My Life – Page 160 – The Dackel Princess

Nineteen Years

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary. I have spent countless hours trying to put into words how I feel about my loving husband. Then I stumbled across this wonderful poem by Sharon MacFadyen, and her words said everything I was feeling in my heart.

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

A Gift Of Love

Author: Sharon MacFadyen

My gift to you is my love
Given from deep within my heart
It is the best I have to offer
And its yours until this earth we depart

You have captured a part of me
A part so very fragile that I am in fear
For it is my heart I have lost
To you my love, the one I hold most dear

I chose to love you now
With all that I have and all that I am
And I pray that God follows us
To guide our steps as we cross this land

For it is with His blessings
We will live most at peace with each other
For He is the reason after all
We found one another …….. I Love You!

Fish Sticks & French Fries

Last night I made fish sticks, french fries and spinach for dinner. It was so excellent! I have to say, I really like a good fish stick. It brings back all those wonderful memories of lunchtime on Fridays during grade school. You know me, I was the kid who never complained about the lunch menu.

Sloppy Joes, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese with a hot dog or that old standby, American Chop Suey! Looking back I don’t think I ever complained until my mother forced me to switch to a bag lunch. Then I was forced to eat tuna sandwiches or worse yet, a cheese sandwich. Yes, plain cheese. American cheese with no butter or mayonnaise.

So there I was with my fish sticks, with lots of tartar sauce, fries with ketchup and the vegetable portion, which I forced myself to eat because, well I’m an adult, after all, right? I was savoring each and every bite when Hubby says something about this being the worst fish and chips he’s ever had. Well, they’re not supposed to be fish and chips, mate they’re fish sticks.

Apparently Hubby doesn’t have the same attachment to his Elementary School cafeteria that I do. I swear, he actually looks at food for it’s nutritional value! Me? I get butterflies in my stomach when I so much as come near an Elementary School cafeteria and smell the wonders of my past. Even a little carton of milk brings a tear to my eye.

Oh the memories!

Lap Dogs

I’m finding that I have less and less time to write. Why? Well, it isn’t because I am running around all the time after the puppies, it’s more because they have now learned to climb the little doggy stairs I got for a very pregnant Greta a while back, and they now monopolize my lap. Why, I’m lucky if I can put my feet up in the recliner anymore.

I have to sneak in these little sessions on the computer. Like right now. I have tossed rawhide bones onto the floor, and gotten them playing together.

I don’t mind this, really. I just miss my “thinking” time. You see when I write for Dackel Princess I sit with my laptop in my lap and think, watch TV, think some more, watch a little more TV and then put down my thoughts. Now, I have to quickly write without watching TV. Shoot. Some of my best entries have been inspired by “All My Children”, “Everybody Loves Raymond” or perhaps even “House”.

I almost just put on another video of the dogs. However, I decided not to take the easy way out and actually use my mind. I hope this was okay.

If not let me know and I’ll post the video. (It’s really cute!)

Life In A Kennel

Hubby pointed out the other day that now that we are a four dog family, things have become much like life in a kennel. Our days are falling into a pattern of up with the birds (or should I say puppies), and to sleep at dusk.

The puppies are learning how to act and they are getting more and more potty trained each day. They play almost all day and naps are going by the wayside. Shucks. I need my sleep!

Mr. Fritzi is getting used to the babies and I think he actually likes them. He will sit in front of my chair and looks quite at peace. And when they lean down and kiss his nose I think he actually likes it.

Anneliese, Arnie and Mr Fritz.

I think Hubby is enjoying them too. He will sit over on the sofa with all the dogs and talk to them, teach the smaller ones to look out the window and laugh at their antics.

Me? Well, I feel like a new mother. I’m a bit sleep deprived, I am on my feet most of the day and I am trying desperately to keep up with two toddler puppies. Wish I could diaper them, it would save me the carpet cleaning and the rushed trips out to the back yard.

But I am happy. Happy with my little dog family and Hubby. I know once the puppies are house trained, life will become so much easier. In the meantime, I will enjoy the beautiful faces and loving looks.

My Sweet Anneliese

The End Of The Day

Thursday was one of those incredibly busy days. Both Hubby and I had appointments with his knee surgeon. I wanted to have him look over my knee as well as the MRI and get his opinion.

His opinion was that he sees a tear in the meniscus. The MRI was not clear enough to tell how big of a tear, and right now he wants to give it a few more weeks so that the Medial Collateral Ligament has a chance to completely heal. Then we will assess how the meniscus is.

Hubby is the real star patient of our family. Two knee replacements and he is back to skiing and walking everywhere and basically, he is the Poster Child for knee replacement surgery.

We returned to the house to find all the doggies happy to see us, and got them all outside for a nice play session, before bringing them in. And because so many of you asked, here are a few pictures of my beautiful babies.

Leaping Lizards it’s Arnie!

And his little sister Anneliese

And now as the day ends and I sit down to watch a little TV I thought you would enjoy seeing what my chair looks like a great deal of the time.

Feeling Loved

I want to know how Carol Brady did it? How did she have 6 children and have them all grow up happy and healthy and seemingly well adjusted? Here I am with 4 dogs and I’m working pretty hard to give each of them “quality time” each day.

I noticed that Greta was a little grumpy the other day and was doing all sorts of things to get my attention. So I spent time focusing just on her. So what happens? The two puppies revert back to wee-weeing in unwanted places! All I can say is Thank God for the “Big Green Clean Machine” carpet cleaner!

Fritz is the only one not demanding a lot of attention these days and so I feel guilt ridden about that and work hard to pat and speak lovingly to him.

Today I felt so outmatched that I thought perhaps my only recourse was to hire a puppy nanny. Someone to come in and take the dogs for walks, clean up there messes, while I sit here and eat bon-bons and pat my little friends.

But no. Where’s the fun in that? Why once I get the puppies house broken, I will have that accomplishment to revel in! I’ll be in the grocery store talking to the Deli man saying stuff like, “And I house trained two puppies, at the same time and it was still winter!” He, of course, will look at me and exclaim, “Wow! I’ve only read about people like you!”

So after I’d cleaned the carpet for the second time and walked the puppies for the 10th time today, in the rain, (don’t you feel bad for me?) I sat down with both little pups and Greta in my lap and Fritz by my feet, and I was actually grateful for these four furry wonders. I felt so loved.

I know. Just call me crazy!

The Puppies Are 15 Weeks!!!

I’d planned on a nice quiet Sunday, but that didn’t happen. I awoke to find that I didn’t have enough eggs for breakfast for two, and there for would need to take a trip to the grocery store. So Hubby and I walked the pooches, and then headed off to get food.

The best I can say about our shopping trip was that it was interesting to people watch while we pushed the cart through the store. There were families shopping. This proved to be amusing because some of the husband/wife combo’s made sense, while others simply were amusing. Like, “how the heck did they ever get together?”.

Our trip was a short one and we returned home to play with the pups. Since our back yard is a vast sea of wet and mud I didn’t want to keep the puppies out there too much. So in we came, toweled them dry and set about playing.

Arnie

Anneliese

Playing with one of Greta’s big bones.

We watched them in awe and laughed a lot. Fritz is becoming more and more comfortable and does well with them.

But one thing I hadn’t considered is Greta. My poor little girl is a little jealous of all the attention the puppies are getting. In the last few days I have tried to spend some quality time with her. Funny. Dogs are like kids in so many ways.

Good/Sad/Good

I woke up Thursday morning and before my feet even it the floor it was a bad day. You see when I went to put on my glasses, the lens fell out of my glasses! I got out the glasses repair kit, and tried to repair the frame, and I couldn’t. I spent all morning trying to repair the stupid things and I couldn’t. In the late morning I finally gave up and took my shower and dressed. I needed to go to get my bangs cut, stop at the pharmacy and the post office before coming home.

Now here’s the thing. The lens fell out on the left side of my glasses. This is the eye that Dr. W. has already fixed. So I took the paper off of a twist tie, tied the frames together and found I could actually see pretty well doing this. So I got in the Jeep and off I went.

My bangs were half way down my nose and my wonderful hairdresser trimmed them up and showed me a new way to blow dry my hair. She also didn’t charge me for this! Okay, the day was picking up. Then I was onto the pharmacy where I got a new glasses repair kit and some hand lotion. Good……….Then I went to the post office and picked up the mail. Usually the place is mobbed and there is no place to park, but today I got a space right in front!

I was starting to become suspicious that the turn in my luck was only going to turn again into something awful. I drove carefully home, tried to repair my glasses once again (no luck) and then made lunch for Hubby and me. Once we had digested, Hubby suggested that we go shopping. We’re due for another winter storm this weekend, so it would be good to stock up before the snow falls. He said we could also swing by the glasses store and get them fixed.

So off we went. I stopped feeling bad about not being able to fix my glasses when the optician had trouble and explained that the screw hole had been stripped. Great! She was actually the one who had done it last week when my new lens had come in, but heck, let’s not get technical about it, after all she did fix it.

We stocked up on the usual St. Patrick’s Day fare of corned beef and cabbage and carrots and potatoes, and came home to four happy hounds! I wish we could also keep Arnie. He is such a sweetheart and I adore him (yes, I am getting too attached), and he fits in with everyone pretty well. Why today, even Uncle Fritz seemed able to handle the puppies better than he ever has. Alas, Arnie must find himself a home of his own and I must say goodbye to him. We hope that soon we will get that call from someone who will love that boy!

The day ended nicely even if it started off badly. Glasses fixed, warm pajamas and happy hounds!

Happy/Sad

Today was a day filled with mixed emotions. Most of the day I was on an emotional high because Anneliese is really getting the entire house breaking thing. Even in the mud and wet she is out there doing her thing, making me the proudest Mom around! Arnie doesn’t really like the ankle deep puddles of wet grass and mud, but he does go out and he does walk around with us.

Today was also the day that the two of them decided that Puppy food isn’t nearly as tasty as Greta’s food. I fed them breakfast and they looked at it, turned up their little noses and walked away. I could see them looking at me wondering if I was worried and would run over and feed them a steak or something. Ha! I have had dogs long enough to know that if you just change the mixture a little it will become more appealing. So, I mixed two spoons of Greta’s food into the puppy food, and a few minutes later then bowl was empty!

The little puppers went for a gazillion walks, played outside in the sunshine with their balls, and raced around the family room with their toys. We only had one accident on the rug (Arnie is blushing), so the “Big Green Clean Machine Carpet Cleaner” came out and the spot in question was cleaned and deodorized.

I had physical therapy today and the therapist has decided that I need to go back to the doctor. Shoot. I’d hoped to be back to normal by now and not having the swelling or the discomfort. I came home and called for an appointment (With Hubby’s knee replacements, this doctor is sort of on retainer for our family). The good doctor’s secretary got me in the same day as Hubby is seeing the doctor for his one year check up.

The house is quiet and he pups are asleep and soon I will be going to bed as well. Tomorrow will be here before you know it, and we’ll have another day of house training to work on.

PS: Little Anneliese steals my heart more and more each day. Thank you Greta, for this little gift!

Playful Pups!

Anneliese is really stealing my heart. I’m afraid that Arnie is too. What a splendid pair they are. I had them out this morning for a couple of hours after I got done sewing my braided rug. That rug is older than Hubby and at this point it should just be tossed in the dump, but I have a feeling the rug will be here for a long time, so I had better just shut up and keep stitching.

Back to the pups. What fun it is to watch them play with each other and with Greta. My favorite of their play events is when they are all running back and forth between the family room and the kitchen going 100 miles an hour! Greta loves to play this way with the pups and from time to time she will stop and roll around on the floor with them.

Anneliese likes to come over and stand on her back legs and almost dance to get me to pick her up. Then she will settle into my lap either showering me with kisses, or chewing on a bone. Arnie loves me too, but he would rather be playing rough with Greta all the time.

They’d been out for a while when I noticed the Fritz hair had gotten pretty bad. So I pulled out the vacuum and started to vacuum. Anneliese disappeared under my chair and Arnie ran for the puppy room where he promptly wee-wee’d on the floor. Poor boy! After the big bad vacuum went away, I coaxed them both back out and the play resumed.

I sat down with them on the floor and they came over and settled into my lap. Soon I noticed that their heads were slowly drooping. So I picked them both us and put them to bed in the puppy room.

They were out most of the afternoon once Hubby and I finished our lunches and then I fed them their dinner and they have literally crashed in their bed.

I sure hope a good owner for Arnie can be found. He is a beautiful boy and needs a loving family, but also one that will allow him to have his way with certain wire-haired dachshund ladies. I hope this miracle family comes along soon, because it will get harder every day he with us, for us to let him go.