Category: Family & Friends

Meet Cheech!

My sister sent me my birthday gift a little early. It came in a large heavy box and I couldn’t imagine what she had found. I opened it up and found this inside! (turn up your computer’s speakers)

I adore this “toy”! I keep it on the shelf between my kitchen and the family room and every time I walk by I hit the ear and turn “Cheech” (that’s what I call him) on and let him sing his little song.

I called Mel today to tell her just how much this gift has tickled me. After all, how often, as adults, do we get a child’s toy that touches a place in our inner child in such a sweet and profound way?

So thank you, dearest sister! I love you!!!

PS: Also Happy birthday to my blog friend and fellow Scorpio, Renny!!! Go on over and wish him a Happy Birthday!!!

Love & Treat

Blog Love Dove

I have been tagged by Lifecruiser on “Love and Treat”.

Captain Lifecruiser is not saying Trick and Treat, she is saying Love and Treat… your friends well 🙂

I’m sending blog love to all my blogbuddies – both old and new! You rock!

So what does this mean? Well it means I will share with you three of my older posts that show the love in my life. I hope you will enjoy reading them over again.

If anyone would like to do this, please join us.

What to do:

Find three post of yours you’d like to share.

And share the love!

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Okay here are the three posts I’d like to promote because they talk about love.

1. Hubby

2. Mandy

3. Puppies

So check out Captain Lifecruiser’s Blog for more information! And share the Love!

You can find Captain Life Cruiser!here.

Happy Birthday Dearest Uschi

Today I am celebrating the birthday of my dearest and best friend, Uschi. As I have written before here and here, you will see that Uschi really is more than just a friend. She is a sister of my heart and soul! Over the years she has shared all my joys and cried with me during my sorrows. We are separated by over 3500 miles, yet our hearts are connected in a way that many local friends never could be. I wish I could be in Berlin to share her special day. Since I can’t I will send a big loud shout of:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USCHI!!!
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Lucky Lady

I was up early, made a quick breakfast and then hopped in my car and headed off to spend the day with my daughter. Do you all know how much fun it is to have a grown up daughter? For those of you who do, isn’t it great? For those of you whose kids are still growing, just wait! It gets really good!!!

I arrived at her place about 9:30, patted my grand kitties, and then we dropped her car off for service. Next, we headed to the mall. Neither one of us had been to this particular mall in years, and aside from Macy’s and Starbucks (yes, I was brave enough to go inside and get a cup of coffee!) the mall was a real disappointment.

However, I got a few tops at Macy’s on sale for $9.99 each and a dress, as well as a cute skirt.

Then we were off to the LL Bean Outlet, where I got the cutest blouse, and then decided I should look for some new hiking boots. So, I went back to the shoe section and began hunting for some comfortable boots. The first and second pair felt horrible and quickly went back on the shelf, but the third pair fit perfectly and felt like bedroom slippers! I looked at the price and it read:

$9999.99!!!!

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Now that is some hefty price for hiking boots! I Took them up to the check out counter and asked the girl if this was the real price? And if it was, was it perhaps because they were magical boots? LOL!

Yes, it was a tremendous mistake that took several minutes to figure out. In the end they were $81.99, a much more manageable price! They came home with me too.

The best part part of my day though, was sitting at Bugaboo Creek having lunch with my daughter. For that hour it was just us talking, and enjoying each other. I really am a lucky lady.

I dropped her off to get her car and then headed home late in the afternoon. My ride didn’t seem so long because my friend Gail and I got a chance to talk on our cell phones and play catch up on life. Gail and I have been best friends since we were 13 years old! We met at summer camp. This is our 35th year of friendship!

When I arrived home, Hubby and the pups were all so happy to see me. Greta even sang me a sweet doggy song, then Hubby took me out for fish and chips. That was great too.

Now I am ending my day, in my pajamas with Greta by my side, thinking I am one very lucky lady.

Getting Back Into Gear

It was a big day on Tuesday. Once we had gotten up, showered and eaten breakfast we grabbed our coolers, and headed to the big grocery shop 25 miles south of here.

The list was long as we needed every kind of food possible, including dog food. We went to three different shops before loading the back of our station wagon (sorting the cold food into the coolers we had brought with us, as it was very hot again) and headed back home.

We drove around our house to the back door (something we do not do often as it requires us to drive on the lawn) and unloaded all of our parcels. Hubby made his lunch while I put everything away. Then I made a salad for myself.

After that I just wanted to rest, but there was still so much to do. Clean the kitchen, give all the dogs their heart-worm medication and do their flea and tick liquid.

It was then my phone rang and my caller ID told me it was an unknown caller. Since I was feeling daring, I picked it up. It was Emily!!! She was calling me from the Hawaii airport while she waited for her plane to L.A.

We talked about the pups and what she had been doing in Hawaii and how much fun she was having. But, she can hardly wait to get home. I told her how much we’ve missed her and how much the doggies have missed her too. Another week and she will be home! Yahoo!!!!

Since we were feeling flush at the grocery store and perhaps a little like we deserved to spoil ourselves after all that driving to Canada and back, we bought two Maine Lobsters for our dinner. Heaven!

Family Reunion Day 3

In the morning on Saturday we met with some friends who also have wire-haired dachshunds. We visited with them and their handsome boy Odin. The dogs eyed each other carefully and we were invited to lunch at their home. It was such a nice time that I hated to see it end but we had to get ready for the party.

The party was Saturday night and everything was so nice. We all met before hand at the homestead for pictures and to joke and talk some more.

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Hubby with his cousins.
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Me with some of the spouses.

Afterward, we put the pups in their crate and then headed to the community hall for the dinner. It was a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. For dessert, fresh strawberry shortcake! Mmmmm! My favorite.

After dinner we all seemed to empty into the parking lot as he temperatures inside the hall were high. Have I mentioned that they are having a heat wave up here in Nova Scotia? It’s been in the 90’s each day with no rain!

We leave Sunday in the morning for the return trip to New Hampshire. We will get the 1 PM ferry in Digby to St. John, New Brunswick, and our estimated time of arrival at home is about midnight.

It’s been wonderful coming up here and we look forward to our next trip up.

Ramily Reunion Day 2

The Relaxed Family Shindig

After sleeping in a bit this morning, we had a leisurely breakfast in our motel room. The dogs were up and playing and Hubby and I watched the TV and drank our coffee.

At noon, we headed over to the homestead
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where we sat around, shooting the breeze, watching the dogs play and taking countless pictures.

Cousins from all across Canada arrived and we shared a nice casual meal that seemed to last all day. I call it familial grazing!

The pups are now familiar with the house and the yard and we were able to take them outside and allow them to play in the yard.

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Hubby and Arnie
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Anneliese and Arnie

Soon the sunset,
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and the band arrived, and bluegrass music was played.
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Poor Anneliese had a little bit of a nervous breakdown when she saw the musicians arrive with all their instruments, and suddenly our group of about 20-25 people nearly doubled.

We stayed for about an hour listening to the music before we left to come back to the motel. Saturday is our formal banquet and a dance. It should be a lot of fun!

Family Reunion Day 1

A Walk In The Mud

We arrived over at the family homestead just after lunchtime. The ride over was beautiful, as we drove through the little towns of Nova Scotia. The homestead is on the Bay Of Fundy in a spot where the tides are so great they literally go completely out and leave only wet mud flats in their wake.

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The two puppies trotted out and I picked up Anneliese. I didn’t want her frightened by all the new people. This was the right thing to do, as she wasn’t at all freaked out and in the end, the two pups had a wonderful time.

The cousins all hugged and kissed and laughed and pictures were taken and beers were hoisted.

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Shalena, Hubby and Barbara.

After we had all munched some goodies, Hubby’s cousin Billy decided that since the tide was out this would be a great time to go walking on the mud flats. Hubby immediately said yes, and I was horror stricken. I remembered the mud, the sticky mud from years past and I also worried about his knees. But he wouldn’t listen and off he went with a team of 11 of his cousins.

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Heading toward the bay.
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Down the ladder they go.
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Right into all the thigh deep mud! What saved Hubby was his incredibly long legs, otherwise he would have been a complete muddy mess like the rest of them.
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Eventually they made it out to the flats where they walked for a few miles. Never let it be said that a Canadian is not prepared. Here you will see his cousin carrying a cooler with beer for all!
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Eventually they found a swimming area to play in and enjoyed that.

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But when they returned I was ready with my camera to catch their muddiness! They all needed to shower off before we would allow them back in the house. Then I told Hubby all that I had planned to do to him had he fallen and really gotten messed up. Or worse yet, destroyed my good camera, which he insisted on taking with him!

The evening was spent eating a great dinner of Sea Bass and Deer steaks along with a salad and some fresh bread.

The two dogs continued to be sweet,

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but around 8 o’clock we noticed them sprawled across the deck asleep. So we picked them up and headed back to the motel. I was pretty tired myself, and so I crawled into bed and fell almost instantly asleep, leaving my writing of Dackel Princess to this morning!

We head back to the homestead at noontime and will have a big party with the cousins who are already in town tonight, complete with some bluegrass music. Then Saturday night is the banquet and dance.

Off to have my coffee!