Here's to dachshunds with waggly tails!

My granddaughter Samantha has been a diehard animal lover her entire life. While going to school, she worked part-time in a veterinary clinic.

One day, a woman brought in an elderly dachshund named Freddie and never came back for him. As it turned out, the owner moved away and didn't want to deal with the poor little pooch.

The little dog became a fixture around the clinic while they tried to find a home. Samantha fell in love with the little guy. So, despite the fact he probably wouldn't live all that much longer, she brought him home and loved him mightily.

And that's almost two years ago.

The Zombie Effect

I've been feeling really dragged out in recent weeks. I have low energy and I'm headachy, dizzy, unable to concentrate and irritable.

I'm especially lethargic today. So, I'm lying on the couch thinking about what changes I've made in the last several months that may be causing it. I got to thinking about my sleep therapist appointment several months ago.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea back in 2000 and I've been using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine ever since.

                                    (This is not me.)
After getting a newer machine recently, the sleep therapist asked me if I had trouble with my mouth drying out during the night. When I said I sometimes did, she suggested that I switch from taking Benadryl (a decongestant and sleep aid) to Melatonin at bedtime. I've been taking it for a month now.

I just googled Melatonin side effects and got a shock. The information provided by a doctor on the Mayo Clinic site said that the dose for a sleep aid should be .5 mg and for bigger problems like jet lag, it should be 3 to 5 mg. I checked the bottle of melatonin to see the dosage I'm taking and it's a whopping 10 mg! Why would they even sell it in such high doses?

No wonder I'm feeling like a zombie (don't tell John Gray!). Needless to say, I'm going off the Melatonin now!

I hope to be feeling chirpier in a few days and then I can contact the company that sells the nasty stuff!

The pressure builds

It's been a week and a day since I last posted. I write posts and then wimp out because I don't have the courage to hit the little orange rectangle that says Publish.

I wrote a rant the other day but backed off because it doesn't seem to fit my grandmotherly persona. I would rebel against the idea that this persona is all I am, but then I worry about getting too far out of character. This would make it seem that I'm pretending to be somebody I'm not or that I don't have the confidence to just say what I want to say and let the chips fall where they may.  I worry about disappointing people who think I'm above what might be perceived as petty annoyances. I aspire to be one of those bloggers who write about nice, safe things.

But darn it, that is not who I am!

Well, not entirely anyway.

A few follow-ups

I just spotted the mama turkey over by some trees and all 9 of her chicks are still with her. They look to be half-grown and they're fully feathered now.

                                   (Borrowed image)
Sunny's vestibular disease has not cleared up. He walks around with his head cocked way over to one side. He get disoriented easily but seems to be dealing with it. I'm still worried about him because that's the kinda gal I am!

                      (It seems to have affected his eyes too)
The tomato dumpling soup was not up to expectations. I had previously blogged about how messy and steamy it was to can peaches. As it turns out, making soup from fresh tomatoes is almost as bad! The soup was good but I need a better recipe for the dumplings. I think I'll try it with spaetzle next time!

When I went on Google to find a picture, I found this one that had a recipe attached. Now, who would have thought to go into Google Images to find a recipe!

The family reunion picnic on Saturday. My two cousins on the left and me between my two brothers on the right. We look like a bunch of old people!

Sunday Afternoon

It was an exceptionally quiet Sunday afternoon today. My roommate Sue had to pick up a book over at the Roseville Library so I tagged along.

My daughter gave me a bunch of fresh tomatoes from her garden. I want to make some Tomato Dumpling soup like I used to get at a now-defunct restaurant. I have been looking for a recipe for that delicious soup and I hoped to find one in a cookbook since I can't find anything online.

It turned out that everybody was at the library! The huge parking lot was packed and every computer was occupied. This is the city's new "new age" library and it is spacious, bright and as charming as a warehouse. There is nothing that invites you to linger. 

             (This is just the lower level of computers!)

I had no luck finding my recipe, I'm just going to have to "wing-it" to make the soup and dumplings. I can't find a recipe anywhere that comes close to what I'm trying to find. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Some dog pictures that make me laugh

            

            And one that makes me cry.

              Pepper-John died in 1982 and is still missed.

Peach Season

We have our Johnson family reunion coming up this Saturday in a little town west of here. It's on my mother's side of the family. Sadly, all of the aunts and uncles are gone so it's just cousins and second cousins getting together. We always have a good time, but some of the older cousins aren't getting around much anymore either. 

I called my cousin Paul to see if he would make it and he said that not only would he come but he's bringing peach pies! That brought back memories of peach season from my childhood.

Peaches used to come in big baskets that were repurposed as laundry baskets to haul the wet laundry out to the clothesline. Sometimes, mom would just buy a "lug" of peaches in a flat wooden crate.

In any case, that meant it was time to can peaches for the coming winter. As the oldest child, I was given the task of bringing up all the dusty canning jars from the basement. Even worse was having to scrub them in hot water on what was invariably a miserable hot day. The kitchen would be steamy and sticky from blanching and peeling the peaches before cutting them in half and packing them tightly in the jars.

I swore that I would never can peaches when I grew up!

My dad was really fond of peaches and cream so we had that for dessert every night after supper during  peach season. I was in charge of peeling and dicing the peaches into six dishes to serve with half-and-half and sugar. There is no fancy dessert that can surpass a fresh, juicy peach--unless it's peach pie!

Sunny has a good day

I am really touched by all the kind wishes from everyone! We took Sunny back in for a follow-up visit and the vet says he should continue to improve, but he may never completely recover from the head tilt. We'll keep on with the ear drops for now, but that's all we can do. We just have to wait an see. On the plus side, he's mostly back to being his old self, he's just not as agile.

Big thanks to Joanne at Cup on the Bus for telling me about her cat's experience with this condition. It was really helpful to know that it was going to be OK. There is so much to be said for the camaraderie of the bloggie network! I feel so lucky to be part of it!

                              (Borrowed image of cute kitty)