I was listening to the BBC, I started to think about my dear old White Shepherd, Fritz. Ah, what a splendid dog he was.

Fritz

We were so lucky to have him for 12 and a half years, and all who met our boy fell instantly in love.

Fritz had a number of cute, yet strange things about him. Things that make me laugh, smile, and then bring tears to my eyes. He was that special, that wonderful.

Fritz always slept in my room. He would start to settle each night while I brushed my teeth and got into my nightie. But when I turned on my old Panasonic TV (not a modern flat screen) the TV would make a strange noise! Almost like a little static sound. When Fritz heard that he would jump up and run to the TV. After a moment or two, he would settle back down.

Fritz also had one song that he loved. Halfway through his life, there was a commercial for Honda called “It Must Be Love”.

Each time this commercial came on the TV, Fritz would run from wherever he was and stand in front of the TV tipping his head back and forth.

Fritz also would sit at the top of our front yard watching. When he was a little guy he went down on the ice to greet some Ice-Fishermen. I went to let him back in and not finding him quickly donned my winter clothes and boots. I climbed down the snowy sidehill, and with leash in hand went over to Fritz, snapped on the leash, and dragged him home.

All the way home I admonished him that he should never leave the yard like that!

Apparently, he understood because after that he never roamed away again.

Fritz also loved to ride shotgun whenever Jack or I would take him out. In fact, the day he passed away, Fritz could barely move. We managed to get him into the back of our station wagon, and we flew upstairs to get our coats. When we got back, Fritz had crawled into the front seat passenger seat!

Anyway, I just thought I would share this story about my boy Fritz. He was one of a kind.

The Friday Five ~ September 16th

This week was an odd one for me. It seemed I had more chores to accomplish while balancing other strange happenings around the house.
So here we go with this week’s Friday Five.
1. After my Well pump died, we ran out of water again. While checking the house I found a seal inside the toilet tank that had dissolved causing the toilet to run continuously! Ugh!
2. At 8:00 AM, I called the Plumbers and made an appointment for the next day for them to come and fix this for me. A note to anyone who is young and looking to learn useful skills for their future life. Learn some basic plumbing and also learn where all the small filters are, that can get clogged if you lose water pressure.
3. I’ve been getting back on my feet after pneumonia. The only thing leftover is the cough, but even that is better. That’s been good as I have been able to cook a few meals and actually go out.
4. I went to my Ladies’ Meeting and after I drove to Super Walmart to stock up on Progresso soups. The store I shopped at during the Pandemic had this soup for $3.75 a can, and Super Walmart had the exact same soups for $2.18 a can! I loaded up as Jack has a can of soup every day. This is saving me a lot of money!
5. My last item this week is about this silly heart monitor that I have been wearing for two weeks! By the time you read this, the monitor will be off my chest and I will be taking a long, hot shower where I wash my hair and do a deep conditioning. Keeping this blasted thing dry has been such a challenge and under the device, my poor skin is red and raw. I have stuck it out because I do not want to have to do this again, anytime soon!
So that was the week that was. I hope you all are enjoying your weekend and that the weather will be splendid wherever you are.

Queen Elizabeth II ~ King Charles III

It’s been an odd time. I’m sixty-three years old and for the very first time, Queen Elizabeth II is no longer with us.

I have been watching the BBC, as well as Sky News, and ITN on the computer. I’ve watched the Church Services and heard the Choirs singing. I’ve watched the Queen being moved all over Scotland and England, and I have seen her family weeping at her loss.

Each time I went to Great Briton, Elizabeth was there. For a while, I even subscribed to HELLO Magazine which was sent over to me. How I enjoyed reading all about the Queen and the Royals.

In Great Briton, they call you a Royalist if you favor the Royal Family. I don’t know if I am a true Royalist, but I did love the Queen, and I love to follow William, Catherine, and their young family. I also enjoy other members of the family, like Princess Anne and Countess Sophie, who do so much charity work.

I believe that King Charles will do a good job. He is finally old enough to understand what he needs to do. And bless his Camilla. She has taken a lot of flack, but after their marriage, she’s kept her head down and worked hard towards children’s literacy, the prevention of cruelty to animals, and her most important work with domestic violence.

I’ll keep following them. I wish King Charles a happy and healthy time in office. I pray for him and for the family.

And may her gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II rest in eternal peace.

September 11th, 2001

I think we all can tell you where we were, and what we were doing on that fateful day, in September.

September 11, 2001

It was a beautiful day here in New Hampshire. Sunny, bright, clear with blue skies. I was taking a shower and getting ready for a dental appointment, while Jack was working on shingling the house. It was a day like any other here.

Jack had the TV in our bedroom pointed out the window so he could listen to the morning news.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm and Jack told me I had to get out of the shower now, something was happening. I was a little dazed and confused. I shut the water in the shower off and grabbed my towel.

Jack and I sat in our family room watching Fox News, ABC, and CNN. A plane had hit one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in downtown New York City. Jack, as a former Airline Pilot knew immediately, that it was no accident.

While we watched, suddenly another plane came in and hit the other Tower!
We were both in shock. We listened to reports. No one was saying terrorism, not at first. But both Jack and I knew.

I look at this picture, and I know that none of those innocent people got out alive. That thought brings me to tears each time I see it.

We watched the Towers come down, one and then the other. We knew people had died. We just didn’t know how many.

At 12:30 I drove to my dental appointment. There was not another car on the road. Not one. I got to my dental appointment and found that I was the only patient that hadn’t canceled that day.

When I got home we watched TV all day. I called my family and my close friends. Just to hear their voices.

It doesn’t matter your political affiliations, or how you feel about war. What matters is on September 11, 2001, innocent people died in New York City, In Washington, DC, and in Shanksville, PA.

People like you and like me. Just because. That was the day I learned that we are no longer safe here at home.

I also learned that when our country is attacked in such a manner, we pull together and unify.

God Bless all who lost their lives that day, to their families, who will never be the same, and all who serve this country each and every day to protect and defend us.

September 11, 2001: Basic Facts

Chronology
8:46 AM Plane crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
9:03 AM Plane crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
9:17 AM The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shuts down all New York City area airports.
9:21 AM The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halts all flights at U.S. airports. It is the first
time in history that air traffic has been halted nationwide.
9:38 AM Plane crashes into the Pentagon. Evacuation begins immediately.
9:45 AM The White House evacuates.
10:05 AM The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
10:10 AM A portion of the Pentagon collapses.
10:10 AM Plane crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
10:22 AM The State and Justice Departments, as well as the World Bank, are evacuated.
10:28 AM The World Trade Center’s north tower collapses.
10:45 AM All federal office buildings in Washington, D.C. are evacuated.
1:44 PM Five warships and two aircraft carriers are ordered to leave the U.S. Naval Station
in Norfolk, Virginia to protect the East Coast.
4:10 PM Building 7 of the World Trade Center collapses.

The Flights
American Airlines Flight 11
From: Boston, Massachusetts (Logan Airport)
To: Los Angeles, California
Lives: 92 people on board
Crashed into North Tower of World Trade Center at 8:46 AM

United Airlines Flight 175
From: Boston, Massachusetts (Logan Airport)
To: Los Angeles, California
Lives: 65 people on board
Crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 AM

American Airlines Flight 77
From: Washington, D.C. (Dulles Airport)
To: Los Angeles, CA
Lives: 64 people on board
Crashed into the Pentagon at 9:38 AM

United Airlines Flight 93
From: Newark, New Jersey
To: San Francisco, California
Lives: 44 people on board
Crashed into rural Pennsylvania (southeast of Pittsburgh)

Victims
Victims came from more than 90 countries around the world.
The following are the number of people who died at each site:

World Trade Center 2,823 (includes airline passengers)
Pentagon 125 (not including plane victims)
Flight 11 – 92 people on board
Flight 175 – 64 people on board
Flight 77 – 64 people on board
Flight 93 – 44 people on board

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m, the times the Towers were hit. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. The time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.

That day, these first responders also died, as they raced to the scene trying to save anyone they could.

343 Firefighters (including a chaplain and two paramedics) of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY)
37 Police Officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD)
23 Police Officers of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and 8 Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics from private emergency medical services.
1 Patrolman from the New York Fire Patrol

Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC
August 15, 2002

Rest In Peace, Queen Elizabeth

This week’s Friday Five will have my thoughts about the late Queen Elizabeth. All my life and before she was the Queen of England. Think about it. Most of us have not known a world without Queen Elizabeth in it.

I recall seeing pictures of her at State functions when I was a little girl. She wore beautiful gowns and beautiful crowns.
Queen Elizabeth loved dogs and horses. That really endeared her to me. I have always been an animal lover.
Tea. Tea time was special for the Queen and for me as well. The Queen loved a good cup, and so did I. I think my grandmother (who reminded me of the Queen) made tea time, a time full of talk, sharing, and happiness.
You know, Queen Elizabeth lived through so many difficult times. She may not have always gotten everything 100% correct. But, you know what? She never gave up! She tried to be a rock for her family and for her Country.
Rest in peace, to a woman who gave her all to her Country and to the world. Well done.

It’s All About…Water

So, I have hired someone to re-roof our house. This is a very good thing. It probably should have been done a year ago, but since we have had no damage, I think we caught it in time.

There are other things that need to be done, like de-cluttering the house and then an inside re-paint.

So, last night when Jack woke me up at 11:45 PM I knew it was not a good thing.

We have no water!

This happened once before when a new pump and wiring needed to be replaced. I am hoping that this is all.

But Jack was upset and he would not be calmed down. How will we flush the toilet? How will you (me) cook for me? (him) How can I was the dishes, and the floors and do laundry?

I had to giggle because all the things he mentioned were the things I do!

I recalled a movie I had seen and the exchange between a lawyer and the man he was representing. The movie was called “The Bridge of Spies”. The lawyer was played by Tom Hanks, and his client was played by Mark Rylance.

Tom Hanks: Aren’t you worried?
Mark Rylance: Would that help?

So, here I was at 1:30 AM trying to get Jack to calm down and go back to bed. After all, there is nothing we can do until 8 AM. Then I will call for Well Service.

I am hoping for an easy fix. If not, I break out the plastic silverware and paper plates. It’s inconvenient but so is so much of what we call life. It is what it is, and you just slog along working things out.

Perhaps I am so calm about all of this because I still feel too yucky to care. After all, me getting upset and worried and undone by this wouldn’t help at all now, would it?

Keep Moving…

On Friday I finally got my heart monitor. The nurse did not have time to put it on me, but she said it was easy, just follow directions.

Okay. First, you register your monitor. The nurse did that, but I was directed to call them. So, I did and they said I was all set and to put the unit on.

The directions ordered me to shave the part of my chest on the left-hand side. Then scrub it down with sandpaper and clean it with alcohol.

Then after everything dried, attach the monitor to your chest. I have to say it was not as easy as it sounded, but eventually, I got it on. Yay me!

Let the 2 weeks begin!

Meanwhile, coming home we were stuck in heavy traffic. All the families from Southern New England headed to Northern New England. And oh, my my. What clogged highways we had!

It was not my favorite way to drive home, but I made it just fine. It just took a little longer.

So that’s my day. Hope your day was a good one!

The Friday Five ~ September 2nd

Hey, it’s September! Can you believe that? I’m not sure I can. For me, it feels like the days are just slipping by. So let’s just get to the week’s Friday Five!

Over the weekend I started to feel poorly. I figured it was nothing and sort of ignored it. But by Wednesday I was tired from coughing so hard, and just wanted to sleep.
This presented a problem because my asthma kicked in and breathing was becoming problematic, as well as the cough, which left me breathless and with a headache that made me feel like my head would explode.
So, I got myself together and went to the walk-in clinic. No Covid. Yay! But things were not good. Bronchitis and pneumonia. I was ordered to go home. To rest. To take my meds.
I have slept the better part of two days and done almost nothing. I am still coughing and yes, feeling sick. But I am hopeful that the meds will help kick this.
Meanwhile, tomorrow I get fitted for my heart monitor test. I have just one request for the rest of September: for my good health to return.

Have a great weekend and a happy, healthy, and safe Labor Day Weekend!

It’s All About…Heidi

I know I haven’t written about my favorite little fur baby in a while, but here we are, Heidi is 10 months old and she has become my constant companion. And trust me when I say, she almost never leaves my side.

Heidi is pretty much trained in all the household ways. I walk her on a leash, not because I think she would run off, but because it is my way of moving around with her.

I love to watch her prance. I swear to the good Lord above that the girl has a genuine Princess attitude!

Heidi will cuddle with Lili while I cook dinner. In the evenings, and while I sleep she is warmly safe in my lap.

Savannah and Heidi.

I have known this breed since 1995. They’re amazing dogs. But I also know that a pup of this quality doesn’t just happen.

I know that the breeder of Heidi, Gail, has spent years planning her litters and also teaching her dogs.

I am all for Rescue Dogs, but for me, back in 1995 when I met my first Rauhaardackel, I knew that this would be a lifelong commitment.

Heidi is registered with the AKC. I gave her the name of Heidi, but her professional name is “Boreas Happy Ending”.

Boreas Happy Ending ~ Heidi

So, thank you, Gail, for this wonderful, beautiful, loving, companion. I am more thankful than I could ever say.