Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Preparations

Paula and Daniel went shopping for the New Year celebrations today. This is important. The celebrations involve a lot of good food. This is good. Good food is great. I am looking forward to the celebrations because of all the good food.


Considering the pandemic in 2020, I am sure 2021 will be a better year. 

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Sleepover

Paula, Morran, and Piffy has a sleepover at Paula’s sister, nephew, and niece. Morran and Piffy likes it there, Iguess thisis why they could come.

I would not mind having a sleepover at people I know well, like Paula’s sister and her children. However, there is no place like home. I prefer to stay at home. We have the company of Daniel, just like all those nights when Paula worked the night shift. Life is nice.

Monday, December 28, 2020

Another Rainy Day

It is late in December and a rainy day. We have had a few days with temperatures below the freezing point, but not really any snow. This seems to be a dull winter, without any snow. We will have to see what happens in January. 

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Dog in the Football Pitch

A football match in Bolivia was interrupted for three minutes, when a puppy dog invaded the pitch. Watch a cute, short film of the event here.

Dogs can do a lot of things. We are often lucky that we are so adorable, that humans do not mind. A football match is entertainment, this dog added to the entertainment value. 

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Second Day of Christmas and a Cracker

It is the second day of Christmas, and we have taken it easy. The days between Christmas Day and New Year are often nice and calm.


In the evening, however, we heard a cracker. Probably the most stupid of traditions is using crackers to make noise around New Year. The background is old superstition that you would scare off evil beings for the new year. Now people just doit to waste money and scare innocent animals. I cannot believe a cracker was fired as early as today. Do people not have better things to do?

Friday, December 25, 2020

Killing a Mouse

I killed a mouse today.


Our cats Malin and Totte kills mice once in a while. I am tired of hearing the praise they get for this, however well deserved, when I can be just as good att killing mice. 


It should not matter that the mouse I killed was a toy mouse. 

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Christmas Eve

It is Christmas Eve and the greatest day of celebrations of Christmas in Sweden.

Humans say that dogs should not get traditional Swedish Christmas food, because it is very salty. This is a truth that you may take with a pinch of salt. Daniel did give us some small bits of Christmas ham in our food. It was good and a nice way to celebrate Christmas for us.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Cleaning Before Christmas

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It is the day when we celebrate Christmas the most in Sweden. We spent this day cleaning and preparing for Christmas. It feels better to celebrate in a clean house. 


I wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Washing Mashine

The washing mashine is a good invention. With it, Paula and Daniel cleans dog beds, sheets, plush toys, and their clothes. It did not work properly today, however. There seemed to be something clogging the drain. Daniel incåvestigated and cleaned, and think he took care of it. I sure hope he did. It would be bad if we would have to buy a new washing mashine in order to have clean dog beds et cetera.

Monday, December 21, 2020

Overcast

We had some sunshine in the middle of the day. Thenit became overcast and we had rain.


This is typical for the December weather this year. It also means that there was no chance for us to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn this evening. Daniel would really have wanted to see it, he said. I am not as disappointed as he is, but it was not fun. We sat indoors watching TV instead.

Sunday, December 20, 2020

A Day Off

Today, we have all really taken a day off. I have been able to focus most of the day on my favourite passtime: sleeping.


One of the great things about the holidays is that you can take some time off and really relax. I love this. I wish there were more days like this.

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Songs

Paula is playing song upon song from the Internet this evening. She does this once ina while, it makes her happy. Music affects the feelings in this way. I believe humans are more affected than dogs, however. We hear better than them, but smells are even more important to us. I like music, but not just because it makes me happy, more because it makes our humans happy. Happy humans are greater than sad humans, however much you love them anyway.

Friday, December 18, 2020

Cats in Japan?

We watched an interesting documentary on TV tonight about English history. It was followed by a documentary about Japanese people and their love of cats. This puzzled me.

I like cats, not only our own two cats Malin and Totte. Still, dogs are always better.

In Japan, they have the biggest population of the best dog breed in the world, their national treasure, the Shiba. Why would they need to love cats so much that a documentary is made by it? There are Shibas to love.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Rain

It has been a lot of rain this month, overcast almost all the time. Today was another rainy day. It is December, it should be snowing instead. 

Granted, most of the time we do not have snow on the ground throughout most of December. The optimum is still snow before Christmas. It makes it less dark outdoors and gives you a more Christmassy feeling. We will see what happens. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

New Car

Paula’s new car is here. She was in an accident with the car she bought earlier this year. Since that car was so damaged, but relatively new, she got an entirely new car in exchange for it. This new car is here now. It is a beautiful little vehicle.

I wish I will get a chance to go in this car. I never went anywhere in the damaged car.

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Not Much Left

There is just half a month left of this year. It is one 24th of the year. It has been a year when the pandemic has been the most important thing. The virus is bad, but vaccines are on its way. We can look forward to a better year in 2021. I believe it will be better. 

Monday, December 14, 2020

Glühwein

Paula and Daniel had some glühwein to drink this evening. They do sometimes, around Christmas time. 


I do not like glühwein. It is warm, sweet, sticky, and generally weird. Taste differs, however. I recognise Paula and Daniel likes glühwein and let them have it.

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Lucia

The 13 December is celebrated as a feast for Saint Lucia in Sweden. The main reason is not the saint from Sicily in early times of Christianity, but that this was the winter solstice during the 18th century, when celebrations were first held in parts of western Sweden.


I like the Lucia buns with saffron. Special tasty things to eat are the best things about feast days.

Christmas Greetings

Daniel stayed up until really late this Saturday to write Chrstmas greeting cards. He will put them in the mail and hope they will reach the receivers before Christmas. I hope so too. 

Friday, December 11, 2020

In the Bed

Most of us dogs sleep in the bed with Paula and Daniel. The cats do too, when they are not outdoors hunting throughout some nights. 


There are times when I sleep in the sofa beside the bed, but this is just to get more space. 


Tonight, the Chihuahua pup Piffy is allowed to sleep in the bed for the first time. She really likes it. I can understand her. It is in the nature of dogs to wish to be near the rest of the pack, dogs and humans alike, and cats, when you have got them. I am sure this will go well. 


Welcome to the bed, Piffy!

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Nobel Day

It is the anniversary of the passing of the great Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel. He had no children, and gave his fortune to a foundation who give the proceeds out as the Nobel prizes each year. This day is normally the day when the prizes are awarded. This is, however, not the case in this year of the covid-19 pandemic.


Malin the cat says we can all celebrate her name day today, instead. She has a point.

Wednesday, December 09, 2020

Nice Day

This evening, Paula realised neither she nor Daniel had used any car today. They were both at home all day. I like this. It is unusual that they are both at home all day, especially a weekday. This is the advantage of the pandemic, when Daniel can work from home when Paula is free from work and at home. This is life at its finest.

Tuesday, December 08, 2020

He Is Gone

Gunde is gone now. I loved him. I wish him all the best and I hope to meet him in the next life.


There are times when I wish no loved ones would never pass away. At the same time, we get pups and grandpups. If no old loved ones would leave, there would be no room for new loved ones. This way, you can have more loved ones throughout your life. Perhaps this is how it is meant to be?

Gunde

My dear old friend, black and tan male Shiba Gunde, is leaving this world for the next one, today.

Since last autumn, Gunde has lived with Sally and her family in Köping. It has been a nice time for him, I have understood. We were happy that he could have this home as his last home.

Gunde is the father of my daughter Soya.

We learned of Gunde’s medical status yesterday, Monday. I was at a lack of words last night, but can write this Tuesday morning. 

Sunday, December 06, 2020

Finland

There are Aangenaam dogs living Finland. They can celebrate the national holiday of Finland today. Finland is a nice country, a good friend of Sweden, and where dogs are held in high regard. Long live Finland!

Saturday, December 05, 2020

Birthday for Our Cats

We got our cats early this year. They were born one year ago today, as kittens in the same litter.


The cats, black female Malin and striped male Totte, have become good friends of all of us. I really like them, even though they are not dogs. There are differences in how we communicate, but not so large that we cannot get along. 


Paula and Daniel gave our cats their names from childrens’ books characters.


Happy birthday, Malin and Totte!

Friday, December 04, 2020

One Year Has Passed

It is now one year since my dear mother Hailey passed away. We all miss her. It might be that Imiss her the most. After all, she was my mother.


I took over the blog on the same day that Mommy passed away. Hopefully, it makes her proud in her heaven. I do believe I have done her justice, even though I think I am not quite as good as Mommy. With more experience, chances are I will get closer. Let us hope so.

Thursday, December 03, 2020

A Little Snow

We had a little snow this evening. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, when we were outdoors for the last time before sleep. It was nice to see, but not enough to play around in.

The forecast says it will be a few degrees above the freezing point tomorrow. This snow will not last. I will miss it, but hope there will be more snow soon. The white snow makes the dark season brighter. We will have to see if we will get a white Christmas or not.

Wednesday, December 02, 2020

Countdown or Count Down

We had a debate today on whether you should spell ”count down” or ”countdown”, in the headline of the blog entry for yesterday. I argued that if you are uncertain in English,you should write the two parts of the concept as separate words. Peanut agreed with me. He is from England, so heis good at English. Allof us did not agree, however. English is not always easy.

Tuesday, December 01, 2020

Count Down to Christmas

Daniel got an Advent Calendar from Paula. It has chocolate and marzipan from Anthon Berg in it. Daniel loves this. Both Paula and Daniel refuse to give us dogs chocolate, they say it is unhealthy for us. Apparently, humans has an enzyme in their body to digest chocolate, which dogs do not have. I am still not quite sure if this is the real reason, or if humans just want to keep all chocolate for themselves. Paula does not really like chocolate, though, so this is a reason the story about the enzyme may be correct. I let it go, there are so many other tasty things, anyway.

Monday, November 30, 2020

Around the Freezing Point

We had temperatures below the freezing point this morning. In the middle of the day,it was above, however. We had some rain. If the temperature would have been a little lower, we would probably have had snow. Perhaps we will get snow later in the week. It is December tomorrow, winter is coming.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Christmas Is Coming

It is the first Sunday in Advent, the four weeks before Christmas.


Paula and Daniel celebrate that this is the day when they became a couple. We all celebrate this, and that Christmas is close.


I love Christmas, because you get so much good food and so many treats. It is a wonderful season. Life is good at Christmas.

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Laura Left

Laura left us, when her pups had left. She lives her day to day life with another family in Örebro.


I will miss Laura on our dog walks. Most walks are with Javier and Peanut. When Laura has also joined this walk, it has made for a better balance between bitches and dogs. It is not that I cannot handle Javier and Peanut myself, but it has been a little easier when Laura has been around too. We will have to see when Laura will be back. Chances are there will be another litter from her, them she will be here again. Time will tell.

The Pups Left

The pups have left us today.


Viggo was the first to leave, the second to be born eight weeks ago. He will get a great home with the family of my half sister Meja in Småland.


Kenji left later in the day. He will stay in Örebro with a nice young couple who lives not far from us. We are glad there will be yet another Aangenaam shiba who lives his life in our home town.

Friday, November 27, 2020

Paperwork

Laura’s pups went to the veterinarian for their check up the day before yesterday. The papaerwork could not be finished, however. Daniel went to pock it up today. I think this is the first time paperwork for a puppy check up has not been finished at the visit there. We are still very satisfied with our veterinarian clinic.


The pups passed the check up. This is good, it is yet another litter from our breeding that passes.


I hope the next litter will be grand pups of mine.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Bills

It is the end of the month, and the humans pay their bills.


Daniel always become comcerned, when he is about to pay the bills. He is more relaxed afterwards, even though he is never happy. Paula got around this problem this time, because she asked Daniel to pay her bills as well, from her account, which he did.


I am glad I am a dog and do not have to pay the bills. 

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Coming Home

Paula was away last night. It has been a while since. There was a time when Paula often worked at night, but it was a long time since last time. 


Now Paula is back home again. We all enjoy this, not least Paula herself. We all enjoy the nights the most, when everyone in the family is at home. Life is good.

Monday, November 23, 2020

Sun in November

It seems like it is rare, but we had sunny weather today. It was sun in November. 


The sunny weather should have made us happy. Paula did not feel well, however, and this made us sad. You cannot be really happy, when your favourite human does not feel well and feels sad. We hope she will get better tomorrow.

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Staying at Home

This was a Sunday when both Paula and Daniel stayed at home the whole day. It is uncommon, but I really like it. Having the whole family at home all day is great. I wish more days would be like today. We just took it easy most of the day, although there was some cleaning going on now and then. 

Tomorrow is Monday. Paula has already talked about going away for some important things she needs to take care of. I guess we need to wait at least until next weekend, until we get a day like this again. It is worth waiting for, though.

Friday, November 20, 2020

Narva

The battleof Narva was fought between Russia and Sweden on this day in the year 1700. It was a great Swedish victory. Unfortunately, the rest of the war against Russia did not turn out equally good. Sweden lost the war and had to give up Estonia and many other provinces to the east and south of the Baltic Sea. This was to the detriment of both Sweden and the inhabitants of those provinces. Sweden had a policy towards the people that was much more free, liberal you could say, than the enemies who seized these territories. Nevertheless, the victory at Narva is worth celebrating.

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Birthday Girl

Paula’s niece Nadja turns four years old today. As a human, she is still a young child at this age. 


Paula and Daniel went to celebrate Nadja this evening. I would have wanted to participate, but was busy at home. I congratulate Nadja this way instead. Congratulations, big girl!

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Winter Tyres

Daniel bought new winter tyres for the new car today. It is good to have them, and compulsory when winter comes. They were expensive, but I guess this is just fitting for an expensive car. The tyres are important for traffic safety, so you must not buy too cheap tyres. These tyres will sirely protect us for many winters to come. 

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Damp and Dirt

It is very damp outside. It is raining on and off, and a lot of the water stays on the ground. It becomes muddy and we get dirt on our paws, then on the floors. I prefer warmer or colder weather.

Monday, November 16, 2020

About Dogs

We watched Vetenskapens värld (The World of Science) on Swedish TV tonight. It was a very interesting episode on what the modern science knows about dogs. 


There were, of course, a few mistakes in the show. For one thing, they brought up that some breeds have health issues, but failed to stress that good breeding programmes within the realms and regulations of national kennel clubs is the best way to diminish these problems. Most of the show was very good and informative, nevertheless. I would recommend that those who did not watch it follow the link and watch it on SVT Play. 

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Biathlon

We have watched some biathlon this weekend on TV. It is stillautumn, and mild weather for being November in our town. Still, winter is coming, and the great winter sport competitions with it. We like this. I wish we will get a lot of snow at home, to match the winter sports on TV.

The Pups Are Spoken For

Both of Laura’s pups are spoken for. They will both leave us when they turn eight weeks old.


I was never worried that we would not agree with new families to take care of these pups. We have never had so many people asking for pups before, as we have had this year. One of the families visited uslast weekend, itis the family of my half sister Meja. The other family visited us yesterday evening, they live in our town and seem like great people.


The pups are doing well. They are cute, but it will be a little more calm at home when they have moved. I wish them all the luck.

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Broken Bracelet

The youngest Shiba ofour pack, the boy Peanut, has a habit of chewing on things. This is why we suspect that he was the one who chewed appart a bracelet that Paula owned. Paula had got the bracelet from her friend Mikael Nilsson, a nice dog person. Peanut does not admit guilt, however. 

Paula was sad to see the broken bracelet. I was sad to see the sad Paula. I do believe Peanut was also sad to see Paula sad. We will try to cheer her up in other ways. All dogs do have the power to be able to cheer humans up. This is good.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

New Bed

The new beds that Paula and Daniel have bought were delivered today. They are really comfortable. I think I will sleep tight all night.


The walk in the forest will also add to my sleep. 

The New BMW

Paula took me and Javier on a ride in the new BMW today. We went up to Blackstahyttan and took a long and relieving walk in the forest. The car was great, but I really liked the walk better.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Recounted Votes

The ballots for the presidential election in the US State of Georgia will be recounted by hand. The Democratic contestant narrowly won the State over the Republican. Regardless of this, the Democrat already has won so many States and their electors, that he will win. Thus, I cannot really see that the reasons for a recount are so great that this needs to be done. It will be better when this election is finally over.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Well Behaved Pups

This evening, I was outdoors with the pups and their mother Laura. 


The pups are well behaved. One of them walked up to me, which is nice. He came too close, however, so I growled a little. As soon as I growled, he backed off. Laura has reared the pups well. 


It is about two weeks and a half before the pups will leave for their new families. We have already agreed with one family that they will come in the morning of the Saturday when the pups turn eight weeks old. This is splendid, good for the family, the pup, and for us. Although the pups are cute and well behaved, it will be more calm here once they have left.

Sunday, November 08, 2020

Father’s Day

My father Kuro chan passed away five years ago. I often think about him. I miss him, especially on a day like this, whenit is father’s day in Sweden. 


Daniel’s father passed away last year, so he knows how I feel.


Paula and Daniel went to see Paula’s father this afternoon. Paula is lucky to have his father around.

Saturday, November 07, 2020

A New Family for a Pup

We had visitors today. The family where my older half sister Meja lives where here to see the pups. They were nice people and decided upon one of the pups. 


Now it is time to find a home for the other pup. We have had many inquiries, so the trouble is not finding a family, the trouble is picking a family. I am sure Paula and Daniel will make a good job with this. They usually do.

Friday, November 06, 2020

The Pups

The pups were outside with their mother Laura around noon today, at the same time as I was outside. They are very cute, but not quite as cute as the pups I have had. It would be strange if I thought differently, of course.

I did not go close up to the pups. It is better to let them and their mother be. We saw each other, anyway. 

Thursday, November 05, 2020

Eggs

Paula and Daniel had eggs, among other ingredients, for dinner. I like eggs, so I kindly asked if I could have a taste. It turned out, I could not. I had to leave the dinner. Itis not that I was hungry, I was just feeling like having a little egg.

Wednesday, November 04, 2020

No Clear Decision

The American presidential election is not yet finished. Votes are still counted in some States.


As my dear late Mommy would say: why do they not have a monarch instead? It works very well with monarchs in Japan, Sweden, and many other countries. With a monarch, you do not need an election for a president.

Tuesday, November 03, 2020

Election

 It is election day in the USA, the home country of my maternal grandmother Sunni. Granny’s breeder is interested in politics and has firm opinions. For granny’s and her sake, I hope her candidates will win. I do not just think of the presidential election, which is the focus of international news, but also the elections on State level. We will see what happens, when we wake up tomorrow morning. None of us are so interested that we will stay awake throughout the night to follow everything. Following it will not change a thing. It is better to get a good night’s sleep.

Monday, November 02, 2020

Simple Dish

This evening, Paula and Daniel just cooked some spaghetti and had cheese with it. This is easy, quick, but fills the stomach. It is also quite tasy, for being so easy and cheap. Sometimes, the easy solutions are really good.

Sunday, November 01, 2020

Bugs

There are small, black bugs inside our house. They are not more than a few millimetres long, they make no sound, there really are not that many, but they are around. They are bugging me. Paula and Daniel get rid of them, when they find them, but it seems like there is a constant influx of a few more all the time. We wonder where they come from. We hope all of them will soon be gone. Perhaps they will be gone soon. I hope so.

Saturday, October 31, 2020

All Saints

 This is a day when we commemorate our lost loved ones. 


Mommy have been gone for almost a year now. Daddy Kenny for many years. Grandmother Sunni and Grandfather Kuro even longer. Auntie Linni is also a lost loved one; not a relative, but definitely a loved one. I miss all of them, and others.


We make new friends throughout our lives, but we never forget old friends. I believe our hearts grow with each new loved one we get. We lose loved ones, but not our love for them. Love is one of the things that makes life worth living. Love is good.

Friday, October 30, 2020

Charging the Car

The new car can be run on electricity. We charge it with a cable from the barn. This is nice. I have never liked the exhaust fumes from cars and mopeds that run on petrol. 


We will have to see when the time comes for me to try the car out. 

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Terror Attack

Humans were stabbed with a knife in a church in the French town Nice today. This was probably an act of terrorism. More will be known in the days to come, I am sure.

We must never let the terrorists win. Long live the free society, where humans are equal and dogs are loved!

Forgetful

Throughout this day, I had this eerie feeling that I had forgotten to write any blog entry yesterday. I could not quite remember, however. Now that I open up the blog app, I can see that my feeling was a representation of a truth. I really did forget to write anything in my blog yesterday. Still, I cannot recall why this may have happened. The memory is strangely bad once in a while. I am glad this is not common.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Water On the Moon

There is water on the Moon, more than previously thought. This bodea well for future manned missions to the Moon.


Just like Mommy, I have a registered name which is inspired by the Moon. Mommy was always interested of the Moon. I guess I am as well, but there will be at least decades before dogs go there. It will not happen in my lifetime. It would be a sign of progress, however, when this happens.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Fish Pate

Paula made one of her signature dishes tonight: fish pate. It is really tasty, I know from previous times. It also smells great. However, I did not get any tonight. It was a bad night, that way. Paula and Daniel were both in a happy mode, so were many of theother dogs, I could not really be in a bad mood myself. Life has its ups and downs, sometimes at the same time.

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Normal Time

We reset the clocks today. We do not have daylight savings time anymore, this year. This is good, it makes  for a few more mornings when our morning walks are in daylight.

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Cruising

Paula and Daniel went cruising with the new car today. This was not just for fun. When you have a new car, you need to get to knowit, to be able to handle it in the best possible way. Cruising with a new car is, thus, something that is done in the name of traffic safety.


I wish I would have had the opportunity to come along on the cruise. It will be interesting to experience a ride in the new car. This is bound to happen, eventually.

Friday, October 23, 2020

New Car

We have a new car. It is not really ours yet, however. There was some issue with a tax return or something, that the seller would get. Bureaucracy can hamper you, it did this time. We will just have to see when the car can really be ours.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Rain

We have had a lot of rain lately. It rained on our morning walk today.

It is not fun when it is raining and you are outdoors. We have to think of the good things about the rain, our well is filling up. Water is a necessity. It is just that I wish it would fall from the sky at night, when we are all indoors sleeping, anyway.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Affirmed Quality

The chimney sweep was here today. He was a nice fellow, not perplexed or affraid by us dogs.


The chimney was in full working order. The chimney sweep did take some ash away from the chimney, but not much. Now we can go on using the fire place. This is one more thing which is in order for winter. 

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Ash

We have had a lot of ash in our fire place. Tonight, we cleaned this out. The chimney sweep will come tomorrow. It is good to have the fire place reasonably clean before the chimney sweep comes. When the chimney sweep has been here, we will be able to continue using the fire place for the whole winter. This is good.

Monday, October 19, 2020

Economy

Daniel is at the city council today and tomorrow. They are discussing the economy for the city and how the economy will be next year. This is important, but I believe it is really dull. Paula agrees with me. I am glad Daniel does not think so, though, because while it is important, it is good that some smart people think it is interesting. 

Sunday, October 18, 2020

A Little Rest

Sundays are days of rest. We had a little rest today. All of us slept for longer than usual in the morning. For a while in the afternoon, Paula and Daniel went away for some errands, then all of us dogs could rest. It has been a good day.

Saturday, October 17, 2020

The Last Samurai

We watched the Hollywood movie The Last Samurai tonight. For being an American movie, I believe it gives a good image of 19th century Japan. I like it. 

Friday, October 16, 2020

Killed Wolf, Saved Dog

At an elk hunt in the north of our county (Örebro län), a hunter had to shoot and kill a wolf. Authorities have investigated the case and found that the shot was justified. The wolf was attacking a hunting dog and the hunter shot to save the dog.


While the death of a wolf is always a sad event, I must also find the shot justified. A wolf should not attack another member of its species. If it does, killing the wolf is justified, if nothing else works in the heat of the moment. 


I am glad that the dog was saved. In a fight, both dog and wolf may have been mortally wounded. 

Thursday, October 15, 2020

The Cats

We have had two kittens since last winter. They are almost young adult cats now. Both cats have become nice members of our family.


Cats are kittens for a longer time than dogs are pups. A cat is a kitten for twelve months, while a dog is a pup for nine months. It remains to be seen if our cats can ever be so mature as adults as all of us dogs are.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Covid-19 Reinfection

A man in the USA has become ill with covid-19 for the second time. This is very rare, but not unique. He is the first known person, however, who has become more seriously ill the second time.


The case raises questions on immunity and how certain it can be. People who have had the disease are therefore encouraged to still keep the same social distance as if they would not have been infected.


I hope there will be an effective vaccine soon. 

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

No New Beds

Rumour had it, we would get new beds today. The delivery lorry did not show up in the afternoon, though. I guess this was what Daniel talked to the store about in the morning. He told them Paula felt of a cold and did not want them to come. We have to wait for a week or so.


New beds are always nice. Paula and Danielhave often purchased new beds for us dogs. They have had the same beds for the,selves since before I was born, however. I think, since before Mommy was born. They deserve new, comfortable beds. 


We have to see what the new beds are like, once they come.

Monday, October 12, 2020

Just Another Day

There are days which just pass by, when it seems like nothing of any importance happens. This was such a day. It is not that I disliked this day, it just did not give me any special feelings at all. Ihope tomorrow will be a more exciting day. You are welcome back to the blog tomorrow, to see if there is anything more exciting that I can write about then. I do think it is. Truly uneventful days are not very common, fortunately.

Sunday, October 11, 2020

No Success in Nations League

Sweden has lost many games in Nations League in football now. This evening, the Swedes were defeated by Croatia, 2-1. 


We are disappointed that it does not work out better. Football is a great sport and we would like Sweden to be successful in it. Nations League is not very important, but the results still matter for more important tournaments. Any game affects the ranking, which in turn affects which team Sweden may face. With a higher rank, Sweden gets to face less formidable opponents. 


Hopefully, it will be better in the UEFA Euro 2020 campionship next year. 

Saturday, October 10, 2020

One Week Old

Laura’s pups are one week old today.


There are times these days when I miss having pups of my own in the litter box. It was a feeling of satisfaction to take care of them, unparalleled by other feelings. I am very happy with other tings, but different things are satisfactory in different ways. 


It will be interesting when the pups are so old the rest of us can meet them.

Friday, October 09, 2020

Upcoming New Car

Paula will get a new car, another Mini, instead of the car which she had an accident in last Friday. The insurance company will pay for the difference. This makes us happy. I am looking forward to seeing the new car. I hope I will have a chance to ride in it soon, too.


Insurance may seem expensive, but imagine how much more money Paula and Daniel would have lost, had the car not been insured. It is almost as important to have a good insurance for your car, as it is for your dogs.

Thursday, October 08, 2020

Fashion Designer Died

The Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, often known simply as Kenzo, has passed away. He died from covid-19.


Humans are lucky that they can change clothes if they want to. They could all wear Kenzo clothes, looking a little more Japanese. Dogs need to be born of a Japanese breed. Shibas are, of course. 

Wednesday, October 07, 2020

Quite Some Rain

This morning, we had 14 millimetres of rain in the rain-gauge. This is a fair amount. We also had some rain today. 


The well almost ran dry a little while back. We are happy for every millimetre of rain. I hope for a rainy autumn.

Tuesday, October 06, 2020

Blackness

Black and tan Shibas are not fully black in the black parts of our coats. There are lighter hairs underneath, that shine through. The blackness of space is also not really, fully black, there is background radiation and stuff. The objects which are the mostly black we know, are black holes. This is because they have such a high gravity that not even light can escape them. (There is a theory that even black holes can emit some particles, however, but I am not quite sure how.) This year’s Nobel Prize in physics go to scientists who have proved the existence of black holes. As a black and tan Shiba, I like this. 

Monday, October 05, 2020

Too Much Damage

They called from the garage. Paula’s Mini Cooper is too damaged to salvage. The car was insured, but we will probably get a new car i stead of getting this car repaired.


I never get to go with this Mini Cooper. This makes me a little sad. Morran told me it was comfortable. I wouldhave liked to experience this myself. Even if we get another Mini Cooper, it will not be the same car. 


We willhave to see what happens.

Sunday, October 04, 2020

Cinnamon Bun Day

 The 4 October is celebrated as Cinnamon Bun Day in Sweden. Auntie Linni, a wise old Shiba, would have turned nineteen years old today, had she survived this long. She had a hard curled tail, something which is not optimal for a Shiba, if you read the breed standard. This kind of tail is sometimes called a cinnamon bun tail, because cinnamon buns are curled in the same way. Linni was not very fond of this coincidence, she did not like to be reminded ofher cinnamon bun tail every birthday. Nevertheless, cinnamon buns are quite tasty and Linni was a great old lady, so I think both deserves to be celebrated. Cheers to the memory of Linni and to cinnamon buns.

Saturday, October 03, 2020

Laura Got Pups

This morning, our friend Laura gave birth toher first litter. There were two healthy red male pups.


It is always nice to be able to greet new Shibas welcome to the world. This is the X litter of Aangenaam.

Car Crash

Late in the afternoon yesterday, Paula had an accident with her new Mini. The car ended up on its roof. Paula was taken to the hospital, but x-ray examinations showed shehad no broken bones. She came home the same evening.


Our local news paper reported from the accident on its web page, with a photography of the car lying upside down. It was interesting to read about it, but I would rather have read about happier news involving Paula and her car.


Paula went back to the hospital today for further examinations. She has a concussion and will stayhome from work for a couple of days. Other than that, she is fine. The car proved to be safe. We will have to see what the garage can make of the damages on it.

Friday, October 02, 2020

Jubilee

Seventy years ago today, the first strip of the comic strip Peanuts was published. One of the main characters of Peanuts is, of course, the Beagle Snoopy. Peanuts is a great comic strip and Snoopy is a great fictional dog. This jubilee is worth celebrating. 

Thursday, October 01, 2020

Technical Glitch

A technical glitch halted the trade at the Tokyo stock exchange today. Officials stressed that this was not caused by some malicious attack. Trade will resume tomorrow.


I believe, and I hope, the Tokyo stock exchange will come out of this with a reputation at least as good as before. Japan needs this. Shibas in Japan need this. Japan is a great country and should not get a bad reputation because of something like this. Do continue to trade in Tokyo, if you are used to do it.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Paula Understands Me

 Paula and Daniel had a little bite to eat in the evening. I asked if I could have some. Daniel said I had already eaten today, and did not need anything. Paula gave me something, anyway. Paula understands me. Daniel does, too, most of the time, but not quite as often. This evening, Paula understood, Daniel did not.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Longer Nights

For the first time this autumn, Daniel wore a reflective vest on the morning walk. Dawn came during the walk, but it was not much light at the start of it.


In the evening, the darkness was fully upon us, when we went outside around eight o’clock in the afternoon (really more like seven, since we still go by daylight saving time). 


There is something cozy about this darkness. I like it. 

Monday, September 28, 2020

Feeling Sick

Paula is feeling sick tonight. She could not even stand the smell of food. This must be awful. 


Meanwhile, Daniel had sat down to eat. He was hungry. He could not really do much for Paula, but fetched her some water. 


I hope Paula will be alright. She said she was getting better. 

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Small Flats

As a Shiba, I am interested in Japanese culture. In Japan, there are people who live in cupboard sized flats. These do not look great, but I canunderstand that you save money by living in them. I hope, however, not many dogs need to live their lives in flats as small as this. 

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Cheese

Paula and Daniel had some cheese as late night snack tonight. This is great, since I got to taste some. Cheese is such a marvelous invention, tasty, healthy, and easy to eat. I wish I could get cheese more often.

Friday, September 25, 2020

Currency Controlling You

China has plans to launch a digital currency, DCEP. This will be a digital version of the Chinese currency yuan. It will be controlled by the central bank of China, thus by the Chinese government and the Communist party.


In my mind, there is no need to explain why nobody in the free world should use this currency, as it is controlled by communists. Using it would also mean transferring personal data to China, so it would be illegal for any controller of personal data in the EU/EEA to use it. I hope the DCEP will be a complete faliure.

Thursday, September 24, 2020

H

We had some bacon this evening. Bacon is good.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Not a Granny

Hello, Gerstuhl here!


I went to have an ultra sound examination today. Unfortunately, I am not expecting pups. Mum has told me, over and over, how great it is to have pups. It is not that I know, this wouldhave been my first litter, but I trust Mum on this. She has to wait a little longer before she becomes a granny for the first time. We hope it is better luck next time.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Rehabilitation

Paula felt ill today, so she spent the day in bed. We mostly kept her company. This is one of the duties of pet dogs, helping humans to rehabilitate themselves, when they feel ill. Paula appreciated this.

Lost Blog Entry

The blog entry for yesterday was quite long and pleasant to write. It was about tasting minced meat when Daniel cooked meat sauce. For some weird reason, this blog entry has disappeared. I am quite certain I finished it and uploaded it, but it is gone. Information technology has its flaws.

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Grocery Shopping

 Paula and Daniel went grocery shopping in the new car. Dogs are not allowed in grocery stores, for some unfathomable reason, so I did not come along. It is often better to stay at home, anyway. Now, however, I missed another opportunity to ride in the new car. 


I hopeyou do not get tired ofmy rants about the new car. You have to comment, if this is the case. I will write about other things in upcoming blog posts.

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Long Trip

Daniel went to Stockholm and back today, in the new car. I still have not travelled in it. I guess I will, eventually.

Friday, September 18, 2020

Ear

Laila went to the veterinarian today. She has recurring problems with her right ear. It needs to be cleaned, because it is so narrow and has a lot of hair growing in it. This is not Laila’s fault. It is not Paula’s or Daniel’s fault either, they take good care of her, as they do with all of us.


I definitely do not envy Laila for the visit to the vet. However, she got to ride in the new car. I envy her for this.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Riding in the New Car

 Daniel gave Paula a ride to her work today,in the new car. She could not drive herself and park there, because she had not register the registration number of the new car in the parking system. In the afternoon, when Daniel went to fetchher, Morran got to follow. She was, thus, the first of us dogs to ride in the new car. I envy her a little. My turn will come, eventually.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

A New Car

Paula has bought a car. It is a little car, with the fitting name Mini. The model is Cooper S. This will be good when she needs to go to and from work in the dark seasons that are coming. 


Peanut likes the car, since it is British. Morran, however, who has German roots, points out that Mini is owned by German car manufacturer BMW. My foremost concern is that itis a good car, and from what I have learned so far, it is. I am looking forward to riding in it soon. 

Late Night Eggs

 Paula fried some eggs late at night. This was very tasty. I got to get some. 

Monday, September 14, 2020

Cats Disappearing Into the Night

Late tonight, Daniel went out to the barn with some stuff we did not want to keep indoors. The cats took the opportunity to sneak out. Paula, who had planned to give them a late night snack, tried to call them back. This was tono avail. Daniel said the cats just went further away in the darkness of the night. 


The cats will come back inside tomorrow morning. They always do.

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Broken Glass

A glass fell off a table today and broke. Daniel picked up the pieces and threw them away. I am glad noone put theirpaw or foot on any of the pieces, before Daniel picked them up. Broken glass is often sharp and can hurt you really badly. There may be some small pieces of glass left, but I do not think so. I hope novody will find out the hard way.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

The Kittens

Two kittens moved in with us earlier this year. They have grown and are more like adult cats now. This also means they are on more equal ground to us dogs, who are all adults. Paula and Daniel have started to let them in to our bedroom during the nights, they are no longer afraid that some kitten would happen to come to harm. This is nice, the cats are interesting and friendly fellows. I like hanging with them, when I have the opportunity. The kittens are a nice addition to our household. Dogs still hold a majority.

Friday, September 11, 2020

Nine Eleven

My grandmother Sunni came from America. She lived in America on the 11th September 2001, when terrorists flew into the buildings of World Trade Center in New York City.

I wish the terrorist attacks would never have happened. When they did happen, I wish I would have had the memories that my grandmother Sunni had. 

It was terrible that the attacks happened. We should commemorate the memories of the humans and dogs who passed away.

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Shorter Walk

 There are mornings when the morning walk is a little shorter than usual. Thisis usually because Daniel is in a hurry. This morning was one of those mornings, but it was not the fault of any of us dogs. While it is better with the usual length of the morning walks, I also like that we do not take the same path every morning. This is the advantage with the shorter morning walks. I try to see the positive angles of these walks. It usually works, so I do not mind the shorter length, and it worked today. The rest of the day was a good day, nevertheless, and this is the main thing.

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

Diversity Requirements

There are new rules on how to win Oscar awards for movies. You now have to have diversity on and off screen in order to be eligible for awards.


I guess the mostly historically correct film Patton, about white men who fought the Nazis in the Second World War, would now be ineligible for Oscars. It won the Oscar for best film, and several more Oscars, in 1971.

Tuesday, September 08, 2020

Wedding Anniversary

 It is nineteen years ago today that Paula and Daniel got married. We celebrated them with style. This is one of the most important anniversaries for all of us dogs. If it were not for the marriage of Paula and Daniel, who knows what would have happened tous? Who knows if I would have even existed? I love Paula and Daniel! Congratulations on your day!

Monday, September 07, 2020

Birthday

It is Paula’s mother Gertrud’s birthday today. She is the one whose name my daughter little Gertrud got. Paula and Daniel was there to celebrate yesterday. I would have liked to come, but I was busy. I heard the celebration was a success, I hope the true birthday was as well. 

Sunday, September 06, 2020

Three

 Hello, Gerstuhl here!


It is my birthday today. I turn three years old. It has been some great thre years so far. Since I live a good life, I believe the next three years and many more will also be great. 


I had a nice birthday.

Saturday, September 05, 2020

Lost Game

Sweden lost to France in the Nations League in football, on home turf, 0-1. It was close, but a lost game is still lost. France is the reigning world champions, so it is not really shameful. It is still a result we cannot be happy about. Sweden will hopefully do better in coming games. 

Chopping Wood

Daniel went outside to chop wood for a while this afternoon. Not fun for us, who were left indoors, but good preparations for the cold days of winter. When winter is here, our humans sometimes light fires to make the house warmer and cozier. This is one of the great things about having humans: their control of fire. Winter will be good. 

Friday, September 04, 2020

New Bed?

Paula and Daniel came home this evening after running some errands. Paula was very happy about a new bed she said they have bought. They did not bring the bed home, though.


The new bed is due to arrive next month. I believe in it when I see it. A new bed may be nice, but just talk about it does not really convince me. I want to try it out, to rest in it, before I am sure it is here and that it is a good purchase. We will have to see when it arrives.

Thursday, September 03, 2020

Nothing Special

There are days when nothing special happens. This is one of those days. It is Thursday, normally a working day. Paula was free from work today, however, and Daniel was working from home. Due to the pandemic, it is not odd that he sits at home, while at work. It is nothing special. There you have it, a blog entry about nothing special. I believe I can have something more interesting to write about tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 02, 2020

Be Careful On Line

India has banned over a hundred Chinese apps over security concerns. Even though these are not banned in Sweden or the EU, this is a strong signal you have to be very careful before ever using them. I would advice against it. China is a dictatorship and they have little concern for the wellbeing of dogs or humans. We should not support anything from China. 

Tuesday, September 01, 2020

Ears

Our Toy Poodle friend Laila has problems with her right ear. Dirt often accumulates in it, and Paula and Daniel have to clean it for her. We are lucky to have our humans, who do this. Even though Laila is uncomfortable when her ear is cleaned, she feels much better afterwards.


I am lucky to be a Shiba. Our standing ears have much lower risk of getting in the kind of trouble that Laila’s right ear has. 

Monday, August 31, 2020

Summer's End

It is the last day of August. This is commonly seen as the last day of summer in Sweden. By the calendar, summer is June, July, and August.


Of course, many of the days of these months are colder than what you would like from a summer day. This is because Sweden is a country far to the north. 


I like the other seasons of Sweden as well, but I often miss those warm summer days more, because they are so few and far between. This summer, there were warm days in June and in August, but not in July. Weather is often funny this way. 

Sunday, August 30, 2020

More Light

 Daniel took down some bushes outside of one of our kitchen windows. It already shows that more daylight come in now. I like this. 

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Driving Force?

There are times when I wonder what Mommy’s driving force was, whenit comes to this blog. What made her commit so much time and effort to it?


When I write this blog, my prime motive is to honour Mommy, to keep the blog as daily as she made it. She did not have this driving force. Was it just that she liked it so much? I believe she liked the blog more than I do, and I still like it. Well, no matter how well you know your parents, there will still be questions you would like to ask them after they are gone. 


Be that as it may, the main thing nowis that I have my own driving force. This is enough for me.

Friday, August 28, 2020

Gerstuhl Left Us

Just as Gehrstuhl, my dear daughter, wrote in the blog yesterday, she went home today. 


It has been an experience having Gerstuhl back. I love her, but she can be a pawful. 


I hope Gerstuhl is expecting pups. It would be lovely, being a grandmother.

My Last Day

Hello, Gerstuhl here!

It has been fun visiting the Aangenaam household again. However, I am going back home tomorrow. There is no place like home. 

I have had fun, especially with Peanut, but I have grown a little tired of him. Somehow, he is not as attractive as just a few days ago. Mum says this is due to my hormones. I guess they can play a part. 

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Broken Telephone

Paula's mobile telephone seems to be broken. It will not charge. A mobile telephone needs charging about once a day. Paula says she must buy a new telephone tomorrow. I am sorry for her. This is an expense one would rather not have. 

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Darkness

Autumn is coming. Before Daniel and Morran went to fetch Paula at work around nine in the evening, Daniel lit up lamps. It is now so dark at this time (with the weird daylight savings time) that we need lamps to have light.


I do not mind the dark evenings. Each seaason has its charms. It can be cozy to have darker evenings. 

Monday, August 24, 2020

Japanese Victory in Indy 500

The Indy 500 race in Indianapolis is ranked as one of the top racing competitions in the world, perhaps the single most important race. This hear, Japanese driver Takuma Sato won, for a second time after his 2017 victory. Takuma Satoused to drive in Formula 1, but never achieved much success there, despite some impressive drives. His victories in Indycar, however, prove how skilled he is. He makes me proud for my Japanese heritage.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Celebrations

 Paula celebrated her birthday today. This was the first birthday in three years that she was able to celebrate the way she wanted to. Last year and the year before that, she was a patient at the hospital for different illnesses. Those birthdays, she had to celebrate at the hospital. She is much healthier now. The best thing about this birthday was just this, that she was not at the hospital celebrating it. Life is better for her now. This makes it better for the rest of us in the family, too. It was a good day, today.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Birthday Card

 It is Paula's birthday tomorrow. We got her a birthday card. She received it today, because she wanted to.


It makes me a little uncomfortable that Paula got her card a day in advsnce. If she wants to, I guess it is OK anyway. 

Friday, August 21, 2020

Upcoming Pups?

 Hello, Gerstuhl here!


There are chances I and Peanut will get pups in 63 days or so. This is what the older, more experienced Shibas say. We will see what happens.


Mum says it is very gratifying having pups. I do not know about this, at least not yet. It will be interesting to see.

Rice

There are times when we get leftovers as addition toour dog food. This is usually very tasty. Today, however, we got some rice. It is not that I dislike rice, my Japanese heritage would not allow for that. Still, there are many things more tasty than just rice. I do not complain, it is just that it makes me think of different kinds of leftovers. Meat and fish are the best, I think. We will get this another day.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Quite Boring

Paula was free from work today. It makes sense that she can have days off from work in the middle of the week, when she works in the weekends. 


One would think it would be nice to have the day to spend with Paula. It was far from it. She said she was tired and then proceeded to sleep all day. She hardly did anything else. Even though I like to sleep or rest too, this was quite a boring day.


With days like this, Paula might just as well be at work. This is not fun.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

New Features

With time, I get more and more used to the new features and the new look of the blog. One good thing is that there is a button just to press, in order to make a new blog entry. 

There are other features I am not yet comfortable with. I hope I will learn how I can use them. We will have to see.

Monday, August 17, 2020

Having Fun

 Hello, Gerstuhl here!


I am having a lot of fun with Peanut. He is a nice boy. We trash plastic waste together, which is fun. We also play in other ways. 


Mum says Peanut may become her son-in-law. We have to see avout that. 

Sunday, August 16, 2020

She Is Back

My dear daughter Gertrud is back with us for a while. She wrote about this yesterday.


It is amazing that my youngest daughter is already old enough to be considered as a mother of pups of her own. Time flies. I love my daughters, but sometimes, I still see them as the small pups that they omce were. It may feel different, omce I see Gertrud’s pups.



Saturday, August 15, 2020

I Am Back

Hello, Gerstuhl here!


Today, Paula and Daniel came by. I got to comr with them back to kennel Aangenaam. This is, apparently, because I have started to be in heat. 


It feels good to be back here. I like it here, even though I mostly like it even more at my present home. Nevertheless, a little change now and then is always good.


We are still not sure how long I will be here. This depends upon how long I will be in heat. We will take it from there. 

Friday, August 14, 2020

Sun

 We have had sunny weather for many days now. It is almost as if we have forgotten how to have rain. Well, not quite, but it was a lot of days ago we had rain. It is about time soon. The growth in our garden needs rain. Our well needs rain. We will see when it will come.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Hamburgers

Rumour has it, Paula and Daniel went to a hamburger joint to eat lunch today. None of us dogs got to come. No left overs were brought home. Still, the rumour persists.


I wish I had got to come. I would have enjoyed hamburgers. I would not have made a scene or in any other way made the visit to the hamburger joint hard for Paula and Daniel. This did not happen, though. Perhaps we will never know if the rumours are true.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Barking

 Daniel worked from home today as well. In the afternoon, we annoyed him vy barking a lot. It was not our intention to annoy him, of course, we just wanted to allert him to the many odd sounds outside. Then Nils-Olov stopped by, so we did get a visitor. If it had not been forus dogs barking, Daniel would not have realised so quickly he had a visitor. He must be happy we bark, at least somewhat happy.

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Still Working from Home

While Paula was working a day shift, Daniel was at home today and working. He is still able to work from home as much as it suita him and fits with his work. We enjoy this. Even though it is quite boring that Daniel is just sitting at his desk working, it is still much better than if he is away from home, at the office. The more family members at home, the merrier, we think. It makes life easier.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Doing Nothing?

We watched this old, black and white Swedish movieon TV this afternoon, with a story from the 19th century. One poor working man was envious of a woman who owned a farm. He said that if he owned a farm, he would never work. I guess he did not know anything about the responsibilities of owners of farms orother enterprises. The owners often work much harder tham any employee. Perhaps it was this naivete that kept him poor? They say humans are the most intelligent animal, but I am not sure this is true for every human.

Sunday, August 09, 2020

Gardening

Paula’s parents, sister, nephew, and niece were here today, helpimg out with some gardening and looking around in the yard and in our buildings. It was nice to have some help. We have a big garden, so it needs quite a lot of gardening.

I would have helped, had I had the time. Totte the cat helped, anyway. This was well done of him.

The Lawn

 The lawn was mowed this Saturday. It needed to be shorter, it had grown tall for way too long. It is easier to walk and runon a well mowed lawn. It also diminishes the risk to get ticks, because ticks climb straws of grass in order to attack innocent mammals. We are lucky to have humans who mow the lawn and who remove the odd tick that we still get. It is soon autumn and the tick season will be over. So will the lawn mowing season, because the lawn give up growing. In this way, autumn is better than summer.

Friday, August 07, 2020

Friday Night

It is Friday night. For dogs, it is the end of a working week as watchers of the house. In the weekend, our humans are at home more of the hours of the day. The weekend is a good time of the week. Friday night is the start of the weekend, thus, we are having a good time. Life is good.

Thursday, August 06, 2020

Beavers Won Legal Right to Remain

Fifteen families of beavers have been given legal right to stay at their chosen locations along the Otter River in East Devon. This is in line with a reintroductions of beavers in Britain, a formerly native animal that had been extinct. The beaver dams have been found to enhance other kinds of wildlife and to prevent the risks of downstream flooding. It seems like a situation positive for all. Ilike happy news like this.

Wednesday, August 05, 2020

Late Night Sausage

This week, I cannot help but writing blog entries about food many times. Paula cooked some sausages late at night. There were enough for all of us to get a snack. Sausages are great food, a great way to serve parts of meat. I liked this late night sausage.

Minced Meat

Is there anything better than minced meat? It is meat, so it is tasty and it is healthy, and it is minced, so it is very easy to eat it. 

This evening, Paula and Daniel served us some minced meat. It was a nice evening in the kitchen, while they cooked food for lunches further on in the week. The minced meat was great. I am happy.

Monday, August 03, 2020

Chocolate

Paula and Daniel had some chocolate tonight. None of us dogs got to taste it. Humans never allow dogs to taste chocolate, they say it is toxic for us.

Mommy had a theory that chocolate is not toxic, but just so tasty that the humans want it for themselves. I am not sure I believe this. There are other things that smells better, like meat and cheese, and our humans often let us taste these things. 

I can live without chocolate, especially since I often get other tasty things to eat. Life is good even though you cannot have everything.

New Interface

The interface for my blog host has changed. I am not sure why, I have yet to discover any significant advantages with the new interface. For now, I will just go with the flow and accept the change. Eventually, I will get used to it.

Saturday, August 01, 2020

Hard Day

Paula had a very busy day at work today. We tried to comfort her, when she came back home.

Friday, July 31, 2020

Some Bread

I got hold of a little piece of bread this afternoon. I had eaten not long ago, but when the opportunity came, I grabbed it. You do what you can, when you get the chance to eat something tasty.

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Apples

There are a lot of apples on one of our apple trees this year. The harvest varies from year to year, there were hardly any apples last year. I found that fitting, considering that Paula was not well and spent all summer and most of the autumn last year as a patient at the hospital. It was as if the apple tre was sad for the absence of Paula, just like all of us dogs were and Daniel were. This year, we have all stayed healthy, despite the pandemic going across the world. As if the apple tree is happy, we get a lot of apples from it. This is good.

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

The Comfort of a House

It is raining tonight. We are indoors. It is dry, warm, and comfortable indoors. The comfort of a house is one of the great advantages of living with humans. I pity the wild animals who do not.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Crayfish

Paula bought some crayfish today.

It’s the season.

Crayfish are not actually fish. They are seafood with shells. They are just as tasty as fish, or even tastier. I wish we couldhave crayfish more often.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Charging

A disadvantage of all the great modern communication devices, is that they often need to be charged. This makes them less mobile than you want to. I have to charge the Ipad while writing this blogpost, which means I cannot be wherever I want with the Ipad in the house. I have to sit close to an outlet for electricity. On the other paw, there are so many other advantages with these devices, that I guess you can stand a few disadvantages. Life is good anyway.

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Dogs Are Not Plausible Source of Covid-19

A recent study has debunked an earlier claim that covid-19 may have had its origin in dogs, before infecting humans. There isnot enough evidence for the claim this virus came from dogs. the new study concludes.

While no blame would fall on dogs, if the virus came from dogs, it is still nice to know that no dogs are likely hosta of early forms of the covid-19 virus. You never know what doghating humans would do about dogs, if they thought the virus came from dogs.

Saturday, July 25, 2020

More Barbecue

Paula and Daniel went to a barbecue today as well. Just like yesterday, I was not invited. I had actually had a little hope that I would be invited, because the family inviting Paula and Daniel is my brother Nemo’s family. Nevertheless, I had to stay at home. Itis not that I dislike staying at home, on the contrary, I like it, but I am not so happy to hear how others in the family go to barbecues without me.

By the way, I learned that everything is well with Nemo. This is good to know.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Barbecue

All of a sudden this afternoon, Paula and Daniel were invited to a barbecue and rode away on their bicycles. I wish I wouldhave beeninvited as well.

I love barbecue, but we have had too little of it this year. Barbecue is mainly a thing for the summer, and summer is far from over. I hope we will have barbecue more times this summer.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Raw Pasta

This evening, Paula had some raw pasta to eat. It is hard and not very tasty. She had the kind you make lasagne from. I do not understand why she could not have made a little lasagne instead, this wouldhave been mich more tasty and pleasant. In sich a case, I might have wanted to try some.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Meatballs in the Morning

This morning, Paula could not find any bread or other normal breakfast food. She fried some meatballs instead. Meatballs are great food. I do not know why Paula and Daniel have never had meatballs for breakfast before, at least not as far as I know. Perhaps this is the start of a new, great morning routine? One can always hope.

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Burning

We had some paper waste this evening. This was put in the stove, and we burned it. This is good. We have had rather cold and rainy weather for the season, lighting a fire makes it warmer indoors. Life is cozy.

Monday, July 20, 2020

Lasagne

Paula cooked lasagne this evening. Later in the evening, she had some in front of the TV. I was there and got to taste some. I do not think there are any dishes that are tastier than Paula’s lasagne. I wish I could have more of it every day.

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Formula 1

The third race of the 2020 Formula 1 season was completed today. The season started late due to the pandemic. I am a little disappointed that Lewis Hamilton won and is yet again in the lead of the championship. It is not as interesting, if it seems like the same racer will win yet another year. I do not dislike Lewis Hamilton, I dislike that nobody else seems to be able to challenge him. On the other paw, the season is far from over, even though it is shorter than it usually is. Except for English dog Peanut, we root for others this year.

Late Night

We had another one of those late nights, when Paula has worked late and voth Paula and Daniel will not work the next day. Then they know that they can sleep late in the morning and are able to stay up late and talk and whatever. This caused me to miss midnight, so I did not write any blog entry fo yesterday. I have to compensate for this today.

Friday, July 17, 2020

Paula’s Bicycle

Paula has got an electric bicycle. It is an ordinary bicycle with an electric motor that helps her when she rides it. Last week, it did not work properly, so Daniel turned it in with a bicycle repair man. It proved to be a manufacture fault, known with this model of bicycle, so it was repaired without any cost for Paula. Now she can use the vicycle again. She took it to work today. Personally, I do not care much about bicycles, I rather walkor run. I am happy for Paula, however, because she likes her bike. I hope it will work properly for a long time now.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Laura Is Here

We have got a visitor. Laura, who was born here but live with another family in our town, is here to visit us. She is a nice, red Shiba bitch. While she is not the best of my friends, we do get along with each other. It will be interesting to get to know her better.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Shedding My Coat

At the moment, I am shedding my coat. This makes me look bad and it itches a bit. Daniel combed me for a while this evening, which made me lose a lot of the strands of coat that were avout to fall off. This feels good. It is good that we have humans to do this for us.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Some Lawn Mowing

Daniel had a day off from work today. It was no rain. He found the timeto mow large parts of the lawn. It looks a bit funny now, when part of it is well mowed and part of it is not. We have to see when he can carry on.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

The Lawn and the Large Amounts of Rain

It has rained a lot over the last couple of weeks. While this is good for the amount of water in the well, it also causes the lawn to grow and makes Daniel abstain from mowing it. Daniel says the lawn mower does not dunction properly when the lawn is too wet. I have no reason to doubt this. The lawn starts to look to wild, however. There is more than grass poking up from the dirt. We have to see when the lawn will dry up enough for Daniel to mow it. It is actually overdue now.

Friday, July 10, 2020

Less Air Travel

The ongoing covid-19 pandemic has seen a huge decline in air travel. This is bigger than the decline after the terrorist attacks by air on the 11 September 2001. There are even speculations that this will be the end to air travel. I do not see it as the end, but I think it will make a substantial change and decline in air travel.

I have seen how Daniel can sit and work at home, having meetings with people with sound and moving pictures through his computer. Meetings like this can be held regardless of where you are in the world. During the pandemic, people have gotten more and more used to meetings through their computers. They will not want to travel so many times just to go to meetings, when they can sit at home and have almost the same meeting quality.

Dog shows will have to be held live, however. We hope there will be dog shows again next season. People willhave to fly with their dogs for dog shows and the exchange of dogs to breed. Dogs can, thus, help preserve the existence of air travel.

Thursday, July 09, 2020

Medication

Because of my injuried paw, I get pain medication. It is good that things like this are around. It makes my days more bearable. The veterinarian said it could take months before I am fully recovered, but I guess it will not hurt as much the whole time. Nowis a good time tohave the medication.

Wednesday, July 08, 2020

The Veterinarian Was Impressed

We went to the veterinarian today, because of my limp. The veterinarian was impressed by me, because except for vaccinations and ultra sound examinations when I have expected pups, I have never needed to go there before. This is unusual for a dog of my age. Of course, I am a Shiba, but it is still unusual. I guess it is legitimate to be impressed by this.

Tuesday, July 07, 2020

Limping

I have hurt one of my front legs. I am not sure when this happened, but it hurts a bit now and then and I have a limp.

Paula have consulted with a veterinarian and we will go to see the veterinarian tomorrow. I am usually not very fond of going to the veterinarian, but if I can get help with myleg,it is definitely worth it.

It would be great to have a body that would heal itself faster. Unfortunately, though, I have not got super powers like this.

Monday, July 06, 2020

Meat Sauce

Daniel cooked his great meat sauce this evening. It is his favourite dish, one of the favourites of Paula, and also one of my favourites. Fortunately, I got to taste some. There are few things that are as good as a tasty meal.

Sunday, July 05, 2020

Rain, Rain, Rain

We have been wishing for rain, because it has been very dry outdoors. It seems that wishes can sometimes come true to a greater extent than you wished for. It has now been rainy weather for several days in a row. I am glad Paula and Danielis as adversed to staying out in the rain as I am. Now I wish for a few days without rain. Any rain may fall during the night, when it does not bother us, who stay indoors in the night hours.

Saturday, July 04, 2020

Independence Day

This is the national holiday of my grandmother Sunni. She was born and raised an American and always proud of it. The 4 July was the day when the first part of the present day USA declared its independence from Great Britain. The origin of the feud was a small tax that the Brits levied off the American colonists to pay for the military defence of these colonies. Ironically, the Americans pay much higher taxes today. Grandmother Sunni still claimed the USA was the freest land in the world and that the taxes would have been higher, had the colonies stayed British. I hold these things to be true, since grandmum told me about them.

Friday, July 03, 2020

Healthy Japanese Food

The people of Japan live longer than most. There are more people reaching the age of 100 years in Japan than in other countries. This may have to do with Japanese food, at least in part. There may be reasons to eat more like the Japanese eat. I would support this for more reasons than health. Japanese food is very tasty. For one thing, I love sushi. I also love other Japanese food that I have tasted.

Japan is a great country with a great culture. We would all benefit from more Japanese culture, not least Japanese dog breeds. After all, the Shiba is a Japanese dog breed and the best dog breed in the world.

Read the article that there is a link to. You donot have to change allof your habits, but if you change some, it may be for the better.

Thursday, July 02, 2020

The Minister’s Daughter

Paula is often reading a book in Swedish about the daughter of a minister in the 19th century Hälsingland. She consider it great litterature. Daniel begs to differ.

I only consider stories with dogs great litterature. As far as I know, this story that Paula sees as her favourite does not contain dogs. This makes it bad litterature. I guess I agree with Daniel, but on other grounds.


Wednesday, July 01, 2020

Grand Dad


It would have been Grand Dad’s birthday today. He wouldhave turned eightteen years old. Hardly any Shiba lives to see this age. Nevertheless, he lives on in our memories and in our hearts. We miss him.

Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the marriage of Paula’s parents. This is important for us. Without it, Paula would not have come to Örebro and become the person she is, would never have met Daniel, and no Aangenaam dogs would have been born.

Paula and Daniel went over there and gave her parents a gift for the anniversary. They were grateful. We are grateful for them.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Rain

It may seem boring to read about the weather in this blog. I still want to tell you that we had a lot of rain today. This is good for our well. We need water in the well, so it will not run dry. In dry years, it can run dry, We rather want rainy summers than dry summers, for the sake ofour well.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Growing Things

Many things grow a lot in our garden. We may have to cut a lot of it. Perhaps not, the garden is rather nice anyway.

Friday, June 26, 2020

Leif and Billy


Paula has a new favourite comedy show. It is a Swedish show about two brothers, Leif and Billy, who live in the Swedish outback up north. They are lazy, unemployed, but manage somehow anyway. It is funny. I just think they should have had a dog too.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Eggs

Late at night, Paula had some boiles eggs. There are occasions when I have heard that boiled eggs are breakfast food. I guess eggs go just as well as a late night snack.

Unfortunately, I did not get to taste any of the eggs. Itis not that I was hungry, but there is always room in the stomach for tasty food.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Forest Fires

There have been forest fires in the vicinity of our home town. The warm and dry weather makes the risk of forest fires high. I hope there will be few, if any, and just small such fires for the rest of the summer. We want the forests to be preserved and we want it to continue to grow and draw carbon dioxide out of the air, not to release it in fires. I hope for the best.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Summer TV

It is a Tuesday after midsummer. Swedish television is true to its traditions, airing a concert from Skansen in Stockholm and a new season of the British Midsomer Murders. This is summer. The best thing about Midsomer Murders is that the main character has a dog. Unfortunately, the dog just had a small part in today’s episode, but made a great performance, nevertheless. It may be better further on.

Monday, June 22, 2020

Bacon Crisps

Bacon is a great food. Crisps are great food. What could be better? Bacon crisps are better!

Paula bought some bacon crisps today. We feasted on them tonight. There are not words strong enough to tell you how tasty, how good, bacon crisps are.

Lifeis great, when you have bacon crisps.

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Regaining an Area

Paula and Daniel went to Lindesberg this Sunday. It was the first time since last summer that they went there. Last summer, Paula spent months at the hospital in Lindesberg due to illness. She wanted to go to Lindesberg in order to mentally regain this territory, to make sure she can have other memories of Lindesberg than those from her summer at the hospital there. When they came back, Paula was happy and confident that she had managed to regain Lindesberg. We are allhapoy for her about this. This is yet another of her many steps back to a fully normal self. Life is good.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

No Canadian Fighter Jets

There are times when you read stories about facts you did not have a clue about. For instance, I did not know Canada had had a shot at building state of the art fighter jet airplanes in the late 1950’s. The programme was cancelled due to the high costs. In Sweden, an even smaller country, fighter jets were built by Saab. I guess it was the wish of Sweden to have its own jets as a country outside of military alliances that made the difference. Canada was and is a member of Nato. I wonder what would have happened, had the programme not been cancelled.

Friday, June 19, 2020

Midsummer Eve

We have celebrated Midsummer today, at Midsummer Eve.

It is customary for Swedes to celebrate mostly on the Eve before a big holiday. We do this at new year, Easter, Walpurgis and Christmas as well.

Midsummer is a nice holiday. It never becomes completely dark at night. This is fascinating. It is also usually a rather warm weather, and warmer than usually this year. We had a good Midsummer Eve.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Sleepover

Paula is not at home tonight. This is not because she is at work, but because she is on a sleepover at her sister’s house. This sounds fun. Paula’s sister is nice and it would be fun to visit her. Sleeping is something I am really good at. Perhaps I could join Paula at such a sleepover in the future? You never know.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Iceland

It is the national holiday of Iceland today. Iceland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, which was independent since 1918, but which became a republic on this date in 1944. I have never understood the advantages of being a republic, but some humans see advantages in it. Sweden has a king, Japan has an emperor, this is good enough for me. Nevertheless, I congratulate all the humans and dogs from Iceland on this day, regardless of its form of government.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Rain At Last

We finally got some rain today. It was not a little rain, either, but quite a lot.

There has not been any rain for a long time. We have almost had a draught. This is worrying, not least because our well might dry up. Our luck with rain may have changed. It might be a lot of rain in the weeks to come, we will have to see.

Monday, June 15, 2020

Chips

We got chips in our food today. I like this.

Chips are called pommes frites in Swedish, a word borrowed from French. The word chips in Swedish means that which is called crisps in English. Human languages are funny this way.

It is better with meat, but we did not get meat added to the dog food today. You cannot get this every day, I suppose.

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Negativity?

Daniel came across a great meme today.

The creator of the picture is not mentioned, so I hope it is free for all to spread.


Saturday, June 13, 2020

The Lawn

Daniel mowed the lawn today again. It needs to be mowed often at this time of the year. Even though we have had a draught, the lawn is growing, almost like weeds. I am glad the lawn is mowed, it keeps ticks away.

Friday, June 12, 2020

Moomin Bisquits

Paula purchased Moomin Bisquits today. They came in a metal jar, so we can keep the package when the bisquits are eaten. I like that.


Thursday, June 11, 2020

Summer

Summer is here to stay. We have had a couple of sunny days with rather warm weather. The forecast today said this will continue through the weekend. It may even be warmer.

It is dry, there have been warnings of fires in the forests. I hope this will not happen. We would need some rain, preferably at night. Rain is also summer weather. We will see what happens.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

No Solution

The police investigation on the murder of Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986 has finally ended. It has become the biggest investigation in Swedish police history, yet nobody knows who committed the murder. The investigation leader believe it was a man who died long ago, but the evidence to support this is bleak and would very likely not have held up in court. I guess we just have to say that whomever did it, got away with murder.

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

Åland Islands

The 9 June is the National Holiday of the Åland Islands, when they got a form of home rule after Finland’s independence from Russia. We congratulate all Ålanders today.

🇦🇽

Monday, June 08, 2020

Healthy Car

Daniel went to have a check up on the car today. This must be done regularly in Sweden, mostly every fourteenth month. The car was without flaws. This is good. Now we know we have a safe car and we do not have to put money in it to make it so.

It is good that cars must have regular check ups, it makes traffic safer. We can feel more safe when going by car, knowing this, which is good. Some regulations are good.

Sunday, June 07, 2020

Boiled Eggs

Paula is normally a person who loves good food. There are days, however, when she wants nothing of the sort. Today, she just had three bolied eggs for dinner. Granted, she and Daniel had had a very nice Sunday lunch. Eggs are not bad. Still, I believe a dinner of just boiled eggs is too poor for Paula. I wish I could convince her to get more food for dinner. The more food she prrpares, the greater is the chance that I can get a taste of it.

Saturday, June 06, 2020

National Holiday

It is the National Holiday of Sweden today. We are celebrating Sweden’s independence from the Kalmar Union, which was dominated by Denmark, and the old constitution of 1809. If we would have had a flag pole in our garden, we would have flown the flag of Sweden. We do not have a flag pole, but we have celebrated anyway. Sweden is a good country to live in.

Friday, June 05, 2020

Friday Night

We are all spending a nice, calm Friday night at home. Paula and Daniel discussed going out for dinner, but ultimately decided against it. I like their decision, it means we were all at home tonight. It was a good evening.

Friday Night

We are all spending a nice, calm Friday night at home. Paula and Daniel discussed going out for dinner, but ultimately decided against it. I like their decision, it means we were all at home tonight. It was a good evening.

Thursday, June 04, 2020

Peter the Great?

There was a documentary on TV tonight about Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia. He was the one who modernized Russia around 1700 and who defeated King Karl XII of Sweden, bringing an end to Sweden’s days as a great power. It was a well made documentary about this horrible subject. I guess it is as Daniel says: the world would have been better off without Peter the Great. Then the Lutheran Estonians, Latvians, Swedes, and Germans in the Baltics would have been ruled by the Lutheran Kingdom of Sweden instead of the Orthodox Empire of Russia. Sweden is also a much better country for dogs than Russia is.

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

Sick Leave

Paula is resting at home, having sick leave fromwork after having an operation in her right arm yesterday. Her arm hurts, but she knows it will be much better than before the operation. We support Paula in the best way dogs can: by helping her to rest and by giving her a lot of love. This will make her get better soon.

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

X-ray Examination

Peanut has been x-rayed today. An x-ray examination of your hips is necessary, if you are a Shiba in Sweden and want to become a parent. The result can be anything from A, which is excellent, to E, which effectively disqualifies you from getting pups. The hip status is inherited and you should not let pups inherit very bad hips.

Peanut would want to become a father in the future. Now he just have to wait for the result. It will take a few days for a qualified veterinarian to examine the x-ray image. We hope Peanut will pass. A black and tan Shiba with his mentality would make a great father.

Monday, June 01, 2020

Summer Times

We are entering June with a splendid, sunny, warm day. It really feels that summer is here now.

If my dear late mother would still be in charge of this blog (that she created), I am sure she would write that the best feature of summer is cancelled this year. Mommy loved dog shows and summer is the peak of the dog show season. In order to minimize the spread of covid-19, however, the Swedish Kennel Club has decided that there will be no dog shows until at least September. Mommy would be quite angry.

Personally, I have never been so fond of dog shows myself. I thought it was enough to go to three dog shows in my career and pick up my title as Show Champion on the third of them. I enjoy summer for the warm weather.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Mother’s Day

The last Sunday in May is Mother’s Day in Sweden. This is the first Mother’s Day when I do not have my mother here to celebrate.

I am a mother myself. Last year, my daughter Gerstuhl still lived here and celebrated me. Now she has got a family elsewhere. My other pups also have got their own families.

Be this as it may. I have celebrated Paula, our human ”mum”. She always deserves to be celebrated.

Saturday, May 30, 2020

Mowing the Lawn

This time of the year, the lawn is growing at a high speed. Daniel mowed it today. Fortunately, it was dry, so it was easy to mow it.

The main reason for keeping a well mowed lawn, is that it makes it harder for ticks to reach us. ticks climb the grass, then jumps from the grass to the coat of a dog. We hate ticks, so we love well mowed lawns.

A well mowed lawn also looks better than when it is growing wild.

It is good to have a well mowed lawn now.

Friday, May 29, 2020

Summer Is Coming

Summer is definitely on its way. It is warm outside, especially in the sun. Daniel is pulling out dandelions from the lawn, something which he only has to do in late spring. The lawn is growing. Insects are flying around here and there. I like this weather, it is nice to be outside in the warm sun. Itis warm inside too, even though the central heating is turned off. While I like all seasons of the year, there are times when I would like to live in the summer all the time. Perhaps it would bore you, but I do not think so. Life is good right now.

Thursday, May 28, 2020

European Contribution to Moon Mission

The European Space Agency (where Sweden is a member) has agreed with the US Space Agency Nasa, that the ESA will provide hardware for the project Artemis, which will send astronauts back to the Moon. ESA’s contribution will be a Service Module for the missions. It will be built by Airbusin Bremen.

I wonder if this might also facilitate a possibility for astronauts from ESA countries to go to the Moon. This would be great.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Old Chocolate

Daniel held a presentation at work today. It went well and he got some chocolate as a token of appreciation. When he got home, he realised the best before date for one of the chocolate bars had passed. This was a setback.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Archaeology Dogs

There is no end to the help dogs can bring humans, with our sensitive sense of smell. Dogs can be archaeologists, identifying the smellofhuman remains thousands of years old.

This is not surprising to me. I know what I can detect with my nose. All I would have to learn, is what smell the human remains have, and tell my humans when I would detect it. With the much less fine tuned sense of smellof humans, though, I can understand how they would think this is amazing.

I rather use my nose to detect candy, however.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Working from Home

Daniel is often working from home these days. He is allowed to do this, now that the pandemic needs to be contained. He was at home all day today. Paula was also athome, because she did not work today. This feels good for us dogs. When both Paula and Daniel are at home, we do not need to watch the house as thoroughly as we do otherwise. It was a nice, calm day. I wish more working days were like this.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Yesterday’s Cake

Daniel bought a little cake yesterday, for his birthday. Even though it was small, all of it was not eaten yesterday.

Both Daniel and I had hoped to get a little cake this morning. Paula beat all of us to it, however. When we got out of bed, there were just a couple of crumbles left. We were disappointed, but I guess Paula had been happy. Good for her.

Birthday!

We celebrate Daniel’s birthday every 23 May. He is well worth celebrating.

Happy birthday, Daniel!

Friday, May 22, 2020

Late Night Sausage

Late at night, just before our final time outside, Paula gave us pieces of sausage. This was a great evening snack.

You always sleep better, when you get a little sausage just before you go to sleep. There is something special about sausages. You can say a lot about many human inventions, but I believe the sausage is one of the best. There should often be sausage late at night.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Chicken

Paula and Daniel had chicken for dinner tonight. I got to taste some. It was really tasty. This is the kind of food I like, with a lot of meat in it.

Did you know that in Swedish, food is called ”mat”? This is derived from the same Germanic word as the English ”meat” (if I am correctly informed). Thus, meat and food may be said to be the same thing, and real food is meat. This is nice to think about, isn’t it? Chicken is good meat.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Covid-19 Detection Dogs

In the UK, dogs have been trained to detect covid-19. This is far from the first human disease that dogs can detect, we are known to be able to detect cancer and other diseases. Dogs can detect the diseases with our well developed sense of smell. We can make more detections in a much faster pace than any clinical tests, if we only learn what to smell for. This is positive news in the gloomy times of the pandemic.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

The Fight Against Dandelions

Daniel is a sworn enemy of the yellow flowers called dandelions. We used to have a lotof them in our garden at this time of the year, but Daniel has been stubbornly pulling them out of the ground. He pulled a few more out today, but there are mich fewer now than there were before.

According to Daniel, his late father taught him not to accept any dandelions in the garden, and to pull them out with their roots. This is good. I like the lawn better, when it is green.

Monday, May 18, 2020

Recession

The world economy isin a recesssion due to the virus pandemic and all the efforts to counter it. For example, Japan is facing a recession for the first time since 2015.

The society and economy in Japan is strong. There are many Shibas living there, who will help. I am certain Japan will manage to get out of the recession. It is still worrying that a kind of virus can have such a huge impact on the world. I wish we could get out of the pandemic soon.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Norwegian National Holiday

My maternal grnadfather was from Norway. Mommy has told me he was a Norwegian patriot. He would have celebrated today, when it is the national holiday of Norway.

I guess that I can also celebrate a little today, to commemorate my grandfather. There are more positive aspects of having Norwegian roots. When we watch cross country ski competitions on TV, I can always be happy for the numerous Norwegian victories, because I have got Norwegian roots.

Cheers for Norway, today!

Saturday, May 16, 2020

No Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest would have been aired tonight. It was not. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the contest was cancelled. There was a different show aired from the Netherlands, last year’s winner, instead. It was nice, but not the same as the contest. We hope for contests in the years to come.

Friday, May 15, 2020

A Little Candy

Paula went grocery shopping today. One of the things she bought was candy. A little later in the evening, she took some candy and sat down to eat it. I came by and asked her if I could have some. She refused to give me, or any other of the dogs, any candy. She had just taken a few pieces of candy, she said, and needed to have these herself. Ina way, I can understand Paula. Candy is very tasty. If I had just a few pieces of candy, I would not give any pieces to anybody else, either. I am still a little disappointed. I would have liked to have at least one piece of candy.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

One Year Old

Peanut turns one year old today. He does not throw a party today. We will have a big party in the weekend instead, bigger than we canhave in an ordinary weekday. This is a wise strategy. It is better to wait for a bigger party, than just having a little party right now. Peanut was a little doubtful at first, but the older ones of us convinced him. The party will be great. Now all Peanut can do is looking forward to it.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Snow

We woke up to a white landscape this morning. The ground was covered in newly fallen snow, in the middle of May. This would be special any year. This year, when we have had a record mild winter, it feels even more special to get snow now.

The anow was already thawing when we went out for the morning walk. In the middle of the day, it was gone again. This is not strange for May. I guess we will not have any more snow this side of the summer.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Clouds

It is raining on and off today. Clouds cover ghe sky. The last two nights have hardly had any clouds in the sky, and the morning temperature has been just below the freezing point. This is cold for the time of the year. If we have an overcast sky tonight, chances are the temperature will not sink so low until tomorrow morning. We will have to see what happens.

Forgetful

There are days when I forget to write blog entries. It has happened twice this month already. My dear late mother would not be pleased with the way I run the daily blog that she created and ran for so long. I must make sure I get better at this.

Monday, May 11, 2020

The Penguin

There is a little statue of a penguin in the centre of our town. Itatand sjust at the corner of the town hall and the main street, Drottninggatan. This weekend, kt disappeared. This was a disaster for most inhabitants of our town, losing this lovely little statue. Fortunately, the penguin was found today. We all hope it will be returned to its ordinary spot in town soon, and can stay there. This penguin is great, even though it is small.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Pop

Paula likes to drink pop. Sometimes, she brings a glass of pop when she goes to bed.

Peanut also likes to drink pops. When Paula puts a glass of pop on her night stand, he is usually very observat. Whenever he gets an opportunity, he goes there and starts to drink from the glass.

There are times when Paula stops Peanut. On other nights, Paula does not notice or does not really care. Tonight, she even poured the pop into a wider glass, to make it easier for Peanut to drink it. I guess Peanut likes to drink pop better than Paula does. We are lucky to have such a nice human as Paula.

Saturday, May 09, 2020

Europe Day

It is the Europe Day today. This is a day to commemorate the European unity, after a declaration on such a unity by Frenchman Robert Schuman on the 9 May 1950. This was just five years after the devastating Second World War. Europe desperately needed peace and unity.

While peace was mostly preserved in Europe until around 1989 due to the terror balance between the super powers the Soviet Union and the USA, there is no doubt that peace and prosperity has also been benefited by the cooperation between European countries. I think the Europe Day is worth celebrating.


Friday, May 08, 2020

Name Day

My daughter Gertrud has a name dayin the Swedish calendar. She is quite proud of it. Paula and Danielhave three name days each, however. This is as it should be, name days are a human thing. Daniel’s third name is Åke, so one of his name days are today. We congratulated him for it, as soon as it dawned upon us that it was today. It was just another Friday, if you do not count this.

Thursday, May 07, 2020

Ninety Years

Daniel’s mother turns ninety years old today. This is awesome. Not many humans reach this age, let alone with mind and body intact, as Daniel’s mother has.

Under normal circumstances, there would be birthday celebrations at Daniel’s mother’s home. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, this cannot happen. Daniel spoke to his mother over the telephone at length, at least.

Congratulations from all of us goes to Daniel’s mother today!

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Explosions

Once in a while, we hear rumbles. It is the sound of explosions nearby. The explosions are done in the rocky ground not far away from here, where a new water tower for our town is being built.

Daniel says that when the water tower is finished, the communal water distribution system will probably be expanded to our neighbourhood. We have a privare water well, but communal systems are often safer sources of water. The water tower is supposed to open in two years or so, then this neighbourhood has to be developed with more houses, and the water distribution system may be expanded. I doubt I will live to see it. My grandpups maybe will.

Monday, May 04, 2020

A Microbe That Stops Malaria

It is interesting to read that just as humans are affected by the worst new disease in a century, covid-19, there seems to have come a breakthrough in the fight against the old disease malaria. A microbe found in some malaria mosquitos seem to give them full protection against malaria. This would alsoprevent the mosquitos from spreading the disease to humans. It seems like the microbe does not affect mosquitos negatively and it is found naturally in a fair amount of them in Kenya. Now the only question seems to be how to spread the microbe to more mosquitoes. It is promising.

Saturday, May 02, 2020

Evening Walk

We took an extra walk late in the evening, because Paula wanted to. I liked her initiative. Taking walks out of your ordinary schedules are very nice. We had a nice, albeit fairly short, late night walk. It was Paula, Daniel, Javier, Peanut, and I. This is something I could do more often.

Friday, May 01, 2020

Run Away Cat

Paula purchased two kittens earlier this year. They have grown bigger over time and are outdoors quite a lot these days, especially in the afternoons. Today, when Daniel wanted them to go in, only Malin was there and came in. Totte was nowhere to be seen.

I wondered whether Totte was gone forever. He was not. About half an hour later, Daniel spotted Totte oitside of the fenced in yard and went out and fetched him. Daniel was happy to have found Totte again. I guess it is nice that he came back so quickly.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Coffee

Paula and Daniel went grocery shopping yesterday. One of the things they wanted to buy was a certain brand of coffee, but the store was out of this brand. Daniel was told that the store would have this brand of coffee on the shelf today. When he went back to the store today, however, there was still no sign of this brand of coffee. He asked again, and was told that the shipment had not yet arrived, but that this brand of coffee would be in the store tomorrow. Paula and Daniel may go back again tomorrow. It is not always easy, when you want a particular brand of something. It is as if you want a Shiba, but all available puppies are of other breeds. You just have to wait for the right breed.