The Dackel Princess

Doesn’t Make Sense

It’s always been my policy not to dwell on the sad parts of life, but after the events in Tucson, Arizona today, I simply cannot think of much else.

A young, vibrant, Congresswoman, was shot and many others too, as a crazed gunman went into a crowd and at point blank range, shot as many people as he could before being taken down by two courageous men.

I’ve asked myself why? Why did he do this? I would love to be able to blame other people for this, but the fact is, the young man who did this, did it because he thought he should.

Many people say that we should have stricter gun laws, or that we should have no guns, but I am afraid that is not a logical solution. You see even if we took all the guns away from the good gun owners, Tucson is right next door to Mexico, and the thieves, robbers and crazy people could still get them. Actually I believe that the bad people would still get them period, leaving the responsible and good people unable to defend themselves.

So, what is the answer here?

I am thinking that we need to come to the realization that our politicians and celebrities are probably no longer safe. Many of them need a body guard, or to be packing a piece themselves.

I love the line from “Blindside” when Lee-Anne is threatened by a thug when she is looking for Michael, her adopted son.

“If you so much as set foot downtown, you will be sorry. I’m in a prayer group with the D.A., I’m a member of the NRA and I’m always packing.”

Perfect!

So forgive me, for not having too many positive things to say today. I have never been shot in the head, but I do know how it feels to wake up in the morning and by the end of the day find your life shattered. You see, no one gets up in the morning and says, “Ah yes, today will be the day that I die.” And yet, for 6 people in Tucson, Arizona that is exactly what happened.

I’m praying for their families, for the people who were shot and are in critical condition, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and her family.

Recovering Over-Eater

I decided today to make a lovely meal for Hubby. He’s a good guy, and he really enjoys my cooking, so since I had gotten a small roast beef recently, I would roast that up especially for him.

Now you know, I can eat 3 ounces of this roast beef, which is really great, because it smells simply heavenly as it is cooking! How did I prime the roast? I frosted it with Poupon Mustard, sprinkled it with Thyme and Rosemary, and then sliced up an onion and using toothpicks, I attached these slices to the roast. They will brown up and get a bit crunchy, but they will be totally yummy, on the plate next to the slices of beef.

As I was sitting here thinking about this, I suddenly burst into great laughter! Why? Well, I may be a member of Weight Watchers now, but the truth of it is…I will always be a member!

You see, I love food. I love to cook it. I love to eat it. I love writing about it and talking about it! Oh yes, I will always be a member of Weight Watchers or I fear I will end up right back where I started three years ago.

I think when I reached goal before and was celebrated as “Lifetime” I somehow thought I’d recovered from having a weight problem. The truth of it is, I will always be a recovering over-eater. I’m just lucky that we have Weight Watchers and that this program works for me.

I guess it’s all about balance, isn’t it?

Friday Fill-Ins

1. It’s 2011; I am starting a new year feeling happy and positive.

2. My Moonglow pickles. YUM!

3. Thankfully I have my trusty snuggy to keep me warm.

4. Love is the best thing in life.

5. I am so blessed in my life.

6. A bowl of fruit is a good thing these days.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to cooking a roast beef for Hubby and me, and a fire in the hearth, tomorrow my plans include watching it snow (hope, hope) and Sunday, I want to make a list for grocery shopping, get ready for skiing on Monday and enjoy my little human and fur family!

Whining

I still have this silly old cold and it is not showing any sign that it is on it’s way out of town. In fact today, I actually fell asleep, under two blankets in my chair, with a dackel on top! I slept like that for two hours and when I woke to find Arnie sitting on me, I almost had to laugh. You know, I’m not sure if he was trying to heal me or hatch me!

I poured juices and teas down my aching throat and managed to make my meals during the day. Hubby was off skiing, and in some ways this was better. It was quiet and I was able to just relax.

Besides the usual aches, and pains and stuffiness of the cold, I have had the added bonus of feeling really exhausted. My legs feel like jello and ears keep popping.

Oh I know, I am totally whining here, and I promise today is the last day I will do that! I can honestly say I haven’t had a really tough cold like this in a couple of years. So I guess that’s why it’s getting me down!

Thursday Thirteen

This and That

1. My most exciting tidbit this week was the loss of 4.2 pounds at Weight Watchers! I love the new plan and I hope I can continue to shed the pounds and get back to my goal quickly!

2. My sore throat came back on Wednesday. I also found I was really not feeling well at all. My blanket, and dackels have been keeping me warm and I’ve been sipping tea.

3. 2011 is a big year. We found out that we will be going to at least 2 weddings this year, and both Hubby and I have reunions. Hubby has his 50th college reunion and I have my 35th high school reunion!

4. I have been thinking that this year I will also work on painting several rooms in my house. As well as the trim on the house over the summer.

5. It’s cold tonight. And I can feel it in my fingers, toes and on the tip of my nose!

6. Arnie just got up next to me to snuggle. How lucky am I?

7. I plan to make a nice Norwegian Haddock meal for our dinner tonight.

8. We’re supposed to have some snow this weekend! Yay!!!

9. Hubby has been pruning the fruit trees. They look better!

10. I need to work on laundry today.

11. I have one last box of Christmas items to pack. Then I will be done!

12. I’m so thankful for the good health and happiness in my family and with my friends right now!

13. Okay. How many of you have heard about the man who was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital, when her water broke in the car, and he sped up to get her to the hospital in time, telling police that he was afraid of what would happen. He drove over 100 miles per hour, and got her there, and a mere six minutes after they arrived, their son was born. A policeman had followed them and waited to give the new dad a speeding ticket.

Here is the question. Should the cop have had a heart and just given him a warning or was he justified to give him a hefty ticket, one that could cost him his license?

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What three words would you use to describe 2010?

Health, Happiness, Home

2. If fear were not an issue what is something you’d like to try?

Flying a plane. Since Hubby was an Airline Pilot, I was lucky to help ferry an airplane, and see what goes on in a cockpit. (This was years ago.) It was so interesting. However, I also went with him when he went to his recurrent training sessions, and I saw all that he had to know and study and I decided it was better to be a passenger than a pilot!

3. What do you add to your coffee or tea?

I add 2 tablespoons of fat free creamer, and 2 teaspoons of Splenda. The same for my regular tea. I only take Splenda in my herbal tea.

4. What historical sporting event would you like to witness?

I would love to be there when Peggy Flemming or Dorothy Hammil won their Gold Medals. Or perhaps when Torvil and Dean skated to Bolero and won the Gold Medal. I love ice skating and those performers made me want to skate too.

5. What is one piece of advice you would like to give your sixteen year old self?

Slow down and enjoy your youth. Have you ever seen the movie “Peggy Sue Got Married”? Well I can so relate to that. I was always in such a hurry and I missed out on most of my youth.

6. Are you a planner or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants?

Oh goodness, I am a planner. My lists have lists. I hate to fly with no reservations, or have no idea where I am going. I love my GPS, maps, and my self made grocery list. Anyone who has Microsoft Publisher can email me for a copy of this helpful list.

7. What is one thing you are looking forward to in 2011?

As of today I am really looking forward to my nephews wedding, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. I am thinking only good and wonderful things!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m happy with the New Year. (So far!) I have a good feeling about the year 2011. Don’t ask me why, I just do. Perhaps I am getting good vibrations. It seems that there is a lot of love, a lot of happiness, all around me. That can only mean one thing a good year.

Hubby and I will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary in April, Hubby has his 50th College Reunion in June at Middlebury College and I celebrate my 35th High School Reunion in August, in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

And in between all of this, perhaps a litter of puppies? Who knows. Life if good!

The Holidays

I live up here in the mountains of New Hampshire. Usually, at this time of year, we are buried deeply in cold white snow. Now this is good, as Hubby is a real ski enthusiast and me, well I enjoy skiing to an extent. However, this year it’s been really weird. We’ve only had one storm, which came in and dropped a foot of snow, and then as quickly as it came, the rain started, the air warmed and the snow was gone.

So, it seemed only right that I start putting the Christmas decorations away for another year. Sadly, I might add. I really enjoyed the holidays this year, especially the lights and all those wonderful Angels and Santa Claus figures, but it’s time to start a New Year. One filled with joy and happiness and hopefully the loss of those last 10 pounds!

Of course, here we are in January, and I know we will more than likely have another snow storm or two before we get to spring, but I am sitting here thinking about my vegetable garden and what I will grow this spring!

For now, I can smile and look back on the holidays as being one of the nicest I’ve spent in a while.

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday night found Hubby and I off to a party at our friends home. It was a warm and inviting home, and the group that gathered was fun together. It seems when we get this particular group of people together, we all find a lot to talk about and to laugh about. So, it was definitely good times!

We came home before the fireworks began to take care of the dogs. Usually Fritz is our scared pup, but this year it was all three dackels. In fact Arnie was shaking!

We popped the cork on a bottle of bubbly and toasted the New Year and hit the hay right after the Ball dropped in Times Square. I feel old…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Greta woke me at the crack of dawn. and I never did get a nap during the day. So, by 8:30 last night I was so tired that I took the dogs out for a walk, and then went to bed, falling instantly asleep. Hubby said he came in not too long after I went to bed, and I was snoring soundly.

Sunday morning I woke with a cold. My throat was sore and my chest was burning and I still felt tired. I somehow managed to cook breakfast and lunch, but spent a lot of time cuddled under a blanket watching TV.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was on Sunday that I got the happiest news, that my eldest nephew asked a really wonderful woman to become his wife!

Mike and Karan

Mike and Karan are two of the nicest, sweetest people I know, and they are so good together. Congratulations to them both!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The week ahead finds me trying to shake this cold, as the first of the year meetings begin!

I’ll miss the sleepy peace that seems to settle in after Christmas and lasts until New Years. Now it’s back to the grind and meetings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a good week every one!

Furniture & Dishes

I have to tell you all that my husband is a great guy. Not only was he able to fix my chair, but he actually did it in a very timely fashion.

You see, my chair is one of those wide recliner types of chairs called “snugglers”. I got this chair 10 years ago, when I only had one dackel named Shubi. Despite only having the one little dog, she seemed to enjoy taking up all of my chair, thus when it was time to replace my old recliner, I bought this one.

Flash forward four years and I was watching the Super Bowl and I pulled the handle too hard (I am guessing) and the handle came off in my hand. Well, it is a Lane chair and I called the furniture store where I bought it, and they told me it was under manufacturers warranty. They ordered the part, when it came they called and came over to install it.

Six years pass and a few weeks ago, I pull the handle and once again, it pulled off. Well, the chair is out of warranty as far as installation goes, but they ordered the part, and called us when it came in. Hubby picked it up and after flipping the chair over and feeding the wire and screwing it in, well, the chair is once again fixed!

Feeding the wire.

I would love a new chair. Actually, I would like a new set of furniture, but with 4 dogs, and a poor economy it just doesn’t seem like a practical thing to do. So until I either win the lottery or the economy changes, I’m just stuck with the furniture that I have.

Meanwhile, as we worked, Greta waddled off into the kitchen and returned with her favorite bowl. She is hilarious, and tends to do this often.

Friday Fill-Ins

☆☆☆ Happy New Year ☆☆☆

Happy New Year to all! So…here we go!

1. I feel peaceful as the year ends.

2. I love dance and song.

3. It’s the start of an all new year.

4. Life is a great adventure, and how.

5. On New Year’s Eve it’s me and my little family ringing in 2011.

6. It takes practice to make perfect.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to celebrating the New Year with Hubby, tomorrow my plans include starting to take down the Christmas decorations and Sunday, I want to finish packing away of things from the holidays, and do the laundry!