The Dackel Princess

About My Back…

I woke on Saturday morning, in pain. It’s as simple as that. I didn’t want to bother Hubby, so I got the dogs together and came out to the familyroom/kitchen. I turned on the coffee, and then walked each dackel, Fritz just goes off on his own, as he never strays far and let’s face it, with my bad back, he would pull me and kill me.

I dragged myself back in the house and after pouring myself some coffee, went back to my chair, heating pad, and putting my feet up with a pillow underneath my knees.

I turned on the TV (something I do a lot now with the HD TV) and the first Harry Potter movie was just starting. The first movie and the last movie are my favorites of the Harry Potter Movie Series. I was watching this when Hubby got up and together we watched young Harry Potter learn to be a Wizard! (In HD! How great is that?)

I tried to stretch when I got up, and use heat when I could. I have done no heavy lifting, and I have not strained my back today. Yet somehow, it is worse. Should it not resolve by Tuesday (after the Labor Day holiday) I will call my doctor. Until then I will take anti-inflammatories and hope for the best.

I managed to make lunch, and then plan an easy dinner for us, as Hubby has been working picking Concord Grapes. I am hoping to have many grapes to make jelly with, as I am, quite literally, down to my last jar!

So I have my fingers crossed that by tomorrow my back will have magically gotten better and I will be able to do what needs to be done with the grapes. Then Monday would be canning day! At least Hubby is really good at helping me with that.

Technology

Now that we have joined just about everyone in the world with HD-TV, and loving every moment of our TV viewing time, I began to think of how TV has evolved over my lifetime.

My first real memory of TV is watching the black and white TV that graced our living room on Clipper Lane in Falmouth. The TV console was huge, with a small screen in front, and a dial that you actually had to turn by hand. Seeing as I was the youngest and the one most able to squat on my legs in front of the TV, I was the channel switcher.

The picture was mostly blurry back then and if there was any wind or storm blowing the antenna, then your picture deteriorated to a snowy image. We actually had an antenna on the roof, so we didn’t have to move it around, but later in my life, I was given a small black and white TV and it used rabbit ears. Then it was the battle of getting those ears just right to receive a signal. I remember actually using tin foil on the ends of the ears to make the picture clearer.

The next TV my family had came about 1967, and it was our first color TV. We got a special rooftop antenna, and this TV had a larger screen (still small in comparison to today’s TV sets), and yet a smaller TV box. This still had a dial that had to be turned, but instead of just the standard channels, we had a second dial with UHF signals! Those new stations had start up TV channels that showed B movies and crappy TV shows, but to a 10 year old this was heaven! Seeing “The Wizard of Oz” in color for the first time, was a wonder to this child, that had only seen it in black and white!

I didn’t see too many changes in TV’s while in my 20’s or even my 30’s. We did get remote controls, better colorization, and I did begin to hear about digital TV and how soon they would switch everyone over to that. I laughed thinking that there were a lot of TV’s in the world and it would never happen.

When I reached the age of 51, the change from analog to digital TV DID happen! Fortunately our TV’s all had digital capabilities. However we had no HD-TV’s in the house.

That year, Sam’s Club had a big sale on HD-TV’s. Hubby and I went down and found a Vizio TV, 48 inches, that we liked, and that would fit the bill. So for Christmas that year, we bought it for each other.

We got it home and hooked it up to just the normal signals and we were amazed at the clarity, so we didn’t think about having the HD turned on.

We enjoyed Direct TV and their ability to show Tennis matches on several courts at the same time. That was until this August! The US Open started and I tuned into the multi-channel feed, and found that we no longer got it! Huh?

I called and learned that you had to have the HD Box and service to get the feed. I was not happy at all! After going back and forth we finally decided to do the upgrade to HD-TV. The service agent came yesterday and installed a new dish, a new receiver, brought new remote controls and gave us a class on HD-TV 101!

So what do I think of HD-TV now that it is installed and I can watch it? Wow! I can’t believe I dragged my feet for so long. What a marvelous picture! It is like I am sitting right there at the tennis match!

I never thought I would see this kind of technology in my lifetime. I think my grandmother, who loved her TV would be blown away with the new pictures this TV can give us. I sat in her arms, many a Saturday night, watching Lawrence Welk on her black and white TV.

Ah, technology! What a great thing!

Thinking of you Grandma Honey!

Friday Fill-Ins

The grateful edition!

And…here we go!

1. You don’t have to be wealthy to be rich in the things that matter.
2. But it’s the little things in life that tell me that I am loved.
3. Basically, I am a happy person, who asks for very little in my life.
4. How I interpret something, may not necessarily be how you interpret it.
5. In this way, perhaps I am happier than most. Being close in my heart to those I love is all that matters.
6. I believe that one day, all those that I have had to say good bye to will once again celebrate my life with me.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching more HD-TV tomorrow my plans include doing some laundry and cooking some meals and Sunday, I want to get ready for it…make the grape jelly from our Concord Grapes!

What’s Happening

I woke up on Wednesday morning and found I could hardly move! I crawled into the bathroom and the pain in my back shot through my hips and up my spine. I managed a shower, and I dressed because gosh darn it, Wednesday is Weight Watcher Day and I wanted to weigh in! I just knew I’d lost weight!

I told Hubby to get up and wait for the Satellite Installer. Then I slowly walked down to the car. I drove to class and weighed in and found a nice loss of 1.2 pounds, and then I left and came back home! I grabbed my heating pad, and the dachshunds and sat down in my chair with my feet up.

I cancelled my dental appointment and rescheduled. I held off calling to cancel my eye exam on Thursday, hoping my back would feel better as the day went on.

The Satellite man arrived and did a lot. We got a new dish, new receiver, new remote controls and finally, after having an HD-TV for 2 years we had the service turned on.

The Installer was a nice man, who worked well, and got everything installed in record time. He showed us how to use all the buttons on the new remote (I sure hate to have to relearn things!) and how we will need to switch back and forth between cable and satellite settings on the TV.

The man also raises Labrador dogs for the handicapped. He was telling us that basically he and his wife have the dog for two years while they train them. Needless to say, he fell right in love with our Fritz! Fritz is the sweetest Shepherd known to man.

Once the upgrades were installed, all I could say is “OH MY GOSH”!!! It is amazing to see the picture so crisp and so “real”! Hubby and I watched the tennis, the Weather Channel and we were amazed how magnificent the picture quality was!

Toward the end of the day I was getting ready to call my eye doctor, when my cell phone rang. It was my eye doctor, canceling my appointment tomorrow. He has an emergency surgery and so they were calling to reschedule! I swear it was divine providence!

We managed easy meals from the freezer, and now I am watching the TV (happily), and in a bit I will go to bed and hope my back is better tomorrow!

Fingers Crossed!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Americans will celebrate Labor Day this coming weekend. Do you know what we’re actually celebrating? (without consulting your friends Google or wikipedia, ahem) What’s a project you’re currently ‘laboring’ over?

I’ve always thought it was a day to celebrate the workers of our country. I hope that’s right. Although in modern times, it is now the weekend we celebrate the end of the summer. Most people have barbecues (cookouts) with family and friends. Many go to the beaches or the lakes or the mountains. Occasionally there are fireworks, but celebrations are the key!

2. Labor Day also signals the unofficial end of summer for most of us…what summer food will you miss the most? If you’re in the southern hemisphere feel free to substitute winter for summer.

The fresh sweet corn and the tomatoes. Our fresh corn months are usually late July and August. We may get a picking in September, but not for long.

3. A well known proverb states, ‘It’s easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission.’ Your thoughts?

Ha! I’m one of those people who asked for permission because I was always afraid of the consequences! The few times I just did what I wanted as a kid (and got caught), I was in real trouble!

4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic….which hat would you most like to wear?

Food critic. I can usually judge a good meal, or item that has been prepared. I am rather an eclectic art connoisseur. I like different sorts of books, not the ones everyone else likes. I enjoy movies, but my favorites tend to be “chick flicks” and not deep dark or violent movies.

5. When you were a kid, who (besides your parents) was your favorite adult?

Oh that’s tough because I had a wonderful assortment of characters in my family! There was my Uncle George, who really was more like a father to me than my own was. He taught me how to swim and dive, how to bowl, and spent time watching tennis with me on PBS. His wife, jokingly referred to as “Uncle Betty”, who had a magnificent sense of humor! My Grandmother Honey, who was a safe port in many storms in my life and my Papa Fred, who showed me what love was all about. He was devoted to my grandmother, and loved his grand-kids and great grand-kids.

6. The astronaut, Neil Armstrong, passed away last week. He was regarded as a hero by many generations of people all around the world. Do we still have modern day heroes? What makes someone a hero?

Not so much on a National level. I think every man or woman serving in the military, especially on the front lines is a hero. The local police and firemen, too. Unfortunately, there is so much corruption in politics, and our national programs, that I do not see them as heroes at all.

7. I never get tired of holding my granddaughter in my arms! She is such a blessing to her parents and to her grand parents!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have no plans for this holidays weekend. Perhaps Hubby and I will just hang out and watch the US Open Tennis! You see Uncle George, where ever you are in Heaven, I’m still watching the tennis that you taught me to love!

Matinees

Monday morning, Hubby started to bug me about going to a matinee with him. I really did not feel like going to a movie, and told him he should go without me, and then tell me all about it after.

He gave me that look. You know the look people? The one that says that he’s already decided you’re going, so just give up and take your shower and dress. There is no way you’re winning this battle.

So I got ready to go out, and Hubby said all the right things, like “You look so beautiful today.” Yeah, right! If I’d stayed at home in my pajamas, he wouldn’t have been saying that, but what the heck, a girl likes to hear that she’s pretty, every now and then!

So we drove to the theater in the big city and grabbed sandwiches on the way. We arrived in plenty of time for the movie, but I was shocked to see that the theater was 3/4 full! That never happens at a matinee, for a grown ups movie. The Muppets, or a cartoon movie maybe, but not for something like this!

Obama’s America 2016 was actually better than I thought it would be. It was well researched, with excerpts from President Obama’s own books, interviews with his family, and those who have known him through the years. I encourage people to see it. Like him or not, the movie is eye opening.

At the end of the movie the audience clapped for several minutes! I’ve been to only a few movies where people did that at the end of a movie.

I’m kinda glad I lost this battle with Hubby!

What I Did This Past Weekend

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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It was a very busy weekend here for me. Saturday I started a double batch of tomatoes simmering in a pot. Meanwhile, Hubby helped me to dice all sorts of vegetables for the sauce. As my freezer is completely full with chili and spaghetti sauce, I opted to make simple tomato sauce. The kind one uses to make lasagna. You can process this in jars and store it on the shelf.

I came up with 4 large jars of sauce, which I processed and are now resting with the other jars of canned yummy foods.

It did take most of the day, but it will be worth it in the end. We didn’t finish this project until 9 pm Saturday night.

I also attended the Fair on Saturday and on Sunday my calves aches from walking up and down the hills near my home. I better step up my conditioning before ski season, or I will be one very sore girl!

Sunday was a very nice day. It was hot outside, which is good for clothes drying, and I was able to get the laundry done, and to clean the kitchen and baths, so when I looked around, things really looked pretty good!

I gave Arnie a bath in the sink as he had gone out and rolled around in something terribly smelly! He did not like that too much, but waited until I was done and had given him a nice towel drying before he shook hard and raced off to roll in his doggy bed.

Not too much else happening here. Just as I’d hoped, Sunday was a fairly quiet day.

Have a great Monday, Everyone!

A Disappointing Fair

I was up at the usual time on Saturday, and eventually got around to making breakfast. It was a nice sunny day, and since I wanted to go to the Craft Fair, and no one wanted to go with me, I decided to go alone. So I put on my sneakers, a baseball cap and sunglasses, and off I went.

Half way there I realized that I should have worn shorts as it was sooooo hot! I hit the down town area, got my mail and the local paper and then started to look around.

I noticed that there were fewer Artisans this year than in the past. I also noticed that the prices were sky high! I wandered around and around and bought nothing.

I began to feel like I was wilting when I went to the first food booth. They wanted $2.00 for a little bottle of water! I decided that I was cheap enough, that I would rather dehydrate than pay that exorbitant sum! A little further down there was another booth selling drinks and pie. A bottle of water the same size was $1.00!

I ran into many of my friends from Town, and also someone I had not seen in twelve years. As, I stood yacking, I began to feel dizzy. So I said my good-byes, and walked back home.

I was gone for over two hours and I was just drenched from the heat. I came in, quickly changing my clothes, and sitting down in the wonderful air conditioning!

I felt bad for the Artisans at the Fair. I don’t think much will be sold today. Sad!

Want To Have Lunch?

I’ve been out to lunch four times this past week! Different types of foods and two places that really didn’t offer salad type meals. What to do. what to do?

With Laurie, I had quiche and a salad and felt reasonably good about that. I also walked out of that restaurant and did not have dessert. That restaurant makes the best desserts around!

With Hubby, I tried to make sensible choices. Such as at the Chinese Buffet, I had things like Chinese Vegetables and Egg Foo Yong, and avoided the fried food that I really love.

With Vicki, we met at a restaurant where I ordered a sandwich that had mostly vegetables in it, and then tried not to eat too much of the bread.

With Mandy I went to a restaurant that actually had a salad and so I ordered one of those, with strawberries, mandarin oranges, and chicken.

However, I feel terribly guilty. I don’t feel in control of my eating when I am out and I worry that I am making the wrong decisions. After all, you do not know what they are doing in the kitchen while they’re preparing your meal.

So, tonight I am going to eat lightly. Just a small amount of steak, and some salad. And I’ll be drinking up a lot of water.

Meanwhile, I won’t need to go out for lunch for a bit! Which I am thankful for. You see, on Friday I put on dress slacks, with a fitted top and nothing was too small. I want to keep having that feeling.

Friday Fill-Ins

And…here we go!

1. Seeing the eyes of my grand daughter, fills me with such joy and happiness!.

2. It’s never too late to share in God’s love!.
3. According to the weatherman, this weekend will be a nice one, so I think I will go walking downtown to the local Art’s & Crafts Street Fair!.
4. As we know, summer will come to an end and my favorite time of year will be upon us! Autumn.
5. I associate with people I love and care about and try like anything to avoid people who bring too much drama into it. Forget the drama! Life is good.
6. Long ago in another life, I was lucky to be the mother of two beautiful girls!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to tacos night, tomorrow my plans include laundry and perhaps going to the Arts Fair and Sunday, I want to go to the Arts Fair if I haven’t gone on Saturday!