The Dackel Princess

1. Yesterday I got my hair cut. It’s an entirely new style and I love it. I need to have Hubby or my cousin Janet take a picture or two after I have done it and put on my make-up so you all can see.
2. On Wednesday I went to Weight Watchers and I had lost Three and a half pounds! Yay! Even though I am at my goal, I am at the mid point on their charts, and I would like to lose another ten pounds.
3. I have a beautiful deep violet, satin gown that i would love to wear to Mandy’s wedding if I fit into it.
4. We are still working with a wedding planner to secure a date, but we’re thinking May/June.
5. Hubby and I worked in the green house cleaning and putting things away for the winter.
6. This means that all the pots, trays, and my garden equipment have been put away for another year.
7. Already I am planning next years garden!
8. We had only one Honey Crisp Apple off of our young tree. It was delicious!
9. But Hubby is harvesting apples and bringing them to market.
10. I really have missed my soap, “All My Children” and refuse to watch the networks new, hip show called “The Chew”. I hope it fails!
11. The leaves are getting pretty. Red, and yellow, and orange!
12. Today is grocery shopping day. I think maybe I’ll let Hubby take me out to lunch.
13. Our weather is due to get cooler this weekend. I sure am ready for that!

1. It is officially fall here in North America…I realize not everyone who participates in the Hodgepodge lives in North America but if you do, what’s your favorite memory of Summer 2011? If you’re not in North America, what’s your favorite memory of the season just ending on your side of the world?

I have two. The first being the engagement of my daughter, Mandy to Matt, and the second being able to attend my 35th High School Reunion. What fun that was!

2. Your favorite nut? You know I mean the edible kind, right?

Almonds. I love Almonds. Plain, salted, spiced, sweet, any old way! I love Almonds!!!

3. What activity puts your sense of balance to the test?

Lately it seems like almost anything. My balance has really been challenged.  Don’t ask me why, s I have no real idea.

4. How would you describe your sense of humor?

Dry and sharp! I love a good joke, a good gag, and a good comeback!

5. September 28th is National Ask a Stupid Question Day…what’s your stupid question?

There are a million. Have you ever seen Bill Engvall? He does this segment of jokes called “Here’s Your Sign”. Basically what this comes down to is that he gives signs that say “I’m Stupid” to people who ask questions that should never be asked. Here is an example:

“Two fishermen dock their boat and as they are unloading their haul of fish, a man walks up and says, “You all been fishing?”

“Nope, the fish gave up and jumped in the boat. Here’s your sign!”

In other words, the sign says “I’m Stupid” and he hands them out when some asks a stupid question. I love Bill Engvall and you can go to Youtube and see some of his videos. Or look on Comedy Central for The Blue Collar Comedy Tour, as he is a member of that touring comedy group.

6. Roller skates~hula hoop~jump rope…which activity would you most enjoy? Yes, you have to choose.

Oh my. I would worry that I would hurt myself doing all of them! I am not coordinated at all. In my youth I did all three.

7. What’s your most sentimental possession?

I have a few. The things that belonged to my late daughter, Katie. I also have things that Mandy made for me as a child. Also, my grandmother’s diamond ring. I wear that as my engagement ring.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I really do need to bath the dackels. I guess tomorrow I will plan to get all three in the shower and wash them all down. They’re all pretty good in the walk in shower, and I’ll get Hubby on drying duty.

Just when I thought it was time to break out the sweaters and get the hearth prepared for its first blaze of the season, our temperatures soared to 80 degrees. (f) It’s not too uncommon for this to happen here. They call it “Indian Summer”.  All Hubby and I know is, we were getting close to taking the air conditioners out and putting them to bed for the winter, but we think we will wait just a little longer before we take them out.

I would like it to cool off just a little though, as I love sweaters and I can hardly wait for sweater weather! I’m just about past “hot-flashes” so I can once again wear sweaters without sweltering in sub-zero temperatures.

What a rip off it is for women in the prime of their lives to get stuck having them. At least mine did not last too long. For that I am grateful. Of course for those two and a half years, I went to the tropics without a moments notice and often felt cold and clammy after.

I digress.

I really am looking forward to the fall and cooler temperatures. The leaves are turning colors, and yet, with this heat my eggplants are still growing as are my basil and parsley. In fact, I went out and watered everything today and I will be getting another eggplant meal in a couple of days.

No, I really don’t mind, because I know, all too soon we will be having below zero temperatures, and snow on the ground. Autumn will fade into the whiteness of winter.

And I’ll be able to wear all the sweaters I want!

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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Although this was a productive weekend, I have to say, it was also a weekend filled with thoughts.

On Friday, I reprogrammed Hubby’s computer, installing all of his bookmarks and mail programs, and making sure that they worked, before going off to bed. Somehow, my mind would not shut off until well into the middle of the night, and then I fell asleep.

The dogs are starting to mature, so on Saturday they let us sleep until 8:45 AM! Amazing! I got up and after a cup of coffee, made our breakfast and then set about doing what we needed to do.

Hubby is picking apples, and I was trying to get a little laundry done, but I got side tracked with a report, and before I knew it, it was time to start chopping vegetables for my chicken soup.

On Friday I had made a wonderful rotisserie chicken. Then I boned it and put all the bones into a big pot with onions and celery and a carrot and set it low to simmer. I forgot it was on, and went to bed. At 4 AM on Saturday morning I remembered it, and jumped out of bed and turned it off.

Well, when I strained it in the morning and put it in the fridge I had the most wonderful soup base ever.

So, I chopped up, onions, green pepper, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauteed that until soft and added my soup base and let that simmer for a while. Meanwhile, I got some flat leaf parsley, and basil from my garden and chopped that up, added about a half a tablespoon of sea salt and sage, and let that simmer some more. I cut up the chicken I wanted to use, and I used up two boiled potatoes.

When Hubby and I sat down for dinner last night he was amazed and I was thrilled with the outcome. My first soup of the season! Oh, I sure love soup and stew season!

Sunday started brightly and I went out to the garden and picked 6 Ichiban Eggplants! I guess we will be having those at lunch, as dinner has already been planned as corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and meatloaf (Hubby’s favorite).

We watched a great movie in the morning called “The Rainmaker” with Matt Damon. What a powerful movie!

We also plan to watch the new television show “Pan Am” tonight on ABC. Hubby is anxious to see how many mistakes they make! lol I will let you know what he thinks. After all, most of his flying career was done at Pan Am. He flew with them, all over the world, from 1966-1991.

Happy Monday!

The summer is now officially over and so are a lot of my excuses to cheat on my diet. I know people will say that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, all give one pause in the quest for dietary excellence. To a certain degree this is true, but…

Halloween has never been a big deal for me, since I basically quit chocolate. I still have a piece of Weight Watchers chocolate from time to time, but I find that it is terrible for my hypoglycemia. So I stay away from sugar overloads.

My birthday and Thanksgiving, both cause me a little problem. I do so love a slice of birthday cake, but I will be honest, I cannot deal well with that much sugar and not want to go back and eat more. So, I stopped having a birthday cake.

Thanksgiving is a good holiday for me. I can eat all the vegetables, weigh my turkey and have a small serving of chestnut dressing. I can manage Thanksgiving. Yes, I do miss my super turkey sandwich after, but we all have our crosses to bear, right? And a slice of splenda pumpkin pie.

Christmas, I have always eaten a German bread called, Stollen. I do not see the need to do away completely with that, and one Nurnburger Lebkucken cookie will also not kill me. Moderation.

I cook a prime rib and baked potatoes and green beans. Apple pie for dessert, made with splenda. I will also have one glass of red wine.

New Years I try to only eat appetizers made from vegetables. Hubby and I will sip champagne and toast in the New Year.

And hopefully, I will not feel too guilty from all I have eaten.

After all, four years ago I made a resolution to go to Weight Watchers and to lose the weight for good.

Before 2007

All I can say is, so far, so good!

Do any of you have trouble (or phobias) with parking your car? I do! I can’t seem to get the entire parallel parking thing down. I’ve been known to drive 5 miles, turn around in order to try again. I’ve also gone around and around and around waiting for a space to open up.

Fortunately, the parking in shopping malls or grocery store parking lots are simple. You pull in and get out. Those types of spaces, I love!

Since my eye surgeries, I am even more paranoid about parking. Our Jeep isn’t bad. It’s small and I can usually just pull straight in to a place that requires a parallel parking job, thus avoiding the entire thing. My car is a sedan and slightly larger, but it does handle fairly well, and Hubby’s car, well, it’s a station wagon, and I’ll tell you, it doesn’t handle too well for those tight parking places.

Today I was in my car. The sedan. There was one place to park and it was not a place I could easily slip into to. It was also close to the time when they close up the post office, so I knew I had to park it, and get in there.

I tried to remember all that stuff in the drivers manual.

1. Put your blinker on to alert the drive in back of you that you are planning to park.
2. Pull parallel with the car in front of where you plan to park.
3. Put the car in reverse and turn the wheel sharply so that you are heading toward the curb.
4. Slowly back up and half way through the turn, begin to smooth out your turn.
5. If necessary straighten the car by pulling forward and back. (I did not need to do this. I was perfect first time in!)
6. Let go of your held breath and put car in park.

I was so proud of myself that I felt like skipping in to get the mail. Instead I walked quickly and got the mail, and then came home happily, so I could tell Hubby!

He was so proud!

So am I the only one who has trouble with parallel parking? Anyone else out there who has parking phobias?

Have a great Saturday!

1. When I walk around my neighborhood I see a lot of wet. Some trees are starting to turn, and the apples are ripe on the trees. But since it is raining and will be for the next week, I plan indoor activities.
2. A Thanksgiving turkey meal with all the trimmings is my favorite thing to cook.
3. Life is full of ups and downs, and if we are lucky, we find a kindred spirit to share it with.
4. My dachshunds make me feel all warm and fuzzy.
5. Butternut Squash is my favorite Autumn vegetable.
6. Life is better when it is shared with those you love.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching some new TV episodes, tomorrow my plans include making Julia’s Roasted Chicken and Sunday, I would like to watch some football, cook up a chicken soup and read the Sunday paper.

The picture above was taken in Bavaria many years ago. That is Shubi by my feet, as I walked with a dear friend of ours, Otto, who is not longer in this world. Otto and his wife were the owners, not only of the original Shubi, but of my Shubi’s brother, Toni. Follow that? Okay, here are 13 things on my mind today. Most of it are total random thoughts.

1. Hubby’s laptop got fried and he is in the process of having a new one installed. He also has viruses, and they will have to be removed before they can reinstall his programs.
2. Which makes me wonder if I also have viruses on my laptop. I have antivirus programming on my machine, but…
3. We are having lobster tonight, as my grocery store is having a big sale. Just $3.99 a pound! Woo-hoo!!
4. I’ve heard that there are big changes happening on Facebook, but it has not happened to me…yet. I imagine by tomorrow it will.
5. It’s apple season for us. Hubby brings in an apple or two a day and we share it with each other and the dackels! They love apples!
6. Hubby has started chopping wood for the winter. This means that I should clean out the green house so we can get it ready to store the wood.
7. Believe it or not I have several eggplants still growing in the garden!
8. Soon I will need to go and simply pull all of the plants that have died off in the garden and then turn the soil.
9. We’ve grown more Butternut Squash this year, than any other year. Last I counted it was 30!
10. Unfortunately, corn season is over up here. I got a couple of ears at a local farm stand and they were just terrible. Ah well, it was great while it lasted! Until next year!!
11. Did anyone watch the new Two and a Half Men the other night? Is it just me, or were you disappointed?
12. Hubby has been peeling the last few peaches each night and then sets them in the fridge for our breakfast the next morning.
13. I’m having lunch with a friend of mine today. I don’t get out too often with my friends, so I’m really looking forward to this.

Have a great Thursday everyone!