Dackel Princess

In Memory of September 11, 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 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 Tower’s 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 the 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 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

TBT: Anneliese & Arnie

Here they are. Probably a month old. Anneliese on the left and Arnie on the right.

They were best friends as babies and now in their golden years, (nearly 14 years old) they still are.

Arnie on the left and Anneliese on the right.

What a true gift these two have been. They’ve added so much joy and sunshine into our lives over the years!

Sixteen Pounds

Life is racing by so quickly, and my new, healthy, lifestyle, really is making a difference! Today was a big day for me. I weighed in and I now have lost the bulk of my weight, with just 16 pounds to go!

Call me thrilled that this big change in my life, has led to such positive results!

Yay, Me!

Anneliese & The Wild Boar

Back in February of 2009, I took Anneliese to Berlin, Germany for her first breeding, with a handsome German dackel, named Isagrim. In Boston, the airport workers thought Anneliese was very cute, in her little panties as I carried her through Logan Airport Security. (For those that do not know, when a dog is in heat they wear little panties, so they don’t get messy or make your home messy.) I spent a little over a week with my friend Uschi and her husband, and I was able to breed Anneliese twice before it was time to go home.

Now Anneliese is a very good little traveler. She remained very calm in the airports during transport, and on the aircraft, she was amazing, as she settled herself inside her little bag and fell asleep. She had no accidents in her bag, and when we reached Berlin and cleared customs, We went right outside and she did her business right where she should.

It amazed me how she knew just what to do with Isagrim, in fact, I admonished her to play a little hard to get with him, lest he thinks she was a loose woman! But the breeding went well, and then she had a few days to rest before we made our trip back to the states.

We left Berlin and headed back home on a direct flight from Berlin to JFK in New York. As we descended into New York, I was filling out the Customs Declaration Form for the USA.

The form asks: Are you are traveling with any animal?

Yes.

What color is the animal?

On all of Anneliese’s papers, it states quite clearly…”Wild Boar“. So, I wrote that down.

We landed and I walked through to the Customs Area where I was stopped and directed over to the Animal Import area. The Agent took my card and read it.

“Madam, I will need you to open this bag and show me the animal you are bringing in!” he commanded

And as I reached to unzip the bag, the Agent took three giant steps back! I wish you could have seen his face! He was terrified! Anneliese’s little head popped out and I could actually see the man start to breathe again.

You see the agent thought that “Wild Boar” was what was in the bag, not the actual color of the dog!

This is probably my favorite story about Anneliese, and possibly my best traveling dog story.

Labor Day

Monday is Labor Day here in the States. Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

What does this mean in reality? Most businesses are closed. It’s a long three (or four) day weekend. Many people go away to celebrate the end of the summer, as the school year usually starts right after this. (Some places start just before.)

People have gatherings, cooking hot dogs and hamburgers or steaks on the grill, and frankly, a lot of cold drinks and adult beverages are consumed!

Traffic is heavy, motels and campgrounds are booked up, and if you are lucky and the weather holds out, there is swimming and frolicking in the surf to be enjoyed.

This year Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were amazing weather-wise. It looks like Monday will be wonderful as well. Not overly hot but dry, in the mid-seventies, and with a lot of sunshine.

But then, things are different right now because of the Covid-19 virus. We do have many people who have filled our hotels, campgrounds, and restaurants. Our grocery shelves are bare and traffic! What a nightmare!

This Covid-19 thing has brought out both the best and the worst in people. But it is strange, how things have gone. I wonder if the Virus will be gone by this time next year? Will, we ever be able to go round mask free smiling at each other?

So wherever you are, I hope you can sit back and have a nice relaxed day. I hope you have some little thing that helps to put a smile on your face.

I Wish, I Wish…

I wish, I could bottle weather like this. Cool in the 70’s with bright blue skies, no wind and sunshine that warms the soul.

I wish, that when you reach your goal on a diet, that your metabolism would magically change so that you could eat anything you wanted and never again gain weight!

I wish, that people didn’t age. I know it is wonderful to learn things as we go along in life and to gain wisdom, but why should the acquisition of wisdom come at the cost of your body.

I wish, that time didn’t rush by us so quickly on the days when the wonderful things are happening, and then seem to drag on, when your life is going to hell.

I wish, I wish, I wish…

It’s All About…Kindness

Long ago, during a car trip out to Ohio, I brought with me an actual paper filled notebook. Often I get ideas and I jot them down before they are lost in time.

One idea that kept coming back to me was, “It’s All About…”

Certainly life is full of things that make the world go round, but sometimes I think we get lost and forget what “It’s All About.”

As we drove down highway 86 toward Cleveland, we were talking, listening to the radio and of course stopping periodically to use the restrooms.

One thing that made me both smile and frown was the way people, strangers, treated each other. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

My grandmother always told me to smile and be kind. She said that you never knew when someone needed a lift and that your smile might be the only one they see all day.

Kindness comes in many shapes and forms. Being polite, stopping to help someone, or when a dining-room is full of all sorts of people attending reunions, sharing a table.

I’ve been on my own crusade since 9/11. Every time I am in a restaurant, an airport, or perhaps shopping, when I see a member of the military, I stop for one moment and thank them for their service.

Recently, I saw two old men, with their military company’s emblem on their hats. They were World War II soldiers. They were talking, both had canes and you could see that the years had been tough for them.

I went over and smiled broadly, and thanked them both. One of the men got quite misty, and they both thanked me.

My smiles and helpful ways are not limited to the military. I am always on the lookout for older people in the grocery store who cannot reach the top shelves. As I am 5 feet 8 inches tall, with long (monkey) arms, I can reach everything pretty easily.

Of course in these Covid-19 times it’s hard to smile at someone and have them actually see it. I may have to draw a smile on each paper mask I wear!

I swear, Kindness is contagious! And so are smiles. Just like my Grandma Honey always told me.

It’s All About…Kindness

The Friday Five

Well here we are, the first Friday of September. It’s hard to believe that the year is slipping by so fast. It’s been a very full week for me. I am quite tired and I hope for a little down time. In any case, here are 5 things going on.

On Wednesday I was early leaving for my doctor’s appointment, so I stopped at Talbot’s at the Outlet and bought a pair of size 14 jeans! At the start of the year, I was wearing a size 20 and they were tight! So proud of all my work changing my lifestyle.
I also stopped at Jockey and bought myself new underwear. My old ones were all stretched out and were giving me constant wedgies!
I had my first steak this week in over 8 months! Boy, was it delicious!
We’ve had quite a bit of rain and so everything has greened up around here. It’s quite pretty.
We are interviewing people to take care of the snow plowing this winter. Jack was very unhappy with the people we had last season.

So that’s it. I did do a lot of driving and even got my tetanus shot. Next on my list is the Super Flu shot.

Have a Happy Weekend!

TBT: Shubi & Me

This picture was taken during a vacation in 1997. Twentythree years ago. We were visiting New Hampshire (At the time we were living in Florida), and we drove up to Weirs Beach, in Laconia. Here I am holding my first wire-haired dackel, Shubi! It’s hard to believe it has been 23 years!

We stopped so Shubi could take a run down by the water. The beach was deserted, and it was a perfect time. Or it was until a man with a large dog came to the beach and his dog was off-leash too! Poor little Shubi was so scared, she ran to the end of the jetty and jumped into the lake! His dog just stood there looking confused!

The man ran quickly and he jumped in and rescued Shubi, while Jack went to see if we had a blanket in our car. I can still see this rather comical event in my mind. Shubi was fine, just wet and in the end, we had a good laugh. The man’s dog was a nice one, although there was no convincing Shubi. I’m glad I have this picture to remind me of that fun day!

Me with my much loved Shubi.

My Loves

In the last few days, I have been driving all around New Hampshire. I got to spend time with Quinn and Savi and we played games and shared special times together.

I’ve been very careful about going out. I have kept myself very clean, worn gloves, masks, and used hand sanitizer. Likewise, the kids have been very isolated. So spending time together was a fairly safe thing to do.

The loneliness we have all shared has made us crave being together, and it was wonderful to hug them, hold them, and fall asleep with them cuddled up next to me.

Happiness and smiles!

Imagine how much of a blessing our grandchildren are to us. Their love, their laughter, and their smiles are all so very real.

Being silly is a very good thing!

Savi and I found a new word app game that gives you letters and you need to make words out of them. It’s pretty fun and we had a very good time playing it.

Quinn was fascinated with my Galaxy Tablet and the pictures above were when we were playing with the camera.

My visits are always too short with them, and then it was time to drive back home. The tricky part is that tomorrow I need to drive almost back to Mandy’s neck of the woods for a doctor’s appointment. Life is never dull.