The Dackel Princess

What To Do….

Okay, what do you do when you are waiting for your dog to multiply? Well, if you are like me and like to keep busy so that you don’t have to think about the impending birth of your grand-puppies, you cook.

On today’s agenda was grape juice. I had about 2 gallons of juice, made from our own Concord Grapes, and today I put together 4 batches of Grape Jelly. That’s 28 jars of jelly!

I love to can jelly and jams, as they make great gifts for people who do not have the time or the fruit in their yard, to make such things. Plus, I think it is very rewarding to actually produce something.

I think the next thing on my list of jams and jellies will be plum jam. It'[s one of my favorites and it appears we will have a good crop of those in about a week. I just hope I have the time and energy with the puppies due to arrive so soon.

Speaking of the puppies, I also decided to get my birthing kit out and ready. You just never know when Greta might pop these babies out and I want to be all prepared. I’ll move the bed into the puppy room on Saturday and then it’s just a matter of time.

Greta was sitting with me today and I had my hand on her belly and I could feel these guys just kicking her like crazy! It make me recall being pregnant and how it felt when the two girls had been kicking me.

I keep saying that what I really need is some rest, but I am starting to think that my nerves about Greta’s impending birth, are making me extremely productive. She better have these puppies soon or my husband will wonder who has kidnapped his real wife, and dropped her double into his house!

When Blog Friends Get Together

Monday afternoon I met up with Robin and her son up town. Robin’s parents live in the same town that I do, and she has been visiting with them this summer. Today we got together for a little shopping and talking. Robin’s handsome and truly adorable son, Itai came with her and what a true gentleman he is!

We walked along the docks and enjoyed the sunshine and warmth of the afternoon. Itai was hungry so we sat while he had a hot-dog and chatted while he ate.

It’s always wonderful when you get to see your blog friends. We all know each other in a way that is a little different than people you meet in other ways. And there is always something to talk about.

Itai took this picture of Robin and me. I think he did a great job. He centered it and didn’t cut off our feet or anything! All I did was re-size it for the blog. Good job Itai!

***************

And lastly, Greta just gets bigger and bigger!

I just can’t believe how large she is. I hope she has those babies by the weekend or she just may pop!

What I Did To Relax…Ha!

On Sunday I decided to spend the day just relaxing. The last week has been so busy, and I really wanted to take the day and do nothing but watch some TV or perhaps read. However, I went to the fridge for something and noticed an abundance of cucumbers, and since they weren’t getting any fresher, I knew that today was the day to do something wonderful with them.

But what?

I was tidying up some newspapers and I saw an article on the front page of the Lifestyle section. “Pickles”! It read. Eureka! That’s it!

I found a recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles and decided on that. I needed a gallon of sliced cucumbers. So I washed the cucumbers and got out my food processor and started to slice the cucumbers, and the onion and then made layers. Cucumbers, onion, canning salt and ice, repeat. I did that until I had the gallon of cucumbers done, then I set a full gallon jug of vinegar on a plate on top of it and let it set for 3 hours.

Then we cooked it down and canned the pickles.

And here is one of the 9 jars that we made.

While we did this Greta stretched out near us. She just gets bigger and bigger.

I also had Greta out to play ball in between rain drops. Then she would come back inside and collapse!

So my day was far from relaxing and restful. In fact I didn’t get done with cleaning up until well after 7:30 PM. I’m not too upset about it though because we now have all those wonderful pickles!

A Rainy, But Productive Day

Saturday saw us up early before the fog had lifted. I’d heard that we were going to be getting some rain, but I was able to walk the dachshunds before the sky opened, and rain began to fall.

Our total rainfall on Saturday was 2 and 3/4 inches and it is still raining as I write! Okay, Mother Nature, enough!

Greta spent the day picking various spots to lay down and spread herself out. She tended to stay by me, and since I was cooking in the kitchen most of the day, she lay down by my feet.

What was I cooking, you might ask. Heavenly Jam (again). We now have a total of 28 jars to keep our toast covered!

I think I will take the grape juice I froze last season out and make some jelly with that. Our plums will also be coming in soon and we will be making plum jam!

Later in the day Greta found Hubby’s chair and lay down on her back and got comfortable there.

You know it’s quite funny to think about my life now. When I was a teenager I never even imagined that I would be living the life that I am. I knew I wanted to get married and have children, but I never realized how tied to nature I would become. With my great love for my dogs, my pleasure in gardening, and of course canning what I grow, my life is fuller than I ever could have imagined. Yes, I am blessed, and life is good.

Five, More or Less

On Friday, Greta went to see our Veterinarian. It was finally time for her to have her x-ray! I have been anxiously awaiting this!

I left the house a little early so I could stop and get the mail on the way over. Down town was a crazy mess, as some person had parked a car about 4 feet from the side of the curb which essentially means that they parked their car in the road. I had just managed to drive my station wagon by when the police arrived.

Greta accompanied me into the Post Office and was her usual sweet and bubbly self, especially when a woman stopped to ask what sort of dog she was. I wanted to tease Greta and say, “Oh, this is a pot bellied pig”, but I knew I was the only one who would get the joke, so I just laughed to myself and told the woman that Greta was a wire-haired dachshund.

Traffic was heavy, but I got to the Vet’s office in plenty of time and they weighed Greta. Twenty-five and a half pounds! Wow! That is nearly 6 pounds more than she weighed pre-pregnancy!

Suddenly the National Weather Service announcer came on the radio to declare a weather warning for our area, and at that exact moment I could hear thunder boom in the distance! Dr. N. came in and took Greta quickly for her x-ray. She was worried that a thunder storm was going to force them to shut their equipment down. Lucky for us we did not get any more of the thunder, just torrential rain!

Soon Dr. N. brought Greta back and she showed me the x-ray. She asked me how many puppies I saw.

“One, two, three, four, five, six!” I said with glee!

How Many Babies
You can click on this and look at the larger detailed picture if you would like.

Dr. N. was not as convinced about puppy #6. There are definitely 5 puppies (red arrows) in there, but the sixth one (which is where the purple arrow is) could be a combination of a shadow and the ribs of the pup next to it.

Excitement is now building as Greta’s due date nears. Sometime in about 8-9 days, Greta will become a Mommy again. I pray for healthy and happy and beautiful puppies and for Greta’s safe delivery. She sure has quite a load in her belly! No wonder she waddles and falls over!

My Little Pot Bellied Piglet!

It was another hot day here in New Hampshire. The air conditioners were going full blast and I tried to keep Greta as comfortable as possible. I did force her to pose for a few pictures and the short video as well. Yes, I’m sure she will extract her revenge by keeping me up all night while she delivers these puppies!

Here is Greta sprawled out on the kitchen floor.

I know just how she feels, as having had two big babies, I also felt like a beached whale!

Lastly, I got this short video which shows how much she is waddling and tipping over.

I will post as soon as we get back from the Vet’s. Our appointment is at 3:00! I can hardly wait!!!

A Busy Wednesday!

Wednesday was a strange day. It started early with Greta getting me up for a visit to the great out doors. I had toyed with the thought of going back to bed, but then I knew I had Weight Watchers and so I decided to catch up on my email and shower before leaving at 8 o’clock for class.

Class went well, with me shedding one and a half pounds this week. I think I can safely say that I am back in the groove after losing it shortly after my father died. It’s not that I completely fell off the wagon, but I just wasn’t able to do the things I needed to do to be successful. Over the last week, I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to and it felt good and easy.

Coming home I found my little mother waddling around. I decided that today would be a good day to set up the puppy room. I placed the little baby pool in the room, placed a nice blanket in there, and two waterproofed pads. Anneliese and Arnie immediately came to see what the fuss was all about, and eventually Greta did too.

Later in the day Hubby brought in some peaches from our trees. There is enough to make a few batches of Heavenly Jam (peach jam). So late this afternoon we peeled and pitted the peaches and added all the ingredients. Now it must set overnight before we cook it all down and actually make the jam.

I had a dental visit today to repair a broken tooth and filling. All I can say is that after the Novocaine wore off it was painful. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

Just one more day until we find out how many babies Greta has in there! I sure am excited!

What A Day

In anticipation of puppies arriving very soon, Hubby and I took to the Market and did our fair share of buying. I stocked up on dog food and puppy food, and yes, I picked up my glasses.

So, here they are. What do I think? I think it is wonderful to be able to see again!

We got home and I found some beautiful pictures waiting for me of Ali and her very own little girl, Faith. Faith’s Mom is a professional photographer in Michigan and as you can see she did a great job with these!

When I saw these pictures I started to cry with happiness. Ali has a great life with Faith and her parents. She is greatly loved and then she is a real dynamo out in the field learning to track with her Dad. Thank you so much for these great pictures!

Greta is getting bigger by the second. Since today was in the upper 90’s, we had our air conditioners going just to keep my little princess cool and comfortable!

She is so close to having her x-rays and I am just dying to know how many babies she has in there.

A New Recipe

It was another hot and humid day here in paradise. So what did I do? Not a whole lot. I did manage one load of laundry, the cleaning up of three meals and the feeding of Hubby and the dogs. I also had an idea for a salad and I tried it out.

Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

4 cups of fresh green beans

1 cup of cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 & 1/2 cups of fat free Feta cheese

1/2 cup Fat Free Balsamic and Basil Vinaigrette

I cooked the green beans and drained then, tossed in everything and blended it by tossing with two spoons. It was great hot, but I am thinking that tomorrow the left overs will be even better.

The Opticians office called and my glasses are ready for pick up. Since Hubby has an appointment today, I will tag along with him and pick them up.

Greta keeps getting bigger. I think soon she will just pop! In this heat about all she wants to do is lay down on the floors in the air conditioning.

Friday and the x-rays that will be taken then, just can’t come soon enough!

Hot Belly Days!

I woke Sunday morning and looked over at Hubby, but what did I see? My big girl, Greta rolled up on her back with her gigantic belly sticking up in the air. She looked comfortable, and I swear, she was smiling at me.

I patted her belly and then gently lifted her up and placed her on the floor. I don’t want her jumping around in her “condition”.

We’re having another high humidity, high temperature day. Anyone who has been pregnant in the summer can relate to Greta’s plight. I turned on the air conditioning about 10 AM just to help keep her comfortable.

She went out, and usually enjoys lying in the sun, but as soon as she was done with her business she came right back to the door and wanted to come in.

I got her to lie down on my chair so that I could take this picture. It shows pretty clearly that she now has a 24 inch waist! Wow!

Click to bring you to Flickr where you can see it in large format.

I did get her out in the yard and I played ball with her for a while. She loves to run after the ball and then bring it back. I always know when she has had enough because she escapes up under the Peach tree and lies down.

Just a few more days until the x-rays. I think I shall go crazy waiting for that! Best of all, the Vet has a digital x-ray machine so I will be getting the x-rays on a CD and can report in on Saturday with pictures of the unborn puppies!

Have a great week everyone!