The Dackel Princess

We Are In Florida!

What a day! It started at Oh-dark-thirty in the morning when we both opened our eyes just before the alarm clock went off. We were pretty much ready for our departure, but as we dressed and made coffee, I noticed that the three dackels were still in bed! We got them up, one by one, and made them face the start of the day, even if it was 3:30 AM!

We managed to get out the door by 4 AM and head toward the airport. We’d been driving for 15 minutes when I suddenly was struck by the fact, that I might have forgotten my cell phone! Oh, what would I do without my beloved and much used cell phone?

I climbed into the back seat, dug around in my bag and located the phone, my wallet and my extra glasses. Thank goodness!

Our trip to the airport went unbelievably well. The roads were clear, and no one was out. We parked at the airport, and then off we went to the terminal.

Hoping to make the Atlanta flight out of Manchester, NH we were unlucky enough to miss by two seats! We looked at the schedules and the loads on them, before deciding to go to Detroit where we had an abundance of choices.

I’m here to tell you that those choices were not so very good!

We flew on a CRJ 50 seat airplane from Manchester to Detroit. Then we waited and went from gate to gate to gate to gate. The Terminal A is the largest one I have ever seen! And we were rushing trying to wait on standby for a seat!

We arrived in Detroit and went in to a gate in the C concourse. Naturally, our flights south would be on Concourse A. From one end to the other.

Concourse A with 1.5 miles of moving walkways serves American Airlines. Additionally, the Express Tram stops at the South station near gate A11, the Terminal station in the center near the water feature, and the North station near gate A67. Concourse A has to the left gates A1-38; to the right gates A40-75, and at its center the tunnel connecting to Concourse B to the left and Concourse C to the right.

By 2 o’clock, there was a lull in the flights, and as we walked down the concourse, I saw it…THE GOLDEN ARCHES!!! I hadn’t had much to eat all day and by two o’clock my blood sugar suddenly did a nose dive. We went in and got a cheeseburger, fries and diet Pepsi! You know what? It tasted so good!!! I haven’t had a McDonald’s cheeseburger in YEARS!

We waited for yet another Fort Lauderdale Florida flight, and at 5:30 in the afternoon, we made it!!!

As I write I am currently sitting in the back of a 757 heading south. It’s been a bumpy ride with a little two year old behind me, whose poor mom doesn’t know what to do. I think this kid has her all figured out and is running the show!

But I do not care! We will get to Florida tonight, and be there to get on the ship tomorrow!

Snow!

All day Thursday found snow falling. I must tell you that nothing makes me worry more than snow falling the day before I am supposed to fly. Why, at this late date, do we have snow?

We still had a few things left to do, like banking, going to the post and finishing packing. Oh, and for Hubby, the added bonus of plowing the drive. All day, the snow fell (and at 7:15 PM it is still snowing!), so you can only imagine how much snow has fallen.

I hope by the time you all are reading this, we will be happily in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Safe, sound and warm!

More to come!

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins are sponsored by my cousin Janet. Come on and join the fun!

1. When I heard we were due for heavy snow, I was upset and nervous.
2. 70’s and 80’s pop music makes me want get up and dance.
3. Get going!
4. My home is where my heart is.
5. Hands clapping.
6. It’s so wrong to put anybody down.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to an early night’s sleep in Ft. Lauderdale, tomorrow my plans include setting sail on The Crown Princess and Sunday, I want to spend my first day at sea, relaxing, and sipping a nice tropical drink!

Thursday Thirteen

This weeks thirteen, are thirteen things that are weighing on my mind.

It is snowing. We leave on Friday for Florida, IF we can find an open airport and IF we can find empty seats.
Wednesday was spaghetti night, so that all dog sitters/walker/house sitters have been wined and dined and are ready to swing into action.
I lost a pound at WW this week.
This is a good thing, as going on a cruise is almost an instant 2 pounds!
My suitcase is nearly packed. As is the back pack with all my electronic stuff.
Thursday will be dackel bath day.
I really need to stop looking at the local radar. It’s making me crazy.
Tomorrow, Hubby and I can actually sleep in. I sure will try, as the next two more mornings I will have to be up early.
I think tomorrow I may make a small lasagna. We can eat some for dinner and leave the rest for our house sitter.
I need to finish packing the cameras and their chargers.
Also need to get all my computer gear packed and ready to roll.
Davy Jones, of The Monkees fame has died. I met him 20 something years ago in Athens, Greece on New Years. He was a really, truly nice man, traveling with his wife and daughters and not too busy to talk to me. I sure will miss him.
Here is, probably his most famous song.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. The Hodgepodge falls on the last day of February this year, a leap year. How will you spend that extra day?

Getting ready for our vacation, and going to Weight Watchers. We are trying to pack lightly, and so a lot of thought is going into this. At least this year I have my Kindle, so I won’t be lugging around heavy books.

2. What has recently required a leap of faith on your part?

There are times I feel that every day is a leap of faith. I pray each and every day for guidance from God, in my life.

3. We’re one week into the season of Lent…are you marking these 40 days in some way? Giving something up or adding something extra to normal life? How’s it going so far?

I am giving up cookies and cakes during the Lenten Season. Not that I really eat them much, but I figured every little bit helps.

4. When was the last time you sat beside a fire?

Last night. I sure love a good fire in the hearth!

5. Surf and Turf is on the menu. Do you order as is or do you ask for just the surf (lobster), just the turf (steak), or a menu so you can select another option?

Menu. If it’s a good seafood restaurant I would order whole belly fried clams! My favorite. Since I am a New England girl, I can cook a good Lobster any time, and tossing a steak on the grill, or making a prime rib, is not tough either, but I just can’t get those clams right.

6. If you could have any television program back, not in reruns but in new episodes, what program would you choose?

Friends. We sure enjoyed that show!

7. They say an elephant never forgets. These days would you say your memory is more like an elephant or a gnat?

I find as I get older, my memory just isn’t all that good. But not gnat worthy either.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I leave on Friday for our trip. We cruising to the Western Caribbean, while our wonderful house/dog sitter just moves in. I am a little nervous, because we are due for snow here in the northeast and I don’t want flights cancelled. We may yet, have to drive to an airport further south from here.

Skiing & My Teeth

At 7 AM on Monday the alarm clock went off and Hubby jumped up from the bed. “I’ll give you a million dollars if you let me stay in bed”, I moaned.

The covers came off and a smiling face greeted me. “No go, Princess. Get up. It’s time to ski.”

What is it about Hubby? He is 20 years older than me and yet he still has twice the energy that I do! I crawled out of bed and I dressed quickly. It was chilly in the house, and all I wanted was coffee.

I came out to the kitchen, and the coffee was almost done dripping. Don’t you just love that smell? Coffee!!!

We drove down to Gunstock Mountain, and I was surprised at the number of cars there. It is vacation week for our New Hampshire kids, and I expected more people. We hiked up to the lodge, and began the transformation into our ski gear.

It funny. This year I have actually skied more than last and I see more and more people that I know.

I actually have to thank Hubby for the morning. The snow was the best that it has been all year, and we got the first run down the mountain on the best trail. It was so good, in fact I insisted that we do it again!

We went to the top of another slope and started to ski down when we came upon an older woman who was lying in the snow. Her friends stood around her, not knowing what to do. Hubby and I sprung into action. He took off to alert the Ski Patrol, and I stayed with the woman and her friends to do some very basic first aid. My diagnosis is probably a separated shoulder. I sure felt bad for her.

After the Ski Patrol came, we went back to our skiing and in some ways Hubby was getting me to race down the mountain! I have to admit, the last two runs, had me breathing heavy, and my legs turning to jelly!

It was all good!

Upon arriving at home, I opened our snail mail, only to see that my dental insurance was not correct. I’d had my usual cleaning earlier this month, and when I called to ask about the $170.00 balance, the Insurance Company told me I had no Dental Insurance! Huh? I pay nearly $40.00 per month for this insurance! So I called the company Hubby used to work for before retirement, and they are working on the glitch! They could see right away that I did indeed have insurance!

That ate up my entire afternoon though and when I was done all I wanted was to chill out a little. But that was when we discovered the Direct TV Channel guide was missing. So after much hemming and hawing, I found one on Wikipedia and printed it out.

I’m almost afraid of what will happen next!

What I Did This Last 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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Oh, where do I begin? It was a busy weekend, and yet it also provided me with plenty of time to rest, and plan. Let’s see.

On Friday, we did ski. It was not the best of conditions, but I somehow managed to ski without falling, so that is something!

Friday night we were supposed to host a meal for our house/doggy sitters, but everyone was feeling lousy with the community cold, so we decided to postpone that.

On Saturday, I was feeling a little under the weather myself. So I didn’t do too much. I did read my new download on kindle, “The Vow”. What a great story. I could hardly put it down, which is why Jack was forced to eat pretty crappy meals. I just didn’t want to stop to prepare my usual fancy fare! lol!

There was literally nothing on the TV, so I read. Oh..wonderful! Unless you have been unable to read for any length of time, you will not understand my elation at being able to read again!

I heard back from my cousin, and he is coming up in March to fix my laptop computer, and get it all working again on XP! I’m going to make Sauer Braten for him!

Now, I have just put a banana bread in the oven to cook, thus using up all my rotting ripe bananas, and I will serve that to Hubby tonight with some boiled potatoes, green beans and salmon!

We’ve started our packing lists, in an attempt to pack lightly for this trip. I mean, we’re going to the tropics. how many clothes do we need?

After dinner on Sunday, I plan to read some more. I imagine Hubby will drag me from a warm bed Monday morning to go skiing! Ugh! Oh well, soon we will be swimming with Flipper (a dolphin) and my life will be very happy!

Have a great Monday, Everyone!!!

The Seasons

Friday found Hubby and I back out on the slopes. It was not the best of days, in that it had rained the day before, and the snow was soft and on some places the surface was just plain gone. I tried to make the best of it, but picture conditions late in the season, where the snow is not holding up too well.

Add to that a gazillion little kids, who point their skis or snow-boards down hill and then whiz by, never making a turn! Yeah, after an hour and a half I was feeling the pressure. I told Hubby he could keep skiing, but I was worried I would fall and get hurt, and never be able to swim with Flipper! So, I was going in.

He joined me and we left and came home. If anything, the dogs were very happy to see us, and after a bit, I made lunch.

I relaxed in a hot bath tub and when I got out, Mandy called me and I got to hear my grand daughter’s heart beating! I cried, I laughed, oh how wonderful!

My house-sitters dinner was cancelled tonight as everyone has a cold. So we’ll do it next week, when everyone is feeling better.

Have a good weekend, Everyone!

Friday Fill-Ins (A Day Late)

Friday Fill-Ins are sponsored by my cousin Janet. Come on and join the fun!

And…here we go!

1. I’m feeling Very sore from all the skiing.
2. I want nothing more than to rest and relax!
3. I need a hot cup of tea and a good book.
4. I was thinking how happy I am because I heard my grand daughter’s heart beat today!.
5. I wish I could eat as much as I like and not gain weight.
6. I’m reading “The Vow” A true story about a young couples love and devotion after a tragic accident.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to climbing into bed and falling asleep, tomorrow my plans include to start getting my vacation clothes out and Sunday, I want to have a slow day. I sure hope I get it!

New Things

I’m sitting here on my new love seat thinking how much I love it. Ten years with the old chair, and I’d gotten to that old man point, of being used to how my bottom fit in the sagging seat. Why bother getting anything new?

Of course there was the day that I sat down and a spring came up and well, we just don’t talk about it! I did flip the chair and managed to sort of put things together, but I was going to make the chair last! Sadly, this was not to be the case.

By New Years, the chair was even worse. Hubby decided that we should go out shopping for furniture. At first I knew exactly what I wanted, but I refused to pay that much for a new chair, when my old one was still just fine for the dackels and me.

Then I found the new one, with a great price and I quickly ordered it. It is actually a small love seat, which is larger than my chair with even more room for the dackels and me! Now during the six weeks that I waited, I kept telling myself that I didn’t really need the new love seat.

Then it arrived. The dackels circled the chair, not knowing if they liked it or not. I sat down and felt that my bottom felt great all over the love seat! Best of all…there are no springs coming up from beneath the seat!

I wonder why it is, that when we ourselves need new shoes or a new chair or a new mattress, we don’t see things as a priority?

Maybe it is just me. Maybe it comes from growing up with very little. I learned to make due with what I had.

Anyway, I’m so thankful to Hubby for helping me find this new seat. I really love it!