Second Best New Year’s Eve

We all got cheeseburgers today.

Paula was at home the whole day. Daniel was away for a while, and came home with cheeseburgers. There was a cheeseburger for each of us dogs, and one for Paula and one for Daniel. Cheeseburgers are great.

Thanks to the cheeseburgers, and that Paula was at home the whole day, I would count this as my second best New Year’s Eve ever,

My best New Year’s Eve was ten years ago. We had not lived long in this house. This is when I got my first litter of pups.

Happy birthday, Meja and Bagus!

Happy New Year, everybody!

Old Article About the Moon

A Swedish newspaper has re-published an article about the Moon from 1956. It was quite interesting.

The author wrote that it was not likely men would travel to the Moon until the 21st century. We now know they did. Six manned missions landed on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. On the other paw, noone has set a footon the Moon since. The manned expeditions were not really economically viable with the technology of the time. The next time humans travel to the Moon, I believe they are.

Fireworks Banned on Galapagos Islands

The local authorities on Galapagos Islands have banned fireworks in due time before New Years’s Night. This is mainly to preserve the unique fauna on the islands.

Fireworks scare a lot of wildlife all around the world, even in Sweden. Many dogs are also scared, though not here at our house. I would not mind a complete ban in Sweden or in oir home town as well. Perhaps we will get itin the future.

Lazy Day

We have all had a cool day today. Paula came home from work this morning and we all rested until early afternoon. Then Daniel went away to do some grocery shopping, while the rest ofus kept taking it easy. When Daniel came back home, he joined us, and we all just had a lazy rest of the day. I love the odd lazy day like this, although it would be boring if every day would be like this.

Ending the Year

Daniel did his last day at workfor the hear today. Paula does her last night at work for the year tonight.

There is a risk that Paula will also work on New Year’s Night. She would earn extra money for it, which would be great, as such. Other than this, the work year is over.

More work will come next year, of course. Until then, however, we will have both Paula and Daniel at home. This is the way I like it best.

When Your Work Is to Rest

Paula came home from work this morning. She had finished the first of four nights in a row at work. Consequently, she would sleep today. As companion dogs, we kept her company. You could say our lineof work today was to rest alongside Paula. Thisis not as easy as it may seem. We still have to be watch dogs. It requires a lot of experience to know just when to sound the alarm, which is notoften on a day like this. Paula was satisfied this evening, she had been able to get severalhours of undisturbed sleep. We did a good job.

Dog Abandoned on CCTV

Some news stories hurt more than others. There is a CCTV film which is now spread online, showing a man in the UK abandoning a Staffordshire Bullterrier by the side of a road, driving away from the dog in a car.

Fortunately, the dogis now taken care of. The man is yet to be identified. I hope he will be brought to justice, to pay for what he has done.

Walk on My Own

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

This evening, Daniel brought me on a walk all by myself. There were just him and me who took a walk, no other dogs. I enjoyed this.

We are usually quite a few dogs on the walks. You always have to respect what the other dogs do, you cannot always walk whenever you want, stop whenever you want, or the like. With this solo walk with Daniel, I got more leeway.

The reason for the walk was that Daniel had an errand to Paula’s parents, who live withon walking distance of us. He brought me just for company. I could do this more often. Otherwise, it is usually grandmum Hailey or Mum Polly who gets to take extra walks like this. Perhaps I will be chosen more often next year. I hope so.

Celebration

I got to come with Paula and Daniel to Paula’s parents for Christmas Eve celebration today. Paula’s sister and her sister’s children were there as well. I love all of these humans. The children were very nice to me, they left great food that I got to finish.

Christmas is a great holiday. I just love all of the meat and other good food that is always served.

Cleaning the House

We cleaned the house before Christmas, today. It is always nice to enter a holiday with a clean house, then we know we do not have to use a lot of time cleaning, and it feels better to live in a cleaner house.

In the future, we may have self cleaning houses. I would like that. Then time can be spent doing better things, like resting, perhaps watching TV, or the like. We clean, because we like to have a clean house, not because we likethe act of cleaning as such.

Preparations

Paula and Daniel went off to Paula’s parents for a while today. They helped to prepare the feast on Christmas Eve. I have asked to come, but so have a lotof the other dogs, and we know there will be a limited number of dogs who may come. It will be a nice Christmas Eve at home as well, of course, just not as eventful, I guess. We will have to see if I am the one, or one of the few, who may come.

Final Work Before Christmas

Daniel did his last day at work before Christmas today. We will enjoy his company at home a little more the first days of next week. I lileit, when our humans are at home. Life is easier, we do not have to put as much effort in watching the house.

Paula will work on the evening before Christmas Eve, however. As a nurse, she needs to take part in keeping the hospital operational any day and any time of the year. I salute her for this, but I also like it better when she is at home.

It will be a nice Christmas, I am sure.

Cold Indoors

It became increasingly coldindoors. It was bearable, of course, with Shiba coats. It still felt unusually cold.

The radiators were cold. Daniel concluded that the heat did not work. Our house is heated with electricity. It turned out a fuse had burned out. Fortunately, we had a new fuse of the same kind at home, so Daniel could change fuses.

We had to wait for a while, but now, the radiators are warm again. We have heat in the house. It is nice to have resourceful humans, who can change fuses when necessary.

Sausage Test

Paula has bought a lot of sausages for Christmas. We had a sausage test session today.

I loved all of the sausages. It is easy to love sausages, their main component is meat. Of course, some sausages are better than others. I usually like sausages with a lot of spices a little less than other sausages, for example.

Paula said she would give some of the sausages away. This may be a good idea. There is an old saying that you should give away the things that you love the most. Otherwise, if we would keep all of the sausages, they would not become too old, I can assure everyone of this.

Bloodhound Supersonic Car

I would normally not be interested in supersonic cars. When it is named after a dog breed, however, there is some merit in taking an interest in it. 

The Bloodhound supersonic car will ise a Rolls Royce Eurofighter jet engine to make an attempt at breaking a speed record. I like it, because of its name. The Bloodhound is a dog breed. I would have loved it, had it been the Shiba supersonic car, but I like it the way it is.

Snow

We did get some snow this morning. It stayed throughout the day. It wasnot more than two centimetres, but still snow.

The forecast predicts temperatures above the freezing point later this week. We will have to see if the snow will stay. I hope it will.

Blast in Sapporo

A huge blast in a restaurant in Sapporo, Japan, has killed over 40 humans. The cause of the blast is yet unknown.

I hope there were no Shibas or other dogs affected, killed, injuried, or who lost their humans. The news does not say.

It may be just an accident. I hope it is not a terrorist bomb.

Earthrise

The American astronauts on Appolo 8, who orbited the Moon, took the famous Earthrise photography, where Earth rose over the horizon of the Moon from the view of the orbiting spacecraft. You can see a short documentary about it here. I highly recommend it!

The Appolo project is one of the greatest feats of humanity to this date. It will be dwarfed by greater feats in the future, I hope, but it must always be considered in the history of our civilisation. Visiting the Moon is something special.

Friday

It is Friday today. The weekend is coming, with less duties, less stress. I would like to take it really easy this evening. Once I have finished this blog post, I can. There are days when I would prefer not to have this daily blog. Most days, I love it, but not tonight. Stay tuned for better posts.

Passwords

There are a lot of passwords to remember all around the Internet. I am glad I remember my passwords.

Daniel got a notice that he should rewrite his password for his e-mail, bit at first, he could not recall it. He tried some passwords, but they were wrong. When he started thinking about other things, the memory came back, and he could log in to the system. Memory can be weird this way, you cannot remember a thing until you start thinking about something else. This does not happen to me, well, mostly.

Without Internet, we would not need to remember so many passwords. On the other paw, on the Internet, you can find a lot of facts that you do not have to remener, because you can find them there. There are just other things to remember with the Internet.

Free Trade

The EU Parliament ratified the free trade agreement between the EU and Japan today. This is a great decision about a great agreement. It might even be easier for Shibas to move from Japan to Europe, or for that matter, from Europe to Japan. Free trade between democracies with largely free economies is a good thing for all humans and dogs.

Genes for Red Hair

Scientists have researched the genes giving humans red hair. Among humans, black hair is most common, while red hair is very rare. This is the opposite of the proportions with Shibas. I suppose, then, that the genes for red or black hair inhumans are not quite the same as the genes for red or black & tan coats for Shibas. I hope they will continue the research with a focuson dog breeds. This would be interesting.

New Aircraft Carrier

Japan is planning to rebuild one of its largest naval vessels, a destroyer with helicopters on it, so it can deploy aircraft such as the short take of and landing airplane F-35. This new aircraft carrier will be the first of the Japanese navy since the Second World War.

There is critique, of course. Japan has a pacifistic Constitution and only has defence forces. There is, however, an increasing military threat from China, which strengthens its own navy and aircraft carrier capability. I am in favour of Japanese military expenses to counter the Chinese threat.

Nobel Prizes

The Nobel Prizes for this year have been awarded. The feast afterwards is aired on TV. It is supposed to be a very fine party. I do not see any dogs, though. The best kind of party must involve dogs, mustn't it?

It is a great thing to award prizes to prominent scientists. There is one prize in medicine and physiology. I have yet to hear about a researcher in veterinary medicine winning this prize. I hope this will happen sometime.

Crisps

Paula and Daniel had some crisps tonight. I wish they would have shared some with me. Crips are tasty. I do understand why they wanted the crisps for themselves.

It is funny that crisps are called chips in Swedish, while chips is called pommes frites. Human languages have many funny details like this. I guess this is because these languages are so complicated. Dogs have the same language allover the world, but it lacks in detail. I couldnot write my blog in dog language.

I wish I got a bag full of crisps.

The Snow Stayed

We have snow on the ground. It stayed. It is just about two centimetres, but it is there. Not enough to play in, but enough to make the world brighter. The brightness from the snow makes winter better. I wish we will have snow from now on until March or April.

Snow

Snowis falling this evening. Thisis so cool.

Snow is cool, bothlitteraly and metaphorically. It is chrystals of water ice, hence, it is always cooler than the freezing point. It is also a symbolof winter and of Christmas, and great to play in. I love snow, it is so cool.

White Reindeer

A white reindeer has been spotted and photographed in Norway. White reindeer are very rare.

White reindeer are white due to a genetic condition, but it is not albinism. I guess you could compare them to cream coloured Shibas. I wonder, though, if the white colour is accepted in the breed standard of the reindeer breed in question. It does not say in the article I have read. The meat is probably just as tasty as that of any other reindeer, and this is what matters the most.

Egg Nog

Paula made some egg nog tonight. This is a great treat.

I know egg nog is a British and American Christmas tradition. It is, thus, extra suitable to have egg nog in December. Christmas is coming. I am half American, so American Christmas traditions are great for me.

I would want more egg nog.

Christmas Food

Daniel was away this evening. He ate Christmas dinner with friends in the political party of which he is a member. I wish I would have been there. I enjoy Christmas food. I also believe I would have been at the centre of the party.

Daniel had made a quiz to the participants of the dinner. I would not have answered the quiz, quizes are not my cup of tea. Daniel likes them, however.

I will get Christmas food at Christmas. I am looking forward to this.

Lights

We put up the Christmas chandeliers in the windows today. It gives us a nice feeling for the season.

On the other paw, rain fell this evening. This is not in tune with the season. Actually, I wonder why. Most years, there is no snow on the ground in early December. Perhaps we could say rain is really in tune with the season, this early in December? I still hope for a white Christmas.

Christmas Greetings

We spent part of this day writing Christmas greeting cards. This is a fine human tradition. Even though you may not hear much from a loved one all year, you still send them a Christmas card. Hopefully, you will also get one from the same person.

We usually send more Christmas cards than we receive. Daniel says this is all right, he says it is better to give than to get.

The most important addressees of our Christmas cards will get a card. We will have to see if we get time to write some more. I hope we will, these cards are a fine gesture.

Rain

It is the last dayof November, and we had rain. I would rather have snow and colder temperatures. November is supposed to be the start of winter in the Nordic countries. In older times, it was even called Winter Month. Still, there are several weeks until Christmas and we may still have a white Christmas. I hope we get a thick layer of snow. I want to play in deep snow again, it has been too long since we could do this.

Snow?

We had some snow falling down in the early hours of the day. It thawed, and then we had rain. It dis not help that we had temperatures below the freezing point in the evening, the snow was already gone. I wish we could get a thick layer of snow, great for outdoor playing.

Frost

The world was like a cake with a lot of frosting this morning. The frost was real, of ice, though. It sparkled in the sunshine. We do not have snow on the ground, but winter days can be beautiful anyway. You can feel that it is cold outside, but it is far from the cold temperatures that bothers a Shiba. We enjoyed the morning walk.

Bleed

The radiator in our bedroom has been much colder than the radiators in the other rooms. Daniel took a tool and bled the radiator. Air left it, and thewarm water could get in. Now we have a warm radiator in the bedroom as well.

It is amazing that such a small act as bleeding the radiator can make such a huge difference. I like this. I like a warm room in the winter.

Filet

Tonight, I got some moose filet. Nothing is better, is it? Do I need to say more?

End

I am concerned about Soya, my granddaughter. There are things happening in her family, she may have to move to a new place with just parts of her family. It might turn out for the best, but I am still not sure.Wewill have to see what happens.

Orange Day

Hello, Orange here!

Today is Orange Day. In 2008, the Secretary General of the United Nations declared the 25th day of each month Orange Day, a day to honour women and to unite to end violence against women.

This is a good cause. It is great that such a good cause is symbolised by the colour orange, the greatest of colours. I like it.

Deforestation

Brazilians do not take enough care of their forests. There is too much deforestation in the amazon rain forest, the largest rain forest on Earth. I am worried. This forest is important for the weather, climate, and environment of the whole planet. The government blames illegal logging, but obviously does not do enough to curb the problem. They should learn from the sustainable use of forests which we have in the Nordic countries, I believe.

Bad Reception

The mobile telephone reception in our house varies from time to time. We normally have good reception, but occasionally, it is really bad. Paula is working tonight, and she had to ring us four times, before she got a reception and could talk to us.

Luckily, it is rarely this bad. It is just that I hope we never have to make an emergency telephone call when the reception is as bad as it happened to be tonight. This could jeopardise life, in a worst case scenario. It is a scenario witha low probability of occuring, nevertheless, it bothers me a little. We have to hope my fear never comes true.

Colder

Winter is coming. We have had temperatures below the freezing point all day today, if my sources are correct.

So far, we have no snow. November is still as dark as it can get. With snow on the ground, it gets brighter and one feels happier. In December, we also have the Christmas lights. Soon, Christmas will be here, a time for great food. I am looking forward to Christmas and hope for a thicklayer of snow to play in.

A Little Snow

Snow fell this morning. We had temperatures around the freezing point. Later, the temperature rose a few degrees. The snow thawed, of course.

The layer of snow which we did get, was just about a millimetre. It made the morning brighter, but it is nothing more, nothing to jump around and play in. It is still November, more snow will surely come later in the season. I am looking forward to this.

Fetching Paula

Paula was out with friends tonight, having dinner. When they were done, Daniel would come fetch her. We did what we always do under these circumstances: I came along. Both Daniel and Paula like that I am there in the car. I like it too, it makes me feel a little more special. It is almost like I wish Paula would be out more often.

Moving the Keyboard

I often borrow Daniel’s tablet to write my blog posts. Tonight, the keyboard was moved on the screen. I had to look into this, consult help functions, and then I managed to move the keyboard back.  It was not difficult, but it made me lose focus. It is not good that these things can happen sort of by accident. I guess I did not have anything more important to write about, anyway.

The Kilogram

The scientific community has decided to change the definition of a kilogram, the SI unit for mass. It will no longer be dependent of a platinum weight in Paris, but will be dependent upon measurements against electric force balancing the mass against gravity.

The kilogram weight deteriorates. Any mass deteriorates. Thismeans that if the definition is based on a deteriorating weight, the mass of 1 kg will constantly change. The new definition keeps 1 kg at a more stable value.

This is interesting. It means that when I stand on scales to measure my own weight, it will be measured aganist a more secure definition. I like this.

Sunshine

The sun was visible on the sky today. There were no clouds in the way. This is odd, for being November. I would want to see the sun more often.

Candy

Calvin got his claws cut this morning, and got some candy for the trouble. I envied him for this. Candy is great, I would gladly have my claws cut for some pieces of candy.

Not a Day of Rest

Paula tried to sleep today, because she would work tonight. I am sorry to say she did not get much sleep. There were simply too many disturbing things going on in the neighbourhood, things that we, who are watchdogs, cannot just ignore. It is our duty to watch the house and allert Paula if something odd is going on. I can understand she was not too happy, but what is a dog to do? You cannot step down from your duty just like that. This is as if you would have an electric alarm, but would turn it off to avoid getting disturbed. Dogs are better than electric alarms, we cannot be turned off. Today, however, I am afraid Paula viewed this as a negative feature with us. I hope it will be less disturbing things going on outside tomorrow, so we can let Paula sleep.

Silly Protests

People demonstrating for tougher political measurements against climate change have glued themselves to the UK Energy Department.

I do not really understand protests like this, not in a democracy with freedom of speech. Is it not better to try to convince people by stating facts and arguments, rather than just sitting in the way of people? The cause against climate change is important, but I think it is too important for protests like this. I fail to see how these protests can convince anybody. I hope I am wrong, that people get convinced, but I do not know how they would be. People are not very wise, sometimes.

Ginger Bread Dough

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We had some ginger bread dough at home. Instead of making ginger bread, we are the doigh as it was. I actually prefer it this way. What point is it to make ginger bread, if the dough tastes better?

Father’s Day

It is Father’s Day in Sweden today. My father passed away years ago. I celebrate others, instead. In many ways, Daniel acts like a father figure for us dogs, so we celebrated him.

It is also the hundred years anniversary of the end of the First World War today. The armistice was signed and went into force one hundred years ago. Daniel said this was important. I agree, though I do not know very much about this war. Peace is always important. I hope for peace for a long time.

Restful Day

We took it easy the whole day today. We slept or just hung around.

I like the occasional day that is just about rest. I believe we need days like this. While many days are days when you produce something, or make a change in other ways, you do not need to have it like this every day. When you rest, you get prepared to make a better job the next day. This is good.

Friday Night

It is Friday night, aand we are having a party! 🥂

Yeah!

One of Paula’s Favourite Movies

We watched a Swedish movie from the 1980’s tonight. Paula told us it has been one of her favourite movies since she first saw it back when it was new.

The movie was called Vargens tid (Time of the Wolf) and took place some time in the 1500’s, I believe. The title was promising and there were some wolves and dogs in it. The main story was a love story between humans, however. It was a nice story and well made, but I would have wanted to see more wolves. I guess human audiences does not care as mich as I do about this.

Day of the Dogs in Nepal

There is a great tradition in Nepal. In an annual week of festivities around this time of the year, they celebrate the Day of the Dogs and give all dogs special treatment.

The Nepalese tradition comes from their Hindu faith. I do think humans of other faiths could also have annual days of the dog. Dogs are worth celebrating, are we not?

Roller Skis

There are roller skiers who go down our road to practice. We live on a long, straight road withlittle traffic, soit fits the roller skiers nicely.

The trouble is the noise of the roller skis. We can understand that the roller skiers talk and even shout to each other, but their roller skis make an awful noise. I wish they would not. This is why we bark at them, if we are outdoors when the roller skiers come by.

Runners and bicyclists are much more silent. I like them much better.

National Tree on the Verge of Extinction?

The national tree of Colombia, a wax palm tree, may be on the verge of extinction. Clearings of forests for the purpose of holding cattle makes the environment unfit for new trees to start growing.

I hope the tree is saved. It is not too late yet. It seems like it just takes the determination of some land owners. Saving tree species is important, just like any species.

American Relatives

We watched the last episode of a TV show today, that was about Americans searching for their roots and relatives in Sweden. We have seen many episodes of this show. It has been interesting and we have learned more about Sweden and America.

I can relate to this, but from an opposite point of view. Mum was from America. Ihave never been there. Sometimes, though, Ihave wanted togo there, meet relatives, and compete at American dog shows. It would have been nice to follow up Mum’s US show championship with a US show championship of my own. I guess this is too late now. It would be great if a great grandpup or so of mine would be US show champion. This would honour Mum.

Mopeds

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Late tonight, when we were outside for the last time before making it a night, a couple of loud mopeds went past down the road. We barked at them, of course. If the moped drivers want to disturb us with their noise, we try to talk back to them. I am not sure they heard us over the noise of the engines. They did not come back, however. I believe we can count this as a victory, of sorts anyway. We did not get disturbed anymore.

In Remenbrance

This weekend is when we remember and commemorate the loved ones whom we have lost. I remember my Mum and my Dad, my Auntie Linni, my husband Kenny, my friend April, April’s daughter Peanut, my friend Tenn, my friend Primus, my friend Thomas. I also remember Paula’s grandparents Gullie and Gunnar. Others may also have crossed my roads during my lifetime, but are not here anymore. I wish they all have a good afterlife.

Chimney

We had the chimney swept today. The chimney sweeper was quite all right, he did his job without caring mich about us dogs.

It is nice to have a chimney which is clean inside. It helps the fires in the fire place burn nicely and it makes the risk of uncontrolled fires much lower.

Fires in the fire place is one of the cozy things of winter. I am glad Paula and Daniel knows how to control fire. Controlling fire is one of those things humans have always done for dogs.

Bottle

Hello, Orange here!

I have got a PET plastic bottle tonight. It is great to chew upon. The PET plastic has just the right composition to give you the ultimate resistance to your teeth. It is not too hard, nor too soft. I like it. The only downside is that it is noisy when you chew upon a bottle like this. When Daniel wants to sleep, he takes any bottles away. Then you have to wait until the next day to continue chewing. Now I just chew all I can, as long as I am allowed to. It is nice.

No Snow

There is no snow.

We had snow mixed with the rain late last night. None of the snow stayed on the ground. Instead of snow, we had a lot of rain today.

I dislike being outside in the rain. Still, it is nice that there is rain. Nature and our well need rain. I am glad we have rain, this year has been too dry for too many days. Rain is nice.

Snow

A little snow is falling this evening. Snow is nothing new to us, but it is not common that snow is falling this early in the season. It is still October. With a little luck, we will have a white Christmas this year. A deep layer of snow is fun, great fun.

Champion

There are humans who become champions, a little like dogs do in dog shows.

Today, Lewis Hamilton became World Champion in Formula 1. I would congratulate him, if I thought he read my blog.

I think there has been more exciting Formula 1 seasons, but it is interesting, nevertheless.

Turning the Clocks

There are some things I have never understood about humans. One of them is why they turn the clocks twice a year. While I do not care so much about keeping time to the minute, I can see the advantages of doing so. Why you want to turn the clocks to daylight saving time in the spring and turning it back to normal time in the autumn is, however, a riddle. We turn the clocks back tonight. There are suggestions that the turnings of clocks twice a year will stop. I hope it is the very last time this night.

Sushi Again

Paula and Daniel order sushi once in a while. This is great Japanese food. It is so great that it has conquered the whole world, just like us Shibas.

We had some sushi tonight. I got to taste some. I wrote about eating meat the other day. Meat is great, but sushi is greater. The raw fish is simply astounding. We have to thank Japan for this, the greatest food from the greatest nation. I wish we had sushi more often.

Egg

Daniel fried a couple of eggs for dinner tonight. He dropped one egg on the floor. Calvin and Karen, who was woth hom in the kitchen, took care of the egg. This was one of those times when I would have wanted to be in the kitchen much more than I usually do. Alas, I was not. There are times when you are not where you want to be. Life is not always perfect, you just have to deal with it.

United Nations

The 24th of October is the United Nations Day. It is an official flag dayin Sweden and we celebrate the interntional organisation United Nations. This is an organisation where every sovereign state can be a member. It does not matter if the state is a dictatorship or violates human rights in many other ways. I guess this is the advantage of the United Nations, that you can talk to any state there, regardless of its human rights record. In many other organisations, states which do not respect human rights are not welcome.

I wish there would also be a canine rights record for states to stick to.

Meat

We got some fresh meat instead of dog food today. It was not cut up in small poeces or minced, but came in a few, larger pieces. It brought the wolf in me, as I teared the meat with my fangs. I really enjoyed it. To top it of, it tasted great.

I wish we could have meat like this more often. Dogs are made for eating meat. Our dog food is full of all the necessary ingredients we need to survive and flourish. It is rather tasty, too. Meat, on the other paw, is still unsurpassed as tasty food. Meat also contains a lot of proteins and other healthy stuff. Well, you cannot always get everything you wish for.

Full Moon

Hello, Karstuhl here!

There is a full Moon tonight. However, there is no sign of any eclipse. The first part of my name, Full Moon, is reflected in nature a little more often than once a month (the calendar months being slightly longer than the Lunar revolutions around Earth). The second part, Eclipse, is mich more rare. I guess this reflects myself. I am rare. When I am around, people are in awe. This is just as when they se a full Moon eclipse. I kind of like it this way.

The Long History of Dogs and Humans

New research have shown that dogs and humans lived tightly together, when the first humans settled down and started to domesticate other animals about 9,000 years ago. Dogs were already part of human society and really important in the development of civilisation.

This is no surprise to me. It should not be a surprise for anyone. It is still interesting to read about more known details.

So Much Better

We watched the first episode of the season of So Much Better (Så mycket bättre), a Swedish TV show where musicians make covers of each others’ songs. We dis not think this season was so much better. It was actually rather dull. I believe they are running out of interesting musucians to invite to the show.

He Is Back

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

My father is back with his family. He was found a short distance from where he went lost, on the porch of another family.

It feels good to know he is back. I can relax, this problem is not shadowing all of my thoughts anymore. Life feels good again and the sunshine outdoors does not feel like a mockery. I am pleased.

Worried

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

I am worried about my father today. I have been told he is lost outside of Markaryd in Småland. We cannot help from where we live. I hope he finds his way back home soon.

Warmer

It is warm weather, for being middle of October. We had some chilly autumn days in the late September, early October. Now we have had to lower the indoors temperature. I do not know what to think. While I like nice weather as much as anyone, I believe autumn should be chilly and crisp. We will see, I do not think these warm autumn days will stay much longer. We mayhave a white Christmas, anyway.

”Growing” Chicken Meat

A laboratory in Canada has managed to make chicken meat grow from cells themselves, so you could eat meat without the need to grow the whole animal and slaughter it. Is this more humane than the present day chicken meat industry? Is it ethical? At least, it is fascinating. I would like to taste this meat. It would be interesting to compare it to ordinary chicken meat.

The Limits of Smilies

There are smilies all around on social media platforms. You can put faces with a lot of different facial expressions everywhere, signaling your own emotions. This is, if you are a human. I cannot use them. I would like to have smilies with body expressions of dogs. Now there is just about one smiley of a dog, not expressing any feeling. I will have to make due with just words for a while longer. It is not that I would want to replace any words with smileys. As Daniel says, writers do not do this. However, sometimes, it would be nice to be able to have illustrations in the form of smilies. Daniel has, sometimes.

Baby Sitters

We were baby sitters yesterday, Paula, Daniel, and I. We were watching over Paula’s sister Mia’s children. I also had the time to hang out with my granddaughter Soya, wholives with them. It was a nice afternoon and evening, but perhaps a little late at the end. The late hour did not bother us, though, and I could write a blog entry about it today. Mia’s children are very nice and well behaved, I believe Soya has helped rearing them to the fine small humans that they are.

It Could Be More Orange

Hello, Orange here!

There is an article in our local newspaper today about an artist who live in an "orange" flat. I was quite disappointed, when I saw the pictures. There is not much orange there. The wonderful colour orange is worth more than the few orange items there were.

The Sky

The sky is innocently blue.

We listened to a song by Swedish singer Ted Gärdestad tonight. It is a song from the seventies, saying that the skyis innocently blue. Ilike this song. It has a fine melody. There is nothing blue with me, so I do not need to feel innocent.

Murderers

We watched a documentary on TV today, about a human whohad murdered another human. He was not sane. It seems like he was psycologically insane. Daniel said most humans can kill other humans under the right – or more properly, wrong – circumstances. Human history, with all the wars and armed conflicts there have been, is proof that this is true. However, most humans would never kill another human in cold blood, especially not without any reasonable cause. This is a little like dogs, we can kill other dogs, but we very rarely do. I actually think dogs kill other dogs much more seldom than humans kill other humans. An insane dog could, however. I wish murders like this would never happen, but life is not so good. We all have to do what we can to make our little part of the world safe.

Sound Signals

Paula was trying to sleep today, because she would work tonight. All of us dogs made her company. We were disturbed, however, by a lot of sound signals from Daniel’s tablet. He had not turned the sound off. It still does not usually make so many sounds, so we hoped it would just turn silent. It did not. This was just disturbing. We hope it will be better tomorrow.

Vacuuming

We did some vacuum cleaning tonight. It was a little too long since. There is a lot of dust coming in from outdoors this time of the year. It feels better without the dust for the paws. I like it. I wish it could stay clean, but life and the world is not made to stay clean. I guess it is rather made to be cleaned and kept cleaned. Life is not always easy. On the other paw, it would be rather dull if it was too easy, don’t you think?

Ancient Sword

A young girl in Sweden found an ancient sword in a lake this summer. It is believed to be at least 1,500 years old. This has become world news as well.

It is nice that Sweden is mentioned in world news like this. Japan, where Shibas lived at the time, were much more advanced than Sweden at the time. There is no need to mention this in world news.

Important Race

The most important race on the Formula 1 calendar was held today. I am naturally writing about the Japanese Grand Prix. If it is Japanese, it is important for us Shibas.

We had to get up early, by Swedish time, to watch the race. It started a little past seven in the morning, and it is Sunday. Daniel overslept, so he did not get up to watch it. He did not miss much, really, Lewis Hamilton led the race from start to finish, so it was not that exciting. Still, it is always nice to see live TV broadcasted from Japan. Go, Japan!

Jubilee

Thirty eight years ago today, Paula and her sister Mia met their parents for the first time. They were adopted. This is, of course, not a strange thing to relate to for a dog, since most of us dogs are adopted by new families as pups.

I went with Paula and Daniel to Paula’s parents for dinner. We had a nice dinner. One of the things we talked about was having a greater celebration on the fourtieth anniversary. I want to be there at that time too, it would be nice. We will see what happens.

Weekend

Paula is doing her last night shift for three nights tonight. Daniel made his final day at work for the week today. Then we have a couple of days when we all can be together. I am looking forward to it. Having everyone gathered is just great. It has been too rarely lately.

Exomoon?

The first moon orbiting a planet in a different star system than our own may have been found.

Such a moon may be called an exomoon, like the planets in such systems are called exoplanet. These words are actually just a sign of our heliocentric view of space, where everything beyond the Solar system is special and gets the prefix exo. They are planets and moons, just not in our little backyard of the universe.

Researchers are still not sure if the data obtained really constitutes proof of a moon, but it seems to be the most plausible explanation. Still, the scientists urge caution, not least because signs of exomoons have been seen before, but proved to be false. I hope this moon really is there, it would be a nice news story.

Reloading

Computers are funny sometimes. This evening, when I was going to write my daily blog post, the blog page would not load. As soon as I pressed reload, however, the page loaded and everything was just as it usually is. Things like this happens once in a while. I normally do not think much about it, and Iusually do not write anything about it in my blog. Sometimes, however, I feel like I want to comment on it. Obviously, tonight was one of those times. Whatever it was I had planned to write about, it slipped my mind when the blog page would not load. Oh, well, I do believe I can come up with something a little more interesting to write about tomorrow.

Rain

You can tell it is autumn. It is raining a lot. Autumn is a beuatiful season, when it is not raining. Everything seems more dull, when rain is falling. I am glad we can be dry indoors.

Late Night Snack

We had a late night sandwich tonight. Late night snacks are great. It maybe some chaos when the sandwich pieces are distributed, but it is worth it. You sleep better after a decent late night snack. I wish we could have it more often.

Snoring

Mum used to snore when she slept. I have usually not snored, but the others tell me that I snore more and more often.

Snoring may increase with an older age. I do not feel old, but everybody gets older every day.

Wisdom also increases with an older age. Perhaps snoring is a sign of wisdom. Mum was very wise.

Popsicles

Paula loves popsicles, especially popsicles of the brand Piggelin. This is a popsicle by Glacebolaget with fruit flavour. I have tried it, and I like it too. We have eaten a lot of Piggelin popsicles today. Daniel even purchased more, when he went grocery shopping. Paula says it is great for her recovery. If it is, I would say she must eat asmany as she wants to.

Home Again!

Paula is home again! She has been away for several days. We are all very happy to have her home.

The family is not complete, if not everyone is around. Now we are. The family is complete again.

Now you have to excuse me, I want some time to hang around with Paula.

Raining Cats and Dogs

We had heavy rain showers all afternoon. It is the kind of weather called ”raining cats and dogs” in English. I do not know why they sayso, but my guess is that the rain pounds so hard on the roof, that it sounds like there are cats and dogs up there. A true Shiba does not gooit in the rain, unless she really has to. You could, thus, never say that it would be raining Shibas, it would not make any sense. I am glad I am a Shiba, a dog with a sense of what weather it is worth going out in.

Politics

There is still a lot of news about politics, weeks after the general election. It is still not clear who will be Prime Minister of Sweden, now that the Prime Minister of the last four years was voted down by Parliament yesterday. It is a hung parliament and we will have to see which parties are best at making compromises, thus securing a place in the cabinet.

Whomever will be the new Prime Minister, I hope it will be someone who puts animal protection in general, and especially dog protection, high on the political agenda. If I would have been able to vote, a candidate like that would have gotten my vote.

Frost

We had temperatures below the freezing point last night. On the morning walk, there was frost on the ground. It is beautiful. It is cold, but far from too cold for a Shiba coat.

I have a feeling that there is seldom frost on September mornings, that you have to wait until October or November most years, before there is frost in the morning. However, Daniel told me that somebody told him that this first frost of the season was later than average. This may be true. Recorded facts may trump your own memory. On the other paw, it does not matter much. There will certainly be ups and downs in night temperatures for many more weeks, before winter is here.

Ears

Hello, Orange here!

Poor Javier has gotten an infection in his ears. Daniel has brought a fluid to clean the middle ears. It does not look very comfortable. Our Poodle friends Laila and Momo have earlier experience of ear infections and say it is no fun, but they are glad to be rid of it. This is positive, because it points to the probability that Javier will also get rid of it. Daniel is sure the cleaning will help. We all hope it will.

Fame

Hello, Orange here!

My son Kenzo has become famous. He is mentioned in the local newspaper today. Hus humans write for the newspaper, and in a chronicle today, Kenzo was mentioned by name.

There was a promise in the article that not every weekly chronicle would be about Kenzo, but I would not mind if they were. It is always nice to hear from your pups. Reading about them in the paper is even better. I am glad it has turned out so well for Kenzo. He has a good life.

Asteroid Rovers

The Japanese space agency JAXA has made history by successfully landing two rovers on the surface of an asteroid. The rovers are sensing pictures and other data to Earth.

This is like I have always claimed: Japan is at the forefront of scientific discovery and technology. It feels good that the great country where all of us Shibas descend from not onlyhas a great history, but a great present and future. Japan will be there, in space, when our civilisation will definitely expand beyond the border of this little planet. Shibas will be there too, I am sure, perhaps even descendants of me.

The Real Momo

People around Sweden talk about the "Momo Challenge", featuring an ugly human doll.

The real Momo is not this ugly doll. The real Momo is a Miniature Poodle and a friend of ours. Remember this! If you want a real Momo challenge, ask the real Momo.

The grey Poodle here is the real Momo:

Personal Votes

Paula did not participate in the election campaign. She could not, since she was ill and spent her days and nights at the hospital because of it. Her position as a candidate in the Region Örebro län, thus, had to rely on the work of others.

Despite this lack of campaigning, she gained the special trust of 116 voters, who put her name at the top of their vote with an x. She was ninth among the candidates with an x, despite being the 24th candidate out of 26. This proves how many people there are who like Paula and who would like to see a nurse like her having influence over the health care policy in this part of Sweden.

I am proud of Paula, who succeeded in the election in this way.

Hospital Again

Paula is back at the human hospital. She will stay there at least for tonight.

I am not sure what is wrong with Paula this time. Daniel was there briefly to visit her, but he said noone knew yet. We just have to hope for the best, that it will only be for one night.

We love Paula and miss her so.

Around the Moon

A Japanese billionaire maybe the first passenger to fly around the Moon. The flight is scheduled for 2023 by private company Space X and involves a rocket engine not yet developed.

I would like to fly around the Moon. It would be a special experience, perhaps as great as being a winner at a dog show. If the first flight is scheduled for 2023, it would be too late for me, anyway. Sometimes, I wish I would live longer, or perhaps later. There is yet so much to experience and discover.

I like to see the Moon from the surface of Earth, too

Election Results

The results of the local election was published today. Daniel was re-elected for the city council. We all congraulated him.

Personally, I believe it must be very boring sitting in the city council. You just sit there for a whole day each month, talk a little, and vote according to the will of your political party. Daniel likes it, however. I am glad there are those who like it, because it is supposed to be rather important. I would much rather spend days on dog shows.

Sushi

We continued to celebrate my birthday today. Paula and Daniel came home with sushi, and I got a couple of pieces all for myself.

Sushi is great food. It is from Japan, most things from Japan are great, not just Shibas.

In a way, I have had three days of celebration. The day before yesterday, Paula came back home. Yesterday, we had the big celebration. Today, we had sushi for dinner. It can hardly get better.

Birthday

It is my birthday. It has been a great birthday. We had chicken nuggets for dinner and I got a lot of them.

My brothers Jiro and Kiko and I have now lived for thirteen years on this planet. Congratulations are due to Jiro and Kiko too, It has been great years, and more years will come. Life is great.

Now I will continue my celebrations. Stay tuned for more blog posts.

Home Again!

Paula is home again! She has been to the human hospital for six weeks, due to sepsis. Now she is finally well enough to get home.

It is my birthday tomorrow. I like birthdays. No matter how fun my birthday will be, the best present was that Paula came home today. The family is complete again.

Cleaning

Daniel is cleaning the house tonight. We help him the best we can.

Paula will be back home tomorrow. We are so looking forward to this!

An Heir and a Spare

Hello, Karstuhl here!

If you are a sovereign of a land, you want to let your offspring inherit the land. There is often just one of them who can inherit the land, but sovereigns still get more than one pup. The principle is sometimes explained with the sentence that the sovereign gets ”an heir and a spare”. If the heir would pass away, would not get any pups, or there is any other reason the lineage cannot continue through the heir, you have a younger spare.

The Emperor of Japan has just this: an heir and a spare. The heir does not have any sons, and there is male inheritance only. The spare has a son, however.

I will inherit my mother’s land, pack, and blog, in due time. I have an heir: Soya, who lives with Paula’s sister and her family. I also have a spare: Li’l Gertrud, who lives with us.

This summer, when Soya was in heat, she got to hang around with a male for a long time. At a check up by a veterinarian today, however, it turned out Soya is not expecting pups. There is a little risk that Soya cannot have any pups at all, any time. Then the hope is that Li’l Gertrud will get pups. She is the spare.

When planning your lineage, old knowledge from sovereigns is good. The words about an heir and a spare may turn out to be important for us. I hope that both Soya and Li’l Gertrud will have pups, eventually, but you never know in advance. It is better to be safe than sorry.

New Positions

Formula 1 teams Ferrari and Sauber-Alfa Romeo switches drivers next year. While Kimi Räikkönen goes to Sauber, Charles Leclerc goes to Ferrari. Leclerc has made impressive performances, so I understand that Ferrari wants him.

I guess this makes no difference to Swedish Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson.

Guesses

The general election yesterday ended with an unclear result. We will probablynot know the final result until Friday. Meanwhile, journalists, social scientists, and a lot of other people guess loudly what might happen. I get tired of hearing it. Why can they not just wait for the result?

Daniel says all of these guesses depends upon the huge impact that the government has on everybody in the modern world. Almost everything is regulated by the government, one wayor the other. Since this is the case, the outcome of the election is very important. If the government would not deal with so many aspects of our lives, the result of the election would not be as important.

I am glad the life of dogs are not quite as regulated by the government as the lives of humans are.

Election

It is election day. We still have no result. It is exciting. I hope for the Conservatives, since this is Daniel's party.

Wedding Anniversary

This day seventeen years ago, Paula and Daniel were married. Congratulations!

I am more than happy Paula and Daniel found each other. Without them and their partnership and breeding, I would not be. Neither would, of course, any of my pups or grandpups. Words are not enough to express my gratitude. On the other paw, I am a dog, I have the power to express love beyond words. I do, but this goes beyond the limits of a blog post. You just have to imagine it.

Another Birthday

Hello, Li'l Gertrud here!

The person from whom I got my name has her birthday today. She is Paula's mother. Unfortunately, she does not feel well, so she has postponed the celebrations. I hope I can be there, when it is time to celebrate. Until then, I congratulate through the blog.

Hurrah!

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

Todayis my birthday. I turn one year old, and so does my dear brother Harry. Hurrah for us!

I have tried to celebrate by inviting the grown ups to play. They would not, however. They are tired of me, for trying too often to make them play, they say. This means they do not want to play even on my birthday.

Oh, well, I think I had a great birthday anyway. Life is good.

Tai Fun

A typhoon has hit Japan, the strongest in 25 years. We are concerned about all the dogs and humans whose lives have been affected. At least ten humans have died.

Japan is hit by deadly storms much more often than Europe is. Japan lies on the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean. The east coast of North America is also hit by these kinds of storms more often. I guess we Europeans are lucky to live on the western side of an ocean.

Pressure

We had a little trouble with the water today. I was afraid the well had run dry after the dry summer we have had. This was not the case. The problem was the pressure in the pump. There is a kind of baloon in the pump with high pressurised air, which keepsup the water pressure. Daniel filled up the air, making the pressure a little higher, and that was that. We have no trouble with the water now. It is a good thing Danielhas some experience and tools to take care of these things.

Devastating Fire in Brazil

We had a lot of forest fires in Sweden this dry summer. Forests may regrow, however. Some biologists even say it is positive for the ecology that there is a fire now and then.

In Brazil, however, the National Museum has been devastated by fire. A lot of archaeological and historical artefacts have been destroyed, many items that cannot be replaced. The origin of the fire is yet unknown.

This Brazilian fire is a much worse fire than all of the forest fires in Sweden. It puts the Swedish fires in perspective.

In Need of a Lawn Mower

The grass on our lawn is growing taller. The lawn mower is in a lawn mower shop. We hope the lawn mower will be done soon.

It is not that I dislike unmowed lawns as such, but I dislike ticks. The taller the grass, the higher the risk of getting ticks on your body, jumping from the grass to your coat.

Well, eventually, the lawn mower will e back, better than before. We just have to wait for it.

Campaigns

It is a general election next Sunday. Daniel is campaigning a lot, as a member of and candidate for a political party. He says it is important for every human and dog in this country that his party wins.

While I am interested in some political issues and news, I do not have the passion or patience to make politics a hobby. I am glad some others are, though. Everyone who puts a lot of spare time on politics should be commended for this. They make something tomake the world a better place.

Rain

It has been raining today. It has actually been raining quite a lot lately. You can see this on the lawn, which grows with a relatively huge speed. It is a good thing to get a lot of rain after the dry summer that we had, but it still annoys me to be showered whenever I go outdoors. In an ideal world, rain would fall late at night, when we are indoors anyway. On the other paw, an ideal world would be rather dull. I like the world we have, despite its glitches.

Stop Over at Lunch

Once in a while, Daniel has things to do away from home in the morning as well as in the afternoon, but stops by at home at lunch time. In the time he is at home, he lets us dogs out. He often gives us linch as well. It is usually done rather quickly, but this is quite all right with me, because I hate waiting when food is on its way.

Today was one of these days when Daniel stopped by around noon. We also got lunch. I liked it as much as I usually like it. In a way, it makes me feel a little important, when Daniel comes home for us like this. We know we are all important for him and for Paula, but for Daniel to make it home, taking us out, giving us lunch, and often filling upthe water bowls or doing a few other important things, is special.

Nevertheless, I like the days when Daniel and Paula are both at home the whole day the best. I hope there will be more of those days soon.

The Downside of Being Daily

There are days when I am not inspired to write anything in my blog. At the same time, I always try to keep it daily. It is called Daily Hailey, and I try to live up to the promise of this name. There are, however, days when nothing really special happens and when there are no news story to write about, either. This is one of these days. I wish I had something better to tell you, but I do not, not today. If you come back tomorrow, I hope there will be something more interesting to read again. Meanwhile, I hope you have a nice time.

Finland

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

I have been told I will go to Finland for a dog show in late September. This will be interesting, since I have never been to Finland. It is a show in Eckerö and we will go there by car and ferry.

Grand Mum is envious. She loves to go to dog shows, but may not come this time. I hope I can make her proud by my performance, anyway. She would like this, she said.

Road trips are always fun. It is nice to see new parts of the world, even though there is no place like home. Stay tuned for more reports!

Bills

We paid bills tonight. In the middle of this work, Paula called from the hospital. Daniel and Paula talked for about half an hour, then we had been logged out of the bank payment service. It proved not to be such a big deal. Once we were logged in again, we discovered that most of the work done was saved already. This was good. Now the bills are paid.

Spa-Francorchamps

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

We are watching the Belgian Grand Prix of Formula 1 this afternoon. It is exciting.

This race is held annually on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the southeast of Belgium. I was intrigued to hear that there was a ”Kennel Straight” on the circuit. Grand Mum told me it was not so, however. The people on TV commenting the race are talking about the ”Kemmel Straight”. Well, it sounds very much alike.

The race is exciting, no matter what the straights on the circuits are called.

Luxury

Our little piece of land is bigger than most lots for small houses. We have a large area between the house and the road which we hardly ever use. Daniel mows the lawn there (unless the lawn mower is broken down, as it currently is), and we walk across it on our walks.

Daniel says this piece of land is a piece of luxury. He enjoys having it, just for the sake of owning it. Nobody else can decide what will happen there, it is for us to decide if there will be any changes. No other family will ever live between us and the road, as long as Daniel may decide.

I do think this is a luxury. If we would want to build more dog yards, we have the place to do so. This is a luxury. Perhaps we never will build more dog yards, but we could, if we would want to. This feels good.

There have been times when Paula and Daniel jave talked aboit moving to a different place. I do not thinkI want to do that. I am perfectly fine with this little piece of luxury land.

Longer Away

Hello, Orange here!

This morning, my son went away to his new family. He went farther away than his sister. He will live in a suburb of Stockholm. Danielhas loved there and he has assured me it is a nice place to live in. I believe this will also turn out great. My pups are worth the best.

New Family

Hello, Orange here!

My daughter Clementin went away to her new family today. They are nice people, I have met them before and met them today. There are also other Shibas in this family.

Clementin willhave a good life, I do not doubt this. Still, I miss her already.

There might very well be times when Clementin and I will meet again. This will, perhaps, be at a dog show. I hope it will be many times and not too far off into the future. Clementin will have a good life, regardless, I am sure. I wish her luck!

Inspection

Hello, Orange here!

My pups Clementin and Mandarin and I went to the veterinarian today. It was time for their first veterinary inspection.

They passed with flying colours. They were also very well behaved and charmed the veterinarian and other staff at the hospital. I was not surprised. Clementin and Mandarin have always been very cute and well behaved. They will have good lives, I am sure. I love them both very much.

The Pups

Today Ihad the privilege of getting to know Orange’s pups. She has done a nice job of rearing them, they were playful but polite. I quite enjoyed spending some time with them.

It is always nice spending some time with small pups. The advantage of spending time with pups of other mothers, is that you can leave the main responsibility for their upbringing to their mother, you do not have to take this responsibility yourself. Still, I do help a little, I cannot stop myself from doing this. Orange did not mind.

Back to Work

Daniel started to work again today, after a few weeks of vacation. This meant it was time for us dogs to start guarding the house on a more daily basis again. This is no problem, we are used to it. It is just that life is better, the more of our family are at home.

Sometimes, I wish everyone would be at home the whole time. On the other paw, I do beloeve this would turn out to be boring in a while. Life is not just about staying at home, it is also about experiencing new things and places. Going to dog shows, for instance, is great fun. guarding the house when not everybody is at home can also be fun, though not that fun. Life is nice, anyway.

Broken Lawn Mower

Daniel mowed the lawn today, or at least almost half of it. Then the lawn mower broke down. We are not sure why it broke down, but Daniel thinks it might be the spark plug that ceased to function. Daniel was very disappointed that he could not mow the whole lawn. He did manage most of the fenced in areas where we dogs roam, which is good, because this minimizes the risk of ticks. Appart of this, I do not care very mich, though I understand Daniel’s frustration. It is annoying when things break down.

Rainy Night

Darkness has come, because it is night, the sun sets earlier than preciuosly during the summer, and it is overcast and raining.

It feels nice, lying indoors listening to the rain outdoors. We are warm, dry, and comfortable. Meanwhile, the rain gives water to all the growing things and eventually to our well. I like this.

Past Midnight

I am always annoyed when I miss midnight and gets to make a daily blog entry the next day. Please come back again later for better blog entries!

African Animals in Cuba

Here is an interesting story about African animals thriving in Cuba. They were gifted to Cuba during the 1960’s to 1980’s, when Cuba aided many communist regimes in Africa. The origin of these Cuban animals were sent from these regimes as thanks. They now roam free in a part of Cuba with a lot of wilderness and thrive to the extent that they are hunted for food. You ca, for example, get antelope steak.

While I would like to try antelope steak, Iwould not want to go to Cuba to do so. Africa would be closer.

Deworming

Hello, Orange here!

Daniel has dewormed my pups. We both believe the pups do not have worms, but as a precaution, deworming must always be made.

Bothpups took the deworming great. They are good at everything they do, including this. I am so proud of them. They will surely be loved by their future families.

Missing Paula

Paula has been to the human hospital for almost two weeks. She has got some sort of infection which gives her a fever. We all miss her and wish her well.

Daniel takes good care of every human workload at home. Still, it is not the same without Paula. We miss her so much. Hopefully, she will be good enough tocome home soon.

A Story of Zero

Can you count to nothing? Ancient humans never did, but then the digit 0 was invented in India.

Apparently, 0 has only been invented once in human history. It might seem strange to us in the modern society, when we are used to having the zero, but it was a revolutionary concept that has led to many mathematical and scientific breakthroughs.

Here is an interesting article about zero.

Another Champion

Our Affenpinscher friend Morran became Swedish Show Champion today. I congratulated her, when she came back home.

Morran won her final CAC at our regional home turf, the annual show in Askersund. I have also won there.

There are two kinds of dogs: those who can become show champions, and those who cannot. The former kind is the better kind. A dog does not necessarily have to be champion himself or herself, but if there are loads of champions in the pedigree and among the offspring, it is good enough. (Dad was like this.) I do not know very much about Affenpinschers in general or about the pedigree of Morran. She does not have any offspring, at least not yet. Now that she is show champion herself, she has got proof that she is a dog of the better kind. This is worth celebrating.

Thunder in the Morning

We woke up to thunder and lightning this morning. It was quite early. Some of us made it out and then in again, before the rain started to fall. It was a heavy rainfall for quite some time. We actually got more than ten millimetres of rain, much needed this dry summer. It was not too early to get up, so I was not that worried about the way we woke up. The rest of the day had fine weather without any rain. It was a good day to live.

Disappointing Rain

Thunder and lightning struck yesterday night. There was also a heavy rain shower.

This morning, there was 1 millimetre of rain in the rain gauge. What a disappointment.

We still have not had close to the amount of rain that usually falls during the summer, even though it has been better lately. The plants and our well needs more water. We wish for more rain, preferably during the night, when we are indoors sleeping anyway. Perhaps there will be a lot of rain this autumn, at least.

Darker Nights

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

The nights are getting darker again. I feel comfortable with this. Not yet one year old, I was used to dark nights as a pup. It seems like it is easier tosleep when it is dark outside. It is, unless there is lightning, of course. We had lightning and thunder this evening, but now there is just rain. Lightning and thunder is exciting, but I would prefer not having it in the middle of my night’s sleep.

Pups

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

I have gotten used to the nickname ”Li’l Gertrud”. I have it in part because I got my name from Paula’s mother, who is a human and therefore bigger than me, as a Shiba. Another reason for the name is that Ihave been the youngest dog in our house. Not the smallest, but the youngest.

Now, however, Orange has a litter of pups born this summer. They are Mich smaller and younger than me. Can I still be called Li’l? Well, if both of them gets new families, I guess I can. We will see what happens.

Sudden Shower

It said in the newspaper this morning that there would be no rain today. Then we had a sudden shower in the late afternoon. It was a short but heavy rainfall. I know from before that you cannot fully trust the weather forecasts, even though they are generally quite good. It gives me a certain satisfaction to know that you cannot make completely true forecasts. Life would be boring, if you always knew in advance what the weather would be. Life would be very, very boring, if you always knew in advance anything that would happen. The uncertainities about the future gives life suspense and makes it worth living. I like that.

Going Out

Hello, Orange here!

My pups are great. They have learned to walk out into the garden themselves, when the Doors are opendoc for them. They are Shibas, so noone should be surprised that they are well on their way to become house broken already, but it is still great that they are. It is so easy being their mother. I would love them either way, but love is easier when it is easy taking care of them.

Hospitals

Paula is at the hospital since a couple of days. This time, it is not because she works there, but because she has an infection and needs medical treatment. Daniel visited her this afternoon. He has told us she is feeling all right under the circumstances and have hope for a quick recovery. We hope so too.

Daniel’s father also had to go to the hospital today, in Stockholm, where he lives. Daniel’s brother helped him by calling an ambulance and came along to the hospital. He told Daniel there was no need to rush to Stockholm. They have to see what the physicians say. We hope for the best.

It is good that there are hospitals, though we would all prefer if we never had to use them.

More Visitors

The family of my sister Suri and granddaughter Milou stopped by today. They wanted to see Orange’s pups, because they are considering getting another Shiba. They are still not sure, but will consider the matter. There will be more pups in the future for these nice humans, if one of the current pups will not be their pup.

Apples

We have a lot of apples on our apple trees this year. Today, Nils-Olov came by and collected some of them. He has been promised to do so, because there are so many apples that we cannot take care of them all ourselves. I hope he makes something tasty with them. I am sure he will, he is usually good at doing so. It is good that the apples come to use.

Other Visitors

Hello, Orange here!

We got visitors from another family today. My son Mandarin may move to them. This is not settled yet, but will be in a few days, I guess.

These people were also nice people. They did not cuddle with the pups as much as the visitors yesterday, but they had a lot of questions and were very serious about their interest in a Shiba. I believe they would give Mandarin a good home.

Visitors

Hello, Orange here!

Two humans from the family which my daughter will move to were here to see her, and me, today. They were very nice people. I am sure my daughter will have a nice life with them.

Paula and Daniel call my daughter Clementin, and my son Mandarin. I like this, it is the names of fruits, like my name. Clementin will still be called Clementin by her new family. This will make it easier for her, which is good.

Hero Dog Poisoned and Killed

A German Shepherd dog, who was a hero, rescuing people after an earthquake in Italy two years ago, has been found dead, poisoned. It is not known why the dog was poisoned, or by whom. I mourn for him and his family.

I cannot understand why somebody would want to poisoned a dog, regardless of the dog being a hero or not. No dog deserves to be poisoned. I wish the truth will be uncovered.

Thunder and Lightning

We woke up to thunder and lightning this morning. It was litteraly thunder and heavy rainfall around our house.

It is nice that we get rain. The garden and our well needs water. Thunder never bothers me, either, except when it wakes me up like this morning.

We waited for a while before we went outdoors. We did not want to be went in the heavy rainfall. Once we got out, we could not see any damages done by the lightning. Sometimes, we have seen fallen trees after a storm, but not this time. I guess this is just as well.

Second Certificate

Our Affenpinscher friend Morran won her second certificate in two shows today. We congratulated her, when she came home. Morran enjoys dog shows, almost as much as I have always done. This makes for a special bond between Morran and me. I wish Morran will soon be a show champion, as I am. She is good enough.

Lunar Eclipse!

Look up into the sky this evening. There is a Lunar eclipse.

If you cannot see me, you can at least see the fantastic celestial show which I got my name from. It is quite a treat.

Pups

I got to see Orange's pups today. They are very cute, which is understandable, since they are Shiba pups. Not quite as cute as my pups ever were, but on the other paw, I cannot be completely unbiased on the matter. I do commend Orange for her cute pups.

Alicia Vikander?

Paula published a new photo of herself on Instagram. One person commented that Paula looked very much like the actress Alicia Vikander. We do not really agree. While such a comparison is flattering, we believe Paula is very beautiful in her own right.

Outdoors

Hello, Orange here!

My pups have tried to be outdoors. It is nice weather for them, when they can be in the shadow, and not in the heat of the middle of the day. They were not that fond of the experience, however. In a week or two, it will be different. Then they are Big enough to love it outdoors. We have to start sometime, however. We are all doing well indoors.

Defrosting

We defrosted the freezer today. This was just because it has acted weirdly lately, not keeping things in the power shelves frozen. We hope defrosting will help.

Best Veteran

We went to a dog show in Västerås today. I was best veteran and second best bitch. The best bitch was much younger than I, and won her final certificate, becoming a show champion today. She was worth it (but I believe I would have beaten him, when I was in my prime age). There were two other bitches in the best bitches’ class, neither of whom were veterans. I beat them. I also got a reserve Nordic certificate. I have the old NordCh title, the new Nordic title is something else and in my age, it is nice winning something like this.

Our Affenpinscher friend Morran was shown at the same dog show. This was her first show in adult age. She won her first certificate, a Nordic certificate, and was Best of Opposite Sex.

It was a good day for both of us.

Heat Wave in Japan

Europe is not the only place hit by hot weather. In Japan, they are suffering from a heat wave which has killed many people. It also makes the efforts to come to terms with the floods from the heavy rain falls earlier this month more difficult.

I do not wish that anyone willhave hot weather. Warm weather is nice, but there are limits. In Japan, they do not have a draught, however.

Summer Vacation

Our summer vacation starts this evening. Paula did her last night at the hospital Thursday-Friday, Daniel his last day att the office this Friday. They will be home more for a while now. This means less house watching duty for us dogs, which means we also get a vacation. Now life feels good.

Vacation or not, I will still keep up my hobby, writing this blog. Stay tuned, and you will see.

Cat Returned Home After Twelve Years

A cat who went missing in Wales twelve years ago was found by a veterinarian. The veterinarian read the micro chip of the cat, thus identifying her humans, who lived about eight kilometres away. Now the cat is safe and sound at home again.

This proves the importance of micro chips in animals like cats and dogs. I just wonder where the cat has been the last twelve years.

Another Brexit Referendum?

It might be that the British Parliament cannot agree on the negotiated treats between the UK and the EU on the terms of leaving the EU. This situation may be solved by another referendum, where the people is asked about the negotiated deal.

I am not surprised. When countries have had referenda on entering the EU, it has been about a negotiated deal on entering. If you are about to leave, shouldn’t the people have its say on the treats on leaving, regardless if there is a hung Parliament on the issue or not?

Free Trade With Japan

The EU, where Sweden is a member, and Japan has signed a big free trade agreement. It covers a lot of goods, nearly a third of the World’s GDP. Free trade is great, it gives us cheaper treats and dog food. I think it is extra fun that the agreement is with Japan, homeland of the Shiba. This must make every Shiba living in the EU feel proud.

Hot Weather

We have had warm weather for many days. It has now been warm for so long, it is hot. We wait for rain. I do not know when rain will eventually come, but hope it willnot take too long. Why is this hot weather just going on and on? Shibas are made for more temperate weather, we are from Japan. Inever thought a Swedish summer could feel like this, even though I am told it has happened before. Weather is a strange thing.

Final

France won the final versus Croatia in the World Cup. So it is over for now. Next FIFA football World Cup is four years from now. I am glad I could experience a World Cup where Sweden did quite well and where Belgium won the bronze. It might be that I am not around anymore, four years from now. I think you can see the World Cup from heaven, but I do not think it is quite the same thing.

Belgium Won the Bronze

I rooted for Belgium in the broze game of the World Cup today. My paternal grandfather was from Belgium, so I feel some kinship with the Belgians.

Daniel rooted for England. He says England has been his second favourite national team ever since he was young.

It was a good game. Both teams played well. In the end, however, the goals scored is what counts. Belgium won fairly, 2-0. I am happy they did.

This is the first time Belgium has won medals in the football World Cup, after having been fourth in 1986. England won gold in 1966, and was fourth in 1990. This is, thus, a shared second best result for the English team. It has been a good World Cup for both teams, despite the disappointment of not going all the way to the final.

Cords

There is someone who chews on electric cords, the cords we use to charge the batteries in Ipads and Iphones. We are not sure who it is. I can understand the appeal, because electric cords have a fine texture, as if they were made to chew upon. Still, it destroys the cords. Paula and Daniel have had to buy new cords more than once, and it is still not always enough. It is so annoying when your battery is not charged enough. I hope the culprit will soon stop this destruktive behaviour.

Open Eyes

Hello, Orange here!

My pups have opendoc up their eyes now. They can see, and they can hear.

It is two week now, since they were born. Ihave enjoyed every minute since. Giving birth is not always easy, but taking care of lovely newly born pups is. They are so cute, and they are mine. I love them so much.

It will be interesting to see how the personalities of these pups will develop.

Draught and Flood

We may have a draught in Sweden and neighbours in Europe, but in Japan they have had floods after heavy rainfalls. At least 179 humans are dess and about 70 are missing. The casualties among dogs are not reported. The floods have, thus, been much worse than our draught. I have not heard of any casualties due to the draught. I hope for more rain in Sweden, and less in Japan. It is a shame we cannot import any weather.

France Beat Belgium

I hoped Belgium would win the semi final versus France. You may know my paternal grandfather was from Belgium, so I feel for this country. However, France won, 1-0. It was a well played game, but not very exciting, I would have liked to see more goals. Very well, now I hope England will win the gold and Belgium the bronze.

The Ipad

I often borrow Daniel's Ipad to write my blog posts. Lately, however, Paula has started to borrow it. Paula has always been a little less interested in helping me with my blog than Daniel has been. When she borrows the Ipad, I have to use the computer or a mobile telephone. It is not as fun. On the other paw, it gave me the idea for this blog post. You can always find inspiration in the small, slightly annoying details of life. This is good.

Vegetables

Hello, Orange here!

Some of the food in my bowl tonight were vegetables. These are supposed to be healthy. It is just that they are not that tasty. It is nice that I do get enough food of tastier kinds.

Sweden Is Out

Sweden lost its quarter final to England. It was not that the Swedes were bad, but the English were significantly better. England won fairly, 2-0.

A quarter final is a good result for Sweden. It is better than reasonable expectations. Now we hope that England goes on to win the whole tournament. If Sweden lost to the team that would eventually win the whole thing, it makes the Swedish effort look even better.

Poachers Probably Eaten

In a wildlife reserve in South Africa, remains of humans have been found, with a rifle of a kind used by rhino poachers. It is believed three humans have died, eaten alive by lions. It serves the humans right.

Sterdirle

There are times when you just do not know what to say or write, Tonight is one of those nights. I think life is good, nevertheless.

Fourth of July

Mum always celebrated the Fourth of July. Having been born in the USA, by an American breder, and having spent more than five years there before moving to Sweden, Mum was an American patriot. It is the national holiday of the USA today, commemorating its declaration of independence. I celebrate it now, for Mum’s sake. God bless America, as the Americans use to say.

Quarter Final

Sweden won this afternoon as well, and will play its quarter final against England. It will be a difficult game, but far from impossible. We have hope.

Ancestors or Grandfather?

We all know that the Shiba breed is from Japan. All of our ancestors lived in Japan for countless generations.

My paternal grandfather was from Belgium. This is not strange, it is just like I am from Sweden, Dad was from Norway, and Mum was from the USA.

Even though I am from Sweden, I do have feelings for the home countries of my relatives.

Today, Belgium played Japan in the World Cup. I had mixed feelings about this. As much as I like Japan, I also like Belgium. I pondered for a long time which country to root for, but finallag decided Icould be happy with either country winning.

Eventually, Belgium won. I do think the Belgian team is a little better than the Japanese team and that the victory was fair. I am happy for the memory of my grandfather.

A Little Rest

Hello, Orange here!

We had a quiet day full of rest, my two pups and I.

Daniel did come by with the vacuum cleaner, but I am not like my cowardly sister Karen, who is afraid of the vacuum cleaner. The pups are too small to care.

A Boy and a Girl

Hello, Orange here!

I gave birth to two beautiful pups last night. It was not easy, the boy was big. Then there was a girl as well. It is a litter of two pups, both are beautiful. I love them! This is the best thing there is in life: taking care of pups.

Further Games

Sweden will face Switzerland in the next game of the World Cup. It is the first game of the knock out phase. I wonder what people will think, who often confuse these countries.

If Sweden wins, it may face Colombia or England. In the case of a game against Colombia, I hope Paula and her sister will root for Sweden, despite having been born in Colombia. I think they would.

Joy and Sadness

We rejoice that Sweden won 3-0 against Mexico and won the group. Mexico came second and will also go to the final sixteen. 

We feel sorry for our Affenpinscher friend Morran and her Germany, which lost against South Korea and are out of the World Cup. Germany has the record number of World Cup medals in a row: silver 2002, bronze 2006, bronze 2010, and gold 2014. This fine line of results is now broken.

The World Cup sure stirs our emotions. 

Hungry

Hello, Orange here!

I am a little more hungry than usual. It is not for a lack of food, I never have a lack of food. It is just because I have pups in my belly to take care of. For the sake of the pups, I ask for more food. Hailey says I am fuzzy; she never needed that much extra food when she expected pups, she says. I do not care. If my pups need for me to eat more, Hailey may call me fuzzy if she wants to. The pups are my main concern. Still, I know from previous litters that I get even more extra food when the pups have been born. This is something to look forward to.

Unclear Brexit for Dogs

The United Kingdom will leave the European Union, according to a referendum two years ago and ongoing negotiations. There are still many questions without answers. I was particularly concerned to hear that it is still unclear what the consequences will be for British dogs living in other EU countries. The people negotiating the rules on the exit should take better care of man's best friend, in my mind. I hope there will soon be some answers, for the sake of these dogs and their humans.

Might Have Been

Paula said I would join her to visit her parents today. They are great people whom I meet far too seldom, so I thought this was a great idea.

Later, Paula changed her mind. She did not say, but I guess it is because it is so important that I stay at home, watching the house and looking out for the younger dogs. When you have duties like this, it is not really disappointing to stay at home and take care of the duties. I do it well. There is comfort in the trust Paula has in me.

Loss

Sweden lost its second game in the World Cup. The opponent was Germany, who always has a strong team, and played better throughout the game. It was a time until the very last minute, however, when Germany scored 2-1. Over all, Germany deserved to win, but it was hard to get that goal against our team in the very last minute. We have to hope for a victory against Mexico on Wednesday.

The Litter Box

The litter box is back into the bathroom. I was there inspecting it this morning. There will soon be pups in our house again. The litter box looks comfortable with a soft blanket for the mother and pups to lie on. It is on days like this I miss getting pups more than usual, but those days are over for me. Now I am giving advice to younger bitches getting pups.

I am looking forward to getting to know these pups.

Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice is soon here. We do not have full darkness in the middle of the night. I like this time of the year.

It will soon be darker and darker. This is not bad. Autumn is also a great season, and then there is Christmas. Each season has its own charm.

Let us celebrate midsummer now, or John the Baptist, as Christians. It is a nice thing to celebrate.

Twigs

We had a windy day yesterday. This morning, twigs lay scattered here and there, when we went for the morning walk. It was not that many twigs, but enough to stand out from a normal day. I wonder if the trees can feel when they lose twigs in hard winds, or if it is more like when we sned our old coats. I guess we will never know.

Roots

Paula has her roots in Colombia. We Shibas have our roots in Japan.

Today in the World Cup, Japan played Colombia. While we love Paula, we rooted for Japan. Japan won, 2-1.

We had a diskussion about whether this is proof that Japanese roots are stronger than Colombian roots. We conclided that a singel football game is inconclusive evidence. Paula certainly has strong roots. We hope Japan wins the group and Colombia becomes second, so both countries continue to the final sixteen. This would be nice.

A Good Day in the World Cup

There are three games per day in the begining of the World Cup. Today, all three games went my way.

First, Sweden played South Korea and won, 1-0. I would have wanted to see a stronger Swedish team, but a victory is most important.

Then my paternal grnadfather’s home country Belgium played the renegade province Panama, which should be part of Paula’s country of birth Colombia, Belgium won by 3-0, just the way I wanted it to be.

In the last game of the day, England played Tunisia. England is the home country of football. England is also the home country of modern dog breeding and where the greatest event of the human civilisation was invented: the dog show. England was, by far, the better team, but Tunisia was lucky enough to get a penalty and score. It was not until the final minutes that England’s dominance paid of, and the English team won fairly by 2-1.

Over all, a great day of football.

Loss

Hello, Morran here!

As an Affenpinscher, I have my heart in Germany, home country of my breed. Germany is one of the best football nations in the World. Of course, I watched the game today, when Germany entered the World Cup in a game against Mexico. Surprisingly, however, Mexico won 1-0. I feel devastated. Will Germany come back? Can Germany win the group despite this loss, will it be second, or worse? This is difficult for me. I have grown up knowing of Germany as World champion. Will they not defekt their title? I am so nervous now.

Let us hope Germany make it through anyway, and Sweden.

World Cup

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We have spenat a lot of the day in front of the TV set, Both Paula and Daniel believe the FIFA World Cup in football is worth seeing. Mommy believe so too, if I am to judge from her previous blog posts. I think it is far from interesting. I would rather have a ball to play with on my own.

I think I could be a good football player. I would never have to worry that I would use the hand to steker the ball, something which is not allowed in football. As a dog, I do not have hands, but four paws.

The World Cup would be more interesting if there were a dog in each team.

K

We watched Spain versus Portugal in the World Cup today. This was the first great game. Both teams were great. It endes in a 3-3 dras, and I think this was fair. We rooted for Spain, but Portugal has a good team. These teams will surely be number one and number two in the group and continue to the next level. We just have to see which team will win the group.

White Nights

We do not have completely dark nights this time of the year. I would say it is cool, if it were not in the middle of the warm summer.

Thunder

We heard some thunder, then the rain came falling down. It was in the late afternoon, about the time when Daniel comes home from work. He did come in the middle of the shower. We had the opportunity to go out, but I refused. I waited until later, when the rain had stopped. It was good that we got some rain, but I do not want to go out into the rain if I do not have to. Life is a little better now, after the rain.

Closing In

The FIFA Football World Cup starts on the day after tomorrow. Sweden and Japan participates, so there is more than one country for me to root for. The USA and Norway did not qualify, but my parternal grandfather’s home country Belgium did, so this may be a third country to hope for. We will see what happens.

Rain

We got a little rain this morning, then a little more in the late afternoon. It was not more than a millimeter in the morning and about the same later. Normally, this would be nothing to write about, but this time, it is the first rain for many week. We have a draught. I wish there would be more rain. I do not want our well to run dry.

Stabbing in Japan

Japan is one of the countries in the World with the lowest rate of violent crimes. Now, however, a man has stabbed three random victims on a bullet train. He has been arrested and admitted to the acts.

In less safe countries, a stabbing like this would not make news, especially not in international mass media. This proves how rare it is in Japan, how safe Japan is. This is good for all the Shibas living there.

Staying at Home

Paula and Daniel might have gone to a meeting with friends of Shiba breder Honto No tomorrow, but they will stay at home. Daniel has been away today, visiting his family in Stockholm, especially his father, who is ill. Paula worked last night and works tonight. I can understand why they want to take it easy at home. It is also nice for us who would stay at home, nevertheless, that they stay at home.

Honto No is where Auntie Linni was born. I miss Linni. She was like an extra mother, besides Mum, but also a great friend. She also helped me rear all my pups. She has truly menat a lot for many pups, though she never got any of her own. How sad it is to think she left us long ago now.

Early Morning

Paula got up very early this morning. I am not sure why, she was not going anywhere, there was no love broadcast on TV or anything. She just did. It was nice, though, because she gave snacks to us dogs. If I get snacks, I do not care if I am awake very early.

Capturing Carbon Dioxide

Canadian scientists have developed a new method to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air. It has been possible to do sobefore, bit the new method cuts the cost by a large amount. The result will be used to produce fuel. This shows hope for the fight against green house gases and global warming. I like it.

People Defying Rules

With the many consecutive days with warm weather and no rain, it is very dry all around the countryside. People are prohibited from starting fires. Still, two times today, when the fire department got alarms about fires, the fires had been started by people who defied the prohibition.

I wonder what these people are thinking. Do they not care about the risk of the fire getting out of control? A lot of animals could get hurt.

National Eve?

It is the national holiday of Sweden tomorrow. The tradition to celebrate is rather new. I ask myself whether this is the cause why the little celebration we have is on the day, not the eve before.

Swedish tradition is to celebrate annual days on the evening before the actually day of celebration. We celebrate New Year’s Eve, not New Year’s Day; Easter Eve more than Easter Day; Valborg Eve, not Valborg Day; Midsummer Eve, not Midsummer Day; and Christ,as Eve, not Christmas Day.

Why do we not celebrate Sweden today, on National Eve? Perhaps we should? Perhaps this would make the celebration feel more real, and not artificial? I do not have the answers, but maybe future will tell.

Warning

We never heat the loud speakers calling out Important Message to the Public. These are tested on the first Monday of the month, a few months of the year, always at three o’clock in the afternoon. This was one of those Mondays, but, alas, we did not hear it. We usually have the radio on at daytime anyway, so if there is a message broadcasted, we will hear it. Hopefully, no such situation will ever occur, but it would be nice to hear the alarm on a Monday like this. Oh, well, life is full of small disappointments. It could be worse.

Mosquitos

There are far too many mosquitos.

The Shiba coat preserves us, but our humans are very annoyed by the mosquitos. There are many more than usual this year. However, I am glad for the birds who eat mosquitos.

Final Paddington Bear Book

Hello, Orange here!

The final book about Paddington Bear has been released.

I have had a litter of pups, who were named for Paddington Bear books. These are Aangenaam A Bear Called Paddington and Aangenaam Paddington Here and Now. As with all my pups, I love them dearly. It is just that I think of these pups a bit more, when I read about Paddington Bear. The books will live on for ages. I hope the memories of my pups will too.

No Show

Paula is not feeling well. She would have been going to a dog show tomorrow, with Danielsons some of the other dogs, I was not invited.

I feel sorry for Paula. I also feel sorry for the dogs who would have gone to the show, but who will stay at home. At the same time, I will not deny that I do not feel as sorry as I would have, had I been invited to be shown at the dog show in the first place. I want to go to dog shows! I think I am jealous of the dogs who might go. Am I tooold to go myself? I would not think so, I am still alive, this means I am not too old. We will have to see if I get Togo to some dog shows thissummer. I do hope so.

A Sister

Hello, Gerstuhl here! (Also known as Li’l Gertrud.)

This evening, Momoko and I got to go with Paula and Daniel to my sister Soya. Soya lives in the countryside with Paula’s sister Mia and her family. I have met Soya before, she is a nice dog and we played in the garden tonight as well. It was a nice evening.

Boring Weather

You would not think you could be bored by terrific weather, but I am. We have had warm and sunny days for a very long time now. Even though my winter coat is long gone, I think it would be nice to have some days with a little cooler weather and some rain during the nights.

On the other paw, I have been told it was a hot and sunny summer in 1994, when Sweden went far in the World Cup. Perhaps the good weather is a good omen for the World Cup this summer. I hope so.