The Dackel Princess

The Friday Five October 23rd

Thursday found me attempting to get a handle on all the house-keeping stuff before my surgery on Monday. I was crazy busy, and here I will list it all, so you can see that perhaps I should have slowed down. Thursday’s activities are why I plan to do very little this weekend.

I got up on Thursday early. I immediately stripped my bed and started the laundry. I did six loads of laundry, hung out some of it, and folded and actually put away all of it, and remade the beds! Yes, this found me running up and downstairs and back and forth in our home all day long.
I decided to make Eggplant Parmesan, and in the middle of removing the cooked eggplant, Jack put a can of soup on the counter. I was reaching for a pot for his soup when I brushed my index finger on the cookie sheet that had just come out of the 450 degrees Fahrenheit oven and burnt it!I mean, really burnt it! I iced it down and after a bit put some burn creme on it. Ugh!
We took the last Air-Conditioner out of the Office window. This was going so well until the rain-water began running all over my shoes, down my legs, and soaked me. Worst of all, in the end, Jack lost his grip on the air conditioner and I was left to finish placing it. Oh, my aching back!
I poached boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the dachshunds. Since they both are getting older, I like to spoil them a little. They love it and occasionally Lili gets a bit too!
Tonight I am doing an easy dinner. Leftovers for Jack and of course, the Eggplant Parmesan for me. I already know that bedtime will be early tonight.

An Autumn Thursday Thirteen

Since there is so much happening around me I thought I would do an Autumn Thursday Thirteen. Here goes.

It’s been a beautiful Autumn. The leaves were vivid and bright and glorious! Some years, not so much, others, like this year, lovely.
Chalk one good thing up for 2020!
I had to go for pre-op work yesterday and a Covid test. I was a little nervous because I’d heard the Covid test is terrible. So, as I drove to Concord, and passed two McDonalds, and three Duncan Donuts, my old habits of eating the anxiety hit me. I wanted to call someone to talk me off the wall, but it was so early. So, I sat up tall, straightened my crown, and kept on driving!
Of course, when I arrived at the Out-Patient Surgical Center, I walked into their lobby and what do I see? A Green Mountain Coffee stand with Cider-belly Donuts and treats! Once I checked in, I sat with my back toward the stand and soldiered on!
On my way home…I stopped and had my hair done. After all, I will not be able to be around any chemicals after the surgery during my incision healing. I asked for shorter hair and got the cutest cut! Thank you so much, Becca!
After that, I came home and made lunch. I cooked up several eggplants, ate a little, and then made an Eggplant Parmesan (WW Recipe).
Since I have three more eggplants, I plan to cook them up today and make a casserole of Eggplant Parmesan then cut into portions and freeze for future meals.
Yesterday I woke up early, and I said: “Alexa what is the weather in Meredith, New Hampshire?” Well, Alexa said it was partly cloudy, with breaks.” Well, Alexa lied. It rained the entire day!
I woke early today. I have a lot to do, and although I am isolating here at home, I would like to get caught up on laundry and change sheets, etc. The first load of laundry is already in the wash!
What is it with all this pumpkin mania? This morning they did a story on the news about canned pumpkin shortages! Really? Really? I was just at the store the other day and I was able to buy several cans.
How many of you decided that as we approach flu season it might be a good idea to stock up on a few things? In the last few weeks, I have stocked up on canned soups, vegetables, and pre-packaged potatoes. I have a freezer full of meat, chicken, turkey, and fish, and should the worst occur, we are prepared.
Oh yes, I also bought the jumbo size toilet paper, paper towels, kleenex, and napkins. Needless to say, I have plenty of cleaning aids.
I also just ordered a box of paper masks from the USA Company. So, we will be set to be able to cover up.
I love the yarn I bought for my latest afghan.
In fact, I love it so much that once this one is done, I am going to make another with the same yarn for me!
And lastly, my favorite Apple is back on our shelves! It is called Koru and it was originally from New Zealand, although there are places in the USA that now grow it. Oh, I cannot tell you how happy I am!

The News

The news is very good for my eyebrow! I saw the doctor today and was approved for surgery.

I will be going in tomorrow (Wednesday) for a Covid Test, and all my Pre-op work-up. Then I need to shelter at home. No going out, no going anywhere, until after the surgery.

The surgery will be Monday, October 26th in the morning. I opted for local anesthesia, and this means my recovery time will be slightly less. I will be able to drive myself both ways.

I do plan to relax after the surgery. I’ll come home and just chill out. I already have a meatloaf made for Jack and I will do the vegetable preparation the night before.

So after all this time, the hard nodule that has been causing me such discomfort will be excised and hopefully, all will be well.

I’ve been so worried about what the insurance would cover, and it was explained to me that in a case like this, they will cover it because there is a medical purpose for the surgery. I guess these sorts of rules must be so someone doesn’t attempt to have breast enlargement surgery and have the insurance company pay for it. Or worse yet, have a face-lift or lip enhancement (aka guppy lips). I can understand, and I guess I shouldn’t have worried. This really is medically necessary.

So off I go to get myself swabbed and then I’m home until Monday!

The Beat Goes On!

Well, here I am on Monday afternoon, planning my week. The next two days will be very busy and a bit on the nerve-wracking side.

After seven years, the scar on my brow from cancer surgery has become painful. Well, it’s actually been painful for a while (a few years) but it has reached the point of causing me discomfort each day. It’s like having two beans under my skin. When I put on make-up, it hurts. When I wash my face, it hurts. Finally, my Dermatologist suggested I see a Plastic Surgeon for a revision.

The reason I am nervous is that although I have good insurance, it will be the decision of the Insurance Company whether or not I really need this.

I have said for many years that it was NOT our Healthcare System that needed to be revised. No! It is the Insurance Companies that need to have their systems revised and curtailed! Imagine some account manager for XYZ-Insurance Company being able to say whether or not you get care!

Unfortunately, the Insurance Companies have a lot of Lobbyists and they have controlled our healthcare system and availability for years! And now, as I wait to find out if I can have a revision, I must ask myself if my Insurance Company will deem it necessary.

After that appointment, I will be stopping at the grocery shop. I have a lot of things to buy.

Of course, once I get done with the shopping, I will need to come home, put all the groceries away, and make dinner! Long day.

Wednesday I have my ladies meeting in the morning, and directly after that, I am driving to get my hair done.

After that, I have no plans for the rest of the week. We pulled the last air conditioner on Monday and now we are officially in Winter Mode. I need to check the fuel oil and set the thermostats.

Yes, busy, busy, and then some quiet.

Have a great week everyone!

Autumn in New England

This weekend found me traipsing around town taking pictures and enjoying the last remnants of the fall foliage. It’s already started to fall, and by the end of the week, I think we will be leaf-less once again. Another Autumn is slipping by.

As I drove I could see that “Red Hill” was still ablaze with color, but there was no place to stop, to pull over, and get a good shot. You will simply have to trust me that “Red Hill” was breathtaking!

The day started kind of dark and grey,

but rather quickly the sun came out and that is what set me off to find the picture!

It was such a lovely day! And I enjoyed the fresh air and slightly cooler temperatures!

I’ve not done too much with my photography this year, but today I did just what I wanted!

Autumn is nearly done and in a month I will be sixty-two. It’s all good. There are so many Seasons in life and on the earth. I think it helps one to stay balanced.

Happy Birthday, Candy

Today would have been my dearest friend, Candy’s birthday. Two years ago I sent her a 3 lb wheel of Vermont Cheddar Cheese and New Hampshire Maple Syrup. The year before I sent her a Red Velvet Cake, her favorite.

I sang her happy birthday and all was well. Neither one of us knew that birthday would be her very last birthday on this earth.

Just over a month later, Candy was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I will never forget the night she called me. She had just gone to a walk-in clinic for her cough. They x-rayed her lungs and found the masses.

She called me sitting in her car in the parking lot. She knew. I kept trying to explain away what the doctors had found, but Candy being a nurse knew.

How lucky I was to have been her friend all of these years. We could go for a while not talking on the phone and then one of us would call the other and it was like we just talked yesterday. It was always easy to talk to Candy. She understood me in so many ways, that no one else did.

When Candy and her husband visited us back in 2013, they both fell in love with our Greta. So much so that a few months later they got their very own wire-haired dachshund. Aurora went everywhere with Candy and she was the real joy in her life.

Candy was an identical twin. I wrote to her sister Mary and spoke to her last week. Needless to say, she is feeling an unimaginable loss. I knew this would be very hard for her. It never gets easier.

I was not only blessed to have been Candy’s friend all these years but during her last days on this earth, I was able to give back to my friend all that she had given me, by caring for her.

Oh, how I miss this wonderful woman. But as I told her the last time I saw her, “Love never dies, Candy. I will see you next in God’s Garden”.

Happy Heavenly Birthday!

The Friday Five October 16th

What a beautiful week it has been. Despite a little rain, the leaves are still bright and the skies returned to blue. Yes, a lovely Autumn we are having. So, here we go, this week’s Friday Five.

I’ll start with the weather as that has been rather crazy. We’ve had several touches of frost, a lot of rain, and then beautiful warmth with blue skies. Not bad for the middle of October!
Because I get bored easily, I decided to crochet another afghan. I let Savannah pick out the yarn and in the end, she will probably get it. I am working on it when I sit to watch the TV and the yarn is soft, chunky, and will make a wonderful, cuddly, blanket.
I had a strange week on the diet front. I was doing everything right and managed to gain a small amount.I was upset at first, and I weighed myself several times to be sure it was correct, and it was. Ugh! At first, I was upset, and then I decided to look back in my food journals and then see what I was eating. I have made a few adjustments and I hope to see some movement on Tuesday!
I received my small 5-inch cast iron pans. Many people use them to make big chocolate chip cookies, but I have made baked apples in them and they have been great!
Thursday I loaded up the car with all the garbage and took a trip to the Recycling Center. Arnie rode along with me and we had a great time! Now that is done, I was able to clean the garbage cans and my garage is also smelling sweet. Well, like bleach, but that’s a vast improvement!

So, my gentle readers, I hope that you can enjoy the weekend. Stay safe, and enjoy the little things in your life. Hopefully, this darn Virus will be over soon!

Christmas 1961

A picture of my family for that year’s Christmas card. I imagine that Dad set up his camera to take the picture. There I am at three years old being held by my Dad, Melodie is in the front, then my Mom and brother Richard. These events were pretty stressful for us all. These were back in the days of “film” and taking an entire 36 pictures hoping to get one good one! It is so nice to have these pictures now. There are not too many of the five of us together.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge October 14

1. Let’s start things off right…Wednesday is National Dessert Day. What are we having? How often do you make/serve dessert? Store-bought or from scratch?

We don’t have dessert often, but, that being said I have been baking apples this week and they’ve been yummy.

2. Slow as molasses, the icing on the cake, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, have your cake and eat it too, a half-baked idea, that takes the cake…which phrase might be applied to something in your life in recent days? Explain.

Probably the “icing on the cake” as I have felt frustrated this week and I swear just one more thing…

3. Something that’s ‘easy as pie’ for you to do?

The simple ritual type things. Make coffee, throw together a quick meal for Jack, or make and toss a salad.

4. Are you someone who likes to ‘sugarcoat’ news you think might not be well received or are you more of a tell it like it is and let the chips fall where they may? Do you like to receive your news the same way you give it?

I try always to be kind, but at times it’s not easy. I am also very sensitive and I am easily hurt.

5. Something you did recently that made you feel like a ‘smart cookie’?

Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps the diet. I just keep chugging along. Good for my health and good for me!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I purchased some new yarn to make a blanket. Tomorrow when I get home from my meeting, I will sit down and start it. I can hardly wait!!!

Oh yes, And I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to my friend down under, Andrew! Hope your day is a great one!

The Weekend Wrap ~ October 12

The weekend was a fairly good one. Since I’d gotten almost everything done on Thursday and Friday, there was not a rush to do laundry or to cook too many meals.

This turned out to be great luck, as on Sunday I really needed my rest my sore foot.

Jack and I are not watching the news right now. So, instead, we watch movies, series TV such as “Air Disasters” on Smithsonian, as well as countless hours of “Chicago PD“, “Blue Bloods“, “Law & Order SVU” and “NCIS“. Truth be told, I spend a lot of time with my headphones on, listening to podcasts and music and basically checking out.

It’s strange, but when I watch TV I see people hugging each other, sitting closely or kissing, and I wonder what planet they are on.

Yes, it’s pretty isolating right now. And with New Hampshire’s numbers of Covid-19 cases climbing, it makes me feel pretty uncomfortable to just go out. I will be even more careful, as I think this will get worse before it gets better.

So, Happy Monday everyone. Here in the USA, enjoy “Columbus Day”, and everywhere else, I hope your day is a really good one!