The Dackel Princess

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What does/did Halloween look like at your house this year? Did you decorate? Pick pumpkins? Carve pumpkins? Expect trick or treaters? Wear a costume to a party or event? Make a costume? Feel glad you didn’t have to come up with a costume? Cook a Halloween themed treat? Eat all the leftover candy?

I did absolutely nothing for Halloween. Both Jack and I have had the flu, so we just let it slide. Now we can look forward to Thanksgiving!

2. What are you waiting for? Elaborate

Right this second? Well, I’m waiting for Jack to get up. He was up in the night coughing, so he is sleeping in today to catch up.

3. Do you wish you were friendlier, braver, more creative, more athletic, or something else? Explain.

Probably more athletic. I admit, I am a couch potato. I really have to kick myself in the butt to get up and exercise. And I really need to do more of that to get my strength back.

4. When it comes time to paint are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone? What was the last paint job completed at your house? What room most needs painting now? How do you feel about wallpaper?

I used to do all our painting and but since the cervical spine fusion, I cannot do it. I love wallpaper, Jack and I actually wallpapered two rooms in our old farm house years ago. It was so pretty, but at this point I like the clean fresh look of paint. The last paint job was in my bathroom, but after 17 years, the entire house needs to be painted!

5. What is one specific thing you felt gratitude for in the month of October?

Just one? I feel grateful for the time I spent with my grandchildren, daughter, sister and cousin. Time spent with people that you love, is probably the greatest gift in life.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I’ve decided that the house needs de-cluttering. I was talking to Jack about it last night, and I think over the winter the two of us will work on this. How did we get all of this junk?

My Spooky Encounter

I had an spooky thing happen to me today.

I’d ordered a small wallet/purse last week, in hopes I could lighten the load on my shoulders/neck and spine. It was so pretty, and even though it was a little pricey, I felt it was worth saving myself the discomfort of carrying a larger bag.

Well, I opened the box and sat down to transfer my stuff from my old purse to this new one. I started to take out the paper stuffing and I unzipped the inner pocket.

That’s when I found a bunch of personal papers from a woman named Ruth. She is 75 and lives in Charlotte, NC. The papers were her email and passwords, her eye glass prescription, and her United Healthcare Card. I tried to call her on the phone, but a recording announced that the number was no longer in service.

I stared at the papers and Jack and I talked. Did we think she had passed away? Had her family returned the pocketbook, without checking the pockets? The purse appeared to be in good shape, no nicks, scuff marks or any indication it had been used. But there were these papers…

I felt very unsettled. This was not a cheap bag. Did I really want to use a bag that possibly had been returned and maybe was the bag of a deceased woman?

Maybe it’s because today is Halloween, but I decided to return the bag to Amazon for a refund. After all, Christmas is coming, and I can use the money when I order Christmas gifts.

What would you have done? Am I being silly? Let me know what you think!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What’s surprised you most about your life or life in general?

I think the thing that surprised me the most about life, is how incredibly fast time goes by. It seems like just the other day I was 10 years old and I felt like time was dragging on, and nothing very interesting ever happened. Now, every day, the hours fly by, and here I am, almost 59 years old, and I know in the blink of an eye, I will soon be considered a real Senior Citizen.

2. Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie…you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?

Pumpkin Pie. Not really in the mood for anything else.

3. What’s a famous book set in your home state? Have you read it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?

“Our Town”. Our Town was first produced and published in 1938 to wide acclaim. This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of life in the small village of Grover’s Corners, an allegorical representation of all life, has become a classic. It is Thornton Wilder’s most renowned and most frequently performed play. Definitely 5 stars!

4. There are 60 days until Christmas…have you started your shopping? How do you stay organized for the holidays?

I certainly have started my shopping. I decided to start looking around online, and I’m amazed at the good deals and how many items I have already purchased.

5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee? Yes! Is this a state you’d like to visit one day? The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area),Yes

Elvis’s Graceland (Memphis), Yes

Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Memphis yes, Nashville, no.

Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Surprisingly, Yes!

Tennessee’s Military Heritage (many battlefields), No

The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson’s home), No.

The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, No

Chattagnooa and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Yes.

Downtown Knoxville, No

Lookout Mountain, Yes.

The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater) No

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It will be two weeks on Saturday since the Flu came to call. I am doing better, but Jack has been very ill. He finally saw his Primary Care doctor today, and she loaded him up with medications. I just hope that both of us get over this thing soon.

Ode To My Toads

Well, it happened. This past week my beloved Toads went into hibernation for the winter. We’d had a few cold, cold mornings, and with the shorter days, it signals the time when the Toads hibernate.

American toads require a semi-permanent freshwater pond or pool with shallow water in which to breed, to gather their water suppliers in times of drought or as a routine, and for their early development. They also require dense patches of vegetation, for cover and hunting grounds. Given these two things and a supply of insects for food, American toads can live almost everywhere, ranging from forests to flat grassland.

Adult toads are mostly nocturnal, although juveniles are often abroad by day. When it rains, these toads will become active and can be observed eating robustly, worms and insects leaving their burrows and walking in front of an opportunist toad. These toads are ‘creatures of habit’ once they have a certain area they prefer to live within an acre of wooded forest with water in proximity for soaking, a home with cool ledges and window wells; they commonly seek cover in burrows, under boardwalks, flat stones, boards, logs, wood piles, or other cover. Our stone walls are perfect, and our creek as well.

When cold weather comes, these toads dig backwards and bury themselves in the dirt of their summer homes, or they may choose another site in which to hibernate. Their diet includes crickets, meal worms, earthworms, ants, spiders, slugs, centipedes, moths, and other small invertebrates. Some of these toads have been known to live over 30 years.

One of my Toads, I swear, has been living here for at least 5 years. And this year when I would talk to him, he would move his body toward my voice. He never tried to leap away in fear.

But now all three Toads have disappeared. Gone to bed for the winter. I will really miss them! Until next summer!

This & That From NH

Yesterday, despite still feeling under the weather, I managed to do three loads of laundry. I also did the dishes, and cooked a supper meal of red cabbage, and weisswurst. And for dessert, the last of the apple crisp.

Today I would love to change my sheets, and perhaps make another apple crisp. But changing the bed and getting in a shower, may be all I get done. Slow and steady!

A week ago (the last time I was out and about), the foliage was nice, but nothing to write home about. Today I can see across the lake, that the trees are gorgeous. And a few of my own trees are lovely as well. Wish I felt well enough to go for a ride.

The Hobo Railroad train went by here yesterday on an unscheduled run. The train goes from here to Plymouth, New Hampshire and back. It passes by our house at 11:10 AM and returns at 3:15 PM. Needless to say, I make sure the dogs are in. Today and tomorrow will be the last trains of the year. After this they will move the cars and engines up to Lincoln, NH for the winter.

I’ve been having some problems with the commenting on Dackel Princess. Once you are done reading this, could you take a moment and leave a comment? This will help my friend, Megan as she tries to find the broken link.

Thank You! And have a wonderful weekend!

Down, But Not Out, In New Hampshire

Well, I’m alive. I think when you get sick with the flu, and boy have I been sick, the very best you can say after being this sick is that you are alive!

I’m now on season 3 of “Parenthood”. While I huddled down under piles of blankets, I watched the series, that was my Christmas gift from Mandy. What a great series. How could I have missed this?

I’m pretty sure I have lost weight, as I have not eaten a normal meal since last Saturday. This will be good for all those clothes that were just a little snug!

I finally cooked a meal for us last night, and the only problem there is, I couldn’t eat it! Jack says, it was very good, so score one for the sick girl in the blue bathrobe!

I’m hoping you all have noticed some of the new work on Dackel Princess. The old green skin was getting me down and my Web Maven, Megan, took my ideas and made the page changes while I was down and out. I got up this morning and found that it’s complete. I love it! Finally I have my three dackels and the white one (who thinks she is a dachshund!) in the header and warm creams and chocolate browns. Thank you so much, Megan!

Apple Crisp!

Apple Crisp

1. 8 large baking apples (MacIntosh or Cortland or both)

2. ½ cup butter chopped into tiny pieces

3. ½ cup Oats

4. ½ cup flour

½ cup sugar (I used Splenda)

5. 1/3 cup brown sugar (I used Splenda Brown Sugar)

6. 1 tsp. cinnamon

7. ¼ tsp.Nutmeg

8. ¼ tsp. Ground Cloves

Peel and cut apples into slices. Place in a greased (butter or Pam sprayed) deep 9 X 11 casserole dish.

TIP: I cut up the cold butter into chunks and placed the hard butter into my food processor. I pulsed it a few times, then added the flour and pulsed a few times until it was crumbly. This was the easiest way to make this butter and flour crumb mixture.

In a separate bowl place the butter and flour crumb mixture to the oats. Add sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and mix well. Spread evenly over the top of the apples allowing some of the mixture to settle into the apples. I sort of gently push it into the apples.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes or until you see bubbles coming up from the apples. The butter will melt and the crumb mixture should be nice and brown on the top. Cool slightly, serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream….

Yum!

The Friday Five

You know you are getting older when you look at your weekly calendar, and 4 out of the 5 working days are filled with doctor’s appointments! LOL! So it was, this week for Jack and me.

This lead to some interesting encounters and so here are my happenings for the week of October 9 – 13.

I started off the week with an appointment with my Primary Care Physician. All went very well, although tests have been ordered to check on the Cervical Fusion I had back in February. An MRI has been ordered. Otherwise, I am in very good shape.
The next day, Jack went in to have blood work in the morning. You know, those pesky fasting blood work types? He and I were both starved when he got done, but it was late in the morning, and not many places were still serving breakfast. Except this diner over by the Manchester Airport, called “The Airport Diner”. The menu was good, the food was so tasty and the people were friendly and nice.
After this, we headed back to the VA for Jack’s Podiatrist appointment. The good news is, that the infected toe is healing up nicely and I have really become a very good nurse for him.
Thursday we were over at the White River Junction, Vermont VA. They do Audiology there. Jack already has hearing aids, and today the wonderful Audiologist was able to adjust them so he is hearing much better again! I really like the White River Junction VA. It seems everyone is friendly and kind, and very respectful to each and every one of the Vets who come in for care.
Now here is the “I can’t believe…” of the week. I was in the grocery store the other day, and I was talking with the young checkout clerk. I think he might have been 21 or so. The conversation went to Vietnam and Agent Orange and the effects it has had on so many of our Vietnam Veterans. The young man was interested and as I finished telling him that Jack had served in Vietnam, and his health had really suffered, the young man said, (and I kid you not!), “I don’t know much about Vietnam, just what I’ve seen on M.A.S.H.“!!!!!!!! Now I can’t make this up folks. I told him (gently) that M.A.S.H. dealt with the Korean War, and if he wanted to know what it was like in Vietnam, he should go to the local American Legion and buy a beer for a few of the Veterans and ask them about what Vietnam meant for them.

And that folks, was my week. Have a great weekend and enjoy the Autumn weather!!!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your sense of direction? 1=can’t find my way out of a paper bag and 10=if I’ve been somewhere once I can find it blindfolded ten years later.

When was the last time you looked at/used a map you could hold in your hand? (phones don’t count!)

9! First, I do own a GPS and a Cell phone and find these very handy. However, Jack taught me to read a map when we married and I love maps! Real, big, paper maps! I love to see the big picture and a real paper map affords this.

Now, I used to have a very poor sense of direction, but since learning to read a map and learning about the sun and moon, etc I have gotten very good at finding my way through life.

Back east, down south, out west, up north

Choose one of these directional expressions and tell us why you chose it.

Up north. And I chose it because that’s where I live, quite happily, Up North

2. Did you do more talking or listening yesterday? Is that typical? Describe your yesterday in one word.

Yesterday was Monday. Normal, and somewhat Quiet. I would say I did more listening.

3. Time, money, water-power-resources, opportunity…which one on the list are you most guilty of wasting? What might you do to change that?

Lately I don’t think I am wasting any of them. I feel I have been living life pretty fully and pretty reasonably!

4. Did your family take regular vacations when you were a kid? Tell us something you remember about a family roadtrip from your own childhood.

No we didn’t. Our family didn’t have the money. I remember only one trip we took and that was to Washington, DC when I was about 7 years old. I remember seeing the White House, and the other monuments. I remember it being very hot and I remember that I loved riding the tour buses and playing in the elevator at the Mayflower Hotel.

Me, Melodie and our brother, Dickie.

Melodie, Me, and our brother, Dickie.

5. If you could grow anything you wanted, what would you grow? Why?

A money tree? LOL! I have been lucky enough to grow many things in my life. I think if I could do one thing now it would be to plan and grow a beautiful floral garden. And just because I love beautiful flowers!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Not too much is happening here. Just a long week of doctor’s appointments. Both for Jack and myself. Nothing terrible, just the usual.

Pot Roast – The Best

So, I promised you all a great recipe for Pot Roast. Originally this was from The Pioneer Woman, but I made a few changes to adapt it to my own lifestyle and tastes. Still, this is the best recipe for Pot Roast I have ever made!

Ingredients:
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 3- to 5-pound bottom round roast (Or any kind of pot roast)
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole onions, peeled and halved
6 to 8 whole carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces (Use a lot of carrots)
1/2 cup red wine, optional (I used Burgundy)
3 cups beef broth more or less.
2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (I used 1/2 tsp dried rosemary)
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme (I used 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
**I may have used more dried herbs as I simply eye balled them. Taste it after you start to bring the broth to a boil. You can always correct the seasoning then.**

Dutch Oven

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Generously salt and pepper the roast.

Heat the olive oil in large pot or Dutch Oven (Must be an oven safe pot and lid) over medium-high heat. Add the halved onions to the pot, browning them on both sides. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned. It took me a couple of minutes. Reserve the carrots with the onions.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the hot pot. Place the meat in the pot and sear it. I figured about 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove the roast to a plate.

Add the red wine and/or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get those lovely tasty bits. Place the roast back into the pot and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway.

Add in the onions and the carrots, along with the fresh herbs.

Put the lid on, then roast for 4 hours for a 3-pound roast. For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 – 5 hours. The roast is ready when it’s fall-apart tender.

One thing I am learning is that if you check the roast and the meat is not falling apart, the roast is not done. Put it back in the oven!

I made boiled potatoes to go along with our pot roast, and my husband went a bit crazy! He said it was just perfect!