The Dackel Princess

Holiday Busy

Okay, here I am and it’s 9:45 and I’m thinking that I won’t get to bed before 11:00 again tonight. I really hate that. I’m a creature of habit, and habit says that I am tucked into bed by 9:30-10:00 every night. I also like to just vegetate for the last hour or so that I am up, and it’s not looking like that will be happening either.

What’s keeping me up? Well, to be perfectly honest it’s the holidays. I want you to know that I wrote out and addressed over 100 Christmas cards today, and Hubby is printing out our famous Christmas letter and then I stuff the envelope, seal, stamp and put a return address label on it.

So far all my foreign cards are ready to go in the mail tomorrow. Now I just need to finish up my USA ones and I’ll be done.

So what else did I get done today? Well, I made a Sauer Braten dinner for Hubby. We both love German food and this was my old family recipe! Oh boy is it a keeper.

I worked on my laptop to finish restoring my email program, cleaned up files and helped Hubby finish up the composition of the Christmas letter.

I found out that the male dackel I’d hoped to use to breed with Anneliese is no longer available. What does this mean? It means Anneliese and I will be going to Berlin when she goes into heat and while she is getting a good German husband, I’ll be visiting my best friend, Uschi! That will be happening around February.

Tuesday is a busy day as I get myself all ready to go and see my sister. I’m getting my hair done, and some new nail polish. Then we two sisters, Mel and I, will have our pre-holiday celebration!

Wednesday, as you all know, is Weight Watcher day for me, and hopefully it will be the day I finally get to my goal.

But then, only time will tell!

Short Post

Hi Everyone. Usually I strive to write interesting things about me or my dogs, or just life in general. Tonight, it is already 11 PM and I am only now getting my computer up and running after it crashed shortly after dinner tonight!

I’m not sure what happened. After dinner tonight my friend, Barbie called, and after we got done talking I came back to my computer and it had crashed. The program that was totally gone was my email program! Just. Not. There!

I eventually found the files but was unsuccessful just simply moving them into place. So I had to download them, clean the program off the computer and then reinstall it and put back all my folders.

Even now, I am shaking my head.

Once that was done I typed our Christmas letter for Hubby, and now I am writing my entry quickly, before I crash in bed. I sure am tired.

So forgive me for being boring and not writing anything more tonight. One good crash deserves another!

Good night!

Skiing!!! & Ornaments!!!

Oh, Gentle Readers, Friday was an amazing day! I still break into big smiles when I recall how I spent the morning.

We headed up to Waterville Valley early. I’d made my breakfast the night before, carefully planning out my points, as well as the protein level. (If you are interested I had a raisin bread peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, a banana and coffee.) With a thermos of coffee in hand, Hubby and I hit the road.

We arrived at Waterville and there were only a few cars in the parking lot. Could this really be true?

We headed into the lodge, got into our ski gear and got the first run up the mountain. There was almost no one there!!!

My kind of skiing!

The conditions were perfect for me. Well groomed, corduroy snow, with a nice firm surface. I felt so good. We chose trail after trail, and I found myself going down from top to bottom ( 1600 ft.) without stopping. We did 7 runs (11,200 ft.).

I did fall. Which made me say to Hubby, “Well, glad I got that out of the way!” and I dusted myself off and got up and skied the rest of the way.

I found out a few things along the way.

1.) It’s easier to ski when you are lighter.

2.) Yes, my arm does bend that far up when I fall on it.

3.) And my thumb does in fact go all the way to my wrist when pushed.

4.) I can ski from the tippy top of the mountain to the very bottom without dying.

and lastly,

5.) A hot bath is a great luxury after a good day of skiing.

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

Several people wrote and asked about the ornaments that I have been putting up and placing around my house. So I made a short montage of a few of my favorite ones.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

One Of Those Good Days!

Ever have one of those days where you get up feeling good and then the day goes along and you feel good all day, with a spring in your step?

That was the day on Thursday. I had so much to do, but I felt good and happy and was able to get everything done, licky split!

In the afternoon I even cleared the shelves and the mantle and set out Christmas themed items. Then I put white candles (electric) in every window. It looks so peaceful and bright.

I got my favorite Christmas decoration out too. It is a village scene with two ice skaters on a revolving ice rink. Amanda gave it to me a couple of years ago and both Hubby and I agreed today that it is our favorite Christmas decoration. Thanks again, Mandy!!!

The singing snowmen are out, (thanks again Mandy), my Rudolph the red-nose reindeer with the blinking nose, and my petite Christmas tree with only dackel ornaments.

Yes. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

Friday finds us back at Waterville Valley with me attempting to ski again in a little more relaxed form. The day is forecast to be sunny, so I am hoping for a nice time on the slopes.

Half A Pound & Ring Tones

I got ready for Weight Watcher on Wednesday morning thinking that I had probably gained some weight during the Thanksgiving week. I mean, come one, I did eat apple pie and chestnut dressing. However, I did make both items low fat and low sugar.

I went out to get into the Jeep and for the first time in 10 years actually had to scrape my windows of ice. I guess it is time to put the Cadillac to bed for the winter and put the Jeep in the garage.

When I scraped the outside window I noticed that inside there was frost too! So I had to scrape ice off the inside of the window. I should have turned off the defroster first because the ice went blowing into the car like a wild snow storm! LOL!!!

I drove to my meeting carrying my coffee and a little paper bag with my yogurt and raisin bread to eat after I weighed in.

Now you all with think I am nuts, but I am thisclose to my goal so I am still dressing in shorts and a tank top to weigh in. If I could wear my bathing suit and not feel really weird about it I would! Anything to keep the scale on my side.

I weighed in and……I lost a half a pound!!!

I was so pleased because I had a nice Thanksgiving, I did eat everything I served and my idea to measure out all my food in advance worked.

I called my cousin Janet to tell her the news and also to ask her about my phone (she has the same one) and she sent me the link for a great place to get ring tones for the phone! Yay!

It is a good place and I spent too much time on it today downloading ring tones. Hubby’s ring tone is now “The Stripper”! LOL!!!

All in all, a very good day!!!

Puppy Dog Eyes & Cell Phones

You may be wondering what these two things have to do with each other. Today my puppy dog’s eyes actually enabled me to get a new cell phone. Here’s how it went!!!

Hubby and I drove down to Portsmouth, New Hampshire today to get both Arnie and Anneliese’s eyes examined and certified. Dr. C. is the son of a former co-worker of Hubby’s, back when they were both pilots in Hong Kong. Hubby can clearly recall this Veterinarian as a very small baby, and now he is a Certified Canine Ophthalmologist.

The two dogs are both fabulous, as are their corneas and their retinas! Now both Arnie and Anneliese can be bred, just not to each other.

After we finished up with that we hit the stores. I got a new cell phone! Yay!!! It’s the super cool full keyboard LG enV²® in Maroon.

I am a happy girl! Now once we got that we went grocery shopping and I was walking through the produce section of the store and I heard this nice cool whistling music and I thought, oh that’s nice and then I wondered where the music was coming from because they were playing Christmas Carols on the store speakers. Then it dawned on me! It was my new cell phone.

Duh!!!

Tonight I plan to learn a little more about my new phone so I can talk to people without cutting them off (sorry Mel!) and actually answer my phone when it rings (sorry Hubby) and send a text message with correct punctuation (sorry Em!).

Still today was good. Healthy eyes and a new phone! Yay!!!

Slush

Tis the season of slush!

Sunday night we had the prettiest snowfall. Slow, sinking, lacy flakes of brilliant white. Ah, how seasonally beautiful it looked as I sat listening to the first Christmas Carols played in my home.

I let the dogs go out and they ran hither and yon trying to capture a luscious flake of snow in their mouths. The day was truly quite lovely.

Darkness fell and I stopped thinking too much about the pretty snow, and went to bed, where visions of sugar plums danced in my head.

By Monday morning when I woke up with four healthy, active dogs, in need of walking, the temperature had gone up and the pretty snow was now wet, sloppy and slushy. In less than 5 minutes my nice warm, dry feet were soaked and cold.

Oh yeah. Winter. I remember this!

I didn’t let this get me down. I had shopping to do and mail to pick up, so I dried my feet, put on warm socks and shoes and out I went.

Well, you know what I found? Since the snow wasn’t that deep they had not plowed the roads or shoveled the walkways and so……yep, I got my feet wet again.

Note to self: Get a pair of good winter waterproof boots!

Hubby pushed the slush off our drive so that our 500 foot driveway (which goes downhill to our house) is clear of this stuff and we can pass up and down the drive without sliding off! (Which I have done before!)

Yes, slush and snow and cold and wet feet and icy noses.

All part of the jolliest time of the year!

Skiing

It was a cold and damp day as I made my way to Waterville Valley ski resort. In the past, I have always thought of Waterville as my home mountain. I know the area, I know the people who work there and I know the lodge. It’s always been a home away from home.

Today marked the return of the Dackel to the slopes, after a two year absence. I must tell you that my stomach hurt like it did when I was in 8th grade and was anticipating a math test!

We woke up at 6:30 and quickly dressed and headed out. I’d made a weight watcher breakfast sandwich and some coffee to go and off we went.

We arrived just in time to hear the start bell ring, announcing the beginning of another ski day. Hubby and I put on our gear, and then went out, got in line and off we went.

Up, up, up to the very top of the mountain. It was beautiful up there and Hubby had me stop and pose for a picture.

He took two and then something happened. Yes, folks. I broke the camera! I knew it was going to happen sometime, as I am always making this joke about it, and today….the old camera just died. Later, I was able to get the pictures off of it, but since it is so old and a real pain anyway, I do not think I will even worry about getting it fixed.

We skied down the first time and I was tight, and tentative and really afraid. On the way up Hubby and I had been talking and I realized that Hubby is the “kiss of death” for his skiing companions. First me with my knee, then George with his shoulder, and Carole with her fractured pelvis and now Dino with his broken arm! Yes, I thought twice about the man who I was sitting next to me on the ski lift!

I did make it down, but comfort was not to be found. I felt frustrated and as gawky as I did the first day I wore braces as a kid.

The second run I saw a woman who was an adaptive skier. She was in a ski chair. She lifted herself onto the ski lift, and then just let go and had fun all the way down. I really admired her.

My second run I loosened up a bit, but Hubby recognized the fear and he asked if I wanted to stop for a little sugar free hot cocoa. Oh yeah, he is the man of my dreams!

We came back after our break and skied two more runs. At this point I swear that there were several hundred elementary school kids skiing the slopes going 100 miles an hour and scaring the daylights out of this old woman! So I told Hubby I was done for the day. I told him to go ahead and keep skiing, but I think he recognized exhaustion and knew I would need direction to our table at the inn and then eventually the car.

We came home in time for lunch and then a nice, long, hot, soak in the bathtub. I’d still be there, but we threatened to run out of hot water.

I skied. I stayed upright. I survived!

OK, Here I Go!!!

It’s been almost two years since my skiing accident.

Today I decided to breakout the ski boots, ski parka, skis and helmet and get myself ready to get back on the mountain.

So I put on my boots today and wore them all around the house to help my legs, once again, adjust to them. It was strange to have them on. You know I’ve lost a lot of weight since the last time I skied, so I am thinking (hoping) I will have a much easier time moving around.

I’m pretty nervous about all of this. I think part of me would like to stay in bed and hide and never go out again, but then I think of how beautiful it is and how much I enjoy the scenery and I think in the long run I would really miss it.

So I am putting on my big girl ski gear and heading for Waterville Valley. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

The Day After…What A Turkey!

While we were on our cruise we had a cabin steward named, Dennis. Each day Dennis came and cleaned our cabin, made the bed, tidied up, and emptied our trash. In the evenings he came and turned the beds down and put chocolate on our pillows.

All I can say after 5 days back in the real world is: I should have left my laundry on the ship and packed Dennis in my suitcase and brought him home!

Today I started the long process of going through our stuff and getting things back in order.

Now I wasn’t really into doing that, in fact the first hour or so of the morning I sat drinking coffee, watching the snow fall,

and viewing “What Not To Wear” on TLC-TV. Then guilt began to plague me and I got dressed and actually started to put things away.

Do you know how many catalogs came in the mail at the end of November? I had 15 catalogs that came while we were gone, plus all of the magazines that we subscribe to.

After a while I decided that I wanted to make soup with the turkey broth that I’d made yesterday. I thought long and hard about making a healthy soup, so this eventually led me to go out to the grocery store to pick up some fresh carrots and escarole.

While I was out running errands it continued to snow. When I got home, I enjoyed the first of the season snowfall which had collected on our patio table.

Nov. 29 a005

The soup began simmering on the stove when my cell phone rang. It was my cousin telling me that my Uncle is not well and will be in the hospital longer then we had first thought. I am so worried about him!

Then the phone rang again and it was Hubby telling me that his skiing partner had fallen and injured his shoulder. (He did, in fact, break his upper arm!)

By the end of the day the temperatures had dipped and black ice is on our driveway. No worries. We have no where to go, and are safe and snug for the night.

Tonight I plan to do nothing more than veg out watching the TV and perhaps read some more of my book.

And if Hubby is very lucky I may turn down the bed and put chocolate on his pillow!