Arrive Alive

I was coming home from grocery shopping, driving along, singing to a slow and soft tune, enjoying life. The day was beautiful, the sky, blue, without a cloud, and life, this precious thing, was very good.

In front of me there was a large SUV. The man was driving slowly, but I didn’t care. The music was good and the day so pleasant.

Then I looked behind me. I saw a very young woman in a small sports car. She was pushing her hair off of her forehead and I think she was swearing due to the 40 miles an hour we were all driving. The next thing I knew, she pulls out and starts to pass me and the SUV in front of me, just as she pulls even with the SUV, I see a car coming in the other direction and the SUV puts his blinker on to turn to the left!

In my minds eye everything slowed waaaay down. I could see an accident about to occur. The woman hit her brakes and veered into my path. I stepped on my brakes, allowing her the room, but ready to go off into a man’s front yard if I needed to. But luck was with me and somehow it all worked out. However, I do not think the young woman has perfectly round tires anymore.

After the SUV turned and the car coming in the other direction passed us, “Sports Car Woman” does the exact same thing. Only this time she gets by another car and speeds off. My prediction is, she will crash her car in the very near future.

Once she was gone and I was alone on the road I sat there thinking how so many people miss the big picture. New Hampshire’s back, country roads are not a very good place to drive like that. It’s actually better and preferable to arrive at your destination in one piece.

Then it dawned on me. These are the thoughts of a middle aged woman. One who knows that life is precious and should never be taken for granted. One who knows that no matter who you are, you are not invincible.

I arrived home, hugged Hubby and our dogs and thanked God that a real tragedy had been averted.

Greta, Beauty & Sex & The Single Dachshund

Next Saturday, September 23rd Greta goes before a German judge to receive her rating in beauty and form. I’m not too nervous about her beauty or form, as she is really exceptional, (in my humble opinion). What I’m nervous about is me. I’m the one showing her in front of all the other exhibitors and the judge.

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You won’t believe me when I say this, but, I am shy. Most people don’t understand this. You see there are different kinds of shy. There are people who flush deeply when spoken to and find it impossible to speak. There are other’s who are reclusive and don’t go out in public. And then there are people like me.

I can be out in the world and speak to total strangers and I’m okay. It’s when I am in a crowd or I feel people are looking at me, (for whatever reason) that I become an emotional basket case. I worry that they will think I am fat or silly or clumsy, (I know I am and that makes it worse!). I feel sort of sick to my stomach and I often stammer. I’m much better talking to a sales person in the grocery store than I am getting up in front of a crowd.

So I have to do this. I’ve purchased a new pair of pants, a new bra, (a push me up and in type), a new shirt and I’ve been working on teaching Greta what a bribe is, in the hopes she will do just what I say. You know, “Will Work For Food”! Just another week and a half and it will be all over.

Greta will go into heat about that time and then we schedule her “night of passion” with Bernie.

When your dog’s sex life gets you this excited, something is very wrong. I lead such a little life.

That Fateful Day

I think we all can tell you where we were, and what we were doing on that fateful day, five years ago.

September 11, 2001

It was a beautiful day here in New Hampshire. Sunny, bright, clear with blue skies. I was taking a shower getting ready for a dental appointment, while Hubby was working on shingling the house. It was a day like any other here.
Hubby had the TV in our bedroom pointed out the window so he could listen to the morning news.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm and Hubby told me I had to get out of the shower now, something was happening. I was a little dazed and confused. I shut the water in the shower off and grabbed my towel.

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Hubby and I sat in our family room watching Fox News, ABC, and CNN. A plane had hit one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in downtown New York City.

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While we watched, suddenly another plane came in and hit the other Tower!
We were both in shock. We listened to reports. No one was saying terrorism, not at first. But both Hubby and I knew.

We watched the Tower’s come down one and then the other. We knew people had died. We just didn’t know how many.

At 12:30 I drove to my dental appointment. There was not another car on the road. Not one. I got to my dental appointment and found that I was the only patient that hadn’t cancelled that day.
When I got home we watched the TV all day. I called my family and my close friends. Just to hear their voices.

It doesn’t matter your political affiliations, or how you feel about the war.
What matters is on September 11, 2001 innocent people died in New York City, In Washington, DC and in Shanksville, PA.

People like you and like me. Just because they were Americans.
That was the day I learned that we are no longer safe here at home.

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I also learned that when our country is attacked in such a manner, we pull together and unify.

God Bless all who lost their lives that day, and all who serve this country each and every day to protect and defend us.

Continue reading “That Fateful Day”

Not Fair

Today the joke was on me. And all I can say to Mother Nature is, “Not Funny.”

I was a little late starting dinner. This means that at 5:30 I was looking at a few cookbooks wondering what culinary masterpiece I could pull off in the span of a half an hour.

I decided that I could probably muster up a baked French Onion Soup and a Salad Nicoise. I started to slice up the onions, when, all of a sudden, WHAM!

The mother of all hotflashes hit me. Now usually if I drink some ice water and rip off all the clothes on my body I start to cool off. Today that didn’t work. It was odd. I started to feel shakey and the sweating was worse and I realized I hadn’t had very much in the way of protien at either breakfast or lunch.

I was having a hotflash AND a low blood sugar attack!

I quickly drank a large glass of orange juice, while shoving some of the gruere cheese into my mouth, (a lovely combination, to be sure!) after about 15 minutes I was back to normal, but stood there soaking wet.

Now, I have to say, menopause is definately not all it is cracked up to be. First of all, the hotflashes, have nothing to reccomend them, to be sure. You think maybe you can stand it, but I have to tell you, no matter what people say about finally feeling warm in their old age, well this is like the devil on crack! Just too darn hot!

Then there is the emotion thing. Hmmm, that’s like PMS all the time. One minute you feel okay and the next you are crying like a baby!

And my metabolism? Yep, it’s a real drag. I went from having a fairly good one to having the metabolic rate of a turtle. A 95 year old turtle that is half dead! Not fair. At this time in a woman’s life you should at least be able to indulge in chocolate and not gain weight! Chocolate would help, I just know it would!

So I’m not happy, do you hear? I am not happy at all.

Time to hit the shower, oh yeah, and put some clothes back on.

Saturday Scavenger Photo

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FOOD

Food

A few years ago, as I was leaving to visit Uschi in Germany, Hubby’s parting words to me were, “Don’t eat too much!” (he said this because he knows of my love for German food).

Well, the food was great and it became a joke, whenever we sat down for a meal, we took a picture and emailed it back to Hubby at home. This is a small collage of that trip and the food, glorious food, that I ate!

**Note to all** This is a true story. Not even the names have been changed to protect the guilty!


I Know, I Know…

Okay, so I know what you will all say. Yes, I probably did too much, so I have no one to blame but myself for the eye ache I’m having tonight.

My only defense is: I’ve been bored! I’m passionate about my Soap Operas, but I have to tell you, when all you do is sit on your proverbial bottom and watch, (in fact listen) to the TV, you get bored fast. Even with the Soaps!!! (I know, you are shocked!)

I’ve never really known what a putterer I was until now. I will go from one thing to the next to the next and sort of watch the Soaps while I’m doing my work. This down and out stuff is murder.

So, I started doing my stuff again. Changing sheets, doing laundry, cooking meals and (I know, I know, the forbidden) I vacuumed. I couldn’t stand it another minute.

Then this afternoon after I got back from driving Greta to have her nails clipped and her ears plucked, my eye started to hurt. Ooops. Let’s see, not supposed to be driving, or vacuuming, or bending over to change the sheets. So guess the sore eye is a natural thing. Better sit down.

So I sat down and rested a bit, took some Tylenol and waited. The pain got better.

You see, although many of us think we could just give up doing the stuff we do, it’s not always as easy as we think. The first few times I did stuff, I felt good and so I tempted fate a little more and a little more. Today was my comeuppance.

So with hand over my heart I promise to be a good girl and not over do. I will do some things, but not overdo. I promise!

Tomorrow I want to make Plum Jam. It’s not hard at all. I can sit while I am slicing and pitting the plums, I can sit while I cook the Jam and then it’s just a matter of putting the Jam into hot jars and sealing them. No bending or anything required.

I guess we all need to be reminded from time to time to take it easy. Just wish my reminder didn’t make my eye hurt. Now that’s not fair! Couldn’t my Fairy Godmother have just come and hit me over the head with her wand?

Thursday Thirteen

Thursday 13 Love

Thirteen Reasons It’s Good To Be Loved By Man, Woman, Child Or Beast

1. You get that warm feeling in your heart when you are close to the ones you love.
2. Coming home is a great thing, when you have someone waiting for you.
3. Nothing softens a bad day better than a hug, a kiss or a snuggle.
4. A bad dream can be soothed easily with a warm touch or the snuggle of a little body.
5. No matter what, if you are loving right, you will get back way more than you will ever give.
6. Seeing happy faces around you will always perk you up.
7. Giving love and having love will get you through the toughest of times.
8. Being loved will inspire you to great things.
9. You will find yourself amazed and amused by your loved ones.
10. The pride you will feel at their accomplishments with make your spirit soar.
11. You will never be happier than when your loved one succeeds!
12. Your arms will never feel empty, because of endless hugs.
13. When all is said and done, isn’t loving each other what it’s all about?

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A New Life

As we bid Steve Irwin goodbye and felt the tears in our eyes and hearts, I received an email and pictures from my best friend, Uschi in Berlin. Her grandson arrive tonight , (September 5th) at 9:15 PM. This is her daughter’s first child and his name is Anton Paul.

Anton Nadine

You see, dear readers, life goes on. One life passes and another comes into the world. It gives me hope. Hope that even though there are times of great sadness, if we but wait a moment, great happiness will be ours again.

Welcome, sweet Anton! Congratulations to my dear Uschi!!!

Eye Am Doing Better!

My black, blue and yellow eye has almost faded. I’m actually starting to look normal. People don’t notice or stare and I’m thinking perhaps I need to actually start wearing make-up again so I don’t look so pale. I think this will be the last sick picture you will be seeing. After this I think I will be posting only flattering pictures. When I have looked at these I have thought, Yuck! I really look bad. Anyway, here is today’s picture.

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