F1 Late Silly Season

It seems like Finnish Formula 1 driver Valteri Bottas will leave Williams to replace Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. Meanwhile, Brazilian Felipe Massa will come out of his recent retirement to continue in Williams for another season, alongside rookie Canadian driver Lance Stroll.

Formula 1 can really be exciting, even between the seasons.

Christmas Lights

Hello, Orange here!

According to Swedish traditions, we have Christmas Chandeliers in the windows. They face the road, which is to the west of our house, or the sides, so people can see them further down the road. Earlier years, the chandelier in the bathroom window has been clearly visible, when you come walking from the south. It is not anymore. Threes and bushes has grown in the field south of our property, impairing the view. It is not as useful having the chandelier in this window, now that people cannot see it from the road. We might find another place for it until next Christmas. We will have to see.

Wolf Pack Hunt Caught on Film

As a dog, I feel a certain affiliation with wolves, our wild cousins. Wolves are awesome animals and great hunters.

If you want to see what a wolf hunt looks like, here is a hunt caught on film.

The headline for the film says the hunt is epic. I say it is not. While the film is very fascinating, the hunt as such is nothing out of the ordinary for a wolf pack.

Watch the film! It is just a few minutes long, but I can recommend it. It has a happy ending, too.

How We Show Love

Long time dog people already know this, but here is an article about nine ways in which dogs show love and affection for their humans. I know my humans do not need to learn this, but there may be others out there who do. Read the article, it might convince you to get a dog. Any human who does not have dogs, lack something in life. We show love, it is in our nature to do so. If you need love, just get dogs.

Fire

We lit a fire in the stove in the living room tonight. It gives a cozy light and adds to the warmth indoors. I like it. It has always been an advantage of being a dog, that our humans can light fires and control fires.

Water

It is always a bit disturbing when the water runs out in the water bowls. Our humans are great at filling them up, though. There have been reports about being a lack of water. We know we have had troubles with our own well. There have never been a lack of water in our water bowls, however. We still want more precipitation, however.

Great News from South Korea

The slaughtering of dogs in markets is banned in the South Korean city Seongnam. This has been the largest dog meat market in the country. It is great that this uncivilised behaviour is banned.

Dogs are man's best friend, we are not meat to be eaten. We help man get meat while hunting, we are not to be eaten, just as humans do not eat other humans and dogs do not eat humans or other dogs.

Thus, in just one little leap, South Korea gets much more civilised.

Bipeds

Unlike most mammals, humans walk on two legs, not four. As a dog, I can stand on my hind legs for short amounts of time, but it is much easier walking on four legs. When it is winter and slippery roads, as it is now, it is also much safer.

Human scientists have explored the possible reasons why humans are bipeds for a long time. There are new clues every now and then. I find this almost as interesting as new evidence on the origin of dogs. It is intriguing to know more about ancient human history.

Useful Time

This evening, Daniel petted me for quite some time. When one of the other dogs came by, I told them it was my turn.

Daniel has a nice saying: petting your dog is never a waste of time. It can hardly be said better. No matter how much stress there is in your life, if you take some time to pet one of your dogs, you calm down. Your dog does too. It is a win-win situation.

Remember to pet your dogs often.

China Pushes Against Free Speech

Having new rules on "inappropriate content", the authorities in China shuts down thousands of live streaming accounts.

This is just another one in a long line of actions of Chinese authorities to curb and cull free speech. It is what happens in a society that is not free. China is a dictatorship, we have to remember this.

Daniel told me that when he purchased a new mobile phone earlier this week, the sales clerk recommended one Sony and one Huawei. Sony is from Japan, of course, while Huawei is from China. Daniel chose the Sony. I am glad he did.

I do not do live streaming. I do, however, do a daily blog where I sometimes bark at infringements of free speech. If I lived in China, or any other of many dictatorships in the world, I would probably not be able to write things like this. Perhaps my blog would be shut down entirely. I do not want that to happen to anyone. Free speech is a must in a free and prosperous society. We all have to make sure free speech is guaranteed to us.

Winner of Idol Sweden

The final of Idol Sweden 2016 is aired on live TV tonight. I do not really care who wins. History tells us that the outcome of the Idol final does not really count in the long run. The winner has seldom had a successful career, while some other participants have been much more successful. Participation in Idol may be a route into fame and success, but being an ultimate winner is no guarantee to give you more luck than other participants. In a few years, we can say whether any of the participants of Idol Sweden 2016 was a real winner.

Going Out Late at Night

Some of the smaller dogs have to go out more often than I. If I rather stay indoors in the night, I will do this. There are advantages of being a mature Shiba.

Ears

My Toy Poodle friend Laila has narrow ears. Dirt is gathered there and bacteria may grow in this dirt. Daniel cleans the ears now and then. Laila does not like to get her ears cleaned, but she admits she feels more comfortable afterwards. I am happy I do not have this problem with my ears.

Fire

It was cold outside today, thus, it was colder than usually inside. We made up a fire in the stove in the evening. It is cozy and warm. We just need to get some more firewood inside. We have a lot out in the barn, it is just a matter of carrying it inside. This will come to good use, if we get a cold winter.

Finland

Today, we celebrate the national holiday of Finland. The country declared its independence from Russia on the 6th of December 1917.


I have been to Finland several times and feel affinity to the country, since I am Finnish Show Champion. We have travelled to Helsinki about this time of the year for dog shows many times, but we do not do it this year. We celebrate Finland at home instead.


Happy national holiday to all the dogs and humans in Finland!

Macaronies

Paula and Daniel discussed going away from home for Sunday dinner. Eventually, they decided not to, but cooked macaronies and sausage and ate at home. I like this, it is always nicer when they stay at home, not least because I have a chance to get leftovers.

Renewed Silly Season

Newly crowned Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg surprised the world yesterday, by announcing his retirement from the sport. Thus starts a new "silly season". Who replaces Nico Rosberg at Mercedes next year? Here are some speculations. In time, we will know. It will be interesting to know.

Freedom of the Press

This day 250 years ago, Sweden enacted the first Statute of freedom of the press in World history. This is worth celebrating. Cheers!

December

It is the last month of the year. This month always feels like a long countdown to Christmas. I love Christmas, because there is so much good food and candy when we celebrate Christmas. I know of the reason behind Christmas, the birthday of Christ. It is fitting that we celebrate Him with so many tasty things.

Pizza

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula and Daniel had pizza for dinner tonight. I got to taste some. It was good.

There should be pizza more often. It is tasty and healthy. You can have almost any kind of good food on a pizza. Food on a round piece of bread, it is like the circle of life.

Bills

We have got bills to pay, as it is the end of the month. Everybody has bills to pay, I am told. My own bills are not of high amounts, but Paula and Daniel pays a lot. On the other hand, they make fairly good money on their respective works as well. If I could earn more money, I would, and I would pay more bills. We get by anyway, which is good.

Shaving

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I am glad I am not a Poodle. Poodles do not shed their coat, but needs to get it cut or shaved now and then. I watched as my Poodle friend Laila got shaved tonight. She really was not comfortable with it, even though she enjoyed her better self afterwards. I cannot blame her, it did not look comfortable at all, being shaved. It is better to have a coat that sheds of ot self twice a year.

Christmas Decorations

The time before Christmas is here. We have cleaned ghe house and put up advent chandeliers, as is Swedish tradition. We also changed curtains in the kitchen and now have Christmas curtains. I like our Christmas curtains. I believe there are dogs on them. Others clain there are hares, but I do not think so. Nevertheless, the house is prepared for Christmas now. This is great.

Giving Paula a Ride Home

Paula was away this evening, then Daniel too the car to get her. I often get to come along, but not tonight. Daniel too another dog to ride along. I do not like this. I hope I get to go next time. It feels like it would be my turn.

Black Friday Going Out of Style

Black Friday is a relatively new thing in Sweden, a day with sales, imported from the USA, where this day is the day between the Thanksgiving holiday on a Thursday and the weekend.

In the United Kingdom, they have had Black Friday for a longer time than we have in Sweden. It might actually be going out of style in the UK.

I hope Black Friday goes out of style in Sweden too. It is an unnecessary phenomenon, especially since Swedes are never free from work to go hopping, since we doot celebrate Thanksgiving. Time will tell, but I think Black Friday is not here to stay. The sooner it is gone, the better.

Trial

Paula was at the court of law today, about the consequences for the man who drive the car which hit her, when she crossed the street on the 20th of November last year. It seemed like it went well. The man who drive the car admitted as much, but claimed it was just an accent and that he would not be responsible. I believe the court will find that he was negligent and will find him guilty. There might be damages, if this will be the case. I hope so.

Median Amount of Readers

There is some statistics that come automatically with my blog service. I can always see how many times a blog post has been read.

Once in a while, I share links to my blog posts on Facebook ant Twitter. These blog posts always get more readers than the others. It would be surprising if they would not. When it comes to blog posts that I do not promote in this way, I usually get five or six readers. It seems like the average blog post has five readers. They usually never have less than five readers.

I guess I may have five readers who always come back to read my blog. I guess they are from the close family. It would be interesting to know, if there is any follower whom I could not say I know. If this is the case, I would like to know this person. On the other paw, anyone is free to read my blog without telling me or anybody else. If you want to tell me, please do, but feel free not to.

I like all of my readers.

Earthquake

There are reports of an earthquake in the sea outside Fukushima in Japan. This was where the great tsunami hit in 2011. This time, the tsunami warning is for perhaps three metres. We hope it does not even get this high. We hope all dogs and humans make it all right.

Blue Wine

Hello, Orange here!

Most wines are red or white. There are also pink wines, called rose, some white wines called grey, and orange wines. The newest colour to be addes to this palette of wine colours is blue. A newly founded winery in Spain makes a blue wine, with a mix of white and red wines and an addition of natural colouring. It is now sold in many countries. The question is if it is just a hype and will disappear again, or if blue wines are here to stay. It would be interesting to see.

Falling Asleep in the Sofa

Paula came home last night and we watched TV in the living room. It is dangerous doing this with Paula, following her example, you often fall asleep in front of the TV. We did not wake up again to go to bed until well past midnight. By that time, I had not written any blog entry for yesterday. I have only got myself to blame for this. It was, however, sweet to sleep next to Paula.

Late Night

We often stay up later than usually on Friday nights. This is because Daniel and Paula often do not work Saturdays, so they can sleep until later in the morning. I like this, especially at this time of the year, when it is dark outside at the time the alarm clock usually wakes us up. Saturday late mornings are great.

Going into Space from Australia

Auntie Linni's father was from Australia, so she had special feelings for this country. She would have been pleased to hear about this story on a future Australian space programme. It uses a special type of flight engine that works only in highly supersonic velocities. As far as I can tell, it sounds promising.

Fake News

There are a lot of fake news out there on the Internet. Some of it gets shared as if it was true. You always have to read the article, not just the headline, and stay critical of things you read.

I always try to be truthful in everything I write. Be aware, however, that there are those who do not believe a dog can write a blog, or write anything, for that matter. Does this make the contents of my blog posts less believeable? I hope not, because the intention is always to be truthful. You have to decide for yourselves.

Super Moon

There has been a "Super Moon", an astronomical phenomenon most people probably would not notice, if they did not read about it. This is when the Moon come about as close to Earth as possible in its eliptical orbit, at the same time as it is farthest from the Sun, so there is a full moon which looks bigger than average, if you are really looking.

I think it is more exciting with lunar eclipses. Everybody can identify a lunar eclipse.

If you want to see a Lunar Eclips, just look at me, because this is my name in the pedigree.

Rain in the Evening

Rain started to fall this evening. What is left of the snow of last week will soon be gone. It might sound like I am repeating myself, but I hope the melting snow and the rain fid its way down in the ground and up our well. We need a well filled up well. Nature look dirty and sad, but when rain falls, I cannot be all sad. There are advantages to it.

Father's Day

We celebrate Father's Day in Sweden today. I miss my father, with whom I lived for the first years of my life. He was such a nice dog, teaching me a lot. He was also a Norwegian patriot, having a mother from Norway and being born there. Whenever there was cross country skiing on TV, Dad was happy to be Norwegian. If I had had a Norwegian flag and a flag pole, I would raise the Norwegian flag every Father's Day.

Melting Snow

I did forecast this: a lot of the snow has melted today. We had temperatures in the afternoon many degrees above the freezing point. Especially where the sun rays hit the snow directly, since there were no clouds in the sky, the snow melted fast. In a way, this is good. We want water to trickle down into the earth, to fill up the reservoirs and our own well. Let it melt, and let it rain for a while longer. The snow may settle in due time before Christmas Eve anyway.

Hello There

Daniel, Morran, and I walked over to Paula's parents' house tonight. We met up with Paula there, then we had dinner with Paula's mother. It was a very nice Friday night in great company. I liked it a lot. You can stay happy for a long time after a nice night like this. I guess I will, and Morran too.

Tears

At this time of the year, when it is cold and dry outside, we get tears in our eyes more often. Tears are mostly made up of water, but there are some salt and other things in tears as well, to keep the eyes moist enough. These salts and stuff can dry up in the coat below our eyes. Luckily, Daniel helps us to clean our faces from this dirt once in a while, when necessary. It feels better to get rid of it, but it is impossible to reach with your tounge. This is why it is so good to have a helping paw from a human – or should I say helping hand? We have great humans.

Not the End

Donald Trump effectively won the election for President of the USA. Formally, the election was about electing electora, who in turn elects the president. The electors pledged to vote for Donald Trump has a majority among the total number of electors. Thus, the final result is effectively known.

I do not care so much about this election, it is just that all humans seem to care.

If only Donald Trump had hair the red colour of a red Shiba coat, I guess I would find him a bit more interesting.

Some humans are very disappointed by the result. They have to remeber, this is not the end of the world. There have been many far worse people with power in history.

Election Day

It is election day in my Mum's home country, the USA. This election is important for most of the world, because the USA is the world's biggest economy.

The House of Representatives, one third of the Senate, many State offices, and the President, will be elected today. This is interesting. Unfortunately, it has been harsh and dirty campaigns for President and both main candidates are disliked by many people. It will be interesting to see who will be elected President. I do not know if any of the main candidates have dogs, though.

Winter Is Here

Snow fell today and the temperatures are below the freezing point. We have not had a lot of snow, not like in some other parts of the country. There is just about a centimetre on the ground. We wilm have to see whether it will stay or whether it will melt away. I guess it will melt and disappear, we are still in early November. New snow will come later in the season.

Gustavus Adolphus

Hello, Karstuhl here!

It is a national day of commemoration in Sweden today. It is the anniversary of the battle of Lützen in 1632, were Sweden won, but the Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus was killed. Sweden took part in ending the war in 1648 as a great power, most of this thanks to Gustavus Adolphus.

For my part, I do not see so much cause for commemoration. It would be better, if Sweden still held any of the territories on the south shore of the Baltic Sea, that Sweden gained in the peace treaty of Westphalia in 1648.

It would be more than tree hundred years after this battle, that any Shibas came to Sweden.

The Gustavus Adolphus pastries are great, anyway. Those make the day worth a commemoration.

The Ones Who Have Left Us

It is All Saints' Day, a day to commemorate all the loved ones who have lived but left us. Those of us who are left on this world, remember those who have left this world.

I send special thoughts to Mum and Dad, without whom I would not be here, and who shaped me into whom I am.

I also think of Auntie Linni, who never had pups of her own, but who was such a great extra mother of me, my siblings, my own pups, and other pups here at Aangenaam.

My own love was Kuro-chan, or Kenny, father of many of my pups.

The latest who has left us was April, my dear friend, almost of the same age as I was, with whom I shared many moments of life. Her daughter Peanut was dear to me as well, but left us way too early.

There are many more who have left us. Unfortunately, I cannot think of all of them as much as those who have been closest to me. I still miss all of those whom I have loved and lost. Still, it would be worse, never to have known and loved them at all. This is a thought that offers me some comfort, after all.

Frost

We have had snow, bit it melted away. This morning, the temperatures were below the freezing point. Everything was covered in frost. It was quite beautiful, once daylight came. The temperatures stayed below zero. It is said we would have rain tomorrow, but it feels like it might just as well be snow. In that case, I hope there will be a lot of snow, so we can play in it. I might be an old lady these days, but snow brings forth the happy puppy in me. It is fun.

Cubs Win

Chicago Cubs won the World Series in baseball this year, for the first time since 1908. This is an unprecedenced time without this final victory. Finally, what has seemed like a curse is gone. The victory did come.

I have no special relationship to Chicago Cubs or Chicago as a city. The name of the team is great, however: Cubs, as in the pups of a wolf. I like this name a lot.

A Little Snow

There was a little bit of snow on the ground this morning. Rain was falling and the temperatures were above the freezing point. It did not take long before the snow melted and vanished. It was the first snow of the season, but it could have been more. It usually is.

I guess we will have to wait until we get a layer of snow on the ground that stays with is for a while. This snow was not even fun while it lasted. It was not nearly enough to play in.

Darkness

November is often the moth of the year that feels darker than any other. It has been overcast and rain today, so darkness came early in the afternoon. I like it that rain is falling. I also like that the mornings are brighter after leaving the daylight saving time behind. The early darkness in the afternoon is still putting me off a bit. We will have to look forward to December and Christmas lights. There are not many weeks left now.

April Has Left Us

We have received the sad news that our friend April, mother of Javier and other red Shibas, has passed away.

April used to live with us, but moved to Uppland last spring to have a family of her own. She had a nice time there, as far as we can understand. Last week, she did not feel well, however, and at a visit to the veterinarian, she was diagnosed with cancer. It had spread to many parts of her body, so there was no chance of operating it, like it was in my case last winter.

I am sure April has a good afterlife, she was such a gentle and caring friend.

More Daylight

Finally, we have no more daylight saving time. This means we have daylight again on our morning walks. I like this. It is so much easier to get up and go out for a walk, when there is daylight. This comes every year about this time, but is equally welcome every year.

For those of you who want more daylight in the afternoon than in the morning, I suggest you move to Galicia or Iceland.

Cutting Claws

Hello, Orange here!

I had my claws cut today. My three pups also had their claws cut. It was about time for them, they are three weeks old today and their claws had grown accordingly. It will be nicer for them and for me, now that their claws are a little shorter. They are genuine Shibas, however, protesting the invasion of privacy that the cutting of claws are. Daniel did well as cutter of claws of the pups, under my supervision, of course. I do not let any harm come to my pups. I know Daniel is gentle, but my supervision is still needed. It soothes the pups as well. Everything turned out fine, just as expected.

Meat

Hello, Polly here!

Late last night, Daniel came home with a bucket full of moose meat. We had been given this by Paula's father. I was disappointed, however, that Daniel put all the meat in the freezer. There was none of this meat thawed for us to eat today, either.

What is the purpose of getting great meat, if you just tuck it away in the freezer? I would like to eat some of it. This is what I would have done, had I been the one who got the meat. On the other paw, I do not think the others would have been pleased with me, if I would have eaten it all up myself. Perhaps it was just as well that Daniel got the meat. He is fair when sharing things. I think I am fair, when taking things for myself, but I know nobody else think so. It might be better not to make the others upset.

Number One Music Albums

I have never been much into music. I do not know of any dog who is. We can enjoy a good tune, but it is not like we become fans of musicians or buy their records. Still, there is one news story this week that is interesting. Thirtynine years after his death in 1977, rock icon Elvis Presley has gotten a thirteenth album to top the UK chart. By this, he is second only to the Beatles, who has had fifteen. It is amazing that Elvis Presley can still sell so much, so long time after his premature death. I just wonder how many top spots he had had, had he still been alive today.

No Rain

We have had a little rain on and of for many days now, but not today. There was even a little sunshine today. We do not like this, because we need rain. We just have to hope for more rain in the days to come.

Telephone Conference

Daniel was at home the whole evening today. Yet, he managed to devote all evening to a telephone conference. There was no cozy moments in the sofa tonight.

The telephone conference was a board meeting of the Swedish Spitz Breeds' Club, so it was important. We still think it went on for too long. Talking about dogs for many hours can never be more important than spending time with your dogs for a fraction of that time.

I hope we will get more time with Daniel tomorrow night.

Ideas

It happens occasionally, that I believe I have had a great idea for a blog entry, but that I have forgotten about it, once I come around a computer or other device, where I can write in my blog. This is a little annoying. I believe I had such an idea today. Now I cannot remember what the idea was. The question is, really: if it was such a great idea, why can I not remember it? Great ideas should stick firmly on your mind, shouldn't they?

Normally, I get other good ideas for blog entries. This was not the case today. I guess there was some kind of blog entry, anyway. I have written worse before.

The Dogs that Saved a Whole Town

In the winter of 1925, the Alaskan town of Nome was isolated, when a serious case of diphteria broke out. The whole population could have died. Siberian Husky sled dogs managed to get medicines to the town in time, however, saving about 10,000 lives. Please read the story, it is quite fascinating.

Breakfast Away from Home

This Sunday, Daniel left all of us dogs alone in the morning, to have breakfast with Paula's family. They all surely had a great time, breakfast is a great thing.

I wish I could have come. It was said I could not come, because my granddaughter Soya would be there. I do not really understand this reason. I would have told her who was highest in rank, then everything would have been perfectly peaceful and fine.

Later on, we had a nice afternoon and night, so over all, it was a nice Sunday.

A Little Rain

It has been raining most of the day, but not much. We still would like to get a lot more rain, in order to raise the level of water underground and fill up our well. There is usually mich more rain than this on any given autumn.

On the other hand, there have always been years with extreme weather, one way or the other. This year, we have had an extremely dry autumn. It is just the way nature is. You can never expect this weather or that. This also makes life a little more interesting.

Interesting as it may be, enough is enough, and I believe there should be much more rain now.

The US Grand Prix

In my Mom's home country, the United States of America, most focus is on the Presidential election. The election is early in November, the new president will be sworn in next January, and it is still uncertain who is closest to winning the election.

This weekend, the US Grand Prix in Formula 1 will be decided. I like a Grand Prix better than an election. It is entertainment from start to finish. The winner gets on the podium just minutes after the finish, not two months later, like the newly elected US President. Still, I know most Americans are not very interested in Formula 1. I believe they should be. What if the incumbent US President would present the trophy to the Grad Prix winner? This might boost the interest.

Daniel and I will watch the Grand Prix. We are not sure we will stay up during the election night.

A Dog for an Autistic Boy

An autistic boy eho lives with his family in Japan, and who refuses to touch any other human being, has been given a service dog. The boy hugs his dog. He is uninhibited by his autism, when interacting with the dog.

I am not surprised. If there is any animal more social with humans than even other humans are, it is the dog.

This only goes to prove, once again, how important dogs can be for humans, and what a vital part of civilisation dogs are.

Not Coming Back

Hello, Orange here!

Today, another one of Karen's pups left us, going to her new home. She will certainly also have a good new home.

Paula did not come back home either today. This was for different reasons. She got a new medicine last week, but it turns out she could not stomach it – quite litteraly. Her stomach went bad, when she used the medicine. This is no good, but she is in good hands at the hospital. We hope she gets well soon, and if she stays at the hospital, chances are greater she will.

The reasons for not coming home to us are different, but this is life. There are so many different things happening in life. This makes life more exciting, and I like that.

A New Home for a Pup

Hello, Orange here!

My sister Karen got a litter of three pups about seven weeks before my latest litter was born. Her litter turned eight weeks old today. They went to the veterinarian for a check up, and everything was fine, which is no surprise. Then the male pup of her litter was picked up by his new family. They also said hello to me. It seemed like a nice couple, I am sure Karen's son will have a nice home with them. Meanwhile, I attend to my own pups. They are slightly more precious to me, but this is as it should be, isn't it? I hope for the best for all pups, but most of all for mine. It is so easy to love them, so I am sure they will have great lives. Karen's pups will too, I believe.

A Little Rain

We have received a little rain today. This is the first time in many days that we have had any precipitation whatsoever. The land is very dry. We have had problems with the water level in the well.

I hope we will get more rain in the days before. We all need it, dogs, humans, trees, grass, deer, etc. There is usually a lot of rain in the autumn, it just has not been much this year. I hope it will come soon, a lot of it. Time will tell.

Visitors

Hello, Orange here!

A week ago today, I gave birth to three wonderful red pups. There are two boys and one girl. I just love taking care of them.

Today, the pups had the first visit of humans, a young couple who will most certainly take care of one of the boys, when he is old enough. They stayed for just a little while, which is good when the pups are so small, but they seem like very nice people. I believe my son will get a good life in their care.

Billions

We have started to watch a new Tv show: Billions. It is American, like most great Tv shows. This one is much better than average. I can highly recommend it. You just have to find it on HBO or a channel near you.

This show was the reason I did not write any blog entry yesterday. We just watched two episodes in a row, and then it was pasta midnight. This is how good the show is.

Working from Home

Daniel did not go to work today, he sat at home working instead. It is nice when he does this, I wish he could do it more often.

One reason for Daniel to stay at home, was to be home when we would get some help. The help never showed up, however. Daniel will call to orrow morning. If we are lucky, he can be at home tomorrow, too.

Cold

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Daniel has got a cold. He is sneezing and coughing. It is a little annoying, even though I want to feel sorry for him. It is mixed feelings. I hope he gets well soon, for his sake, but selfishly also for my own sake. On the other hand, if you wish someone well for his sake, there is nothing wrong in wishing the same for your own sake as well, is there? It is not that you have less compassion, just because you are also concerned about not being annoyed yourself. When I do not feel annoyed, I am friendlier to everyone, which is beneficial to all.

Qualifiers

The qualifying games for the 2018 FIFA football World Cup has started. It feels like it is too early, yet, it is hard not to be interested.

I wish Sweden, the USA, and Japan will qualify.

A Car Running on Salt Water

It is amazing, a concept car which runs on salt water. It is not really seawater, but still just water with salt in it. One part of the water has a positive charge, the other a negative charge. The difference makes the car run. The exhaust is just water vapor. It is fuelled with water from two hoses, as quickly as a petrol car. While it seems too good to be true, it might be true. The patent is pending, later on, cars can be built with this propulsion system. I hope it will work.

Early Sunday Morning

We got up rather early this morning, for a Sunday. It was not as early as the average weekday, but early, nevertheless. The Japanese Grand Prix started at 7 a.m. Swedish time. It was nice to be able to watch it. Formula 1 is a big sport in Japan. It is exciting, so I understand the huge interest.

In the end, Nico Rosberg, Germany, won in his Mercedes, before Max Verstappen, the Netherlands, in his Red Bull, and Lewis Hamilton, the UK, in the other Mercedes. Rosberg is, thus, in a bigger lead in the championship. It is still undecided and exciting, though.

Home Grand Prix

Tomorrow morning, Swedish time, we will watch the Japanese Grand Prix in Formula 1 on TV. In a way, this is a home Grand Prix for all of us Shibas. Our breed is Japanese, so Japan is a kind of home country for all of us, even those of us who have never set our paw there. We enjoy watching the live TV coverage of this Grand Prix in Japan.

A Wasp

Hello, Karstuhl here!

A wasp came flying in the kitchen this morning. It stung Daniel, then Daniel hit and killed it. It is as if the wasp wanted to make a statement against my blog entry yesterday. Fortunately, no pups or other dogs were hurt. Daniel is already over it. Bugs and wasps may be annoying, but a single wasp is no match to Daniel. I like this.

Bugs

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We have autumn weather, at last. September was warm, but October is a proper autumn month, when it comes to weather and temperatures.

A great thing about autumn is that the annoying little crawling and flying creatures, the bugs, will go away. They are the worst thing about summer. However, we still have some bugs around. I guess this is because of the warm September. Still, they are buggibg me. I do not like this. I wish they would all soon be gone. Lofe is easier then.

New Negotiations

By a narrow margin, the people of Colombia voted "no" to the peace deal with the guerilla Farc. The President of Colombia has already taken steps to renegotiate some of the more controversial provisions of the peace deal.

It is believed that many voted against the deal, because it was too lenient against the guerilla and its members. After all, a guerilla is often not much more than an armed band of criminals, and many Colombians have probably seen Farc as such.

I hope it will be possible to go back to the negotiating table, striking a new deal. Colombia needs peace.

Paula Is Feeling Bad Again

Paula had to get hospital care again yesterday night, due to the injury in her right leg. We were worried. We have heard from her again today and she may come home tomorrow. She has been given treatment, which is good. We hope to see her, well and happy, tomorrow.

An Important Referendum

This year, the people of ghe UK voted to exit the EU. There is another referendum now, in Colombia, which may be more important. It is a referendum on "yes" or "no" to a peace agreement between the government and the Farc guerilla. It may bring an end to a long war, which may be more important than whether or not you live in a country which is a member of the EU or not.

The civil war in Colombia has been fought since the 1960's. Farc is communistic, but has become less ideologic. It has funded a lot of its war by involvement in the drug trade and kidnappings for ransoms, laundering the money through cattle ranches, shops, and construction companies owned by Farc. The war has caused a lot of deaths and sufferings to the people of Colombia; causing deaths and sufferings are indeed no strange things to communists.

I hope the outcome of the referendum will be "yes". Colombia and its people deserves peace. Perhaps it would have been better to utterly destroy Farc, but the peace has come about mainly because of government progress in the war. A continued war would have caused more deaths and sufferings and an utter destruction of Farc may still have been far away. This is a chance for peace and the people will hopefully take it.

Noise

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I am annoyed by the noise of Karen and her pups at night. They are disturbing my sleep, and the sleep of others here at home. None of my pups have ever disturbed anyone, nor have I. Life would be better with an undisturbed sleep at night.

Young Winner of Bond Bonus

A little child in New Zealand has won NZ$ 1 million on a bond bonus scheme. The child is too young to realise what this means yet, but will surely be happy about it when it gets older. The child's parents were very happy, of course.

I would also want a pup, or grand pup, to win a lot of money. It would make me happy.

Trouble with the Washing Machine

Hello, Karstuhl here!

The washing machine did not work properly this evening. It showed a n error code on the display that meant it did not have proper access to water. Daniel read the manual, turned the water off alltogether, unscrewed ghe hose, and removed the filter. Then he cleaned the filter for the incoming water. He then put the filter back into the machine, and the hose back on it, and turned the machine on again. A little later, the same error code was displayed again. This time, the reason was that Daniel had forgotten to turn the water on again. He is good at many things, Daniel, but he could be better at repairing things at home. He did realise he had left the water off, but why forget to turn it on again in the first place? Well, nobody is perfect.

Happy Meal

We celebrated my eleventh birthday today. I got a Happy Meal from McDonald's, which was just as tasty as ever.

My birthday was actually two weeks ago, but since Paula was at the hospital that week, I decided to postpone my celebration. Today was a good day to celebrate. It was the same day of the week and everyone was at home. Life is good.

Bigly

"Bigly" is actually a word in English. Some people watching the US presidential debate yesterday night thought they heard Donald Trump using this word. Apparently, he did not, he said "big league". It is still interesting to learn that "bigly" is a word. You can never know too much about an interesting language like English.

Clean Sheets

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We have got clean sherts in our bed tonight. This always feel a little luxurious. It is really nothing special, but it still feels nice. It is like starting on a clean sheet, litteraly.

Training Aid

A scientific study has found that there is no evidence that fitness trackers, like devices counting the steps you take, improves your fitness. Among five hundred overweight humans, half of whom got training aids like this, the other half lost more weight.

I have a better idea, for any human who wants a training aid: get yourself a dog. If you have a dog, you have to walk the dog on a regular basis. If you need a lot of training, just get a dog who needs a lot of excercise. With a dog, you cannot just skip a day or two of training. No matter what weather there is, your dog will take you for a walk. This must be better than devices counting your steps.

Cleaning

We spent a great deal of the day cleaning the house. It always gets dirty, especially on the floors. Daniel did the most, but we helped him. Meanwhile, Paula was at work, earning her salary. I think it was a rather productive day. It might be hard work when you do it, but you are satisfied when it is done. A clean house is nice to live in.

Iceland or Iceland?

When I hear of Iceland, I think of the island country in the North Atlantic. Brits may think of a food retain chain instead. The country Iceland is now considering a law suit against the food chain Iceland, to prevent the food chain from trying to stop companies from the country Iceland from using the name Iceland.

I believe the country should win such a law suit. If I were to become Icelandic Show Champion, I would like this to be a title from the national kennel club of Iceland, the country, not some kind of title from a food chain.

The country has held the name since it became independent from Denmark in 1918, its island has held the name for centuries before that. The food chain started its business in the 1970's. For me, it is self evident the country, its citizens and corporations, has better right to the name than the food chain.

Idol?

The Swedish version of the singer talent show Idol is on every day this week. Before the episode today, the show was described as a show featuring idols. I thought the show was about plenty of young humans wanting to become idols, not that they are all idolsearly in the competition. It sounded strange to me. It is as if every dog at a dog show would be called champion.

A Country with Only 28 Web Pages

North Korea is generally viewed as one of the harshest dictatorships of the world. It is very closed to the rest of the world. Proof has now been found that there are only twentyeight web pages under the North Korean top domain .kp. This only goes to prove what an isolated and backward country North Korea is.

This is not a country I would want to live in. I hope there are not many dogs who have to live there. There are probably no Shibas in the country, which is a soothing thought.

I hope the North Koreans will soon see an end to the dictatorship.

Celebration

We celebrated my birthday today, now that Paula is at hone again. We had really good food and a nice evening together. I liked it a lot. Life feels better, when the whole family is gathered at home.

Veto Against Brexit Deal?

The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union, and will need a deal to exit the EU, a so called Brexit Deal. This may take time.

Other EU countries cannot stop the UK from leaving. They can, however, say no to the Brexit Deal, if they think the deal is not good enough. Some countries in Central Europe consider voting against the deal, if it does not protect the right of the citizens of these countries to keep working and living in the UK. Any such veto will postpone the exit, because a new deal has to be negitiated. How long this process may continue is unclear.

I wonder what will happen, if the UK has not really left the EU many years from now. How much consideration must be taken to the result of this year's referendum many years from now? Only tine will tell.

Paula Is Home Again!

Paula came home from the hospital this afternoon. We rejoice!

Paula is not quite well yet, but they have found out what os wrong, and she has had medicines prescribed for her. Among us dogs, we have a friendly competition about who will comfort her the most. We have missed Paula so much. The family is complete again.

Hoping For the USA v. Team Europe

The IIHF World Cup in iche hockey starts today. Team USA plays team Europe in the first game.

I am European, but I do not root for Team Europe, but for Team USA. Team Europe is a special team,  having players from all of the European ice hockey countries that do not have their own national team in the World Cup. Sweden, being an ice hockey great power, has her own team. So do Czechia, Finland, and Russia.

I can root for the USA, since I am half American thanks to Mum. Team Europe does have a few players from Dad's home country Norway, but also players from Denmark, Slovakia and other countries. I would not be sad od Team Europe would win, considering its Norwegian players, but I prefer Team USA in this context.

It will be an interesting tournament.

Friday Night

We are having a cool Friday night.

Not Celebrating My Birthday

This is my birthday. I turn eleven years old today. This is cause for a celebration, but I will not celebrate. I have informed Daniel and the other dogs, that I postpone the party until Paula comes home from the hospital. It would not feel right to throw a party without Paula.

Daniel gave us some mackerel with our food, because of my birthday. I did not turn this down. The grand celebration will come later, however.

Missing Paula

We all miss Paula. She is in good hands at the hospital, but we would rather have her healthy at home.

Daniel has visited Paula. He says she is in a good mood, considering the circumstances.

For some odd reason, none of us dogs could come along to the hospital. They want it clean and tidy, and may believe all dogs shed coats constantly. They may also believe this is necessary for the sake of humans who are allergic go dogs. Oh well, Daniel sent our love, and came back with Paula's love. In due time, we will see her again. It will not feel like a long time has passed, when we do.

Tidal Forces and Earthquakes

The Moon affects Earth in some ways. During nights with fair weather, the Moon can make the night bright. When the tide is high or low, it is because of the Moon.

A new Japanese scientific study shows that there is also a correlation between high tidal force stress and high magnitude earthquakes. People have suspected this, but the new study is the first that really shows the correlation.

This study might help predict large earthquakes. This is good. It is especially helpful in countries often hit by earthquakes, such as Japan. I like useful science like this.

What About Paula?

Paula did not come home tonight. She was not supposed to, since the plan was that she would work night. She is at the hospital now, but not working, but as a patient. The leg that took the impact from the car that hit her last November hurt extremely much. They do not yet know the cause, but we believe they will solve it. The medical science is good.

A Day of Remembrance

Fifteen years ago, today, terrorists attacked the USA. They hi-jacked aircraft and let them fly into the World Trade Center in New York City, as well as Pentagon in Washington.

Five years ago, Mum made her first and only entry into my blog. She wrote about her own experiences of the 11th of September 2001. She experienced it first paw in the USA, were she were born and lived at the time. Mum is no longer with us, but her blog entry remain.

For me, this is a day of remembrance. I do not remember the terrorist attacks myself, but I have heard much about them. It is also a day for me to remeber my Mum, who did remeber this attack on her home country. Rest in peace, victims of the terrorists! Rest in peace, Mum!

Music

Paula played a lot of music fhis evening. I guess she loves all of the songs she played. I do not. I believe any of the songs are good, but some are bad and none are great. Am I biased. I think not, what would be my bias? This is just the way I think about some songs.

Race Day

There is a race car event in our home town today and tomorrow. It is called Örebro Race Day. I do not understand why it is called "day", when it is two days.

Daniel will visit the Örebro Race Day tomorrow. I stay at home myself. I think it is not much to see, when it is not the real thing. You can see formula 1 cars, but it is no formula 1 Grand Prix race. If we would get a Grand Prix to Örebro, it would be another matter. Then I would like to go there and watch it on site.

OK, it would not be boring to see the Örebro Race Day, but not great either. This is my mind.