The Dackel Princess

It’s Apple Blossom Time

It’s apple blossom time at the Dackel Princess house. When we woke this morning the blossoms were opening, the trees were a beautiful shade of pink and white and the bees merrily worked the trees. It was a nice day and the dogs all enjoyed running around in the back yard, while playing with the kids.

Anneliese

Kimmie with the dogs.

Hubby worked in the yard for a while, played with the dogs, and took a few pictures of the trees. It always makes me happy to see how content he is when he is working on them. His love of nature, of his orchard, is truly a beautiful thing.

I also love to watch him because of Fritz. Fritz will follow Hubby around the yard, sit and watch whatever it is that Hubby is doing and when Hubby moves to the next job, Fritz follows faithfully along. It’s the sort of thing that makes me smile.

Hubby took this picture today in the orchard. I love it because it shows his nicely planted trees along the back line of our property.

I also love this picture because it is one he took when thinking about his daughter. It is her birthday today. On the day she was born the apple blossoms were in full bloom too. What a lovely time of year to have a birthday!

Happy Birthday Jess!

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~Candy~

This is probably the best candy I have ever had. It is only available at Christmas, thus causing many people to hoard it and even to go through Peppermint Bark withdrawal after New Years!

It’s A Date!

Today when I got up, (well after Hubby) I looked at him and over my coffee asked, “Want to go to the City?”

He asked what I needed and I mumbled a few things, but mostly I just wanted to go out with him on a date! Since he is still on the lookout for a few more apple trees, he agreed. He also suggested that we stop in at the New Hampshire Historical Society Museum, and of course lunch at our favorite Chinese Buffet.

So we made sure that all the dogs were walked and then we headed south in the station wagon. It was not such a pretty day today, but we chatted as Hubby drove and it was so nice just to get out.

We got grapefruit at Sam’s Club, and picked up a few other items along the way. We stopped for lunch and we really enjoyed the meal.

The museum was interesting. There were portraits of famous New Hampshire people (such as Daniel Webster and Nathaniel Hawthorne) as well as several lovely landscapes, all centering on the White Mountains and the various Notches that take you through them. There was one that was so beautiful that I actually felt like I was walking through the woods there.

Soon we looked at our watches and realized that we needed to get home for the pups. So we said our good-byes to the museum and headed north. Half way home Hubby asked if it was okay if he stopped and bought two apple trees, a MacIntosh and a Honey Crisp. I smiled and said he should go for it.

So we have two more trees added to our ever growing orchard. We now have 13 varieties of apples, 4 varieties of cherries, 3 varieties of pears, 3 varieties of plums, 3 varieties of peaches and two varieties of grapes. All in all about 36 fruit trees! Yeah, it’s really beautiful in our yard right now!

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Another Wednesday In The Spring

I was up early today because after all Wednesday is Weight Watchers Day for me. I try to sleep until about 7:30, get up and shower and dress, make Hubby his breakfast, as I run out the door carrying my coffee and a piece of fruit. I mean, heaven forbid that I eat or drink anything until after I weigh in! I’ve even been known to weigh my clothes before selecting what to wear. (Insert loud laughter here, Please!)

Today I got up, went through the morning ritual, and headed to the next town for the meeting. I got there, and put my stuff down on my chair, took off my shoes and weighed in. I didn’t expect anything either way, but when she told me I’d lost another 2 pounds, I almost fell over! I have lost a total of 33 pounds!!! Yippee!!!

The meeting was fun and funny and when I left I felt happy and upbeat. I drove home along the country roads where the trees are blooming and the air is so clear that the mountains just stood out in the distance! Ah, such beauty!

When I arrived home I noticed that our own trees are blooming fast. Our peach trees are just the most beautiful trees right now with their full pink flowers and the plum trees with their dainty white ones.

The Elberta Peach tree.

A lovely Elberta Peach blossom.

Now a little further up the drive we have the Stanley Plum tree. Normally you would think about this plum as a Prune, but I make jam with it!

A huge bumble bee doing his job on the Stanley Plum tree.

The apple trees are just starting to open, and the cherry trees are past. The pear trees are not as full of blossoms as in past years, but I hope that we will have at least a few.

Since I keep my tomatoes in patio pots I am able to start them early and move them inside if the nights get too cold. You can see that they are really doing well so far.

I think I will really be happy when the garden and the trees begin to bear fruit and vegetables that we can eat. Diets are so much more fun when you can eat fresh produce!

And it doesn’t get any fresher than your own back yard!

The Wonder Of It All

It was a beautiful day today. A perfect day for a drive, and since we needed groceries and supplies, I left after breakfast for what turned into a full day of errands.

I bought food, paint, dog food and scrunchies.

(whoever invented the scrunchie to tie back a woman’s hair is a total genius!)

I also bought soaps. We belong to a consumer club where you can buy items in bulk, and so today was stock up day. I also put gas in my car. The tank was nearly empty and when I finished pumping the gas in I had spent $60.00! This is the most I have ever spent on gasoline at one time! I nearly fainted!

When I arrived home I found Hubby and all four dogs in the back yard. They all came running down to help me unload the car and each one greeted me with such love and happiness. Yes, it felt good to come home.

Due to a great sale at the grocery store I brought home two large lobsters for our dinner. I also made boiled new potatoes and fresh corn on the cob! Oh man, that was just great!

Hubby and the dogs have all fallen asleep as I sit here and write. The end of another beautiful day. Full of sunshine and blossoming fruit trees! Yes, spring is in the air and life is good.

Happy Days

I realized over the weekend that it takes very little to make me happy. Now I know Hubby is laughing as he reads this, but really, it is true. Some women need jewelry, some want expensive furniture, clothing, or the best of perfume and crystal. But truly, these are not things that make my world a happier place.

What does?

Children playing with the dogs.

Watching the kids snuggle up and find the same loving sweetness that I get from them.

A beautiful flower,

a breathtaking sunset, a sprout coming from the soil where I planted a seed the week before. These are the things that make me happy.

Of course I do have one weakness.

Computers!

You all probably remember that my laptop began falling apart around the first of the year. I sent it in for repair and they sent it back, broken and NOT REPAIRED! I sent it back again. Maribeth without her laptop computer is just a sad, sad sight.

Well, eventually the laptop arrived back and it was fixed for all of about fifteen minutes before the frame on the machine literally snapped like a dried up chicken bone and the hard drive began over heating.

I took the machine in to a local shop and discovered that the machine cannot be fixed! I began to back up my work every few days, and I just worried that the end would be coming soon. All the while trying to use a machine whose screen threatened to fall off at any moment.

Now this is where you get to hear all about my secret sin. Yes, I may not love expensive jewelry, or clothes or crystal, but I sure as heck love a good laptop!

For our anniversary Hubby asked what I would like and I demurred. There was nothing that I needed but a new laptop. He was a bit skeptical, as the machine appeared to still be running. However, by Mother’s Day this past weekend he could see that the machine was about to fall apart and he got a sale e-mail from Dell.

Yes folks, a new midnight blue, Dell laptop, is being built for yours truly and should be here in about a week!

“Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again!”

Springtime

Spring has come to the Dackel Princess homestead. Our fruit trees are budding up and right now our cherry and plum trees are bursting with flowers. It’s just so pretty to go out and walk around the yard, and see the trees filled with life. Flowers, bees and bright green leaves, after a long winter of skeletal shadows and snow drifts that went half way up the tree!

But spring is here!

The dogs love to be out amongst the trees and running through the grass. Thinking back over the winter, I fretted that I would ever see green grass again, and yet here we are!

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Mandy came up on Friday to celebrate both Hubby’s birthday and Mother’s Day with us. It was so great to have her come here and visit with us and the doggies. It never ceases to amazed me that the dogs remember her so well each time she is here. Greta especially just loves her Mandy!

Naturally we wanted to celebrate with a nice dinner at Canoe. It’s Mandy’s favorite restaurant too, so we went over for a nice leisurely meal.

When we arrived we saw that our favorite waiter, Andy, had returned to the staff and we were lucky enough to be seated in his area. We had the sweet and sour calamari, a bucket of mussels sauteed in garlic and white wine and a dip of artichokes and crab! I should have stopped there, but we all ordered meals, which we ended up bringing home with us! LOL! Once again we were not disappointed in anything that we ordered. Including the one order of molten chocolate cake for dessert. Mandy got that and Andy brought three forks so we all could try it! Wow! it was amazing!

All too quickly the night ended and Mandy had to drive home again. Hubby and I sat up for a while talking about our evening and how much we enjoyed it.

Yes, loved ones and springtime make a perfect package!

It’s My Third Blog-A-Versary!

Three years ago I sat in front of my computer and asked myself this question…”Who in the world is going to read about some crazy woman with three dogs who lives in the mountains of New Hampshire?”

I started off slowly, writing my Blog a little at a time, and I visited some other blogs that interested me.

Three years later I can tell you that I have readers from all over the world, some of whom have even become friends of mine.

My beloved
Shubi passed away in February of 2006

but Arnie and Anneliese

were born to Greta, and just never left home. Thus giving me FOUR dogs to love!

Fritz,

is a fabulous boy and

Greta

still rules the roost!

I still enjoy writing my Blog. I look forward to sharing my thoughts, ideas and plans with you all while hopefully entertaining you just a bit.

I have learned so much about this big world of ours and about the people in it, that I look forward to sharing more time with you all!

Thanks for reading, for commenting and for sharing my world!

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~Any Photo~

This is a picture of me, the Dackel Princess, at about age 4 or 5. My passion for dogs began at this time, as our female Beagle had just had a litter and I discovered the wonder of puppies! As an adult I was introduced to a wire-haired dackel named Shubi, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Me with three of the puppies from Greta’s last litter.

Good News

Today we did the Spring Check-up of our bodies. The bi-annual physical with our doctor.

When last we visited the doctor we discovered that my cholesterol level was significantly higher than Hubby’s, (his was perfect, mine was not!) and I was also significantly overweight. That was pre Weight Watchers. I told him of my plans to go to class and to follow the diet, but I’m sure if people actually did this when they told their doctor, the doctors would all be very happy!

At that time Hubby’s A1C level was quite high. This is the blood test that measures his blood sugar over a three month period. I was betting that if Hubby ate what I was eating for my Weight Watcher meals, his A1C levels would come down.

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Okay so that was about 6 months ago. Since then I have lost 31.2 pounds, and Hubby has lost about 12 pounds and we have really stuck to the Weight Watchers low fat, low calorie, high fiber diet. The results?

My cholesterol is now over 40 points lower and back in normal range! Hubby’s A1C level is 6.2 nearly 1 1/2 points lower! His blood pressure is good and mine is fabulous! All in all, when the doctor looked us over, he was actually smiling!!!

I still have a ways to go with my weight loss. About 22 pounds or so. Then the real challenge will begin. How to maintain this weight. I know that for Hubby and myself, we need to stay eating the good healthful foods that have become a part of our life. For me, to control the weight, and for Hubby to keep his diabetes and blood pressure under control.

So the Spring Check-up of our bodies went well, and in another 6 months, who knows where we will be. Hopefully in an even better place as we prepare for the winter and the 2008-2009 ski season!