Upcoming Anniversary

It is just a few days away, the fifty years’ anniversary of the first Moon landing. On the 20 July 1969, humans set foot on the Moon for the very first time.

There are plenty of things to say about this. I suggest you read this article, it is a good start.

No Dog Show

Hello, Li`l Gertrud here!

I was supposed to go to dog shows today, tomorrow, and on Sunday. Unfortunately, we had to cancel my attendance. As long as Paula is not well, but stays at the hospital, we do not want to venture too far away from home. Even though I was eager to compete at the dog shows, it is more important to stay close to Paula. I believe I can do well on dog shows in the future instead.

Vacation

Daniel has taken the day off from work. This means he is at home more. I like this. Daniel and I spent   a lot of the afternoon just relaxing on the bed. This is something I can often do, but he cannot. I guess I could give him i spiration on how to relax.

Stolen Dog

English football player Daniel Sturridge, who lives in Hollywood, California, has had his house broken into and his dog stolen. He offers a huge reward for the return of his dog.

I cannot understand why someone would steal a dog. It is mean to both the dog and the dog’s human. You can never get the same connection to a stolen dog, as you get if you buy a pup.

Hopefully, the dog will returnhome soon and the burglars will go to prison.

Just Another Day

There are days when I feellike there is nothing special going on. Nothing special happens in our own lives, no special news are published in mass media. This is one of those days. Daniel says there are often a smaller number of interesting items in the news in the middle of the summer. I tend to agree. The summer itself is also not special this year. It is not hot, nor cold. It is not dry, nor very humid or rainy. I think I must ask you to visit my blog tomorrow instead, I think there will be something more interesting to read about then.

Dogs of Chernobyl

There are occasions when I do not want to watch certain videos. This is one such video. It is about dogs who are decendants of those pet dogs whom humans had to leave behind, when they were evacuated from the nuclear power station disaster in 1986. These dogs have lived in the area contaminated by nuclear waste from the disaster. They are now taken care of by veterinarians.

The Chernobyl disaster was created by experiments in an unsafe Soviet Union nuclear power station. This would never have happened in most other countries with nuclear power stations, such as Sweden. The communist regime did not care enough about safety. The fate of the dogs left behind, show us how long the horrible consequences of communism last, even though the regime fell in 1991.

Gold

The USA won the FIFA Ladies’ football World Cup. It was an exciting final game versus the Netherlands. While the Netherlands’ players did play well, it was fair that the Americans won. The US team played better over all. I am not just saying this, because I rooted for the USA, as the home country of Mum. I am saying this because I really think this was the case. The USA won 2-0, which is a convincing result in football. I congratulate the American players and all of the fans of this team to a great performance throughout the tournament. It was not self evident that the USA would win, even though they were favourites. They lived up to the expectations, which is good, not every favourite has done so before.

Bronze

Sweden won its final game in the World Cup, the bronze game. The Swedes beat England, 2-1.

I am very happy about this result. Those who are remembered are the medalists.

Of course, I would rather have seen Sweden in the true final tomorrow, but you cannot have it all. Now I can root for Mum’s home country, the USA, wholeheartedly. Calvin, who was born in the USA, just like Mum, will join me in rooting for the American team.

Heavy Rains in Japan

There have been heavy rains in Japan. Landslides have occurred, among other bad causes of the pouring water.

There were heavy rains last season in Japan as well. The difference, from my pointof view, was that we had a terrible draught here in Scandinavia in the same summer. This year has had more average amounts of rain here, where we live. I wish more rain could fall in the deserts of Central Asia, instead.

Can More Trees Be the Answer?

A new scientific report says that planting a lot of trees may come a long way at reducing the excess amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere put there by humans burning fossil fuels.

Other scientists say this sounds too good to be true, ”probably because it is”, and say cutting emissions is paramount.

I believe you can do both. There cannot be any harm in planting more trees, can there?

Extra Time

The semifinal between Sweden and the Netherlands will have to be decided in extra time or by penalties. The result is 0-0 after full time. Both teams have been close to score, but have failed to do so.

It was an exciting game. Unfortunately, the Netherlands managed to score in extra time, which Sweden did not. Now we have to hope for a Swedish bronze medal on Saturday.

Mum Would Have Been Pleased

The USA won the semi final versus England in the World Cup. Mum would have been pleased, an American patriot as she were, since she was born and raised there. As I am half American myself, through Mum, I also rooted for the USA.

Daniel said he rooted for England. He usually roots for European teams, when they face non-European teams. I am glad the team I rooted for won, nevertheless.

There Could Have Been Rain

The forecast said it could be rain today. There was no rain, however.

With the draught last year, we need much more rain, even though we have had a fair share of rain in May and June. We will have to see if July will be as rainy. I hope there will be a lot of rain during the nights, while the Sun may shine in the days.

In Heat

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I believe I am getting old. I am in heat, it has just started. For the first time since I was very young, Paula and Daniel do not even discuss another litter of pups from me.

This may be good and bad. I have never been so keenon making pups, but I love taking care of them when they are newly born. My daughter Gertrud, who lives with us, can be a brat. She has got strong opinions, which fits a Shiba, but she will not always take no for an answer when I or her Grand Mother tells her off. Gertrud is mostly a great companion, but when she turns her stubborn personality on, I would rather have seen her moved to another family as a pup. Since I will get no more pups, there will be no other brat like Gertrud. One is quite enough, even though I love her.

Sweden Edges Forward

Sweden won the quarter final against Germany, 2-1. The Swedish team will now face the Netherlands in the semi final on Wednesday. There will also be yet another game next weekend, either the final or the bronze game.

I am happy for the result. Most informed people thought Germany would win. You can never be sure, however, and this is one of the great things about sports. It is exciting, and you know there is not always a happy end. For all of us who rooted for Sweden, there was a happy end tonight. We are already looking forward to the next game.

The USA Won

The USA won the quarter final against France, 2-1, tonight.

Norway lost to England, 0-3, yesterday night.

Mum would have been pleased. Dad would have been disappointed. I guess I have mixed feelings.

Bills to Pay

This isnot the first time I comment about the human habit of paying bills once a month. It will probably not be the last, either.

Daniel sat for a couple of hours this evening, going through paperwork and typing at the computer. It all has to do with money being paid for this and that.

This is one time, out of many, I am glad I am a dog. Humans have invented so many good things. One would wish they would also invent things you would not have to pay so much for. Perhaps they are not intelligent enough to do this, with all the intelligence they have.

Nevertheless, Daniel was satisfied, once he was done with the bills. He said there are easier ways to pay bills, like automatic payments. He does not like these, however, he want the controlover his money that he has when he pays the bills himself. Perhaps it is intelligent to spend some hours with the bills?

Japanese Box Office Hit in China

In 2001, the Japanese animated film Spirited Away was launched. It is a great film. Only now, 18 years later, it has been released in China. It has been known by Chinese people for a long time, some have seen it. It has now dominated the boxoffice in the first few days after release.

Part of the reason forthe late release in China, is the strict Chinese quota on foreign films. I am glad for the Chinese who can now see this Japanese film in China.

Japan Failed

So, late in the evening, the Netherlands defeated Japan in the final sixteen. Thus, I have no self evident favourite in the final quarter final between the Netherlands and Italy. I am greatly disappointed.

It was unfair that the Netherlands got a penalty shot by the end of the game. They got it after VAR examination. I believe thisis taking VAR too far. If it would be just about checking whether there is a goal or not, when in doubt, it would be better. You should not be able to demand VAR for next to anything.

Sweden Rolls On

Sweden continues to the quarter finals in the FIFA football World Cup. The Swedes beat Canada, 1-0.

The day before yesterday, Norway also continued to the quarter finals. Earlier tonight, the USA did, too. This means that Dad’s team, Mum’s team, and my team are all in the final eight. Now we just have to root for Japan to do the same tomorrow night.

Interestingly, if Japan does make it to the quarter finals, I can root for all of these four teams i. the next round, because none of them face each other. Norway face England, the USA face France, and Sweden face Germany. If Japan goes on, it will face the winner of Italy and China.

I hope for the best. There have been good results, so far.

Growth

Daniel mowed the lawn last Sunday. Today, he mowed it again.

We have a summer with warm temperatures, but not as hot as last year. We also have a fair amount of rain, which we certainly did not have last year. This causes a lot of growth all around our house. A well mowed lawn is necessary to keep as many ticks away as possible. It also looks better, when the lawn is mowed.

Trees and bushes also grow much more than last year. There may be cause to cut some of them. We want a nice looking garden.

Midsummer

It is Midsummer Day. Midsummer is one of the more traditional Swedish holidays, celebrated for centuries. Most of the celebrations happen on the day before, on Midsummer Eve. This is not unusual in Sweden, we do the same at Christmas, New Year, Easter, and Valborg as well. We celebrated yesterday and have had a calm and nice day off today. We were all satisfied with it.

Hydrogen Trains

In Germany, hydrogen driven trains have been operating since last year. This was the first in the world. This year, the first hydrogen driven train will be tested in the UK.

Will hydrogen trains be the trains of the future? They are much more environmentally friendly than trains run on diesel. They may not be more environmentally friendly than trains running on electricity, but you do not have to have electric power lines along the rails, which makes these trains less vulnerable for accidents. Electric trains in Sweden are often late or cancelled, because the electric power lines are damaged one way or the other.

It will be interesting to follow the further development of hydrogen trains.

Mum’s Team Won

The USA won against Sweden tonight, 2-0, in the FIFA football World Cup. Mum would have liked this, as she was from the USA. Calvin likes it too, as he is from the USA. I do not mind, either, being half American.

The USA won the group, Sweden came second. This means Sweden will face a group winner, while the USA will face a group second, in the final sixteen games. The USA will certainly have an easier game. If the Swedes want to win, however, they must beat any team in the final sixteen, so it does not matter that much.

I hope for Sweden, the USA, Norway, and Japan.

Half of the Groups

Half of the groups in the FIFA football World Cup are finished. Countries like Norway are ready for the final sixteen. This would have pleased Dad, who was born in Norway and always held his Norwegian roots high.

Japan is playing tonight. It seems like Japan will also be among the final sixteen, even though England leads the game. Japan have a sufficient amount of points anyway, as Scotland leads against Argentina. We will see what happens.

Summer and the Flying Things

It is summer. It is warm, sunny, bright nights, and mostly lovely. The bad thing is that there are many flying insects around. I would gladly do without them, they are just so annoying. If they could just stay out of a sphere close by, I would be quite satisfied.

I guess there is always something to complain about every season of the year. we have to think more about the good things. I try to, myself.

Final Sixteen

Sweden wonits second game in the FIFA World Cup and is guaranteed a place in the final sixteen. Thailand was not a hard opponent.

The next game will be against the USA. Both countries have won both of its games, the USA has scored many more goals. Sweden will only win the group, if Sweden wins this game. Mum would have rooted for the USA, as an American, so I will not be terribly sorry if the USA wins or there is a tie, so the USA will win the group.

It is exciting.

White Nights

They call it white nights in English, when we are in the middle of the summer and it never turns quite dark. It is like this now. For my part, I think nights are more white in the middle of winter, when there is snow on the ground, roofs, and trees. Io not decide what is correct English, however. Even though it was my mother’s native language, as an American dog, it is not mine. Human languages are interesting, regardless of what language it is, since they are so complex. They have many expressions like ”white nights”, which are not litteraly true, but still conveys a great meaning because they are short and widely known. I wish I knew more about human languages.

Vaccinations Regardless of Religion

In the US State of New York, the lawmakers have made it unlawful to cite religious reasons for not giving vaccines to your children. New Yorkis the fifth State to do this, while more States are in the process of doing the same.

This is a good law, I believe. You do not only cause unnecessary risks for your own children by not vaccinating them, but also for other children who have not yet had the vaccination shot.

I believe there is much truth in what one law maker said: ”I’m not aware of anything in the Torah, the Bible, the Koran or anything else that suggests you should not get vaccinated.”

I hope nobody refuses to vaccinate their dogs or pups for religious reasons. If anybody does, perhaps this new law should apply to dogs too.

Dropped Key

Daniel was devastated tonight. He realised he had dropped the car key, he could not find it. After a while, he went outside to look for it. We had to wait, but he came back happy. He had had the car key in the same pocket as the house key, and when he pulled out the house key, the car key had tagged along. It lay on the ground, a little wet from the rain earlier today, but the electronics was fully functional.

Daniel said the car key was about the worst thing to drop. Only the wallet and the house key could be worse, he said.

I am glad I let Daniel and Paula take care of such things as keys, then I never have to worry about dropping them.

Rain

It is raining tonight. It is so much rain, that we can clearly hear it when we are indoors.

It said in the forecast that there could be rain. We have not had much until tonight, though. There has been quite some rain in May and so far in June. This is great for the levels of water in the ground. I do not think there will be a heavy draught this year, as we had last year. It might be a typical, rainy Swedish summer. These summers have their charm.

Sweden Won

Sweden won its first game of the World Cup, against Chile. Sweden was ranked higher and was a favourite, but it was not until the end of the game that the Swedish team scored for the first time. Then the Swedes scored again in overtime.

The end result was 2-0, which is a result that takes Sweden on the first steps towards the knock out phase. We know if Sweden plays excellent, if Sweden goes on to this phase.

World Cup

The FIFA football World Cup has started. There was a World Cup last year, and there is another this year. The difference is that last year, the men competed, this year, the women compete.

Some say men’s footballhas higher quality. This might be the case, since there are more male than female players. I do not care about this. A World Cup is a World Cup.

Unfortunately, Japan just played a tied game with Argentina. Sweden will play its first game tomorrow, I hope the Swedes will win.

Bad Air

After a long night, we mayhave stale, bad air inour bed room. This is nothing compared to the air in some places in South Korea, that is so heavily polluted that both humans and dogs wear masks to protect them when breathing outdoors.

This is insane. Air should not be allowed to be so polluted. Not anywhere. Not in peace time, anyhow (if you need it in defence in war time, it may be different). Things must be done to come to terms with this problem. Sometimes, I wish I could do more.

Paula Is Back Home!

Paula has had a high fever due to septic chock. She has been to the hospital for ten days. She came back home again today. Needless to say, we are all very happy.

It is not that Paula is fully back to normal again. She is still tired and needs medication. Still, I believe she can become better much quicker, when she is at home and we can help her.

Welcome home, Paula!

Thunder

We had a heavy rainfall with thunder this afternoon. At night, we could see there had been more than 13 millimetres of rain in the short time that we had rain.

There was thunder, but it was probably far away. We did not see any lightning. The thunder came back on and off for a while, though. I guess the warm weather yesterday and this morning was a cause of the thunder. It is not so hot outside anymore. I like the weather better this way.

Sweden

It is the national holiday of Sweden. It is to commemorate when King Gustavus I came to Stockholm, having liberated Sweden from a Danish controlled union; and the Constitutionof 1809, which is no longer in force; and the flag of Sweden, which was officially hoistedin its present form for the first time in 1906.

I am proud to be Swedish. It is a beautiful country full of nice dogs and humans, and we have good laws and traditions to take good care of dogs.

Hurrah for Sweden!

Denmark

It is the Constitution Day of Denmark, their national holiday. I have been to Denmark, it is a nice little country. I wish all Danish dogs and humans a happy Constitution Day!

Noise

Noise does not have to have a high volume. Noise is the sound that annoys you. We have a fly in our house, or whatever flying insect it might be. It makes a noise when it flies. This is really annoying. I wish I could catch that insect and make it stop doing this noise. it does not just annoy me, it annoys all of us. Putting an end to the noise would be a blessing. Ijust do not know how to come around to it. Meanwhile, I am glad that the insect is not flying constantly, but just occasionally. You have to be happy about the small. lessings as well.

Police Dog on Duty

A police dog in the north of Sweden was left at home. His handler had forgotten to bring him to work.  This did not stop the dog. He ran to the police station by himself. When his handler opened the boot of the car and realised he had forgotten the dog, he received a phone call and was told his dog was waiting outside the police station.

This is what I call sense of duty. Dogs do this.

Rain

We have had a lotof rain lately. It is good for everything that grows in our garden, even though Danielhave to struggle with mowing the lawn. It is also good for the amount of water in our well. It is not easy having a private well, when there is such a draught as last summer. I believe it will be better this summer. It would not be probable that it would be as drythis summer as the last one. We will have to see, though. Nobody can predict the weather for the whole summer.

Second Place

The running contest Stockholm Marathon was held today. A Japanese runner came in second in the ladies’ class. There are representatives of Japan all over the world, in every kind of competition. As a Shiba I have held the Japanese colours high in the dog show rings. I am proud to be a Swede of Japanese origin.

Tick

Hello, Karstuhl here!

This evening, Daniel picked a tick from me. At first, I got a little angry, because it hurt a little. Then I got happy. It is always good to get rid of ticks. It hurts having them, more than getting rid of them, because having them hurts constantly. If there is any animal I would like to have extinct, it is the tick. Ticks are just useless and hurts.

Feast of the Ascension

Today is a holiday, the feast of the Ascension. It is the celebration of when the resurected Christ litteraly ascended up into Heaven.

Daniel has been at home with us most of the day and we have had a nice and calm day. I like days like this, when you can just take it easy and do a little what you feel like.

Lunch

Daniel came home on his lunch break today. He gave us lunch.

I think giving your dogs lunch on your lunch break, is the best use you can have of the lunch break.

We did not get anything out of the ordinary, it was just our traditional dog food. Still, we usually get our main meal in the afternoon, not at noon, as we did today. This made the lunch hour special, thus, the food felt a little special.

Apparently, some dogs get food at the same time every day. This must be boring.

New Food

Daniel ordered new dog food last week. It was delivered to us today. It is the same food as usual, but I really like it. It is, thus, worth writing about. It contains herring, which is tasty and healthy.

Business Trip

Daniel went on a business trip to Stockholm today. He combined it with a visit to his father, who lives there.

Almost all of Daniel’s business trips go to Stockholm. My business trips have taken me many places in Sweden and abroad, it has been dog show trips. When Daniel comes home from business trips, he is tired. When I came home from mine, I was happy. Dog shows are so exciting events, boosting me with energy. I guess Daniel’s business trips are not quite as exciting, though he does not complain.

It is better when Daniel works in his ordinary office. He is closer to home. A business trip now and then is no danger, however.

Mother’s Day

Today was Mother’s Day in Sweden. I got to come withPaula and Daniel for a small celebration at Paula’s parents’ place. This suited me, as a mother of many dogs.

Polly, my dear daughter, celebrated me as well, at home. I liked this. She is very dear to me.

Vera

We had visitors here today. Vera, who is the oldest daughter of Orange, and two of her humans were here. It was a long time since the last time I saw Vera, but she was nice and friendly.

The humans sat down and talked for a long time. I am not sure what they were talking about, dialogues like this usually bores me, so I did not listen. I guess they had a nice time, sitting there for so long, though.

Vera also got to see her father Javier. They did not have much tosay to each other, however. Javier is a dog of few words.

Day Off?

Daniel had the day off and stayed home from work. I am not so sure what he means with a day off, however, since he was busy doing this and that almost without any break. He sorted and organised papers, finished some unfinished business with the kennel, cleaned, gave us food, washed clothes et cetera. Meanwhile, I could take it fairly easy. Sometimes, I am glad I am not a human, it seems like they are always busy doing things.

Birthday

It is the birthday of Daniel today. We celebrated it in part at our house, then Paula and Daniel also visited Paula’s parents and had more celebrations there.

Daniel told us he had a nice birthday, but he added that any day with us dogs is a day more happy than a birthday without dogs. I liked that he said so.

Birthday Presents

A dear friend of Paula and Daniel has a horse who turned ten years old. We collected funds and gave the horse some carrots and apples for his birthday.

Horses are nice animals. They have contributed greatly to the human-dog civilisation. I would even go so far as to say that horses are the second most important animals to humans, after dogs.

Daniel told me that his and Paula’s friend was very happy about the present. I hope the horse is, as well. I believe he is.

Mosquitos and Ticks

The worst things about summer are here. Mosquitos are flying around. Ticks are stalking us in the grass. I wish those would be endangered species. Is anybody of a different opinion?

Allram

A pup came back to us today. It is Allram, who left us earlier this spring, but whose human has turned ill. Unfortunately for Allram, it seems like his human has a bad prognosis. Allram is welcome back here, though.

Allram was happy to be back here. We are happy to see him, too, but I had to put him in place. He was polite enough and recognised my authority right away. He is a nice lad.

Loading

All of the mobile units these days need electricity for their batteries. The downside is mainly that chargers may get broken without any recognisable cause. Daniel is really mad about chargers which have just spontaneously become broken. I do not say it is so bad. I have no problem writing my blog entries, anyway.

The Lawn

Daniel mowed the lawn today. It was the first time this season, which was rather late. I guess Daniel has just himself to blame for being late. It looks good now, though.

Norway

It is the national holiday of Norway, Dad’s home country. Dad always celebrated the 17 May. I do too, but not really to the extent that Dad did.

Norway also celebrated by winning against Austria in the ongoing ice hockey World Championship today. This was a good way of celebrating. It was also important for Norway’s chances in the tournament.

Late Train

Daniel was in Stockholm today for his work. He went by train. The train home was cancelled, so he had to take a later train.

Late or cancelled trains are annoying things that happen in life. We can lose some time because of them. They are, however, not really bad. Daniel is not wounded or sick, he is just late. We miss him for a bitlonger, but he comes home. When people complain about late trains, they better think that there are a lot of worse accidents that canhappen to them.

Garbage

Once every fortnight, the garbage lorry comes by and empty our trash cans. This is a good community service.

We have two trash cans. One is for food waste, such as peels from fruit and potatoes. The other is for other garbage. We seldom have much food waste. I guess this is a good thing, it means we consume almost every piece of food we buy. There is, of course, nobody in this house who do not regularly finish her or his meals.

Daniel took the trash cans out tonight, because they will be emptied tomorrow. We do not like to have them standing by the road at other times, it does not look good. Putting them out for the garbage lorry is quite enough. I am grateful I do not have to put them out, though, because the trash can withother kinds of garbage can be heavy sometimes.

Repairing the Roof

We have builders here, who repair parts of the roof on our house. It seemslike they are doing a great job. We have kept an eye upon them, but they are just working outdoors, so everything is fine.

I would like to have a house that stood forever, until you actively tore it down. Nothing lasts forever, though. If you want to keep your house, you have to repair parts of it now and then. It is good that we have humans who make sure our house is kept in a good shape.

A Prelude to the Anniversary

On the 20th of July this summer, it is fifty years since the first manned Lunar landing. Here is an interesting article about a BBC documentary dealing with the anniversary.

Landing menon the Moon was one of the greatest feats ever of humans. This is especially true since it was done within a decade of a political decision to do so and with the relatively limited technology and computer power of the 1960’s. I am amazed they pulled it of. We should all celebrate the anniversary, I think.

Ice Hockey

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship has started.

Sweden has played two games so far. There was a loss against Czechia, which is not nice, but Czechia is one of the great ice hockey nations and it is not embarrasing losing to them. The next game was versus Italy, a team which Sweden should beat. Sweden did, easily, 8-0. So far, Sweden is ranked last in its group, but there are more games to win. We believe there may be medals, perhaps even gold, this year again. We do hope so!

Joy

Here is a short film about a dog welcoming his human, who is back home after spending days at the hospital. Watch the film and get inspired and happy.

I can understand the dog. This is always a reason to be happy.

Extra Work

Paula has been called upon to make extra nights at work this weekend. It starts tonight. We are proud of Paula, who accepts this. It does involve extra work for us dogs as well. We have to keep watch when she prepares by sleeping.

Roaming Freely, With Dogs

It is often interesting to read about your own home country from the viewpoint of foreigners. Here is an interesting piece about ”allemansrätten”, the Swedish right to travel and visit most of the country, as long as you do not come too close to someone’s home. The article states that this right, and a high level of gender equality in Sweden, alows women to roam freely on their own. Note, however, that the woman in the pictures is not alone. She has a dog.

Speeding Pidgeon

A pidgeon flying low over a street in a German town was caught on an automatic traffic control camera. It was speeding, flying at 45 km/h where vehicles were just allowed to go in 30 km/h.

It is funny how animals can get mixed up with vehicles like this.

A driver would have had to pay a fine. The pidgeon will certainly not have to.

Botan

Daniel purchased a beer today, called Botan.

My firstborn son is called Botan, Aangenaam A Hero Comes Home. Daniel told me that as soon as he saw the tin in the store, he came to think of Botan. He said he wanted to try it out, just because it had the same name as Botan. I think this is a fine idea.

According to Daniel, the Botan beer is a double IPA with a rather sharp but nice taste. I do not drink beer, so I would not know.I am glad Daniel enjoys it, though. Botan is such a lovely boy.

Lost Idea

There are times when it is time for me to write a blog post, and I have this nagging feeling that I have had a great idea for a blog post earlier in the day, but just cannot recall what it was I thought I would write about. This affects me most of all. I also like to think, however, it affects you, my dear readers. If there were great ideas for blog posts, but these were forgotten, you lose the ideas just as I do. There may be times when I find an old idea again, and the blog post comes to be. Other times, the idea keeps eluding me. I am not sure I ever had the idea, but there is still a feeling I did have it.

I believe I lost a good idea today. I hopeit will come back to me. Otherwise, odds are I get other ideas worth writing about. Either way, I hope you stay tuned. Whatever happens with my ideas, blog posts will keep coming.

Ticks

Hello, Li’l Gertrud here!

It is the season for ticks. Paula pulled a tick off of me this afternoon. Ticks hurt. Even after they are gone, their bite hurts. It is good that we have humans who take care of ticks, when they find them on us.

Yesterday, Grand Mum Hailey wrote a blog post about the extinction of humans, that may or may not happen. I wish ticks would become extinct, this would be a help for many other animals.

After Extinction?

There was this odd article about a human exploring what Earth would be like after humans would be extinct. Do we have to care? Dogs will probably survive, unless humans would be extinct because Earth would become uninhabitable for all of us living here.

I do not think humans will be extinct anytime soon. Not dogs either. Humans are too clever and resourceful to get extinct. Give humans a few centuries more, and they will expand into outer space and bring biospheres with them. They will make Earth’s life survive Earth and the Sun, I believe. Daniel says so, anyway, and I believe him.

Sometimes, I wish I would live for centuries, just to see what will come to pass.

Birthday

Paula’s sister Mia celebrated her birthday today. Paula and Daniel were there. The rest of us sent our greetings by them.

According to Paula, Mia was very happy about the celebrations. This is good.

Pop Corn

We had pop corn tonight. Pop corn are tasty and nice.

Pop corn were invented by native Americans. They brought dry cornon their journeys, and popped them over bonfires to increase their volume.

Pop corn with salt and butter is my favourite.

New Emperor

Japan has a new Emperor.


The old Emperor Akihito abdicated yesterday in favour of his son Naruhito. Formally, Naruhito became Emperor today.


In a way, Naruhito is also the Emperor of every Shiba in the World, whatever country we live in. Our breed is from Japan. The Japanese Kennel Club decides on the breed standard. This is in accordance with the rules of the International Kennel Federation FCI, which says the kennel club of the home country of a breed decides upon the breed standard. The Japanese Kennel Club is incorporated in Japan, where Naruhito is now Emperor and Head of State.


I am born and raised in Sweden and registrered with the Swedish Kennel Club. Still, I am also Japanese, since I am a Shiba.


Long live the Emperor!

Spring Celebration

It is the last evening of April, when spring is celebrated across most of Sweden. We call it Valborgsmässoafton (Valborg’s Mass Eve), since tomorrow is the name day of Saint Valborg. On this day, large bonfires are often lit. With the dry April we have had, many bonfires have been left unlit this year. I hope it will be better next year, and that we get a lot of rain in May to compensate for the dry weather in April. Draught is no fun.

Something Might Be Broken

There is an ugly sound coming from the back of the car, when itis on the move. We are afraid something is broken, probably the suspension or something in that area. It is difficult having a car that is not working properly, especially since it usually cost a lot of money to have it fixed.

Sometimes, I wish technical stuff would just not be so complicated, so they would not be torn or broken as often as they are. A car will not heal, either, as a dog, a human, or other animal does. I am glad they work most of the time, though.

An Excellent Start

My granddaughter Gertrud and grnadson Harry started their dog show careers yesterday. Both of them won CAC’s.

This is an excellent debut in official dog show classes. I wish them both good luck on their upcoming dog shows.

Gertrud told me she had liked going to the show. Thisis just like Ihave always done myself, so I enjoyed hearing this. Perhaps Gertrud is my true successor in the show rings?

Certificates

Hello, Gerstuhl here!

I went with Paula and Daniel to a dog show today. My brother Harry and his humans were there as well.

We both competed in intermediary class, both winning the respective classes. Harry was best male and won a certificate. I was second best bitch, but I lost to a bitch who was already a champion, so I won a certificate as well.

It was a great day. Harry and I had not met for a very long time, it was nice seeing him again. The great reaults in the show ring for the both of us were also terrific. On top of this, we got good things to eat.

I can understand why granny Hailey is so fond of going to dog shows.

A Nice Japanese Movie

Daniel and I watched a Japanese movie tonight on C More. It is called Your Name. It is a love story with supernatural ingredients. Even though there are just a few images of dogs in it, it is a lovely story of human love. If you have C More and like love stories, do watch it!

Peace Gift Puppies

A dog in South Korea has given birth to puppies. This is not any South Korean dog, it is a peace gift from the President of Norh Korra to the President of South Korea. The dog was given less than two months ago and must have been bred before this.

This must be one of the finest peace gifts ever given. There are good things coming from North Korea.

I presume the pups will be registered with the South Korean kennel club.

Draught

We have had warm and sunny weather for months, no rain in sight. There have been reports about forest fires in other parts of Sweden, the kind of fires normally just heard of in the middle of the summer. Rain might come next week. I sure hope it does. I do not like to be outdoors when it is raining, but I am tired of this draught now. Nature needs rain.

Rain Over Notre Dame?

There is a risk that the fire damaged cathedral Notre Dame in Paris may be further damaged, if rain wound fall upon it. Parts of the carhedral have been covered, but sufficient cover for all of the cathedralis not yet in place.

We yearn for rain here in Örebro. We have not had a drop of rain in weeks. I wish all of the rain that the forecasts predict for Paris in the comming weeks, would fall on Örebor instead. This would preserve the old cathedral, and it would give much needed water to all the growing things in Örebro, as well as to our well.

You cannot predict the weather, but you can hope.

We Are Shibas

Hello, Orange here!

A member of my son Fuji’s family had posted a picture on Facebook of Fuji. Naturally, a lot of people commented on it, stating that he is cute. One friend of Paula and Daniel wondered, however, what breed is was. She wrote that shehad forgotten. Daniel answered that Fuji is a Shiba.

We are Shibas. I tend to forget that not everybody knows this. As I am a Shiba, and a lot of my family and friends consist of Shibas, it is easy to forget that there are so many families around the world who does not have a single Shiba in their household. I feel sorry for them, and I can understand why people forget that we are Shibas. I wish more people would remember this. Perhaps they will in the future. I have helped populate the world with Shibas.

Late Night Easter Cake

Late at night after Easter Day, we got up and Paula let us taste an Easter cake.

There is not a single type of cake called Easter cake, as far as I can tell. This cake had an Easter yellow top and was similar to a Princess cake. It was quite tasty.

There can be many reasons for getting up late at night. Having a late night snack is one of the better reasons, especially when the snack is cake. I really enjoyed this cake.

Happy Easter!

It is Easter Day. We celebrated mainly by having a nice and quiet day at home.

Easter is the holiday when Swedes eat the most candy. We have had a lot of candy this Easter, and had it today as well. Life is good.

The Day in Between

Good Friday was yesterday, Easter Dayis tomorrow. This day is Easter Eve, the dayin between the two fundamental and great days of Christian worship.

It says in the Bible that on Good Friday, Christ died for the sins of humanity. He made the ultimate sacrifice to God, so that anyone who believes in him will be saved. On Easter Day, Christ rose again from being dead, thus defeating death and promising eternal life for those who believes.

Is this salvatio. there for dogs too,or do we not need it? If sin is something essentially human, perhaps dogs do not need to be saved from sin. Will we have eternal life? Paula says she is sure we will.

Nevertheless, Easter is a nice holiday with a lot of good food and candy. I wish you all a Happy Easter!

Bread Rolls with Cheese

One of the exciting things about feeding time is that you can never be sure what your humans put in your food bowl. It is often just your ordinary dog food, but quite often as well, we get something extra in the bowls. The extra treat today was rolls of thin bread with cheese. This was quite tasty. Bread is quite all right, cheese is great. It formed a very good combination. I wish we could have these kinds of treats more often.

Winning a Series of Games

Daniel is happy tonight. His favourite Swedish ice hockey team, Djurgården, has made it to the finals and has a chance to win gold.

I am not that interested in ice hockey, but I am happy for Daniel’s sake.

It is interesting to note that although Djurgården did not score most goals through the seven games, they won most of the games. This is what counts in the end. It is the same under many circumstances, you do not win for scoring the most, you win for scoring at the right time.

Birthday

Daniel has a sister who turns another decade old today. Congratulations to her! She does not have any dogs, but she is still Daniel’s sister and when I have met her, she was a very nice person. We have sent her a birthday card by mail, I hope she liked it.

Notre Dame

The great, old Cathedral Notre Dame (Our Lady, a.k.a. the Virgin Mary, mother of God) in Paris is on fire.

The fire probably started as an accident, in conection with renovations.

This is a great tragedy. Notre Dame is a symbol of the Church, one of the greatest such symbols. It is also a symbol of Paris and, thus, of France.

I hope most of the Cathedral will be saved and that the burned parts will be rebuilt.

Home Again

Hello, Orange here!

This weekend, I have been away, but I am back home now.

It has been a good weekend. I have learned to know a new family, very nice people. They liked me as much as I liked them, as far as I can tell.

It might be, that I will move to this new family. I would like this. I love it back home, but with the new family, I would be the top ranked dog. We will have to see what happens.

Coffee Maker

We got a new coffee maker today. Paula and Daniel rarely drink coffee at home, but often serve it when they have guests here. None of us dogs drink coffee. Our coffee maker was fairly old, so Paula got a deal for a new one. I guess this is important, since it is always important to impress guests, and good coffee is, apparently, something toimpress guests by. Thus, I hope the new coffee maker will be a success.

Weekend Journey

Hello, Orange here!

I will spend this weekend with another family in our town. They are nice people, it will be an adventure.

There are times when I have been envious of the dogs who have moved from one place to another, where the other place may be our place. I was born and raised here and still live here. It will be quite interesting to see someplace else. I will let you know more when I am back.

Floors

This time of the year, the floors tend to get dirty. It is not so bad this year, since itis so dry outside, but there are dirt coming in from outside. I guess it is one advantage of the dry spring we have. Still, the floors have to be cleaned now and then.

We helped Daniel clean the floors tonight. It feels better walking on cleaner floors. Perhaps we should clean the floors even more often than we do? It is, however, a boring thing to do. You can do it often, but not too often, in order not to be too bored. The floors are clean enough most of the time.

Cold and Dry

We have had coldmornings this week. The temperatures have been well below zero. Still, there has been no frost. It is very dry. We had a little snow yesterday morning, but there has been no other precipitation for a long time. I hope our well will not run dry.

A Year of Food

My brother Jiro has won a competition. The prize was a year’s worth of dog food.

I hope Jiro remember me, his older sister from his litter, and that I might get a little piece of the prize.

Most of all, I want to congratulate Jiro for the victory. He is a great Shiba, well worth the prize. After all, he became Swedish Show Champion even before me. He deserves this victory.

New Family

Hello, Orange here!

We had visitors today, a couple of humans who wanted to be Allram’s new family. They were very nice people and had a friendly Lhasa Apso, so we decided they could be. Allram will move to them next weekend. A red male Shiba was just what they wished for.

I believe this will be great for Allram, though I will miss him. You have to let your pups get their own families and lives.

It Goes On and On

The process on Brexit, when and how Britain will leave the European Union, goes on.

Today, the debates in the House of Commons wereinterrupted by water flowing in from the ceiling. I guess not even the forces of nature think the prolonged Brexit process is anything to be happy about.

New Era

With every new Emperor in Japan, there is a new era. Each era has a name.

In May, the current Emperor Akihito will step down. His eldest son will become the new Emperor. The name of the new era will be Reiwa.

Some people in Japan believes it is unnecessary to stick to the old custom of naming eras for the Emperors. I disagree. I cannot see any reasonable reason to discontinue this tradition, thus, I cannot see any need to do so.

I wish the new Emperor and all of the dogs and humans in Japan good luck in the new era.

Joke

No, there was no meteorite that fell close to us. Nothing fell from the sky yesterday. It was just my annual April's fools joke.

Meteorite Struck an Old House

A small meteorite has struck down in the woods between our house and the house of Paula's parents. We went there and watched the crater on the morning walk today. The forces of nature are strong. We were lucky, though, everything that was struck was trees and one of the old, abandoned summer houses. Now, there is no need to tear this house down, the town can save some money.