The Dackel Princess

Keeping Busy

On Wednesday I decided to tackle cleaning out my pantry. I am lucky to have a fairly large one, but the other day I opened the door and a bag of instant mashed potatoes fell out! Yes, it was time to clean and organize those shelves, especially since I have more canned goods and mixes than I usually have.

I also worked on making another batch of the Chicken & Cabbage Soup. It is simmering as I write and it’s what’s for dinner on this damp Wednesday night.

I am trying very hard not to dwell on what is happening in the World. This crazy Virus is an amazing thing. I watched the BBC News today and they gave a better account of what is happening in Europe. It is not good.

Wednesday was also weigh-in day for WW. Although we do not have class, I am determined to keep up my good work. And I did. I have now lost 28 pounds! I also attended an online meeting. Not quite the same, but it is really nice.

I think tomorrow I will do something truly decadent and give myself a manicure. Despite the fact that my hands are dry from all the washing, my fingernails have grown incredibly long! Yes, time for a nice manicure and polish.

So sad to hear that Prince Charles is sick with the Virus. I hope he recovers quickly, but at the age of 71, he is no spring chicken.

How are you all doing during this time when we are supposed to be sheltering in place and not going out? Do you take any precautions when you go to the grocery or pharmacy?

I now wear a mask (I reuse it which is probably not good, but better than nothing) and I wear disposable rubber gloves. When I come home I take my clothing off in the basement and wash them. And then go upstairs and either shower or scrub down. Yeah, I am a little paranoid.

But, that being said, I felt a bit lighter today. I’m encouraged that with the great minds that we have working on finding a vaccine or cure, there is hope.

Maribeth

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Howdy Hodgepodge-ers. It’s kind of fun to be back, isn’t it? The last time we met was September 2018. Tell me something big-important-happy-or sad that’s happened in your life since that date. Just one thing. We don’t know how long this current isolation situation is going to last and we might need to dole out our news bit by bit.

I took my granddaughter on a trip to my hometown on Cape Cod.

Just me and Savannah. We walked all around the village of Falmouth, Massachusetts, stayed in a nice hotel and went to the beach each day to play and swim. It was the best

2. Might as well get this out of the way early on…COVID-19. On a scale of 1-5, how serious are you about keeping your distance? Explain. FYI-I didn’t create the scale but have seen it several places online. Also, FYI-we won’t only have virus-related questions each week, but for this first one, it feels right.

1-Not at all, living normally
2-Cautious but still going out
3-Going out as needed, mostly home or working from home, still seeing friends/family
4-Extremely limited, only going out when unavoidable, minimal contact with people
5-Full lockdown, no one in or out

Okay, We are #4. My husband goes nowhere, and I go out perhaps once a week to quickly get fresh foods.

Other than that, we are in and that is it.

(Excuse my messy hair. It was a bad hair day for sure!)

3. Raise your hand if you think you might run out of steam in the cooking department before it’s all said and done? What’s something delicious you’ve cooked or eaten in your kitchen in the past week?

I love to cook and mostly we are stay-at-home types anyway. There are two things I’ve made that have been great! One is Cucumber Salad, made with a light oil & Vinegar marinade and Dill! It tastes great and lasts a long time in the fridge.

The other great thing was Chicken and Cabbage Soup with lots of vegetables. Perfect comfort food!

4. What’s a television show or movie you’ve seen recently (it could be an oldie) that you liked?

Well, I am a Homeland fan and since this is it’s last season I am watching every episode. I also love This Is Us and last night was the last episode of the season.

5. Share something funny you’ve seen or heard this week.

“It is going to snow a little but it won’t be too bad. Ha!”

6-8 inches of the heavy white stuff!

6. Insert your random thought here

I sure hope we get back to normal life soon. Now, I love my husband, but too much togetherness will drive a sane person mad! That being said, I am trying to stay calm and let the little things go. I think we are all on edge. Except for the dogs. They love having us around all the time!

A New Normal

On Monday I decided that I would suit up, complete with masks and gloves and go to our local grocery store. We needed a few things, like fresh vegetables and I thought I should at least make an attempt.

The store had a few people and I was amazed at the beautiful produce in the stores. I was able to get broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and summer squash and my favorite eggplant! I was thrilled. I’d made a list and was able to get everything except eggs. There were no eggs. Thankfully I still have some.

The store really was well stocked and people did have a lot to choose from. I thanked all the clerks I saw who were working hard to fill the shelves.

I was in the store for maybe 20 minutes as I raced up and down the isles. I did not want to be there too long.

In the check-out lane, I kept my distance from everyone and I noticed that some people were not being that careful.

I’d worn jeans and a shirt I could wash up, and the coat I was wearing really needed a bath anyway, so when I got home I stripped in the laundry room and then finished cleaning up upstairs.

As I write (5:55 PM on Monday) it is snowing very hard outside. We are due to get 6-8 inches of heavy wet snow.

So much for Spring coming to our neck of the woods right now.

I hope, wherever you are, that you are safe and healthy and well.

Learning From The Past

I was reading through the news the other day and some young reporter said something like, “Do any of you know anyone who has the Corona Virus?” “See, it’s not such a big deal.”

Well, let me tell you a story about my family. Back at the turn of the century, My grandfather and his family emigrated from Germany to Boston. They had sponsors and jobs waiting for them when they arrived.

My grandfather, Frederick, is the little boy seated on the bench. Next to him is his younger sister, Katchen.

They moved in down the street from my grandmother’s family, and in no time at all, Grandma Honey, (Whose name was Mary) became best friends with Katchen. During their youth, my grandfather who was one year older said he fell in love with my grandmother. They married shortly after they both finished college.

Katchen met and married a wonderful man named Raymond.

The young couples spent a lot of time together. Soon Katchen’s husband was called to war and left his young wife Home with her family, and pregnant with their first baby.

She was so beautiful and the sweetest and kindest woman one could hope to know. So said, my grandmother.

Then, the Spanish Flu Pandemic hit in the winter of 1918-1919. The family attempted to keep Katchen in isolation, but the young couple made a fateful decision. Raymond snuck in to see his wife.

*A note was written by my grandmother as she recalled that terrible time.*
My grandparents were devastated, to lose Katchen like that, as well as her baby. Decades later, my grandmother still wept telling the story.

Raymond and Katchen didn’t think she would catch the Flu from him and die. They did not listen to the older folks who begged people to avoid each other. The Spanish Flu spread like wildfire.

Raymond’s life was ruined, and he never recovered from what he had done to his beloved wife.

Wikki Writes: “The Spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu pandemic, was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic. Lasting from January 1918 to December 1920, it infected 500 million people—about a quarter of the world’s population at the time. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, (675000 people alone died in the USA) making it one of the deadliest epidemics in human history.“

So yes. I have known someone who died in a Pandemic. She died at the tender age of 21. My mother never got to meet her father’s sister. I never got to know my Great Aunt Katchen. And yet, I do know her a little. Her death made me value life, but also respectful of illness.

So please people, this is a serious Pandemic illness. No one is immune to it.

So the next time someone asks if you know of anyone who died in a Pandemic you can say, “My friend’s Great Aunt died, as well as her baby.”

The virus does not care who you are. Young or old, it will get you.

Stay healthy, stay safe, follow the rules. We can get through this!

Chicken & Cabbage Soup

I made this recipe up and put it through the recipe builder. Zero Points!

Craziness

Friday found us watching as State after State began shutting down. I think we are very close to this happening here. We’ve been told to stay home unless we need to get prescriptions or food. Basically shelter in place with no running around.

This being said, Jack and I stayed in our pajamas all day. I mean really, who is going to care if we are in our comfy clothes? Certainly, the dogs do not care.

So here we are comfy, with doggies draped all over the furniture in the house. It’s a peaceful scene, really.

I have done only cursory housework and cooking. I’m perfectly happy to keep ~~playing with~~ programming my new computer!

I also learned how to use my Bluetooth device on the laptop to listen to music!

And I have to brag about two things. The first was I had trouble getting my email accounts to work correctly. I called my local carrier. Due to the Virus, the Techs are working from home. I had the unlucky experience of getting a guy with a name like “Keanu”, who was working from his living room.

His TV was on full blast, enough so that I could hear screaming from the show. Also, his dog was barking and this added to the chaos.

Now I tried to remain calm, after all, he is a professional, right? But as I attempted to explain my problem, it became clear that he had no desire to help me. He told me to do two things and then told me to switch to a better email program. Ah, what?

I hung up feeling furious. Then I remembered what Brad told me. Sit down, and work through the problem systematically.

I compared my old computer settings to the new one. Now wouldn’t you know the problem was in the last place I looked! Ha!

The next tech type victory was learning to sign in to the online WW Classes. They are having online workshops for us because the Virus has shut all the in-person workshops down. Thursday I could not connect, but on Friday I figured it all out! Yay me!

Life goes on, and if we are all lucky, no one we know and love will contract this Virus. Please stay safe and healthy!

Maribeth

The Friday Five

It’s another Friday Five! Wow! Has this week gone by quickly. It’s been a little stressful, but somehow we are all getting through. So much is happening in the world, but here is what is happening in my little piece of the world.

1. On Monday New Hampshire only had a couple of cases of the Corona Virus. Here we are on Friday and we have over 40. Each day when I wake up there are a few more. We are a small State, and this is hitting us very hard.

2. Mostly, I have been able to keep Jack in. But the other day he became impatient with me and drove off to the Post Office to get the mail. I told him that if he gets the Virus and dies, it is his own fault!

3. I heard that Market Basket (Grocery Store) was having Senior times for shopping. From 5:30 AM until 7 AM, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. So on Thursday I was up at 4 AM and drove down to Market Basket. I got there early, as I knew the Gray Generation would be out in full force. I was correct. I was the 3rd person in line, and it seemed like all of a sudden at 5:30 there were over 200 of us going into the shop.

4. It was tricky. They had no eggs, almost no meat, and very limited vegetables. The canned veggies and the frozen veggies were gone. There also was no TP or paper towel. But I did score some Eggplant and Enlightened Ice Cream Bars, although they had no Mint Chocolate Chip which is Jack’s favorite. Almost everyone was nice and kind.

5. As I finished up my shopping, I got out to the car and it was raining. Oh well, I thought, at least this is not snow! I began the drive home and no sooner had I gotten onto the highway then the rain turned to snow. Heavy snow! And it continued all the way home. It is still snowing, as I write, but at least I am in.

So there you go. The five things on my mind as the week ends. I hope you all stay healthy and well and that all this Virus stuff goes away quickly.

A Story From My Youth

A long time ago, when I was just a little girl, I lived in a time when we did not have to worry about letting our kids go out and play.

My Mom would finish feeding us breakfast in the summer and then shoo us outside to play. After my sister, brother and Uncle had taught me to ride my trusty Schwinn Bicycle, I would often take off to go see my little part of the world.

We lived near a beautiful beach, Surf Drive Beach. I’d grown up there, learning to swim, and becoming aware that no matter what, the Ocean would always be calling my name.

Me, about 8 or 9 years old with my kittens.

During the summer months, the trusty Lifeguards would blow their whistles if you ventured off onto the Jetties. But during the offseason, I would ride my bike to the beach and walk out on the Jetties to enjoy the sounds, the smell and the peace of the Sea.

Me at Surf Drive Beach. Still, my spiritual home.

I felt so free there. With no creature around except the Seagulls, the Hermit Crabs and the gentle lap of the ocean water against the boulders that shaped the Baby Pool.

I would sit there and turn my face toward the sky, feeling the sun beating down upon my face. I could taste the salt on my lips. For me, this was Heaven on Earth.

I would stay there until I started to feel hungry and then I would ride the five minutes it took me, back to our home. Mom would have sandwiches ready along with Kool-Aid, the popular kiddie drink of the 1960s. Occasionally it would be Hawaiian Punch or milk, but for some reason, Mom was a Kool-Aid gal.

After lunch, we were shown the door again and told to come home when the Bell rang. Mom had a big old Bell she would ring, alerting us that dinner would soon be served.

At times the Ocean would call me, but quite often I would ride my bike around town. I would ride to the Falmouth Harbor and check out the different boats. I would often see the fishermen bringing in their catch. So long ago, when Falmouth still had a big fishing community.

I loved to ride up and down Main Street. I knew most of the local merchants and if I saw them, I would give them a wave.

Sometimes when I would get home for dinner, Mom would tell me that Mrs. So&So had seen me out on my bike.

I loved the feel of the sunshine on my face and the wind in my hair. It was only much later that I realized that I had been given a great gift. I grew up on Cape Cod, in the 1960s before the year-round crowds and it was back when children had so much freedom.

I would arrive at home around 5 o’clock and would hear the bell gong announcing that it was time to come in. My bike would go in the back yard, I would come in, wash up and Mom would have the dinner on our table. Dad was usually there. (He was a Summertime Police Dispatcher, during those months. We brought his supper to him at the Station on a tin pie plate covered with foil.) Also at the table were my sister, Melodie, and brother Dickie. Mom was a great cook, and she varied her meals. My favorite was her Lasagna or American Chop Suey. She also made the very best Boston Baked Beans. Dinner time was family time as we all caught up on our day.

Baths were taken, TV watched and then I would climb into my bed. My sheets felt like cool cream. Soft and comforting.

I never had trouble falling asleep, probably because I never sat down during the entire day. I explored, I enjoyed, and I appreciated all that was around me.

Nobska Lighthouse, Falmouth, Massachusetts.

A little glimpse into what growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s was like for me.

This & That March 18, 2020

I thought today I would just keep myself busy and everything would be okay. I started the day by continuing to program my computer and eventually I solved the big problem of getting the new machine to talk to our Main Computer, which handles all important things, like Printers.

Oh my goodness, I worked so hard to remember all that my friend Brad had taught me, and in the end, I think I can say he would be proud of me.

Then I set about cooking. I wanted to get the Corned Beef in the oven on a low heat early. It requires you to just about cook it to death. Unfortunately, when I checked it recently, I’m not sure it’s a score. The vegetables will be okay, but we may have to search for different meat to eat. I’m disappointed.

Meanwhile, I boned a chicken and I am making my own Chicken Stock, and I will make a Cabbage and Chicken Soup. It’s yummy with a mixture of vegetables and it is a low point meal for me.

The stock is coming out well and smells so good. I will let it simmer in the crockpot overnight, then make the soup tomorrow.

I also decided to wash all my kitchen potholders. Why? Well, because I thought they needed it and why not?

Lili celebrated her birthday with a Doggy Cookie Cake and a new toy. Lili loves her stuffed animal toys so we bought her a new one. A fuzzy little Bunny. She loves it.

Arnie is feeling better since his tooth extraction and although he isn’t eating crunchy food yet, he is eating and is happy.

Anneliese was thrilled to find snow had fallen this morning and she ran outside with such glee! Yes, I said that we had snow, just a dusting really, on St. Patrick’s Day!

I weighed in a day early and I have lost another 1.2 pounds. Usually, I weigh in on Wednesday at WW Class, but they have been canceled until further notice.

Fortunately, I have a good scale at home and decided that I will not quit despite the stress I feel right now.

I will not give up!

So, that’s about it from the northern climes. Life is going on, quietly so. But we are blessed as we have managed not to get sick. nock on wood!

Take care, Gentle Readers.

PS: I was able to write this entire post without interruption! How I love this new computer!

Happy Sixth Birthday Lili!!!

Today our Lili is six years young! Hard to believe it! Time has flown! Our little St. Patrick’s Day Pup will get a special dog food molded cake with five mini dog bones for candles! Bless you, Lili, you really are a gem.

We found that Lili would have been great fun in a Circus. She loves to run and jump and run some more. A true whirling dervish! Winter is her favorite time, as she enjoys being able to leap through the snow at full speed. It’s like watching a deer.

Lili is the sweetest girl and has developed a wonderful relationship with our smallest dachshund. The two are devoted to each other and sleep curled up together a great deal of the time at night. Lili is also the Dackel Bodyguard. She goes outside with them and watched should the Bald Eagle, or a stray dog threaten them.

She is amazingly intelligent. She follows commands and has become a retriever. Let me explain. If one of the dachshunds is out and is taking too long, I will say, “Lili, go get Anneliese” and she will run off and herd her back to the door. She seems to love having jobs to do.

Likewise, my husband has begun going outside to exercise and of course, do some snow shoveling, Lili will go with him. She never leaves his side and keeps a close watch. She is closely attuned to him.

While I am crocheting in the evenings she is either at my feet or in my loveseat next to me. She follows me everywhere I go and she is so loving, at times it brings tears to my eyes.

She is also the most beautiful White Shepherd we have ever had. No kidding. She is nearly completely white, with a fabulous black nose and nails. Her eyes are perfectly brown and her coat is a full, short tight coat, with soft fur.

Her best little friend is a five-year-old girl that is our neighbor’s grandniece. She will stand on their balcony and call “Lili” and Lili happily runs to greet her, pulling up just before she gets to her, so as not to knock her over.
She also loves our two grandchildren who wanted Bolt Dogs for Christmas that looked like Lili a few years back.

Lili rescued me on January 12th last year, when a man broke into my house during the day. He made it to the top of our cellar stairs, but the door was locked and Lili was fiercely barking and was between me and the door. She saved me that day!

So here we are, our darling Lili is six and all grown up and settling down. Knowing she is the last large dog we will have, makes her all the more special to us.

Happy Birthday, Lili!