Dog's Life

Top 5 reasons I wish I were my dog, Truman.

5. I would be able to fall asleep anytime and anywhere. My dog seems to enjoy this pastime and can do it all day long. I've watched him wake up from a nap, walk a short distance and plop down to enjoy another snooze, as if the action of waking and walking a few feet was exhausting. He will fall asleep on floors, couches, beds, in the searing hot sunshine, on the deck, in the grass, and on just about any flat surface. His favorite spot to catch Z's is between our legs on the couch or snuggled in bed between Don and myself. As someone who has difficulties with falling asleep and staying asleep, I'd like to know how Truman does this. I'm sure I could market this talent and make millions.




4. I would never have to think about what or when I would eat. My dog gets fed like clockwork at 6:15am and 5:00pm. If he is not fed at this time, he will stare forlornly at whichever "master" (I use this term very lightly) is available. I would not have to make decisions about what to eat or Weight Watcher points. Though selections are limited (kibble with yogurt for breakfast, kibble with Parmesan cheese for dinner), these two are favorites that have been created through years of trial and error. I would also never have to cook. A HUGE plus!




3. I wouldn't have to listen if I didn't feel like it. Truman has a god-given talent for pretending not to hear or understand a command. Don't get me wrong, he is well-trained. We took him to many, many classes and he was a star pupil, making us so proud with his perfect "sit-stay-comes". He is extremely obedient when there is a treat involved. Oh yes, he CAN do it. There are times, however, when it seems he just cannot bring himself to bother with any request we have for him. His aloof behavior is both frustrating and somewhat endearing. I'd love to be able to ignore something my boss or my husband asks and have them feel tender-hearted toward being ignored. [NOTE: Don says that this is what he calls my "selective hearing" mode and while I have mastered this skill, it is not endearing . He does still feel tender-hearted toward me, though].




2. I could make judgments on people by sniffing them. OK, this one may not appeal to many of you. Truman can size up whether or not to socialize with another dog by sniffing them. Think of the time this saves. No more polite small talk or false pretenses. Truman gets right to the heart (well, maybe not the heart so much as the butt) of the matter. A brief sniffing encounter tells him everything he needs to know about the other. While I am not suggesting that sniffing someones butt should be part an introduction, it would be nice to have a way to gauge a person without spending allot of time getting to know them through small talk. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?




1. There would always be someone behind me to pick up my "poop." I am a good neighbor and conscientious dog owner. If Truman goes potty on someones lawn, I pick it up and dispose of it. I never walk him without having the "tools" to clean up after him. Wouldn't it be lovely to have a personal assistant that could follow me around and clean up whatever messes I've made? Just think about all the "bombs" I could drop and not even have to think about the aftermath. Get caught making an illegal U-turn? "Why Officer, just talk to my assistant, she'll clear up this whole matter." Get a little too tipsy at an employer-sponsored party and wake up the next morning not remembering what I said or did? No problem. My assistant would not only run damage control, she could tell me every embarrassing detail. (She, of course, being the designated driver.)




Truman has a great life.

Vacation Days

It's always great to get away. We usually try to have one "fly-away" vacation and one "drive-away" vacation each year. We are very lucky.



After an emergency trip to the hospital with Don on the eve of our trip, our vacation needed to be delayed for two days. Fortunately, Don's illness, though scary and mysterious, did not linger and he was in great shape to head off on vacation. By this time, we really need to get away!


After about 4 hours on the road, our first stop was in Hyde Park, NY where we visited the campus of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). An unusual stop for a vacation, you might say. However, I had read that the restaurants were top notch and the lure of good food was just too much for us to resist. Unfortunately, because of our vacation schedule change, most of the restaurants were closed. However, we did manage to have an excellent lunch at the bakery/cafe where they serve soups, salads, sandwiches and the most decadent desserts on earth. I had a three salad assortment (chicken, garbanzo beans and Mediterranean pasta) and a cherry tart (there goes my Weight Watcher points for the day). After lunch we toured the school a bit, watching the students prepare food behind large glass viewing windows and strolled the beautiful grounds.


After lunch we drove up the road a bit to the Home of Franklin Roosevelt, a National Historic Site. I have always admired the work of this remarkable president. He was able to unite and organize the country during a time of great challenge. Someone we could use in power now. We toured the grounds and the home site, then went to the FDR library. It was amazing to think that this man who suffered so painfully with polio and was confined to a wheelchair was able to keep all his medical problems out of the media. That certainly would not happen today.


Next we drove to Moondance Ridge Bed and Breakfast, our "home" for the next two nights. We enjoy staying at B&Bs and have had some wonderful experiences. This place did not disappoint. We were met by Patti, the innkeeper and given a brief rundown of the house and our room. The room was very large, elegant and comfortable. After a sauna and bath in the huge whirlpool tub (insert relaxing sigh here), we set off for a wonderful supper at a place called Barnaby's.



In the morning, Patti prepared us a lovely breakfast of fresh berries, baked herb eggs and biscuits. Don and I were well-fueled for a day of winery tours and tastings. We drove to Brotherhood Winery, the oldest winery in America where we bought a few bottles of Charval, a blend of Chardonnay & Seyval Blanc. Next to Benmarl Winery where we had a very nice tasting experience with a fellow named Nick. After purchasing more wine, we drove to Rivendell Winery. One more tasting and several more purchases completed our Hudson Valley wine touring for the day. Supper at a place called The Gilded Otter in downtown New Paltz was a bit of a disappointment to an otherwise pleasant day.


The next morning, Patti out-did herself with making us a tasty breakfast of fresh strawberries, Challah bread french toast and bacon. A great way to begin our day and start our journey down to Reading, PA to see our son, Adam and his wife, Beth and the STAR of our lives, our new grandbaby, Leicha.



This was our first experience holding Leicha, who was born 6 weeks early on June 27. We spent most of our time mesmerized by this tiny (now a big ol' 7 pounds!), sweet angel. Adam and Beth were very excited to show off their baby and we had a memorable visit.



While in Reading, we made a visit to The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (my concession to Don's interests). As we were the only tourists, we got a very personalized tour by an elderly gentleman named, Joe, who really knew his stuff. Of interest at this museum is a P-61 nightfighter that was recovered from the jungles of the Philippines at considerable expense. I guess it's one of only four in the world and they will be restoring and flying it in the future. Don took many photos as I tagged along and tried to look interested for the sake of Joe, who focused all his attention on explaining every detail to me.


We also managed to visit the Reading Public Museum, a really nice collection of interesting and unusual "stuff" from all over the world. We strolled the beautifully landscaped grounds, enjoying the peace and quiet.


All-in-all, Don and I had a very nice time, the highlight being our time with our grandbaby. Back to reality.

My Husband's "Mistress"

My husband has a "mistress".

Don's "mistress" crept into our lives during the early years of our marriage, shaking us to the breaking point on many occasions. He has never wanted "her" but despite his efforts, he is unable to get "her" to leave. I have resigned myself to the fact that "she" will be an unwanted part of the rest of our lives.

His "mistress" has created financial hardships. "Her" demands have made it difficult for Don to advance in his career. "She" has pulled him away from work at critical times, diminishing his credibility and impacting his effectiveness. To keep "her" away as much as possible requires us to tap into our household budget regularly, making acquiring savings for vacations, retirement or extras a struggle.

"She" is always on our minds, invading our thoughts and conversations. Don and I have always had honest and often painful discussions about "her" intrusion into our lives. His "mistress" has caused many heated arguments, cruel words and sorrow.

Don's "mistress" has taken him from my bed. He sleeps with "her" every night causing him to toss and turn. Because of "her", Don will often sleep on the couch so as to not disturb me with the restlessness that "she" causes him.

"She" has disrupted vacations. Many times we've had to cancel or reschedule much-needed vacations because "she" needed attention. When we do go away, we are always aware of the limitations that "she" imposes on Don.

Don feels guilty for having this evil "mistress." He never meant to impose "her" on me and he questions why I stay with him through all this turmoil. While I have been pushed to the very edge of despair, the thought of leaving my one true love has never been an option.

Don hates "her". His love and devotion to me are unquestioned. However, "her" ability to wrench him away from me is stronger than our love for each other. And I know, in the end, "she" will ultimately take him away from me.

My husband's "mistress" is his poor health and on-going medical issues.

[Dear family and friends: please forgive me this bitter rant. After coming home from another emergency room trip at 2 in the morning and having to reschedule our vacation to see our new grandbaby, I am hurting. Don is feeling much better, by the way and, thanks to this blog-therapy, so am I.]

Secrets to a Happy Marriage

First of all: there are no secrets.

Don and I will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary this October. We have been blessed with 20 very happy years, 10 years of just keeping our heads above water and 5 pretty miserable years.

It's not the happy years that make a marriage. Happy is easy. You just take life as it comes and coast along. I have learned to enjoy the happy years as a reward for all the struggles and hardships that we've been through.

While happy years are the ideal, it's the struggling years that really make a marriage. It's the financial, emotional and medical hardships that can crush a marriage and test it's character. In this age of disposable marriages, it's all too easy to call it quits when the going gets tough. It takes strength, dedication and allot of hard work to overcome challenges in a marriage and fierce determination to make it work.

Don and I have had our struggles and we will continue to face many more. I am proud of what we have built together and the mutual respect and devotion we have for one another. Thirty-five years of love, laughter and many tears have brought us closer together.

No secrets here.

Mount Washington Hike

Another goal achieved!

Last Saturday I hiked Mount Washington with some friends, old and new, along with my brother-in-law.

We arrived at the base camp of the Tuckerman's Ravine Trail around 10:00am having driven over 3 hours. After gathering gear and making one last "pit stop," we were on our way.

The day was bright and sunny with a cool breeze giving us a break every now and then. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

For 2.4 miles the trail was wide and easy to navigate with a steady climb that was comfortable. After about 2 hours of hiking, we reached the Hermit Lake shelters where we took a long break before tackling the ravine headwall. This was a steady, challenging assent, much of it required large, lifting steps and pulling up and onto boulders. It took us 1 1/2 hour to reach the summit cone. This next section was 100% rock climbing rather than hiking.

It was at this point that I began to question the wisdom of this goal. I could see the summit. It was in reach. My body, however, was overwhelmed with shear exhaustion. Additionally, I was now plagued with a cramping spasm in my right quadriceps muscle. The thought of a helicopter rescue kept me motivated to nearly crawl ahead, one painful step at a time.

After 30 more minutes, we all made it to the top! Someone decided to play a cruel joke on all hikers reaching the top: there are stairs leading to the actual summit point. I found myself clinging to the railing and pulling myself up every single step, determined to make it to the summit. From start to top, we hiked for 4 hours.

The summit has a snack bar and we all enjoyed chili, clam chowder and hot dogs. That's all I needed to reinvigorate for the hike down.

We took Lion's Head Trail back down. While it was steeper and rougher, it was also less crowded and had some spectacular views.

The trail eventually reconnects with the Tuckerman's trail and signalled to us the last part of our journey. I kept thinking that we certainly must be near the end NOW, when in fact , it took us another 1 1/2 hours to return to the base lodge. The hike down took a little over 3 1/2 hours. All totalled, we were on that mountain for 8 1/2 hours.

While I am proud of having climbed Mt. Washington 3 times, I can now hang up my hiking boots. I'm done. Stick a fork in me. The struggle that I encountered during the last 30 minutes of the assent, helped convince me that I have nothing to prove to myself. My aching muscles today sealed the deal.

Thanks to my hiking team for making this fun and exciting: Joe, George and Kristen, Jason and Colleen. ...and thanks to my husband for his support and for having the foot soak ready when I got home.