The Dackel Princess

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Now that the Random Dozen has closed down, I’ve been looking for something to fill my Wednesdays, which, as you know are my Weight Watcher mornings. I’m up bright and early on Wednesday and have no time for writing or thinking about a post.

Joyce, From This Side Of The Pond, has taken up the challenge and has put together Wednesday Hodgepodge. A list of 7 questions, plus an eighth of our choice, just to keep us on our toes. So, without further introduction, here we go!

1. Do you think you’re more like your mom or your dad?

Neither one, I hope.

2. Do you like roller coasters?

No. I figure why pay to be scared out of my mind!

3. How did you name your blog and do you now wish you’d thought about it maybe another five minutes before you hit publish?

We came up with 4 names and then I sent them to my Web-Maven, and she sent me back her thoughts and then PRESTO “Dackel Princess” was born.

Would you change your blog title if it were not a huge pain in the derriere? (French makes everything sound a little nicer doesn’t it?)

Nope. It fits.

4. What is the best wedding gift you received?

A set of fabulous heavy beer mugs. We still have them and still use them!

Not married? Didn’t get any gifts? Then what is the best wedding gift you’ve given?

I like to go to the local Artisans and get things like hand made pottery chip and dip sets, or coffee sets.

5. What is the one bill you most hate to pay?

Fuel Oil!

6. Is the glass half full or half empty?

Tough one for me. It really depends on the day. I strive for half full!

7. What is your favorite word? Okay okay. Calm down. How about one of your favorite words?

Puppies!

8. Now, this is where you insert one random thought of your own… Don’t make me get out my wooden spoon.

We have a small Rosewood coffee table that Hubby bought in Hong Kong. It is round and beautifully carved. All our puppies enjoyed going under the table, even Fritz, when he was a mere babe of 8 weeks old! Now Arnie has set up shop. He drags his toys, bones, blankets, etc, under the table and we have started to call this, “The Man Cave”!

Here is Mr. Arnie Man, in his “Man Cave”!

Thanks Joyce and Happy Wednesday to All!!!

Grand-Puppies

You all know how much I love my own doggies. What you might not know is that I also adore each and every puppy that has been birthed in my home. I’m really lucky to have kept in touch with many of the owners and occasionally I get pictures of my babies as well.

Here is Faith with Ali. Ali is Anneliese’s daughter from the B-Litter. Her B-Name was Birgit!

As you can see she is a beautiful girl and is obviously adored by her little girl, Faith. It still amazes me how big she is now. Ali was the smallest of the pups, and yet she hasn’t let that slow her down. In fact this week she helped to track down a deer for a local hunter in Michigan.

My other grand-puppy news is that Bogart is coming to visit me again. His parents are going on vacation, so I will be puppy sitting while they are gone. I haven’t seen him since last February, and I wonder how all the dogs will do with each other. I think it will be okay, and I plan to take a lot of pictures

Bogey arrives on Thursday evening.

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No More Wild Animals!

I’ve started singing when I go outside in the evenings with the the dogs. That should be enough to scare off any wild animal! Perhaps they will decide to simply move along and leave me, my yard and my dogs alone!

In Memory Of My Daughter, Katie

32 years ago today, I gave birth to my second daughter, Kathleen Alynne. She weighed 8 pounds and 10 ounces and was 21 inches long. She came into this world with red curls and green eyes and left us six and a half years later, with the same bright red curls and flashing green eyes.

I miss her more each year. I still cannot believe that she is gone from us. She was a sweet, kind, gentle little girl, who never had the chance to grow up.

So bear with me today, as I remember and shed a few tears, for the sweet daughter, I lost, far too early in her life.

Katie Birthday Memorial from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday, my dear, Katie and rest in peace.

In Time

Okay, fess up. How many of you forgot to change your clocks? Yes, it’s Autumn in North America, and our clocks all went “BACK” an hour last night. The USA is on Standard Time once again.

Of course, just to be different, there are places that do not observe a change in the time. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not follow Daylight Saving Time. They stay on Standard Time year round.

However, the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona DOES observe Daylight Saving Time; the rest of Arizona does not.

And the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa do not observe DST. The Eastern Time Zone section of Indiana also does not observe DST.

Are we confused yet?

I’ve never been a big fan of Daylight Saving Time. I would much rather stay on Standard Time year round…but then, no one asked me.

Daylight Saving Time used to be much shorter, until the passing of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended Daylight Saving Time by nearly 5 weeks per year!

Now, if you look at things Globally, it is my opinion that we should all change time at the same time, if we are going to change time at all!

Did you follow that?

Well, I will start my Sunday morning going around, room by room, changing the clocks in the house. After I finish that, I think it will be “time” for a nap!

TGIF

Friday found me driving south to meet up with my daughter and have lunch. The weather was just miserable! It was cold and rainy when I left home and I tossed a cooler in the car because I had planned to stop at a German Deli and pick up some goodies.

It took me a bit longer to get to the Deli, but I was able to buy some wonderful German bread, Leberkäse, Tilsiter cheese, some Weiss Wurst, Leberwurst and Christmas Stollen! It is always fun for me to shop when I can get authentic German foods!

After that I met up with Mandy at a great Fish restaurant, called “The Fish Market”. Yes, I know, very originally named!

We both ordered coffee, and a small cup of clam chowder and then a lovely Lobster Salad. My regular readers already know that I LOVE Lobster! This Lobster salad has to be one of the best I have ever had!

Now doesn’t that look fantastic? Everything was so fresh and wonderful. We will definitely go back again!

Mandy and I hung out and talked until she had to leave for an eye examination. What a joy it was to spend part of my day with her!

The drive home was a bit tedious. The traffic was heavy and my mood was not the best. I really don’t like traffic as it tends to make me nervous, but eventually I got home to Hubby and the beasts!

I’d gotten some wonderful wursts and so I made Hubby Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes) wurst and rutabaga for his dinner. He was quite a happy man!

Friday night found me curled up with Arnie and Anneliese, and my laptop catching up on my mail. All in all, it was a good day. Of course any day I get to spend with my daughter, is a good one, indeed!

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PS: After dark, Arnie begged to go out. I always leash them and grab my handy, dandy heavy flashlight, ever since finding out that Mr. Bear enjoys going through our yard!

So, we go out and I flashed the light around and what do I see? Mr. Coyote. This is what he looked like.

The was borrowed from Wiki for demonstration purposes only.

One super big coyote! I was scared to death, as a coyote will kill a dachshund and could do me some damage too! I grabbed Arnie and ran into the house. After a bit, Greta went ballistic, because she knew something was up! So, I leashed her, grabbed my flashlight, and went out. No problems. Then I took Arnie, and lastly, I took Anneliese. I looked around the back yard with the light and what did I see?

Mr. Coyote, sitting on the stone wall. As soon as my light hit is eyes, he slipped over the stone wall and was gone!

All I can say is: I lived to tell the story!

Friday Fill-Ins

So…here we go!

1. Sometimes, I ponder the meaning of life!

2. I always worry, about the whole thing. (I am the original worrier!)

3. Small wonders.

4. Every day that I live, is very enlightening.

5. I keep meaning to get my Christmas cards down from the attic, so I can start to address them.

6. No weight loss …yet.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching a new “What Not To Wear”, tomorrow my plans include finishing up the laundry and Sunday, I want to read the Sunday paper, sip my coffee and enjoy some down time.

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

Thursday Thirteen

What does my daughter, Mandy do?

She is in Oncology Research. I am so proud of her, as I know how hard she works, and how difficult her job is.

Does she live far away from you?

She lives about 55 miles from here, and so we do not get to see each other as often as I’d like. She has a really nice condo of her own, and has decorated it so nicely.

How often do you bath your dogs?

About every six to twelve weeks, unless they get all smelly, which happens. After all, they are low to the ground, so sometimes it is hard for them to stay clean.

My cousin asks, “What do you like most about me?”

Physically? Janet’s eyes are so beautiful and a real window to her soul. Her best trait is that she is the most loyal person I know and one of the most loving!

What did Hubby do for his work before he retired?

Hubby was a pilot for the military, Pan American World Airlines and Delta, before he retired in 1998.

Do you enjoy crafts?

Oh I do enjoy crafts, I just am not terribly crafty!

How often do you show your dogs?

Usually once per year, but this year Anneliese was expecting and it did not work out. I would love to breed Arnie, but I am afraid that none of the girls think he is cute enough.

When will you have another litter of puppies?

I am hoping to have puppies again next fall. Anneliese should be ready to breed in the summer and so I will be breeding her then for a litter that would be due in the Autumn.

Am I still going to Weight Watchers?

Yes, although, quite honestly, I have been having a tough time lately. I will not give up. I truly believe that WW is the best plan for me, and so I will persevere.

Favorite “diet” meal?

I think my favorite “diet meal is baked chicken, baked potato and asparagus, with a small side salad.

Janet wants to know, “Who was my favorite of her boyfriends?

That’s easy! DAVE!!!!

What’s the best meal that I cook?

Herb Crusted Standing Rib Roast, roasted potatoes and butternut squash. I love to make either apple pie or pumpkin pie for dessert.

What’s my favorite flower?

Lilacs!!!

What Should I Do On Wednesday?

I’ve been trying to find something I can do or write about on Wednesday, now that Random Dozen has shut down. I loved the Random Dozen because, well it was all so Random! Now I have to sit down and think about writing something coherent and hopefully amusing.

Winter Wednesdays? Whining Wednesdays? Wonderful Wednesdays? Wishful Wednesdays? Wiener Wednesdays?

That last one could be it. Wiener Wednesdays. Sounds just about right, what do you think? I could write stories about the dachshunds, put up pictures and stuff. This could be interesting!

Yes. It’s perfect.
No it’s cheesy.
What’s a Wiener?

So comment and let me know what you think.

Lastly today, I ask once again to pose any question you might want me to answer for tomorrows Thursday Thirteen. I will answer all questions each week until I am out of answers and then we will have a contest to find a new Meme for me to write about on Thursdays! LOL!

Have a great day everyone!

Never Average

I’ve always been totally honest with you, regarding the fact that really, I am a freak of nature. There is simply no other way to put it. Ever since I was a little kid, I have defied being classified as an “average” person.

Most people will develop appendicitis at approximately 20 years of age. Men have a slightly higher incidence of developing appendicitis than women.

I was three and a half years old when my appendix blew and yes, I am a girl.

I’ve never really been able to read music, I can certainly follow it along, but I couldn’t tell you instantly what note that is. However, once I have heard a piece I can sing it again and again, and when I played the flute, it was the same.

Also when I reproduce, I have longer pregnancies than most women. In fact, I am more like an elephant. With my first pregnancy, I went three weeks over my due date! The second time it was two weeks over the expected time of arrival!

Perhaps that explains why elephants are my favorite Zoo animal.

Now in the last few years I have developed terrible leg cramps at night. These were the worst cramps ever, usually requiring me to jump out of bed, walk around and use a heating pad to release the cramps in my calves. I started to eat bananas, as I heard that this meant my body needed more potassium.

Wrong!

Well, apparently while potassium is good for some people, it isn’t good for me. You see, I have really high potassium levels all on my own! No one knows why, but they tell me it can be a real problem. So eating high potassium foods or taking a supplement is actually dangerous.

So I suffered, believing that there was nothing I could do. Then about 6 weeks ago I went to see my doctor and I mentioned the leg cramp problems. She said I should try taking magnesium. She said that there was a supplement that contained zinc, calcium, vitamin D and magnesium and that this would stop the leg cramps.

Yeah, like I believed that!

Well, I went to the Pharmacy and got a bottle of this stuff and started to take it every day. The first few days were nothing to write home about. I still had the cramps, and I felt a bit discouraged. Would I spend the rest of my years wrapping a heating pad around my leg each night?

Then, suddenly, the cramps stopped! I sleep through the the night without being awoken by the incredibly painful cramps, and all without potassium!

So I am once again faced with the fact that I am not average, but at least I have finally found something that has stopped the night time leg cramps and I swear by it.

If any of you out there have this problem (really, am I the only one?), go to your local pharmacy, or even a health food store and get a bottle of Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc & Vitamin D!

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 might need an alibi!

Saturday found me doing laundry! Ugh! On the bright side here, is the fact that after a week of not having a washing machine and having to really limit clothing changes, and laundry, I was finally able to catch up and do…8 loads of laundry!!!

I suspect that the machine hasn’t been working well for a while, because I notice that the clothes seem almost cleaner than they were getting before. It is either true, or I’m so overly happy about having the machine back in use, that I am imagining it!

When I wasn’t in the laundry room, I was at the kitchen table with the new sewing machine! Yes, after almost 30 years, I have a nice new machine and it works like a charm. It even threads it’s on needle, which is wonderful for me, with my vision problems.

Sew so, what did I make? Dog toys. I’d gotten two different types of fabric at Wal-Mart and my idea was to make various shape toys, and then stuff them with old socks. I figured that Arnie wouldn’t be able to shred them that way (and so far, so good).

The lovely Anneliese decided to pose for me while I snapped a few pictures of the toys. However, it’s Arnie who really loves them. I just wish I could get that stinky toy away from Fritz. Perhaps I will have to steal it and trash it!