The Dackel Princess

Coffee, Peaches, & Beauty!

Yesterday I woke up and made the coffee, and as I went to prepare my cup I noted I was out of Splenda Sweetener. That’s okay, I thought, because I had just purchased a box of Splenda packets to carry in my purse.

So, I got that out, added it to the coffee, and took a wonderful sip. Oh, yuck! It tasted like cardboard!

Thinking I may have added too much, I poured a second cup and then tried it. Yuck!

Then it hit me. The lack of taste! Oh my God! I’ve got the Covid!

I ran to the fridge, grabbed a peach, and bit into that. Sweet, delicious, yummy, and with taste! Oh, thank the Lord! No Covid here!

I went back to the grocery store and brought the box. I explained the situation, and they refunded my money, while I picked up fresh, loose, store brand, Sucralose. Happily, I drove home and made fresh coffee and had a cup.

This morning all is well. The coffee was good and the temperature outside is actually warm. The sun was rising and I snapped this picture looking across our Lake.

It’s a wee bit cloudy and we are all praying for rain as we are in a drought right now. We need rain. A lot of rain!

Happy Sunday everyone!

A Gift

Some days you go out into the world and everything that you see or touch goes to holy heck! Other days, like Friday was for me, is a gentle gift from God, and leaves me smiling. So, here we go.

I left here on Friday in the morning for my appointment with my Primary Care doctor. It was my big physical since my disaster physical last year. I was dreading it really because the last time wasn’t all that good, and she warned me that I was cutting short my life. The point was well taken by me and on January 1st I started the total reform package!

57 pounds later…

My Cholesterol levels are good. Certainly within normal limits. I do not need any medications!

My liver function, which was showing signs of stress and disease had completely turned itself around. In fact, my Liver Function test was perfectly normal!

And my thyroid levels were right where they are supposed to be. So my medication level does not need to be adjusted.

My A-1C test for diabetes last time showed me as a pre-diabetic at 5.9. This time, my level was a perfectly normal 5.3!

Looking back at the last nine months, I realize that I have saved my own life!

Amen

The Friday Five September 25th

The summer just packed up and left us about a week ago. It’s been cold and damp and windy! I actually had to turn on the heat! Ugh! Anyway, here we go with this week’s Friday Five!

I’ve been eyeing an Echo from Amazon, and this morning I went on to order it and the price was up $20.00! Now, after living with Jack, the cheapest man on the earth, I refused to complete the transaction. I am hoping that Amazon will have a sale before Christmas. Then I will buy this gift for myself.
I am on my way today to have my yearly physical. I had my bloodwork done, in hopes that my Cholesterol Levels would be closer to normal. I mean, I’ve lost 57.2 pounds and that should be good for something, right? Unfortunately, it appears my levels have not changed at all. Ugh!
I am sick to death of all the hate on Facebook. So, I joined two groups. One for ABBA fans and one for Dackel Lovers.I’ve set up my reader so I am seeing less and less hate and more puppy dogs and ABBA Songs! So much better!
For those wondering, I really love my Pampered Chef Air Fryer. It’s perfect!

I’m still learning, but one thing I do very well with is reheating Pizza for Jack. It comes out perfect every time!
My young friend’s entire family has Covid-19. She and one of the kids feel pretty lousy, while her husband and their year-old baby, although positive, are fairing better. Please people, wear your masks, isolate and be patient. One day we will look back and this horrible plague will be past us.

TBT: 1989 First Trip To Germany!

I first went to Germany in the spring of 1989. Jack was a pilot for Pan Am, and he was temporarily assigned to West Berlin. This was before the Wall came down, and nothing I experienced then, comes close to the reunified city now.

This was the Airbus A-300 Jack flew over from New York with a 3 man crew, and me. They showed me how to warm up meals and make coffee and I was able to experience take-off and landing on this flight in the cockpit, as well as see St Elmo’s Fire. There were no passengers on this flight. They had to fill up to the brim with jet fuel in order to make the flight from JFK to Berlin, Tegel Airport.

There we are, at Checkpoint Charlie, when it really was a crossing from West into East Berlin. I went through several times with the US Military (a special privilege they gave to Pan Am families).

Here I am in East Berlin at Alexander Platz. I recall the gardens there were so beautiful. I spent a lot of time walking around East Berlin, and I brought back many wonderful things to remind me of my trip. The items we have used the most over the years are the cotton Decke (comforter type blanket). I love the two I bought, but they are slowly falling to pieces now.

I also learned to love Dackels! Some friends of Jack’s had a wonderful male, Wirehaired Dackel, named Shubi. He spoke no English, and I spoke no German, but it was love at first sight for us both.

In the years to come each time we visited, Shubi was at my feet, in my arms, and in my bed! Oh, I loved that little man!

Years later, during the fall of 1995 Shubi got out of their yard and was hit by a lorry. My first visit back did not feel the same. I mourned the loss of my little friend. I saw how quiet their house was and said, “You know, we should get puppies together!”

And we did! In February of 1996, we brought home a three-month-old female Wirehaired Dackel, that we named Shubi. Our friends got her brother and named him Toni!

She was the best souvenir that I ever got!

What a Weird Tuesday I Had!

Tuesday found me going to see my Dermatologist at the VA. I also had to have blood drawn. The tests required that I not eat anything or drink anything until after the test. All I can say about this test is that it is cruel and unusual treatment!

The blood tests were first, and the nicest thing happened! The technician and I were talking and she asked me how old I was. I told her 62 (as I am very close to this age now) and she was startled! You do not look sixty-two! She exclaimed!

After that, I headed up to Dermatology. I was speaking with the Nurse first, and Brian was amazed at how wonderful I looked. He asked us if we wanted our Flu shots? Why yes, yes we did! So he went off and got two doses. One for Jack and one for me.

My dermatologist was also amazed at the new svelte me. It’s fun to see people’s reactions.

I had two small lesions that were burnt off. Nothing terrible and then before we knew it, we were on our way home.

Now here is where it gets weird.

As we drove along the Highway, we saw State Police everywhere. Then I noticed that they were no longer allowing new cars onto the Highway. At one point it was our lone car and a couple of dozen State Police vehicles. The center lane pull-offs were blocked with heavy State Trucks.

I asked Jack if something might have happened? Another terrorist attack? But we turned on the radio and found out that Vice President Pence was flying in for a rally and this measure was taken to stop the terrorists that have been plaguing our country.

That said, it felt very odd and this is something I hope and pray I never have to get used to.

When Covid-19 Comes to Call

It’s amazing to me that some people don’t believe that Covid-19 is real. Unfortunately, it is.

Another friend (in a faraway State) called today to tell me that she has Covid-19. They are awaiting the results for her husband and two children.

A good friend in Florida also had Covid-19 and he was very ill. So much so, that he spent time in the Intensive Care Unit.

People say I am crazy to be so compulsive about wearing a facial mask, not going to indoor restaurants, and avoiding all places I do not need to be.

I don’t want to get sick. I hate being sick! Last November when I had the Flu I was so ill I thought I would die. It was a combination of having a really bad case of Flu and the fact that it dragged on and on. I am also a bit of a Drama Queen, so give me a temperature of 102.6 for a few days, a cough that sounded like I was hacking up a lung, and my inability to breathe, and I’m convinced I had an early case of Covid-19.

Everyone says no, but I know how sick I was and nothing will convince me otherwise. See? Drama Queen.

I get my flu shot on Friday and then I hope and pray for the best. I just hate to even consider being that sick again!

The Weekend Wrap

It was an ABBA kind of weekend. What does this mean?

Well, it means I was into listening to their music, dancing when no one was looking, and pondering that time, that ABBA time, in my own life.

I was in High School and then married to my first husband. I had little ones who also liked to dance to their music and in many ways, it was an easier time for me.

Life has a way of teaching you lessons that you never would want to learn, and it was at the end of the ABBA era that my innocence was lost. Their last poignant ballads brought tears to my eyes.

So I danced and I got lost in the music and that suited me just fine. What did you all do this past weekend?

The Friday Five ~ September 18th

This was an odd week for me. I mean, some very strange things happened and somehow, I made it through.

- I went in on Tuesday and had my hair refreshed and trimmed. I’m really enjoying having slightly shorter hair. It makes my hair prep time down to about 5 minutes each day. This, I like!
- I had my Ladies meeting and I cannot tell you how good this is for me. It’s my one day to see the special people in my life and I get so much support there.
- I also made 32 jars of Heavenly Peach Jam. I like the first batch best, and Jack likes the second batch best.

It’s sort of funny because although I followed the same recipe, it was the ripeness of the peaches that made all the difference!

On Wednesday night about 10:50 PM, we heard two large explosions. And the lights went out. Jack woke me as he feared our deep freeze would thaw and he wanted to get the generation going.
So up I got, and we got the generator going, which was good as the lights were out until 3:40 AM. It turns out that a car had flipped over on the road below us and taken out a phone pole strung with electrical wires. Upon returning to bed, I only got a couple of hours of sleep before the dogs demanded their breakfasts. Needless to say, as I write on Thursday night, I am exhausted. The bed is beckoning me!
And lastly, It was a very good week weight-wise! I feel so blessed that I have found this lifestyle change and that it has worked for me! I feel like a whole new woman!

TBT: 1999

The year was 1999, and here I am sledding with Max and Shubi!

These two were our much-loved dogs.

That is before we planted the fruit trees.

Max, Me & Shubi too!

Max and Me!

Max and Shubi. Best Friends

More & More Peaches!

After swearing I would not make a batch of Heavenly Peach Jam, I broke down the other day and made a batch. Oh my goodness, I think, perhaps, that this is the very best batch of the Peach Jam that I have ever made.

This morning, I had some on my toast and it was amazing! So, this afternoon when I returned from having my hair done, I noticed our patio table was full of delicious perfectly ripe peaches!

Somehow I knew that my Jam making wasn’t over. So Tomorrow I will get the oranges, maraschino cherries, and get ready to do one more batch of Heavenly Jam.

The peaches will be peeled and mashed, the rest of the ingredients put into my great Jam Kettle, and then on Thursday I will cook it down and can it for use at a later date

The Peaches are so beautiful on the trees too. I think, although this is a season with a small crop, the peaches are the tastiest we have raised.

The end result is so worth all the work!