The Dackel Princess

The Friday Five ~ May 6th

Spring arrived this week, and as I write the grass has turned green and is growing, and the tight buds on the fruit trees will very quickly begin to open. But for now, here are this week’s Friday Five.

My back is pretty much healed. If I begin to overdo then it will pinch me and let me know I need to sit for a few minutes and rest before getting back to things.
It’s been a challenge as both dogs had tummy trouble within one day of each other. They’re fine now, but nothing moves you faster than the sound a dog makes just before they lose their dinner!
We just learned that a very old friend of Jack’s and mine passed away. She had attended college with Jack and they both graduated the same year from Middlebury College in Vermont. Carolyn married one of Jack’s good friends and theirs had been a very happy marriage. We are both very saddened by this.
It’s Cinco de Mayo tonight so I am making Tacos. Since we don’t get out much, I make an effort to celebrate these little holidays when I can.
Nothing much planned for this weekend. If possible I’d like to get the big vacuum out and run it all over the house. However, we will see how the back feels.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Moms & Grandmoms!

Happy 84th Birthday, Jack

Today is the eighty-forth birthday of my husband Jack. It’s quite a milestone for him. We met many years ago and were friends for a long time. We saw each other through many difficult times in life, and eventually, when we figured it all out, we got married and started our life together. How the time has flown.

Today we celebrate Jack’s birth and here is hoping for not only a happy day but a healthy and wonderful year ahead!

The Friday Five ~ April 29th

This was literally a crazy week. And here we are on Friday and although much was accomplished I ended up having to take some much-needed downtime. Let me explain.

On Tuesday I made up a grocery list and headed to our local store. I needed everything from Avocados to Ziploc Bags. So, I shopped and was helped by a new teenage bagger, who filled each grocery bag to maximum capacity.
When I got home I started to carry the bags up the stairs from the basement garage to the kitchen. Heavy sacks and I carried far too many of them at once.
Just as I finished the groceries, Chewy arrived and I went down to bring up a few dog food things. Nothing heavy, but as I hit the third step, my lower back went out. Each step, each movement, brought on excruciating pain! Once I finished putting things away, and with tears streaming down my cheeks, I sat down on my recliner.
I have worn my back brace some and used my heating pad, but the best relief I get is when I am reclined in my recliner.

Heidi makes a great Nurse.

So, I have decided that I need to get a reclining bed. Once I am mobile enough, I will start shopping.
Today our snowplow people came to repair the grassy area next to the driveway, where his plow truck skidded off. So far it looks good.

So that was the week that was. I managed to get through it and my back is slightly better. I’ve been walking and doing gentle stretches. I hate being laid up and want to be enjoying the sunshine. So, MY–BACK, get better fast!

My love, Heidi.

It’s All About…

It’s all About…What’s on the inside!

How many of you have looked around you and have seen beautiful faces and thought, I would like to get to know that person? Sort of an instant crush based on appearances only.

Here’s the thing, the external appearance should mean nothing to you. It’s all about what is on the inside.

Long ago my Grandmother told me that a youthful pretty face eventually would age and if you were not a good person inside, eventually, the meanness, the poor juju, the evilness would show on your face.

I think when I had my facial cancer surgery in 2013 I started to really look around and think about what Grandma had told me.

2013 – 2022

As I sat in the plastic surgeon’s office I saw people there to have serious rebuilds done to their faces. They were accompanied by a friend or family member. And listening to their conversations I heard the sounds of love, care, and concern.

There I was feeling very sorry for myself and the loss of the face that God gave me, and there were people far worse off, with people that loved them by their side.

I suppose that was when I started to consider the person I was, how I treated people, and how I wanted to live out my life.

I decided to look for beauty in every person I saw. At the same time, I needed to stop allowing myself to only find my value, in my face.

I think having my face rearranged was the best thing that could have happened to me. It made me grow. It made me look outside of the box at what real value is in one’s life.

Kind & Loving

Recently I was reading an article and the question was posed, “How has the world changed since you were a child”.

I thought for a long time about it. What I eventually came up with both shocked and saddened me.

I think the biggest difference is that people are not as kind or as loving as they were in the 1960s.

I recall people being kind. I recall people being allowed to have a difference of opinion without them becoming arch enemies.

I saw people taking a lost child under their wing. A friend’s parents going out of their way to make their child’s friend part of something positive.

I had many adults in our community theater treat me so warmly and I felt part of something good.

I was brought up in a multicultural community and I enjoyed learning about and knowing about things that were different from mine.

I loved that people judged me for the person I am and not the color of my skin, the church I attended, or my political affiliation.

People were kind to me. People were loving toward me, and when I rode my bicycle all around town, people waved at me and smiled.

I miss that. It is my hope that one day, the Country can return to civility.

The Weekend Wrap ~ April 25th

Although the weekend sped by, I can’t really say that a lot went on.

Heidi was quiet for the most part. I’m feeling good about getting her spay surgery out of the way.

As you can see, her Recovery Suit covers her incision. I simply love these!

From now on she can think about living a wonderful healthy life! In a few more days we will get back outside and back to our walking plan.

Lili goes from being fine to limping around. She goes in for her shots in two weeks and she’ll be evaluated further then.

After sleeping in my recliner for nearly four months I can tell you that my neck, shoulders, and back no longer hurt when I get up in the morning. I am thinking I should get rid of my regular bed and get a reclining bed. It seems to take all the pressure off of my spine. I think it is time to shop and do some price comparisons! Stay tuned…

This week we have no plans. I may try to do some spring cleaning, but nothing that requires me to drive a lot. If I am lucky, I will make a few runs to the recycling center and actually purge a closet or two!

Have a great week!

The Friday Five ~ April 22nd

This week sped by and several things got accomplished. So I am pleased that it all went off without a hitch.

I got our taxes done over the weekend and in the mail on Monday. It’s the first time I have done them alone (pretty much). I think my blood pressure was soaring.
Wednesday found me getting my new crowns. They are wonderful! They feel like real teeth and my bite is perfect. So, I am one very happy girl. Despite the hit to my bank account!
Heidi went in early on Thursday for her spay surgery. The Vet’s Office is some distance from my home, so I asked if I could just sit and wait in their parking lot. Since Heidi was first on the surgical list they said sure.
So, I sat looking at the beautiful farm and all the animals. The Vet’s children came out to play and it was fun watching them too. The two hours sped by and soon they brought Heidi out. She was sleepy but happy to be with me. We drove home, I walked her a bit in my yard, and then she came in and fell asleep in her little bed.
Tonight she had a little dinner and had her pain meds. She is happily curled up with me on my chair. Her little recovery suit is just perfect. So much better than the cone of shame.

So the week was busy, but in the end, everything went well and we have the weekend to recover.

Help!

There are certain times in one’s life when you have an incident occur that reminds you that you are no longer a young and nubile woman.

And so it was on Monday morning.

I was sitting here looking out of my slipping glass doors when I noted the winter grime on them. I figured I would get the bucket out, mix up some cleaner and wash down the windows on the outside. The sliders went well, but when I came to the back door I stepped up onto the door frame and was reaching for the nut to slide over to keep the screen door from closing when I lost my balance.

It happened so fast. One minute I was reaching up, and the next minute I was on the cement patio block ground!

I landed on the right hip, shoulder, elbow, and knee. Both hands seem to have gotten road rash as I tried to break my fall.

After landing, not very gracefully, I lay there for a moment. I mentally checked my mind to see if anything hurt in a crazy bad way.

I attempted to get up on my right side, but that wasn’t happening. I wondered if I was going to end up like the lady in the commercial. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

So I rolled to my left and very slowly got to my feet. Both palms were bleeding and things were starting to hurt.

It’s now a couple of hours later and things are starting to hurt a wee bit more.

What hurts the most is the fact that I am not as steady on my feet as I once was. It makes me feel old.

So that’s my tale of woe. I’m actually lucky. It could have been a lot worse.

The Friday Five ~ April 14th

During the week we had a visitor nearly every day. Of course each time we saw the Fox, my camera or cell phone wasn’t around. Finally, today Lili barked and I grabbed my camera and got a few pictures.

Foxy!
Walking down my driveway!
Look at the fluffy tail!
If I’d only gotten this shot I would consider myself lucky.
But then Foxy turned and I got this picture. Well, it just made my Thursday, I will tell you!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a very blessed Easter!

This & That ~ April 14th

This is sort of a catch-up post as a lot has been happening, which has kept me from sitting down to write this out. But, here goes…

- Lili’s left ankle is still a problem. There were two incidents today that exacerbated the injury, and she is once again limping about.
  Limping Lili.
  
  I still have the anti-inflammatory so she took a dose with dinner tonight, and I will go back to walking her only on a leash. My poor big girl.
- On Wednesday I had a meet-up with my girlfriends. They’d been dying to meet my little love-puppy, and since it wasn’t raining, was not too cold, off we went to the meet-up.

On our way to the meeting.

- To say that my little gang of ladies fell hard for Heidi would be an understatement! She was at her very best and flirted with each and every one of the girls!
- Heidi is an amazing doggy. She will be 6 months old next week and yet she is already well behaved. Heidi can sit, down, roll to the side for belly rubs and sit at my feet. Next on my list is to teach her to shake paws.
- On my way home I stopped and saw a friend at the Shipping Store. She was Arnie’s girlfriend. (And I even brought Arnie to see her before I took him for his last ride.) She is totally smitten with our new little Miss.

My darling!

The general consensus is that the world needs more baby puppies like Heidi.
Did I mention that Heidi got into some gross stuff the other day? She hates baths. So, since I needed a shower too, I readied the bathroom and brought her in with me. It turns out that she actually liked the nice warm shower with Mommy! This is good to know

Happy Thursday!