Dackel Princess

Shubi, Life and Flab

We’ve been watching a small tumor under Shubi’s arm for a few months. It’s not anything to really worry about, (not cancerous) but it’s started to grow and it’s bothering her. Over the weekend it began to weep and we called her Vet who will see her today at 3:30. More than likely he will want to remove it. Poor little thing. This pup just can’t catch a break!

I’m still fighting this sore throat. My doctor is pretty adamant that the throat will heal itself in time. Well, my gosh, it’s been three weeks! How much longer do I have to wait? I could have had a throat transplant, and be totally recovered by now! Does this sound impatient and whiny? Well, I guess it does, but I’m just sick to death of being house bound and watching Hubby go off skiing while I sit at home!

I started working on Christmas cards. Now I love to send Christmas cards, because although I don’t see people or talk to them as much as I wish I could all year, at Christmas I like to send a card with a note to let them know that I’m thinking of them. Well dang! Yesterday I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and after 2 1/2 hours my right hand felt like it was going to cramp up and fall off! And I am only up to the “P’s”!!! I think I need a different pen. Maybe a fatter one.

Speaking of fatness, or flabbiness, today is the first day back on South Beach for me, (yet again). I decided to actually get on the scale and weigh in. OMG!!! Let’s just say, it was far worse than I thought it was going to be! I came into the family room, sat down and my mind started to race.
Okay, with all the stomach problems, I couldn’t eat right and needed all those carbs. (right?)
The new medication the doctor put me on in September has a known side effect of weight gain. (right?)
I’ve been sick with this silly throat and not moving around too much. (right?)
Dark chocolate helps everything in life. (right?)

So, I turned over a new leaf and will just have to be a very good girl. I’ve done this before, so now it’s time to do it again before I get into real trouble. After all, what many of you don’t realize is that as I lost weight a year ago, I gave all my “fat” clothes to charity, determined never to be heavy again. So I literally will have nothing to wear should I gain another ounce!

Blueberry Pancakes & Apple Pie

Today is the last day before I jump right back into the South Beach Diet. My stomach is finally completely well and I feel I can handle the vegetables and proteins without the carbs.
So, today I am celebrating this by having a carb blowout! I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast with real maple syrup made just up the road in Littleton, New Hampshire. It was wonderful! I’ve been craving blueberry pancakes for weeks and since today was the last day I could do it, legally, I broke out the flour and frozen blueberries from last summer and whipped up a batch! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm! They were just great!!!
Later today I will polish off the last of the apple pie from Thanksgiving. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it! And after all, the first two weeks of South Beach are the toughest and so I’m just rewarding myself in advance.
My goals on South Beach are easy. To get control over my eating once again. When I started having problems with my stomach about all I could eat were carbs. Toast, noodles, cream of wheat, crackers. All those comfort food things that sit easily in the stomach.
But for someone like me, a carboholic, eating carbs makes me want to eat more carbs and I feel hungry all the time, and my weight starts to climb. I feel so much better when I really limit them in my diet and eat a diet that is high in protein.
So good-bye blueberry pancakes and apple pies and hello low fat cheese and salads!!!

Turkey…Again!

Okay, at this point I think almost everyone who cooked their own turkey at home is getting to the point of turkey burnout! I know we are. We had turkey on Thanksgiving. Great, wonderful, ooooh, it tasted so good! Then on Friday we had turkey left overs for lunch. Hubby had a full meal and I made my famous turkey/stuffing and cranberry sandwich! Last night was my homemade turkey soup. Yummy! Noon today I made my sandwiches again for Hubby and me. And tonight…yes, you guessed it, Turkey Soup!
The good news here, is that I froze the other half of the turkey soup, so this will be it for the soup for a while. I can still throw together a sandwich tomorrow, but then the turkey is done. Tomorrow night I think I’ll plan a nice juicy steak!

The Story of Shubi’s Illness

I have often written about what a miracle Shubi is, but I am not sure most of you realize that what I say is true, and not just me being a drama queen. While going through files on the computer, trying to decide what to keep and what to trash now that the laptop is fixed, I came across these letters written in November and December of 2003. They will show you clearly how sick she was, and how very close we came to losing her.
Shubi’s birthday is next week on December 1st. She will be 10 years old. Back then, no one believed she would see this day. So truly, she is a miracle.
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The story opens November 19th 2003
Shubi is in the hospital. We brought her in yesterday as she seemed to be getting worse and worse. We just didn’t know what was going on with her. She couldn’t stand up without falling over, has terrible pain in her back and still wasn’t eating. If we brought her outside to do her wee-wee she would crawl in a counter clockwise circle. Over and Over and Over she would crawl like this until we picked her up and brought her back in.
The x-rays showed that her spine is full of degenerative arthritis and it is getting worse. The good news was that she has no ruptured discs in the spine. She also has an inner ear problem which is causing much of the lack of balance and the crawling in one direction.
The doctors are giving her steroids and muscle relaxants and an IV. I called my Vet in New Hampshire yesterday and we spoke with him last night. I felt better after talking with him and we will see him as soon as we get back to New Hampshire on Wednesday next week. He will call the Vet down here who is treating Shubi and get all the details on her case today.
We go in this morning to see the x-rays and bring some of her food. I am so eager to see her. I hardly slept last night without her next to me.
The inner ear problem had given her the appearance of having had a stroke. But he has ruled out a stroke. The last few days have just torn me up. I feel so useless and stupid.
Meanwhile, Fritz had two puppy boosters yesterday and weighed in at 37 pounds! He is growing by leaps and bounds.
We have spent our vacation mad money on the Veterinary!

Continue reading “The Story of Shubi’s Illness”

Thanksgiving in the Mountains

It’s a winter wonderland here in New Hampshire, this cold Thanksgiving day. Somehow having the turkey cooking in the oven, slowly with the smell wafting through the house goes well with the falling snow outside. Needless to say I have not ventured out, but I have enjoyed my views of the white winter world from my windows.
Greta went out and dug in the snow until she found her ball and then proceeded to push it with her nose through the snow. Fritz jumps like a deer through it, and Hubby, is currently using the snow blower to clear the drive.
Yes, it’s winter in the mountains.
Our menu today consists of turkey, (naturally) chestnut dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, peas and pearl onions. Dessert is plum pudding with hard sauce, and apple pie! Yum!!!! Over the next few days there will be turkey sandwiches, and I’ll make my turkey soup as well.
I just love Thanksgiving!!!

I was thinking of all the things I have to be thankful for this year. The health and love of my family and friends is, of course at the top of my list. For without these special people I would be lost.
Next I am grateful for my pets. Their unconditional love and light heartedness makes my days complete. I continue to be grateful for Shubi’s good health. and Fritz’s presence and for the special little love that our Greta is becoming, each and every day.
And last, but not least, I am grateful for you, my blogging friends. You all have added a new dimension to my life. Reading your blogs and having you comment on mine. It makes life so very interesting.
So to all of you I wish, A Very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It’s Back

The laptop is back. Up and running, and I was actually able to set it back into the network myself! But now the real work begins as I track down e-mail addresses that I lost, and also attempt to put back some of the information I was able to salvage from the other system.
The laptop is working so well now and it’s a joy. But I could spend the next two or three days doing nothing but sitting here with this thing and still not get it all done. And of course with Thanksgiving tomorrow I have a lot of cooking and baking to do, even if it is just Hubby and me.
I am a little better today, myself. I think things are finally starting to move around so I can get rid of the congestion. I actually went out to the store yesterday to get our turkey. Wow! It was so great to be out in the world after being a shut in for over a week!

Not Strep

Just got back from the doctor’s. They did a quick strep test, just to be sure it wasn’t strep, and I passed. No Strep. Apparently this virus is all around New England and I am just unlucky enough to have gotten it. They said that my throat actually looks better, even though I sound terrible, and that I will keep improving.
So their prescription was, go home drink plenty of fluids and make turkey soup!
HaHa.

***update*** Laptop is now at the computer doctor’s. We are not sure yet what is wrong. I sure hope it isn’t “terminal“!

I have an appointment witht the people doctor tomorrow morning. I hope both the computer and me will be okay!

CRASHED

My laptop computer crashed this morning. I don’t know when or why. Sometime in the night. I had been planning to take everything off the system and reinstall it all anyway, because the stupid thing has been sooooo slow recently. Now, I have to work with a half usable machine, get the last few bits of information off and then wipe the drive clean and start all over again. Ugh! I guess I know what I will be doing all day.
To help you all start your work weeks right, here are a few pictures of Greta that show you that this little dackel leads a very good life!!!

Voiceless

It’s Sunday and I now have no voice. Hubby will be happy about that. He won’t have to listen to me complain! lol But it looks like I am headed back to the doctor tomorrow. Actually Hubby is sick and tired of me being sick and tired! So am I. I just want to feel better. I need some “Super-Antibiotics” to kick the heck out of this stupid germ!