The Dackel Princess

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What is something that bothers you if it’s not done perfectly?

Having my bed made. I like things tucked and smoothed just so.

2. Do you think a 6th sense exists? Explain.

Yes. I just seem to know some things without being told, or without actual proof. I just know.

3. Do you say your goodbyes slowly, quickly, or not at all?

Good-byes are hard for me, so I tend to say them quickly and then go off. If you have seen the movie, “The Blind Side”, at the end, Sandra Bullocks character has to say good-bye to her adopted son Michael at college. She say good-bye and then goes and sits in the car. You can tell she looks uncomfortable. The feelings of saying good-bye, yes, they are hard for me.

4. On a scale of 1-10, with ten being hot hot hot, what level of spice do you like in your food? What’s your favorite ‘spicy’ dish?

Hot

5. What is one of your all time favorite commercial jingles?

6. Plane, train, boat or auto…your preferred method of travel?

Any of them are fine. It would depend on the reason for the trip.

7. What is something you take for granted?

I hope I don’t take anything for granted. Having lost my daughter, I no longer take for granted the members of my family. I used to. I thought that everyone would be here for their entire lifetime. Boy, was I wrong. So I hope and pray, that I am sane enough to always appreciate those I love.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

A few months ago, my comment section on the blog stopped delivering the comments to my inbox! I tinkered a bit, but noting worked. I just tried to go to my own blog and read and answer as many questions as I could when I had time. The this morning, I woke up, turned on the computer and checked my email and I had 347 messages! Some from recent posts, some from months ago! It appears that Dackel Princess is burping out comments at a rapid pace! So, if you wondered why I haven’t answered your question, it’s probably because I didn’t see it.

Summertime…..

You’ll never guess what I did on Monday? Well if you guessed that I made Plum Jam, you were right!

Hubby and I had to go down to the next town to the store where they sell canning supplies, and when we returned I made my first batch of Plum Jam. I’ll be making batch number two tomorrow.

The Plums are ripe and delicious, and so the Jam is coming out very well, but the tips of my fingers are slightly discolored from the purple plums!

Hubby and I actually had a lot of fun this morning before I got to work in the kitchen and he got to work in the yard. While we were out we stopped and had lunch at a great Chinese/Japanese restaurant. The food was great and for about 45 minutes we enjoyed each others company, while having lunch.

We also have a new tenant living in our stone wall! His name is “Chip”! “Chip” makes me and the dachshunds crazy!

I don’t worry that I will be tempted to chase “Chip”, but I sure worry that the dackels, especially Anneliese, will chase “Chip” and end up in trouble!

I’m hoping to evict him soon!

What I Did This 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 really busy and fun weekend, that found me working in the garden, processing jams, and clearing the garden of dead squash vines. On Saturday, we had such lovely hot weather and sunshine, that I just felt compelled to work outside in the garden.

This got me thinking about next years garden! What plants do I want to have, how many of them do I want to have and since my squash and zucchini got powdery mildew later in the season, I would like to get disease resistant seeds. What can I do to keep the tomato cut worms from decimating my plants? And where can I purchase pea fences for my pea plants to climb. Yes, next years garden is already on my mind!

Hubby helped me with the jam and we made 19 half pint jars on Friday and 19 half pint jars on Sunday! When my cousin Janet was here on Sunday I sent her and Dave off with a little stash of home made canned goodies!

Hubby and I watched “From Lark Rise to Candleford” on Saturday, and I always feel so enriched after that show. It’s a show with a beautiful message. It is very sad that the show has been canceled in it’s native England. I will miss it.

I watched a few chick-flicks while I was working on making the jam. “The Time Traveler’s Wife”, “Life As We Know It”, as well as a morning of “Say Yes To The Dress”. Those shows were all about how to buy a wedding dress, and Randy gave his rules for shopping, including how to be a good Mother to your shopping daughter. One terrible mother chose her Mother of the Bride dress, and it MATCHED the brides, except it was a bright peacock blue! No one could believe it!!!

So that brings me to Sunday night, where I am sitting in my old recliner enjoying the quiet around me. What a great (if not busy) weekend!

Busy? Yes!

Saturday found Hubby and I continuing our busy pace. After breakfast, we worked out in the garden. Sadly, I worked pulling the dead vines of some of my summer squash and zucchini, while Hubby picked tomatoes. We had Fritz outside with us while we worked, as he is the most trust worthy of dogs! The other three like to roam around, and since I worry, I get nothing done. So, while I work, they are safely inside.

When the work was done, they ran all around the yard, hither and yon, and had a marvelous time! They really are good pups. It’s just me, being a worry wart.

In the afternoon after our lunch we began working on the peaches! Dip in boiling water for 25 seconds, Toss in a cold water bath. Peel off skins. Hubby does that. Then I take the peach, cut it in half and pit the fruit, after which I chop up and toss in the pot. We do this until we have 4 pounds of peaches done.

Then I mash peaches; place in large sauce pan. Add sugar; mix thoroughly. Peel orange; cut rind of 1 orange into very thin slices (or use food processor). Squeeze juice from both oranges; remove seeds. Add orange rind and orange juice to peach mixture. Add cherries. Let rest overnight. Tomorrow will be cooking day!

By the time we got our dishes cleaned up, I was beat, but somehow made dinner and got that cleaned up too.

Saturday is nearly over now, and a new day will dawn, and along with it, two more batches of Heavenly Jam to be cooked up and canned. Life is good in our orchard right now.

A Long Day Cookin’

Friday was a big cooking day. In the morning I finished off the two batches of Heavenly Peach Jam, and then put them all up in jars, where they will keep over the winter. Each batch takes about two hours to cook down and process, and so call me exhausted, when I finally was done at one in the afternoon!

I wanted to sweep and wash my kitchen floor, and I did actually ,manage to get this done, before it was time to start cutting vegetables for dinner. I made my favorite grilled summer squash, zucchini and sweet onion! Oh good, how delicious that is.

I made a rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes, and tomatoes with basil and mozzarella. My neighbor came down and we enjoyed a really pleasant meal.

The garden is nearly done for the season. We do have plenty of tomatoes, but the squash growing season is nearly over. I had my last eggplant tonight and probably my last zucchini too. Sad, but what can you do?

I ended my day by taking a long hot shower. I did not want it to end, but right now I know that each long shower will effect our oil bill.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Friday Fill-Ins

And…here we go!

1. It’s fun to kick back and go on a shopping spree, even if you only buy a few things.

2. Heavenly Peach Jam is easy to make.

3. I like to be in a warm place, sipping a cold drink with my sweetie.

4. What Katie’s life would have been like, I will never know!

5. Something I’m very much excited about is Amanda’s engagement, and upcoming wedding! Let the planning begin.

6. The five hours I spent cooking in my kitchen today was well worth it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to having my neighbor over for dinner, tomorrow my plans include making another batch or two of Heavenly Peach Jam and Sunday, I want to do nothing!

The Usual?

Usually Thursday finds me writing thirteen things I am either doing or thinking about, but right now life has become happily busy and I’m afraid that I’m finding it hard to pin down thirteen things that are related.

On Wednesday I got to spend time with Mandy. We shopped the sales, and had a nice lunch, but here is where I got lost.

You see, I got lost in my love for my daughter. Suddenly as we sat having lunch I could recall the first moments of seeing her beautiful face!

The love was so deep and overwhelming and pure. I swear, there is nothing like it. I remember looking at her, and then looking up into my ex-husband’s face, and knowing that we both felt the same way about the miracle of this tiny person.

As Mandy grew into womanhood, I watched in total wonder, as she became a warm, wonderful, caring and loving person. Yesterday I sat there thinking, “Wow, I’m her mother!”.

I search the outline of her face and I can see her father and me. She is the best of both of us. How blessed we are to have her.

I hope she will know that I love her deeply.

Yes, blessings!!!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Using what’s in your frig right now what sort of meal would you be able to make for guests who are knocking at the front door this very minute?

Zucchini, summer squash, sweet onion, green pepper and basil stir fry, with chicken.

2. What is something about yourself that you hope will change but that probably never will?

My being worried all the time. I worry about everything, all of the time. Oh, how I would love to worry, just a little bit less!

3. What’s something about yourself that you hope will never change?

The fact that I love. Many people never feel love in their hearts, but I have and do. I would never want that to change.

4. Do you usually send serious or funny greeting cards? Why?

It depends. There have been occasions when I felt people needed a laugh, so I have sent funny cards. Then I fins a serious card that says just what I feel and I will buy that and send that off. So the answer is…both!

5. Bird watching, shell gathering, or star gazing- your choice for whiling away the hours?

Probably bird watching. When the Owls were on the Internet with their babies, I was literally glued to the screen. At the beach, I loved watching those silly sea gulls!

6. Do you double or triple check things? If so, what?

I double check everything. Locked doors, the gas on the stove, etc. Why do I do this> Because I am a worrier, remember?

7. What’s your favorite place for people watching?

Airports. I know that sounds funny, but since I do not like crowds, I tend not to get into them very often. You cannot avoid them in airports and since I am always “worried” in airports about my flight, I find I cannot concentrate on reading. So, I people watch. It’s amazing what you can see.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m off with Mandy today. We’re going to hit the end of summer sales! We both love to shop and we’re going to the larger Mall, which means good exercise! I may also bring a cooler, and stop at Trader Joes!

Rain, Rain

We woke to dark skies and pouring rain. I thought for a minute what could be done on such a day, certainly not garden work, so I caught up with odds and ends I needed to do around here.The dackels all sat on the back of the sofa, looking out the window dreaming of sunshine and dry grass. Fritz lay by the sliding door and watched the puddles form.

Me? I tried NOT to go out, but unfortunately I did have to go, so I could file my report, and get a few supplies. The rain was ponding in the streets, but with my super-duper rain coat, I made it through to the stores and back.

I just did not feel like cooking today, so I thought I would throw some things in a crock pot and make dinner. At least I didn’t spend all day cooking. Tuesday I must make more tomato sauce and freeze it.

I think I will need to rearrange my chest freezer though, to accommodate more containers. In fact, I actually need to buy more containers! It’s been a banner year for tomatoes!

Hopefully the rain will end tomorrow and we will dry out. I miss seeing the sunshine!

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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In the last four days I have made 4 batches of tomato something. Three spaghetti sauces and one batch of chili. All of these were made from tomatoes we are growing in our garden. I sure hope the tomatoes stop growing. I’m literally running out of freezer space!

I did get my report written and it was only 4 pages. Still I have to figure out a way to take shorthand, and get all the information I need each month to put into the report, without losing track of what is being said. People just talk to darn fast!

My doggies and Husband let me sleep in both on Saturday and Sunday! Wow! That is always welcome!

My classmates and I are still in the partying mood from our reunion. Facebook is a great place to chat with everyone about the things that made my hometown of Falmouth, Massachusetts such a great place to grow up.

Friday and Saturday were beautiful days. Sunday…rain. Oh well.

I’m going out with my daughter this week to shop! I love this, as we shop well together!

And to end this post I want to share this funny story with you all. It is totally true, I assure you.

When I was in High School, we literally moved into a brand new school with all sorts of high tech things, which back in the 1970’s included closed circuit TV. Each day our fearless Principal would send messages out to us either in person, or he would have the news kids read the messages. But here is the wonderful part of the story. The theme song was by Elton John, and somehow I always laughed a little when I listened to it playing!